Chapter 285: Discussion

Xue Che settled down in Heishan Prefecture.

He was in his teens, neither too old nor too young to live in the same courtyard with Wu Yingniang and Su Zhizhi, so he lived in the same courtyard with Lao Xu.

The Heishan Mansion is large, with many small courtyards, and one or two of them occupy one courtyard.

There are three rooms in Old Xu's yard, but no one lives with him because everyone thinks he is too dramatic.

Old Xu warmly welcomed Xue Che to stay in the room. He cleaned the room spotlessly, hung calligraphy and paintings, placed flowers, and even burned incense.

As soon as Xue Che entered the room, he was almost choked by the strong fragrance and coughed. He opened the window for a long time to let in the air before going to sleep.

It had been a long time since he had slept with such a clean and soft pillow and quilt. After his head touched the pillow, he fell into a sound and deep sleep.

The next morning, at noon, he was awakened by a series of knocking sounds.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Abao knocking on the windowsill with his pointed beak outside the window.

"Abao, good morning." Xue Che got up, leaned over to the window sill filled with sunlight, and reached out to touch Abao.

After washing up, he practiced sword skills as usual, wiped the sweat off his face and went to have breakfast.

Hua Erniang took out a large steamed bun from the steamer and asked Xue Che to break it open, stuff the fried pork cutlet and side dishes into it, and then cover the bun.

"Just eat it in one bite. Our life in the capital isn't as leisurely as it was in Lingnan. Sometimes we don't even have enough time to eat a meal, so eating this is much more convenient."

Xue Che took a bite and his mouth was filled with fragrance.

He knew that people from Black Bandit Mountain were like this; no matter where they were or what the situation was, they could always find a way to eat better.

Many times, eating well will make you feel better.

Xue Che looked around: "Sister Hua, where is everyone going?"

Hua Erniang: "There are a lot of things to do during the day, so I'm busy. I'll be back in the evening. Zhizhi went to the martial arts school. He has three days off, so he'll be back then."

"You should get some rest for the next two or three days. Zhizhi has been talking about wanting to spar with you many times, so you need to stay focused."

As soon as Xue Che heard the word "exchange", a string in his head tensed up.

He still needs to practice martial arts later. After not seeing each other for a few years, he doesn't want to be looked down upon by Zhizhi as soon as they meet.

Before Xue Che continued to practice, he went to see Hao Ren first, and the two of them closed the door and had a long talk in the room.

Hao Ren held a letter he had read over and over again in his hand. "Ache, your father has explained the situation in the northwest in his letter."

That was what Xue Yucheng asked Xue Che to bring. Xue Che kept it close to his body all the way here, and even held it in one hand when he was taking a bath.

Hao Ren sat on a red sandalwood armchair, his eyes like ink, and his green shirt gave him a refreshing look.

Just looking at it this way, it seems like an immortal who is detached from the mundane world has come down to earth.

As soon as the Immortal Lord opened his mouth, he said, "Is everything really ready in the northwest?"

Xue Che: "I'm ready, just waiting for the right time. My father asked me to ask Uncle Hao, when is the right time?"

Hao Ren: "Lingnan is also preparing to take action."

Xue Che: "My father said that having external troops alone is not enough, we also need to have enough manpower inside."

"Ache, everything has been arranged. If everything goes well, you won't have to go back to the northwest this time."

Hao Ren looked at the spots of light by the window, and a bloody light appeared before his eyes.

"The long-standing blood debt between the Pei and Xue families can finally be repaid."

Xue Che's eyelashes fluttered like a startled bird's wings: "Uncle Hao means—"

Hao Ren nodded, and his thin lips uttered a few cold words:

"The time has come."

…

Su Zhizhi had a great time during the three days at the martial arts academy, and she was even happier when she thought about competing with Xue Che when she got home.

As soon as she returned to Heishan Prefecture from the martial arts academy, she couldn't wait to find Xue Che with her whip in hand:

"Ache! Let's have a competition!"

Xue Che was sitting in the house reading in the afternoon, but his ears were always paying attention to the movements in the front yard.

When Su Zhizhi shouted the first time, Xue Che immediately put down the book and went out with his sword.

He suppressed a smile and pretended to be calm:

"I know, I know. I'm coming."

Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw a whip coming out of the air like a dragon emerging from the sea, and hitting him in the face!

At the same time, Su Zhizhi shouted:

"Watch this!"

Xue Che didn't have time to laugh anymore, and quickly took a few steps back, barely avoiding it:

"Zhizhi, you took advantage of me when I wasn't prepared! I wasn't ready yet, you're cheating!"

The long sword in his hand also clanged out of its sheath.

Su Zhizhi's whip spun in the air, trying to wrap around Xue Che's sword.

"That's called surprise, not cheating! Haven't you heard about the battles on the frontier?"

"I've heard of it! Of course I know." Xue Che was angry.

That's for use against enemies.

Zhizhi was sparring with him, and she actually used a strategy against the enemy. She had clearly said before that they were the best of friends!

Xue Che's sword flashed with a cold light. After dodging the incoming whip, he swung the sword, stirring up a stream of air.

"I'm making a move too!"

Xue Che's sword momentum suddenly changed. With a slight twist of his wrist, he picked out three sword flowers. The tip of the sword flashed like a cold star, approaching Su Zhizhi's upper three vital points.

Su Zhizhi raised her eyebrows and smiled: "A Che has made great progress."

Her arms tensed, and with a sudden effort she swung the whip. In the setting sun, the shadows of the whips were thick and heavy, so fast it felt like seven or eight whips were striking at once.

Xue Che's cold sword touched the tip of the whip, and the sword body slid down along the whip tip, then the sword tip turned upward and went straight for Zhizhi's right wrist holding the whip...

The two men fought from Lao Xu's yard to the outer yard, from the ground to the trees, walls, and roofs.

The sun had already set, but the two were still fighting fiercely, and neither of them was willing to admit defeat.

The villagers of Heishan Prefecture all came back for dinner and saw Su Zhizhi and Xue Che still fighting vigorously.

Bai Xun said: "Okay, let's eat first, and then we can fight after dinner."

Su Zhizhi: "Ache, stop first, then I'll stop. Otherwise, what if he sneaks up on me?"

Xue Che felt his blood rush to his head when he heard this: "I'm not that cunning. Maybe you're planning to sneak attack me."

Ni Tianji called out again, "It's time to eat. The food is getting cold."

The two men refused to stop.

Old Xu cleared his throat and said, "Zhizhi, Ache, I'll give you one last chance. Come wash your hands and eat."

The two are still fighting.

After all, he is a few years older and his temper has become tougher. He won't stop obediently when adults call him like he did when he was a child.

However, there is a room full of masters in Heishan Mansion.

The villagers rushed forward, displayed their skills in a flash, and confiscated the weapons in their hands in a blink of an eye.

Su Zhizhi: "My whip!"

Xue Che: "My sword!"

The two children were pushed to the dining table.

Wu Yingniang glared:

"Eat first! Whoever doesn't want to eat well, come and fight with my spear! Seriously, you two are so old, why do you still need adults to worry about your meals?"

Su Zhizhi: …

Xue Che: ...

Well, although they have all made progress, it is still not good enough in front of the villagers.

While Su Zhizhi and Xue Che were busy eating, the villagers ruled their competition a draw, saying that they were equally matched and needed to practice more.

Su Zhizhi and Xue Che looked at each other and were very glad that they had been practicing martial arts recently.

If I hadn't practiced, I might have lost today.

After they had finished their meal, the villagers let them go and returned their whips and swords to them.

Su Zhizhi and Xue Che didn't fight anymore. They just sat at the stone table in the yard, talking and eating.

Su Zhizhi peeled a few pistachios that Xue Che brought and ate them. There was a crisp sound in her mouth, and the natural oil mixed with the salty fragrance bloomed in her mouth.

Su Zhizhi smiled, her eyes curved into two bays:

"Ache, bring more of this next time. It's delicious."

Xue Che took a few almonds, peeled them one by one and placed them in front of Su Zhizhi:

"This is delicious, why don't you eat it?"

The two people who were fighting fiercely before the meal sat together peacefully to eat snacks after the meal.

Su Zhizhi looked at Xue Che's hands peeling nuts and thought of the agreement of arm wrestling, where the loser would treat the other party.

Su Zhizhi chewed the almonds that Xue Che had peeled:

"Ah Che, after you finish peeling these, stop peeling and arm wrestle with me."

Xue Che also glanced at Su Zhizhi's hand.

When their hands are put together, the contrast is still very obvious.

Xue Che's hands grew bigger, became more tanned, and his knuckles grew thicker.

There were thin calluses on the palms of Su Zhizhi's hands, but the backs of her hands looked tender and her fingers were slender.

Xue Che was secretly happy.

He would definitely win in arm wrestling, because Zhizhi's hands are thinner than his.

"Come on." Xue Che piled the peeled nuts in front of Su Zhizhi.

Su Zhizhi put her elbows on the table, and Xue Che also put his elbows on it.

The momentum of the two men's previous fight rose again, and it seemed as if a blazing fire was coming out from behind each of them.

Like countless times before in arm wrestling, they clasped their hands together.

Just as they were shaking hands and hadn't put any strength into it, Hao Ren's voice suddenly rang out from behind:

"What are you doing?"

Xue Che turned around to look at Hao Ren, and saw that Hao Ren's eyes seemed to contain some vigilance and his tone was a little cold.

Xue Che was a little confused about what was going on for a moment, but when he was looked at by Hao Ren, he felt a little uneasy, as if he had done something inappropriate.

Xue Che was a little distracted, and Su Zhizhi pushed hard, slamming Xue Che's hand onto the table.

"I win!" Su Zhizhi raised her hands and laughed, "Hahahaha, you have to treat me!"

Xue Che saw that he had lost before he even started to fight, and fell backwards in anger:

"No, come again."