The summer days in the Liang Province Guard Institute were long and unbearable. Every day was arduous training, dry and tedious. However, the days passed like this. After the Minor Summer came the Great Summer, and not long after the Great Summer, it would be the beginning of autumn.
The training under the scorching sun allowed the Liang Province Guard recruits to quickly develop excellent endurance and determination. Every month, apart from crossbows and early morning running with weights, they also had to practice the whip, blade, footwork, formation, spear, blade, and equestrian archery. There was less training in equestrian archery because there were limited horses in the Liang Province Guard.
"A He Ge, your biscuit." Xiao Mai passed the biscuit to He Yan.
The biscuit had been baked over a charcoal fire, crispy and salty. With one bite, even the crumbs were steaming hot. He Yan chewed two bites of the biscuit and gulped down a large mouthful of water. He felt his empty abdomen instantly warm up, an indescribable comfort.
Hong Shan stared at He Yan and asked curiously, "A He, I think something's wrong. You said you eat the same as us every day, and sometimes you even get special treatment. Why are you still so skinny, so … small?" He swallowed back the word "short."
He Yan: "…"
Could he blame her?
Her sworn brother, that "Useless Young Master" Cheng Lisu, came over every few days and secretly gave He Yan some food. Sometimes it was a handful of pine nuts, sometimes it was a few pieces of jerky. Once, he even gave He Yan a bowl of soup, saying he stole it from his uncle.
Every time he gave it to him, Cheng Lisu would be especially nervous. "Quick, quick, quick. Eat here. Don't let my uncle see." It was like secretly visiting a prisoner. He Yan sometimes really didn't want to eat. Why bother? But when he thought about it, he felt like he couldn't live without food. Moreover, the food Cheng Lisu gave him was really quite delicious.
Even this kind of special treatment didn't make He Yan look any sturdier. On the other hand, he was busy training every day and sweated nonstop. After a few months, he lost a lot of weight and looked even more pitiful.
However, a few days ago, this pitiful little fellow had displayed a stunning display of skill in the Liang Province Guard's crossbows, making the mountain bandit, Scarface, call him 'boss', and making countless new recruits lose their biscuits. The memory of that was still fresh in their minds. He Yan could be considered a famous person now.
After that, no one came to challenge He Yan for the time being, and He Yan was happy and relaxed. She was still thinking about how to get Xiao Jue's attention so that she could enter the Nine Flags Battalion.
Today, he was practicing the long spear. Most of the spears on the Martial Arts Practice Field were made of thick wood. The shaft of the spear was tough and durable, and the tip of the spear was short and sharp.
The head instructor swung his spear on the stage, and the recruits below followed suit. After practicing for a while, they also had some results. He Yan was not good with spears. She was used to using swords. Now that she had become Lady He, it was even more inconvenient for her to use a spear. She always felt that her hands and feet were tied.
After Liang Jiaotou finished practicing a set of spear techniques, he let the recruits practice on their own. He walked down the stage to inspect He Yan. When he walked to He Yan's side, he couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.
After all, He Yan's skill with the bow last time was really hard to forget. Of course, this new recruit was highly valued. However, these days, Liang Jiaotou also noticed that He Yan's whip, blade, footwork, spear, and knife skills were not bad, but they were far from the level of stunning. The only thing that surprised him was her equestrian archery. However, because there were no competitions these days, he could only see a little of it.
She trained seriously every day, including crossbow and running with weights. She never slacked off. However, Liang Jiaotou still had a feeling that this young man seemed to be holding back. What he showed every day was only a part of it.
He walked to Instructor Du Maodu's position. Instructor Du was also patrolling. A few instructors surrounded him and pointed at a recruit. They were talking about something.
Liang Ping walked over and heard them talking.
"As expected of a family that runs a martial arts school. Look at that spear technique, it's amazing!"
"I say, he is actually more skilled than you, Old Du. I have never seen this set of spear techniques before!"
"This kid's age is not old. I estimate that he is only seventeen or eighteen. He must have been practicing since he was young."
Liang Ping asked: "Who are you talking about?"
"That, Instructor Du's recruit. The one standing at the far left of the front row. He is big and tall. Do you see him?"
Liang Ping looked in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, he saw a young man in martial arts clothes practicing his spear. This young man had thick eyebrows and big eyes. His facial features were regular. Between his eyebrows, there was an air of perseverance. There was also a hint of arrogance. His steps were steady, and the spear in his hands was dazzling. Moreover, it was not just for show. Liang Ping could feel that every step he took was filled with killing intent.
"Good!" Liang Ping could not help but praise.
"He is indeed good." Du Maodu also felt proud. "I have tested him a few times before. He is really skilled. His name is Jiang Jiao. His father is the owner of a martial arts school in Beijing. "
"Then why did he come to join the army?" Liang Ping was surprised. Although the young master of a martial arts school could not be considered rich, in an ordinary family, he could still live without worrying about food and drink.
"He has great ambitions. A man has great ambitions. Do you understand?" Du Maodu said, "I admire men like this!"
Someone interrupted, "I wonder if this Jiang Jiao or Old Liang's subordinate, He Yan, who is better?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings became quiet. Du Maodu looked thoughtfully at Liang Ping. Liang Ping subconsciously replied, "He Yan is quite talented in archery, but I think his spear skills are average. He is not Jiang Jiao's opponent."
What a joke, He Yan was so small and thin, while this Jiang Jiao was very tall and robust. Comparing spear arts and archery arts was different. In archery, the prey was grass men, birds, and beasts. In spear skills, two people were competing. If one was not careful, one would be injured and bleed. Jiang Jiao's family ran a martial arts school. He had been practicing martial arts since he was young. He Yan was not Jiang Jiao's opponent. If he was beaten to death by Jiang Jiao, where would he find such a godly archer?
"Old Liang, you can't say that." After hearing his words, Du Maodu did not give up. He turned and hooked his arm around Liang Ping's shoulder. "He Yan, your subordinate, was always behind at the beginning. In the end, he was able to run easily. In the beginning, he couldn't even draw his bow. In the end, he could shoot blindfolded. If you say he can't do it now, he might be able to do it ten days later. As an instructor, you can't be too protective of the recruits. After all, they will have to go to the battlefield in the future. "
The surrounding people echoed, "Yes, yes, Old Du is right! Old Liang, you can't be so protective. "
Right my ass! Liang Ping thought angrily in his heart. A group of onlookers who didn't care about the situation. They were up to no good.
"Liang Jiaotou, I also want to compete with He Yan."
Liang Ping turned around. The young man named Jiang Jiao had put down his spear and walked behind him. He probably heard the discussion of the instructors and suddenly said this.
Liang Ping didn't answer. He was thinking about how to refuse.
"Can I?" Jiang Jiao asked again, as if he didn't know his dilemma.
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