Young Master Chu, You Shouldn't Give Up (Seeking Follows, Seeking Votes)

"Young Master Chu Ming, if you ask me, you should join our Criminal Defense Division to toughen up your frame. What use is reading? If enemies arrive, do you think they'll just trade words with you?"

"That body of yours is far too frail."

"In our Great Qin Dynasty, we need more martial artists to take the field and slay the enemy. As for scholars, having enough is plenty; any more, and you just invite strife."

Shao Pengshu leaned against the carriage frame, a sun hat perched on his head. With one hand gripping the horse whip and the other resting on his raised leg, he appeared leisurely and at ease.

Yet, from his tone, one could tell that this Criminal Defense Division constable held little regard for scholars.

"Mm, it is indeed too thin." Chu Ming's perfunctory voice drifted from inside.

Although he had already condensed seven strands of blood energy, his physique did indeed look frail from the outside, and it certainly couldn't compare to an adult like Shao Pengshu, who had practiced martial arts for many years.

Receiving a response, Shao Pengshu grew interested. He tilted his head back slightly and lowered his voice to ask, "Young Master Chu Ming, didn't Instructor Fang teach you a few moves?"

The sound of pages turning came from inside the carriage. With Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy resting flat on his lap, Chu Ming was reading rapidly. "He did."

"The Tiger Python Force?"

"Mm."

"Difficult to learn? Couldn't master it?"

"..." Chu Ming paused, then replied calmly, "I only practiced it for a few days, then stopped."

Having mastered the Tiger Python Force in a few days and subsequently moved on to deduce and optimize a new Body Forging Technique, it was technically true that he had only practiced the Tiger Python Force for a few days.

"Young Master Chu Ming, I don't know if I should say this or not." Shao Pengshu's eyes darted about.

"Please speak, Constable Shao."

"Martial arts are grueling—far more bitter than reading. Since you only practiced for a few days, I fear you didn't even memorize the movements. Why give up so easily?"

"The Tiger Python Force that Instructor Fang taught you is the Body Forging Technique of the Tiger Armor Army in Xirong Commandery. Once mastered, it not only strengthens the body but grants strength exceeding that of a fierce tiger. Ordinary people can't even get the chance to learn it."

"Young Master Chu Ming, do you know how long it took me to master the Tiger Python Force?"

"How long?" Chu Ming turned to the next page, his gaze not shifting from Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy in the slightest.

Shao Pengshu puffed out his chest slightly, a hint of pride on his face. "Young Master Chu Ming, you haven't seen the dawn at cockcrow or the silent night after the third watch, have you?"

He lifted his chin. "For two full months, I practiced diligently every day, often to the point of exhaustion, until I could finally execute the Tiger Python Force with proficiency and reach the minor success stage."

"Two months, is it..." Chu Ming lifted his eyes slightly, glanced at the scenery flying backward outside the window, then lowered his head to continue reading. "Constable Shao has astonishing perseverance."

Reaching the minor success stage of the Tiger Python Force in two months was indeed something to be proud of.

"Giddyap!"

The wheels rolled on, dust billowing.

Shao Pengshu sat upright, straightened his expression, cleared his throat, and said in a stern tone, "Young Master Chu Ming, you shouldn't have given up."

"Very well, I shall practice more," Chu Ming replied. "Thank you, Constable Shao."

"Young Master Chu Ming, do you have any questions? Tell me, I've likely encountered them all."

"...None for now. I will ask for your guidance again when the opportunity arises, Constable Shao."

"Whoa~" Hearing this, Shao Pengshu suddenly pulled the reins tight, bringing the horses to a halt and causing the carriage to come to an abrupt stop.

"Constable Shao?" Fortunately, Chu Ming was sitting steadily, his internal blood energy vigorous; had he been an ordinary person, he might have been thrown out.

Shao Pengshu yanked open the curtain, his expression solemn. He cast a disdainful glance at the thick, heavy Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy before locking his gaze onto Chu Ming.

"Young Master Chu Ming, let's not wait for an opportunity. Let's do it now."

"Though my strength cannot compare to Instructor Fang's, I am absolutely better at teaching the Tiger Python Force than he is."

His eyes were sincere as he stared at Chu Ming. "Because I understand the things Instructor Fang thinks are simple and doesn't need to teach, but which one cannot grasp on their own."

With that, Shao Pengshu jumped off the carriage, stood by the horse's head, and pointed toward the woods by the road. "Young Master Chu Ming, I'll be waiting in the small woods."

Then, he ducked inside first, leaving Chu Ming sitting blankly in the carriage.

He's certainly enthusiastic...

But what did he mean by "things Instructor Fang thinks are simple and doesn't need to teach"... Had this Criminal Defense Division constable misunderstood something?

As he pondered, Shao Pengshu poked his head out from the woods. "Young Master Chu Ming, come on. Don't worry, no one is watching."

"..."

A small woods, two men, no one watching...

Whoever wants to go can go.

At this moment, Tan Hong and Hou Wuchun walked over from the carriage behind.

"Brother Chu, what's going on?" Hou Wuchun leaned toward the carriage to ask, while Tan Hong walked to the roadside and looked toward Shao Pengshu. "Officer Shao, we still have a distance to go before reaching Baiyuan County. Why the sudden stop?"

Seeing the two approach, Shao Pengshu emerged from the woods, his eyes shifting as he said in a low voice, "I wanted to give some pointers on the Tiger Python Force to Instructor Fang's young master, but this young master is lazy and unwilling to come down."

"Tan Hong, go tell him how I taught you the Tiger Python Force and what the results were!" He didn't lower his voice; he said it quite loudly.

Hou Wuchun was stunned. What did that mean? The Criminal Defense Division officer wanted to teach Brother Chu the Tiger Python Force?

Would Brother Chu agree to be taught?

Tan Hong heard this, and how could he not understand what Shao Pengshu meant?

He walked over to the side of the carriage, pulled the still-contemplating Hou Wuchun away, and said to Chu Ming inside the carriage:

"Young Master Chu Ming, although you are a young master protected by Instructor Fang, Instructor Fang cannot protect you forever."

"Men of our generation should be like Lord Shao, myself, and this lad Hou—training in martial arts to strengthen the body. Reading books will, in the end, only lead to becoming a mere appendage of court intrigue."

It was clear that this Deputy Constable of the Criminal Defense Division, much like Shao Pengshu, looked down upon scholars and even harbored some resentment toward them.

"Lord Shao may not be as formidable as Instructor Fang, but his study of the Tiger Python Force absolutely surpasses that of the instructor. Young Master Chu Ming only needs to demonstrate it once, and Lord Shao will be able to offer guidance and correct your mistakes."

"Young Master Chu Ming need not worry about being laughed at for practicing incorrectly; we all came up that way. Please, come down."

"Back in the day, I made many elementary mistakes that I simply couldn't perceive myself, but after receiving Lord Shao's guidance, I made rapid progress."

Chu Ming looked at the solemn-faced Tan Hong, then turned to look at Shao Pengshu, who was waiting expectantly by the roadside.

It was certain that both men truly wanted him to get out of the carriage and practice martial arts.

But...

"Constable Tan, Constable Shao, after sitting in the carriage all morning, I'm a bit... hungry from all the jolting. Could we perhaps eat something first?"

"Certainly."

With a single glance from Shao Pengshu, Tan Hong ran to the carriage behind them, hauled down pots, bowls, and ladles, and proceeded to gather firewood and set up the stove...

These items, naturally stuffed into the carriage by Hou Wuchun's own mother, had finally come in handy.

Before long, the aroma of meat drifted into the carriage.

"Young Master Chu Ming, eat up."

Hou Wuchun held a bowl large enough to fit his entire face, squatting on a large rock and shoveling food into his mouth in silence.

Shao Pengshu and Tan Hong were even less particular, sitting directly on the ground; their bowls were not as large, but they ate with equal ferocity.

Chu Ming stepped out of the carriage, sat down beside the iron pot, and ate slowly.

The meal was not as refined as what Xiao Shan prepared, but it had the advantage of being cooked in a large pot with generous portions, filled with meat, and the taste was quite decent.

Hou Wuchun finished three large basins, loosened his belt, and lay flat on the large rock.

Shao Pengshu and Tan Hong had slightly smaller bowls, but each refilled them seven or eight times before stopping.

"Young Master Chu Ming, a man should be like us—eating meat by the mouthful and drinking... water... by the bowlful."