Chapter Ten Stormy Waves

  Liu Jiye's calmness was somewhat unexpected by Liu Yanzhao, and on the way back to his room, he also felt a bit more at ease, at least they shared the same views on the Khitan.

  This adds another place to start with.

  Back in the house, a oil lamp was lit, and Liu Quan, the little servant who had been serving him for two days, sat at the table with his chin in his hands, dozing off. Perhaps hearing the sound of the door closing, he was startled awake.

  "Sixth Master, you're back! The mistress was worried that you'd return too late, so she had me wait here to attend to you."

  It seems that Zhe Sai Hua knew it would be late at night, and was afraid that when he returned home, the lights in the house would all be out. Suddenly, a warm feeling surged up, "You've worked hard, Liu Quan, it's also getting late, go rest early."

  Liu Quan's expression was somewhat stunned. The Sixth Master indeed seemed different from usual. It wasn't until Liu Yanzhao urged him again that he bowed and left the house.

  Still waking up at that hour, before dawn, unable to sleep in bed, he got up and started practicing martial arts in the courtyard. Picking up the steel spear, those familiar moves suddenly flashed in Liu Yanzhao's mind, and he immediately danced with ease with the long spear in his hand.

  Listening to the whistling wind by his ear, the gunshots kept drifting in the air, Liu Yanzhao was extremely satisfied, but when it came to the final move, he always felt like something was missing.

  These last few moves were all about wrapping up, lacking the previous bold and powerful sweep. Could it be that Father did this on purpose?

  This set of gun techniques was passed down by Liu Jiye, and on the battlefield of cold weapons, one inch longer is one inch stronger. However, he thought for the sake of his descendants, so he taught only gun techniques, not the knife techniques that he was good at using.

  Maybe it's time to rethink and improve marksmanship, when you can't beat the opponent even with defense, it's better to go all out and take a risk.

  Thinking of this, the words "back horse gun" floated in Liu Yanzhao's mind, which he had often seen before. It was said to be a move that couldn't be used, and one day he would ask his father if he knew how to use it.

  Liu Yanzhao put down the steel gun in his hand, went into the house to wipe off his sweat, re-washed and changed his armor. By this time, the sky was almost bright, it was time to go to the front hall, after all, he couldn't let his elder brother wait for him every time.

  On the way, he deliberately walked through Qilang's yard, and this guy was also awake, but it would take some time to recover, so he could only envy Liu Yanzhao.

  He slightly comforted Qi Lang and let him study some military books, learning the way of deploying troops and arrays. Only then did Liu Yanzhao get up and leave.

  They arrived at the front hall, where Dalang and others had already started having breakfast. Bajie was also there, and upon seeing Liu Yanzhao, she hastily put down her bowl and came over to greet him.

  "This fish is close to Sixth Brother, are we brothers not likable?"

  Sanlang took a sip of porridge, and some people whispered in envy, but the rest of the people couldn't help but laugh. Zhe Sai Hua handed him a piece of pastry and said, "Eat this pastry to shut your mouth up. When did Eighth Sister not get along with you? Besides, even if it's like what you said, it must be your fault as the older brother."

  His mother scolded him, and Liu Yangguang could only lower his head in silence.

  With a wronged expression, eating pancakes, this appearance couldn't help but make everyone laugh again. However, seeing Liu Jiye still had a straight face, they all swallowed their laughter back down.

  Liu Yanzhao didn't make a sound, but still glanced at Liu Jiyeh with the corner of his eye, yet couldn't see anything, could it be that last night's words had no effect at all?

  As he was secretly speculating, his clothes were pulled down, and when he lowered his head, he saw that Ba Mei was about to say something but stopped herself, which made Liu Yanzhao somewhat perplexed.

  "Expelling wind..."

  In the gentle reminder of Ba Mei, Liu Yanzhao finally understood that he had promised to tell his mother yesterday, but was called to the study room at night and his thoughts were still immersed in it, so he forgot about Liu Paifeng's affairs.

  Facing Eighth Sister's apologetic smile, Liu Yanzhao put down the bowl of porridge he had picked up and said, "Mother, I have something to ask you to agree to."

  "You child, speaking to your mother like that, are you trying to upset your father and make me beg for mercy?"

  Last night after Liu Jiye returned to his room, he could sense that his mind was restless. As a couple for many years, Cuixiang thought it was due to the discussion in the study.

  So now Liu Yanzhao said this, she still took it as a plea for leniency, and turned her head to face Liu Jiye, "You see, Liu Liulang has already admitted his mistake, so don't make things difficult for the child anymore."

  "When did I ever blame him? It's just an unjustified and groundless accusation."

  Liu Jiye responded with a sound, and this answer was beyond Suo Saihua's expectation. "Sixth Brother, what is going on?"

  "Mother, the matter I want to discuss has nothing to do with Father. Eighth Sister is still young, and my brothers and I are all in the camp, even Seventh Brother is the same, so I was thinking of asking Mother to find a companion for Eighth Sister, that way she can also be happy while practicing martial arts and studying."

  Liu Yanzhao's words made everyone at the table stop eating and look at Ba Mei, who was nodding silently. Cuosaihua couldn't help but sigh, "Sixth Brother is right, girls' families can't compare to yours, it's just a matter of finding a match, but where should we go to find one?"

  "Mom, don't worry about this, I think it's fine if I just get rid of the wind!"

  At this time, Ba Mei, who was listening with her ears perked up, hastily spoke out loud, fearing that if she was late, she would miss the opportunity.

  "Qian Feng? Xiāo E's daughter is quite a pretty and delicate girl. Since Ba Mei likes her, then it's settled. What do you think, Master?"

  "Family matters are decided by the lady of the house, and it's about time too. I should be heading to the barracks now."

  Liu Jiye finished drinking the porridge in his bowl and got up to leave. The others, including Dalang, hastily took a few big gulps. The scene made Zhe Saihua speak out to comfort them, "Slow down, your father isn't in such a hurry for now, eat your fill first before you have the energy to train."

  Soon, Da Lang and others quickly left, leaving Za Sai Hua shaking his head, "These father and son only have the military camp in their hearts."

  "Father, they are concerned about the safety of the imperial court and spend their days dealing with military affairs, which is also understandable. Moreover, Father knows that Mother is in charge at home, so he won't have to worry about anything going wrong, let alone having any worries about what's happening back home."

  Dalong's wife, Madame Zhou, smiled and replied, making Zhe Saihua very pleased. Liu Jiye left the Yang family to start his own business and was indeed diligent in serving the imperial court. Now, both inside and outside Dai Prefecture, all the people respect the Liu family, which is a recognition of the Liu family's worth.

  "Eldest sister said that, at present, except for Seventh Brother who still has some childishness, the other brothers are all making rapid progress under Father's leadership. In this way, the Liu family is united in their efforts, and Mother should be delighted."

  "Alright, Da Niang and Er Niang, it's just the two of you who are sweet-talking. I've seen the change in Liu Lang too, and it makes me feel more at ease that this child can get rid of his previous flightiness. After breakfast, San Niang, you go with Pai Feng and Ba Mei to practice martial arts together. If not for Liu Lang mentioning it, I really wouldn't have noticed that Ba Mei has been much quieter these days. It's actually my fault."

  "Mother, I don't dare."

  Ba Mei lowered her head again, speaking softly, but it made San Niang laugh out loud, "Ba Mei, I didn't mean to blame you, come on, hurry up and eat, Third Aunt will take you and Pai Feng to practice archery, how about that?"

  Xinzhou Dong's iron bow is the best in the world, and San Niang Dong Yue is even more skilled in her family's traditional techniques. Her archery skills are already at a divine level, with the ability to shoot through 100 paces of willows.

  "Really? That's great!"

  Ba Mei had indeed witnessed San Niang's skills with her own eyes, and she was secretly envious. However, this action of hers made Zhou Shi and Geng Shi somewhat displeased. "Look at Ba Mei enjoying herself, does that mean my and your second aunt's skills are not worthy in Ba Mei's eyes?"

  "Don't be angry, two aunts. The fish has no intention of underestimating you. You both have inherited the most excellent skills from your family, and others don't even have the chance to learn them. The fish will definitely learn martial arts with you carefully."

  Ba Mei's flustered appearance couldn't help but make several women stifle a smile, and Zuo Saihua stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, stop teasing Ba Mei now and let's eat quickly. Later, we still need to send some cooling soups to the soldiers."

  Things in the living room Liu Yanzhao and his brothers would not know, they were following behind Liu Jiye's horse, heading quickly to the Zhongying camp.

  "Ugh!"

  Reining in his horse, Liu Yanzhao leapt down from the saddle and handed the reins to the guards who came forward to greet him. He entered the camp, with Liu Ji going to his general's quarters, while the remaining brothers went off towards their respective troops.

  "Sixth brother!"

  They walked a little further and only Wu Lang Liu Yande and Liu Yanzhao were left. The latter hesitated, but finally opened his mouth to stop Liu Yanzhao who was about to move forward.

  "These days in the camp, be more careful and restrain your subordinates. Father is already very tired, don't add to his troubles again. If there's anything, remember to find me and a few elder brothers."

  It turned out that from the moment Liu Yanzhao entered the camp, he had sensed a strange atmosphere. Some people looked at him with admiration, while others were full of hatred.

  No need to think about it, the former is a general of Dai Prefecture City, and the latter must be Jian Xiong Army.

  Liang Zi had already made up his mind, but Liu Yan Zhao returned to the mansion to recover from his injuries for a few days, so he didn't know about this specific situation. Also, previously Liu Ji Ye allowed him and Qi Lang to recover at home, which was also partly due to this reason.

  "Big Brother Five, don't worry too much, Little Brother Six understands in his heart and won't cause any more trouble."

  After bidding farewell to Wulang, Liu Yanzhao went to the training ground where his team was located, but found that Zhang Yun and others were not among them. Could it be that their injuries had not healed yet?

  With doubts in his mind, he changed direction and strode towards the barracks.

  Dozens of zhang away from the barracks, Liu Yanzhao saw a group of people gathered there, as if in confrontation, and the ones blocking the road were indeed the Jianxiong Army.

  It's a disaster, Jian Xiongjun is causing trouble. It seems that Zhang Yun and others have been having a hard time these past two days. Liu Yanzhao hastened his pace, "What are you doing? In the military camp, can't you follow orders?"

  Liu Yanzhao's low shout made the road open up a gap, and he walked through it to stand in front of Zhang Yun and others. The latter saw Liu Yanzhao appear, full of joyful exclamations, "Houzhang Daren!"

  "Who is it? Ah, it's Little Partner who has come back. How about this, has the wound on your butt healed?"

  The leader of the Jianxiong Army has a rather rugged appearance, looking like a rough man, but his mouth doesn't spare anyone. Judging from his attire, he should be a Xianwei officer.

  "My injuries are none of your concern, but training is about to begin. I advise you to step aside, lest General-sama punishes you!"

  Liu Yanzhao's rebuke only brought a burst of laughter, "General sir scolds? A small squad leader, actually so arrogant to speak with the general, do you think bringing up General Liu will work?"

  His voice carried a hint of disdain, causing the people around him to continue laughing. "To be honest with you, I am the commander of the Imperial Guard, and although Commander Liu is of higher rank than me, he is also a favorite of the Emperor. Even if I were to kill you today, it would only be to get rid of some unruly elements."

  "How dare you! Is General a person who can be slandered by someone like you?"

  Zhang Yun's face turned red with anger, clenching his fists and about to charge forward, but was stopped by Liu Yanzhao. To be honest, he also felt extremely annoyed by the other party's words.

  But Gorō was right, it's not suitable to make trouble, the chess piece of Jian Xiong Army must be grasped firmly, otherwise there will be endless troubles.

  Struggling to calm down his inner anger, Liu Yanzhao's face was as cold as water, "Let the way be given up, this matter will be settled, otherwise..."

  "Or what? Are you going to bite me or something? Haha..."

  Liu Yanzhao's concession only made the other side more arrogant and domineering. The people around Liu Tian couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to rush forward. These two days, Liu Yanzhao was not there, but he didn't suffer less from these people's difficulties. He was so shameless despite being inferior in skill, truly a rascal!

  Just then, the sound of rushing footsteps arose, and soon a large group of Dai soldiers rushed over, their long spears all raised, without saying a word, standing behind Liu Yanzhao.

  "Think you can bully the few with the many? The people of Dai Prefecture are getting violent, brothers quickly get your weapons!"

  The school lieutenant gave a wink, and the small soldier next to him immediately ran out. Soon, a large number of Jianying army also surrounded them.

  What's going on here? Liu Yanzhao, who was caught in the middle of both parties, felt extremely frustrated. This scene was not what he wanted, but now he had been forced to take a stand.

  Take a step back and compromise, how can you stand firm in Dai State City from then on? But if you follow your temper and have a fight with the other side, the feud between you and Jian Xiong Military will only get deeper.