Chapter 12: Perseverance

Boys are all willing to learn martial arts, full of fantasy before they start, but after enduring hardship, they may not necessarily persevere. Zhao Zhenxing's question was also a probe — if Zhao Jin backed out now, Zhao Zhenxing would reason with him and make him keep at it.

"I will persevere in the training!" Zhao Jin answered decisively. Because his voice was a bit loud, he sucked in a sharp breath, not even sure where the pain was coming from.

Zhao Zhenxing was taken aback, all his grand reasoning stuck in his stomach, then he broke into a smile.

With Xiaolan's help, the food was quickly laid out on the table — a basin of mutton soup, a basket of flatbread, and several pickled vegetables. The aroma filled the air; it looked very abundant.

"No need to wait for your father, you eat first." Seeing her son looking so exhausted and miserable, He Cuihua said with heartache.

As coincidence would have it, just as she said this, they heard the door outside. Zhao Zhentang strode in. Seeing Zhao Jin sitting there grimacing in pain, he couldn't help shaking his head with a smile, but when he saw Mu Shulan, his expression cooled. The little girl, however, very sensibly went up to greet him.

An ordinary child wouldn't notice these subtle emotional shifts in adults, but Zhao Jin was different — he was constantly paying attention to his surroundings, observing every detail.

Seeing this, Zhao Jin recalled past matters. He vaguely remembered that when Mu Shulan's family moved here, it was He Cuihua who warmly helped them find a house to settle in. Moreover, He Cuihua was very fond of the little girl and often took the initiative to invite her over for meals. Mu Shulan's family was busy all day long and seemed to have no time to look after her, so they naturally entrusted her to the Zhao family's care. For meal expenses and such, they gave some silver each month or sent local specialties — no one was at a loss.

However, Zhao Zhentang seemed to harbor ill feelings toward Mu Shulan's family. In private, he had even said to He Cuihua — and Zhao Jin had overheard it — "Why are you associating with his family? Aren't you afraid of getting implicated?" "What harm is there in a little girl? Besides, how many people are connected in one way or another around here? There are so many above us; our family is too small and insignificant to be caught up in it!"

He hadn't understood that conversation back then, and he still couldn't figure it out now, but Zhao Jin knew there had to be a reason behind it — otherwise his father wouldn't be so cautious.

Mu Shulan was completely unfazed by Zhao Zhentang's cold expression. After Zhao Zhentang, Zhao Zhenxing, and He Cuihua sat down in turn, she and Zhao Jin took their seats at the lower end of the table.

"Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, Xiaojin really should train in martial arts — he's a promising seedling!" As soon as he sat down, Zhao Zhenxing began praising him. Many of Zhao Jin's performances that morning had surprised him as an uncle; it was truly a delight.

Zhao Zhentang tore off a piece of flatbread and said grumpily, "Generation after generation has trained — of course he's a promising seedling. But what use is it even if he trains well? Eat, eat!"

Zhao Zhenxing smiled and didn't respond. Zhao Jin, however, figured something out: judging from the blade striking the wooden post, his father had a foundation in martial arts, and his uncle went without saying. In a military household like this, where martial arts were practiced generation after generation, the inherited physical quality was bound to be similar. His own chances of success were far greater than those from an ordinary family. Choosing this path was indeed the right decision.

The little girl had grown familiar with the Zhao household and wasn't shy at all. She even took the initiative to pick up food and fetch flatbread for Zhao Jin, which made him quite uncomfortable. This gesture, however, delighted the Zhao family adults — even Zhao Zhentang's face showed a smile.

"Sister-in-law, if Xiaojin is going to train in martial arts, we can't skimp on food. You'll need to stew meat and make soup for him regularly, or his body won't keep up," Zhao Zhenxing said gravely.

He Cuihua watched Zhao Jin wolfing down his food and said with a smile, "This child usually eats so little, but training has certainly given him an appetite."

"If it weren't for my executioner's work, this boy would eat us into poverty!" Zhao Zhentang never had a kind word about Zhao Jin training in martial arts, but he didn't say much more either.

After eating, drowsiness from the meal combined with the morning's exhaustion made Zhao Jin's eyelids fight to close. In the past, He Cuihua would have urged him to take a nap, but Uncle Zhao Zhenxing wouldn't allow it. He made Zhao Jin walk slowly along the street to digest his food — he couldn't sit down.

He Cuihua's face was full of heartache, and even Zhao Zhentang stared at Zhao Jin. Judging by his expression, if Zhao Jin had uttered a word of complaint, he would have stopped it immediately. Zhao Jin, however, didn't object. He drained the last mouthful of soup, propped himself up from the chair, and went out the door with the little girl.

Since he chose to learn martial arts, he would persevere. Zhao Jin understood this clearly in his heart. Walking into the courtyard, he could hear the discussion behind him: "... He's still so young, do you really think she can be your daughter-in-law..." "... It's good to have her watched over in our home. Her family's adults are away all day — a fine little girl like this is too easily targeted by kidnappers..."

His parents really were warm-hearted, Zhao Jin thought as he walked. Mu Shulan couldn't be called a budding beauty or a world-toppling loveliness, but such a fair-complexioned, delicate-featured girl was rare. With no one at home to look after her, those with ill intentions would certainly take notice.

In that other life, the matter of child trafficking had ruined countless families. In this era, human traffickers were legal, so the abduction and sale of children was surely even more rampant and brazen.

Once the morning's novelty wore off, the afternoon training was even harder to endure. The horse stance time was a bit shorter in the afternoon, but the time spent lifting and carrying the wooden crate was extended. Zhao Jin was drenched in sweat from exhaustion.

Despite such tedious training, the little girl kept watching the whole time. It wasn't that she was truly interested — in the afternoon, Mu Shulan yawned several times and kept rubbing her eyes.

Although Zhao Zhenxing thought his nephew had decent focus, having an outsider present was a distraction after all. He once spoke up: "Xiaolan, Xiaojin still has to train for a long time. You go back and sleep first!"

Hearing this, the little girl shook her head desperately and said hurriedly, "My father said I must stay with Brother Xiaojin and not wander around alone."

At this, everyone understood — Mu Shulan's father was probably afraid his child would be abducted or something if left home alone, so he simply had her follow Zhao Jin. Zhao Jin never left home all day and had adults watching him, which meant Mu Shulan was being looked after as well.

Since that was the case, Zhao Zhenxing didn't insist and simply let Mu Shulan go inside the house to sleep.

After sleeping for the better part of an hour, Mu Shulan came back out of the house, looking much more spirited, and watched Zhao Jin train with a beaming smile.

By now, Zhao Jin could no longer pay attention to any of this. He was just gritting his teeth and holding on, hoping to make it through this day's training.

His resolve and willpower were sufficient, but his physical stamina was ultimately limited. After the sun sank behind the city wall, Zhao Jin could no longer hold his horse stance and collapsed flat on the ground, startling Mu Shulan beside him, who hurried over to help him up.

Seeing this, Zhao Zhenxing stood up, went back into the house, and brought out a gourd. He handed it to Zhao Jin and said, "Drink. Small sips — don't drink too fast."

Zhao Jin pulled the stopper from the gourd and took a small sip, discovering it was salt water. He hadn't expected that martial arts practitioners in this era already knew about replenishing salt.

"We'll stop here for today. Tonight, have your father loosen up your muscles and bones. Come back at this time tomorrow," Zhao Zhenxing instructed.

Zhao Zhenxing had prepared many words for today. If his nephew feared hardship, if he didn't want to persevere, if he cried — Zhao Zhenxing had a corresponding method and grand principle for each. He never expected Zhao Jin would just grit his teeth and endure it all, which left him feeling as though he had strength but nowhere to exert it.

Zhao Jin and Mu Shulan walked out the main gate. Zhao Zhenxing tidied up the things in the courtyard and was just about to prepare dinner when he recalled what Mu Shulan had said earlier. He still stepped out of the courtyard and followed the two children from a distance.

After a full day of training, his body wasn't just sore — it had gone completely numb. Zhao Jin felt as if his arms and legs weren't his own; he couldn't control them. His walking was unsteady, veering left and right. If Mu Shulan hadn't been supporting him, he would have fallen long ago. In this state, they didn't notice Zhao Zhenxing following behind them at all.

Once they left that street, there were more pedestrians on the road. People found Zhao Jin's condition a bit strange, but no one bothered to meddle. Instead, many cast extra glances at the fair-skinned, pretty Mu Shulan. Zhao Jin even heard someone murmuring privately, "Whose child is this? So fair and outstanding."

Just then, they heard someone shouting "Zhao Jin" from the other end of the street. Immediately, two children came running over in a whirlwind — it was the brothers Chen Sheng and Chen Hong.