Hwarangdo, Iron Arm Shield Hand

No sooner had the assistant finished speaking than several more old men poured into the hall out front.

They were all shopkeepers from nearby stores who considered themselves close to Shopkeeper Ma and thought they carried some weight with him. They crowded into the courtyard, intent on escorting the group to receive their commendation.

With no choice, Chu Tianshu and the others left the courtyard and headed for the street.

As soon as they reached the main street, they understood why the gongs and drums had started up so abruptly. They were not being played by visitors from afar, but by people the mayor had arranged to play them along the street.

As for the people actually coming from the city...

Chu Tianshu looked east. There was indeed a group approaching, but they were still at least three li from town.

Shopkeeper Ma muttered, "Mayor Lu must have reported our achievements to the city and gotten a reply. He knew someone was coming today, so he started the noisy welcome early."

Zhong Jinqiu looked east as well. "Looks like a bunch of soldiers are coming. Shouldn't these commendations for the towns under their jurisdiction be handled by the brush-wielding types?"

Shopkeeper Ma said, "It seems Commander Xu has grown even more powerful these past few years."

A military force was stationed in Yuannan City. It claimed to be a regiment, though it was hard to say exactly how large or small it was. Military affairs for a hundred li around fell under its jurisdiction, and its commander was surnamed Xu.

By regulation, matters like commending a town under the city's jurisdiction did not fall within an officer's authority. Someone should have been sent by the county magistrate or an official like him.

But the man leading the approaching group rode a tall horse and was clearly an officer. Behind him, two rows of soldiers jogged along with guns on their backs.

Farther back were several carriages. They looked imposing and richly appointed, with red silk tied to their corners and drivers dressed in silk jackets. Yet those were plainly not the clothes one would expect city clerks and functionaries to wear.

Seeing the officer approach town, Mayor Lu and several other prominent men hurried out to meet him. Even Meng Lianfa, who was somewhat at odds with the mayor, was among them, smiling broadly and clasping his hands in greeting.

"Adjutant Zhou, you've come a long way, and we failed to come farther out to welcome you. How very discourteous of us. I've prepared a banquet at my home to wash the dust of travel from you all."

The mayor held his puffy body erect today, chest out and head high as he called out, seemingly unbothered by the blazing sun.

"Hahahaha, you're too courteous, Mayor."

Adjutant Zhou swung down from his horse, and a soldier stepped forward to take it for him.

"We soldiers are direct. We don't bother with all that empty ceremony. Business is business, and a meal is a meal."

"Let's handle the commendations first, then talk about eating. With nothing weighing on us, the meal will be livelier too."

The adjutant walked into town as he spoke. Even off his horse, he stood more than a head taller than the mayor.

He looked to be in his prime, with hair as short as a bristle brush, sharp, hardy features, and a clean-shaven face.

With square shoulders, a narrow waist, and leather boots on his long legs, he wore a military uniform that made him stand out like a crane among chickens amid the other gentlemen.

The mayor walked beside him, smiling from ear to ear. He turned and saw that the carriages had not taken the main street, but had turned off at the edge of town. He could not help asking, "Those are...?"

Adjutant Zhou glanced back. "That's our commander's godfather. The old gentleman is getting on in years and finds the city foul and filthy, so he's come to the countryside to recuperate."

"You're in for a treat, too. The old gentleman keeps an opera troupe with him. I asked him, and tonight he'll put on a grand show for everyone."

The mayor was overjoyed. "So it's the old master! Might I have the honor of paying my respects?"

Adjutant Zhou smiled. "There's no hurry. The old master will settle in at the commander's residence first. He's tired from the journey today. You can ask to see him another day when you have time."

Commander Xu had an empty residence in this town as well.

In fact, he had residences in all the prominent, prosperous towns near Yuannan City. Some of the house and land deeds had been gifts; others he had purchased himself.

Of course, the sellers were always very generous, asking him far less than the usual price.

Hearing this, the mayor set aside his thoughts of currying favor with the eminent guest for the time being and gestured toward the crowd by the roadside. "Those two made the greatest contributions to wiping out the Jiaozhi roving bandits."

"Oh, are those Shopkeeper Ma and Doctor Chu?"

Adjutant Zhou's eyes lit up. He strode over and said with a smile, "Shopkeeper Ma, your treasured blade is still sharp, and Doctor Chu, you're a young hero indeed."

"When Mayor Lu sent his report of your achievements, along with the goose-quill saber and the white-bone whistle, we were both shocked and delighted."

"This wasn't the first time those roving bandits had struck since crossing the border. They'd previously plundered other counties on a large scale. By the time the local garrisons arrived, they had hidden themselves in the mountains without a trace. We could only learn a few details about them from the townspeople who had survived by luck."

Adjutant Zhou was all smiles and appeared very warm.

"Their entire band was wiped out here. That has brought tremendous honor to our Yuannan City."

Chu Tianshu and Shopkeeper Ma exchanged a glance, clasped their hands, and offered a few polite words.

Chu Tianshu had picked up the goose-quill saber at the time, but after trying a few moves and finding it awkward, he had stuck it back in the graveyard. Someone taking it afterward was of no consequence.

But the white-bone whistle had been made from the bones of a virgin victim. Shopkeeper Ma had roasted it over a fire to dispel the evil Qi, then buried it somewhere else.

They did not know when the mayor had dug it up.

"Commander Xu personally approved these rewards: three hundred silver dollars for Shopkeeper Ma and five hundred for Doctor Chu."

Adjutant Zhou took two thick cloth bags directly from his horse and handed one to each of them.

Nearly half the bandits had been wiped out because Shopkeeper Ma controlled the fireball and used it to draw the poisonous bees to them.

But Chu Tianshu had slain the most important and formidable men himself, so no one present objected to the rewards.

"There are also several hundred silver dollars to divide among those who fought that day. Everyone gets a share!"

At that, the onlookers cheered in unison.

The mayor once again brought up the banquet he had prepared to welcome them.

"Let the brothers go ahead."

Adjutant Zhou looked around and patted the mayor on the shoulder. "I'm a martial man, and I'm more interested in the place where Doctor Chu fought the bandit chief. If you gentlemen have time, why not take me there for a look?"

Of course, the mayor would not refuse.

After a moment's thought, Chu Tianshu handed his silver dollars to the assistant from Old Ma's Tavern and decided to go along.

The assistant had just received one large bag when Shopkeeper Ma handed him a smaller one. Together they weighed over forty jin, heavy enough to strain his hands. Not daring to linger outside, he hurried back to Old Ma's Tavern.

The soldiers headed for the mayor's home. Some of the spectators followed them, while others prepared to disperse.

In the end, not many accompanied Adjutant Zhou to the south side of town.

The ground in the orchard was a mess everywhere. When people had carried away the bodies, they had crossed through here, gone over to the other side of the hillside, and buried them hastily.

It had also rained over the past few days, covering up many of the footprints Chu Tianshu had stamped into the ground while dodging bullets.

But after walking around the battlefield for a short while, Adjutant Zhou found several unusual footprints. He brushed away the fallen leaves and loose dust with his military boot, admiration on his face.

"Impressive leg strength. These footprints were probably stamped out one after another in the space of a moment."

Once here, Adjutant Zhou no longer needed anyone to guide him. He followed the traces through the grove and soon found the place where the swordsman had died.

A sword hole pierced straight through a tree trunk, its edges already brown and black. Traces of blood still stained the bark.

Adjutant Zhou bent over and blinked at the hole. Looking through it, he saw the path that sword thrust had taken.

The branches and leaves severed along the way had cuts as smooth and even as the surface of water-polished bluestone bricks.

"Aha, that sword thrust was certain to kill, but what it showed was not the marvel of swordsmanship. It was the formidable muscular strength of a fist art."

Adjutant Zhou turned to Chu Tianshu. "Doctor Chu, my eye isn't too bad, is it?"

Chu Tianshu clasped his hands. "Adjutant Zhou, you saw one spot and knew the whole leopard. It was as though you witnessed that battle yourself. Truly impressive!"

"Haha, I had an advantage. My fist art also emphasizes muscular strength. In our trade's terms, its guiding principle is to gather, pursuing the realm of a dragon coiling around the body."

Adjutant Zhou spoke heartily. "It looks as though our fist arts follow somewhat similar paths. That's why I was able to work it out so easily."

"It's rare to meet a young hero with a similar style. It's making my hands itch."

Adjutant Zhou bared his teeth. "I wonder if you'd be willing to exchange a move with me, Doctor Chu? Just one, stopping before anyone gets hurt, a little friendly spar?"

Zhong Jinqiu's expression turned a little peculiar, and Shopkeeper Ma raised a hand to touch the tip of his nose.

The mayor, however, was all smiles and seemed about to say something.

Chu Tianshu had already raised his eyes. Smiling, he said, "All right."

"Here I come, then!"

Before the words had died away, Adjutant Zhou suddenly moved.

Adjutant Zhou had once followed Commander Xu and served as a constable in the capital.

Back then, people from China and countries abroad mingled in the capital, and martial arts from all over met and interacted there, a hundred flowers blooming.

The Hwarangdo Adjutant Zhou had learned was said to be a fist art passed down from the days of the ancient kingdom of Silla.

The king of Silla had brought young men together to train in martial arts, making "serve one's lord with loyalty, serve one's parents with filial piety, treat one's friends with trust, never retreat in battle, and kill with discretion" their guiding principles. He had wanted to train brave, fearless warriors.

The martial arts taught to them were the essence distilled from Silla's battlefields and folk traditions. Even at the beginner stage, they struck blocks of wood with their hands and feet. Once they had made some progress, they tempered their limbs against brick and stone walls.

Silla had frequent exchanges with the Central Plains and also learned the techniques of its battlefield soldiers, incorporating the Central Plains dynasties' then more advanced methods of coordinating blades and shields, infantry and cavalry, into its fist art.

Now, Adjutant Zhou's move, Iron Arm Shield Hand, had reached a level of mastery that would rank among the very best of all Hwarangdo experts.

He held his right forearm upright in front of him. His muscles swelled, their contours clearly outlined beneath his sleeve, like a thick shield narrow at the top and broad at the bottom. Driving forward with his waist and stance, he suddenly charged into position like a real galloping horse.

Several years ago, he had used the same move to smash a great hole through a bluestone-brick wall half a foot thick!

Mayor Lu was too close to Adjutant Zhou. The instant the latter moved, he felt a fierce gust press against his mouth and nose, leaving him unable to breathe for a moment.

As the one actually facing the move, Chu Tianshu felt his vision darken.

But the change in the light before him made Chu Tianshu roar instinctively. The strength of his entire body burst forth with that shout. He stamped his back foot down and raised his right forearm crosswise to block.

Boom!!!

Their forearms, one horizontal and one vertical, slammed together.

Adjutant Zhou's sleeve split apart with a ripping sound, and pieces of thick cloth flew outward.

Chu Tianshu staggered back more than three chi, his feet never leaving the ground as they scraped clear marks in the earth. His body swayed twice, and the knuckles of his right hand trembled slightly.

In that collision, Adjutant Zhou had used the force of his charge, while Chu Tianshu had released a shuddering force through his opponent's clothing.

That was why one man's sleeve had burst apart while the other had been driven back.

In that respect, they were evenly matched.

But Chu Tianshu's right hand was somewhat numb and tingling, his fingers loose, while Adjutant Zhou's hand remained clenched steadily in a fist.

The toughness and strength of his opponent's muscles and sinews were clearly a notch above Chu Tianshu's.

The mayor had not expected a single exchange between the two to produce such a scene. At once, he was somewhat at a loss, feeling the atmosphere grow tense.

The two men stood several chi apart and met each other's eyes, then smiled at the same time.

"Splendid! I didn't have skills like yours at your age."

Full of hearty spirit, Adjutant Zhou paid no mind to his torn sleeve. "I'll take the liberty of calling you little brother Chu. Little brother, how about we test our drinking capacity at the banquet later?"

Chu Tianshu put on a helpless expression. "Then I'm sure I'll be even less of a match for you, Big Brother Zhou."

He appeared perfectly at ease, but inwardly he was on twelve parts alert.

Adjutant Zhou seemed merely rough and forthright by nature, but there was something about him that did not feel quite right.