The Innocent Heart - Chapter 55

Guan Yueyao spotted Chen Zhi in the crowd and was tempted to mock him, but Huo Qubing quickly noticed the boy’s presence and stopped Guan Yueyao before she could do anything rash.

“Brother Li, your archery is truly admirable. After that test, I am even more curious about your skill with the mashuo (cavalry spear)!” Huo Qubing said.

Li Gan laughed heartily and gestured for Guan Yueyao to join them. “Then, I ask Langzhong Guan for the honor of your instruction!”

Seeing this, and recalling the heroic figures Huo Qubing and Li Gan had cut on horseback just moments ago, Guan Yueyao felt a surge of desire to test her own skills against Li Gan. She didn’t hesitate, bowed, and turned to the stables to fetch her own horse, casting aside any thoughts of tormenting Chen Zhi.

When she returned to the training ground, the soldiers had cleared a large space, but the crowd of onlookers had only grown. As Guan Yueyao galloped in, the soldiers parted to let her through. Li Gan was already mounted and waiting.

“Begin,” Guan Yueyao said, holding her miaodao horizontally as she sat atop her horse. She nodded slightly toward Li Gan. After creating some distance between them, she turned her horse, let out a sharp cry, and charged toward him, blade raised.

The mashuo is a weapon specifically designed for cavalry—long and heavy—its techniques centered on thrusting and parrying. It is not a weapon easily mastered by ordinary men. The miaodao Guan Yueyao wielded was the first of its kind Li Gan had ever encountered. Although he was so skilled with the mashuo that even his father, Li Guang, had offered praise, Li Gan did not dare to be careless. He gripped the spear, pointing its sharp tip forward, and charged toward her.

Guan Yueyao observed Li Gan as she rode. The spear he held was at least two meters long, giving him a massive advantage in reach. Through her rigorous military training, she had gained considerable real-world combat experience. Analyzing the situation in an instant, she realized that if she wanted to win, she would have to close the distance.

Just as she thought this, a gust of wind whistled past her ear—Li Gan’s spear was already closing in. Guan Yueyao didn’t panic; she hurriedly blocked with her miaodao, and a harsh, screeching metallic rasp echoed near her ear. The two clashed briefly and streaked past each other—a fleeting moment that served as nothing more than a mutual probe.

Guan Yueyao quickly turned her mount and raised her blade, intending to chase after Li Gan. But as she turned, she saw him hoist the spear and swing it with a massive burst of force. Guan Yueyao was within his attack range, and the heavy shaft of the spear threatened to sweep her right off her horse.

Standing on the sidelines, Huo Qubing’s heart jumped into his throat. He felt an intense, irrational regret—he had known Ah Yao lacked real-world experience against various weapon types, yet he had goaded her into this duel. He kept his eyes glued to the field, his muscles tense—more nervous now than when he had sparred with Li Gan himself.

Fortunately, Guan Yueyao didn’t falter due to her lack of experience; instead, her reflexes were lightning-fast. The moment the spear swept toward her, she bent low against the horse’s back, galloping forward a few more steps until Li Gan’s back was exposed within her miaodao’s reach. She steadied herself, rose in her saddle, and swung at him. Li Gan was startled and scrambled to parry with his spear. Another clang resonated through the field, echoing in the hearts of the spectators, who grew anxious over the stalemated duel.

Li Gan narrowly dodged her strike, but he could no longer create distance between them. Guan Yueyao’s horse, Chizhou, had the edge over his mount. While the spear was powerful, its weight made it far less agile than the miaodao. Although Li Gan defended doggedly, launching an active counter-offensive became impossible.

The two fought back and forth, and the crowd watched in fascination. Even Huo Qubing’s anxiety eventually melted away, leaving him completely engrossed. To be fair, this was a spectacular duel; Li Gan and Guan Yueyao were truly evenly matched. Hearing the cheers of the soldiers, Huo Qubing even felt a swell of pride.

Just then, Guan Yueyao dodged another thrust from Li Gan and used the momentum to switch to a two-handed grip, swinging her blade with immense power. Had it not been for Li Gan’s superb horsemanship and perfect synergy with his mount, he might have been knocked from his horse.

“Beautiful!” A familiar voice cheered from beside Huo Qubing. He frowned and turned his head—it was Chen Zhi, blending into the crowd, clapping along with the rest for Guan Yueyao’s move. Sensing Huo Qubing’s gaze, Chen Zhi suddenly stiffened, abandoning his look of glee and pursing his lips into a mask of feigned indifference.

Huo Qubing found Chen Zhi’s childish reaction amusing. His earlier annoyance toward the boy faded significantly.

“What are you all doing here?!” A majestic, stern voice boomed from behind them: General Han Anguo. Although his attempt to drive for Liu Che had ended in a fall—costing him the post of Chancellor and leaving him with a limp—his presence remained formidable. The once-lively training ground fell silent, and the soldiers scattered to create a path as the General approached.

In the center of the field, Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing stopped, stowed their weapons, dismounted, and walked over with their heads bowed. Han Anguo finally recognized them and looked surprised. “Why is the Li boy engaged in a private duel with Langzhong Guan?”

Huo Qubing panicked, fearing that Han Anguo might seek revenge for the time Ah Yao had contradicted him in front of the Emperor. He wanted to explain, but in the military, hierarchy was absolute; without an order to speak, one remained silent. He looked toward Guan Yueyao, only to find her as fearless as ever, asking with a smile: “We were just practicing a few moves to satisfy our itching for a spar. There are so many people watching, can you really call this a ‘private duel’?”

Han Anguo was speechless, unable to tell if the boy was truly oblivious to his subtext or just pretending to be a fool. Although he didn’t see eye-to-eye with the Wei family politically, he wasn’t petty enough to make things difficult for a youth. He simply glared at Guan Yueyao and warned, “If it is not a private duel, then disperse! What kind of order is it to gather a mob like this?!” He glared at her again before turning to leave, muttering, “Do not let it happen again!”

Guan Yueyao stuck out her tongue at the General’s retreating back, causing Huo Qubing, who had hurried over, to laugh, his worries forgotten.

“You really are thick-skinned,” Huo Qubing sighed helplessly at his friend. “If General Han had decided to punish you, I don’t think you’d be laughing.”

“Tch, if he wants to hit me, can’t I just run?” Guan Yueyao shrugged, hands behind her head, looking utterly unbothered.

“I doubt it would have come to that,” Li Gan said with a smile. “My father worked with General Han and said he is a man of great intellect, integrity, and the demeanor of an elder. He would not hold a grudge against us juniors.” He didn’t know about the past friction between Guan Yueyao and Han Anguo, so he tried to soothe the situation.

With the trouble passed, neither Guan Yueyao nor Huo Qubing wanted to waste more breath on it. Guan Yueyao sighed with regret: “It’s a shame we were interrupted before a winner was decided. It seems we won’t have a proper match until the Dushi.”

“Even if it was unfinished, I was already falling behind. If we had continued, I’m sure I would have lost to you. Langzhong Guan, it is my great fortune to meet you and Master Huo in the capital!” Li Gan said sincerely. In Youbeiping, he had rarely found a rival among his peers; he had been growing bored and lethargic. Now, he felt he had found a new target to pursue.

“Nonsense. If there is no final victor, there is no winner. Besides, that mashuo of yours is formidable! It was my first time facing such a weapon, and I feel I was quite lacking in my response. Had the General not interrupted us, who knows how it would have ended!”

As they talked, the three began to review the fight, gesticulating as they discussed how to counter each other’s moves. By the time training ended, they were familiar enough to address each other by their given names.

“Shall we go to the Sheep Market for some mutton pita soup and keep talking?” Guan Yueyao, hearing her stomach growl, suggested.

Huo Qubing, still caught up in the discussion, didn’t want to break the conversation with Li Gan, so he immediately agreed. Li Gan, unable to refuse such hospitality, consented: “Alright, my home isn’t far from the Sheep Market. Are there any good eats there?”

Although the Li family had been famous warriors since the Qin Dynasty and possessed a large residence in Chang’an, most of the men were stationed at the frontier. Li Gan had spent his childhood in Youbeiping with his father and was unfamiliar with Chang’an.

Guan Yueyao, always protective of her friends, patted her chest: “Don’t worry, Ah Gan! Qubing and I will make sure you eat your way through all of Chang’an’s best food before you leave!”

She looked at Huo Qubing, but seeing no reaction, she nudged him: “Right, Qubing?”

Huo Qubing merely nodded without saying a word—a stark contrast to the man who had been chattering nonstop about combat techniques just moments ago. Guan Yueyao didn’t think much of it, assuming he was simply lost in thought about the combat techniques they had discussed. But Li Gan glanced at the brow-furrowed youth beside him, wondering what might be weighing on his mind.