The Chief's Wife

"Swish!" A stone flew through the air, accurately bringing down a sparrow.

Zhao Changhe strode forward to inspect the catch, his expression filled with immense joy.

The arrival of Yue Hongling made up for all the shortcomings he had as a bandit coming from a mountain stronghold; he truly wouldn't trade her for ten thousand genuine chief's wives.

In theory, once an internal art was well-practiced and the senses of hearing and sight became acute, skills like listening to the wind to locate a target and executing such long-range kills could be figured out through one's own exploration. However, having someone actually teach you was a completely different story.

Hidden weapons were not just about force and accuracy; hand techniques and skills were equally important. There were even specialized secret arts dedicated to hidden weapons-what Yue Hongling taught belonged to her very own secret art, Falling Feather Flying Plume. With that flick of the hand sending the stone flying, a fierce wind roared and it reached its target the moment it left the fingers. Zhao Changhe felt that a bird-hunting musket was probably no better than this...

Yue Hongling stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a tree as she examined the wounds on the sparrow on the ground. She said with considerable amazement, "Who would have thought that your truest talent is actually this? You barely needed to practice and you're already this accurate."

Zhao Changhe smiled. "I've played with bow and arrow before. When it comes to accuracy, once you master one thing, you master them all."

In Great Xia, bows, crossbows, and armor were all considered contraband items. Ordinary travelers could carry sabers and swords, but not bows or crossbows. This, however, clearly had nothing to do with mountain bandits; the stronghold was piled high with all sorts of homemade bows and arrows. Hearing this, Yue Hongling didn't mind it either, nodding as she said, "If it weren't for the inconvenience of traveling through the pugilistic world, carrying a bow is actually far more formidable than throwing hidden weapons."

In reality, Zhao Changhe hadn't actually played with bows much back in the stronghold. The time he had spent learning martial arts was still short, and there were simply too many things he needed to practice, leaving him no spare time to touch upon this. His archery was practiced in modern times, where he had been a member of an archery club... Although his skill level back then was rather trashy, it still gave him a foundation, sparing him the process of learning from scratch. Now, with the blessing of internal energy, sharp vision, and steady hands, his accuracy naturally felt as though it had instantly maxed out, hitting whatever he pointed at.

Hearing Yue Hongling say this, Zhao Changhe touched his chin and mentally pictured the scene: in the future, he would have a saber on his left hip, a wine gourd on his right, a longbow slung across his body, a travel pack on his back, and the shape of a quiver sticking out from above the pack... Walking out like a walking rack of weapons, how could he ever step out the door?

Indeed, there was no way to pull that off. What a pity; in an era like this, a bow and arrow was definitely useful...

Yet he should be able to use one on specific occasions... Joyful, Zhao Changhe scampered over to the armory. "What's the best bow we have in the stronghold?"

"The best one is a Three-Stone Bow. Instructor Sun used to play with it back in the day, but he thought it was too much trouble and didn't take it with him. None of the brothers who like playing with bows in the stronghold nowadays can draw it, so it's always just been tossed here, and maintaining it is quite a hassle anyway... Boss, do you think it would be better to take it out and sell it?"

"Old Sun, you are my own dear father!" Zhao Changhe was overjoyed. "Sell it for what? I want this bow!"

Yue Hongling followed right behind him, watching Zhao Changhe rush into the armory in a streak of smoke, only to dash off in another streak of smoke to the Martial Arts Ground, where he grabbed a few arrows from the edge of the field and let loose an arrow straight at the target.

With a loud thump like beating a drum, the target was pierced through by this single arrow, leaving a massive hole as it wobbled unsteadily at the edge of the field.

The bandits currently practicing martial arts on the ground stared with absolute dumbfounded shock. Was this the true strength of their own boss?

"That felt so awesome to shoot! I nearly shot myself right along with it! Ow, damn it... Hiss..."

Yue Hongling folded her arms and expressionlessly watched this idiot rub his shoulder and squat down on the ground. "I think I've cramped up..."

"Could you not cramp?" Yue Hongling's tone was chilly. "You just overexerted yourself last night and only barely recovered a shred of strength after resting for a whole night. Did you really think you were that full of youthful vigor? You actually poured your full strength into a single arrow-did that feel awesome to shoot? Does it feel awesome now?"

Zhao Changhe's face twitched as he huddled there motionless. "Someone come over and help me massage it..."

A crowd of bandits looked at each other, then looked at Yue Hongling.

Who on earth would dare to go up and massage you? Weren't they just stealing the big sister-in-law's job and asking to be slapped to death by her?

Zhao Changhe said angrily, "Why are you all staring at her? What does this have to do with-ow..."

The crowd stepped backward.

What bitter vinegar was this; people get cursed just for a glance...

Finding it rather amusing, Yue Hongling walked over, grabbed Zhao Changhe by the back of his collar, and hoisted him up. "Come back with me, making a spectacle of yourselves."

The group of men watched with their own eyes as a fierce tiger was hauled back just like a kitten, feeling as though they had fallen into a dream... This sister-in-law had such tremendous strength! Only someone like this was fit to be the chief's wife, right?

"Sister-in-law is mighty!" After a moment, a thunderous cheer erupted. "Someone should have reined in our boss long ago!"

"Hey, do you want to die? If the boss hears you say that, he'll strip the skin right off your hide."

"What's there to be afraid of? I'm praising sister-in-law; does the boss dare make a peep? What do you even understand about a 'chief's wife'? It means the stockade chief is too suppressed to make a sound!"

"You certainly know your chief's wives."

The bustling voices drifted faintly into the stockade chief's cabin. Expressionless, Yue Hongling tossed Zhao Changhe straight onto the bed, then expressionlessly reached out to massage his shoulder.

Zhao Changhe lay face down, truly not daring to make a peep as he cast a stealthy glance at Yue Hongling's expression, yet could read nothing from it at all.

"What are you looking at? You think I'd go hack them to pieces? Wouldn't that just be making it more obvious by trying to hide it." Yue Hongling said apathetically, "Anyway, I've already been talked about to the point of numbness; say whatever they like. They have no idea this is the real Yue Hongling anyway-just as long as Cui Yuanyong doesn't go outside and shoot his mouth off."

Zhao Changhe thought about it blankly and figured she was right. If he were in Yue Hongling's shoes, wouldn't he also have no choice but to play dead and pray that the Cui brother who truly knew her identity wouldn't go run his mouth outside.

Yue Hongling put on a straight face. "Tell me what exactly you were getting so excited about, randomly shooting like that out of the blue."

"Because this is the ultimate weapon for fighting above your weight class. As long as it's operated well, it can make a lot of people regret their actions. I thought of a few methods and got excited for a moment..."

"You must have a very clear target in mind, and one that you currently cannot handle." Yue Hongling said. "Do you need me to step in and help resolve it?"

Zhao Changhe turned his head to look at her. Yue Hongling still wore a blank expression.

Zhao Changhe suddenly smiled. "No need. Zhao Changhe doesn't live off a woman."

Yue Hongling's willow eyebrows rose in anger. "You..."

Zhao Changhe cut her off. "Sister Yue."

"Huh?" Yue Hongling was momentarily stunned, forgetting whatever she had wanted to scold him for. How did he suddenly start calling her that again? It felt a bit unaccustomed...

"Actually, this so-called coming to take refuge with me to recuperate from your injuries was half genuine intent, but the other, more important reason was still because you had observed me for a long time and felt a slight sense of self-blame in your heart. You felt that this youth was fundamentally good at heart, and if you had been willing to accept my request to become my master back then, I wouldn't have fallen into the current circumstances of a mountain bandit. Thus, using the excuse of so-called recuperating from injuries, your true purpose was simply to come teach me."

As Yue Hongling listened, she gradually drifted into a daze, speaking only after a long while, "Perhaps."

"Perhaps you didn't think about it all that clearly in your heart; you simply felt a primal instinct that you ought to do it-the so-called mending of your Dao heart and clearing of your thoughts." Zhao Changhe said in a low voice, "The juncture at which you leave won't be when your injuries heal... Regardless of whether your injuries have healed or not, the moment you finish teaching me everything you wanted to teach, you will leave."

Yue Hongling thought in a daze for a while before breaking into a bright smile. "You understand what I'm thinking even better than I do."

"Since that's the case, your expectation of me should be that Zhao Changhe can use what you've taught to shatter his shackles and burst forth as a hidden dragon, rather than relying on your strength to eliminate my enemies for me."

Yue Hongling nodded slightly and smiled. "Very well."

Zhao Changhe rubbed his shoulder, which still ached with spasms, and sat up straight. With a solemn expression, he said, "Their misunderstandings have brought trouble upon you. I am truly sorry; I hope you won't hold it against rough fellows like us, sister, and that you'll continue to teach me. In my heart, Sister Yue is like a master and like an elder sister, with absolutely no other thoughts."

So it turned out that seeing her put on a stern face, he had thought she wanted to leave and was trying to persuade her to stay... and had solemnly spun out all those words.

Yue Hongling suddenly found it somewhat amusing in her heart, yet the words she spoke ended up turning into something else entirely for reasons unknown: "What kind of master and elder sister? I'm two months younger than you."

Zhao Changhe, who had been speaking so eloquently all this time, was left dumbfounded in return, sitting there gaping with speechlessness as he didn't know how to respond for quite a while.

"Rest well." Yue Hongling patted his shoulder, got up, and left. "Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the work of woodcutting; in martial arts, one must strictly avoid impatience. As the saying goes, winter conceals while spring births. Now that the bitter winter has passed and the spring breeze blows gently, your cultivation will still make great strides. A mere Second Level of the Profound Pass is nothing more than a beginning for you."

Zhao Changhe blankly watched her leave. He had originally thought he had already figured out her psychology; how was it that all of a sudden he couldn't understand her again?

Women were truly troublesome!

"Big Sister-in-law! Big Sister-in-law!" The voices of the underlings drifted in from outside. "Helmsman Fang sent people to reprimand us, saying the boss didn't even go pay his respects on the first day of the lunar new year, and wanted to let the boss know..."

"What is there to talk about? Your boss... oh, our family head is nursing an injury from martial arts training that you all saw with your own eyes, and you still want to run off to pay him respects? What kind of nonsense is that? A mere branch helm master still acting like he's some sort of official-even the heroes of the pugilistic world play those bureaucratic games now, it's utterly nauseating."

"Big Sister-in-law is mighty! We'll go back and tell them right now!"

Inside the room, Zhao Changhe froze for a long while before breaking into a dumbfounded laugh.