The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 2 Martial Arts Trial
A grand mansion with high walls stood as imposing as a prison, with icicles hanging from the eaves like spears.

More than ten cavalrymen broke through the wind and snow and sped to the tightly closed vermilion gate.

The man in the lead wore a black sable cloak, revealing a hideous scar between his brows. His eyes were fierce and piercing, colder than the dead of winter.

This is Shi Hongzhao, one of the current regents of the state.

He dismounted, casually tossing his whip to his soldiers. His gaze swept across the crowd like a knife, and seeing that no one dared to meet his eyes, he lifted his foot, his boots crushing the snow on the steps with a soft, bone-cracking sound.

"Summon Erlang to see me."

"Yes."

After passing through the front yard and entering the main hall, Shi Hongzhao sat down, but then frowned as he noticed a book on the table: the Book of Rites.

Sure enough, the eldest son, Shi Dechong, came out from the side of the hall, bowed, and greeted them.

Unlike Shi Hongzhao's martial demeanor, he possessed a refined and scholarly air, and his manners were courteous.

“Father has returned. Just now, the Imperial Guard brought in a scholar because he spoke disrespectfully to Father in public.”

Shi Hongzhao didn't even lift his eyelids, just stretched out three fingers and casually waved them.

This was his unique habit of giving orders in the army: two fingers meant "roll" and three fingers meant "kill".

"Father, please calm down," Shi Dechong hurriedly said. "This matter is strange; allow me to investigate thoroughly..."

"Sympathizing with scholars again?" Shi Hongzhao retorted, "I'll say it again: to stabilize the court and quell the chaos, all we need are long spears and great swords. What use are brushes and books?!"

It was common knowledge that Shi Hongzhao valued military prowess over literature and disliked scholars, but Shi Dechong loved reading and was close to Confucian scholars, so the father and son often quarreled.

Just as a dispute was about to break out, a servant outside announced, "Master, Second Master has arrived."

"Enter."

Shi Hongzhao's complexion worsened.

His eldest son was unworthy, and his second son was even more useless. He had brought shame to the Shi family in his childhood because of his stupidity. After that, he would not allow his second son to embarrass himself in front of others. He only hoped to strictly supervise his martial arts so that he could become a talent. Unfortunately, he changed more than ten instructors and still could not satisfy them.

Last month, Shi Hongzhao had no choice but to send his most capable bodyguard to his second son's side.

After a while, Shi Deyuan dawdled into the main hall. When he stood there, he was obese, dazed, and had shifty eyes. He was not at all like a human being, let alone exuding any murderous aura.

"Your son greets Father."

"Let's practice." Shi Hongzhao was too lazy to say another word.

Shi Deyuan was a little flustered. He looked back and saw that everyone in his courtyard was following behind him before he began to speak haltingly.

"Father...Father, I have been practicing martial arts diligently lately and have sprained my ankle."

"Ok?"

"It's nothing, nothing serious. It's just that I couldn't see clearly when I was demonstrating alone. Could I... could I spar with him?"

"what ever."

"Yes."

Shi Hongzhao raised his eyelids and saw a servant standing behind Shi Deyuan. The servant had a calm demeanor, and the two of them took the whistle sticks from each other.

He thought his second son's grip on the stick was too weak, and even his posture seemed slouching, so he shook his head.

"start."

Shi Deyuan suddenly swung his whistle stick down through the air.

The servants dodged in a panic, the whistle brushing past their clothes and striking the ground with a "snap," leaving a white mark.

This evasive maneuver was so dangerous that everyone in the hall was immediately drawn to him, sensing the intensity of the fight.

Zhang Mantun was surprised and opened his mouth.

"Such a quick start," Shi Dechong casually remarked.

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Deyuan swept his whistle with his staff. The servant raised his staff to block, and with a crisp "clang," he was jolted back three steps, his back slamming against a pillar with a "thud."

"Great strength!" Zhang Mantun finally thought to cheer.

Shi Deyuan was praised, and then struck again with his stick. In his haste, the servant did a somersault, and as he took off, the tip of his stick struck Shi Deyuan's wrist.

"Pretty!"

The move was so fluid and graceful that Shi Dechong genuinely applauded, his eyes fixed on the servant.

Unfortunately, although the servant's movements were graceful, he lacked strength. Shi Deyuan pulled him back with his cudgel and threw him to the ground. With a quick somersault, the servant narrowly avoided a counterattack at the last second.

Shi Deyuan fought with increasing ferocity, his servants struggling to keep up, their staffs flashing and intertwining in the air, creating an impenetrable barrier.

After fighting for a while, Shi Deyuan flicked his whistle, and the servant's whistle flew out of his hand, spinning with a loud whooshing sound, and landed far away on one side of the hall.

"Splitting Mount Hua with all my might!"

The servant boy staggered backward, and Shi Deyuan pressed his advantage, full of momentum.

In a flash, the servant awkwardly leaned back, the whistle whistling past his nose and slamming to the ground with a thud.

"Great!" Zhang Mantun shouted, clapping his hands enthusiastically.

But then, the force of the baton rebounded, and Shi Deyuan felt pain in his palm, letting out a miserable cry.

"Thank you for showing mercy, Erlang!"

Before the screams had even subsided, the servant had already clasped his hands in thanks and loudly expressed his gratitude.

"Ah... Ahahaha!"

Shi Deyuan stifled his scream, glanced at his father, quickly put away the stick, and nervously rubbed his clothes behind his back.

Shi Dechong smiled slightly and said, "It seems that Second Brother intentionally held back with this 'Splitting Mount Hua' move, mastering it perfectly. You have indeed made great progress." "Is...is that so?" Shi Deyuan said, "He didn't want to hurt anyone."

"It's good that my second brother has this idea."

“My mother told me to listen to the Zen master and accumulate good deeds.”

Shi Deyuan grinned, seeing that he had passed the test, but his smile froze instantly.

Shi Hongzhao glanced coldly over the room, and the room fell silent.

His piercing gaze swept around the room before landing on the servant behind Shi Deyuan. He paused, tapped his fingers lightly twice on the side table, and began to speak slowly in an interrogative tone.

"May I have your name?"

"..."

Xiao Yi had been secretly observing Shi Hongzhao since he entered the hall.

The awe-inspiring presence of this general from the Later Han Dynasty is something even veteran actors on set probably couldn't portray. How can it be described? It's like the murderous aura of tens of thousands of corpses piled up, sweeping across the scene, causing even the grass and trees to wither.

Xiao Yi also noticed that Shi Hongzhao wore a purple robe and a jade belt under his black sable cloak, but underneath was iron armor, and his boots were covered in mud.

This is a warrior who holds a high position but is always ready to draw his sword and fight.

"Your father is asking you a question," Shi Dechong reminded him, with a hint of urging.

"Xiao Yi."

Xiao Yi took a deep breath, steadied himself, and replied in a deep voice.

He warned himself not to show weakness, nor to be reckless. The Shi Hongzhao before him had waded through a sea of ​​blood, and his intuition would not let the slightest falsehood escape him.

Shi Hongzhao raised his hands and clapped three times rather slowly, the applause echoing in the hall. It was less like praise and more like a drumbeat to advance.

"Well done."

Just four words, yet they carry immense weight.

Shi Deyuan's legs visibly trembled, and a look of horror appeared in his eyes.

Oh no, he's been found out! Today, he was just waving his baton around as usual. The fight looked intense, but it was all just Xiao Yi putting on a show.

Shi Dechong tried to smooth things over, saying, "Father, his martial arts skills and wit are both excellent; he is indeed a talented person."

"It's not your turn to speak."

"Yes."

You could hear a pin drop in the hall.

Despite the oppressive aura, Xiao Yi raised his head, neither flinching nor dodging, neither humble nor arrogant, meeting Shi Hongzhao's intimidating gaze.

He was not afraid, nor did he pretend to be afraid, because he had considered that Shi Hongzhao was a veteran of many battles and would naturally be able to see through the flaws.

Whether Shi Deyuan could pass the test was not important. What mattered was that his own life could become valuable. A talented person with good martial arts skills and courage was far more valuable than a timid servant.

From the very beginning, Xiao Yi was gambling on an opportunity to impress Shi Hongzhao, not on helping Shi Deyuan.

Having read so many period drama scripts, now it's time to test my acting skills.

Their eyes met, and he slowly said, "Thank you for your praise, Commander."

"How dare you fool this old man!"

"I never thought I could deceive the commander-in-chief; I was just doing my duty and serving the historians."

"Serve?" Shi Hongzhao immediately understood Xiao Yi's intentions and said coldly, "So you're a cunning scoundrel."

With murderous intent looming, Xiao Yi knew that one wrong move could mean certain death.

He rubbed his sweaty palms and decided to treat him with sincerity.

"Reporting to the Commander, it's not that I'm cunning, but rather that I'm of lowly status and had no other opportunity."

"So you're of lowly status, your staff skills are all show and no substance, utterly devoid of any killing intent." Shi Hongzhao paused, then spoke with each word like a heavy hammer blow, "Does the Shi family need your weak skills?"

It was this one sentence that gave Xiao Yi a glimmer of hope, and he calmed down.

What kind of murderous intent does a servant need? Since Shi Hongzhao held him to a higher standard, that meant he wanted to use him.

His life finally became more valuable.

So he replied without hesitation: "I suppose the soldiers who have made great contributions to the commander-in-chief were not initially filled with murderous intent."

"presumptuous!"

Shi Dechong immediately stopped him, though he was scolding him, he was also trying to protect him.

But it was too late; Shi Hongzhao's right hand, which had been resting on the table, had already been raised again.

Instantly, everyone's eyes were focused on his hands.

Two sticks mean rolling, three sticks mean killing, how many sticks are there this time?

There were... five?
"Oh!"

But then he slammed his five fingers down on the table.

With a loud crash, cups and saucers overturned, tea spilled everywhere, and everyone trembled with fear.

Shi Hongzhao finally raised his eyes, his gaze now devoid of any probing or anger, his eyes shooting towards Zhang Mantun like icicles.

"Bring me a knife."

(End of this chapter)