Tiger Guards

Chapter 3 Brotherly Dispute
At nightfall, Zhao Ji checked the armor prepared for him at home.

This is a typical set of half-body armor of the Han army, without shoulder pads to protect the shoulders, and it is so simple that it only has two sides, front and back.

Although it had been cleaned and the armor plates replaced, Zhao Ji still found several traces of weapons slashing and stabbing.

There is not much rust on the traces, so it can be concluded that this half-body armor should have been picked up from the battlefield and then scattered.

Perhaps the previous owner was a subordinate of Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji and others, or he might have been a soldier who participated in protecting the emperor and died in battle.

Cleaning up battlefields and picking up armor to sell seems to be a good way to make a living.

Some armor was sold across the Yellow River to Hedong, while some armor crossed Jishan and flowed into the hands of the Huns along the Fen River.

After checking the lamellar armor to make sure there were no major holes, Zhao Ji took out a yellow sheepskin short jacket and put it on before putting on the lamellar armor without lining.

He tried jumping on the spot. This was the first time in his new life that he wore protective gear. The hard half-body armor protected his chest and back, giving him great confidence and courage.

My whole mood became relaxed due to this sudden sense of security.

Then he drew his sword, held the scabbard in his left hand, and went out to dance with the sword.

All I remember are some family-inherited sword techniques, which are the training methods of swordsmanship, not the fighting methods in combat.

The practice of swordsmanship is a complete system that focuses on stretching muscles and bones and training the instinctive attack.

The fighting style is the practical application of these attack instincts.

A sword dance may seem fancy, but if you break down its movements, you will only use two or three moves in a real fight.

If you practice swordsmanship well and have a solid foundation, you will be able to use spears, halberds, and other weapons with ease.

Zhao Ji was dancing with the sword almost in accordance with his body's muscle memory. The space in the courtyard was limited, and the connection between the family sword techniques relied on the changes in footwork, so footwork was the key.

One footwork can only be connected with several fixed footworks, and combined with changes in direction and twisting of the waist and turning around, it is a common fixed move.

The original body was proficient in swordsmanship, and at this moment, as he danced instinctively, Zhao Ji activated the skill totem on his right hand.

The changes in moves and the movements of the body around the center of the courtyard are very flexible.

The movement posture is also slightly corrected under the guidance of the skill totem, which is more in line with the principles of human force.

Concentrating on sword dance, Zhao Ji took two deep breaths after thrusting out the last sword, then placed the sword on his left wrist to wipe off the non-existent blood and moisture, then sheathed the sword and turned to look at the woman standing at the wooden gate of the courtyard.

She was wearing a coarse cloth skirt and holding a steaming willow basin.

Eye contact, the other person's slightly blushed oval face drooped: "Aji, mother asked me to help you wash your feet."

"I'll wash it myself, you go back."

"Mother said, Aji, wash it yourself, I will be scolded when I go back."

As she spoke, she carried the heavy wooden tray into the house. Zhao Ji turned and followed her in. He sat down on the kang, placed his sword beside him, and took off his straw sandals and leg wraps. "You sit down. I'm used to washing myself."

"Aren't you afraid, Aji, of being alone in the mountains?"

The man placed the wooden basin beside the kang, squatted down and reached out to grab Zhao Ji's feet. Zhao Ji was very uncomfortable: "What's there to be afraid of? There are hunters in the mountains, and wild animals are deep in the mountains."

"Aji is really capable. He can survive in the mountains, not like a slave."

She took Zhao Ji's slightly stiff feet and placed them against her chest. Without complaining, she untied the leather leggings and saw that Zhao Ji's feet were still covered with two layers of wolf skin. She asked, "Aji, now that you're gone, what are we going to do in the mountains?"

"Second brother and the others will go and clean up."

Zhao Ji's feet fell into the warm wooden basin, his trouser legs were rolled up, and his ankles and toes were scrubbed by outsiders, which made his thighs numb and very uncomfortable.

"Mother said Aji shouldn't have signed up out of spite. He should have stayed home, gotten married, and gone to the mountains in a few years. No one would say anything then."

She lifted the hem of her skirt to wipe Zhao Ji's left foot, then lowered her head and continued, "I heard that the tiger guards who protected the emperor were all killed in battle... Is it okay for Aji not to go?"

Zhao Ji lowered his eyebrows and looked at her hair, which had obviously just been washed and combed, and was shiny and smooth draped over her shoulders.

As I recall, two or three years ago she was a thin, hungry little girl with hair like weeds. It was inevitable that she would pick lice from the cracks of her fingernails when scratching herself.

The coarse cloth skirt she wore today had no patches, and although it was old and white...it was not hers, but her eldest sister-in-law's.

Without hearing Zhao Ji's words, she straightened her chest slightly and continued to wipe the non-existent moisture from the soles of Zhao Ji's feet.

She stared at Zhao Ji with a pair of slightly red eyes: "Aji has changed. He used to secretly feed me meat."

"If you eat at home, you have to listen to them, and I don't want to listen to them."

Zhao Ji spoke, searching his memory. He could only sigh at this pitiful feeling and lowered his voice, "My father didn't beat me to death when I was little. Now I stay at home and listen to them. Isn't all the hardship I've endured in vain? My eldest brother is well-read, and my second brother is down-to-earth and honest. Our family will only get better and better. If I stay here, I'll only cause trouble."

"They won't give me meat. Following Aji, I'll be happy even without meat."

She undressed and continued to scrub Zhao Ji's heels, her expression becoming agitated: "Aji doesn't like me. If I didn't give you meat, I might as well starve to death."

She looked up at Zhao Ji and said, "Mother also said that I have failed Aji. She asked me to stay at home and wait for Aji to come back."

Zhao Ji's face was expressionless. "Mother only loves my eldest brother. Besides him, she also loves my eldest sister-in-law and her eldest grandson. How could she love me, a bad boy who makes her angry and gets scolded?"

"Don't bring trouble upon yourself. My eldest and second brothers have killed people, and they won't let you go. Live well, and when you have children, they will be filial to you and catch fish for you." "Will your children be no different from slaves?"

The woman grinned and suddenly bit Zhao Ji's big toe with her teeth. Zhao Ji also gritted his teeth and held on.

He didn't want to make any noise. The woman swallowed her saliva after spitting it out. Her round eyes looked dark under the oil lamp. "It was my sister-in-law who asked me to come."

"She's a daughter of the Pei family, and she has her mother's support. She can act tough with Big Brother, but you can't."

Seeing her tears, Zhao Ji reached out to wipe them away and continued, "They all say I'm a bandit in the mountains. My father told me too, saying that the county magistrate heard about it and believed it, thinking I was a murderer. If I apply, I'll be given a birthplace. In the future, I'll either kill or be killed. If I come back alive, I'll have broken arms and legs, or at least be lame and blind in one eye."

"Outside is just like home, we won't use food to support idlers."

Seeing her about to lift up her deerskin skirt, Zhao Ji put his hand on her forehead and said, "There's someone outside."

The woman suddenly looked up at him with a look of horror and inquiring eyes.

Zhao Ji nodded gently: "I won't lie to you, I'll get you some meat, you eat it obediently, they can't help but come in."

As he said this, he shrank back onto the kang, supporting himself with his hands, took out the dried meat strips and dagger from his bag, cut them into slices and handed them to her.

"This family is a cannibalistic family. I don't like my eldest sister-in-law. She is greedy and jealous. I'm sure it's hard for my eldest brother to endure it."

Zhao Ji whispered, picked up a piece of dried meat and put it in his mouth to chew slowly. He turned back to search in the package and found two pieces of softened rabbit skin, wrapped them together and placed them in front of the woman: "Make a pair of leather boots. Although they are not wear-resistant, they will keep your feet warm."

The woman just ate the meat slices with tears in her eyes, choking with sobs and unable to speak.

Soon, footsteps were heard, and the eldest sister-in-law came in, leading another non-blood-related sister. This sister, who was close to the second brother, said in a rough voice, "Why are you crying all of a sudden? If you can't bear to leave Aji, what's the point of crying? Let's go and ask mother to persuade Aji."

As he spoke, he walked over and grabbed a handful of meat from the woman and handed it to the elder sister-in-law: "Sister-in-law, try it quickly. Aji is reluctant to give it to us, and father and mother don't have any."

"Aji, you still love Lanmei so much. Your two nephews are at the age of growing up and changing teeth. How could you forget about them?"

The eldest sister-in-law was plump. She turned around, twisted her hips, raised her legs, and sat sideways on the edge of the kang. She looked at Zhao Ji with a smile and kept saying, "How about I tell your eldest brother that we won't apply?"

Zhao Ji ignored her and looked at his other non-blood sister who had been relatively wild since childhood: "If you can't speak, just sew your mouth shut. My eldest and second brothers are more filial than me. My eldest sister-in-law even raises chickens and ducks, and my second sister-in-law has several litters of rabbits. How can Father and Mother be short of meat?"

She glared at the other person, and the other person went to see her sister-in-law feeling aggrieved.

Zhao Ji also went to see his sister-in-law: "Recruiting is a man's business, sister-in-law, please don't get involved. I don't like talking since I was a child. If I talk, I can't get food or drink unless I cheat. Unless I die out there, I will trouble you to take care of Alan. I will repay this favor when I come back."

"Aji, you're used to living in the mountains, and you speak so wildly. You're saying something like you're going to die out there. I don't know what others would think if they heard it."

The eldest sister-in-law sighed as she spoke, glancing sideways at A-lan, who was lying on the kang crying, and then at Zhao Ji: "A-ji, are you so cruel? I married you a long time ago and have watched you grow up. I know my family has never treated you unfairly. Why don't you stay home and live a prosperous life?"

"I'm not happy at home. Only when I go out, I feel like a good man. You won't understand this feeling, sister-in-law."

Zhao Ji noticed footsteps outside and continued, "Sister-in-law, when I lived alone in the mountains, I was the master of the mountain. I could chop down the surrounding trees at will. I could kill the birds that disturbed my sleep. I could even dig a pool of spring water and bathe in it. I pointed my finger, and Dahuang and Sanhuang rushed over like a mighty army. This kind of joy is something that my elder and second brothers cannot understand, and neither can my sister-in-law."

"I didn't expect Aji to be like a king in the mountains. This kind of ambition is really extraordinary."

The eldest sister-in-law suddenly had a different feeling. When she saw the little follower was about to interrupt, she glanced at him and stopped him immediately.

She smiled and said, "Aji, you are so determined to apply for the job and make a career, so I can't persuade you any further. Just like Aji said, applying for the job is your job as a man. All I can do is help mother manage the household. Aji, just go ahead and do it without any worries."

At this time, footsteps were heard outside, and the eldest brother came in with his head lowered. The eldest sister-in-law immediately stood up and said, "Husband, second uncle."

The second brother, who was following behind the eldest brother, just nodded and immediately went to see his lover Ah Xi with a bright smile.

He quickly turned his head to look at the kang: "Aji, big brother is here, why are you still sitting here?"

"So should I lie on my stomach? Or stand on my head?"

"Second brother, Aji has this temper, don't provoke him."

The eldest brother sat down on the edge of the kang. At this time, the crying Alan also stood up and wanted to retreat backwards, but was tripped by a suddenly outstretched foot. He screamed and fell to the ground, and also knocked over the basin of water.

"Thief bitch!"

Zhao Ji picked up the flint he was playing with on the kang and smashed it hard. Ah Xi, who was standing next to the second brother, screamed and fell backwards.

Seeing Zhao Ji about to jump under the kang barefoot, the eldest brother quickly stood up and stretched out his arms to stop her: "Aji! Aji! Don't confront her!"

The second brother reached out and felt blood on his palm. He immediately jumped up and cursed: "You mountain barbarian, are you going to kill someone?"

"You think I don't dare?"

"Then try it!"

"Aji, stop it!"

Outside the courtyard, Zhao Lian stood by the low wall with a sullen face, and in the darkness it was impossible to tell what his expression was.

Beside him was his wife, Mrs. Pei, who sighed deeply, "If we keep Aji at home, this family won't be stable. Even our eldest son can't control him. He's been away for over a year now, and he's even more aggressive than before. What will happen in the future?"

The only response she received was a long sigh from Zhao Lian.

(End of this chapter)