There are 360 professions, but none of them are acceptable.
"That's none of your business!" Tang Feng clenched his fists, trembling with anger. If Zhang Mobai hadn't been holding him back, Tang Feng probably would have already rushed up and given Xu Chang'an and Lu Changyuan both black eyes. Seeing Lu Changyuan walk away, Tang Feng broke free from Zhang Mobai's grasp, rushed forward, and slapped Zhou Ziliang across the face. "Are you satisfied now? You're so happy to stand up for me? Who are you to me? What gives you the right to stand up for me? What right do you have to do so?"
"Tang Feng! Haven't you caused enough trouble?! Xu Chang'an is blatantly threatening you. If this happens once, it will happen again tomorrow. If you hadn't angered him last time, he wouldn't be making things difficult for you today. I'm doing this for your own good."
"For my own good?" Tang Feng sneered. "Zhou Ziliang, let me tell you, I don't need it." Tang Feng turned and left without looking back. Zhou Ziliang stood there, stunned. Perhaps he hadn't expected Tang Feng to be so angry, or perhaps he hadn't expected to speak so impatiently to Tang Feng. Zhang Mobai tugged at Zhou Ziliang's sleeve. "What are you standing there for! Go after him!" Zhou Ziliang shook his head. "It's not appropriate. Meeting now will only deepen the conflict. Let's both calm down first!"
"Huh?" Zhang Mobai laughed out of exasperation. "Fine, fine, you're something else. Don't regret it someday!" Zhang Mobai pulled Yang Fei aside and instructed, "I'll go check on the young man first. Keep an eye on Zhou Ziliang! As a man, don't you even have any self-awareness?"
"Bai Bai, you can't say that. I actually think it's a good thing. Zi Liang and I have been fellow disciples for so long, I know his personality very well. I haven't seen Zi Liang this out of control in a long time. I feel like Zi Liang has a good chance," Yang Fei glanced at Zhou Zi Liang and continued, "Look at how agitated he is right now, doesn't he seem a bit troubled by love?"
"I don't care if he's annoying or not!" Zhang Mobai pulled Yang Fei's hand off his shoulder. "I'm going to find my little brother. You, my good brother, can try to persuade Zhou Ziliang!"
Seeing Zhang Mobai leave, Yang Fei pulled Zhou Ziliang aside. "Tell your senior brother the truth, do you actually like Tang Feng or not?" Yang Fei looked into Zhou Ziliang's eyes, unusually serious. Zhou Ziliang shook his head without speaking, finding a seat to sit down. Yang Fei, somewhat anxious, said, "What do you mean by shaking my head? I'm risking skipping class to talk about feelings with you! And you're shaking your head at me?"
Zhou Ziliang stared blankly at the corner of the table, shaking his head, unsure how to express himself. He didn't know if he liked Tang Feng now. The words he used to say about treating Tang Feng like a younger brother now sounded more and more like empty words. Tang Feng was like a stone thrown into the sea, stirring ripples in Zhou Ziliang's usually unmoved heart.
Zhang Mobai chased Tang Feng for several miles before finally finding him at Xuejutang. Summer was almost halfway over, and the lotus flowers in the pond were in full bloom. When Zhang Mobai arrived, Tang Feng was sitting cross-legged in the center of Xuejutang, his back to him. Xuejutang was only used for the apprenticeship ceremony; once school started, all the tables and chairs would be moved out, leaving the room empty. Zhang Mobai went in and quietly called out to Tang Feng, "Little brother?"
Seeing that Tang Feng ignored him, Zhang Mobai panicked a little. Even when Tang Feng was angry, he had always been there for him. Zhang Mobai slowly walked up to Tang Feng and sat down facing him. "Little brother, you're not angry, are you?" Tang Feng, with his eyes closed, still didn't answer. The air grew thick with tension. Zhang Mobai sat there, afraid to speak, lest he say something that would further upset Tang Feng. The two sat facing each other for a while, until suddenly, a soft snoring sound came from Tang Feng's side.
Zhang Mobai chuckled. "Alright! Still thinking about sleeping? Looks like you're not angry anymore." Zhang Mobai shook Tang Feng. "Little brother, wake up! Don't sleep!" Tang Feng, feeling dizzy from being shaken, opened one eye to show he heard and was awake. Seeing Tang Feng awake, Zhang Mobai quickly asked, "What are you doing here! Aren't you afraid the teacher will scold you?"
Tang Feng scoffed after hearing this, "Insult me? I'm going to be publicly executed in a couple of days, do you think I'm afraid of his insults?" Actually, Tang Feng didn't really want to get angry at Zhou Ziliang, but the key issue was that Zhou Ziliang had arranged things for him without even knowing him. With his meager educational background, a competition? That was just sending him headlong into the line of fire! And he was supposed to do everything according to Brother Chang'an's wishes? Just thinking about Zhou Ziliang's agreeable face back then made him furious.
Hearing Tang Feng's strange tone, Zhang Mobai could guess what was going on. "Are you afraid you won't be able to beat Lu Changyuan in the competition the day after tomorrow?"
"Who...who's afraid of him!" Tang Feng was reluctant to admit that winning or losing wasn't actually that important to him, but he knew a lot of people would come to watch the show the day after tomorrow, and wouldn't he be ridiculed for a long time for looking so uncultured?
Zhang Mobai smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. You can learn it before the competition, right?"
After listening, Tang Feng looked up at Zhang Mobai and said, "Little madman... are you really crazy? You expect me to learn something I haven't been able to learn in eighteen years in a single day?"
“Mastering him is impossible, but learning him is more than enough. Lu Changyuan is just a lazy bum. He's nothing special. Ziliang asked you to go firstly because he's afraid Xu Chang'an will use it against you if you refuse, and secondly, maybe he thinks that no matter how little you study, you won't be any worse than Lu Changyuan,” Zhang Mobai said, resting his chin on his hand, offering a reasonable analysis for Tang Feng. Tang Feng wasn't afraid of Xu Chang'an; he was just a breathing creature, nothing to be afraid of. But after hearing Zhang Mobai's explanation, his previous anger towards Zhou Ziliang had almost completely dissipated.
"Then tell me how to learn it?"
That afternoon, Zhang Mobai found Zhou Ziliang. "Little brother isn't angry with you, so don't worry. Think about how to teach her! If he loses this time, he'll probably never speak to you again." Zhang Mobai patted Zhou Ziliang's shoulder and whispered, "Brother Ziliang! I've tried my best to help you. You should pay attention; that's your wife. If she were my wife, she could probably raise two kids."
Zhou Ziliang shook his head. "It doesn't matter, as long as he's happy." After saying this, Zhou Ziliang knocked on Tang Feng's door and asked, "Tang Feng, may I... come in?" After waiting a while and hearing no response from inside, Zhou Ziliang tried to push the door open. Just as he raised his hand, Tang Feng opened the door.
"Is something the matter?"
"I...I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't consider your feelings and I even snapped at you. Mo Bai asked me to teach you archery and horsemanship." "Ah...it's nothing, I'm not angry anymore." Tang Feng saw that the other person had already apologized, and it would seem too dramatic for him to keep holding on.
Seeing that Tang Feng was no longer angry, Zhou Ziliang said, "Then I'll take you to the Xionghu hunting grounds to teach you archery." Without waiting for Tang Feng's reply, Zhou Ziliang turned and went into the house, took out his quiver, slung his bow over his shoulder, and led Hongdou out of the stable. His movements were swift and fluid. Without waiting for Tang Feng's reply, he pulled him towards the door. That morning, Zhou Ziliang had repeatedly pondered Yang Fei's words to him. Perhaps nothing truly remains unchanged. Judging from his own changes over the past few days, he might have truly fallen for Tang Feng. He suddenly understood the fear and despair Tang Feng felt when he couldn't have the one he loved. Zhou Ziliang smiled bitterly; perhaps this was retribution.
Zhou Ziliang's grip was very strong, and Tang Feng couldn't break free at all. He had no choice but to follow Zhou Ziliang. When they were almost at the hunting grounds, Tang Feng murmured, "Um... could you loosen your grip a little? It hurts a bit."
"Ah? I... I'm sorry," Zhou Ziliang quickly let go, took the bow off his back, and handed it to Tang Feng, saying, "I'm not quite sure about your current learning level, so shoot an arrow first and let me see." He then took an arrow from behind his back and placed it in Tang Feng's hand.
Actually, Tang Feng was somewhat reluctant to shoot arrows. Every time he saw a bow and arrow, he would think of the time when he was being chased by the Sixteen Riders of Yanyun in Xiling. He had taken a bow and arrow, hung the arrow on the bow, and watched a TV series where the bowstring was pulled back fully, and the arrow flew out as soon as the hand was released. Which hand to release... Tang Feng closed his eyes and carefully recalled the process.
"Pull the string a little tighter."
Zhou Ziliang had only intended to remind Tang Feng that if the bowstring wasn't fully drawn, it would be easy to miss the target. However, Tang Feng was engrossed in his thoughts, and Zhou Ziliang's words startled him. Tang Feng flinched, his hand slipped, and the bowstring snapped back, striking him squarely in the face.
"Ah!" Tang Feng's face was hit by the bow, and he sat on the ground, his head spinning. "Are you alright?" Zhou Ziliang pulled Tang Feng's hand away from his face and checked the wound. "Phew! Luckily, it didn't hit your eye. Your forehead is a little swollen, but the rest is fine." After checking him over, Zhou Ziliang's heart finally settled down. After all, that was no small blow; Zhou Ziliang could hear the sound even from that distance.
After listening, Tang Feng rubbed his forehead and glared at Zhou Ziliang. "Are you doing this on purpose?! Ouch~ I was just concentrating and you had to interrupt me out of nowhere!" Tang Feng helped Zhou Ziliang slowly stand up. "To be honest, and I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, I don't know any of the things we're competing in tomorrow and the day after." Tang Feng blushed, put his hands behind his back, and drew circles on the grass with his feet, looking like a student waiting for a teacher's scolding. After a long while, Zhou Ziliang sighed. "I expected this." He then bent down to pick up the bow and arrows and handed them to Tang Feng. He took another arrow from the quiver, then wrapped his arms around Tang Feng from behind, gripped Tang Feng's hand, nocked the arrow, drew the bow, and released it.
An arrow landed squarely on the target five meters away, hitting the bullseye. Tang Feng leaned against Zhou Ziliang's chest, his face flushed. This... this was no different from the ancient costume dramas he usually watched; he had no interest in watching the archery. "Tang Feng? Tang Feng?" Zhou Ziliang, seeing Tang Feng hadn't spoken for a while, turned his head and looked down. "Is the place where you were hit still sore?"
"No...no," Tang Feng quickly shook his head. "Could you please stop holding my hand? I...feel a little uncomfortable."
"Alright, you can do it yourself then." Zhou Ziliang released his hand, watching Tang Feng draw the bow fully, then reached out to support him. "Put a little more force into it, your arm is too high, shift your weight back." Zhou Ziliang thought Tang Feng was quite clever, but how come he hadn't noticed before? Back when they were in private school, the teacher would assign something to memorize a day in advance, and it would often take him several days to memorize it. But today, he had only given him two pointers, and Tang Feng was already able to hit the target without dragging it. "That's about enough for today. If you draw the bowstring too much, your hand will shake. You have a competition the day after tomorrow, so rest up!" After saying that, he brushed aside the stray hairs on Tang Feng's forehead. "Your hair is quite swollen. You're really pushing yourself! You're exerting yourself so much. I'll put some medicine on it for you when we get back."
Tang Feng put down his bow and arrows, touching the bump on his forehead. "It's not that serious! What's a little thing a real man is afraid of? Even a scar is a lifelong achievement for a man." After saying that, Tang Feng picked up the quiver from the ground and handed it to Zhou Ziliang. "So... are we going back now?"
"I suppose there'll be nothing to do back home! How about I take you for a horseback ride around the Xionghu Hunting Grounds? After all, I'll be teaching you riding skills tomorrow, so consider it a preview."
Tang Feng waved his hands repeatedly after hearing this, "No, no, I'm traumatized by your horse. Let's forget it, I don't want it to kick me again as soon as I get on it." Hongdou was the most intelligent horse Tang Feng had ever seen. It wasn't that it was particularly smart, but just its vengefulness was far superior to other horses. Ever since Hongdou kicked him, every time he entered the yard, Hongdou would never stop running. It was only because it was tied up with a rein that it would charge at him and eat him alive if the reins were untied.
Zhou Ziliang, holding Hongdou's reins, said, "Don't be afraid, I'm holding him, it'll be alright." He then put his arm around Tang Feng's waist and pulled him onto the horse. Tang Feng gripped the saddle tightly, afraid to let go. Zhou Ziliang mounted the horse and sat behind Tang Feng, tightening the reins. "Don't be afraid," he said, "Hongdou may be a bit mischievous, but he's not a bad person at heart."
Tang Feng rolled his eyes at Zhou Ziliang. He wasn't the one who got kicked and vomited blood that day, so what right did Zhou Ziliang have to tell him he wasn't inherently bad?
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