Chapter 005: Persuasion through Reason

Yuan Gang cast a disdainful glance at him, showing no respect: "You are nothing to begin with, cowardly and timid, not even daring to descend the mountain to seize a bride. If it weren't for Zhou the Blind being bitten to death by a wolf, his wife would have settled for you, and you would still be a bachelor to this day! That aside, a man of seven feet actually fears his wife! The injury on your face was caused by your wife scratching you last night, wasn't it?"

Yuan Gang slapped his son, sending him spinning, and then kicked him, causing him to crash against the wall. He scolded, "Do you even understand anything? No matter how well you learn archery or swordsmanship, in the end, you will only be a brute. Only through studying and gaining knowledge can you have a future"

Fang Ayuan's ancestors were slaves during the Yuan Dynasty, while Liu Han was a fugitive craftsman from Guizhou City

Wang Yuan swung his small fist and threw a punch

Wang Yuan's father belongs to the first category. He went up the mountain to cultivate a few acres of land, but due to a lack of water, manure, and seeds, the first few years were very difficult. Such poor men are looked down upon by the young women in the village, and they can only go down the mountain to seize women and start families.

As for Yuan Gang, he claims that his ancestor was Zhao Pucheng's adopted son. Due to his inability to coexist with Chen Youliang, he concealed his identity and fled from Huguang to Guizhou.

"It is settled then," Fang Ayuan did not give the other party a chance to refuse, "As for whether studying is useful or not, we can discuss that later. In this world, who is afraid of learning too much?"

Master Shen's expression darkened, and he held the peacock feather fan like a ruler: "Your father has given instructions; anyone who disobeys will be beaten to death!"

Then you can give it a try Wang Yuan's smile became even more radiant

Wang Yuan, who had been silently watching the show, finally spoke at this moment: "Yuan Er, have you had enough of the commotion?"

Yuan Zhi kicked Liu Yaozu to the ground and then punched him twice, saying: "Your father is just a coward, he doesn't even have the guts to snatch a bride, his words mean nothing!"

Yuan Zhi quickly raised his arm to block, suddenly feeling unbearable pain, as if being struck by an iron rod, with his bones seemingly on the verge of breaking.

Yuan Zhi is fifteen years old, and Wang Yuan is ten years old. When the two stand together, their height difference is immediately apparent

The term "wife" has existed since the Song Dynasty, while "dad" and "mom" appeared even earlier, so there is no need for anyone to nitpick

Yuan Zhi lay curled up on the ground, his whole body in pain, unsure of where to cover himself, and cried out: "I give up, I give up. Wang Er, your punches are formidable, I will listen to you from now on!"

"Is that all you've got?" Yuan Zhi said with a look of disdain, "Even if I stood here and let you hit me, it would feel like just a tickle!"

Master Shen looked at Yuan Zhi, who had been beaten to a pulp, and then at the pile of leftover food on the ground. He couldn't help but open his mouth wide and instinctively nodded, saying: "Ah... good, good, let us begin, let us begin"

Boom

One Wang Yuan is already difficult enough to serve, yet I am also expected to teach a group of barbarian youths

It is a pity that by the time of Yuan Gang's generation, only the techniques of swordsmanship and archery remained, while the art of war had long been lost, and even the ability to recognize characters had faded away

"Are you convinced?" Wang Yuan asked

"Ahem." Liu the carpenter coughed repeatedly, burying his head and falling silent.

Good. Wang Yuan, being as accommodating as flowing water, raised his leg and swept it horizontally towards his opponent's head

Yuan Zhi squatted in the corner, feeling dizzy for quite a while, covering his swollen cheek as he said: "Liu the carpenter can read, yet he still cannot survive outside, having to escape to our Chuanqing Village to make a living"

Before Yuan Zhi could regain his composure, he saw a fist growing larger and larger, striking fiercely against his left eye socket, instantly giving him the sensation that his eye had been shattered.

The other half, of course, refers to the brothers Wang Yuan and Wang Meng

Upon hearing this, Master Shen was immediately filled with joy and felt an indescribable emotion: Heaven has shown mercy, at last there is a well-behaved disciple

Yuan Gang and Liu Mujiang, one being aggressive and the other weak, instantly created a very tense atmosphere

What do you say?" Fang Ayuan replied with a cold smile.

It is still the case that the village chief, Ah Yuan, is well-versed in matters. He said to Master Shen: "Mr. Shen, whether it is a single sheep being herded or a flock of sheep being released, since you are teaching Wang Er to read, why not teach these several children as well"

The powerless Master Shen unexpectedly went so far as to strike while the iron is hot, brazenly asking: "Is there any wine?"

Liu the carpenter is nothing! Yuan Gang, filled with rage, raised his fist, preparing to strike his son once more

Yuan Zhi stood up, his height surpassing that of Master Shen: "Sickly wretch, go ahead and try hitting me!"

Only Liu the carpenter showed a respectful attitude, bending his body and clasping his fists in gratitude: "Mr. Shen, I entrust my son to you. After the Grain in Ear festival, I will make a set of furniture for you as a token of my appreciation for your guidance."

The population of Heishanling Village is approximately 1,200, and the marriage between men and women is generally quite normal. Only newly arrived individuals who have just ascended the mountain, due to unfavorable land reclamation, poverty, or having surpassed the appropriate age for marriage, are forced to descend the mountain to seize brides.

Liu the carpenter belongs to the second type. He fled to the mountains at over thirty years of age. Although his carpentry skills are in high demand, unfortunately, this person has an exceedingly weak character, and thus can only live together with a widow.

Shen Fuceng was just about to assess his disciples' learning progress when someone suddenly came running to visit the Wang family

Among them, four are Fang Zheng, the youngest son of Fang Ayuan; Yuan Zhi, the second son of Yuan Gang; Yuan Da, the third son of Yuan Gang; and Liu Yaozu, the only son of Liu the carpenter—these children's names were all given by the cultured Liu the carpenter

From this point on, Shen Fuceng's students increased from one to five and a half

Master Shen, gritting his teeth, flattered, "The village chief has a far-reaching vision, and what you say is absolutely correct; I admire you greatly"

The visitors were the village chief Fang Ayuan, the carpenter Liu Han, and the hunter Yuan Gang, followed by several of their sons.

Wang Meng can only be considered half a student; every day he is dragged by his younger brother to attend classes for a while, and then he goes to work with his father. His mind is not on studying, but rather on getting married, as he is secretly dating the second daughter of the Fang village chief.

To speak seriously, Yuan Gang can also be considered Wang Yuan's teacher, as it was this person who taught him the art of archery.

Yuan Zhi rolled up his sleeves while saying: "Wang Er, you are my father's disciple, and your archery skills are indeed quite good, but it's hard to say the same about your fist fighting. My father told me not to fight with you, but have you really taken that as an invitation? Today, I will make you understand the consequences!"

"I have heard that you are quite knowledgeable," Yuan Gang casually pulled over his two sons, "This is my second son Yuan Zhi and my third son Yuan Da. They will be studying with you from now on. If these two little rascals misbehave, feel free to discipline them as you see fit. If you happen to beat them to death, just call me to collect the body; if they are not dead, do not come to me with any nonsense."

Hahaha

Before Shen Fuceng could speak, the oldest among them, Yuan Zhi, asked, "Mr. Shen, how were you exiled here? It couldn't be for stealing someone's wife, could it?"

Master Shen repeatedly smiled and said, "Not to that extent, not to that extent"

Fang Zheng immediately burst into laughter, as the young master of the village pointed at Shen Fuceng and said: "It must be true, I have heard that the Han people have a crime of adultery."

Liu the carpenter was inexplicably caught in the crossfire and awkwardly smiled, saying: "Brother Yuan, you should just teach your son a good lesson, why drag me into this?"

Master Shen immediately shrank his neck and forced a smile: "I was just asking, haha, just asking."

This attitude left Master Shen extremely dissatisfied, but he could only reflect on the sages of past generations such as Gou Jian and Han Xin, choosing not to engage with such coarse and uncivilized individuals.

Moreover, throughout the entire Chuanqing Village, only Yuan Gang truly understood that Wang Yuan's swordsmanship was more formidable than his archery. When he taught swordsmanship, any attempt to conceal his knowledge was futile—Zhao Pusheng's nickname back in the day was known as "Double Sword Zhao," who could defeat Xu Da without any temper.

"It is possible." Wang Yuan slowly stood up

Snap

Yuan Zhi's face instantly turned pale, his features contorted in pain, he bent over and covered his waist, crying out: "You, you, you... please don't hit my kidney!"

The origins of the residents of Chuanqing Village are largely quite unusual

Master Shen suddenly felt a splitting headache, yet he did not dare to refuse directly, and could only say: "Chief Fang, the Heishanling village has not established a household registration system, and the young men in the village cannot participate in the imperial examination; studying is of no use at all."

Yuan Gangsheng, a tall and robust man, looked down at Shen Fuceng and pointed at his nose, asking: "Are you the gentleman that Yuan Ge'er invited to the mountain?"

Of course, there is a third type, those who are misshapen or have physical ailments, and the women in the village are also unwilling to marry them, so they have no choice but to resort to taking them by force from outside.

This indeed reminded Fang Ayuan, as the leader Fang was very generous: "Mr. Shen's rations, I, Fang, will take care of them, ensuring that you have meat to eat every month"

Liu Yaozu, with his hands clasped over his head, crouched on the ground and trembled, saying: "No... you must not speak ill of my father... please, Brother Yuan Er, do not hit me, I am going to be beaten to death by you!"

Wang Yuan continued to beat him, and Yuan Da hurried over to pull him away: "Wang Er, stop hitting him, my second brother is going to be beaten to death by you!"

The adults soon left, and several students sat in front of the blackboard, with the exception of Wang Yuan and Liu Yaozu, who were the only ones not distracted.

Yuan Zhi stood confidently, thumping his chest and saying: "Come on, I let you hit!"

Wang Yuan adjusted his sleeves, exuding a refined demeanor and a humble attitude. He clasped his fists towards Master Shen and said, "The student excels at persuading others with reason. Yuan Er has already been convinced by me and will ensure that he does not cause any disruption in class. Sir, please proceed with your lecture"

Master Shen immediately fell silent, pondering how to find a way to step down.

Yuan Zhi is almost fifteen years old, looking at Master Shen with disdain, and says to his father: "Father, does this sickly person even have the qualifications to teach me? I could kill him with one hand!"

Liu Yaozu mustered his courage to get up and secretly tugged at Wang Yuan's shirt corner: "Wang Er, be careful. Brother Yuan's punches are powerful and hurt a lot. Several times I thought I was about to die."

After being struck on the forehead again, Yuan Zhi instinctively covered his forehead, and his stomach was hit by a knee once more. His internal organs were already in turmoil, and with a "wow," he vomited up the food from the previous night

Liu Yaozu timidly reminded, "Brother Yuan, my father said we should respect our elders. The teacher is like heaven, and we students are like the earth. You cannot speak to the teacher in this manner."

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "I think you must have misunderstood the meaning. Your father said that because he is afraid you will be beaten too badly by me"

Yuan Zhi glanced at Wang Yuan and, with his nostrils flared, said: "What, Wang Er, are you not convinced? Come, come, let’s have a fight. Whoever wins gets to have their way."

Master Shen immediately bowed and replied with a smile: "I am Shen Fuceng, courtesy name Weitang."