ATPnovel Chapter 101 Cloud Wish
Chapter 101 Cloud Wish
Zhao Bao stepped aside: "Captain Liu, please speak!"
"We've always lacked a capable personal guard, and today I saw someone under your command who I quite like. I wonder if you would be willing to part with him?"
Zhao Bao remained outwardly calm, but his mind was racing. Liu Bei had five thousand cavalrymen under his command, so what kind of personal guards couldn't he find? Why did he have to ask someone from his own side?
This is probably not a lack of personal guards, but rather a pretext for demanding personal guards to give themselves an excuse to place their own people in positions of power.
Liu Bei offered him this way out as soon as he arrived in Liaoxi.
See, I'm asking you to put someone by my side; I have no ulterior motives.
This person is quite thorough in his work.
"I wonder which one Commandant Liu has taken a fancy to?"
Liu Bei looked towards the end of the line: "That young man."
Zhao Bao followed his gaze and remembered that the man's name was Zhao Yun, fifteen years old, a distant relative of the clan, and also a member of a collateral branch in Changshan.
As a member of the Zhao family, he naturally became a middleman when placed in Liu Bei's army.
By having this intermediary, Liu Bei was essentially demonstrating his openness and honesty.
With this intermediary by Liu Bei's side, he could feel more at ease about the military affairs in Liaoxi.
Although it wasn't necessary, since Liu Bei had offered him a way out, there was no reason for him not to accept it.
He sent someone to summon Zhao Yun and explained the matter in a few words.
The boy raised his eyes, his gaze shifting from Zhao Bao's face to Liu Bei's. After a moment's pause, he knelt on one knee.
"May the clouds carry my wishes!"
Liu Bei helped the boy up, and when his fingers touched the boy's arm, he felt the strength hidden in that still-growing arm, and his heart was filled with joy.
"Okay, okay, okay!"
"Zilong is a man of imposing stature and extraordinary bearing. His future achievements are bound to be limitless. It is my great fortune to have Zilong's assistance today!"
"You flatter me, Commandant!"
"The Commandant pacified Liaoxi, quelled a great plague, and defeated the Xianbei in the north, his might resounding for miles around. It is an honor for Yun to serve him!"
Although Zhao Yun remained calm in the face of both honor and disgrace, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at Liu Bei's respectful treatment of him.
Afterwards, Liu Bei exchanged a few polite words with Zhao Bao, indicating that from now on, he would only follow Zhao Bao's lead in Liaoxi.
He then hurriedly left with his newly acquired Zhao Yun.
On the way back to the Commandant's Office, Liu Bei walked very fast.
Jian Yong and Hou Cheng followed behind, exchanging a glance. Their lord had gone to Zhao Bao specifically to ask for a fifteen-year-old boy today, and after getting him, he was in a hurry, which was really unlike his usual self.
In the backyard of the Commandant's Mansion, weapon racks stood at the four corners of a small drill ground made of rammed earth.
Zhao Yun stood in the center of the arena, a dagger with a clattering sheath hanging at his waist, and a spear in his hand, his aura calm and composed like a dragon in the abyss.
The gun barrel is made of ash wood, polished smooth and warm, showing that it has been used for many years.
Liu Bei stopped under the eaves and nodded to Hou Cheng.
Hou Cheng walked to the weapon rack and took a long spear.
Hou Cheng walked to the weapon rack and took a long spear.
He glanced at Zhao Yun, the young man who was not yet fully grown and was more than half a head shorter than him.
He thought to himself: This young man is not very old, but I wonder how much skill he has.
Since our lord went to great lengths to obtain it, it must be of good quality. Let's test its strength first, and avoid hurting anyone with our first move.
He adopted a starting stance, spear tip pointing forward, his steps steady.
The first spear thrust was made with three-tenths of its force held back, the spear tip cutting through the wind, aiming straight for Zhao Yun's left shoulder.
Zhao Yun turned slightly to the side, the spear tip grazing his shoulder.
He didn't immediately return fire; the gun in his hand was slightly lowered, and the tip was pointed diagonally at the ground, making him look like a bow that had been drawn but not yet released.
Hou Cheng missed his first strike, but did not stop. He flipped his wrist and swept the spear shaft horizontally, striking him at the waist with a whooshing sound.
If this sweeping is implemented, even trees as thick as a bowl can be broken.
Zhao Yun kept his feet still, leaned his upper body back, and swept the spear shaft past his nose.
Just as Hou Cheng's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet emerged, the spear moved.
The spear tip rose from below, as fast as a snake leaping out of the grass, aiming straight for Hou Cheng's right wrist, which was holding the spear.
Hou Cheng felt a chill run down his spine and quickly stepped back, retracting the spear shaft and barely managing to deflect the spear tip.
The metal clashed, sparks flew, and a crisp sound rang out.
Hou Cheng took two steps back and looked at the boy in front of him again.
A true expert's skill is immediately apparent upon their first move.
The timing of that shot was precisely when his sweeping attack missed and he lost his balance.
If it weren't for his instinctive reaction honed through years of diligent practice, that shot would have already struck his wrist.
This boy's marksmanship is impressive!
He abandoned his contempt and no longer held back.
Hou Cheng's spear technique is characterized by its fierce and powerful nature. He is tall and strong, and when he wields his spear, it is as if a tiger is moving through the wind.
The spear tip transformed into a flash of cold light, slashing, sweeping, stabbing, and smashing, each strike powerful and heavy.
Dust billowed across the training ground, and the wind from the spears whipped up fine sand that lashed against Zhao Yun's trouser legs.
Zhao Yun's spear was completely different. Hou Cheng's spear was like a storm, while Zhao Yun's spear was like a lone boat in the rain, seemingly about to fall, but never capsizing.
Instead of directly clashing with the spearhead, the spear tip entangles, circles, guides, and deflects the powerful attacks, deflecting them into empty space.
Hou Cheng swung his spear down, but Zhao Yun's spear shaft brushed against it, and with a gentle twist, the powerful strike was deflected, crashing to the ground with a thud, creating a shallow crater in the rammed earth training ground.
Hou Cheng used the momentum to sweep horizontally, and Zhao Yun's spear tip had already touched the middle of his spear shaft. With a light but not heavy tap, he precisely cut off the point of force of the horizontal sweep.
The spear's momentum faltered, forcing Hou Cheng to regroup and regroup.
After twenty rounds, sweat appeared on Hou Cheng's forehead.
The boy's marksmanship was incredibly varied; sometimes he would shoot, sometimes he would aim, sometimes he would entangle, and sometimes he would circle.
Like pear blossoms dancing, like auspicious snowflakes drifting down!
Each shot was light, yet they hit his most vulnerable spots precisely.
He felt like an ox entangled in a spider web, possessing great strength but unable to use it effectively.
A group of people had already gathered in the corridor. Wang Lie, Jian Yong, Cheng Yu, and Liu Deran looked up from their documents upon hearing the noise and strolled out to take a look.
Cheng Pu had somehow ended up in the corridor. He had come in with Han Dang and was just passing by when he was drawn to the clanging of metal on the training ground.
He stood with his arms crossed below the steps, looked for a moment, and then his brows furrowed slightly.
Jian Yong leaned closer: "Demou, what do you think of this young man?"
Cheng Pu did not answer immediately. His gaze followed Zhao Yun's spear for several more rounds before he spoke.
"His marksmanship is very skillful. Hou Cheng's spear thrusts are fierce and powerful; most people can't withstand them and can only dodge them."
"This young man not only caught the ball, but also neutralized the force completely. This is not something that can be achieved through training alone."
Upon hearing this, Jian Yong's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He did not understand martial arts, and in his eyes, he only saw two figures moving around on the training ground, spears and lances clashing, dust flying, and he could not tell who had the upper hand.
After thirty rounds, Hou Cheng's breathing became heavy.
He suddenly roared, gripped the spear with both hands, stopped trying to change the direction, concentrated all his strength into one point, and thrust it straight at the chest.
This spear thrust is his trump card – no tricks, just speed and ferocity.
The spearhead pierced the air with a sharp whistling sound.
Zhao Yun's spear met the attack head-on.
It's not about unloading, it's not about drawing; it's about spearheads meeting spearheads, needles meeting wheat awns.
Hou Cheng was startled. Was this young man going to take the hit head-on?