"Departing from Dingxiang, with only eight hundred cavalry, I entered the great desert alone, hundreds of li ahead of the main army, to seize the advantage. I beheaded captives excessively, including the Xiongnu chancellor, a Danghu, and the uncle of the Chanyu."
Inside the Golden Palace, Huo Qubing's heroic spirit spoke animatedly to Zhou Fugui.
It had been an unknown amount of time since these old stories were mentioned. Now that Zhou Fugui had rashly trespassed into the Nether Valley and inquired about them, Huo Qubing's heroic spirit was filled with joy. He explained everything, withholding nothing, patiently and meticulously telling Zhou Fugui.
"Only eight hundred cavalry? The Grand General of Cavalry possesses courage and might beyond that of ordinary men!" Zhou Fugui exclaimed in admiration upon hearing this.
In the Golden Palace, Zhou Fugui was a disciple of Huo Qubing's heroic spirit. He not only practiced spear techniques but also learned battlefield combat, troop deployment, and his methods of warfare. Unconsciously, over two years had passed.
During these two years, Zhou Fugui had gained much, but he worried about his two hundred subordinates. Whenever Zhou Fugui mentioned this, Huo Qubing's heroic spirit would either not answer or scold him. Over time, Zhou Fugui no longer dared to bring it up.
Whether they were alive or dead, Zhou Fugui could not manage much more. However, with the protection of Huo Qubing's heroic spirit, they likely would not meet an untimely end.
Huo Qubing's major achievements included the Hexi Campaign, the Mobei Campaign, and the Northern Dingxiang Campaign. He was invincible, conquering all he attacked, striking such fear into the Xiongnu that they scattered and fled at the mere sight of him.
At the same time, Zhou Fugui also learned Huo Qubing's strategy of warfare, which boiled down to one word: "speed."
Surprise attacks, exploiting unpreparedness, long-distance raids, swift battles and quick conclusions, accepting surrender and moving on, ceasing after victory – these were all employed by him with consummate skill. Coupled with his exceptional bravery and his elite chosen troops, he achieved repeated victories.
The more Zhou Fugui understood, the more he deeply admired Huo Qubing and wished to continue learning from him.
However, at this moment, even if Zhou Fugui did not wish to learn, he had to remain in the Golden Palace, as he could not leave without the permission of Huo Qubing's heroic spirit. Perhaps Zhou Fugui was already dead, and only his spirit was studying under Huo Qubing.
The matters of the world are unpredictable; who can truly know if they are spirit or body? Some are people, yet also ghosts; some are ghosts, yet are people.
......
"Crack!" With a sound, Zhou Fugui leaped up, holding a spear in one hand, and split a piece of glazed tile in half with a thrust.
A point of cold light, the spear moved like a dragon!
After two years of arduous training, Zhou Fugui's spear techniques had achieved considerable success. His spear thrusts were like a dragon's, already possessing the bearing of a great general on the battlefield.
The essentials of spear fighting were: attack involved thrusting, stabbing, pointing, sweeping, and lifting, each move aimed at defeating the enemy with a single fatal blow; defense involved parrying, deflecting, blocking, and guiding, as steady as Mount Tai. Huo Qubing's spear technique, or the Huo family spear technique, integrated defense and offense, with defense containing offense and offense incorporating defense, making it both defensive and offensive, incredibly formidable. The more Zhou Fugui practiced, the more he admired it, and the more he felt how much he did not know about the world!
Behind the Golden Palace was a garden, where flowers bloomed abundantly, grass grew lush, and birds sang amidst fragrant blossoms, resembling a fairyland. This was entirely different from Zhou Fugui's previous environment, making it an excellent place for martial arts practice – quiet, elegant, and undisturbed.
"Who... are you? Hey, hey, don't run away! My surname is Zhou, my given name is Fugui. I am a descendant of a Han dynasty marquis, and I mean you no harm. Huh? Still running? If you run again, I won't be polite!"
While Zhou Fugui was practicing Huo Qubing's spear way, also known as the Huo family spear technique, in the garden, sweating profusely, he saw the figure of a woman. She was in the garden, her back to Zhou Fugui, carrying a flower basket and admiring flowers, picking petals and placing them in the basket.
The maiden wore a goose-yellow ruqun, with a graceful and shapely figure. From a distance, with her back to Zhou Fugui, her face was unclear. Thus, Zhou Fugui, carrying the red-tasseled Lin Shuo given to him by Huo Qubing, hurried over, intending to find out what was going on.
This was not because Zhou Fugui wished to be presumptuous with the beauty, but because he did not know how long this life would last, nor how to leave this place, nor whether it was the mortal realm or the heavens. Therefore, Zhou Fugui decided to question the maiden.
During these two years in the Golden Palace, apart from Huo Qubing, no one had spoken to him. Zhou Fugui was almost going mad from loneliness.
Zhou Fugui shouted and rushed over with his spear. The yellow-clad maiden was startled, raised her right hand to cover her mouth and exclaimed, then glanced back at Zhou Fugui before turning to flee, disappearing into the flower bushes.
Zhou Fugui still had not seen the maiden's face clearly. However, as her sleeve fell, it revealed a section of her arm, like a lotus root, with a red plum blossom birthmark, which was exceptionally striking.
"I say, young lady, I have no ill intentions. Why are you so startled? Don't run, I merely have something to inquire about!" Zhou Fugui continued to shout and rush forward with his spear, like a ferocious beast that had not tasted meat in twenty years, or like a brigand snatching a bride, or like bandits descending from the mountains...
"Bang!"
As Zhou Fugui pursued with his spear through an archway, a golden light suddenly appeared. Zhou Fugui collided head-on with the golden light, was immediately flung back about three meters, and dropped his red-tasseled Lin Shuo. Zhou Fugui sat down on the ground with a thud, looking at the golden light in stunned silence.
The golden light then dissipated. Huo Qubing, the heroic spirit of the Han dynasty's General of Cavalry and Grand Marshal, stood before Zhou Fugui, his face filled with anger.
"Grand... General?" Zhou Fugui stammered, looking at Huo Qubing's heroic spirit.
"What do you intend to do?" Huo Qubing's heroic spirit boomed angrily.
"Oh, nothing much..." Zhou Fugui quickly replied, "I was just practicing my spear techniques when a woman suddenly appeared. I was afraid your spear techniques might be leaked, so I rushed over to ask who she was... Is she... related to you? A celestial being or a mortal?"
"You lewd fellow, spouting nonsense!" Huo Qubing's heroic spirit roared. "A sharp sword is forged from grinding, and plum blossoms get their fragrance from bitter cold. With such a fickle mind, how can you inherit my spear techniques and my art of war?"
Huo Qubing's heroic spirit truly regretted passing on his spear techniques and art of war to him. Huo Qubing had valued him, yet he turned out to be such a person, lusting after sight, a frivolous individual.
"Oh, it was my fault..." Zhou Fugui felt ashamed and quickly stood up straight, saying, "But I truly had no ill intentions, nor was I trying to flirt with her... It was..."
"Silence!" Huo Qubing's heroic spirit thundered. "I sentence you to another ten years of training on the mountain."
With that, Huo Qubing's heroic spirit vanished into thin air.
Ten years? Oh my goodness! Zhou Fugui's mouth hung open upon hearing this, staring blankly in the direction Huo Qubing's heroic spirit had disappeared. For a long time, he did not recover.
Ten years! Coupled with the previous two years, who knew what earth-shattering changes had occurred in the mortal world? And his beloved Murong Huiying... Twelve years later, would she... along with his mother, elder sister-in-law, youngest sister, Hu Tou, Xiao Qing, and others.
Zhou Fugui dared not continue to think about it.
However, fortunately, Zhou Fugui understood one thing: he was not dead, and there was still a chance to descend the mountain, a chance to return to the mortal world from the immortal or ghostly realm.
Huo Qubing, whether alive or dead, always kept his word. Moreover, how could one disobey the words of a celestial being?
It seemed he had no choice but to obey Huo Qubing's decree and stay on the immortal mountain for another ten years, Zhou Fugui thought helplessly.
Practicing diligently on the immortal mountain was actually not a problem for Zhou Fugui. Perhaps he could even cultivate into a celestial being... It was just that on the immortal mountain, firstly, it was extremely boring, and he had not seen any immortal fruits, jade dew, or other divine substances. He had finally encountered someone who looked like a celestial maiden from the Ninth Heaven, only to be almost mistaken for a debaucher and soundly scolded by Huo Qubing's heroic spirit. Secondly, Zhou Fugui missed Murong Huiying, Xiao Qing, and his other family members terribly.
"Halt! You lewd and slippery fellow, with your painted face and greased hair, daring to molest my young lady!"
"Take him down and lock him in the Oil Pot Prison!"
As Zhou Fugui walked into the garden in a daze, holding his spear, four fierce-looking golden armored generals, as formidable as the Four Great Vajras, appeared from nowhere, wielding various weapons and attacking Zhou Fugui from all sides.
The Oil Pot Hell? Was he being sent to the Oil Pot Hell already? Was there any justice left?
Zhou Fugui became furious. He leaped forward, dodging their fierce attacks, and their swords, spears, axes, and halberds landed behind him.
The two years of arduous training were not in vain. Zhou Fugui's agility and reaction speed were now exceptional. After dodging the fierce attacks of the four golden armored generals, he immediately counterattacked with his spear.
Zhou Fugui held the red-tasseled Lin Shuo in both hands and thrust it at the golden armored general to his left, forcing him back. Then, he transferred the Lin Shuo to his right hand, holding the spear with one hand, and fiercely smashed it towards the face of the golden armored general to his right.
"Sizzle!"
The golden armored general raised his weapon to block, but Zhou Fugui's blow was immensely powerful. The weapons met, scraping against each other with a harsh sound. The golden armored general was actually knocked to the ground by Zhou Fugui's strike.
"Clang!"
"Ouch!"
Two more golden armored generals attacked in unison. Zhou Fugui rolled on the ground to avoid them, and their weapons narrowly missed his head, smashing into the ground and sending sparks flying. The white jade floor tiles were even shattered.
Zhou Fugui rolled up and, as he did so, knelt on one knee, swinging his spear horizontally towards the ankles of the two golden armored generals. The two golden armored generals let out cries of "Ouch!" and fell backward to the ground.
Zhou Fugui's four movements were performed in one seamless flow, like flowing clouds and water. In a mere moment, he had taken down three golden armored generals, leaving only one of the four attacking generals. He held a huge diamond pestle and looked at Zhou Fugui with fear, unsure whether to attack or not.
"Hahahaha..." Zhou Fugui leaped up, holding the red-tasseled Lin Shuo, and laughed triumphantly. "Who are you people? What is this about a young lady?"
"Dong... dong... dong..."
At this moment, a loud booming sound echoed, and the ground trembled. Startled, Zhou Fugui quickly turned his head. He saw a giant, eight feet tall, with a green face and fangs, brandishing a massive iron hammer, charging towards Zhou Fugui.
"Lesser demon of the lower realm, receive my blow!"
The giant roared and swung his hammer down fiercely. Zhou Fugui raised his spear to block, but this blow actually smashed him into the earth.
Zhou Fugui then fainted.