Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 18 Tempering (Part Two)

"It's raining so hard outside, I wonder how long it'll last." Captain Sun looked at Pei Qinghe. "If we travel in the rain, everyone will get soaked. There's only one doctor; they can't even keep up with the time it takes to brew medicine. People will die. Aren't you afraid, Sixth Miss?"

The tone has softened.

Pei Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "We've traveled several hundred miles and will reach Jizhou in a few more days. The imperial court is far away, so we can stop here for a day or two to rest. I don't think anyone will notice."

It's not just that nobody noticed.

No one cared about the lives or deaths of the families of exiled officials.

Moreover, they had been traveling more than 30 li a day, making their journey twice as fast as expected.

Lieutenant Sun himself was reluctant to travel in the rain, and he had dozens of men under his command! Even his warhorses couldn't withstand it.

Captain Sun didn't immediately agree, because he wanted some tangible benefits. Pei Qinghe knew this, and after getting Captain Sun's consent, she secretly gave him twenty taels of silver.

After receiving the bribe, Lieutenant Sun immediately issued an order: the rain was heavy and the roads were slippery, so it was not advisable to travel. Everyone should stay at the post station and continue their journey after the rain stopped.

The soldiers grinned from ear to ear and gathered together to throw dice for fun.

After a continuous journey, the Pei family members were all exhausted. Finally, they could relax and rest for a day.

Pei Qinghe showed no signs of fatigue. She first made a round of inspections, and then gathered the team leaders, including Pei Yan and Pei Yun, together to arrange the training content for the next period of time.

Pei Yun and the others were all speechless after hearing this.

Training in formations, physical strength, endurance, and obedience to military orders is already excessive. Now, Pei Qinghe actually wants to train in weapons?
Even Pei Yan, who admired Pei Qinghe the most, was dumbfounded and blurted out, "Where would we get weapons?"

"You have a dagger, an old bow and arrow on the wooden cart, and two chipped knives. How are we supposed to train with so many of us?"

Those two broken knives were also obtained by exchanging silver from the common soldiers.

It could be used for self-defense in an emergency. But using it for military training is really unrealistic.

Pei Qinghe had already made plans and said confidently, "This downpour will last for at least a day or two. I plan to use this time to find some sturdy wooden sticks for everyone."

Mao Hongling, who was skilled with guns, perked up and immediately chimed in: "This is good. It can be used as a walking stick to gain some leverage. It can also be used as a spear."

Pei Yun immediately said, "There are woods near the official road, so we can use materials locally. I'll go and call some people."

Pei Qinghe said, "There's no need to go out in the rain. There's timber at the post station. Auntie, just take out some silver and go buy it directly."

Wu Xiuniang felt a pang of pain in her heart as she thought of the increasingly light silver box: "Qinghe, we really have to be more careful with the money. At this rate, we won't last until Youzhou."

Pei Qinghe casually smiled and reassured them, "Perhaps someone will bring us money along the way."

After exchanging a few jokes, Wu Xiuniang took a silver ingot and went to find the cook at the inn. Indeed, all the timber of varying thicknesses was chopped for firewood. The inn had enough for half a room.

The cook's eyes lit up when he saw the gleaming silver, and he readily agreed, "Use the timber as you like, and take the three axes here as well."

The crackling sound, mixed with the sound of raindrops hitting the ground, drifted into the ears of the palace guards.

Several palace guards, having nothing to do, went to the kitchen to watch the commotion. The square-faced soldiers also came to join in.

Upon seeing this, all the guards were speechless with astonishment.

The heavy wooden axe, weighing over ten pounds, was wielded by Miss Pei like a needle, rising and falling with swift and decisive strokes. A piece of wood as thick as a bowl was split in two.

The layman sees the spectacle, the expert sees the details. Those who were selected as guards of the Eastern Palace are all truly capable, and their judgment is far superior to that of those loud and boisterous soldiers.

Her strength was perfectly controlled, without wasting a single ounce of energy. Miss Pei is a true master.

Pei Yun, Pei Yan, and the others took turns using the other two axes. Only Pei Qinghe remained the same, chopping for half an hour without breaking a sweat. Impressive!

so amazing!

The square-faced soldier was eager to try: "Sixth Miss has been chopping for so long, she must be tired. Let me try."

Pei Qinghe was very grateful and smiled at the square-faced soldier: "Then thank you very much."

The square-faced soldier grinned foolishly, took the axe, and began to chop with all his might.

The soldier with the mole and the soldier with the round face winked and grinned mischievously.

They all joined the army in their early teens and are now in their twenties. They barely manage to feed themselves and can't afford to get married. Occasionally, they manage to scrape together some money for a night of pleasure. The square-faced soldier always refers to her as "Sixth Sister," and they often tease him behind his back.

The roughly split wooden sticks were neither round nor smooth, and were covered with sharp splinters.

The square-faced soldier was unusually attentive: "I'll get the knife and fix it so that Sixth Miss won't hurt her hands."

Pei Qinghe smiled slightly: "No need to fix it, it's just right as it is."

He grabbed a piece of cloth and wrapped it around one end of the stick a few times, making it a perfect grip. The rough, splinter-covered stick now seemed quite dangerous.

The guard, who had been observing coldly, suddenly said, "It's raining heavily today, so we can't travel. We have nothing to do. How about Miss Pei gives us a few pointers?"

The palace guards and soldiers cheered excitedly.

Pei Qinghe glanced at the guard: "Fighting would only hurt our relationship, let's just forget about it!"

Guard Gao: "..."

True masters only kill, they don't exchange blows.

Pei Qinghe didn't utter any harsh words or show any murderous intent. With just a simple sentence, she left the guard Gao speechless.

Seeing their leader humiliated, the guards turned away and sneered.

Two days later, the rain stopped.

After two days of rest, the Pei family, young and old, now carried wooden sticks, making their movements much easier. Moreover, having weapons gave them the confidence and strength to protect themselves. The Pei women stood tall and proud, their eyes clear and their spirits exceptional.

While resting and drinking water, Pei Qinghe called Pei Feng and Pei Xuan over and patiently taught them how to beat people with sticks.

Pei Feng twirled the wooden stick in his hand with great skill, earning a few words of praise from Pei Qinghe, which made his little face flush with joy.

Pei Xuan's martial arts talent was superior; she learned just a few staff techniques. Pei Feng was unconvinced and challenged Pei Xuan to a duel. Pei Xuan showed no mercy, and with a few blows, she knocked Pei Feng to the ground.

Looking annoyed, Madam Lu turned to Madam Chen and complained, "That Xuan girl, she doesn't know her own strength when she hits someone, she even scratched Feng-ge'er's hand red."

Madam Chen didn't take it seriously: "So what? Getting injured while practicing martial arts is commonplace. That's how all the Pei family's sons grow up."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Lu finally managed to stammer out, "Things are different now."

All the men of the Pei family have been killed, leaving only these young children. Shouldn't we cherish them?
How dare Pei Xuan, a mere young girl, bully Pei Feng, the eldest son of the Pei family?

Chen rolled her eyes at her, showing no politeness whatsoever: "With Qinghe here, you don't need to worry. Go lie down and rest!"

……

(End of this chapter)