novelraw Chapter 124 Cenotaph, Wordless Stele
Chapter 124 Cenotaph, Wordless Stele
Afterwards, Grandpa Li asked him more about Tong Yuheng's situation, and Li Chengsong explained what Tong Yuheng had said. After listening, Grandpa Li had some new ideas and decided to discuss them with higher-level leaders before making a decision.
When they returned to Chenjiatun, Li Chengsong told her what he had learned from his grandfather, though his grandfather didn't actually know much about the specific details.
It is said that the country has a special agency to manage these people. This agency is mostly composed of people recommended by various ancient martial arts families. They are essentially self-governing, and the system is not very standardized, but they will never be allowed to do whatever they want.
Tong Yuheng understood. In the ancient martial arts world, strength is paramount, and there are only a few rules, with very low standards.
The primary principle is not to betray one's country or do anything that threatens national security. Other principles include not harming one's compatriots or indiscriminately killing innocent people.
If two families develop a feud, they can resolve it through a challenge. The scale of the duel and the outcome will determine the status of these two families in the ancient martial arts world.
For those who harm the kind and weak, martial arts practitioners can directly confront them, seeking revenge and killing them by force.
Were there any cases of deliberately causing trouble? Were there any cases of being framed or wrongfully killed? Were there any cases of extortion or bullying? It's likely that none of these can be avoided, since everything is done according to the so-called rules of the powerful.
I still need to improve my skills! I just don't know where I stand among ancient martial arts practitioners. Probably just at the bottom?
Seeing her lost in thought and silent, Li Chengsong asked very seriously after a long while:
"Yuheng, only my grandfather knows that you know ancient martial arts. The military has always had the idea of training a group of elite ancient martial arts warriors who are absolutely loyal to the national interest."
Do you know which school of martial arts these skills belong to? If possible, could you teach them to the soldiers in the army?
"Don't even think about where the technique came from; even my dad doesn't know who taught him. As for whether it can be passed on to outsiders, my dad never said anything about that! Besides, I don't even know my own level of martial arts skill; maybe it's just rudimentary?"
"Even if your skills are only rudimentary in the ancient martial arts world, they are still far superior to the boxing techniques used to train ordinary soldiers. If soldiers could learn some of these techniques, the casualties during various missions would be greatly reduced."
However, neither your grandfather nor I will force you to teach, but if you agree, we will give you military status and try our best to secure subsidies…”
Li Chengsong did hope that Tong Yuheng could teach some ancient martial arts techniques to the soldiers, but he also knew that this would bring her and even her family a lot of trouble. Those established ancient martial arts families would see the Tong family as a thorn in their side.
Moreover, as this special team gradually grows stronger, and one of its warriors is a disciple of the Tong family, the connections and influence it brings should not be underestimated. If this continues, it may arouse much suspicion from all sides.
The old man had considered these issues, but the country did indeed need more loyal people to expand its influence in the ancient martial arts world. Fortunately, the third generation of the Tong family consisted mostly of girls, who would eventually marry and leave home. Given the prevailing patriarchal mindset among some ancient martial arts families, the Tong family's techniques would inevitably leak out, so they wouldn't be particularly wary of the Tong family.
Tong Yuheng: Hehe, if they knew that most of the younger generation of the Tong family are girls, they would probably want to bully us, right? After all, the ancient martial arts world respects strength, and many ancient martial arts families do not allow women to practice martial arts.
"I'll think about this some more. Right now, you have to keep it a secret. The Tong family is rumored to be hiding the wealth of the Manchu remnants. My mother and I were almost killed by their schemes. If word gets out now that they have some ancient martial arts manual, you're probably just wishing we were dead already!"
Tong Yuheng wasn't unwilling to teach, but there were too many things involved, and she needed to plan things out carefully.
"That's what I was thinking, which is why I wanted you to enlist secretly. With the protection of the country, you and your family will be safer. I can't reveal any more details to you."
"I understand. Of course I'm willing to contribute to the country. But I'm not even sure of my own skill level right now, so I wouldn't dare to become an instructor right away. How about we have a competition first to see how good I really am?"
Tong Yuheng suddenly wanted to compete with Li Chengsong. His grandfather must have passed down some things to him. He wondered what level Li Chengsong was at.
"Alright! Let's have a match in the open space in the grove. Don't worry about hurting me, I'm the champion of the entire Northeast region!" Li Chengsong said with a hint of pride.
The two walked towards the woods by the village in the setting sun and had a thorough and enjoyable fight. There were no fancy moves, as Tong Yuheng had also experienced life-and-death battles in his previous life.
The two gradually increased their strength, and at first they went back and forth. However, after ten minutes, Li Chengsong ran out of strength and was completely defeated by Tong Yuheng, so he had no choice but to admit defeat.
Tong Yuheng clearly felt the changes in herself these past few days. After using up the Cleansing Meridian Pill and the Bone Strengthening Pill, she also used the Energy Nourishing Pill during her cultivation, which greatly improved her internal strength.
If it were a month ago, she probably wouldn't have been a match for Li Chensong. It seems that internal strength is crucial in combat.
It seems that collecting medicinal herbs will be the top priority for the foreseeable future. The few bottles of pills provided in the space won't last the family long!
~
As the end of July approached, the anniversary of Tong Linsheng's death was drawing near. They discussed building a cenotaph for Liu Fengyi in the woods behind the village, next to the grave of the old bachelor Wang Genqiang. After all, his soul was no longer there, and no one had come to pay their respects; they felt a little guilty about it.
Around 3 a.m. that day, the whole family got up and made a small coffin themselves, only one meter long. They neatly folded up an old uniform that Liu Fengyi used to wear and placed it inside. Then, the four eldest daughters gently carried it out.
Once they reached the woodland, Liu Fengyi (who is now Tong Linsheng) started digging a hole. After digging a few shovelfuls, he handed it to Tong Jiahui, and then his daughters took turns digging a few holes.
Finally, Liu Fengyi finished the cleanup. Everyone solemnly placed the coffin inside, filled it with soil, piled up a mound, and erected a tombstone. Nothing was written on it.
They lit incense, offered fruit and other gifts, and burned some paper money, silently mourning in their hearts without saying a word. Finally, they bowed together and left.
Tong Linsheng: I'm probably the only one in the world who celebrates his own death anniversary. My dear brother, if you have a spirit, please come and visit me in a dream. If you have any unfulfilled wishes, I will try my best to help you complete them.
Tong Jiahui: Thank you for leaving this body, allowing Lin Sheng and me to live together again. May your next life be filled with happiness and peace…