Chapter 20: Hwarang-do, Iron-Arm Shield Hand

No sooner had the shop assistant finished speaking than several old men surged into the front hall.

They were the proprietors of nearby shops who considered themselves to have a deep friendship and some standing with Shopkeeper Ma. At this moment, they crowded into the courtyard, eager to escort the group to receive their commendations.

Chu Tianshu and the others, feeling helpless, left the courtyard and headed toward the street.

Upon reaching the main street, they realized why the sound of gongs and drums had started so abruptly; it wasn't the guests from afar beating them, but people arranged by the Town Mayor drumming along the street.

As for the people actually coming from the city.

Chu Tianshu gazed toward the east; there was indeed a contingent, still at least three miles from the town.

Shopkeeper Ma muttered, "It must be that Town Mayor Lu reported his achievements to the city, got a reply, and knowing people were coming today, started the fanfare early to welcome them."

Zhong Jinqiu also looked east and said, "It looks like a group of soldiers is coming. Shouldn't matters like commending a town be handled by those pen-pushing bureaucrats?"

Shopkeeper Ma said, "It seems that Xu Tuanzhang's prestige has grown even greater over these past few years."

A military force was stationed in Yuan Nan City, officially designated as a regiment. It was hard to say exactly how many men there were, but all military affairs within a hundred-mile radius were under their jurisdiction, and the Colonel's surname was Xu.

According to regulations, commending a town was not within the purview of military officers; it should have been handled by someone sent by the County Magistrate or the like.

Yet, looking at that group, the leader was riding a tall horse, clearly a military officer, with two rows of soldiers behind him jogging with rifles on their backs.

Further back, there were several carriages that looked incredibly opulent, with red silk tied to the corners. The drivers were all wearing silk jackets, which was clearly not the proper attire for city clerks or officials.

Seeing the officer approaching the town, Town Mayor Lu and several other wealthy figures immediately went up to greet him. Even Meng Lianfa, who was usually at odds with the Mayor, was among them, beaming and cupping his hands in greeting.

"Zhou Fuguan, you have traveled a long way. We failed to welcome you from afar, which is truly a discourtesy. I have already prepared a banquet at my home to host you and your men."

The plump Mayor held his head high and chest out today, shouting loudly, not feeling the heat of the sun at all.

"Hahaha, Mayor, you are too kind."

Zhou Fuguan dismounted, and a soldier stepped forward to take his horse.

"We soldiers are straightforward; we don't engage in those superficial things. When there is work to be done, we do it; when it's time to eat, we eat."

"Let's finish the commendation first, then talk about eating. With nothing weighing on our minds, the meal will be all the more lively."

The Zhou Fuguan walked into the town as he spoke. Even after dismounting, he was still more than a head taller than the Mayor.

He appeared to be in his prime, with hair as short as a brush, a sharp and capable face, and his beard shaved clean.

With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his long legs in leather boots, and his military uniform, he stood out among the local gentry like a crane in a flock of chickens.

The Mayor accompanied him, smiling broadly. Turning his head, he noticed that the carriages hadn't taken the main street but had turned off at the edge of town, so he couldn't help but ask, "And those are?"

Zhou Fuguan looked back: "That is our Colonel's foster father. The old gentleman is getting on in years and finds the city stifling, so he has come to the countryside to recuperate."

"You are in luck; the old gentleman keeps a theater troupe with him. I begged him, and he has agreed to put on a grand performance for everyone tonight."

The Mayor was overjoyed: "So it is the Old Master. Might I have the honor of paying my respects?"

Zhou Fuguan laughed: "No rush. The Old Master is settling into the Colonel's residence first. After the long journey today, you can go and request an audience when there is time later."

Xu Tuanzhang also had a vacant residence in this town.

Or rather, he had residences in all the notable, prosperous towns near Yuan Nan City, some gifted by others in the form of property deeds, others purchased by himself.

Of course, the sellers were always very generous, asking for prices much lower than standard transactions.

Hearing this, the Mayor temporarily suppressed his urge to curry favor with the noble and gestured to the crowd by the roadside: "Those two are the great heroes who wiped out the Vietnam bandits."

"Oh, so those are Shopkeeper Ma and Physician Chu?"

Zhou Fuguan's eyes lit up. He strode over and laughed, "Shopkeeper Ma is still sharp as ever, and Physician Chu is a young hero indeed."

"When Town Mayor Lu sent the report of your achievements, along with the Goose-Feather Saber and the Bone Whistle to the city, we were both shocked and delighted."

"Since these bandits entered our borders, this wasn't their first crime. They had looted other counties before, but by the time the local garrison arrived, they would hide in the mountains, leaving no trace. We could only learn their characteristics from the mouths of the few townspeople who survived."

Zhou Fuguan was all smiles, appearing very enthusiastic.

"That they were completely wiped out here is a great honor for our Yuan Nan City."

Chu Tianshu and Shopkeeper Ma exchanged a look and cupped their hands in polite acknowledgment.

That Goose-Feather Saber had been picked up by Chu Tianshu at the time, but after trying a few moves and finding it ill-suited, he had stuck it back into the graveyard; it didn't matter if someone took it later.

But because the Bone Whistle was made from the bones of a victimized virgin, Shopkeeper Ma had roasted it over a fire to drive away the evil energy before burying it elsewhere.

He didn't know when the Mayor had dug it up.

"This commendation was personally approved by Xu Tuanzhang. A reward of three hundred silver dollars for Shopkeeper Ma, and five hundred silver dollars for Physician Chu."

Zhou Fuguan took two thick cloth bags from his horse and handed them to the two men respectively.

Nearly half of the bandits had been wiped out because Shopkeeper Ma controlled fireballs and lured poison bees.

But the most dangerous figures had been killed by Chu Tianshu himself; with such a commendation, no one around had any complaints.

"In addition, there are several hundred silver dollars to be distributed among those who participated in the battle that day. Everyone gets a share!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the onlookers cheered in unison.

The Mayor once again brought up the matter of hosting a banquet for everyone.

"Let the brothers go first."

Zhou Fuguan looked around and patted the Mayor on the shoulder, "I am a martial man, and I am actually more interested in the place where Physician Chu fought the bandit leader. If you gentlemen have time, why not take me to see it?"

The Mayor, of course, would not refuse.

Chu Tianshu thought for a moment, handed the silver dollars to the assistant from Old Ma's Restaurant, and decided to go along as well.

The assistant had just received a large bag, and then another smaller one from Shopkeeper Ma; together they weighed over forty jin, heavy and pressing on his hands. Daring not to linger outside, he hurried back to Old Ma's Restaurant.

The soldiers walked toward the Mayor's house; some of the onlookers followed, while others prepared to disperse.

In the end, not many followed Zhou Fuguan to the south of the town.

The ground in the fruit orchard was a mess everywhere; when people moved the bodies, they had all passed through here to the other side of the hillside to bury them hastily.

Coupled with the rain that had fallen over the past few days, the footprints Chu Tianshu had stomped out while dodging bullets had already been largely covered.

But as soon as Zhou Fuguan walked a little on the battlefield, he discovered those special footprints. He brushed away the fallen leaves and dust with his military boots, his face showing admiration.

"Great footwork. These footprints were likely made in continuous succession in the blink of an eye."

Once Zhou Fuguan arrived here, he didn't need anyone to lead the way. He followed the traces through the woods himself, and soon he found the place where the swordsman had met his end.

A sword hole through the tree trunk, visible from front to back, had already turned brown and black, and there were still traces of blood stained on the bark.

Zhou Fuguan bent down, blinked his eyes at the hole in the tree, and through it, saw the trajectory of that sword strike.

The branches and leaves cut along the way had smooth and flat edges, like water-polished bluestone bricks.

"Aha, this was a lethal strike, but what it displayed was not the subtlety of sword art, but the formidable nature of fist technique and tendon strength."

Zhou Fuguan turned his head to look at Chu Tianshu, "Physician Chu, my eye for this isn't too bad, is it?"

Chu Tianshu cupped his hands: "Zhou Fuguan, you see the whole picture from a single glimpse. It's as if you saw that battle with your own eyes; truly impressive!"

"Haha, I'm just taking a shortcut, only because my fist technique also focuses on tendon strength. In the jargon, it's called 'gathering,' pursuing the realm of the 'Dragon Entwining the Body'."

Zhou Fuguan said heartily, "It seems our fist technique styles are somewhat similar, which is why my deduction was so smooth."

"It's rare to see a young hero with a similar style; it's making my hands itch."

Zhou Fuguan bared his teeth, "I wonder if Physician Chu would be willing to spar with me? Just one move, stop at the point of contact, a friendly exchange?"

Zhong Jinqiu's expression was somewhat subtle, and Shopkeeper Ma reached out to touch the tip of his nose.

The Mayor was beaming, seemingly about to say something.

Chu Tianshu had already raised his gaze and smiled: "Alright."

"Here I come!"

Before the words had faded, Zhou Fuguan's figure moved suddenly.

This Zhou Fuguan had once followed Xu Tuanzhang as a constable in the capital.

At that time, the capital was a mix of people from all over the world, and martial arts from various places collided and exchanged there, a hundred flowers blooming.

The Hwarang-do that Zhou Fuguan learned was said to be a fist technique passed down from the ancient Silla Kingdom.

The King of Silla organized young people to train in martial arts, making "serving the lord with loyalty, serving parents with filial piety, serving friends with trust, never retreating in battle, and choosing death with purpose" their tenets, aiming to cultivate brave and fearless warriors.

The martial arts taught to them were the essence summarized from the battlefields and folk traditions of Silla at the time. In the primary stage, they would directly strike at wooden blocks with their hands and feet, and upon achieving some success, they would temper their limbs against brick and stone walls.

Silla had frequent exchanges with the Central Plains and also learned the techniques of battlefield soldiers from the Central Plains, integrating the more advanced coordination of sword, shield, infantry, and cavalry of the Central Plains dynasties into their fist techniques.

Now, this "Iron-Arm Shield Hand" move of Zhou Fuguan, in terms of maturity, was among the best even among all Hwarang-do masters.

His right forearm was held vertically in front of his body, his muscles full and bulging, stretching his sleeve into a distinct outline, just like a thick shield, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. With the power of his waist and horse stance, he was like a real galloping horse, suddenly crashing into place.

A few years ago, he had used this same move to punch a hole through a half-foot-thick bluestone wall!

Town Mayor Lu was too close to Zhou Fuguan; the moment he moved, he felt a fierce wind press against his mouth and nose, and he was unable to breathe for a moment.

Chu Tianshu, as the one who had to face this move, felt even more as if his vision had gone dark.

But the change in light made Chu Tianshu subconsciously let out a roar. The strength of his whole body was unleashed through this syllable, his back foot stomped the ground, and his right arm blocked horizontally.

Bang!!!

The two men's forearms, one horizontal and one vertical, crashed fiercely together.

The sleeve of Zhou Fuguan's forearm ripped apart with a screech, and the thick fabric flew off.

Chu Tianshu retreated more than three feet, his feet not leaving the ground, leaving clear marks on the surface. His body swayed twice, and the knuckles of his right hand trembled slightly.

In this collision, Zhou Fuguan used impact force, while Chu Tianshu used a vibrating force, transmitted through his clothes.

So one had a torn sleeve, and the other retreated violently.

In this regard, it was actually a draw.

But Chu Tianshu's right hand was a bit numb, his fingers loose, while Zhou Fuguan's arm remained in a steady fist-clenching posture.

The toughness of the opponent's tendons was clearly a cut above Chu Tianshu's.

The Mayor hadn't expected that the two of them would create such a scene with just one move, and he was momentarily at a loss, feeling the atmosphere become tense.

The two men, separated by a few feet, met each other's gaze, but both revealed smiles at the same time.

"Good! I didn't have such ability at your age."

Zhou Fuguan was full of heroism, not caring about his tattered sleeve, "I'll be bold and call you Brother Chu. Brother, how about we compare our drinking capacity at the banquet later?"

Chu Tianshu feigned helplessness: "Then I certainly won't be a match for Brother Zhou in that."

He appeared calm, but in his heart, he was on high alert.

This Zhou Fuguan seemed to have a rough and hearty nature, but he always felt something was not quite right.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 21 =====