Chapter 5: Victory in the Arena

After a while, Zhao Ji recovered his strength.

During this interval, three more young men from the local community arrived to enlist. These were recruits for the Huben (Tiger Warriors); it was difficult for commoners without connections to be selected. Unless one possessed exceptional talent and great physical strength, one would have already established a martial reputation and would naturally have been included in the invitation sequence.

Gradually, the implications dawned on Zhao Ji. This recruitment of Tiger Warriors was a mandate that required contributions from the prominent clans and the lesser gentry of the county; defending the Son of Heaven was a matter of loyalty and righteousness that could not be shirked. It was also a means for the county to purge its "three plagues," a detoxification method that turned potential hazards into valuable assets.

His own family could naturally not avoid this. Every household had sons enlisting, so why should the Zhao family not provide one? Only by having a family member join the local cohort and die in service to the throne could they truly be integrated into the local society. Giving the Zhao family an opportunity to contribute was, in a sense, an act of recognition. The county was purging its toxins, and in truth, every family was doing the same—he himself was the "plague" of his own household.

Keeping these thoughts buried, Zhao Ji did not find the situation alarming. The incident of the commandery recruiting Tiger Warriors could be interpreted in different ways depending on the perspective. However, for the vast majority of lesser gentry and offspring of powerful families who held no inheritance rights or possessed no vast assets, this was a shortcut to the heavens. These were the Tiger Warriors, whose original title was the Qimen Lang (Guardians of the Gate). If not for the Son of Heaven being forced into exile, how would such an opportunity fall to the lot of second sons from minor families like his? Likely, there were many in the surrounding commanderies who had brought their own horses and provisions, all for the sake of securing a career. No matter how chaotic the world became, the basic order of the townships remained the same.

Hu Ban finished recording the information for the three newcomers and led them out of the house. Those resting in the open space of the market gathered around. Zhao Ji looked left and right, noticing a few more people had arrived, including a familiar face from nearby who smiled at him. He must have been out visiting and had only just returned.

Hu Ban scanned the group. "Pei Xiu, Han Dong, Zhao Ji, Shentu Lan, step forward. The rest, clear the area."

The four of them came before Hu Ban. Hu Ban looked at them with a meticulous expression and said, "The four of you are skilled in martial arts and possess great courage. There are now twenty-four men; we shall determine two squad leaders and two platoon leaders. We will start with short and long weapons; if there is any dissent, we will then compare archery."

"Understood!" Pei Xiu was the first to cup his hands, and Zhao Ji followed suit.

Guan Shang and another youth passed out the equipment: long and short wooden staffs and small leather-covered shields. Guan Shang handed the most balanced long staff to Pei Xiu, who said, "Let us begin with short weapons, shall we?"

"Agreed." One replied, turning his head to look at Zhao Ji. "My name is Shentu Lan, from Baiyang Village in the East Township."

There were four townships outside the city walls; counting the Central Township within the city, these were the five general divisions overseen by county officials. These five township supervisors were similar in nature to the inspectors of the commandery; they were designated areas handed over to officials for patrol and regulation. Within the five townships, a small county might have only one township, while large, densely populated counties would have several. Zhao Ji was from the West Township. Having previously lacked a mount, his range of movement had been limited, so he naturally did not know Shentu Lan from the East. The Zhao family was, after all, a family that had migrated from elsewhere; traveling too far alone carried the risk of being kidnapped and sold to the Xiongnu or locked in a mine to labor until death.

Zhao Ji sensed the provocation in Shentu Lan’s eyes and realized that the man knew he could not outmatch Pei Xiu and intended to use him as a stepping stone. Not annoyed, Zhao Ji smiled. "Greetings. I am Zhao Ji, from the West Township."

The smile was not returned; Shentu Lan merely stared at him with a fierce expression. Seeing Zhao Ji’s smile fade, Shentu Lan laughed instead. "Shall we start?"

"I would be honored."

Zhao Ji reached out and took a short staff from Guan Shang, testing its weight. The wood had been crudely cut, and its balance was similar to a sword, unlike a saber, which would have been front-heavy. Shentu Lan also took a short staff and a small shield from someone else and walked straight into the arena.

Zhao Ji took his small shield, strapped it to his left forearm, and swung the wooden sword-staff a few times to test the feel. He turned to Pei Xiu. "Seventh Brother, watch my skill."

"Be careful, Ji. Lan’s strength is not inferior to yours," Pei Xiu cautioned before retreating with Han Dong to Hu Ban's side.

Hu Ban, his left hand resting on his sword hilt, watched the two men take their stances. Seeing them look toward him, he said, "Decide the victor, nothing more. There will be long-weapon duels and foot archery later. Remember the bond of comradeship; do not use excessive force."

Shentu Lan forced a smile. "Officer, rest assured, I know the limits."

Zhao Ji simply nodded. As their eyes met, Shentu Lan suddenly raised his shield and stepped forward. Zhao Ji did not dodge; almost by instinct, he pushed his own shield forward to meet the impact. As they collided, both swung their wooden swords horizontally, aiming for the unarmored areas of each other's waist. Almost simultaneously, they kicked off the ground to dodge, their wooden swords striking the edges of each other's shields.

The probing exchange ended. Shentu Lan did not pause; keeping his shield in front, he lunged straight forward with the rebounding wooden sword. Zhao Ji could have easily blocked with his shield but chose to parry with his own sword instead. The two wooden swords crossed, and both twisted their wrists in an attempt to disarm or deflect the other. Neither succeeded, so they retreated two steps, their breathing becoming heavy.

Zhao Ji caught his breath. Without a word, he shielded himself and lunged with his sword. Shentu Lan blocked it with his shield. As they brushed past each other, Shentu Lan swung back with a horizontal strike, which was predictably blocked by Zhao Ji’s wooden shield as he turned slightly. In an instant, Zhao Ji pushed off the ground with his right leg and, in a lunge, slammed his left arm and shield into Shentu Lan’s right arm. Just as Shentu Lan lost his balance, Zhao Ji thrust his wooden sword, pressing it against Shentu Lan’s chest.

Stung, Shentu Lan stumbled. As he tried to pull back, Zhao Ji followed half a step and thrust again, striking Shentu Lan’s exposed right shoulder. Zhao Ji stopped and did not pursue. Shentu Lan stepped back, stood tall, and moved his right shoulder slightly. Though it did not hurt much and did not affect his movement, he knew he had lost. He dropped his shield, ignored Zhao Ji, and said to Hu Ban, "Officer Hu, I have lost the short weapon bout. Please, let us proceed to the long weapons."

"Very well." Hu Ban did not refuse. Several men stepped forward to swap the short sticks and shields for long staffs.

Holding the staff, Zhao Ji said to Shentu Lan, who was rubbing his shoulder, "I can kill a wild boar with an iron halberd. Can you?"

"Do not try to unsettle my mind!" Shentu Lan charged forward with both hands on his staff and thrust. Zhao Ji easily parried, then pressed down with his own staff in a thrust that Shentu Lan dodged by turning sideways. While turning, Shentu Lan swung his staff in a vicious, blind arc. As he planted his feet, the powerful strike stopped just a foot from Zhao Ji’s face.

Shentu Lan was horrified. He had not expected Zhao Ji to refrain from counterattacking, and it was too late to retract the staff; the strike had lost its momentum. It was easily parried by Zhao Ji, who then pressed his staff forward and struck Shentu Lan’s right forearm. Zhao Ji did not use much force and easily pulled back.

Shentu Lan’s face turned red. He returned the salute with his staff, and only after Zhao Ji had silently returned it did Shentu Lan turn to Hu Ban. "Officer Hu, I have been defeated."

"Good. Stand to the side and watch." Hu Ban looked at Pei Xiu and Han Dong. "It is your turn."

Han Dong cupped his hands. "I am no match for Seventh Brother. I wish to fight Zhao Ji."

Hu Ban looked at Zhao Ji. "What say you, Ji?"

"Very well." Zhao Ji accepted. Han Dong took the long staff thrown by Shentu Lan, stepped forward, and said, "I will not take advantage of you. We shall fight later."

"I won with agility; it did not cost me much energy," Zhao Ji said, pointing his staff at Han Dong. "You may attack."

Han Dong advanced slowly with his staff, feinting a thrust before quickly retreating before Zhao Ji could respond. After gauging Zhao Ji's reaction speed, Han Dong’s eyes widened, and he shouted, "Take this!"

As he raised his staff to strike, Zhao Ji stepped aside and simultaneously swept his own staff in an upward arc. Han Dong’s strike hit the ground, and Zhao Ji’s staff struck his left shoulder—though fortunately, not the tip. Even so, Han Dong was nearly knocked over.

Hu Ban frowned and looked at Pei Xiu. "Han Dong’s technique is sloppy. You told me he was brave and skilled in combat?"

"Officer, it is Ji’s reactions that are swift. Han Dong’s flaw was caught the moment he moved," Pei Xiu explained, not surprised. "Han Dong’s technique is indeed coarse; he relies entirely on his ferocity. But Ji lived alone on Mount Ji, neighbor to wild beasts; he is least afraid of Han Dong’s bluster."

It was not that men like Han Dong were useless. In hand-to-hand combat with blades, technique was secondary; courage was what mattered. Clearly, Han Dong did not lack courage, and neither did Zhao Ji.

Hu Ban found this reasonable and warned, "You must urge Han Dong to practice his martial arts diligently. To guard the Son of Heaven, one cannot rely on courage alone."

"Understood."

Hu Ban looked at Shentu Lan again. "Do you wish to compare horsemanship and archery with Ji?"

Shentu Lan replied, "Zhao Ji is stronger than me. I wish to test him in unarmed combat."

Hu Ban looked at Zhao Ji. "Are you willing, Ji?"

Zhao Ji studied the unconvinced Shentu Lan, tossed his long staff to Guan Shang at the edge of the arena, and smiled. "I am willing."

Shentu Lan took a deep breath, removed his green-dyed coarse silk robe, tightened his cuffs, and walked into the arena. He examined Zhao Ji, who was wearing deer-hide clothing, looking for ropes or belts to grab. Zhao Ji took his stance; compared to weapons, he preferred unarmed combat. Weapons could cause accidental injury, and parrying with them was a nuisance—especially in competition. Unarmed combat, however, was a test of raw power with fewer obstructions.

Shentu Lan used the *Jiao-di* (wrestling) method, stepping forward to grab Zhao Ji’s deer-hide clothing. Zhao Ji did not want to wrestle; as he twisted his waist to the right, he pushed his left elbow into the opponent's palm. Stopping his momentum, he suddenly twisted his body to the left and drove his right elbow into Shentu Lan’s chest, sending him staggering back three or four steps until he fell backward onto his backside.

Shentu Lan’s chest burned with pain, nearly knocking the wind out of him. After falling, he felt a wave of pain erupt in his right palm. The onlookers stared at each other, unable to accept such a swift defeat.

Zhao Ji stood still, looking down at the shrinking totem on his right palm: *Clearing the Path, Level 3, +24% Damage*.

Theoretically, Shentu Lan should have been stronger than him. He was reacting almost entirely based on the muscle memory of his predecessor, and he himself had watched countless action films. These movements and techniques seemed to be incorporated into the skill totem. Even the exchange just now felt more like an instinctive counterattack, as if his body were on autopilot. His physical fitness, his predecessor’s instinctual reflexes, the correction and damage bonus of the skill totem, and his own accumulation of movement knowledge had all combined to create that swift, sharp counterattack.

Sensing the shock and excitement of the crowd, Zhao Ji stepped forward to pull Shentu Lan up. Shentu Lan winced in pain. Seeing the hand extended before him, his fierce expression softened slightly, and he grabbed it, letting Zhao Ji pull him to his feet.

Zhao Ji asked, "I used a bit too much force. Is Sir Shentu alright?"

He realized that defeating this man again would likely not increase the level of *Clearing the Path*. Perhaps for someone at Shentu Lan’s level, the effect of defeating them was limited. Did he need to kill enemies of this caliber to improve?

Shentu Lan rubbed his chest with his left hand. Noticing the strange look in Zhao Ji’s eyes, he replied, "I am fine. Thank you for showing restraint, Sir Zhao."