Chapter 58

By the river.

Xu Yi and Zhang Tiegou cleared a flat space and moved all the stumbling stones farther away. This area was quickly cleared into a square makeshift playground.

The two had made an appointment a long time ago to compete in martial arts after Zhang Tiegou's leg recovered.

The wound on Zhang Tiegou's leg was healed last week, but the iron teeth of the animal trap had damaged the bones in the flesh. Xu Yi repeatedly asked him to recuperate for half a month before agreeing to today's competition.

He was in high spirits and urged Xu Yi to move faster.

"Look at your style, you're a little more formal. Aren't we just making gestures, so don't we need such a big battle?" He scratched his head. Although he didn't understand the reason for Xu Yi's behavior, he still subconsciously obeyed it just now.

Xu Yi glanced at him: "Do you think it's appropriate to raise stakes in the competition?"

Zhang Tiegou: "..."

It makes sense, and he can't refute Xu Yi.

Zhang Tiegou scratched his head: "Shall we start now?"

Xu Yi said: "Okay."

As soon as he finished speaking, his whole aura suddenly changed.

Zhang Tiegou has been hunting in the mountains for so long that he has a very keen sense of danger. He immediately sensed the danger brought by Xu Yi. His eyes were stunned for a moment, then he clenched his fists, and the casual atmosphere quietly dissipated.

Xu Yi seemed to make a move at random. Zhang Tiegou couldn't tell what it was, but if he was a person who had practiced Tai Chi, he would know that it was a starting point and he had begun to enter the state.

His expression is calm, his whole body is integrated, and there is a natural flow of aura.

In fact, this is not the first time Xu Yi has competed with others.

The serious competition is all about one move at a time, and the competition is about the understanding of Tai Chi and how to use Tai Chi's boxing techniques to break through the opponent's defense, but Zhang Tiegou is a fierce man.

A fierce man doesn't need to pay attention to his moves. He relies on his strong strength and strong physique.

After sensing something was wrong with Xu Yi, Zhang Tiegou immediately chose to attack.

The man's desire to win was at its peak at this moment. Regardless of whether the person on the other side was friend or foe, Xu Yi said that if this competition was to be taken seriously, then he would win.

Zhang Tiegou rushed over roughly, the biceps of his arms bulged, veins popped out of his palms, and then he rushed in front of Xu Yi and grabbed Xu Yi's shoulders.

Xu Yi, who has a tall figure and thin shoulders, gives people the first impression that his shoulders are not very strong, like a weak point that is easy to attack.

In an instant, Zhang Tiegou's fist roared towards him. Xu Yi suddenly moved forward. When he avoided Zhang Tiegou's fist, he stopped sideways. Immediately, his hands and feet responded with strength, and he grabbed his arm with his palms. He pressed his legs and knees against Zhang Tiegou and tried to turn around. Come over legs.

Taking advantage of the moment when he was stunned, Xu Yi turned around again and landed a punch on his shoulder.

The strong force came, and Zhang Tiegou took two steps back with a groan. Just as he stabilized, he saw Xu Yi appearing in front of him. Then, Xu Yi used internal and external support, and continued to beat Zhang Tiegou by surprise, giving him no chance to react.

Zhang Tiegou was horrified. Xu Yi's eyes were as sharp as a gleam, and he was not as gentle and gentle as usual, always smiling.

How many people would believe that Xu Yi really had the ability to hunt wild boar, just relying on Uncle Liu's boastful praise?

Zhang Tiegou had to admit that he never took this seriously before.

With well-developed limbs, he suddenly realized why Xu Yi had given him a thank-you gift just now.

The bet was just a process. Cha Cing was thanking him for agreeing to teach him archery later...

"Good brother, you kept it secret from me for a long time." After Zhang Tiegou thought clearly, he grinned.

He twisted his fists and looked even more excited.

Xu Yi's stance and skills were something he had never seen before. With such a good opportunity, he should learn from it.

He didn't flinch and attacked again. This time he chose a different direction and wanted to attack Xu Yi's waist from the side.

As a result...

Xu Yi's figure rose and fell, his arms trembled slightly, but he cleverly missed every attack he made, and in turn hit him so hard that he had no ability to block him.

Suddenly, Xu Yi punched fiercely, and a blast of wind "suddenly" sounded on the side of his face, and the fist stopped steadily in front of him.

Zhang Tiegou's heart beat violently uncontrollably: "!!!"

If this punch really hit him in the face, he would probably fall directly to the ground. Somehow, Zhang Tiegou had this idea in his mind.

Xu Yi withdrew his fist and looked at him calmly: "You lose."

"Yeah." Zhang Tiegou gasped and looked directly at him.

After breathing for several times, he said: "Brother Xu, where did you learn such terrifying skills?"

In less than half a pot of tea, Zhang Tiegou threw dozens of punches, but failed every time.

Xu Yi, on the other hand, seemed to be calm and unhurried, but his moves were changing with each other. If the two of them were not just competing in martial arts, he would have been lying on the bed unable to move at this moment.

Xu Yi smiled, he had not been so happy for a long time.

"This is a set of fitness boxing techniques. I have forgotten what it is called."

Hulei Tai Chi is the life-long effort of generations of masters. Xu Yi is not sure whether the Song Dynasty where he lives overlaps with history.

Therefore, he did not intend to name Hulei Tai Chi.

Back then, he had good talent, and the master who taught him liked him very much and almost taught him everything he had.

He likes Tai Chi, and Hulei Tai Chi is not only good for fitness, but more importantly, it has high combat effectiveness and is also quite powerful as a self-defense technique.

Zhang Tiegou's face was full of envy: "It's good to have read a book. If this martial arts secret book were placed in front of me, I wouldn't be able to read a word."

Xu Yi said: "It's not too late to become literate now."

Zhang Tiegou's eyes suddenly twitched. He jumped and looked at Xu Yi's serious eyes, and quickly shook his head: "No, no, I feel dizzy when I read those earthworm-like words."

Xu Yi was helpless: "You are envious, but you don't learn, but you know that black-haired people don't know how to study hard. Bai Shoufang regretted that he was late in studying."

Zhang Tiegou was confused and asked him what he meant.

Xu Yi: "..."

The two of them were talking while they headed back home.

Zhang Tiegou stopped asking him questions, fearing that Xu Yi would dislike him if he asked too many questions.

How could Xu Yi be dissatisfied? He just felt that he was hopeless and did not intend to continue this issue with him. Aside from the fact that he doesn't like to read, Zhang Tiegou is still a very suitable friend.

When you get along with him, you can do whatever you want.

"Brother Xu, can you teach others your skills?" Zhang Tiegou is not interested in studying, but he is interested in practicing martial arts. "Your skills are so good that I can't even catch you in a fight. If I can also learn from you, That's good."

Xu Yi squinted at him and asked, "You want to learn?"

"Of course! Who doesn't want to learn? If I go hunting in the mountains, I won't have to run away and just kill it!" He waved his fists and looked eager to try.

Xu Yi said: "I can teach you, but I have a condition."

"What condition?"

Zhang Tiegou was full of excitement, "As long as you can teach me any condition, I will agree to it!"

Xu Yi: "First read a thousand books Ziwen."

Zhang Tiegou's resolute face cracked.

...

When they got to the house, A-Xu-A-Jin saw them coming back and said that they had prepared lunch and could start eating now.

Lunch is very simple.

There is no shortage of meat in Zhang Tiegou's family. He has not been able to go hunting in the mountains for half a month, so all he eats is dried meat.

While Xu Yi and Zhang Tiegou were busy competing in martial arts, the two little guys were not idle either.

After autumn, shepherd's purse begins to grow. Since there are no other neighbors around Zhang Tiegou's house, there are many wild shepherd's purses here.

They carried baskets to the surrounding areas and dug up a lot of wild shepherd's purse.

The dug wild vegetables are blanched in water to remove the astringent taste, and can be fried and eaten together with the dried meat that has been soaked in water and torn into strips.

The fried dried meat was so fragrant that Uncle Liu was so greedy that he praised their craftsmanship.

"Ah Jin can cook such good meals at his age. If he can work as a stove girl in a wealthy family, he will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life."

Ah Jin turned her head to look at him and said seriously: "I don't When I go to someone else's house, I will always stay with you."

Uncle Liu smiled with his yellow teeth.

Here, they fried meat dishes and also made a plate of fried chicken. The chicken was a gift from Village Chief Zhang's family. Xu Yi told them to cook it and eat it, but A Xu refused to use it.

Later, he and Ah Jin steamed another pot of beans and rice, and lunch was ready.

Not long after lunch, Zhang Tiegou said he would take Xu Yi to the mountains to practice archery.

"The mountain behind the village is a bit deeper and no one goes in. It's very hidden there. I installed two targets there. They are a bit old, but they can still be used." Zhang Tiegou said and started to prepare the tools for going up the mountain.

There are mosquitoes and venomous snakes in the mountains. Before going up the mountain, you need to tighten your trousers and change your clothes. Zhang Tiegou went to get the bow and arrow.

The bows and arrows he had were all cut by himself. He was so idle these days that he even made a new bow for Xu Yi.

This new bow feels quite heavy in the hand. The bow body is made of ironwood and the string is made of isinglass. Xu Yi saw that the workmanship of this bow was very rough, and when he looked at the bow Zhang Tiegou originally used, he felt that he had tried his best.

When A Xu heard that they were going up the mountain, he asked Xu Yi excitedly: "Lang Jun, can I go with them?"

"Do you want to learn archery?"

Zhang Tiegou asked him happily from the side.

A Xu nodded, he also wanted to learn.

Zhang Tiegou said bluntly: "You can't pull this bow, and you can't learn it."

Xu Yi was silent.

A Xu's expression was about to cry.

Xu Yi glared at Zhang Tiegou and said, "You are watching from the side this time. If you really want to learn, I will teach you later."

Archery training depends on talent. Xu Yi felt that if he couldn't learn it, he could let A Xu learn it. . A Xu has learned it, and the mission of long-distance attack can be given to him in the future.

In a few seconds, Xu Yi had already thought about how to arrange the future.

Zhang Tiegou had already noticed that Xu Yi was a doting child. Seeing that he wanted to bring an older one, he asked if he should bring the younger one too.

"It's not appropriate for you to let a little girl guard the house."

The excuse he made was very useful. Xu Yi listened to the advice and took Ah Jin with him.

Ah Jin knew that she could follow her brother Lang Jun to the mountains, but she was so happy that she ran to fill the water.

"This baby is so easy to coax." Uncle Liu looked on beside him.

He looked at Xu Yi and Zhang Tiegou, "Doctor Xu, it's inconvenient for me to wait with you. Zhang Orion, don't worry, I'll guard your home for you."

Xu Yi nodded to him.

Not long after, the group of them entered the back hill of Baili Village.

The mountain behind Baili Village is not high, but deep.

After walking two sticks of incense inside, there weren't many people around. The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds and shrubs, and there wasn't even an eye-catching hill road.

Xu Yi glanced around and gave the small cloth bag tied around his waist to A Xu and A Jin.

He asked Zhang Tiegou: "Very few villagers come here?"

"Yes." Zhang Tiegou answered without thinking, "There are many venomous snakes in our mountains, and the villagers are afraid of being bitten by snakes when they come in. If you are bitten by a snake, do you want to survive?" It's easy, and over time, not many people are willing to come in."

Xu Yi asked, "Why don't you use the snake repellent medicine?"

Zhang Tiegou cursed when he heard this, and complained to Xu Yi that the dealers who came to the village to sell snake repellent medicine were too bad and often sold fake ones. Give them the medicine. Last time he was bitten by a snake and almost died, and it wasn't because of the fake medicine.

Xu Yi lamented that the sale of counterfeit medicines could never be eradicated in any dynasty.

He remembered that no matter which dynasty, there would be no mercy on the production and sale of counterfeit medicines. Unfortunately, the profits were too great and the water was too deep.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, it was recorded that the supervision of "cooked medicine laboratories" in some places was corrupt, and corrupt officials and profiteers colluded. As a result, the medicines sold to medical clinics and the people were shoddy, counterfeit medicines were rampant, and the quality of medicines was greatly reduced. There are various complaints among the people, and they have lost confidence in the government-run "cooked medicine clinics". [Note 1]

At that time, the entire Southern Song Dynasty was already in a shaky state.

Even though the Ministry of Punishment of the imperial court issued many strict orders and prohibitions, on the surface they did not dare to do so, but privately they were unable to prohibit them.

After returning to their thoughts, Xu Yi and the others walked for half an hour and finally arrived at the secret place Zhang Tiegou mentioned.

The vegetation here is not as lush as the first one, and two shabby, round targets made of hemp rope are hung on two alternate trees.

Zhang Tiegou said that the target was stuffed with reeds and hay, and as long as it was accurate, it could be shot.

Without saying a word, he raised his hand to draw the bow, and with a "swish", a wooden arrow flew out and hit the target.

"Hey, I haven't touched a bow in a month and a half, so I'm a bit raw." Zhang Tiegou said casually.

Xu Yi curled his lips and smiled, knowing that he wanted to show off his skills.

"Brother Zhang, please teach me." He flattered.

Zhang Tiegou: "It's easy, just watch and see if I can hit it again."

His hand touched the leather quiver at his waist again, took out an arrow and held it between his two fingers. The moment he drew the bow, he The arrow is slightly depressed.

The sound of "whoosh" broke through the air again.

This time, the arrow sank into the bullseye without any suspense, and then the arrow feathers vibrated slightly and slowly stopped.

Xu Yi raised his eyebrows. Zhang Tiegou's accuracy was better than he thought.

However, this wooden arrow is not very powerful. When its arrow is shot out and hits hard materials such as stone, ironwood, etc., the arrow is almost useless.

But for Xu Yi, a novice, it was just right.

Soon, it was Xu Yi's turn to draw a bow and shoot an arrow.

Zhang Tiegou was guiding him on how to draw the bow. He looked at his empty fingers and said, "When you can hit the target, I will give you a finger ring made of wolf bones."

Xu Yi squinted his eyes: "That's really cool. ?"

Zhang Tiegou said unhappily: "I, Zhang Tiegou, always keep my word. When have I ever lied to you?"

Xu Yi said no more.

His eyes fell on the target twenty meters away, and he recalled in his mind what Zhang Tiegou did at the moment of shooting.

While thinking about it carefully, Xu Yi slowly pushed the raised arrow down. When the arrow was lower than the bull's eye and was half a centimeter away by visual inspection, he let go of the fingers holding the wooden arrow.

"Whoosh."

With a short sound, the wooden arrow shot out quickly, flying towards the target in an instant and hitting the center of the target.

It was only half an inch away from the target.