Chapter Two: Impressions of Lanzhou, The Noble Spirit of a True Hero

The old man’s words were already part of the past. No matter how shocking an event, time’s relentless flow would eventually dull its impact.

Thus, the old man’s words stirred only a vague awe in the young horse handler, a boy just setting out into the martial world, who felt a growing yearning in his heart. Yet at Jiayuguan Pass, such tales drew little attention.

After all, no matter how astonishing the legend, it paled beside the storytellers in the teahouses and taverns who repeated the same tales day after day, year after year, until listeners grew weary.

“If I remember correctly, the Su King was crowned less than five years ago!” The young horse handler’s eyes revealed an awe that would not subside, even though he had heard whispers of this before.

But it was nothing compared to standing where the Su King once fought, listening to the echoes of his world-shaking victories.

Though the world is vast and the nine provinces broad, the Earth Immortal Realm stands atop as the pinnacle of humanity.

Three Earth Immortals combined forces to besiege the pass, yet barely escaped with their lives, facing only a single opponent.

And that opponent...

“Yes...”

“The Su King was crowned less than five years ago; this year marks only his fourth year as lord.” The old man looked up to the sky. Many, including himself, deliberately avoided mentioning the Su King’s age — the very man who had suffocated the mighty empires of Liao and Mongol, those two ferocious nations.

Back then, he had been but a boy, not yet crowned!

Six years ago, an eighteen-year-old youth led three thousand provincial soldiers to sweep through much of the Ming realm, single-handedly repelling three Earth Immortals.

The Su King’s emergence showed the world what true prodigious genius and peerless heroism meant.

Before him, no matter if you were a thrice-reincarnated living Buddha, a genuine martial deity reborn, or an ancient grandmaster, all were but subjects for ridicule.

...

“Child, why do you wish to venture into the martial world?”

After a moment of reflection, the old bookseller stroked his beard, smiling warmly.

The spirited youth before him, upon hearing this, revealed a face brimming with longing for the martial world: “I want to be a hero who eliminates evil and upholds justice.”

“To be a hero who upholds justice?”

The old man paused, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes before bursting into hearty laughter. “Ha ha ha, child, you have great ambition. But the martial world is not just about fighting and killing; it harbors countless temptations and myriad dangers. It is a realm of righteous vengeance and also treacherous hells. I hope you can always hold fast to your original heart and never forget your true purpose.”

So many hot-blooded youths, drawn by dreams of the martial world, plunge headlong into its endless whirlpool.

Some achieve fame and fortune; others fall into mediocrity consumed by greed; most perish forgotten, their bones buried in desolate wilderness.

Yet, through the ages, it is precisely these young novices who become the heroes of legend.

“Heh heh heh, young sir, if you truly want to be a great hero, why not join me in competing for this year’s Tiance Army selection? Serving the army to uphold righteousness and wield the spear to protect the nation—that is the true path of a hero!”

As they spoke, a girl approached, modestly dressed, carrying a hunting bow on her back, twirling a red tassel spear in her hand. Though youthful as jade, her words carried sharpness.

For the people of Shaanxi and Lanzhou, the so-called martial world held no allure; lofty courtly ambitions were not what they sought. The annual selection for the Three Guards was their true yearning.

To them, a ‘hero’ was a Ming soldier who could safeguard their peace, not some outlawed vigilante.

“Eh? Isn’t leading troops into battle a man’s duty?”

The young horse handler looked puzzled. “Does the Ming actually allow women to serve in the army?”

“Pfft!”

The girl snorted, knowing this was the common understanding but still feeling a twinge of resentment. Who said women were inferior?

Yet when she thought of the Su King and the Tiance Army, reverence crept onto her face. “Do you not know the Tiance General of Xuānwēi in Suzhou Guard is a woman? Her command over the Eight Thousand Youlong Riders once shattered seventy thousand armored foes, striking terror into the small Western Xia kingdom. And the Youlong Riders are all women of harsh fate.”

“Have you not heard? The commander Yan of the Xuánjiǎ Cāngyún Army is also a woman.”

In recent years, as border conflicts flared, the Youlong Riders were a fierce force, repeatedly routing enemies and striking down countless foreign barbarians. They had become idols for many women in Shaanxi and Lanzhou.

The girl before them was one of these.

Not to mention the legendary Yan commander, Changsun Wangqing, who, as a woman, led tens of thousands in the Cāngyún Xuánjiǎ forces, a terror along the frontier.

Moreover, there was no law forbidding women from serving. The existence of the Youlong Riders proved that the Su King welcomed female soldiers, though battlefield dangers made female recruitment even stricter than other guard selections.

“Hahaha, little miss, you have lofty aspirations, but do you know the primary criterion General Xuānwēi set for the Youlong Riders’ selection?”

Nearby, a few Tiance soldiers clad in gleaming armor, carrying long spears and bows while patrolling, overheard the conversation and paused.

“Hmph, I know it well.”

The girl snorted with confidence. “You must draw a three-stone bow to full draw five times within fifteen minutes, then draw a five-stone bow once. Pass that, and you’re accepted into the Youlong Riders.”

One stone equals 120 jin (about 72 kilograms). Drawing a three-stone bow means pulling 360 jin.

Drawing a five-stone bow requires at least 700 to 800 jin of strength, making such archers absolute elites in any army worldwide.

Yet this was merely the minimum requirement to join the Youlong Riders.

How could one not be amazed?

Still, the old man and the Tiance soldiers who listened showed no surprise.

If it weren’t for such an impossibly high standard, the Youlong Riders would have expanded dramatically years ago. The fierce folk of Shaanxi would have easily swollen their numbers to a hundred thousand riders.

“What I yearn for is to follow His Highness the Su King. If fortune favors me, may the spring breeze’s horse hooves trample the capital, and my spear shatter Bianjing. Only then will I have lived up to my youth!”

The girl stood gripping her spear, eyes blazing. Her family had lived for generations on the Ming frontier; to her, life and death in service to the nation were but light matters.

“It seems the Youlong Riders will have some fine recruits this year!”

The patrolling Tiance soldiers nodded respectfully to the girl.

It was an early blessing for her success.

“This girl has a good nature and great ambition.”

The young horse handler was impressed by the girl’s confidence. An archer capable of drawing a five-stone bow would be an elite marksman in any army, yet for the Youlong Riders, it was only the baseline.

Her confidence clearly reflected her ability.

What amazed him even more were the Tiance soldiers standing nearby. Though unassuming, they emanated a profound danger.

Just a few frontier troops could make a third-rank master like him feel threatened?