Временные трудности / Temporary hardships: Глава 8

Chapter 8, in which the hero learns a lot of new and interesting things, but does not feel happy about it

Camrad_RIP 12.01.24 в 21:59

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Camrad_RIP 12.01.24 в 21:48

Han had no idea what had changed, but the next morning, when his father had left, his master put him through a new pile of torture called "training." But if before the tortures were mainly bodily, now they moved to the mental plane. The reason for this seemed to be Han's remark that he had quoted his own saying about the brush and Star Steel with a slight puff out of his chest, complaining that the rogue master didn't appreciate Han's most important gift, his Heaven-given talent for calligraphy. Had he been able to foresee the future, he would have followed his own saying, choosing the gold of silence over the silver of words. If he had access to the palace kitchen, he would not have said anything but rather chewed on something tasty!

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:40

Maybe the mean master somehow heard the complaint, or maybe he just acted following his evil nature. But the result was that the place of training was the library, and the weapons were a wretched cheap brush and the most common inksticks.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:41

Han stared in horror at the mountain of books and scrolls the master was laying out on the nearest shelving unit.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:41

"This is your enemy, my brave tadpole!" laughed the master, noticing the look in his eyes. "Raze him with your brush! If you get it all done before evening, then you will have dinner. If you get it done before noon, then you'll have meat for supper."

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:42

"But where is the chair, Master?" Han asked.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:43

"What do you need a chair for when you have a dabu stand?" The master grinned and walked away, leaving him alone with the scrolls and a pile of grayish rice paper that could only be used to write orders to the servants.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:44

As it turned out, even a favorite pastime could be a torment. Han did his best, at first meticulously rendering each character, but he quickly realized that not only would he get no meat, but he would go to bed hungry if he went to bed at all. He sped up his movements - this led to blunders, so Han waited to be punished. The master, however, did not say anything but remarked that if Han stopped holding his qi again while writing, he would have to learn to write with broken hands.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:45

Han was accustomed to taking such warnings seriously, for his master always kept such promises. He began to hold his qi back, running it through his body, even though it distracted him from writing.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:46

That night, he went to bed late and was left without supper. The next day was a bad repetition of the previous day. Han resumed his unnecessary and thankless work, writing and writing until the characters danced before his eyes. There were illustrations among the texts - he tried to redraw them too, but it was too time-consuming, so Han decided to skip them. It was a mistake; his master only ordered him to "redraw" and burned the scroll in his palm.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:47

Several painful and monotonous days passed. Han's handwriting had lost all flamboyance, but it became more rapid than ever before. Even though Han never got any meat, he was able to eat dinner and go to bed for the first time. And then Han decided to cheat.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:48

He channeled the qi into the brush, helping the tip move faster and faster. He no longer perceived the text he was rewriting but merely followed the lines on the paper. He channeled qi into his eyes as well - even though he didn't need to see the invisible, the text of the scrolls he was rewriting became clear and crisp. Finally, Han caught himself that his hands were moving on their own and that the strokes on the paper were flawless and precise. He did not even notice that he had unconsciously, though not perfectly, repeated the illustration, a schematic representation of some strange beast with two tails and a powerful, toothy jaw thrust forward.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:49

The days went by, the magic chicken breast for dinner loomed before his eyes, and Han's hands became a kind of printing press that his father was so fond of praising. And then a servant appeared, announcing that a new issue of the Hero's Almanac had arrived with a fresh crystal.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:53

Han's hands ached, his qi burning his meridians, his eyes watering and burning from the strain. He couldn't even pick up the Almanac right away; the wide, flat, lacquered box had fallen to the ground, and Han didn't even care if the crystal was broken or if the pages were mixed up. He headed for the training area, where he caught sight of the rascal and Mei.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:54

Han was eager to watch the crystal with her but even more eager to just collapse and lie there, doing nothing and thinking about nothing. And chicken breast. Better tasty meat, of course, but even chicken breast was good.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:57

"An almanac and a crystal," he explained, noticing the questioning looks, and shook the box in his hand.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:57

Mei's face brightened, and the master frowned contemptuously:

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:58

"Only one who lacks his own feats will revel in the feats of others!"

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:58

Han, whose life was now a feat of endless battle with the greatest villain in the world, was, of course, not in agreement with such foolishness. But he answered anyway:

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:59

"Yes, Master."

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 04:59

This evening, having finished the scrolls but still no meat, Han opened the casket. Without reading the Almanac, he put it aside and took out a crystal from a special recess. This issue continued the adventures of one of Han's favorite characters, Zhang Chuan, known as "Lightning in the Dark," a deft and sharp-tongued trickster, a noble thief whose clan had been slaughtered by his enemies.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:00

But as soon as he concentrated on the crystal, as soon as the huge fiery characters "Lightning Dance: Sneaking Justice" appeared in the air, Han fell into a deep sleep.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:01

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Camrad_RIP 12.01.24 в 21:48

Han thought the endless rewriting of scrolls was a special torture the bastard had devised to turn one of the most important parts of his life into ashes. The handwriting had finally lost any beauty, replaced by sheer efficiency - each stroke was very fast, went exactly where it needed to go, and used only the smallest amount of ink. Perhaps it was the use of qi, but Han had learned this "technique" of writing very quickly, for it had been little more than a month since his father's departure, even though it seemed like years or even decades.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:04

If Han had taken the trouble to read these books while writing, he would have been furious. After all, he had to rewrite some stupid and unnecessary treatises, from books for little children to guides to beasts in godforsaken places in the backlands of the Empire where no reasonable man would ever go. Luckily, there was no need to memorize the scrolls, as in the training of a rogue master, so Han simply fell into a kind of trance, and, circulating qi, unconsciously, like the puppets of villainous puppeteers from crystals, opened the books, shifted the scribbled sheets, soaked the inksticks, and wielded the brush.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:05

If it weren't for the additional daily training, Han would have turned into a dusty bookworm. But, alas, even here, he could not rest or relax, for one torment after another did not make him feel any better. Only one joy brightened his suffering - Mуш. She was the only bright spot in the endless torture, still as beautiful and graceful as ever.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:06

"They're coming! They're coming! They're coming!" There was a sudden shriek. One of the servants yelled as loudly as if everyone around him were deaf and couldn't hear him the first time.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:17

He galloped across the entire estate in defiance of all rules and regulations, rolled off his horse, and almost smashed his forehead against a rock when he was at Han's feet.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:17

"Young Master, your father, General Guang, is very close!"

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:18

What do they think they're doing? Not to put the horse in the stable and then come and announce it properly! And to congratulate on the return of their father, whose last visit had been so cruel and insensitive! It must have been the bastard master's plan to deprive Han of his composure and humiliate him even more!

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:20

"You should have given your news to Lady Lihua first," Han almost growled.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:23

"Mrs. Lihua!" A servant rushed to the side. "Good news! Your husband, General Guang, is very close!"

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:24

Han opened his mouth. It turned out that Mother was here too - she was standing surrounded by two maidservants and watching him practice! Was this the main square of the capital? The only thing missing was the Emperor and his ministers!

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:24

Instead of punishing this troublemaker, Mother gave him an approving gaze and a slow, benevolent nod. Han tried to pull himself together. But no, something inside was raging, snarling, and angry like a beast. A beast on a rope, no, the strongest chain of Qi and Stellar Steel that couldn't be broken even with the Heaven and Earth Crushing Technique.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:25

"He has defeated the Hunghuns and is carrying rich gifts and trophies! His guards are following him! The Emperor's banner and the flags of the Nao family, as well as the personal pennant of General Guang himself, hover above the army!" The servant continued to shout.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:27

"Nothing but utter triumph was expected of him," Mom smiled.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:21

Han snorted. Of course, he hadn't expected it, for his father had only recently come to visit, so he must have told her everything. Now, he'll be back for real. He'll be praised by everyone. He'll again approve of Han's horrible torture, which is still called "training" for some reason. And Han will die in obscurity, starving and exhausted during the training, and the villain will have the upper hand! And when he's gone, no one will shed a tear for him, maybe just a little for Mom and Mei.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:28

He glanced at Mei Lin, who had already stopped her training. For Han, that would be dozens of hours of torture, with pushups on sharp rocks, standing on his head, jumping into cold water, kicking his heels, and being deprived of dinner. And this was still in the soft version, but he didn't want to think about the hard one - broken arms, legs, and ribs.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:31

"We have to prepare," the master nodded. "Student, you are free to go."

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:37

"Hey, what do you mean free?" Han shouted, immediately getting hit on the head with a bamboo stick.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:37

He was used to this, so he instinctively covered himself with qi and didn't lose consciousness. He had learned to tolerate pain a long time ago, an eternity ago.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:42

"What do you mean free, Master?" he repeated. "You won't even let me take a few breaths, and she's already allowed to finish!"

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:43

The master laughed and pointed at Mei.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:43

"Are you wondering why I load her differently than you do, why her training brings less pain and suffering?"

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:32

"No, Master, that's understandable. Since she's a girl..."

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:32

The stick flashed through the air, and Han shielded his head with qi, but it was still painful and hurtful. Even more hurtful than when they had been beaten with a stick of qi and air - then it had been done under the pretext of training, but now Han had gotten it for nothing at all.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:33

"Silly little tadpole," the master shook his head, "you still don't get it. Unlike you, Mei has been practicing for a long time. She doesn't need to be pushed or coerced, but she's the one who wants to get ahead. She only needs a direction to reach perfection, so I just show her the way. You spent two cycles pleasing your belly and looking at silly crystals despite all the opportunities that lay before you as one of the heirs to a great lineage!"

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:34

Han bit his lip resentfully. What does this fool know about crystals? What does he know about food? In his village, he's used to eating slop, of course, so he can't appreciate the taste of a real dish! And what does he know about wisdom? He was waving his stupid stick while Han was creating great sayings and writing them down in his divine handwriting, a handwriting that this rascal has now completely ruined!

Camrad_RIP 13.01.24 в 05:35

"While the little egg was lying in the mud," continued the master, "and growing fat, the second egg was trying hard. First, it turned into a small tadpole, then day after day it moved its fins tirelessly, turning first into a fry, then into a fish, and then into a trout. While the first egg was still swarming in the swamp silt, the second one was striving forward, swimming upstream, straight to the waterfall. Perhaps she would have crossed the waterfall herself and jumped through the dragon's gate, perhaps not. But she doesn't have to be forced. She just needs a little help and guidance. You, on the other hand, have to make up for all the lost time you've spent in idleness and laziness. Even a slow but persistent snail can outrun a lazy fox. But you are not a fox, and Mei is not a snail. That's why your ways of learning differ so much. If you were a woman and she was a guy, nothing would change. Understand?"

Camrad_RIP 12.01.24 в 21:55