When I Was Young (3)

The horse galloped swiftly, whipping up the wind with a howl, tearing at the cloak behind it, and the blood in its veins rustled along with the wind.

At the edge of the sparse forest, armed guards were gathering towards them.

He no longer halted his horse but charged straight ahead.

He found that when he wanted to charge through recklessly, there was no one to stop him at all.

The Wolf Fang Drill Ground was originally called the East Forest Drill Ground and was the best sandy ground in Changxiang City. Changxiang City was a mountain city, flat ground was hard to come by, and this sandy ground was originally shared by the Lian, Yang, and He families. Later, the Lian family declined, and Old Master Yang Dingtu of the Yang family established the military academy. This piece of land became the sole property of the He family.

It was almost noon at this time, and the morning exercises had just ended. There were only two hundred cavalrymen playing around in the spacious drill ground. Qi Qingzheng looked around but couldn't find He Peiyu. The scene was lively, so he couldn't help but stop and watch for a while. The more he looked, the more interesting it became...

Two hundred soldiers, one dressed in black and the other in white, each team with only ten wearing armor, were competing for a girl in the center.

The team in black was trying their best to bring the girl to one end, while the white team did the opposite.

Soldiers wearing armor threw and caught people, while those in plain clothes intercepted with wax rods. If the rod touched the body, even if it wasn't fatal, the person had to leave the field. Perhaps it was stipulated that the girl must not touch the ground, so all the passes on horseback were high and low throws. The speed of the horses was extremely fast, collisions were hard to avoid, and as long as one person made a mistake, the girl would fall to the ground and definitely die.

"Wow! Wow!" A black-armored soldier galloped towards an empty space on the left side of the drill ground.

His comrade already surrounded by the crowd, with a wave of his hands, threw the girl in his arms high towards him. The black-armored soldier urged his horse to the limit, the girl's landing point was about to be off by half a foot to the right. She was about to fall and be smashed to death. The black-armored soldier lifted his left leg from the stirrup, almost hanging half of his body on the galloping horse, reached out, and grabbed the girl's skirt with force - the girl screamed, her body rolling in the air, her skirt torn apart, her waist firmly held in his arms.

The horse was also a good horse, well-trained. Even under such strong lateral force, it kept galloping. The soldier held the girl, sat upright in the saddle, urged the horse along the edge of the drill ground, but when there were opponents intercepting ahead, he had no move out. So with a leap, the horse jumped over the opponents' heads - in the moment the opponents reined in their horses to evade, he lifted his feet from the stirrups, slipped out from between the horses, and was already standing at the other end of the drill ground.

The little beauty was probably scared half to death, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck. She was almost naked, with only a thin silk scarf dyed with gold powder wrapped around her chest. Her fair skin, seaweed-like long hair, and long skirt torn apart, revealing two sturdy and slender legs and half of a buttock that made men's blood boil. She was trembling, but even her trembling looked like a dance.

She was the trophy of the day. No matter where she was placed, someone would praise her as an extraordinary beauty.

The thunderous cheers immediately erupted on the field.

Qi Qingzheng sat on his horse, licking his lips. He wasn't a soldier, but he wasn't blind either. Anyone could see that these people were playing a perverse game. Among the two hundred elite soldiers on the field, their control over the horses was almost at will. The speed of the charge, the agility of the encirclement, the tacit cooperation... all surpassed the ordinary soldiers. What was even more frightening was that they seemed like a pack of hungry wolves fighting over fresh meat, but when they obtained the meat, they still had to control their desires.

They had a stronger desire, which was victory.

The victorious soldier walked towards Qi Qingzheng. As he walked, he unfastened his armor, threw it on the ground, and took off his helmet, tossing it far away, letting his long hair fall down. He took off a golden ring from his waist and tossed it aside.

The silver-gray arrow gown inside the armor was already half wet with sweat, and there was a golden thread embroidered wolf skeleton on it. It wound from the waist to the left shoulder, with a wolf skull on the chest. The four fangs looked almost lifelike, with a chilling darkness in the eye sockets, as if watching Qi Qingzheng.

"Qi Qingzheng." The man said, "I am He Peiyu."

"I guessed as much." Qi Qingzheng dismounted, feeling like his equestrian skills were like a child's play in front of this man.

He Peiyu was a full head taller than him, with two sturdy arms on his tall body. His face was angular, with prominent eyebrows that connected to his thin nose, forming a "ding" shape. His eye sockets were like chiseled cracks on black rocks, with slanted corners, making people uncomfortable even when he smiled.

He didn't speak fast, but each word was concise, sounding like a series of heavy blows on a chopping block. He looked at Qi Qingzheng, then at Jia Xi behind him. "The slaves of the Qi family really are notorious for their lack of rules."

Before Qi Qingzheng could speak, he already felt the pressure. This man's speech was too aggressive, forcing people to speak at his speed and intensity, or else they would be controlled.

Jia Xi reacted quickly and quickly knelt down to salute.

He Peiyu didn't even glance at him, walking straight past him.

"The Qi family's people don't need your reprimand." Qi Qingzheng had to force himself to stop following He Peiyu, "What's the meaning of you sending that box to me? If you had no other intentions, I'll go back."

"What?" He Peiyu kept walking.

Qi Qingzheng almost repeated his question, clenching his fist and steadying his mind. "If you don't have any other intentions, I'll leave."

"I have no other intentions." He Peiyu walked six steps before stopping and turning around. "I just wanted to see what kind of person my future brother-in-law is."

"What future brother-in-law?" The moment the words came out, Qi Qingzheng bit his tongue hard. It was hard to dominate the conversation in front of this man; he would inadvertently follow his lead.

He Peiyu scanned his face up and down several times, making sure he wasn't pretending to be stupid, before asking somewhat strangely, "You slighted my sister. My mother went to see your mother. Even if you're stupid, shouldn't you ask when?"

Qi Qingzheng felt a bit annoyed. He thought that matter had been resolved after his mother intervened, but apparently, it was just the beginning. He suppressed his frustration and said, "If you want to see me, there are hundreds of ways. Is killing someone one of them?"

He Peiyu looked even more puzzled, "Killing someone? Are you talking about the two heads I sent over? Qi Qingzheng, since the Qi family and the He family are to be married, we should let bygones be bygones and show some sincerity first. Yet, you're still not happy?"

Wait a moment... Qi Qingzheng was completely confused. It turns out that killing the two maidservants was actually meant to be a gesture of goodwill. He and He Peiyu looked at each other, seeing in each other a similar but different creature. Qi Qingzheng had no idea how to continue the conversation. He clenched his fists and then released them, released them and then clenched his fists again: "What are you thinking! Although they are maidservants, they have been with your sister since childhood, growing up together, playing together, and... you just killed two of them in front of He Yingning. Did you ever consider her feelings?"

"You dare to lecture me?" He Peiyu's smile faded: "When you took off my sister's clothes, did you consider her feelings?"

Qi Qingzheng sneered: "Stop it. She took off her clothes herself, I didn't do anything."

He Peiyu's black eyes felt scorching: "Don't think you can say whatever you want just because you're young."

Qi Qingzheng still sneered: "I thought I was being quite polite."

He Peiyu couldn't help but chuckle: "Oh? What can you do if you're not polite? Complain to my father? Or... hide in your sister's room and cry?"

Qi Qingzheng's face reddened slightly: "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

He Peiyu nodded: "I'm sorry, but that's exactly what I think. Strictly speaking, I don't hold you in very high regard."

Qi Qingzheng's fists were sore from clenching them all day.

He Peiyu calmly advised him: "Although your father's background may have some flaws, he single-handedly defended Changxiang City. He is worthy of the 'Qi' character. Everyone in the sixteen families respects him as Lord Xiang. Although your sister is a woman, unfortunately, the Qi family lacks male heirs, so she has to bear the responsibility of the eldest son. But you... frankly, I don't even know if you truly belong among us. Qi Qingzheng, I've heard about you since I came back. When you were younger, you caused some trivial trouble, at most making your father the subject of some jokes. But now you're fifteen, if you continue to be a joke, I don't want to marry my sister to you—I have made myself clear, haven't I?"

"You've made yourself clear enough," Qi Qingzheng replied indignantly. "But there may be a slight misunderstanding between us. I happen to not want to marry your sister."

He Peiyu furrowed his brows: "What did you say?"

Qi Qingzheng grinned: "I said I don't want to marry He Yingning. Her chest is too small, I don't like it."

He Peiyu sighed: "It seems that Prime Minister Qi has indeed been too busy with state affairs to raise his children."

"You don't have to keep bringing up my father." Qi Qingzheng crossed his arms. "What's so great about it? If you have the ability, come at me. I'll tell you the truth—really, I don't think highly of you either. All this talk about wolf's fangs and dog's teeth, it sounds so heroic, smashing a girls' school is so impressive, killing female slaves is so powerful, even the way you throw women about accurately is so skillful. I just don't understand, where were you when Sikong Zhilong attacked? Even if I'm useless, I've seen Sikong Zhilong on the city walls when I was a child, I even peed at him from a distance. And you? Who did you go crying to?"

He Peiyu's eyes darkened again.

"Is glaring really that powerful? Can you make flowers bloom with it?" Qi Qingzheng put his hands on his hips: "You dare to say my father has a bad background while you have a fishbone hanging on your body?"

He Peiyu took a step forward: "Qi Qingzheng, this is the Turing on the flag of the He family army, the family emblem passed down from generation to generation. Your offense just now is enough to provoke a war between two families, you should be careful."

"Alright, even if it's the family emblem—"

"It's not even if, it is the family emblem. This is the honor bestowed upon us by the gods." He Peiyu took another step forward: "And, even among the sixteen families, not every family has it. Some newly rising stars don't. Qi Qingzheng, you, dare to mock me, I want to ask you, what is the Qi family emblem?"

The Qi family was one of the "newly rising stars", only occupying a place among the sixteen families a hundred years ago. It was only after Qi Xiang repelled Sikong Zhilong that they took the top spot in the genealogy. In family exchanges, Qi Xiang could only write the word "Qi" with a pen, unable to produce any symbol of noble lineage.

Qi Qingzheng still stood with his hands on his hips, took a deep breath, and looked straight into He Peiyu's eyes, answering word by word, "I am the family emblem."

"You?" He Peiyu wasn't someone who laughed a lot, but he really wanted to laugh.

"Yes, me." Qi Qingzheng raised his head and stood upright: "You want to teach me a lesson, and I want to teach you one too. How about this, we'll have a showdown, using your most familiar method—hundred against hundred. If you win, from now on, I'll never go west if you tell me to go east, and if you ask me to marry your elder sister, I'll never marry your younger sister. If you lose, I want you to repair the Lanzhi Academy and kowtow to apologize in front of those you killed."

"You arrogant child."

"What do you say?"

"Not much, I won't agree. I can rebuild the Lanzhi Academy, but I won't kowtow to slaves. Your bet itself is an insult to me." He Peiyu replied slowly, "If you win, I'll give you my head."

"You're crazy, you must be crazy. You like collecting heads, I don't, and what do I need your head for?" Qi Qingzheng tapped his chin in annoyance, "How about this, if I win, every time you see me, take off that fishbone, it's distracting." 

"Very well." He Peiyu extended a hand. "I'll add one condition: if you lose, I want Qi Qingran to take off her clothes and let me have a look. Don't worry, I won't do anything without her consent."

"What does my sister have to do with you!"

"You've been humiliating my family, and I've only done the same to yours." He Peiyu kept his hand out, friendly but condescending: "I was joking with you. I have a very good impression of Qingran, very good indeed. I accept your challenge, sincerely wanting to share the burden for Lord Xiang and teach you something you should have learned long ago. How about it? Too scared? Then get lost."

Qi Qingzheng slapped his hand, gripping it tightly. He felt like He Peiyu's hand was as strong as a pair of iron tongs, so he exerted all his strength to avoid being overwhelmed.

This little trick seemed interesting to He Peiyu. Playing with it lightly, he chuckled, "I won't take advantage of you. Three days from now, at sunrise, I'll be at the parade ground of the Dianjiang academy waiting for you. Don't stand me up."

"Alright!" Qi Qingzheng stomped away.

When he mounted his horse, he felt a little scared. He had witnessed He Peiyu's two-hundred-man team. To be honest, he didn't think he stood a chance.