I still don't think this is very plausible. Besides them, how could there possibly be people from the Song Dynasty in this era? Even if what Li Jingshui said is true, they could be modern people, right? You know, martial arts are a national treasure passed down through generations, and it's not necessarily only ancient people who knew them.
Only then did I have a chance to ask Xu Delong, "Where are the rest of you?"
Li Jingshui said, "Teacher Yan led us to go running. He said that we should develop morally, intellectually, and physically in an all-round way, and he insisted on making us run 5 miles every day."
I shook my head and said, "Couldn't he have found a better way to commit suicide?"
Chapter Sixty-Eight: Eating, Sleeping, and Beating Qin Hui
Just then, Yan Jingsheng and his men returned. The 298 soldiers strolled back, chatting and laughing. Yan Jingsheng, however, was pale and drenched in sweat, leaning against the tent, unable to utter a word. Xu Delong said, "He's made progress. Yesterday he vomited after running two miles, but today I heard he only fell behind halfway through the race."
I walked up to Yan Jingsheng and said, "Teacher Yan, from now on you only need to teach them academic subjects, you don't need to work so hard."
Yan Jingsheng, leaning against the tent and panting for a while, finally said, "That won't do. This is a school for both academics and martial arts; they need to learn both. I've noticed these students are all in excellent physical condition and are particularly suited to military-style management. I've been thinking about my own military training experience, and I haven't forgotten it. Today, I'll start teaching them marching and unarmed combat techniques. I have a former classmate who works in the army's mess hall; I'd like to invite him to be an after-school tutor..."
"Then go ahead and do it—"
I arrived at the Liangshan camp with the needle in my hand. I was puzzled as to why the Liangshan heroes remained completely unaware of two previous reconnaissance missions. In terms of individual skill, these heroes were certainly superior, and the astute Shi Qian was still there last time. This could only mean that even if someone had indeed reconnoitered the camp, it was only targeting Yue Fei's army.
I first found An Daoquan and explained my purpose. An Daoquan rubbed his hands and said, "Cupping isn't difficult, but we don't have the tools." Then he went out to find some. I arrived at Lu Junyi's tent, and we met. I showed the needle to Wu Yong, who poked at it with a small stick, adjusted his glasses, and said, "According to Li Jingshui, if that person is extremely skilled in night-walking, he should be adept at assassination. But to fail at such a short distance... there must be something puzzling about this." He then said to Duan Jingzhu, the golden retriever who was watching the commotion, "Go and invite Tang Long."
A short while later, a man lifted the curtain and entered, revealing a pockmarked face. I've seen all these heroes before, but I couldn't recall their names. Only today have I recognized them. After hearing what had happened, Tang Long bent down to examine the needle and immediately said with certainty, "This is not a hidden weapon, nor is it something from our era."
I said, "Are you sure?"
Wu Yong interjected, "This Brother Tang Long is nicknamed 'Golden Leopard.' His ancestors have made a living by forging for generations. They are in charge of military equipment manufacturing on the mountain. If he says it's not true, then it's definitely not true."
Tang Long carefully examined the needle's end, saying, "From its craftsmanship to its texture, it's nothing like what we had back then; it's much more durable." He looked at it a few more times before finally concluding, "This is just an ordinary acupuncture needle. The night traveler probably used a blowpipe, but because it wasn't a professional blowpipe, the accuracy and speed were much worse—a blowpipe would be smaller and finer, and the end wouldn't have so many patterns. As for what kind of poison it contains, it's a pity my deputy isn't here; he's in charge of poisoning."
Wu Yong said, "Xiao Qiang, besides our Liangshan brothers and Yue Fei's army, do you know any other people from our dynasty?"
I said blankly, "That's all." I immediately thought of Li Shishi. However, I could rule her out completely. Even if she was hiding her martial arts skills, she couldn't possibly be in two places at once—she spent the whole night discussing wedding dresses with Baozi.
"Then the problem is clear. It must be your current enemy who happens to know a little martial arts and came to cause trouble because they know you opened a school."
I nodded; this was the only explanation for the time being. If I had any enemies before, they wouldn't have hated me to the point of wanting to poison me with needles. But now, Liu Xuan is one. Could this kid really have some tricks up his sleeve? I have to settle accounts with this bastard.
Just then, An Daoquan returned, carrying a small fish tank. As soon as he saw me, he said hurriedly, "Hurry up and take off your clothes." I asked him what he was doing. He said, "Didn't you want to get cupping done? Hurry up, I borrowed this fish tank from Dong Ping. His fish can't last long in paper cups."
I screamed and jumped into a corner, glancing at the fish tank in his hand, which was as big as a small flowerpot. Trembling, I asked, "You're the one who uses a fish tank to give people cupping therapy? Were you forced to join Liangshan, or did you run away because you owed too many lives?"
An Daoquan chuckled and said, "You're making a fuss over nothing. I've even pulled wine jars out of people's hands before."
Hearing him say that reassured me a little, but I still couldn't help asking, "Are you really sure?"
An Daoquan retorted angrily, "You don't trust my reputation as a reincarnation of Hua Tuo?"
Of all these heroes, the ones I dare not offend the most are Hu Sanniang and An Daoquan. The former is too ruthless, and as for An Daoquan, medical care is so expensive these days; I rely on him to save me money when I have minor troubles.
I slowly walked up to him and pleaded, "Dr. An, please have mercy!"
An Daoquan said impatiently, "Hurry up, Dong Ping is waiting."
I had no choice but to take off my clothes and sit up straight. I was sweating profusely from fear, and my cold was almost completely gone. An Daoquan lit two pieces of paper with a match, threw them into the fish tank, shook them, and then slammed them onto my back.
At first, I didn't feel anything, but I asked cautiously, "Dr. An, you said you used a wine jar for cupping, what happened to that person afterwards?"
An Daoquan wiped his hands with a wet towel and said, "Is that even a question? He's dead."
Upon hearing this, I jumped up and grabbed a broom to hit the fish tank on my back, but An Daoquan pushed me back onto a stool and said, "He died in battle later."
"Why didn't you say so earlier? It's been 900 years now, of course I know he's dead."
"You know it already, why are you asking?" An Daoquan suddenly noticed the needle. He picked it up excitedly. "Xiao Qiang, let me give you another injection so you'll recover faster—" he said, aiming it at my head.
I rushed to the tent entrance and shouted, "Put it down! It's poisoned!"
An Daoquan glanced at me and said slowly, "Just based on your movements just now, Lin Chong should teach you his spear technique." He held the needle to his nose and smelled it, saying, "It's not poison, it's just an anesthetic."
"Anesthetic?" I asked curiously.
"Hmm, have you heard of Mafeisan? This needle is the same thing, but with a few different ingredients, making it more potent."
"So this medicine was prepared by people from your time?"
An Daoquan shook his head: "It's hard to say. If you people nowadays have the recipe, it's easy for you to prepare it."
At this moment, the fish tank on my back began to tighten, and since it had a threaded opening, it was digging into my flesh and was extremely painful. I stretched my arms up and down behind my back and said, "Dr. An, can I take it off now? I feel like I'm completely cured."
"It's not a good time yet. The suction is at its strongest right now. If you try to pull it out forcefully, you'll damage the fish tank."
That sentence almost made me so angry I wanted to smash my head against his head. He was more worried about the fish tank than my life. I grabbed the broom again, and An Daoquan shouted, "Go ahead, hit him! Dong Ping has a temper worse than Li Kui. If you break his fish tank, he'll break your head!"
I slumped down, utterly dejected: "Why is my life so miserable?"
An Daoquan smiled and plucked two twigs from the broom to scrape the fish tank off for me. He said, "Put on some clothes, don't catch a cold, and don't take a bath."
I don't know if it was from the shock and sweating or from the cupping, but I felt much lighter after leaving the tent. I strolled back to the construction site with my hands behind my back, like a groundhog patrolling its territory. Lai Zi, who had somehow appeared, followed me around like a puppy, saying ingratiatingly, "Brother Qiang is here."
I nodded in satisfaction and said, "You did a good job, you didn't miss a single day of work. I'll give you a full attendance bonus after you finish." Zi quickly handed me a cigarette, "Thanks, Brother Qiang." Lai Zi wasn't a bad person, and he had a family to support. If he could find a decent job, he wouldn't want to slack off.
As I was smoking, Lai Zi suddenly said, "Brother Qiang, I heard you offended everyone in the underworld yesterday?"
"Huh? How come I didn't know?"
"I heard it from the news. A few old guys invited you to dinner, but you refused to come. Aren't you afraid they'll come over and cause you trouble?"