Chapter 11: The Unrestrained Ai Wanhua

The next morning, when he awoke, Yunniang was already busy at the loom, occasionally blowing on her frostbitten hands to warm them. Li Yi fetched a clay basin and lit a fire, then went to carry a full barrel of water. By the time he returned, sweat beaded on his body and a white mist hovered above his head.

He did not rest. Instead, he picked up the stone lock in the yard to train his strength; nearly a hundred pounds, yet it was as light as nothing in his hands, tossed into the air and caught again with ease.

When his muscles and bones felt thoroughly loosened, Li Yi intended to practice with his spear. Only then did he remember that his spear had broken in two. He had no choice but to use a long wooden staff in its place.

The courtyard was desolate, the cold wind bitter. Li Yi gripped the staff with both hands, his breathing slow, standing rooted like an iron tree, poised like a tiger ready to spring. With one step forward, his entire aura changed—the tip of the staff flashed, dazzling like sparks, a cold gleam bursting forth. Stepping back, the butt of the staff was steady and powerful, breaking through the wind with a sound like thunder.

The spear advanced with his steps; his footwork and spear technique shifted together, and the movements of his arms faintly hinted at the forms of boxing.

It was said, when the spear is gone, one uses the fist. The spear art Li Yi had practiced was the Yue Family Spear, and his boxing was Xingyi, which revered Yue Fei as its founder.

Xingyi boxing emphasized drilling, splitting, crossing, cannon, and crushing—each movement as unstoppable as a mountain, each step a new world, the technique fierce and domineering, overwhelming all opposition with sheer force.

Now, with his extraordinary strength and robust body, Li Yi was perfectly suited for such bold and forceful spear and boxing techniques.

But a wooden staff is just wood. Under Li Yi’s powerful hands, it soon broke in two, forcing him to stop with a slight frown.

It seemed he would need to find a good spear for himself soon.

“Master, what splendid martial skills…”

A burst of applause and cheering came as Li Guo, accompanied by Gao Xiaojia and several other boys, rushed in, their faces alight with enthusiasm as they looked at Li Yi.

“So, you little rascals are here,” Li Yi said, tossing aside the broken staff and wiping the sweat from his body. Gao Xiaojia hurried forward, offering him a shabby padded jacket.

Looking at the clever, chubby boy, Li Yi smiled, put on the jacket, and called out, “To practice with a spear, you must first train your fists; to train your fists, you must first build your foundation. Since you boys already have some basics, let’s start with an hour of horse stance.”

Holding the horse stance was dull and painful. Hearing this, the boys all pulled long faces and grumbled in low voices.

But with Li Yi’s stern expression, none dared protest further. They reluctantly went to the wall and began their horse stance.

Li Yi paid them no mind, instead going into the house to give Yunniang a few instructions.

When he came out again, the boys were already grimacing in pain, their legs trembling as they struggled to hold on.

As time passed, one by one the boys collapsed to the ground, unable to stand, their legs quivering.

In the end, only Li Guo gritted his teeth and persevered until the full two hours had passed, after which he plopped down onto the ground.

Li Yi was a little surprised. Li Guo’s foundation was not much stronger than the others, so to endure this long took sheer willpower.

Clearly, his recent experiences had changed him, if only subtly.

At that moment, Yunniang came out carrying two bowls of hot porridge and said with a smile, “Enough practice for now. Go to the kitchen and get some porridge before it gets cold.”

She handed a bowl to Li Yi, the porridge topped with pickled vegetables, steam rising in the cold air.

Hearing there was food, the boys all cheered.

They flocked to the kitchen, each carrying a bowl of hot porridge from the stove, eating in small bites with an air of satisfaction.

It was a time of scarcity; the villagers had no steady livelihood and only ate one meal a day. These growing boys had long been starving.

“There’s meat in the porridge!” one boy exclaimed in delight, noticing shreds of meat.

Yunniang entered to add more pickles to their bowls, smiling, “Your master insisted on it. He said you’re all growing and need to eat meat.”

The boys looked out into the courtyard at Li Yi. For a moment, none spoke.

“Our master teaches us martial arts for free, which is already a great kindness. Who would expect to be fed, too?” one boy whispered.

“Exactly. And meat, no less! I only ever get a sliver of cured pork at New Year’s.”

“My family is poor; I haven’t had meat in two years,” another boy muttered.

Simple and honest, the boys felt uneasy at such generosity.

Finally, Gao Xiaojia spoke solemnly, “We’re lucky to have met such a good master. From now on, whatever he says, we do. If anyone eats his food and forgets his kindness, I’ll be the first to deal with him.”

“So will I!”

“Only a scoundrel would disobey Master!”

Li Yi’s senses were keen; though he stood in the courtyard, he heard every word.

These boys, born into poverty, were resilient and grateful—fine seedlings indeed. With proper training, they might not only become his allies but at least gain a better chance at survival in troubled times.

He stepped into the kitchen. “All full?”

The boys straightened up at once. “Yes, sir!” they chorused.

“In that case, run three laps around the village. Whoever finishes first gets a pound of pork as a reward.”

At the prospect of meat as a prize, the boys were thrilled.

Li Yi led them out of the yard; the earlier horse stance had been a test of their will, and now the running would show their physical condition.

They had barely left when a group of people barged into Li Yi’s yard without so much as a greeting, making a noisy commotion.

At the head was a man in a brocade robe, a square scholar’s cap on his head, the very picture of a learned gentleman. Despite the bitter winter, he held a folding fan in his left hand and two fierce hounds by leashes in his right.

If not for the cruel, narrow eyes that betrayed his malicious nature, he might have looked quite the dashing young master.

Seven or eight men in short padded jackets surrounded him like stars encircling the moon, their faces fawning and servile.

“Ai Wanhua?!”

Yunniang emerged from the house, her expression changing instantly to one of wariness and disgust.

Ai Wanhua acted as if he hadn’t noticed, striding up to her with enthusiasm. “Yunniang, I was a bit forward last time. Now it’s been three days; surely you’ve changed your mind?”

Yunniang lowered her head in silence and tried to sidestep him.

Ai Wanhua’s brow furrowed, his fan snapping open as the dogs barked ferociously, frightening Yunniang into freezing where she stood.

“Yunniang, my affection for you is genuine. If you come with me, I can take you to Xi’an City, where life is as splendid as heaven itself.”

Yunniang bit her lip and replied, “I won’t go anywhere.”

A flash of irritation crossed Ai Wanhua’s eyes. He folded his fan and signaled to his men.

His followers closed in, jeering, “Miss, our young master’s been pining for you—what a blessing for you!”

“Follow him, and you’ll wear silk and gold, eat your fill of riches. Isn’t that better than suffering here?”

“Plenty of girls would jump at the chance to be with our master, but none have been so lucky!”

Fixing his gaze on Yunniang’s graceful figure, Ai Wanhua grabbed her wrist and smiled. “Yunniang, as long as you’re with me, you’ll have a life of endless luxury.”

At that moment, the courtyard was empty; the Ai family’s men pressed in, Ai Wanhua brazen and unrestrained. Yunniang was terrified and helpless, but she still summoned her courage and said firmly, “For the rest of this life, I wish only to live with Yi. I have no interest in riches or glory.”

“Well said.”

“The Ai family is a den of devils who swallow people whole, Yunniang—be careful.”

“We’re here watching; we won’t let Yi’s family suffer again.”

By now, several villagers from the Li family hamlet had gathered outside. It was thanks to their support that Ai Wanhua had been driven off last time. Seeing the bully return, they hurried to lend their presence.

“Enough of that! All of you, get lost!” Ai Wanhua shouted impatiently at the villagers, while his henchmen raised clubs to threaten them, driving the crowd back.

Seeing Yunniang so stubborn, Ai Wanhua’s face turned sinister. He gritted his teeth. “Yunniang, are you really so cheap? You’d rather suffer with that fool than live a life of wealth and comfort?”

Yunniang’s expression turned to ice; she had nothing more to say.

The villagers, seeing Ai Wanhua rebuffed, burst into laughter.

“There’s never been a woman I couldn’t get,” Ai Wanhua snarled in fury, letting go of the leashes. The two hounds, as if given a command, charged at Yunniang, barking madly.

Yunniang seemed to resign herself, closing her eyes with a hint of relief on her face.

The other villagers had no time to intervene, and cries of alarm broke out all around.