Third Master

The person who hurried in was a child from Liu Yuanzhou's second uncle's family—Liu Yuanzhou's cousin, Liu Yuanfan.

"Fanfan, hurry and tell us what happened! Is Da Wa all right?" The bowl in Zhang Shi's hand nearly slipped and fell to the floor as she asked anxiously. Liu Yuanzhou and his father hurriedly set down their bowls and chopsticks and gathered around, their faces full of worry.

Liu Yuanfan was startled by the commotion and quickly said, "What could happen to Da Wa Ge? The handcart he was using to haul white lime fell into the river. He told me to come back and get people to pull it out."

"You little brat, the way you talk is enough to scare someone to death," Liu Da complained.

Hearing that Liu Yuanbo was unharmed, the three of them finally let go of their hanging hearts. Liu Yuanzhou and his father had no mind to continue eating. Taking Liu Yuanfan with them, they hurried off to find Liu Yuanbo.

When they asked what had happened on the way, Liu Yuanfan said that Liu Yuanbo had gone to the market town to buy white lime and asked him to help push the cart. They had to climb a steep slope about half a li long, which the villagers called Fa Niu Slope. The accident had happened there.

"Da Wa Ge was pulling in front, and I was pushing from behind. We were just about to make it up when my neck suddenly itched terribly, like something was on it. I couldn't help reaching up to grab it, but then Da Wa Ge in front lost his grip on the cart for a moment. The cart rolled backward, rushed off the road, and fell into the river." Liu Yuanfan spoke with lingering fear written all over his face.

"It must have been Li Er and the others playing tricks. They were right beside us then. Fine if they wouldn't help push the cart, but they even put something on my neck. He was the one who harmed me!" Liu Yuanfan said indignantly.

"Surely not? Is Li Er really that rotten?" Liu Da found it hard to believe.

"It was most likely Li Er. That brat has always had it in for me. This time, he actually dared to bully me!" Liu Yuanzhou fumed inwardly, saying nothing.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the three reached the place Liu Yuanfan had mentioned. Five or six youths stood by the roadside, pointing down toward the riverbank below and chatting with laughter. Liu Yuanzhou recognized Li Er at a glance. Li Er's real name was Li Mingye. He was fair and fat, dressed in a brand-new padded robe and wearing a fur-lined leather cap. The Li family were the village landlords; nearly half the village's land belonged to them. The ones standing beside Li Er were all Li family youths who usually ran around with him. They were all dressed well too, nothing that ordinary village children like Liu Yuanzhou and Liu Yuanfan could compare to.

"Move aside, all of you. A good dog doesn't block the road." Liu Yuanzhou shouted through his anger as he squeezed through the group. Looking down, he saw the handcart overturned on the riverbank five or six meters below, its two wheels pointing at the sky. Several baskets lay scattered nearby, chunks of white lime spilled everywhere, while his eldest brother Liu Yuanbo crouched on the ground picking them up.

"What are you shoving for? Rushing to be reborn?"

"Second Child, what do you mean by that?"

"Who are you calling dogs?"

When Li Er and the others saw Liu Yuanzhou force his way in, they began cursing one after another. Liu Yuanzhou ignored them and jumped straight down onto the riverbank.

"Da Wa Ge, Uncle and Second Child are here!" Liu Yuanfan shouted at Liu Yuanbo. Then he followed Liu Yuanzhou and his father down to the riverbank.

When Liu Yuanbo saw that his father and younger brother had come, he let out a breath of relief and hurriedly called for them to gather the scattered white lime into the baskets.

With four people picking it up, the work went much faster. Before long, they had loaded all the scattered chunks of white lime into the baskets. After putting the baskets onto the handcart, Liu Da tied them down tightly with rope. He patted the baskets, then looked at the layer of white lime on the ground and sighed in heartache. The pieces that had shattered too badly could only be discarded; they had lost about half a basket. There was no path on the riverbank, only cobblestones of every size. The four of them pushed and lifted with great effort before finally getting the handcart back onto the main road. Liu Yuanbo still pulled from the front, but this time three people pushed behind him, and they easily made it up Fa Niu Slope.

When Li Er and his group saw Liu Yuanzhou's family haul the cart up, they crowded around. Li Er shouted arrogantly, "Liu Da, are you going to discipline your Second Dog or not? He cursed us for no reason just now."

A surge of blood rushed to Liu Yuanbo's head. Without a word, he bent down, picked up a stone, and was about to smash it into Li Er's head. He had already been holding a bellyful of rage. Liu Da reacted swiftly, rushing forward to clamp down on his arm as he shouted sternly, "Da Wa, put down the stone! Someone could die!"

Seeing Liu Yuanbo pick up the stone, Li Er hurried back in fright. His companions scattered with a rustle as well.

Liu Yuanzhou could endure no longer. He clenched his fists so hard that his nails nearly dug into his flesh, glaring at Li Er as he said viciously, "Li Er, is this the upbringing of your Li family? Insulting your elders? Today, I'll teach you a lesson for your father, you ill-bred thing." With that, he rushed forward, shoved Li Er to the ground, straddled him, and rained his fists down on his head.

Pinned beneath him, Li Er cried out, "Ah! Ah!" and tried to fight back, but Liu Yuanzhou held him down tightly. By the time Li Er's companions came to their senses and pulled Liu Yuanzhou away, no one knew how many punches Li Er had taken to the head.

Li Er got to his feet, his head spinning and his heart blazing with fury. He rose to rush Liu Yuanzhou again, but his companions quickly held him back and shouted, "Don't fight! Watch out for Da Wa!" Li Er finally came to his senses. He patted the dirt from his clothes, spat on the ground, and said fiercely to Liu Yuanzhou, "Second Child, just you wait." After shooting Liu Yuanzhou a venomous glare, he turned and left, his companions hurrying after him.

At that moment, Liu Yuanzhou felt utterly refreshed, his gloom of many days swept away. Am I really this fond of fighting? Looks like from now on, if I can use my hands, I should use fewer words. He mocked himself inwardly. He did not actually enjoy fighting; he had always believed in using his brain to solve problems. But sometimes, fists worked better.

Seeing Li Er and the others leave, Liu Yuanbo dropped the stone in his hand. Liu Da hesitated as if he wanted to say something, yet did not know what to say. In the end, he sighed and called out, "Let's go home. It's nearly dark."

By the time the four of them hauled the cartload of white lime home, the sky had already gone dusky. The moment they entered the courtyard, Zhang Shi came out to meet them. She circled Liu Yuanbo and looked him over, and when she saw that he was truly unharmed, she began urging the four inside to eat. She had kept the dishes warm in the pot all along.

Liu Yuanbo and his two brothers went into the cave dwelling to eat. Liu Da pulled his wife outside by the arm and told her in detail what had happened. Zhang Shi said bitterly, "Li Laocai is the most unreasonable man when it comes to protecting his own. Second Child beat his grandson—who knows how he might retaliate against our Second Child." She frowned and thought for a moment before adding, "Tomorrow, you should lower your head to Li Fuyuan and say some nice things. Isn't Da Wa holding his wedding feast next month? Invite him to drink at the feast too. Li Fuyuan is still a reasonable man." Li Fuyuan was Li Er's father.

After hearing his wife's words, Liu Da felt a stifling breath lodged in his chest. Only after a long while did he let out a heavy sigh. "That's all we can do."

The three brothers eating in the cave dwelling knew nothing of the elders' worries. They ate their meal with great relish.

That night, the Liu Yuanbo brothers lay on the kang bed and talked.

"Big Brother, you were too impulsive today. If you'd really hit Li Er's head, it would have been a huge problem."

"Heh heh, your brother isn't that foolish. I was only scaring him."

"Brother, Sister-in-law is very pretty, and her family is nice too. You're a lucky man."

"Ah, it's just that the bride price costs a large sum of silver. Father and Mother will have to swallow their pride and borrow again. Where would the family get that kind of money? Still, that debt should be put on my head."

"Don't think about that. In all the villages for ten li around, whose marriage isn't like this? Everyone needs a bride price."

"Second Child, still no news from Er Ni?"

"Mm. Brother, enough talking. Let's sleep."

"Mm."

Before dawn the next day, Liu Yuanzhou got dressed and climbed down from the kang. He slipped out the door as quietly as he could. It was another bright, sunny day. The Morning Star glittered in the deep-blue canopy of the sky.

Leaving his family courtyard, Liu Yuanzhou ran toward the mountaintop behind the village. The mountain was not high; he reached the summit in about a quarter of an hour. Gazing at the faintly rolling mountain ranges in the distance, Liu Yuanzhou felt his heart rise and fall. What lay at the end of these endless mountains? For a moment, he had the urge to run out from the mountains' embrace and see the world beyond. But when he looked down at the dark village beneath his feet, he grew dejected again. What could he do if he went to the city? He was only an ordinary poor mountain village boy. Other than a bit of strength, what did he have?

Liu Yuanzhou took a deep breath, then exhaled forcefully. He repeated this several times before finally calming himself. After coming down the mountain, he ran to the riverbank at the bottom of the ravine and went to the clearing where he usually practiced boxing. There, he began his routine. Third Master had taught him this boxing form, and he had practiced it for more than three years. Yet he had not developed any remarkable Martial Arts; he was only somewhat more agile. As for whether that came from his boxing practice or from his own natural talent, even Liu Yuanzhou did not know.

After finishing one round of boxing, Liu Yuanzhou had worked up a light sweat. He jogged over to Third Master's home. Liu Yuanzhou's Third Master, Liu Chuanfang, was the younger brother of Liu Yuanzhou's grandfather. Everyone in the village called him Third Master. Third Master's home stood at the far end of the village on higher ground. Following a dirt road upward and passing three or four households brought one there.

Third Master's wife had died early, and both his sons worked in Yan Province City. He now lived alone in the village. Liu Yuanzhou's grandparents had also died early, and Third Master had taken especially good care of Liu Yuanzhou's family. Thus, Liu Yuanzhou and Third Master were very close. Whenever he had time, Liu Yuanzhou came over to help Third Master with chores, such as hauling water and chopping firewood.

Third Master's courtyard was quite spacious. On its left side was a practice ground paved with stones, five or six meters square. Beside it stood several Stone Dumbbells and horizontal bars, as well as a weapon rack, though the rack was completely empty without a single weapon on it.

At that moment, Third Master was practicing boxing—the same routine Liu Yuanzhou had just performed. Yet Third Master's movements were extremely slow, like a snail crawling. Liu Yuanzhou did not disturb him. He jumped onto the horizontal bar and did several sets of pull-ups, then lifted the Stone Dumbbells for a while. After Third Master completed a round, he slowly drew his hands together in front of him and concluded the form. Liu Yuanzhou jumped down from the bar, walked over, handed him a towel, and said with a smile, "Third Master, why is your boxing getting slower and slower? Can't you move anymore?"

Third Master wore a dark blue training outfit. His complexion was rosy, with few wrinkles on his face, though a fine layer of sweat covered his forehead after the routine. He took the towel and wiped his face, then stroked his small goatee and said with a beaming smile, "Heh heh, what does a little child know? Back then, a brother of mine from the Tai Xuan Sect once said that when I could practice this set of Eight Section Brocade until 'the body moved in stillness while the intent moved,' my boxing would reach Major Accomplishment." The Tai Xuan Sect was the number-one great sect in the martial world; Liu Yuanzhou knew that much.

Liu Yuanzhou hurriedly put on an expression of deep admiration, but inwardly he dismissed it. Third Master is bragging again. If he really had a brother from the Tai Xuan Sect, why would he still practice such commonplace Martial Arts? Of course, he did not dare say that aloud.

Liu Yuanzhou said, "Third Master, I'll go haul water first." With that, he took the shoulder pole and empty buckets hanging on the wall and left. The well was by the river. By the time Liu Yuanzhou returned carrying a load of water, it was fully light outside.

Third Master had changed out of his training clothes. Wearing an apron, he was making breakfast, transforming in an instant from a rural sage into a village cook. Liu Yuanzhou could not help covering his mouth and chuckling.

"Second Child, the Flatbread will be ready soon. Eat here later—I have something to tell you." Third Master spoke without raising his head.

"Great! I'll make one more trip and fill your water jar." Liu Yuanzhou had just gone out carrying the empty buckets when someone entered the courtyard.