The Innocent Heart - Chapter 40

Clearly, the two individuals had different understandings of what constituted a spoiled prodigal son (wánkù). In Huo Qubing’s eyes, only someone like Chen Zhi—who spent his days indulging in pleasure, contributing nothing to the court or the state, like a parasite—could be called a wánkù.

But in Guan Yueyao’s eyes, it was different. Although he was barely counted among the powerful due to his martial arts talent and Liu Che’s favor, he was still more accustomed to viewing the world from a commoner’s perspective. Moreover, influenced by the old man who sold mutton in the sheep market, a seed of chivalry had gradually taken root and sprouted in the youth’s heart over the past few days.

He could never forget the old man’s earnest words to him: “Even the ancient sages and worthies suffered in their time, much less us, of mediocre talent, navigating this chaotic world—how can one enumerate the dangers we face? If there is no chivalrous conduct of mutual watchfulness and help, on what can the common people rely to merely survive in this world?”

Admittedly, he conceded that his friend certainly possessed extraordinary talent far surpassing his own, and his will was firm; he was not an heir who wallowed in pleasure. But in his eyes, aside from the distant Northern Desert, he couldn’t see the common people right in front of him. It seemed that the farmers who were bent over, diligently trying to complete the harvest before winter arrived, were just like the wild grass beneath their horses—things that could be trampled upon arbitrarily.

“Why are you looking at Me like that?”

Under Guan Yueyao’s slightly pained gaze, the anger in Huo Qubing’s heart gradually subsided. An inexplicable and misplaced sense of guilt silently crept into his heart, making him the one who felt completely ill at ease.

“Yo, isn’t this the illegitimate son of the Wei family? What’s wrong, not playing with the beggars on the street anymore?”

Just as the two stood speechless, a burst of insolent laughter suddenly came from behind them. It seemed people really couldn’t resist talking about someone; no sooner had Chen Zhi been mentioned than this true wánkù of the Han Dynasty appeared behind the two, leading a group of servants. He did not recognize the young man beside Huo Qubing—who was dressed in military attire and looked heroic—as the little beggar who had beaten him into the ground and made him grovel for his teeth that day. He narrowed his eyes, secretly pondering, Whose child is this? Why have I never seen him before?

Chen Zhi’s sudden appearance made Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao quickly drop their disagreement and look at him simultaneously.

“Chen Zhi, you still dare to speak arrogantly in front of Me? Haven’t you been beaten enough last time?” Huo Qubing lifted his chin, looking down somewhat haughtily at his former defeated opponent. In recent times, due to a more scientific and nutritious diet combined with appropriate exercise, Huo Qubing’s height had shot up rapidly, and his posture looked even more erect than the last time Chen Zhi had seen him.

Chen Zhi looked at the two youths in front of him, his mouth twitching. He recalled his grandmother’s warning not to engage in conflict with this illegitimate son again without reason.

“Hmph, I just passed by here on an autumn hunt. Who wants to brawl in the street like common thugs and hoodlums with you?” Chen Zhi said, but suddenly felt that this put him at a disadvantage, as if he feared Huo Qubing. His eyes spun, and a plan came to him.

“What, are you also here for autumn hunting? Do you dare to compete with Me? Let’s see who catches more animals by sunset!”

Chen Zhi’s words carried contempt. Both being young and impetuous, Huo Qubing was immediately provoked. He completely forgot the purpose of their outing today and agreed without thinking. Huo Qubing pointed a finger at a large tree near the village entrance: “A competition it is! We’ll count the prey right here before sunset.”

“Hahaha, you just wait! I’ll make sure you lose this time and admit defeat!” Chen Zhi nodded, ignored Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao, raised his horsewhip, and led his group of servants away with great flourish.

Guan Yueyao watched as this group of people recklessly rode their horses right into the nearby farmland. For a moment, it created quite a commotion. The farmers who were working hard to harvest their grain before winter saw their fields trampled into a mess, with crops that hadn’t been harvested lying broken on the ground. They frantically dodged the horses’ hooves while clutching their faces and weeping in agony over their heartache.

Guan Yueyao saw this scene and let out a heavy sigh, frowning deeply. He wanted to give some money to these farmers who had just suffered undeserved misfortune, but upon checking his pocket, he found himself penniless. For this trip, neither he nor Huo Qubing had brought any extra money. To simulate a military march, they had only carried their long bows, sufficient arrows, their respective swords, and dried rations.

Huo Qubing, who was constantly observing his friend’s every move, was experiencing quite complex emotions. In the past, he would have done the same as Chen Zhi, riding across the farmland without a second thought. He had never considered, or rather, paid attention to, the fact that behind his enjoyment of galloping and racing the wind, there were the helpless sobs of farmers.

These suppressed cries, however, were like a heavy sledgehammer, pounding repeatedly on his heart, making him feel suffocated.

“Ah Yao, let’s go. We need to hurry and start so we don’t actually lose to that Chen Zhi kid.” Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Huo Qubing urged him with a stern face.

Having said that, he turned his horse, but no longer seemed to want to rush recklessly into the fields as before. He carefully controlled his horse, cautiously navigating around the farmland along the ridges and heading toward the village entrance. He dared not look again, nor did he dare to listen. It was as if one more glance would make him completely buried by guilt.

However, the past cannot be undone. At least from now on, he could no longer step on these once-insignificant farmlands without a psychological burden as he had before.

“Hey, wait for Me! Why are you running so fast!” Guan Yueyao’s slightly anxious voice came from behind. Huo Qubing suddenly remembered that his friend had only recently learned to ride and his horsemanship was far from refined. Traveling along such narrow ridges must be quite challenging for him.

With this in mind, Huo Qubing gradually slowed Benxiao’s speed. He did not look back but simply waved his hand and shouted: “Ride slowly, I’ll wait for you!”

Because they were unwilling to trample the farmland, the two took some effort to detour around the large village and rode into the hills, startling countless birds. This was an outlier of the Qinling Mountains. The ridges were deep and the forests were dense. In the early Western Han Dynasty, the Guanzhong Plain had a mild climate, and numerous wild animals resided here.

The autumn season meant that more than just the farmlands below the hill were busy with harvest. Since animals living in the forest were also quite active, storing up enough food for the upcoming winter, it was a good time for hunting.

The two rode side-by-side, jogging through the forest, tacitly agreeing not to bring up the subject of trampling the farmland again.

“Qubing, how do you shoot an animal?” This was Guan Yueyao’s first hunt, and he felt excited, curious, and a little nervous.

“Watch Me.”

Speaking of something he was good at, Huo Qubing shook off his previous gloom. He smiled faintly, drew an arrow from the quiver on his back, nocked it onto the bow, then drew the bowstring and carefully aimed at the sky.

Guan Yueyao followed his gaze. A pheasant with rich, beautiful feathers was flying across the air in front of the two. He couldn’t help but hold his breath, and his hands unconsciously tightened on the reins.

The sharp whoosh of an arrow leaving the string suddenly rang out. Before Guan Yueyao could even react to what had happened, he saw the pheasant, which had been lively just a moment ago, freeze in motion. Its body was pierced by the arrow shot by Huo Qubing. Subsequently, due to inertia, it was pinned, along with the arrow, to the tree behind it.

“Wow!!!! You’re so amazing, Qubing!!!!” Guan Yueyao looked dumbfounded at the sudden event. It was his first time seeing someone shoot and kill a moving living creature. It was so clean and effortless, as if it were a casual flick of the wrist. This gave him some unrealistic fantasies: so hunting is that simple.

Guan Yueyao’s interest was ignited. He nocked an arrow, drew his bow, and began to look around for his own prey. Predictably, with only minimal training, although his arm strength was quite good due to years of practicing the sword, his aim was terrible. After wasting more than a dozen arrows without any success, Guan Yueyao put down his bow, somewhat dejected. By this time, Huo Qubing’s horse was already laden with five or six large and small hunted animals.

“Ah Yao, don’t be discouraged. I’ve been practicing riding and archery every day since I could sit on a horse. While talent certainly helps, I’ve never put in any less effort. As a fellow martial artist, I think you should understand the principle behind this, right?” Huo Qubing turned his head, smiling as he consoled his friend, who looked crestfallen and was gazing longingly at the prey behind Huo Qubing.

Guan Yueyao nodded: “I know. Practicing martial arts is like this; even a genius cannot dispense with postnatal effort. It’s true for your riding and archery, and it’s true for my sword practice. I’m just worried that if this continues, I’ll slow you down. After all, we’re still in a competition with that Chen Zhi!”

Understanding his friend’s concern, Huo Qubing was relieved. He laughed dismissively, temporarily put away his bow, rode over to Guan Yueyao’s side, and patted his shoulder.

“How could you slow Me down? If I were alone, carrying this much prey, that would be the real inconvenience,” He said, perhaps still worried that Guan Yueyao felt resentment, and personally placed the hunted animals into the bamboo basket strapped to Chizhou’s back.

“Ah Yao, make sure you guard these well! If we lose because one goes missing, I’ll hold you accountable!” Huo Qubing “threatened” with a smile.

Suddenly, he seemed to have spotted prey again. His sentence was abruptly cut short. Huo Qubing raised his hand to signal silence and silently aimed at the target once more.