Chapter 24: Connected Angles (IV)

“I’m exhausted, utterly exhausted. Brother Zhang, when will we get to that ruined temple?”
Zhang Xiaolangjun rubbed his waist, leaning against a pine tree, complaining bitterly.
“Young man, why complain about being tired? When I was your age, I could kill a tiger with my bare hands.”
Zhang Shouyu continued climbing up the mountain without looking back, tossing off such a remark. Zhang Yanji rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, “You’re just trying to scare us.”
Calling it a ruined temple was no exaggeration.
The temple’s plaque hung crookedly in the air, wild grass had grown between the threshold, and the red paint on the wooden door had long since peeled off.
“Brother Zhang, could a great master really live in such a ruined temple?”
Li Kuo frowned and asked.
“You don’t understand. The greater the master, the more they prefer to live in forest huts or ruined mountains. They’ve long seen through worldly fame and fortune and care nothing for such material things,” Zhang Shouyu said casually.
“Oh.”
Li Kuo replied briefly before following Zhang Shouyu toward the main door.
Gently pushing open the old wooden door, a cloud of gray dust rose.
“Cough, cough.”
Zhang Yanji covered his nose and mouth, saying, “How long has no one lived here? The master really isn’t particular at all.”
“Be careful with your words!”
Li Kuo gave his friend a warning glance before stepping inside.
“Is anyone here?”
Zhang Shouyu called out loudly, but no one replied.
“Could it be that Master Wunian has gone on another trip?”
Zhang Shouyu murmured and headed toward the main hall.
Smoke was rising from the hall, suggesting food had just been prepared. Zhang Yanji patted his empty stomach and rushed inside…
There was no sign of Master Wunian in the hall. A Buddha statue with a broken arm, two gaunt hunters, and three moldy mats were all there. Without carved beams or painted decorations, and without the scent of sandalwood, even the most devout believer couldn’t associate this place with a sacred Buddhist site.
After all, even Buddhas need to eat. If there’s no money for sesame oil, won’t they go hungry and cold?
The injured hunter had regained consciousness and, after eating the simple meal prepared by Master Wunian, his complexion began to improve. The taller hunter lowered his head in shame and said, “It’s all my fault. I’ve dragged Brother Zhang into this. If I hadn’t insisted on hunting in the mountains, Brother Zhang wouldn’t have been injured.”

The injured hunter forced a smile and patted his brother’s shoulder. “Disasters are inevitable; it’s all predestined. Even if I hadn’t met Hei Xiazi in these mountains, I would have encountered danger elsewhere. Rather than being stabbed by those Tubo barbarians on the battlefield, it’s better to let Hei Xiazi end this calamity.”
“Brother… I…”
The tall man wanted to say something but ultimately sighed and remained silent.
Zhang Shouyu hurried toward the two hunters, intending to inquire about Master Wunian’s whereabouts. But when he got closer, he was stunned. The injured hunter was none other than his deputy general, Li Lin.
It turned out these two were not hunters at all, but just brothers who had gone hunting in the mountains.
“Lao Li, what are you doing here?”
Zhang Shouyu quickly stepped forward to check on Li Lin’s injuries.
“General!”
Li Lin tried to get up, only to pull at his wound and let out a pained cry.
“Don’t move. Speak slowly.”
Zhang Shouyu helped Li Lin sit down gently.
“Ah, it’s a long story.”
Li Lin shook his head. “These past few days, I asked you for leave to recover at home, but my younger brother was restless and insisted on going hunting for roe deer in the mountains. With his stubborn nature, there was no way I could persuade him. So I changed into hunter’s clothes and went hunting with him. We were just unlucky to encounter a black bear in a mountain valley. The female bear was giving birth and was extremely aggressive, charging at us. My mount panicked and threw me to the ground. Hei Xiazi struck me in the chest with a palm strike. If it weren’t for my younger brother shooting out Hei Xiazi’s eyes in time, the consequences would have been disastrous.”
After hearing his subordinate’s account, Zhang Shouyu was both angry and amused. He examined Li Lin’s younger brother carefully.
“Young man, what’s your given name?”
“Li Sheng, styled Liangji.”
The young man emphasized his style name, hoping Zhang Shouyu would know he had already undergone the coming-of-age ceremony. “Hmm, were you the one who shot Hei Xiazi twice?”
Zhang Shouyu cleared his throat and studied the young man curiously.
“It was me! I caused my brother to suffer; I deserve death. Hei Xiazi has thick skin, so shooting elsewhere was useless. Only by shooting his eyes could we truly blind him!”
Li Sheng said, puffing out his chest.
“Oh?”
Zhang Shouyu was greatly surprised. Few in the army could shoot consecutive arrows. Even a legendary general like Xue Rengui could only fire three arrows in a row. That this boy could shoot two arrows in a row, blinding the black bear’s eyes, left him in awe! “At such a young age, you already possess such skills. Not bad, not bad!”
Zhang Shouyu nodded in admiration.

Li Sheng seemed very confident in his archery skills. He looked up proudly and said, “Of course. In this Longyou region, if my archery is not number one, then no one dares claim to be!”
Zhang Shouyu’s expression suddenly turned cold. “But do you know that it was because of your insistence on going hunting that one of my capable deputy generals was seriously injured? How should this be accounted for?”
Unprepared for Zhang Shouyu to bring this up, Li Sheng pouted and said, “I’ve already apologized to my elder brother. What more is needed? Besides, this is a family matter between us brothers. Why should an outsider get involved?”
Zhang Shouyu grabbed Li Sheng’s wrist tightly. “Kid, do you really think this is as simple as a family matter? The Battle of Hehuang is about to begin. By first costing us a key general, what crime have you committed?”
Suddenly having his wrist seized like a child by Zhang Shouyu, Li Sheng felt extremely humiliated. He struggled but couldn’t break free. Filled with anger, he snapped, “Then what do you want me to do? I’ll do as you say.”
Zhang Shouyu nodded. “At least you show some responsibility. Here’s what I propose: I won’t make things difficult for you. Join my army instead. Once the Battle of Hehuang is over, I’ll restore your freedom.”
Li Sheng raised an eyebrow. “What’s so hard about that? Our Li family has been generals in Hexi and Longyou for generations. Military service is nothing new to us. If it weren’t for my grandfather preventing me from joining the army to ensure a steady line of descendants for our family, I would have joined already last year!”
Zhang Shouyu clapped his hands and laughed. “Good boy! Truly worthy of being a descendant of generals. I’ll grant you a year of freedom. If you don’t want to be a soldier by then, it’s up to you!”
He waved his hand cheerfully. “Is that a deal?”
Li Sheng’s gaze sharpened, his eyes filled with determination. “A deal!”
Zhang Shouyu patted Li Sheng’s shoulder and paused briefly. “However, you can’t take over your elder brother’s military position. You must start as a common soldier. I think you should work under Lieutenant Li Kuo.”
Li Kuo was Zhang Shouyu’s most promising young general, so he readily assigned this talent to the young man.
“Of course. I, Li Sheng, will earn my fortune through my own strength. I don’t need anyone’s protection!”
“Welcome to the Tongwu Camp!”
Li Kuo extended an arm in invitation, his face full of friendliness.
Note 1: Black bears mate from June to July each year, and cubs are usually born between December and March of the following year. Pregnant bears can be quite brutal and aggressive.
Note 2: Li Sheng, styled Liangqi, was from Lintan in Taozhou (present-day Lintan County, Gansu). He was a famous patriotic general of the mid-Tang Dynasty, renowned alongside Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi.
Crowning Ceremony: In ancient times, boys would undergo a crowning ceremony at the age of 20 to mark their coming of age.

Note 3: According to the “Biography of Xue Rengui” in the New Book of Tang, “An imperial edict appointed Zheng Rentai as the commander of the army marching along the Tiele route. At that time, the nine tribes numbered over 100,000. Xue Rengui sent dozens of elite riders to challenge them. He shot three arrows, killing three of them. Thus, the enemy troops were intimidated and surrendered all… A song in the army went: ‘The general’s three arrows secured Tianshan; valiant warriors sang as they entered the Han borders.’”