Временные трудности / Temporary hardships: Глава 5

Chapter 5, in which the hero appreciates the beauty of the wilderness and learns the secret of the food of the gods

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:19

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Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:19

"You'll never be like me."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:19

Han roared, blinded by hatred. The words spoken by one villain and repeated by another villain were maddening, not only in their meaning, but also in the tone of absolute unquestioning confidence with which they were spoken. If before he had been afraid of the master, always waiting for pain and beatings, now everything had changed. He was now a true warrior - he had qi, which meant that there were no obstacles, but only only temporary hardships.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:20

As it soon turned out, he roared again, this time in pain. A slow and somewhat lazy kick of his foot struck him in the chest and threw him away, making him tumble and roll across the plaza. If it had hit the wall, the wall would have been splattered with shards of stone. If Han hadn't gathered his qi and tried to close in, Mother Lihua might have lost her favorite son. For a moment, he even regretted using qi to protect himself. If he had died, then everyone would have realized how stupid and cruel they had been, how unfairly he had been treated, and how little he had been valued! His mother, father, and those foolish ancestors who took oaths left and right and made vows to various scoundrels!

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:21

Han was snapped out of his sad thoughts about the hardships and injustices of fate by a loud, villainous laugh. The master, trying to imitate the villains from the crystals, was clearly overplaying. This triggered another fit of rage.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:23

"If a tadpole will constantly fall for the tricks of the enemy, it will never become not only a carp but even a fry," the master mocked. "Even an egg is able to remember that teasing, insults, and hurtful words during a fight are also weapons designed to piss off the opponent and deprive him of mental balance. And since your memory is so bad, it's my duty as a teacher to improve it. What's the best stance to clear your mind?"

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:24

"Yoo-boo, Master!" Han muttered. He hated this stance, not even because it was difficult to stand - he often had to freeze in much more uncomfortable positions - but because of the lectures that went along with it.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:25

"Why yoo-boo?" The master asked. "Tell me what it means."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:25

Han already knew that he should first take a stand and then begin to recite the theory because the trick of "babbling the teacher" never worked, as he would first answer all the questions and then punish him for "wasted time." So Han got into a stance that was supposed to be that of a swimming fish, with his arms and legs bending gracefully like the movements of a trout in theory, but in practice was more like the slouching of a peasant looking for a place in the nearest bushes.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:27

"Yoo-boo or Fish Step is a stance that symbolizes flexibility, harmony, and adaptability. Just as a fish swimming in a changing current reacts to all surprises, a warrior standing in this stance feels the world around him with his whole body."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:28

"Good job, that's good! Keep your knees together! And don't forget to keep your fins up, ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!'

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:28

Han almost growled, but obediently raised his hands.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:29

"It's okay that you can't do it," the villain continued. "After all, a yoo-boo is a fish stance. What are you?"

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:29

"Tadpole, Master!"

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:29

"But in order to turn into a fish and perform the stance correctly, a tadpole has to become at least a fry. It's only in your crystals a simple inept can turn into a Qi Master without any effort."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:30

Eh, how many years, cycles, or eras had it been since he'd watched the crystals?

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:31

The master's words, spoken in a kind and gentle tone, unexpectedly hurt. First of all, no hero became a master for nothing! He had to go through many hardships, sleep in inns with suspicious guests, fight bandits, and go up against powerful warriors and sorcerers. Secondly, to imagine the same Bao Xiao running hundreds of laps, carrying heavy stones, and eating the food of servants and dogs did not work. And thirdly, the master's soft and friendly tone always meant one thing: Han was about to be beaten.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:41

"Not bad, not bad... not bad for a tadpole," the blow hit Han's leg from behind. "But you're not very good at reacting to all surprises."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:48

His knee buckled, and Han collapsed before he could gather his qi.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:48

"Take a yoo-boo stance."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:48

"Yes, Master," Han replied, rising, with a slight sigh.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:49

"Concentrate! Well, since the stand symbolizes flexibility and adaptability, then flexibly adapt not only to hold qi but also at the same time quote the basic stratagems of the treatise Battle Strategies of the Indomitable Dragon."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:50

"Yes, Master," he sighed louder this time.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:50

"And then, since you're already a tadpole, we'll go camping."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:51

"Yes, Master."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:51

* * *

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:19

Long ago, shortly after he had received his adult name, Han had been hunting several times. He was an enthusiastic young man, almost a child, not yet wise enough to have written a single utterance. He had heard his father, his father's guardsmen, and his brother tell him how much fun and excitement hunting was, how much it stirred the blood of a real man. That only by hunting could a man be called a man, that only by killing a beast with a bow and roasting it on the fire and eating it himself could he speak of the real taste of food.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:55

As it turned out in practice - it was all a lie.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:55

The saddle he had ridden on at first was stiff and chafed his delicate, sensitive thighs. The bushes and low branches clung to his clothes and sometimes whipped his face. The servants accompanying the procession were clumsy and unhurried, and when he, tired of riding, got into the palanquin, they could not carry him smoothly without rocking him. They even stumbled, so much so that once Han nearly fell to the ground.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:56

The hunters, including his father and brother, only laughed and said, "It's all right. He'll understand soon." And he did understand when, instead of a comfortable chair or at least soft cushions, he had to sit on the ground covered with a blanket! It was unheard of, but not only members of House Nao but even other aristocrats became rude and ill-mannered once they entered the forest. They laughed loudly, cursed, and treated the servants almost as equals - letting them speak first, sometimes resting, and even eating the leftovers from their table!

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 15:57

Instead of "exciting chases" and "confrontation between man and beast," Han got only a long, boring run through the forest, with nothing to look at but a glimpse of identical trees. And when the pursuers found first a boar and then a deer, the disappointment came with renewed vigor. The animals were caught on slingshots by the servants, and then the hunters shot them with bows - the spectacle of the killing was utterly inelegant and vulgar. Blood, convulsing animals, released entrails, skinned hides, and bloody carcasses - then Han vomited in the bushes for a long time. And as the pinnacle of his dashed hopes, the praised fire-roasted meat was not only no better than the palace cooks' delicacies but also tough, overcooked in some places, and half-cooked in others. When Han suggested that he have the servants cook the meat, his father only laughed and went back to talking about "real men."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:00

It was after his second hunt that Han stepped onto the path of philosophy, writing in a scroll, //"Be cautious, behind the clouds of promises lies lies."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:01

And now he was remembering that wisdom again, marveling at how smart he had been even then and how much worse things were now.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:01

"The servants aren't going anywhere!" The bastard's decisive gesture stopped the two tall men carrying large sacks from accompanying Han.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:02

"But everything I need is here! Master, I can't go into the forest with nothing!"

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:02

"You have qi. That's enough," said the scoundrel in a condescending manner. "You will make or obtain everything you need with your own hands."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:03

"But ma-aster!"

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:06

"You're right, though!" The sudden docility of his master was not only unpleasant but also frightening to the point of wetting his pants.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:08

"Really, Master?" Han didn't believe it.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:08

"Have I ever lied to you?"

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:08

Han could go on and on about the times this despicable, hypocritical, vile, and disgusting impostor had deceived, lied, and misled him. But he was well aware of the consequences of answering truthfully, so he just shook his head negatively.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:09

"It might not even have all the things you and I will need. But we'll make do with what little we have. Shall we go?"

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:10

"Yes, Master!" Han agreed happily, making a sign for the servants to follow him.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:11

"Your qi, disciple, must have become stagnant, accumulated in the stomach area, and flowed away from your head and ears. Where in the expression "you and me" does it refer to the imperial procession with maids, eunuchs, servants, and palanquins?"

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:12

"But the cargo, Master?" Han was surprised. "It's very heavy!"

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:12

"Hardship and tribulations only harden the body and will," the bastard quoted the Han scroll again. "So you will carry the sacks yourself."

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:13

Han really wanted to ask what the master would be doing at this time, but he already knew the answer.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:13

His premonitions had not deceived him: he had to run through a wilderness devoid of paths and roads, stumbling over limbs and falling into holes. He had to scramble through thickets and wade through shallow rivers, and the straps of the two huge sacks were unbearably buried in his shoulders. He had to spend the night on the bare ground, which had become an integral part of his life, for he had no time or energy to build a shelter. And while the master was comfortably settled in the silk tent on the soft bedding, he simply fell into darkness from fatigue and hunger. He had to drink directly from the streams and chase after prey like a wild animal, hoping to get a piece of meat. While the master ate the supplies the servants had prepared with evident pleasure, Han had only to choke on his saliva and look at the raw entrails of a rabbit he had killed himself, which he could not cook because he did not know how to cook and had no fire to make.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:51

"Rotten logs like this are the best. If you turn them upside down, you'll find lots of tasty insects," the bastard said, popping a particularly juicy maggot into his mouth and eating a peacock roll in lotus leaves.

Camrad_RIP 11.01.24 в 16:52