The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 73- 75

Chapter 73: Ling Zhang’s Confusion, Yuwen Tong’s Enlightenment

Ling Zhaowen got up, staring at the woman who had fainted on the ground. If he had not been told in advance that someone would plot against him, he would have fallen into a trap today!

“Are you okay, Tongzhi Ling?” A man in black came in through the window, asking in a low voice.

Ling Zhaowen shook his head, “Nothing serious.”

The man in black nodded, threw the sack on his back to the ground, and released the unconscious man out of the sack. It was Jia Yin. He placed this woman on Jia Yin’s body, creating a scene where the two were committing adultery. “…Lord, he is in there!”

There was a noise outside the room, and the sound of footsteps was approaching, too.

“Tongzhi Ling, come with me.” The man in black looked at Ling Zhaowen immediately.

Ling Zhaowen said gratefully, “Sorry to trouble you.”

The man in black said, “You shouldn’t be.” Then he jumped out of the window with Ling Zhaowen and brought Jia Yin back from his unconsciousness by striking his acupoint before they left.

The next second, the door was kicked open.

Suddenly there was a loud bang, which awakened Jia Yin. Before he could reflect on his situation, he was stopped by a surprised voice.

“Big brother?!”

Jia Zhong led the way, followed by Tao Feng and others. Everyone saw what was going on inside.

Jia Zhong didn’t expect that the man who hugged Liu Chengfang was his eldest brother. ‘Shouldn’t it be Ling Zhaowen?’

The others stood there dumbfounded. Jia Zhong took them here to expose adultery, but caught his brother right on the spot.

There was a light flashing in Tao Feng’s eyes. Just now, Jia Zhong went to the Yamen and told him that Ling Zhaowen had a secret meeting with an unmarried woman and had some indiscretions, trying to take him here to expose the adultery. Although he was worried that this was a trap, he had no chance to notify Ling Family. Originally he thought Ling Zhaowen would have a big trouble this time, but he didn’t expect that things would have a fortunate turn.

“Jia Zhong, you dare to ask us to come here without knowing whether the person involved is your eldest brother or Ling Zhaowen. Jia Yin is not a member of Prefecture Yamen. Since this is a privacy of your family, you should handle it by yourselves.”

With that Tao Feng was ready to leave, but heard a flurry of footsteps coming from the downstairs.

“Where is Jia Yin?” A shrill woman’s voice sounded.

Fang Shi ran upstairs with some people. She froze when she saw Tao Feng and others. Then she shifted her gaze from those people to the next room and went straight in. A dark look formed on her face when she saw Jia Yin holding a disheveled woman.

“Jia Yin, you shameless asshole!”

“Sister-in-law, this is a mistake.” Although Jia Zhong had no idea why his brother was here, he knew that they had fallen into a trap.

“I am not blind!”

“What are you shouting at?” Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “How can you, as a woman, shout so rudely? What a bad manner!”

“Why are you blaming me? Look at what you have done!”

Jia Yin and Fang Shi had a fierce quarrel, which spread far away.

Jia Zhong clenched his fist, gnashing his teeth. “Ling Zhaowen!”

The Ling Family.

After drinking a bowl of hangover soup, Ling Zhaowen became much more sober. He thanked Yuwen Tong for many times.

“Uncle Ling, I am glad you are fine.” Yuwen Tong said. Otherwise, Ling Zhang might not sleep well.

Ling Zhang stood beside Yuwen Tong, looking at his uncle without saying a word.

Ling Zhaowen knew his nephew well, so he reminded, “Zhang’er, hold your horses.”

“Uncle, don’t worry, I won’t act recklessly,” Ling Zhang answered calmly, but he was not at peace inwardly.

” Jia Family is determined to remove Xingzhong from the position of Tongzhi. They always resort to despicable means that are hard to take precautions against. They are so abominable!”

Ling Xingzhong was very angry. He had never felt sorry for losing his position, but this was the first time that he felt powerless. If he were still holding an important post in court, how dare such a insignificant Jia Family plot against his son?

Fu Caiwei’s eyes turned red, but she didn’t shed any tears. Because she knew that she couldn’t act cowardly. She needed to take care of the whole family. Only by taking care of the affairs at home can her man fight for their family without worries.

Ling Zhaowen had drunk much. Although he had hangover soup, he still needed a rest. Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong left together after Ling Zhaowen explained about what had happened.

Looking at the lonely figure of his grandfather, Ling Zhang felt very sad.

After learning of Jia Zhong’s plot, he had planned to knock Jia Zhong out then replace his uncle with Jia Zhong. But with Zhang Chong backing him up, the worst result for Jia Zhong was that he married Liu Chengfang as his concubine, which wouldn’t cause much trouble for him. If it were Jia Yin, it would be different. Once they enticed Fang Shi into coming to that restaurant, it would cause trouble for the Jia Family for a while.

At bottom, it was because he couldn’t shake the power of the Jia Family. Instead of getting rid of such clowns as the Jia Family, to wipe out Zhang Chong, the backing of the Jia Family, was the most intractable thing for Ling Zhang. He wouldn’t act rashly until he got the key evidences Yuwen Tong had mentioned that could bring eternal doom to Zhang Chong.

Ling Zhang said nothing all the way. Yuwen Tong knew that he was upset now. “I know your vexation, but you still need patience. Only in this way can you get rid of them once for all.”

“I see, thank you. If you hadn’t sent someone to keep watch on Jia Zhong’s every movement, my uncle would have a big trouble.”

This was also what made Ling Zhang feel sad. He was too weak. He kept on saying that he wouldn’t take what Yuwen Tong said with a grain of salt, but every time it was Yuwen Tong who helped him at a crucial moment. Without Yuwen Tong, could he manage to keep his uncle and his whole family safe in the endless conspiracies of the Jia Family and Zhang Chong?

“I told you many times that your business is mine, I don’t want to repeat it again.”

Yuwen Tong looked at Ling Zhang. What he needed was not Ling Zhang’s gratitude. And for now, Ling Zhang had lost in depression.

“Did it make you feel bad to get my help?”

Ling Zhang didn’t expect that Yuwen Tong’s words were so straightforward, which shocked him. He would look down on himself if he admitted. But if he didn’t, then why he felt disgusted with himself?

“Once I was put in danger too, and I also hated my weakness.”

Yuwen Tong suddenly talked about his past and admitted that he had hated himself for his weakness.

Ling Zhang was shocked. “…”

“Are you surprised? No one is born strong. The reason why today’s Emperor can ascend to the throne is because he has undergone the most severe trials and finally survived the sea of dead bodies. And I have seen and experienced more than he did. At that time, Wan Country was very strong, and they constantly attacked the border of Great Yue, almost taking both Shengzhou and Youzhou. And it was in that battle that my grandfather was killed in a sneak attack by the enemy. His body was badly trampled by the horses, but fortunately, it was preserved at last. I was very young at that time, but I wanted revenge, I wanted to guard against Great Yue’s border. All I could do was keep fighting, keep improving myself, keep learning the art of war, and keep dealing with the power struggle of the court, the family, the border, and the countless secret plots by the enemy. If I didn’t stick to it, there wouldn’t be a Grand Marshal in the Great Yue? If that’s the case, I am afraid the Great Yue would have already ceased to exist.”

“I am not telling you this to prove how hard I used to be, but to tell you that I have been through some tough times, too. There’s nothing shameful about getting help from others. On the contrary, the shameful thing is that when others are willing to offer help, you fail by not taking the chance.”

After saying that, Yuwen Tong fixed his eyes on Ling Zhang. His eyes were bright with indestructible light that illuminated Ling Zhang’s soul.

It was late at night, and they were still standing in the yard. The moon overhead lit up the yard.

Ling Zhang looked up slightly at Yuwen Tong. He was shocked by Yuwen Tong’s experience and couldn’t dissipate it from his mind for a long time.

The hardships of the previous life and the difficulties of this life made him stronger, meanwhile, he was also bound by these experiences; the hatred bound his mind; the situation of Tanyang and the Ling Family also tied him firmly in this place, making it difficult for him to realize his aspirations.

Did he not look forward to a beam of light to illuminate his path and help him break through all obstacles?

Now Yuwen Tong’s eyes was that beacon.

At this moment, he finally relieved and kept what Yuwen Family had done in previous life and all of his suspicion of Yuwen Tong in this life in his mind.

What was hard for him to understand and see through now, he would figure it out one day. It was better to let it go than entangled in it.

“Thank You.” Ling Zhang showed his heartfelt thanks to Yuwen Tong.

“Thank you for telling me. You are right, I should take advantage of your power. I have said that you are my solidest backing, so I will count on you well. And I will depend on your help before you get out of these matters.”

Yuwen Tong stared into Ling Zhang’s eyes, noting the grit, resolution as well as unwavering conviction that were slowly gathering in them. A smile slowly adorned Ling Zhang’s face. Simple, pure, elegant, and beautiful, just like a flower blooming under the moonlight.

“Young master, Lord Yuwen, Old Master asks me to inform the two of you to have dinner,” a servant came and said.

Their worry about Ling Zhaowen robbed them of their appetite. So the dinner was postponed.

“Let’s go.”

Ling Zhang restrained his smile, but obviously his attitude towards Yuwen Tong softened a lot.

Yuwen Tong arched his eyebrow, following Ling Zhang with joy. Ling Zhang’s attitude brightened his eyes.

“They were haunted all night by the farce made by Jia Yin. Fang shi and Jia Yin even got into a fight. Jia Yin said that Fang was a jealous hellcat, and that he wanted to marry Liu Chengfang as his second wife and let her enjoy the same status as Fang.”The next morning, the guard, who spied on the Jia Family all the night, reported.

“Don’t spend too much time watching these two people. The most important thing is to keep an eye on Jia Zhong.”

“Got it.”

“Did you find anything wrong about Zhang Chong?”

“Zhang Chong never showed up again after transporting the ores back to the encampment. Ling Family’s herb farm is under the close watch of guards and steward, so Zhang Chong didn’t find any chance to arrest the farmers. The guards sent by Childe Ling to keep watch at night also found no suspicious targets.”

“Keep a close eye on him. With the new ores, there will be a new batch of weapons in the near future. Barring accidents, he’s gonna hide them. All we need to do is find out where he’s hiding his weapons.”

“Got it.”

“Call Yao Yi to come in.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

After a while, Yao Yi came in and said, “Marshall, are you looking for me?”

“In a few days, I’m going to find out the hideout of bandits. You stay and give Ling Family a hand if anything bad happens.”

“Got it, Marshal. You going there in person?”

“Right.”

Chapter 74: A Tough Start

Although Ling Zhang could take advantage of Yuwen Tong’s power, he never relaxed himself at all. After dinner, he went back to his study and studied how to arrange the twelve guards in the most appropriate position in the Trap and Kill Formation of Twelve; after looking at the several options he had previously considered, he was trying to make more plans.

The Trap and Kill Formation of Twelve had twelve different variations, each of which could turn into a new one; these formations looked completely different, but in fact, they were all connected with each other and they were also flexible. Now even Ling Zhang found it difficult to apply and grasp this formation completely, so it was impossible for those guards to do the same. They could only practice it one by one.

The problem was, in addition to the most basic formation, which formation should he choose for the guards to begin with?

Once Ling Zhang immersed himself in his thinking, he would forget the passage of time.

“Marshal, the light in the childe Ling’s room is still on.”

The guard of Green Bamboo Mansion squatted on the wall between the two courtyards, turning his head to shout toward the Green Bamboo Mansion.

Yuwen Tong didn’t sleep either. On his desk was a map of Tanyang and some detailed topographic maps of each county of Tanyang, which were collected in special ways by Yaoyi these days. One of them was a topographic map of Qi County, which was located in the southwest of the Tanyang city. This map was specially marked with a big red circle by Yuwen Tong.

Hearing the guard’s words, Yuwen Tong put the map aside, and glanced at the water clock. It was already in midnight.

He had wanted to get up but gave up the idea after some thought. Ling Zhang was no longer a child and had his own way of handling matters. So he couldn’t decide everything for Ling Zhang. He thought that it was hard for Ling Zhang to have a good sleep before getting rid of Zhang Chong. Why not let him do what he wanted? Maybe keeping busy would make him feel a little at ease.

In the early morning of the next day, Ling Zhang showed up at the residence of the guards on time. Wang Dashan had expanded the original training ground according to Ling Zhang’s orders, and he had removed all the sundries around the ground.

“Young master, are you still going to train our cooperation today?”

“Yes.”

In order to follow Ling Zhang’s instructions, the guards did nothing else but continue to practice the cooperation with each other. It was not until evening that their practice worked a little.

For the next two days, Ling Zhang continued training the guards’ ability to cooperate with each other.

Yuwen Tong was not in the Mansion these days, and Ling Zhang didn’t know and hadn’t asked where he had gone. Yunwen Tong would tell him if he wanted to. Since Ling Zhaowen was almost framed last time, now there were more than three attendants accompanying him to Yamen every day. He was quite safe under the protection of these attendants these two days.

On this day, Fu Caiwei came to tell him that Jiang’s Herbs had sent those two herbs here and all the herbs he needed had been collected.

Yuwen Tong was not here, so Ling Zhang was not in a hurry to start the medicine bath. “Aunt, I am really sorry to trouble you. In a few days, I will visit Jiang’s Herbs and express my gratitude to them in person.”

“That’s a good idea. Well, Lord Yuwen is away lately, do you know where he’s gone?”

Fu Caiwei looked at Ling Zhang with her probing eyes.

Ling Zhang knew what his aunt was thinking. He knew that she was wondering if the relationship between he and Yuwen Tong had developed in a good way and if Ling Zhang might change his mind to break the engagement. Instead of exposing her, he replied, “He doesn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask him, either. But the guard said he will be away for a few days.”

Ling Zhang’s answer almost perfectly avoided what Fu Caiwen wanted to know, which made her feel a little disappointed. She was quite satisfied with Yuwen Tong; she thought her nephew, Ling Zhang, was good enough, too, and only a man like Yuwen Tong could deserve Ling Zhang; however, she also understood that it was all Ling Zhang’s choice to make.

Fu Caiwei left with disappointment. Ling Zhang stood for a while before going to the residence of the guards.

Xia Feng had come back from Yanzhou the day before. He checked Liu Yi’s background and found nothing suspicious.

So they were officially going to start practicing the Trap and Kill Formation of Twelve.

However, things did not go as smoothly as Ling Zhang had expected. It took Ling Zhang half a day to explain the Trap and Kill Formation to the twelve guards. If he wanted them to keep every position in mind, he needed to impart some basic knowledge about formations to them.

Ling Zhang pulled a long face the whole morning. And the guards were silent with guilty.

“Young master, we are all uneducated boors who know nothing about formation. Please don’t be angry with us. I will urge them to practice hard and grasp the knowledge you taught us as soon as possible.” For fear of provoking Ling Zhang, Wang Dashan said cautiously.

Ling Zhang knew that it was all because of his own thoughtlessness. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Suspend the afternoon training. I’m going to teach you the basics of orientation discrimination, location selection, terrain identification and distance measurement. I was too hasty today in this matter, so it’s not all your fault. Have a rest now. I will come again this afternoon.”

The guards felt a sense of relief. Qiu Bing scratched the head, saying, “Young master, do we need to bring brush and ink?”

Other people were concerned about it, too. Compared with practicing martial arts, reading and writing were more difficult for them!

“No, I will tell you what to do.”

“Got it, young master, we’ll study hard this afternoon.”

Ling Zhong nodded, letting them to have a rest. Then he had a talk with Wang Dashan and Liu Yi. “You have to keep watch tonight, can you stand it?”

“That’s OK. We will take turns at night, so that we will both have good rest and keep energetic at day. Don’t worry about us.”

Both Wang Dashan and Liu Yi said that the training would not have an impact on their evening activities. If they were really tired, they would tell Ling Zhang on their own initiative.

Ling Zhang found that they didn’t seem to be in low spirits, so he didn’t say anything more. After leaving the guards’ residence, he passed on a message to the servants in the kitchen that they should provide more nutritious meat dishes to the guards every noon.

Although the person in charge of the expenditure of the kitchen was Fu Caiwei, she had said that as long as it was Ling Zhang’s request, they had to follow even if it would cost more money. So the servants in the kitchen promised him right away.

At noon, there were a few more meat dishes in the food for the guards, which deeply touched the group of men.

At the moment they were very happy, but Ling Zhang was not. After helping himself some lunch, he began to write down the knowledge points to be taught to the guards; then he sorted out and refined these points one by one. He had been sitting here since he started doing this. Not until the appointed time came did he take the things he prepared to the guards’ residence.

“That will keep Childe Ling busy for a while. These guys are a group of illiterates. It will take a lot of effort to let the knowledge sink in.”

Yao Yi, who was on guard on the roof of the Green Bamboo Mansion, looked at what was happening in the residence of the guards in the distance while complaining to the other guard.

“If I were him, I would rather have martial arts competition with them than to teach them the knowledge. It is too hard.”

“That’s why Marshal dislikes you.”

“Cough! Captain, what are you talking about? If he knows it, we will be in trouble.”

“Marshal is not here. What are you afraid of?”

Yao Yi folded his arm on his chest, eyes on what was going on in the guards’ residence. However, the other guard beside him was looking around warily, he was afraid that their Marshal would suddenly pop up like a ghost.

The guards had been waiting on the practice ground on time. When Ling Zhang arrived, no one was absent and they all looked more energetic than in the morning. It seemed that the extra meals at noon had worked wonders.

“Take it easy, and don’t worry about the learning. I will explain in detail and demonstrate them one by one. All you need to do is focus on what I’m talking, remember it and reflect on it.” Ling Zhang said.

These guards were also experienced. Although the formation drills confused them, they were not lazy in the afternoon study.

This time, Ling Zhang slowed down his pace and patiently explained the most basics to them first. Then he gave them a demonstration over and over again. He wouldn’t move on to the next step until each of them had a clear understanding of each knowledge point.

Things were going on like this, in a rather slow and hard way. He spent an afternoon explaining only four basic knowledge points.

When he left the guards’ residence, he couldn’t help but touch his forehead. He needed to tell himself to be patient over and over again to actually keep his cool. In fact, he was really anxious. If at the current pace, it would take years before he could reach his goal .

After taking a bath, Ling Zhang looked at the formations he had picked on his desk and sighed. He was too naïve, thinking that he could teach them all three formations in half a month. But now, he would be overjoyed if they could master one. Green Bamboo Mansion had been quiet these days, which meant that Yuwen Tong hadn’t come back. Ling Zhang guessed what Yuwen Tong was doing exactly. But he was so tired that he finally fell asleep. In the middle of the night, there was something going on in the Green Bamboo Mansion. Yao Yi immediately knew who it was. “Marshal, you are back.”

Yuwen Tong nodded. “Anything new about Ling Mansion these days?”

Yao Yi then told Yuwen Tong what had happened in the Ling Family in the past few days. He highlighted two points. The first was that Ling Zhang had collected all the herbs; the second was the process of their training.

Hearing that those guards spent an afternoon learning only four basic knowledge points, Yuwen Tong frowned. “They are too stupid.”

“Precisely. They are too stupid that I couldn’t even bear to watch. Fortunately, young master is still patiently teaching them. Can these rough fellows learn that?”

Yuwen Tong thought about it seriously then asked, “Did he stay up late?”

“No, maybe he is too tired, so he rested early today.”

“Such a group of waste.” Yuwen Tong scolded and his face had turned cold.

Seeing that he was really angry, Yao Yi didn’t dare to say anything more.

“Remind me when he goes out tomorrow morning.”

“Okay.”

Yuwen Tong changed the nocturnal clothing and washed up. Sitting behind the desk, he unfolded a piece of paper. Then he took out his pen and began to draw a diagram of the Trap and Kill Formation of Twelve. He drew eight pictures and picked out two of them.

Then he drew a big circle on a blank piece of paper and began to illustrate on it.

Chapter 75: Did You Complete It by Yourself?

The Capital.

The Palace gate had just been opened before dawn. Then the officials went straight to the Golden Hall.

Half an hour later, a eunuch hurried into the residence of the Sixth Prince. “Your Highness, this morning Commander Zhang’s request to expand the encampment of the Prefecture Guard was rejected by His Majesty.”

“What? When did Zhang Chong’s memorial to the throne arrive in the capital? How come it was taken out at today’s morning court?”

The sixth princes, Zhou Mingshen, still looked delicate and pretty. The childishness hadn’t faded from his face, which made him look younger than his age. He, who was supposed to be a lively and cheerful young man, looked a bit gloomy at the moment.

“It was submitted by the Ministry of War. ZhaoZhengof the Ministry of War said the matter was discussed in the court because Commander Zhang had requested an expansion larger than previously requested, and it was far beyond the scope of the encampment for the Prefecture Guard prescribed by law.”

“Damn it. Zhao Zheng, the bastard!”

Zhou Mingshen got up and paced anxiously in the room. Then he stopped, asking, “When was Zhang Chong’s last letter?”

“Your Highness, eight days ago. It was sent by carrier pigeon.”

“If at top speed, his letter can arrive at the Capital from Tanyang in seven days. And this letter should have been submitted to the Emperor two days before. Why did the Ministry of War delay the submission?”

Zhou Mingshen frowned, feeling something was wrong. “I am going out to see my uncle.”

“Your Highness, you can’t do that. His Majesty rebuked her highness, the imperial concubine, yesterday, and he also blamed you. You can’t leave the palace again at this time. If His Majesty knows that, I am afraid he will be more dissatisfied with you.”

The eunuch hurried to dissuade Zhou Mingshen, afraid that he would leave the palace on impulse.

A scowl formed on Zhou Mingshen’s face. He said after a while, “Well, then go and deliver my message.”

“Yes, your highness.”

As soon as Zhou Mingshen finished the letter, he asked the eunuch to deliver it out of the palace. Then he went to his mother, Imperial Concubine Shu.

“Mother, Zhang Chong’s request was rejected. The Ministry of War delayed the submission of his request for two days.”

Imperial Concubine Shu was a middle-aged woman. But she was well maintained in the palace, which made her look like a sixteen-year-old girl. Even her eyes were utterly bewitching.

“Zhao Zheng? He is a man His Majesty trusts, and he doesn’t belong to any party. Why did he delay the submission of the memorial that delivered from Tanyang?”

The Imperial Concubine Shu frowned and was lost in a deep thought.

“I’ve sent a letter to my uncle. I hope my uncle can find out something.”

“Good job. Now the memorial from Tanyang was rejected. I am afraid that your uncle can’t submit any matter to the throne within a short time. His power in Tanyang is our backing, so don’t upset him into thinking that we are good-for-nothing. Write a letter to placate him.”

“Yes, mother.”

After watching her son leave, Imperial Concubine Shu pulled a long face. “It’s all Imperial Concubine Xian’s fault, she is such a bitch. If it weren’t for her plot, I wouldn’t forget my manners in front of His Majesty. Otherwise, I will have a chance to put a few words before His Majesty.”

“Your Highness, don’t be angry. We just need to be patient. When His Majesty’s anger dissipates, it’ll be easy for you to handle her.”

“That bitch!” cursed the concubine as she tried to hold back her anger. “In the past, His Majesty never rejected the memorials from Tanyang, I don’t know why he did it this time.”

The Yuwen Mansion…

“Captain, Zhang Chong’s request has been rejected, and Sixth-brother has set off for two days. When are we leaving for Tanyang? Is Marshal really going to marry Childe Ling?”

Yuwen Tong’s yard was a forbidden area in Yuwen Mansion. Even if Yuwen Tong was not in the capital, his yard was off limits to everyone. Yue Qi and others were hiding in this yard after they got back to the capital.

“It will arrive all in good time. The task assigned by marshal isn’t completed yet. What did you find about Li Chong?”

“I just got some leads. I am investigating according to the clues. Barring accidents, we’ll get findings in a few days.”

“Okay.” Yue Qi nodded. “Has everything been arranged in Wuhu Yard?”

“Everything’s settled. The second Master said that he will stay in Wuhu Yard tonight. There will be no one at the study except those on duty.”

“Good, be careful you guys. The study is the last place we need to investigate.”

“We’ve investigated for two days and found no evidence that Second Master and Second Madam had sent someone to make difficulties for the Ling Family. If we can’t find any clues in the study tonight, do we still need to continue the investigation?”

“Tell Marshal the results. We can’t let down our guard, though. And leave no stones unturned.”

“Yes.”

“Now, the news that Marshal is in Tanyang has not been leaked out, so the capital appears relatively calm. Once this matter is put on the street, I’m afraid that there will be a big mess. Put other disputes aside, the sixth prince’s gonna doubt the Marshal once he knows this matter. Marshal has never been involved in any of these royal rivalries, and I have no idea what he is going to do this time.”

Yue Qi kept a straight face and wondered.

……

Ling Zhang appeared at the residence of the guard on time the first thing at the morning. He felt revitalized after a night’s rest. Even if the guards were difficult to teach, he would persist.

The guards didn’t want to back down, either. He thought these guards would forget some of the basics of what they had learned the day before after a night of rest. But to his surprise, they not only remembered all but also could skillfully distinguish the basic position.

“Young master, we got up early and started practicing here over and over again this morning. Liu Yi has a good memory of what we have learned, and he corrected us again and again.”

Looking at Ling Zhang’s surprised expression, Wang Dashan came over and said proudly.

Liu Yi came over when Ling Zhang was looking at him. “I remember better of what you taught us yesterday. They also want to master the knowledge quickly and they all want to live up to your teachings.”

A smile formed on Ling Zhang’s face. “Thank you. You guys did a good job.”

“Young master, you are so kind. It is our duty to work hard to achieve your wish.”

Ling Zhang was in a good mood at once. He could see the hope now. With the knowledge they learned yesterday, today’s teaching went much more smoothly. Ling Zhang spent only a morning teaching the general knowledge of the orientation. Then he was about to detail the branches of the orientation and the characteristics of the orientations of these branches in the Trap and Kill Formation of Twelve.

Ling Zhang was not hasty this time. He knew that the guards were new to this knowledge, so it was not easy for them to grasp it quickly. Therefore he just taught them some basics, which helped to form a simple framework of knowledge in their minds. Then he would ask them to remember exactly the orientations according to the Trap and Kill Formation of Twelve, to keep practicing and make the practice a habit. In the end, they would be able to master and apply the skill slowly.

Only when they were able to utilize these formations could his goal be realized. It didn’t matter if his goal came a bit later.

Ling Zhang had a busy morning. Seeing Yuwen Tong was waiting for him at the gate of the court yard, Ling Zhang was surprised.

“When did you get back?”

“Last night. I heard you went to bed early, so I didn’t disturb you.”

Yuwen Tong’s eyes glinted when he saw Ling Zhang soaked with sweat. At this moment, the sun was shining brightly, and the beads of sweat on Ling Zhang’s face were glittering and translucent under the shining sunlight; his face, just like the flawless jade, had a pink flush caused by long-time exercising. As he approached, the youthful vibes on him almost immediately caused Yuwen Tong’s physiological reaction.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Is there anything dirty on my face?”

Ling Zhang rubbed his face in bewilderment. He felt strange when he found Yuwen Tong fixed his eyes on him.

“Nothing, I just saw that you soaked with sweat. Go back and get changed quickly.”

Yuwen Tong withdrew his slightly aggressive eyes, going into the yard with Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang noticed that he was holding a wad of paper. “What’s that?”

“Something helpful. I will tell you after you get dressed.”

Yuwen Tong kept Ling Zhang guessing, which made Ling Zhang desperate to know it. So he immediately went back to his house to change his clothes.

“Young master.”

A man came over from the corridor and bowed to Ling Zhang respectfully.

“Xia Feng, help me get changed and re-comb my hair, too. And, ask them to get me some water, I want to wash up.”

Ling Zhang ordered Xia Feng naturally; and Xia Feng was quick in responding to the order and immediately let other servants get the water. Then he followed Ling Zhang back to the room. The two of them reached a tacit understanding in their every movement.

Yuwen Tong frowned, keeping his eyes on Xia Feng from head to toe.

Xia Feng, whose demeanor was steady, was a few years older than Ling Zhang. He was different from other servants in Ling Zhang’s yard. Obviously, Ling Zhang trusted him. ‘He comes back from Yanzhou so soon?’

Yuwen Tong withdrew his gaze, entering the hall. The servants knew that Yuwen Tong was a man in exalted position and he was on good terms with Young master. So they dared not to slight him.

Ling Zhang finished washing up pretty soon.

“Can you tell me now?”

Ling Zhang understood what Yuwen Tong meant when he glanced at Xia Feng and the other servants. So he said, “You all get out. Xia Feng, go to the kitchen and ask them to bring lunch here. I will have lunch with Lord Yuwen. By the way, tell my grandfather that we won’t join him for lunch.”

“Yes, young master.”

Xia Feng turned and took all others with him when he left.

Ling Zhang urged Yuwen Tong with his expectant eyes.

‘He is really no longer as coy as before.’ Yuwen Tong thought as he unfolded the pile of paper and handed it to Ling Zhang.

Taking it from Yuwen Tong, Ling Zhang was surprised with only one glance. Then he suddenly looked up at Yuwen Tong, “You…”

“Yes, I knew it from you. Do you remember that day I came to find you when you drew it?”

Yuwen Tong’s honesty calmed Ling Zhang down.

“I remembered that I covered it with something.”

“The paper was blown up by the wind, so I saw half of it.”

‘Does he see only half of it? But what he has in his hand is a complete one!’

A thought suddenly occurred to Ling Yong, he looked at Yuwen Tong in disbelief. “Did you complete the rest part yourself?

Yuwen Tong nodded, “Yes, it is not hard to know the other part of the formation. This formation has its rules. So I just have to reason it out.”

Ling Zhang was utterly shocked. How could it be so easy? It was even more shocking than the fact that Yuwen Tong knew about his formation. If he was not very proficient in the knowledge of formation, he wouldn’t be able to do it. Yuwen Tong’s attainments in formation were really excellent. He was really worthy of being a member of the Yuwen Family and the best Marshal of Great Yue.