Zhou Zheng looked at his brothers, unsure how to respond.
Fortunately, Zhu Changle didn't insist on an answer right then. She glanced at them and moved on.
"Come on, Zhou Zheng, you stand in the middle. The rest of you, spread out around him with your arms outstretched, leaving an arm's length between each person. Those behind, line up behind them, keeping an arm's length of space in all directions."
Zhu Changle watched them arranging themselves with an impish smile, chatting as they did so. "Don't think I'm favoring Zhou Zheng. He's just one of the two people I know here. The other is Junzi, though I don't even know his surname. He's older than me, so calling him Junzi doesn't seem quite right, does it?"
Her down-to-earth manner instantly put everyone at ease, dispelling the nervous atmosphere. The others looked at Junzi teasingly, making him feel self-conscious about his outstretched arms.
Zhou Zheng, emboldened by the special attention, spoke up: "His surname is Wu, Miss Zhu. His name is Wu Jun."
"Alright, I'll remember that. You two can be my assistants from now on," Zhu Changle decided casually. Seeing how quickly they formed neat rows, she smiled inwardly, realizing they must have practiced this before.
"Let me be clear: training will be extremely tough. I won't go easy on you just because you admire me."
Zhou Zheng, now the group's unofficial spokesperson, replied, "Don't worry, Miss Zhu. We're not afraid of hard work."
"Remember those words. If anyone can't handle it later, I'll remind you of what you just said."
Zhu Changle rested her cane on her shoulder, looking every bit the tough taskmaster. Zhu Changning frowned slightly but swallowed his words when he recognized the familiar cane.
"Compared to the people of Gu'an, you're naturally weaker in terms of strength. However, you have a significant advantage in agility."
The group listened intently, recognizing the truth in her words.
"I'll teach you to rely on skill rather than brute force, making you more agile. But you'll still need to work on building strength. In the end, raw power often prevails, and skill is just a supplement. If your opponent is wary, they might not give you a chance to get close."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"In martial arts, we start by training the waist, and before that, we practice stances. Without a solid foundation, all training is futile. Let's begin with the horse stance to strengthen your legs. Aunt Feng, please demonstrate for them."
Zhu Changle stepped aside, gesturing for Aunt Feng to take her place.
Aunt Feng stepped forward and smoothly dropped into a horse stance.
"Copy her. Stand with your feet parallel, shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and squat down, keeping your thighs almost parallel to the ground. Turn your toes slightly inward, gripping the ground with all five toes. Center your weight between your legs. Your knees should be directly above your toes. Bring your palms together in front of your chest and look straight ahead."
Everyone followed her instructions. Perfection was impossible at first, so Zhu Changle walked among them, tapping legs with her cane and patting backs, offering reminders: "Keep your head straight, neck erect. Chest in, stomach in. Tighten your buttocks, straighten your lower back. Open your hips, lower your shoulders, and tuck in your tailbone."
The seemingly simple posture quickly proved challenging. Though it was their first time, they lasted longer than Zhu Changle had expected.
Considering that only eight guards had been selected from hundreds of applicants, Zhu Changle's mind wandered. Yet as she moved through the ranks, she seemed to have eyes all over her head. She noticed every attempt to shift weight between feet, every slight body tilt, every raised bottom, every sagging back... and her cane swiftly found each offender.
"I started my training with the horse stance too. I know how exhausting it is. Bear with it. No pain, no gain. Or rather, without enduring this pain, how will you defeat Gu'an?"
Seeing how her words steadied those who were about to collapse, Zhu Changle nodded approvingly. This was more like it. Her literary reference hadn't been wasted after all.
"Each day you hold on a little longer, you'll find you can endure more and more. Soon, you'll notice you're not so easily knocked down because your foundation is solid."
Approaching Zhou Zheng, Zhu Changle squeezed his arm. "Hmm, not bad," she thought, suspecting he'd had some training. As her hand moved down to check his leg, Zhu Changning's shout of warning came simultaneously with Qiuli's fan.
Putting her hands behind her back, Zhu Changle couldn't resist threatening her brother, "Don't you dare tell on me when we get home!"
Zhu Changning glared at her in exasperation.
Seeing that her brother didn't scold her, Zhu Changle felt a twinge of guilt. Pouting, she defended herself, "I forgot!"
Zhu Changning was at a loss with his incorrigible sister. "Father asked me to assist you."
"Yes, yes, I'll be sure to put you to work," she replied cheekily.
While the siblings bantered, Qiuli's fan had already poked Zhou Zheng all over, leaving him feeling thoroughly discombobulated and his legs even weaker.
"He's trained before," Qiuli observed.
"I thought so too," Zhu Changle agreed. Not just Zhou Zheng, but everyone present had some training. If their physical condition wasn't so poor, they wouldn't have been so easily beaten by the people of Gu'an.
"Take a short break. Stretch a bit before we continue."
At these words, some immediately collapsed to the ground.
Zhu Changle pointed with her cane, "Stand up and jump a little."
Those who had sat down didn't dare disobey, but their jumps barely cleared an inch off the ground.
Zhu Changle's hand itched to intervene, but considering it was their first day, she restrained herself. She beckoned to Zhou Zheng, quickly lowering her hand when Qiuli's fan swooped in.
"Qiuli, one of these days I'm going to throw that fan of yours away."
"I have as many as you care to throw away," he replied smoothly.
Zhu Changle rolled her eyes at him, showing off his wealth. Hmph, she used to be the pampered daughter of a high-ranking official too. It was only because of her father and older brother's schemes that she'd lost that status. She'd reclaim it one day!
Zhou Zheng inched closer, not daring to get too near. "What can I do for you, Miss Zhu?"
"Tell me, how long has it been since you've eaten meat?"
Just hearing the word made Zhou Zheng's mouth water. "A long, long time."
"How long exactly? A year?"
Zhou Zheng shook his head.
"Six months?"
"Two and a half years."
"What?" Zhu Changle's cane clattered to the ground. How could it have been so long? Did they even remember what meat tasted like? No wonder they lacked strength if they couldn't eat meat. And likely, it wasn't just meat they were missing out on.
"Go lead everyone in continuing the horse stance."
Zhu Changle turned to face the dilapidated dock, contemplating seriously for the first time. What was Gu'an after in Yunbei, setting such an elaborate trap? And what was Luo Ding trying to protect?
