Chapter 58: Champion He Yan
The recruits below the stage looked up at He Yan.
The previous dozen moves had happened too quickly for them to discern who had the upper hand, but now no further explanation was needed. He Yan had forced Jiang Jiao to the edge of the platform, nearly knocking him off—Jiang Jiao had lost.
This young man had won yet again.
"Brother He is amazing," Xiao Mai murmured. "He keeps getting better."
Hong Shan scratched his head. "This kid never told us he was this good."
"He's not practicing the spear for the first time," Shitou said after a long silence. "That's why the other guy couldn't beat him."
"But that doesn't make sense," Hong Shan said, puzzled. "Brother He is a young master from a fallen family. Do wealthy households usually practice crossbows and spears at home?"
He Yan heard the whispers among the recruits. This was a perfect opportunity. She planted the spear on the ground and took two steps forward, declaring, "Brothers, today I've won again."
She said this without hiding the pride on her face—even exaggerating it slightly, making it seem almost provocative.
"What's this kid up to?" Du Mao asked.
No one knew what He Yan was planning.
He Yan grinned. "I imagine there will be plenty who want to challenge me in the future. Don’t worry—I won’t refuse. But only one match per day."
Instructor Liang's lips twitched. "Is this guy treating himself like a champion on a stage?"
Champion He Yan paid no heed to the stares around her and continued, "Whips, knives, foot combat, spears, swordsmanship, mounted archery—anything available in the camp, you can challenge me in. Don’t worry, I won’t take your dry rations if I win. Come at me if you dare."
Even knowing this young man had extraordinary skills, his attitude was downright arrogant.
"How insolent! Who does he think he is?"
"Not a shred of humility. Just because he got lucky with crossbows and spears, he thinks he’s invincible?"
"Is there really no one in all of Liang Province who can beat him? Among tens of thousands of men, is there not a single capable fighter?"
He Yan chuckled softly to herself. It wasn’t that there were no capable fighters—it was just that the most skilled young master had no interest in sparring with her.
She declared, "A gentleman’s word is unbreakable. Today, with all the instructors and brothers as witnesses, I, He Yan, swear to keep my promise! If I win, consider it a friendly match. If I lose, you can make any demand of me. But," she added with feigned modesty, "that’s probably impossible."
Her words only stoked the recruits’ indignation further.
"He’s looking down on us!"
"Does he think Liang Province has no talent? Just because ten fingers vary in length, does he think he’s the best at everything? Does he think he’s General Feng Yun?"
"Enough! Let’s see how long he lasts. He’ll get his comeuppance soon!"
After putting on a thoroughly arrogant display, He Yan leisurely descended from the stage. Before leaving, as if remembering something, she turned to Jiang Jiao, who stood nearby with an unsettled expression, and said, "Actually, your spear technique is quite good."
Jiang Jiao froze, staring at her, unsure what she meant.
"But you met me—and I’m the best." With a loud laugh, she walked off, not bothering to see Jiang Jiao’s reaction.On the other side, Du Mao's face was as dark as water. He Yan's competition with Jiang Jiao was nothing unusual, but He Yan had just humiliated Jiang Jiao so thoroughly that the latter might never recover. This was not something Du Mao wanted to see. He patted Liang Ping's shoulder and went to Jiang Jiao first, intending to console this new recruit who had suffered a crushing defeat in his first trial, lest they lose a promising talent.
...
In the pavilion beside the Martial Arts Field.
"Uncle, my Brother He won again!" Cheng Li Su, who had witnessed everything, jumped up and pointed excitedly in He Yan's direction, as if he himself had just triumphed in the spear competition. He couldn't stop praising, "He's truly amazing—no one can defeat him!"
Xiao Jue glanced at him but couldn't be bothered to respond, turning instead to leave.
Remembering something, Cheng Li Su quickly scurried after Xiao Jue, hopping around him. "Uncle, look at him! First in crossbow, first in spear techniques—soon he'll be first in everything else too. He'll be the top recruit in Liangzhou Garrison... well, second only to you, right?"
"Let him earn that title first," Xiao Jue replied indifferently, unmoved by his enthusiasm.
"But he's already won two first places! The others will follow soon enough. And two firsts are already impressive, aren't they? Uncle, look at him—how often do you come across such an outstanding talent? Doesn’t he deserve a place in your Nine Banners Battalion? Uncle, just look at him!"
Xiao Jue halted and fixed his gaze on him.
Cheng Li Su's heart leaped, thinking he had finally swayed his uncle. But the next moment, Xiao Jue stared into his eyes and spoke slowly, "Lately, you’ve been mentioning He Yan frequently, and you’ve brought up the Nine Banners Battalion twice. You never cared about it before." His tone was cool. "Cheng Li Su, are you trying to push He Yan into the Nine Banners Battalion?"
Cheng Li Su's heart sank. Damn it. His uncle was far too sharp—the slightest hint had given him away. "N-no, I just... wanted you to pay more attention to my big brother."
Xiao Jue arched a brow. "Do you think I’m stupid, or do you think you’re clever?"
After a brief staring contest, Cheng Li Su drooped his head in defeat. "I’m the stupid one..."
"How did you learn about the Nine Banners Battalion?" Xiao Jue asked.
Though the elegant young man’s expression remained calm, showing no signs of anger, Cheng Li Su felt a chill run down his spine. He answered honestly, "When I was staying next to you, I overheard Chief Instructor Shen talking to you. I found out the Nine Banners Battalion was recruiting from the new soldiers at Liangzhou Garrison, so..."
Xiao Jue let out a soft, mocking laugh. "So you took that information and rushed to curry favor with your 'big brother'?"
"No, no! I genuinely had your best interests at heart!" Cheng Li Su hurriedly denied. "I wander around every day with nothing to do, and after observing the new recruits in Liangzhou Garrison, only Brother He seems worthy of the Nine Banners Battalion. The others can’t even defeat him—how could they join your elite cavalry? My intentions were pure!"
After a pause, Xiao Jue asked, "What did he say?"
"Huh?" Cheng Li Su was momentarily confused before realizing Xiao Jue meant He Yan. "After I told Brother He about it, he seemed very happy. And... he said he wants to join the Nine Banners Battalion."
Xiao Jue slowly repeated, "He said 'wants to'?"Cheng Lisu shrank his neck, inexplicably feeling a chill in the air, and nodded, "It's 'want'... Is there something wrong with that?"
Xiao Jue let out a light laugh, his clear autumn-like eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion. After a moment, he composed his expression and spoke indifferently, "This person has quite the audacity, and no small ambition either."
Does Cheng Lisu, who recommended Yanyan to his uncle, remind you of yourself enthusiastically promoting your favorite idol to friends?
(End of Chapter)
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