Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 28 It’s too early
Of course Chen Xuan is interested in martial arts, provided that he can fly over rooftops and walls after practicing. He would be even more interested if he could turn cold weapons into "laser weapons".

Who doesn’t have the romantic feeling of a swordsman wielding a sword in the world?

When I was a child, if I had a stick in my hand, all the cauliflowers for ten miles would bow down to me. The old farmer beside the field would point his finger at the sky and curse. My parents would beat me and cry...

There was no need to beat around the bush about this kind of thing, and Chen Xuan was now at the age where he couldn't hide his secrets anymore, so he simply nodded and said, "The day before yesterday, on my way back with Butler He, I saw a man fall from a great height. He was vomiting blood, but he patted his butt as if nothing had happened, turned around, and jumped up high and left. It was amazing!"

How high is it if you fall from a very high place? How high is it if you jump up very high?

Having no idea about the Geng Hong Chen Xuan was talking about, he naturally couldn't judge the person he was talking about. He smiled and said, "The person you are talking about should have some impressive martial arts skills. Seeing that scene, does Xuan Ge'er also want to have such skills?"

Chen Xuan nodded directly. It was not something shameful, so there was no need to be embarrassed to admit it.

If he had strong personal strength, he would not have given up eating beef. He would definitely take care of the old boatman and the human traffickers when he had the chance.

It must be said that what happened in the first few days after arriving in this world has become a source of worry for Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan nodded in agreement. Geng Hong had no fault to offer. He also had some understanding of Chen Xuan's background. He had experienced such hardships at such a young age. If he had not been bought by the Gao family, his fate would have been unknown. Therefore, he felt insecure.

So he smiled and said, "In martial arts, if you want to achieve something, it is not something that can be done overnight. You need to hone your skills day after day, just like rowing against the current. If you don't move forward, you will fall behind. And you can't become powerful just by working hard. Although hard work is the most important, it also depends on your foundation and ability to adapt to changing circumstances."

"Is that so..." Chen Xuan nodded, not quite understanding, but since opportunities were earned through hard work, he asked tentatively, "If I want to learn martial arts, could you please give me some pointers without bothering anyone? A few days ago, I met a young lady named Zhang Lanlan. She knows some needlework and said that if she had no other choice, she could make a living by sewing and mending for others. I figured that learning more wouldn't be a bad idea."

You have such knowledge at such a young age?

Upon hearing this, Geng Hong admired Mrs. Gao's vision, but at the same time, he felt a little sad. Little Chen Xuan was only a little over five years old, and it seemed that the time he was in the hands of human traffickers had a great influence on him.

But he smiled and said: "Of course it's no problem to give me some pointers, no one is stingy, but you have to be prepared to endure the hardship."

"I'm not afraid of hardship," Chen Xuan's eyes lit up. How could it be more bitter than the bitterness of life?
Waving his hand, Geng Hong said: "Don't be impatient, the premise is that you have to do your own thing first, and use your free time to ask everyone for advice. If you delay the important work of serving the young master, no one will be happy."

"I understand this," Chen Xuan said seriously.

Geng Hong actually didn't take this matter to heart. After all, Chen Xuan was a child, and his mind was unstable. He might forget what he said now. Even if he really tried, he might give up after suffering some hardship.

Then he said, "If you are really interested, please take the time to ask us for advice. We are family, so you don't have to be polite. But the young master is the most important thing, so don't put the cart before the horse. Well, it would be good for you to learn some martial arts. You may be able to protect the young master when necessary."

"And don't go too far. We're not practicing some advanced martial arts. Even after decades of diligent practice, our achievements are limited. If you serve the young master well, perhaps he'll be so pleased that he'll ask the patriarch to grant you a superior secret manual. Wouldn't that save you countless detours than following us around and messing around?"

Hearing this, Chen Xuan's heart moved. Could the Gao family be a martial arts family? Otherwise, why did Geng Hong say that there was a chance to obtain superior martial arts secrets from the Gao family?
But on second thought, it doesn't make sense. If it's a family of martial arts, why would they need a servant? The follower should be called the sword-holding boy.

Not knowing what Chen Xuan was thinking, Geng Hong continued, "But Xuan'er, I don't recommend that you learn martial arts now. First, you are still young and your muscles and bones are not yet formed. If you practice martial arts, it is very likely to damage your foundation and affect your future growth. Secondly, you are still illiterate. You don't understand some martial arts terms, and you don't know anything about meridians and acupoints. How can you practice martial arts? So you should study with the young master first, grow up for a few years, and then make plans. It's right to listen to me, I won't harm you."

He listened to the advice to eat his fill, and the other person said it sincerely. Chen Xuan was not a stubborn person, so he nodded and said, "I'll listen to Uncle Geng and we'll talk about it in two years."

It wasn't like he was disappointed. After all, it wasn't like he had no chance at all. It just took some time. "Very good," Geng Hong said with a smile. Chen Xuan was listening intently, and he really liked him the more he looked at him.

If Chen Xuan still wanted to learn martial arts in a few years, he would have the idea of ​​giving him some serious instruction. However, he was afraid that Chen Xuan would lose interest by then. It was also possible that it would not be his turn to teach Chen Xuan by then. After all, there were many people in the Gao family who were more powerful than Geng Hong.

There were some things he didn't tell Chen Xuan, that is, after he followed the young master and saw the circle of scholars, he was afraid that he would no longer be interested in practicing martial arts.

Martial arts, before they reach a certain level, are just crude warriors in the eyes of literati, barbaric and ungentlemanly.

But the ones who go into battle to kill the enemy are warriors, the ones who arrest and pursue the prisoners are warriors, and the ones who guard the house are warriors. Who can I go to for justice?
To practice martial arts to the point where scholars can look at each other as equals, or even bow down to each other, there are no more than a handful of people in the entire Jing Kingdom who can do it.
After all, most of the important positions in the government are occupied by scholars. It is not enough to govern the country by relying on fists and force alone. There is a difference in the importance of scholars and martial artists, but in most cases, people who practice martial arts are in the contempt chain of scholars. They certainly will not express it directly in an undignified manner, but when scholars and martial artists stand together, scholars are always looked up to.

There's no way around it. Intellectuals usually only talk and reason and curse, while warriors will beat people up. Everyone prefers intellectuals.

So realistic...

With good advice, Chen Xuan no longer mentioned the matter of practicing martial arts. He simply stayed calm and thought of it as spending a few years to learn and prepare.

After all, they were just children now, so they didn't talk about things that interested them. To avoid being noticed, Chen Xuan simply found an excuse and went back to their rooms.

After returning to the house, Chen Xuan finally realized that Geng Hong had been talking for a long time but hadn't answered his question at all. Tsk, you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are really good at changing the subject...

However, he didn't know that his every word and action was being observed by others.

On the observation deck of the ship, Madam Gao withdrew her gaze. To avoid suspicion, she asked Butler He, who was sitting behind a screen, "Butler He, what do you think of this boy?"

"Madam, from what I've seen so far, this boy is smart, sensible, and quite sensible," replied Butler He.

Madam Gao nodded and said, "Then, Steward He, do you think this boy can become my son's right-hand man in the future?"

After thinking for a while, Butler He said, "It's too early to draw a conclusion now. How far he can go with the young master depends on his future. He must be good at one of the civil and military skills. If he is really mediocre and behaves himself, he can be left to look after the family and take care of trivial matters in the future."

"Butler He, please don't underestimate yourself. Only when the family is peaceful can everything go smoothly. How can the position of butler, who is in charge of all matters big and small, become a derogatory word in your mouth?" Mrs. Gao said with a smile.

"Thank you madam for your kindness. I am unable to be by the master's side to help him solve his problems. I feel ashamed of all your years of cultivation," said Butler He with his head bowed.

Madam Gao said sincerely, "Butler He has managed the household in perfect order, which is to relieve the master's worries. How can you say that you are ashamed? Please don't say such things again."

"Yes, ma'am, the wind is strong on the river, let's go inside and rest."

Time flows like water, elusive. A day later, the ship slowly approached the shore. In another half day, the Gao family in Yang County would arrive...

(End of this chapter)