Chapter 215: Senior Brothers

Gao Zhijian’s face was flushed. Mustering all his strength, he tremblingly lifted the massive halberd and placed it back onto the ox cart. Without pausing to catch his breath, he picked up a cloth and carefully wrapped the sharp halberd head.

Junior Brother Li had warned him that the halberd must be wrapped after practice. Its previous owner was a general from Later Shu, and if it were recognized by Qingqiu officials, it would inevitably lead to trouble. He looked at the wrapped halberd, then, feeling a bit helpless, scratched the back of his head. He had practiced for so long, yet he could still barely lift it. In that woman's hands, however, the halberd had seemed as light as paper.

He gestured with his hand to estimate its length, pondering that perhaps shortening it would make it lighter. Besides, twelve feet was too long if he were to use it himself. A twelve-foot weapon was only suitable for mounted combat. Unless he was a spearman, it would be too long for ground fighting and make it difficult to counter-attack if an opponent closed in.

He pulled back the ox cart's curtain and carefully examined the heavy armor piled haphazardly inside, occasionally holding pieces against himself to gauge the fit. Gao Zhijian knew these armor plates were extraordinary, as they had been able to block Junior Brother Li's sword. However, the woman was much larger than him, so if he wanted to wear the armor, he would need a blacksmith to modify it. Then there was the weight; the full set of armor weighed several hundred pounds. He didn't have enough strength for it, so he still needed to train more.

"Idiot, what are you doing? Come here, I need to talk to you about something. It's good news!"

Gao Zhijian turned around with a displeased look, lowering his gaze to Gouwa.

"Hey, do you see those women? A few of them seem to have taken an interest in you."

Gao Zhijian looked up and saw the women huddled together secretly watching him. As soon as they realized he had noticed them, they quickly drew their heads back.

"Hey, idiot, do you want a wife? If you do, I'll play the matchmaker for you."

With a bitter expression, Gao Zhijian turned back and continued to fiddle with the armor plates, completely ignoring Gouwa.

"Are you seriously going to complain that they're 'dirty'? You call them dirty, but they haven't called you an idiot. People like us shouldn't be picky; you'd better find someone and settle down quickly, because this opportunity won't last."

"Let me tell you, I've got a lead. You'll be attending our wedding feast soon enough."

"Go... go... go..." Gao Zhijian stammered.

"Going? Alright, let's go take a look then."

"Go... go... get away!" he roared, startling Gouwa.

"I'm only worrying about your important life matters because I treat you like a brother. In the future, you might not even find someone if you try."

Gao Zhijian shoved Gouwa, sending him stumbling backward and falling to the ground. With a scowl, Gouwa grumbled as he walked away, heading towards Zhao Wu, who was sitting on the ox cart nearby.

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Gao Zhijian called out, making a series of sounds to attract dogs, addressing Mantou, who was resting under the carriage. Hearing the sounds, Mantou stretched vigorously, extending his front paws straight out. Then, with ears flattened against his head, he wagged his head and trotted over to Gao Zhijian.

Gao Zhijian carefully held the dog in his arms, stroking it repeatedly. Feeling the soft fur brush against his palm, he couldn't help but break into a goofy grin. He reached into his tunic and pulled out half a yellow biscuit, waving it at Mantou. Seeing the food, Mantou's tail instantly wagged even faster. Gao Zhijian pinched off some crumbs from the biscuit and placed them in his palm, quietly savoring the sensation of Mantou's tongue repeatedly licking his palm. Mantou ate quickly, finishing the half biscuit in no time. Gao Zhijian closed his eyes and buried his face in the dog's fur, rubbing against it. He liked dogs; dogs were better than people. Gao Zhijian even thought about asking Junior Brother Li to give him this dog.

After rubbing for a while, he opened his eyes and carefully pulled out the military strategy book from his tunic, beginning to read it intently. He didn't know why he never tired of reading it repeatedly. Even though he couldn't fully understand some of the content, he felt an undeniable sense of familiarity with the book.

In the distance, Gouwa watched Gao Zhijian holding Mantou, shaking his head in resignation. "Sigh, this idiot really hasn't figured things out. He ignores women to play with a dog."

"Gouwa, I advise you to behave yourself," Zhao Wu said, holding an old abacus as he counted supplies. "If you try anything rough with those women, Senior Brother Li might not be free to deal with you now, but Xiaoman will definitely cut you down with his sword."

"What are you saying? You're not coming with me, and now you're badmouthing me? Do I, Gouwa, really need to resort to force to find a wife?"

"When it comes to women, I'm quite skilled! Just you watch, I'll definitely hook up with someone before we reach Liang. Want to bet?"

"Alright, alright, you're so skilled, fine. Go ahead and flirt, just don't bother me. I still need to sort out these accounts; if I don't distribute things properly, you'll be starving next meal."

Gouwa scratched the vitiligo on his face. He looked at Zhao Wu, whose shoulders were uneven, and still persistently tried to persuade him: "Are you really not coming with me? People like us need to know our place. If you don't seize this chance, you'll be a bachelor your whole life."

Zhao Wu was truly annoyed. "Senior Brother Li is injured so badly, and you still have time to talk about this?"

"His broken arm can grow back; what's there to worry about? You're all just worrying for nothing."

"Following along this whole way, I've finally understood. Senior Brother Li is simply the best!" Gouwa declared, sticking his thumb up high. "Don't worry, even if King Yama himself came for him, he'd be fine."

A trace of worry appeared in Zhao Wu's eyes. Recalling everything he had seen recently, Senior Brother Li didn't seem to be in any trouble at all. They all had their flaws, but only Senior Brother Li's were invisible, making them perhaps the most formidable.

"Why are you worrying? Senior Brother Li is practically a demi-immortal now, with so many supernatural abilities. Even if there's real trouble, how could we possibly help?"

"Zhao Wu, didn't I just say? People should know their own limits. I know I'm not capable, so I wisely don't bother myself with such concerns."

"How can you be so unambitious?"

"Oh, come on, as if you're so ambitious yourself," Gouwa said, his face full of disdain. "Besides Senior Brother Li, anyone with ambition would have been killed by Baldy in that cave long ago."

The clatter of the abacus suddenly stopped. Zhao Wu's voice was hesitant as he asked, "Gouwa, do you think Senior Brother Li could teach us some of his supernatural abilities?"

As soon as Zhao Wu spoke, Gouwa immediately clutched his stomach and started to walk away. "Oh dear, oh dear, my stomach suddenly hurts. I need to go to the latrine. Let's talk later." He had understood long ago that Senior Brother Li's supernatural abilities came at a cost. Chun Xiaoman had lost an arm just by using them once; it was terrifying. He also suspected that Senior Brother Li's increasing madness was a consequence of these very abilities. He certainly didn't want to suffer such a fate.