Seated at the seat of honor was a young man of twenty-five or twenty-six. His hair was dark red, his skin fair, his nose sharp, his eyes light blue, and his facial features handsome. It was obvious at a glance that he was a Hu. Because he had a different appearance from the other generals, Yang Fan had been paying more attention to him from the very start. During the battle on the battlefield, he had been the bravest of the Imperial Army.
He was happily gnawing on a piece of lamb when he heard Qiu Shenji say that they would be exchanging names. Wiping his mouth and hands with a towel, he heartily cupped his fists to the monks and loudly said, "Venerable Masters, this one is Ashina Huseluo! There is a Han called Luo Kedi. Please advise me! "
Qiu Shenji stroked his beard and said, "Huseluo is the Great General of the Right Guard and Protector-General Mengchi. He is in charge of the five tribes of Nushibi. Haha, in terms of official rank, Huseluo is above this old man. But this time, we are not leading an army in battle, but competing in martial prowess, so there is no need to compare ranks in the army. This old man has the word 'old', and General Huseluo has allowed this old man to sit at the seat of honor, haha … "
Although Qiu Shenji spoke very politely, his expression did not show the proper respect. This was because Huseluo was the current Khagan of the Western Turks. After the schism of the Turks, the Western Turks had gradually declined in power while the Eastern Turks had risen once more. Under the pressure of the Eastern Turks, the Western Turks had been forced to rely on the Tang dynasty for protection.
And the Tang dynasty needed to support the Western Turks in restraining the Eastern Turks, so it had taken him and his tribe in. Huseluo was relying on the Tang for protection. No matter what official position the Tang dynasty gave him, it was just an empty title. He could only truly command his own people. Although Qiu Shenji's official rank was slightly lower than his, he was a trusted aide of Empress Wu and the Great General of the Golden Guards. His authority was far above Huseluo's, so he naturally did not need to listen to him.
Sitting on the second seat after Hussero was a tall and sturdy man in his thirties. This man had thick eyebrows, a wide mouth, and a squarish face. After Hussero finished speaking, he smiled and cupped his fists. He simply and clearly introduced himself, "I am Xue Na, the current commander of the Right Imperial Guard!"
The third person was short and stocky. His facial features were rather flat, but his eyes were extremely sharp. He also cupped his fists and said, "This one is Li Zhan, currently holding the position of commander of the Northern Gate Guards."
The fourth person was tall and sturdy. Even sitting down, he was as majestic as a mountain. His figure was comparable to Chu Kuangge. His nose was high and his eye sockets were deep. It seemed that he also had some Western Regions bloodline. Sure enough, he introduced himself and said, "I am Ye Huli, the current General of the Left Feathered Forest Guard!"
The fifth person had a clear and fair complexion. He lacked the fierceness of a martial artist and had more of the elegance of a scholar. However, Yang Fan clearly remembered that this person's fighting style was very fierce on the court. It was completely different from his current elegance. He also smiled and cupped his fists at the monks opposite him, saying, "I am Di Guangyuan, the current General of the Fengchen Guards!"
The sixth person looked to be around the same age as Yang Fan. He was also not yet 20 years old. His facial features were regular, his eyes were clear, and he had a very likable and handsome face. He smiled and cupped his fists, saying, "I am Wang Tongjiao, the current General of the Left Guard Guo Yi!"
After these six people were Wei Yong, Li Dayin, Lu Yan, and Gao Chu. Among these four, Wei Yong was a captain, Li Dayin was a general, and Lu Yan and Gao Chu had the lowest ranks. From the looks of it, the seats of these people were arranged according to their ranks.
Among these four people, Wei Yong and Li Dayin were already familiar with Yang Fan. Lu Yan was a young man of about 26 or 27 years old. His lips were slightly pursed, and his expression was slightly cold. The other captain, Gao Chu, was a few years younger than Lu Yan. He had delicate features and was very handsome. After he introduced himself to the monks opposite him, he winked at Yang Fan and said with a smile, "Others don't know the reputation of the Head Monk, but I have long heard of the Head Monk's illustrious name."
Yang Fan was surprised, saying, "When did Brother Gao recognize me?"
Gao Chu said with a smile, "Today is the first time we have met, but I have long heard of the Head Monk's name from my younger sister. My younger sister is proud and arrogant, and has never been willing to submit to others. However, she sincerely admires the Head Monk's cupping technique. "
Yang Fan hesitated, saying, "May I know who Brother Gao's younger sister is?"
Gao Chu said, "My younger sister, Gao Ying, is now a female guard in the palace. When the Head Monk goes to the palace to play cupping, the ball has been broken from under my younger sister's feet more than once. My younger sister was so angry that she kept crying at me when she came back. Why is the Head Monk pretending not to know her?"
Yang Fan cried out involuntarily, "Ah! I remember now. So that young lady is Brother Gao's younger sister. Haha, your younger sister's cupping technique is also quite brilliant. I am very impressed. "
Lu Yan joked, "Listening to what you said, it is indeed a scene of no discord, no concord. Gao Chu, I remember that your younger sister hasn't been betrothed yet. Look at the Head Monk's appearance and talent. Do you want to acknowledge him as your younger sister's son-in-law? "
Everyone in the hall laughed when they heard this, and they all started to talk at once. Gao Chu was also a forthright person, so he didn't feel offended. He laughed and said, "My younger sister is a military officer in the inner guards. She is more promising than this older brother of mine. If you want to be my younger sister's son-in-law, you should at least be a general. "
Their banter was originally nothing serious. Although Yang Fan was wearing a kasaya, he had clearly said that after the Lantern Festival, he would renounce asceticism and join the army. However, this was the abbot's meditation hall, and Yang Fan was still a monk wearing a kasaya. Moreover, he was the Head Monk of the White Horse Temple.
Their banter made Taoist Yizhuo, who was serving wine and meat to the side, unhappy. He stood in the corner, stroked his goatee, shook his head, and sighed. He muttered to himself, "Alas! What a mess, a foul atmosphere … "
After everyone laughed and chatted for a while, Qiu Shenji took over the conversation and introduced the people who had given their surnames. Originally, when he heard their self-introductions, all of them were generals in the army. Yang Fan didn't think much of it, but now that he heard their backgrounds, he couldn't help but be moved.
Huseluo was the current Khagan of Jiujue. Needless to say, he was the leader of the Five Tribes of Nu Shibi, a hereditary Turkic noble. The rest of them were all from noble families.
Xue Na, the son of the famous general Xue Rengui of the Tang dynasty.
Li Zhan, the son of the former Prime Minister Li Yifu.
Ye Huli, the son-in-law of the Right Featherwood Guard General Li Duozuo.
Di Guangyuan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works and the son of the Jiangnan Inspector Di Renjie.
Wang Tongjiao, a direct descendant of the Wang clan of Taiyuan.
Only the remaining four people — Wei Yong, Li Dayin, Lu Yan, and Gao Chu — didn't seem to have any illustrious family background, so Qiu Shenji didn't deliberately introduce them.
After listening to Qiu Shenji introduce the family background of these people, Chu Tiange couldn't help but lean closer to Yang Fan. He said in a low voice, "These people all have huge families behind them. I can see that they really admire your skills. You might as well make friends with them. This will be very beneficial to your future!"
Yang Fan smiled and didn't say anything. He just quickly glanced at Qiu Shenji, who was sitting cross-legged on the Luohan bed. He thought to himself, "I still don't know how long I will stay in the officialdom."
Qiu Shenji didn't notice Yang Fan's meaningful glance. He put his hands on his knees and said to the imperial guards, "Just now, I have discussed with Master Xue. You will all stay in the White Horse Temple for the next few days and focus on practicing bow-hitting. Occasionally, you will exchange pointers with the people of the White Horse Temple. When the bow-hitting competition is over, you will all return to the headquarters. As for General Huseluo … "
Qiu Shenji looked inquiringly at Luo Kedi. Luo Kedi bowed and said with a smile, "Kedi is only a bow-hitting player selected by the imperial guards. Everything will follow General Qiu's arrangements!"
Qiu Shenji laughed and said, "That's good. If General has nothing important to do, you can also stay here. After I leave, General Huseluo will be in charge of everything here. Hmm, after a while, you can go back and see if there is anything that has not been explained clearly or if there is anything that needs to be taken. From tomorrow onwards, you will stay in the White Horse Temple until the lantern festival! "
…
Early in the morning, the trees, grass, and stone towers in the forest were all covered with a layer of pale autumn frost.
The morning mist lingered in the forest, and the sky was gray. The morning stars had already disappeared, and the sun had not yet risen.
Maqiao held a Buddhist Commandment Blade in his hand. He faced the air in front of him and very seriously slashed with it.
Today, he woke up early in the morning. He was full of joy, thinking that Yang Fan was going to teach him some profound martial arts. He was also very worried that he would not be able to comprehend it with his aptitude. He did not expect that what Yang Fan taught him was actually so simple.
Yang Fan took a Buddhist Commandment Blade, stood still, and slashed with it. He then threw the blade to him and told him to practice slashing. This morning, he did not do anything else. He only swung the blade, slashed, sheathed the blade, and swung it again …
After he had slashed dozens of times, Yang Fan, who was watching from the side with his arms crossed, walked over. He told him the posture of holding the blade, the angle of the slash, the strength of the blade, and the secrets of breathing when performing this series of actions. After he had memorized it, he still wanted him to continue slashing, and then he went into the forest to practice martial arts.
So simple?
This is martial arts?
With his back bare, he chopped mechanically and impatiently. Maqiao gradually became confused.
He did not know when, but Yang Fan came back from the morning mist and stood quietly to watch him practice. When Maqiao's energy was no longer focused and the slash in his hand became a little sluggish, he suddenly said, "In fact, there is nothing magical about martial arts. Practicing martial arts is also not a very interesting thing.
In the final analysis, there are only two things to practice martial arts. One is the body, and the other is the skills. The body needed to train one's strength, making one's strength far surpassing that of an ordinary person. The body needed to train one's reaction speed, making one's six senses far sharper than that of an ordinary person. As for techniques, they needed to be refined and refined by generations of predecessors.
What I want you to practice now is the strength of your arms, waist, and legs, as well as the cooperation and tacit understanding between them. You must practice each slash according to the method I teach you. That is not only for the body, but also for the skills of wielding the blade and breathing.
In the past, I stood on a stake in the middle of a huge wave for three years. If you want to stand out, then continue to practice. The more you suffer now, the more blessings you will enjoy in the future. If you can't persevere, then forget it! "
Maqiao took a deep breath, spread his legs, and plunged his feet again. His slash was slower than before, but each slash was very serious. He completely followed Yang Fan's instructions. Whether it was the posture of holding the blade or the movement of drawing the blade, he used all his strength in each slash.
One slash, one slash!
One hundred slashes, one hundred slashes!
His arm was already swollen, and his ligaments seemed to be pulled. If it were not for the pain from his shoulder and arm that stimulated him, he would almost think that the arm that held the blade no longer belonged to him. But he still gritted his teeth and endured. His movements became slower and slower. Sometimes after drawing the blade, he needed to take a few breaths to adjust his whole body's strength and strive to make a slash that satisfied him.
The sun came out, shining on his body that was covered in sweat. The sunlight reflected off his sweat, making it sparkle. He still gritted his teeth and persevered, seriously slashing out with each slash!
The bell rang, the sound of the morning bell echoing throughout Luoyang City. This morning, perhaps in a certain workshop, there was a certain shopkeeper with eye ulcers, yawning like a hippopotamus, trembling as he went to open the door. But that person would definitely not be called Maqiao!
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