Chapter 316: Pao Ge

The Yulin Jun Commandery.

Long, gate-shaped corridors surrounded the training ground. To the left were the stables, housing the warhorses of the Yulin Jun. To the right stood the yamen and weapons storage.

A gold plaque hung above the yamen, inscribed with the words "Zhong Qin Wu Bei." The couplet on the door read: "Strategic planning with a three-foot sword," and "Loyal heart to serve the ruler." No one knew who the sycophant was who wrote it, but the calligraphy was quite skilled.

Inside the yamen, Chen Ji sat behind his desk, a brush in hand, recording:

"Duobao, tuition silver fifteen taels; Zhou Chong, tuition silver eight taels; Zhou Li, tuition silver five taels!"

*Smack!* Qi Jianzhe slapped the back of Zhou Li's head.

"Zhou Chong only got eight because his family is strict, but what's your excuse for only five taels? Are you even learning the real stuff?"

Zhou Li replied helplessly,

"Sir, my Zhou family isn't like your Qi family. My monthly salary is only ten taels!"

"You're no stranger to the Eight Great Lanes," Qi Jianzhe turned to Chen Ji and said, "Master, make it ten taels for him."

Chen Ji smiled warmly and replied, "No need. If we made everyone hand over all their silver for tuition, how would they live?" With that, he wrote on the ledger: "Zhou Li, nine taels!"

Chen Ji flipped through the ledger, silently calculating. Excluding himself, there were thirty-seven men from the Yulin Jun who had returned from Gu Yuan. Their combined monthly tuition was five hundred and seventy taels.

At this rate, in two years, he could save up for one spirit pattern, and in another eight years, he could reach the Xun Dao realm!

A twenty-six-year-old official at the Xun Dao realm would be more than secure in life.

But Chen Ji couldn't wait that long. Seeing him frown in silence, Qi Jianzhe thought he was unhappy with the amount and whispered, "Master, those sent to the Yulin Jun are usually not favored at home. They just want a stable job without causing trouble, and they don't have much silver on hand. The truly capable ones, favored by their families, are sent to academies. Now that we've returned from Gu Yuan, everyone's woken up and is eager to make achievements. If you think this silver is too little, once we become generals, we can skim some military pay to honor you."

Li Xuan said angrily,

"What nonsense are you spouting? If you're thinking of embezzling military pay in the future, don't bother learning skills now—it'll only lead to harming others later!"

Qi Jianzhe quickly explained,

"I was just joking!"

Chen Ji stood up. "I'm not upset about the amount. I was thinking about what to teach."

Qi Jianzhe saw Chen Ji close the ledger and asked eagerly, "Master, will you teach us your hundred-pace arrow accuracy, or maybe your horse-riding and archery skills?"

Chen Ji tapped his fingers on the desk, lost in thought. Qi Jianzhe, seeing him remain silent, waved a hand in front of his face.

Suddenly, Chen Ji said,

"Let's start with array formations!"

Qi Jianzhe raised an eyebrow. "Array formations? Why learn them? We already know them—we've drilled the San Cai Array and Mei Hua Array in training. Master, you haven't even used arrays before, right?"

Li Xuan glanced at him. "Still talking back? Have you forgotten your lesson?"

Qi Jianzhe shrank his neck. "I just think learning arrays isn't flashy enough. If we pull off hundred-pace arrow accuracy during the autumn hunt, it'd really impress people! Well, if we're learning arrays, then arrays it is—whatever you teach, I'll learn."

Chen Ji headed toward the door. "Martial skills need practice. If you want hundred-pace accuracy, go shoot ten thousand arrows first! I won't teach fancy tricks. Since I've taken your tuition, I'll teach you skills that can save your lives! Li Xuan, get two shields, four horse spears, one long spear, two tridents, one hard bow, and two bamboo poles, each one zhang long!"

Qi Jianzhe was stunned. "What on earth is bamboo for?"

Even Li Xuan looked puzzled. "We can find the rest, but bamboo? A one-zhang-six bamboo pole isn't easy to get in the north. We'd have to go to the Qi family bamboo grove and hope for luck!"

Chen Ji acknowledged with a hum. "Go find some. We'll talk once you have them!"

Qi Jianzhe asked curiously, "Master, what kind of array is this weird one that needs bamboo? What's it called?"

Chen Ji replied casually,

"Yuan Yang Array!"

The Yulin Jun exchanged glances.

No one had heard of it!

Qi Jianzhe muttered quietly, "What a strange name. Not dominating at all!"

Chen Ji didn't explain. This array, despite its unassuming name, represented the final glory of infantry formations in the era of cold weapons. The Qi family army had used the Yuan Yang Array as their secret weapon, achieving nine victories in nine battles!

He waved his hand. "Go get the bamboo!"

Qi Jianzhe rode off on horseback and didn't return until evening.

He came back shouldering two bamboo poles of uneven length—one one zhang two, the other one zhang one.

He dismounted with the bamboo on his shoulder and handed the reins to a Yulin Jun soldier.

Li Xuan glanced at the bamboo. "Not long enough!"

Qi Jianzhe looked troubled as he said to Li Xuan, "Brother-in-law, you know our family bamboo grove as well as I do. I searched the whole thing, and these are the longest ones—I cut them myself. Father and Grandfather love that bamboo grove; they say it's the essence of the Qi family's scholarly spirit. If they find out I chopped down the tallest ones, they might chop me!"

Li Xuan's face turned serious. "You didn't let anyone see you cutting them, right?"

Qi Jianzhe chuckled. "Don't worry, I was careful. Otherwise, why would I take so long to get back? Hey, where's Master?"

Li Xuan explained, "He left just after shen hour, saying he wanted to check out the performers at Tian Qiao."

Qi Jianzhe said, puzzled, "What's there to see? It's just a bunch of rough guys grappling—ugly as can be!"

At that moment, near the stables, Chen Wenren paused his chat and turned to see Qi Jianzhe with the bamboo poles, handing them to Duobao and Li Cen.

Someone muttered quietly, "What are they up to? Playing house with bamboo?"

Chen Wenren furrowed his brow. "We're the Yulin Jun, the emperor's guard. How can we act so frivolously?"

Someone nearby jeered loudly, "Qi Jianzhe, are you volunteering to sweep the training ground today? Your teacher is something else—doesn't even give you proper weapons."

Duobao and Li Cen looked at each other, embarrassed, and turned away. "Li Sir, could we switch to other weapons? We're both good with spears. Back in Gu Yuan, we picked up some Tian Ce Jun spears and fought together, taking down over ten enemies."

Li Xuan took a deep breath. "We all came back from Gu Yuan—five hundred went, only thirty-seven returned. As long as it keeps you alive and helps you kill enemies, who cares about looking foolish? Look at those dandy soldiers lounging by the stables—that's what you used to be like. Living like them is what truly brings shame!"

From the stables came even louder mockery. Someone grabbed a bamboo broom and mimicked Duobao and Li Cen's poses, like a clown on stage.

Li Xuan swept his gaze coldly. "Ignore them. You all know Chen Ji's capabilities—he wouldn't joke about this. Follow him and train hard. If we really master something, I'll lead you to join the Wansui Army—that's where real men belong!"

To enter the capital from the south, one passes through Yongding Gate.

Beyond Yongding Gate are the Temple of Heaven and the Altar of Mountains and Rivers. Temple fairs are held here, making it one of the busiest spots in the capital.

But if parents hear their child went to Tian Qiao, they'd surely scold them.

"No decent person goes to a place like that!"

Chen Ji walked through the bustling crowds, amid the stench of cow dung and the cries of vendors.

A burly man wielded a red-tasseled spear, surrounded by curious onlookers. He pressed the spear tip against his throat, bending the shaft. Then, a boy next to him circled with a gong, shouting,

"Dear sirs and madams, if you have money, toss some in; if not, lend your presence. A penny is welcome, and so is a hundred!"

As he spoke, the crowd dispersed, leaving only a few copper coins in the gong.

An old man chuckled, "This guy's clearly a newcomer to the capital, honest as can be. Next time, get smarter—ever heard of 'all talk, no action'?"

The honest man put away his spear and asked humbly, "Excuse me, elder, what do you mean by 'all talk, no action'?"

The old man teased, "Collect the money before the trick—when the audience is hooked, that's when they'll pay. Do it after, and who's left to give? Take that fat guy over there who throws knives. He always says he'll blindfold himself and hit the red fruit on his daughter's head, but he collects money first and starts the show over. I've lived in Tian Qiao for years and never seen him actually do it."

The man asked doubtfully, "So, does he even know how?"

The old man laughed and scolded, "Of course not—he wouldn't risk it on his own daughter!"

As Chen Ji passed the red-tasseled spear act, he saw knife throwers, stone-breakers, and weight-lifters along the way. The aroma of boiled tripe from Old Shi's stall wafted by; it was already on the eighth pot, with customers still lining up.

Walking along, a vendor passed by with a shoulder pole, calling out,

"Freshly steamed ai wo wo—hot from the pot!"

Chen Ji stepped aside and turned to see the most crowded spot, surrounded by layers of people. He wondered what was inside.

He glanced around, then went up to the second floor of a nearby tavern and leaned over the railing to watch.

In the center of the crowd were two bare-chested men. One had a full back tattoo, blue ink spreading from his neck to his wrists, his skin glistening with oil under the sunset.

The other was clean and unmarked, his muscles taut and wiry.

From the crowd, someone shouted to the clean one, "Brother Pao, take him down!"

Chen Ji observed quietly. The men around them were no push-overs—one side had iron rulers and axes at their waists, the other had long daggers. The groups were clearly divided.

A skinny old man in black cloth shoes walked slowly into the ring.

His young followers stood at the four corners, weapons in hand.

This was to secure the area—no fighters allowed in except the contestants. Anyone who intruded would face three cuts and six stabs!

The old man stood in the center, calm and composed.

"Today, He Ji and Rui Fu Xiang have invited us to settle the 'Li Sha Mao Hutong' business fairly. Win or lose, honor the bet—don't make us elders laugh. Enough talk—let's begin!"

As he stepped out, before he could turn around, cheers erupted from the Rui Fu Xiang side.

"Good!"

Chen Ji watched as Brother Pao suddenly struck, swiftly circling behind his opponent and applying a naked chokehold!

He used his forearm to press on the opponent's carotid artery, his right hand locking onto his left wrist. No matter how the other struggled, he couldn't break free.

In just a few breaths, the opponent fell into oxygen deprivation and passed out.

Chen Ji realized he didn't need to watch anymore—Brother Pao had given him the answer he sought.

From ancient times, wrestling techniques had always included back controls, similar across styles.

But before the nineteenth century, judo and wrestling focused on "control techniques."

It was the emergence of "choking techniques" that turned judo into a new art form.

Brother Pao, we meet again!