Masters like Zhou Zijun would occasionally seek out the secret guards for sparring, but they wouldn't use their full strength. Secret guards were powerful because they did little else besides training and fighting. It was normal for the masters to be unable to defeat the secret guards; otherwise, what was the point of having them?
What Zhou Zijun was not convinced of was that Zhao Wu was from a noble family just like himself. He might not be able to beat him, but he was not even qualified to compete with him.
He was not convinced but did not dare to disobey his grandfather, so he could only stand aside.
A secret guard came and clasped his fists with Zhao Wu. The two fought each other for dozens of moves. Zhao Wu kicked the secret guard to the ground and he couldn't get up. Although Zhao Wu didn't use the three-legged skill, his leg skills were still very powerful.
Three more secret guards came, and they all did the same thing.
Zhao Wu knew that the Zhou family had definitely not called out their most powerful secret guards, as that would have exposed their true colors. He cupped his fists and smiled at Old Master Zhou, saying, "Thank you for letting me do that."
Old Master Zhou was puzzled and asked, "You are only in your teens, how come your internal energy is so powerful?"
Zhao Wu smiled and said, "My master once gave me some medicinal snake blood to drink, which increased my internal strength."
Old Master Zhou knew his master was a lunatic, so he nodded and said, "No wonder. Your father would be relieved if he knew." He then said to Zhou Zijun, "Zhao Wu hasn't even used his most powerful skills yet. Do you think you can withstand twenty of his moves?"
Zhou Zijun was also convinced. Even if he showed his kung fu skills, he might not be able to withstand twenty moves. If he didn't show his kung fu skills, he might not even be able to withstand a few moves.
He cupped his fists and said to Zhao Wuxiao, "Brother Zhao is a master of martial arts. I bow down to you."
Zhao Wu clasped his fists and said politely, "Brother Zhou San is too modest."
A thirteen or fourteen-year-old Zhou family member muttered quietly, "Showing off his bravery is nothing more than a warrior, no different from those secret guards. Those who work hard with their minds rule over others. Third brother is a general, and will command thousands of troops in the future. How can he cultivate the ambition of a warrior and destroy his own prestige?"
He couldn't understand why a constable, who had simply done the work of his family's secret guards, was praised daily by his grandfather and uncle, who even asked them to learn from him. Not only did he find it hard to understand, but so did his nephews, nieces, and relatives.
Old Grand Tutor Zhou cursed angrily, "Shut up, you self-righteous wretch. In the past two years, I've sent three groups of secret guards to Xixia to retrieve people, but they all returned empty-handed." Pointing at Zhao Wu, he added, "Only he found the old demon, broke through the siege, and brought back both the intelligence and the people. And in the Longxing case, he not only discovered the clues, but also used a fire to expose the villains and protect the women and children. All of this requires not only hard skills, but also courage, strategy, and a keen eye. Let me ask you, can someone who only relies on cowardice achieve this?"
The young man quickly bowed and admitted his mistake.
Zhao Wu clasped his fists and said modestly, "Thank you for the compliment, old sir."
Grand Tutor Zhou ignored Zhao Wu and continued to scold the Zhou family members, "Don't look down on the secret guards. The only thing that makes you better than them is your background. Xu Qingyan is a secret guard. He spent seven years in Xixia under the alias Old Demon. He has the ability to enter the royal palace, exploit the internal conflicts of the enemy country, and obtain their most core secrets. Who among you has that ability? Not only you, but also few people in the world can have such ability."
Among the Zhou family's secret guards, there was only one smart person like Xu Qingyan. The others were simple-minded but strong-limbed. Xu Qingyan was thirteen years old when he became a secret guard, and he was obviously older, but they hired him because of his unusually sensitive sense of smell. Unexpectedly, he was a treasure, with good martial arts, calmness and quick reaction, so they sent him as an undercover agent... Of course, in order to educate him positively, the old master did not say these words out loud.
All the Zhou family members bowed and admitted their mistakes. The several secret guards beside them were even more excited. With that example, they would have a chance to succeed.
Zhao Wu was secretly delighted. The old Grand Tutor could speak these words out loud. Xu Qingyan was no longer a secret guard hiding behind others. Furthermore, the "treason case" was basically settled.
After respectfully seeing Grand Tutor Zhou and the others off from the martial arts training ground, Zhao Wuxiang walked towards a little girl among a group of boys. He smiled and greeted her, "Little girl."
The little girl's full name is Xu Lanyue. She's only a little over five, but she looks six or seven. Her face is a deep red, a clear sign of excessive sun exposure. The most striking feature is a thick scar that runs from her forehead, past her left eyebrow, around the corner of her eye, to her chin. A little further to the side, and she'd be blind. The scar, still slightly red, is so thick it looks like a worm crawling across her face, a truly sinister sight.
The little girl didn't think she was ugly and smiled brightly.
Every time Zhao Wu saw this child, he felt conflicted. He felt sorry for the suffering she had endured, but he also didn't dare get too close to her because she and Xu Lan looked so similar.
He knew Xu Lanyin was deeply opposed to a man having multiple women at once, calling such men "studs" and saying it was a betrayal of their wives. Previously, he'd thought it was normal for a man to have multiple women, something most men did. But after listening to Xu Lanyin's words and thinking about how his own father had only had his mother, and how he never remarried even after his mother's death, he felt that this kind of relationship was even more beautiful...
Little Niuniu looked up at Zhao Wu earnestly and said with a smile, "Brother Zhao, are you here to see me?" He thought Zhao Wu came here specially to see her and was dragged by Zhou Sange to compete in martial arts.
The voice is clear and has a strong western accent.
Facing those pure eyes, Zhao Wu couldn't say "no" no matter what. He nodded and smiled, "I haven't seen you for a while, little Niuniu. I miss you so much. Are you used to it here?"
He felt very embarrassed. If he had known he would meet her, he should have bought her some small gifts.
Little Niuniu said, "It's great here. The house is nice, the clothes are nice, and the food is good. I just miss Daddy and Mommy." Her voice trailed off, sadness welling in her eyes. She added, "Brother Zhao, is Mommy dead? I asked Grandpa Zhou and Brother Pingfeng, but they wouldn't say. But I think she's definitely dead."
Zhao Wu said softly, "Your father will be out to reunite with you soon. Your mother... should still be at her original home."
Some things are difficult to explain to outsiders, and only his father can tell her in person.
Little Niuniu continued, "Daddy said that as soon as he gets out, he'll take me to see Mom and my brothers and sisters. My Mom also told me to listen to her. Brother Zhao, have you met them?"
Zhao Wu nodded and said, "I have seen it."
Little Niuniu twisted her fingers, her eyes becoming dazed. "So are they okay? Will they like me?" She touched the scar on her face again. "Will I scare them if I'm ugly?"
Zhao Wu didn't think much about it. He touched her bun and said, "They are all very good and kind. Little Niuniu is so cute, they will definitely like you. Besides, what's so ugly about you? You are obviously very beautiful."
Little Niuniu smiled and looked very happy.
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