MHNEB 20 (1/2)

Book 1:  Now we don’t hear the loom shuttle; we only hear our daughter sighing.

第20章 单方面被揍

Chapter 20: Unilaterally getting beaten up [Part 1 of 2]

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“The rule was to let the leaders of the two teams compete in a battle. I have a few hundred men under me. What about you?” Gai Wu was forced out of Qiuyuan temple, had a new sword and dagger in his waist area. It was unsure who lent the weapons to him.

“You do not dare to engage in battle?” He Mulan did not understand his words with his accent, so she replied to him with another question.

Gai Wu pursed his lips and remained silent. 

You Ke, who was standing at a side had already prepared for this. He immediately pulled out a letter of appointment. 

“Now, Hua Mulan is the leader of Yu City Governor manor’s army. Under her, she has 200 over manor soldier subordinates. Therefore, she carries the same amount of manpower as you do!"

He Mulan could feel black lines appearing in her face. 

As someone like Gai Wu is the head of the mercenaries, at any rate, he is still in command of 50 over calvaries. He is considered someone who could be quite accomplished.

However, when she appeared, it seemed like the situation turned into catching the boss of an organization? 

Won’t they even allow him to keep his back straight and converse with them? (0)

She awkwardly nodded her head, as she is in no place to refute. 

“Ah, so that’s the case.”

Gai Wu gave You Ke a fierce glare, then, he displayed a face full of smiles. 

“So, you people of Wei like to let women confront problems, while the men hide behind the women’s back to put on a false bravado?” 

“Yes, that’s right. In our Great Wei, we prioritize people with ability.” You Ke was also very fluent in the Xianbei language. “You said ‘you people of Wei’, so, you people aren’t the Lushuihus of Great Wei? Have all of you come from Saw-Chow(1)? Or did you come from Jiuquan?” 

The places You Ke mentioned are all areas where the Lushuihu population is higher in the destroyed Liang Kingdom.

You Ke continued to remain silent. 

He Mulan helplessly touched her nose.

The atmosphere that was perfect for a battle was unknowingly changed into an atmosphere that would cause people to joke and laugh. 

“We use three matches to determine the winner, right?” He Mulan unsheathed Pan Shi and used two hands to wield her sword. 

What she had only obtained from Hua Mulan was her whole battle consciousness. And because of this, she was able to be safe and live well at Northern Wei. 

What she had said, “I am still able to fight well”, was not something she had said out of a bluff.

There are little sword styles that require two hands to wield. So, the Lushuihus and the Yu City Governor Manor soldiers were all nervously looking towards He Mulan. Only Gai Wu who had been in a battle with her know when people akin to Hua Mulan, who had frighteningly large strength, when using two hands to wield their sword, would look like. Therefore, he did not dare to delay any longer. He yelled at Bai Ma with his hands raised and back facing him. 

“Bai Ma, take the shield that I tied on the horse here.” 

When the Lushuihus rode horses, they become calvaries, when they alight from the horse, they become a foot soldier. Their riding and their battle stances are all exceptional. Gai Wu’s knife style hails from the Kushans (2), it’s a sword technique that was akin to Persian swordsmanship, and this sword technique is rarely seen. 

He Mulan had seen on television once a competition that one competes with another using a set of sword and shield. But that was in India, Iran’s martial arts style. Unexpectedly, when she transmigrated into a thousand and five hundred years back, she is still able to witness this knife style. 

Gai Wu tied a round shield on his arm. He transformed into an armoured soldier at once. He slightly bent down his body and raised his knife in the direction of He Mulan to convey what he meant. 

He Mulan is not this original body’s owner. The way she’s going into a trance to use Martial Arts is akin to playing a game sort of “experience”. He Mulan subsequently called this trance as “Martial Concentration”. 

When she’s in the trance of “Martial Concentration”, she can easily enter a state where she forgets the sense of self and her surroundings. 

There was once when she was practising her swordplay in Hua family’s courtyard. Unknowingly a chicken popped out of nowhere when she pulled out from the state of “Martial Concentration”, the chicken had long been cut into two. and its body had already hardened. 

Hence, when she was practising martial arts subsequently, she only allowed her family to stay far away from the place where she’s going to practice. 

Without any fanciful moves, He Mulan straightforwardly took on a posture of being able to cut down his head. Gai Wu raised his shield, as he thought of using his shield to block her move of attacking his head. However, He Mulan kicked the stone path to hump up to the surface and manoeuvred Pan Shi to wave pass his head. She made a whip-like movement to bypass Gai Wu, as she used the sword to slash on his waist on the left side. 

This scene appears like something unimaginable. “Pan Shi” that weighs more than 10 jin, in “Hua Mulan”’s hands turned into a woman using a whip as she displayed swiftness and flexibility. “Hua Mulan” did not make any extra moves, which reflects that she is already completely in control of every body part of hers. She is able to concentrate on the battle at any time.   

Gai Wu did not have time to gasp in amazement because he heard the sound of wind coming towards his body. He used his shield to cover his head, but he did not manage to place his shield down. Therefore, he could only use his right hand that’s holding his machete to swipe pass his waist area to block her move.

Boom!

The machete shattered.

Hua Mulan that was using two hands to wield her sword continued to let “Pan Shi” edge forward. This is the first time Gai Wu saw the look in “Hua Mulan”’s eyes.

That was the same look she had when she used a single arrow to pierce Hao Feng’s head. The look in her eyes was as deep as an abyssal pond. 

That is why he immediately retreated a few steps back in a hurry and loudly shouted: “I admit my loss for the first match!”

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(0) Keep his back straight: properly do something with someone; let someone retain their “Face”. 

(1) Saw-chow or Sha Chau either refers to a small island in Hong Kong or the river, lakes or coastal areas. But, I’m more convinced it refers to the former. 

(2) Read more about the Kushans from here: click here

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Fleur's Corner: 

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Today's Chinese New Year eve and this is my angbao for you guys! 

Next update would be after CNY, 28 or 29/1.

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