Chapter 9: A Rare Opponent

What should have been a simple family meeting had turned into this. Zhao Jin had never imagined there were so many entanglements in this household, so many causes and consequences he knew nothing about. But there wasn't much he could do about it — this was a tradition thousands of years old in Cathay: adults never discussed serious matters with children.

Just what had happened between his father and his uncle back then, and what was the apology for? Zhao Jin tossed and turned, mulling it over, until he finally drifted into sleep.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, He Cuihua woke him. After washing up and eating breakfast, she took a thick winter short-robe and held it up against Zhao Jin, marking it with a ruler, then had him take it off so she could cut it. Zhao Jin understood at once — she was making him training clothes for martial practice.

He Cuihua was uncharacteristically quiet, saying only, "If you find it too hard, you can come back."

Zhao Jin nodded. Just then, he heard the sound of wood being chopped outside. The Zhao household was comfortably off — they bought their firewood and charcoal at the market. Who would be splitting wood at home at this hour? Curious, Zhao Jin walked out to look.

Opening the door, he saw Zhao Zhentang hacking at a wooden stake with a large blade. The blade was four feet long and a finger's-width thick at the spine — the kind of executioner's blade used for beheadings.

Zhao Zhentang's expression was one of deep concentration. Zhao Jin saw that the stake, several inches in diameter, was covered in blade marks. The marks were fresh — all made that morning, it seemed. Zhao Zhentang glanced at Zhao Jin but said nothing, acting as if nothing had happened the night before. He walked over to a bench and sat down. The monkey was right beside him. Zhao Zhentang stroked the monkey's neck with his right hand, his touch light, his movements meticulous. The normally lively monkey stayed perfectly still, not daring to move.

After stroking it for a while, Zhao Zhentang stood again, took up the executioner's blade in both hands, and suddenly hacked at the stake. There was a dull thud. Watching from the side, Zhao Jin froze — all the previous blade marks on the stake had been shallow, only a fraction of an inch deep, but this strike had cleaved halfway through.

Zhao Zhentang paused briefly, swung his arms back to pull the blade free, flipped both wrists, and struck again. Crack! The stake was split in two.

Zhao Jin's mouth fell open. His father's second cut had landed precisely in the groove of the first, and two strokes had severed a stake this thick — the power and precision were extraordinary. He'd never known his father had such skill. This had to be a martial technique!

After those two cuts, Zhao Zhentang's face was flushed and he was breathing hard. He pulled a piece of dried fruit from his coat and tossed it to the monkey. Only then did the docile creature come back to life — it caught the fruit and chattered twice at Zhao Jin.

Once his breathing steadied, Zhao Zhentang walked over to Zhao Jin. Zhao Jin felt a bit uneasy, wondering if his father would lose his temper over the previous night. Zhao Zhentang stared at him for a moment, then reached out and ruffled the top of his head a few times. "Since you're willing to learn martial arts, you'd better put your all into it. Don't be afraid of hardship. If you can't take it and come running home, I'll whip you right back there with my belt. You understand?"

Zhao Jin blinked. His parents' attitudes last night and this morning both seemed a little subtle. But to this question, he lifted his head and said loudly, "Don't worry, Father, I'll stick with it!"

A resolute answer, a look full of determination — these were things Zhao Zhentang had never seen in his son before. He paused, then laughed. "You little brat — you went to watch an execution, fainted from fright, but somehow you've got more of a boy's spirit now than before."

After one more exhortation to train hard, Zhao Zhentang went inside to pack up briefly, then headed out on business. He Cuihua called out to Zhao Jin from inside the house, "Once your clothes are ready, you go straight to your uncle's!"

Outside, Zhao Jin clenched his fists and pumped them. Whatever the process had been, his plan to learn martial arts was now set!

After the gesture, Zhao Jin grinned sheepishly to himself. It had only been a few days, and he was already acting more and more like a child.

The clothes wouldn't be altered quickly, so Zhao Jin wandered idly in and out of the house. This struck He Cuihua as odd as she worked — the old Zhao Jin had preferred quiet to activity. After falling ill, instead of growing weaker, he'd become much more lively. His appetite was bigger than before, and his nerve had grown considerably.

These were all small changes. Zhao Jin thought he'd been careful enough, but he hadn't realized his parents' attention was even more meticulous — they had noticed every one of these changes.

After running around the yard for a while, he spotted the monkey sitting on the woodpile, looking left and right. Zhao Jin sidled over, wanting to try stroking the monkey's neck himself, to see what it felt like — how had his father managed to unleash such powerful chops right after touching it?

When his father Zhao Zhentang had stroked it, the monkey had been perfectly calm. But the moment Zhao Jin reached out his hand, the monkey bared its teeth and screeched, making Zhao Jin jerk back. The monkey then leaped onto the roof.

"Xiao Jin, don't go provoking that monkey!" He Cuihua's voice rang out. Zhao Jin answered glumly, thinking to himself that the monkey clearly played favorites.

Just as he was growing bored, he heard knocking at the gate and someone shouting, "Is Zhao Jin home? Zhao Jin?"

It was Chen Sheng. Puzzled, Zhao Jin walked over and opened the courtyard gate. Standing there were the two Chen brothers. For some reason, the younger brother, Chen Hong, seemed a little afraid of Zhao Jin — the moment he appeared, the boy hid behind his older brother.

Chen Sheng was holding a paper packet, from which wafted the distinctive sweet fragrance of pastries. Seeing Zhao Jin, he thrust the packet forward and said, a bit sheepishly, "I lost yesterday, so my family wouldn't let me go out. This is osmanthus candy and sesame cakes — they're for you."

The wager from a children's scuffle wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Zhao Jin had long since put the matter out of his mind. He hadn't expected Chen Sheng not only to remember, but to follow through. It raised his opinion of Chen Sheng considerably.

Zhao Jin took the packet, but noticed Chen Hong behind Chen Sheng staring fixedly at it, swallowing hard. The Chen family was wealthy and didn't lack for pastries, but children were always greedy. An idea struck Zhao Jin. He opened the packet right there at the gate and said with a grin, "I can't eat all this myself — let's share, the three of us!"

Hearing this, Chen Hong immediately reached out to grab some, but Chen Sheng smacked his hand hard and scolded, "Don't be so shameless! We have these at home — eat them when we get back. These were lost to Zhao Jin!"

"It's fine, let's just eat them together!" Zhao Jin smiled and held the packet out further. Seeing that Zhao Jin was sincere, Chen Sheng hesitated. His younger brother Chen Hong was tugging at his clothes with one hand while looking at him imploringly. Once the packet was open, the sweet fragrance of the pastries filled the air, and Chen Sheng couldn't help swallowing either. Only then did he nod. Seeing his brother agree, Chen Hong gleefully grabbed a sesame cake and an osmanthus candy and began wolfing them down.

Chen Sheng took one as well. There were only five pieces total between the osmanthus candies and sesame cakes. Zhao Jin also took one. The sesame cakes and osmanthus candies were actually quite crudely made — nothing compared to the factory-produced goods of that other life — but the all-natural ingredients gave them a uniquely pure fragrance. Zhao Jin found them delicious too.

Of the five pastries, the youngest, Chen Hong, ate three, beaming with delight and no longer so afraid of Zhao Jin. Wiping his mouth, Chen Sheng said with a smile, "Zhao Jin, you're a real friend, and really tough too. When I spar over there, no one can beat me. I never thought you'd take me down. Let's go spar again today! If you win, I'll bring you more good food. If you lose, you bring good food. What do you say?"

The chubby boy looked at Zhao Jin eagerly. Seeing no reaction, Chen Sheng hurriedly added, "Let's just spar! If I lose, I'll bring you good food. If you lose, you don't have to bring anything. How about that?"

Zhao Jin couldn't help laughing out loud. Chen Sheng pressed on urgently, "My grandpa says me brawling with people all day is useless. Only getting knocked down by you yesterday was a bit interesting. He also said, also said..."

"He also said that what you'll face in the future will be even more dangerous, so you need to fight opponents like this more often!" Chen Hong loudly finished the sentence from the side.

"Right, right, that's exactly what he said! Only by fighting you can I become stronger!" Chen Sheng exclaimed.