Chapter 149 – The Correct Posture for Gaining Affection (Part Seven)
“What are those useless guys doing now?” Jiang Pengji turned to Xu Ke, who had fully accepted reality.
Xu Ke looked at the sky and said, “They must be resting in the training ground after carrying heavy loads just now.”
To facilitate certain training activities, the farm had set aside a piece of land for the house servants as a training ground.
Qi Guanrang followed the two over and found people sprawled and sitting haphazardly in the training ground. A bunch of them had a half-basket of stones gathered in one spot. He quietly calculated that the basket weighed about thirty pounds—not too heavy, but for someone untrained, running long distances with that load would be quite the ordeal, and the rough hemp rope of the bamboo basket would surely chafe their shoulders; it wouldn’t heal in just a couple of days.
“Get up! Are you all lying around playing dead?” Jiang Pengji grabbed a wooden spear from a rack beside the training ground.
At the sound of her voice, those on the ground quickly scrambled to their feet and arranged themselves neatly under Qi Guanrang’s astonished gaze.
“What?”
Qi Guanrang was puzzled, and Xu Ke cleared his throat and quietly said, “The Young Master single-handedly defeated all of them.”
So that’s why they were so obedient when Jiang Pengji gave orders.
Qi Guanrang: “…”
He couldn’t believe that such a small figure could easily overpower a dozen big men and instill fear in them.
“What is he… doing now?” Qi Guanrang simply couldn’t imagine that the other party was also someone with both literary and martial prowess.
“He’s temporarily playing the role of a coach. After all, he was just a last-minute hire; even with some decent training, they still lack proper skill.”
Xu Ke’s words were true; they were all roughhouse types, not even as good as him, a half-baked rogue, since none of them had learned how to properly wield weapons like knives or spears. With no proper instructor available, it was only the Young Master himself who could step in.
Qi Guanrang fell silent… So is this your excuse for pawning off the lieutenant?
The training ground wasn’t very large, but it was enough for a hundred people to train, let alone the fewer than twenty present at the moment.
Jiang Pengji demonstrated how to use the wooden spear, and even though she hadn’t learned formally, her training as a gene warrior in her previous life allowed her to pick it up without a teacher. The basic actions of blocking, grabbing, thrusting, stabbing, entangling, circling, pouncing, and prodding were executed beautifully.
“…When your opponent blocks the spear’s thrust, twist your wrist this way, and the spearhead will whip around quickly, kind of like this…” Jiang Pengji thrust forward at the nearest person. The man instinctively raised his hand to block with the spear shaft.
Right on target, he blocked the spearhead!
But just then, in front of everyone’s gaze, the spearhead made an arc, skimming along the shaft, and thrust forward again, pressing against the left side of the man’s chest, right over the heart. Although it didn’t touch the skin and didn’t hurt, the man felt as if the spearhead had pierced his heart, causing him to collapse on the ground, the wooden spear falling from his hand with a clatter.
“This is the flexibility during offense. In defense, the spear can bend slightly to absorb some of the force, allowing for both offense and defense.”
“This is the advantage of the spear…” Jiang Pengji raised her wooden spear, addressing the stunned crowd, her tone suddenly sharp, carrying a hint of killing intent, “What are you all standing around for? Find your own wooden posts and practice each move one by one!”
There were over twenty wooden posts in the training ground, each about the height of a person and wrapped in heavy straw, making it difficult for the spearhead to puncture.
“Useless!”
After watching for a bit, Jiang Pengji applied a bit of strength, and the wooden spear plunged straight into the wooden post with an impressive thud, sounding as if it struck a chord in everyone’s hearts. The spearhead didn’t break; it was fully embedded in the post!
Under the dual pressure of language and sight, those who were initially a bit slack suddenly perked up, no longer daring to slack off as they energetically approached the wooden posts, recalling Jiang Pengji’s prior explanations of each movement.
“Don’t you know where the heart is? That’s your stomach!” Jiang Pengji yanked the spear out of the post, tapping it against one person’s arm to force them to raise it, “In life-or-death confrontations, opportunities are fleeting; if you can’t kill your enemy with one strike, you’ll increase your own danger. Remember, kindness to your enemy is cruelty to yourself and your comrades.”
Jiang Pengji walked around, adjusting several people’s grips and postures as they wielded the spear, “Power doesn’t come from the arms; it comes from stabilizing your lower body, channeling your energy through your torso into your arms, and delivering a powerful strike. If you rely solely on your arms, you’re either just posturing or training poorly.”
“You don’t need to wield the spear beautifully; you just need to know how to use it to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.”
The wooden posts Jiang Pengji prepared were marked at each vital point.
After finishing her explanation, she suddenly struck, knocking a spear out of someone’s hand with a resounding clang. The person’s face instantly went pale, shoulders trembling.
“Go pick it up and keep practicing,” Jiang Pengji said coldly.
The person felt a wave of relief wash over them as they hurriedly ran to retrieve the thrown wooden spear, their fingertips and arms vaguely tingling.
They had gripped the spear tightly, but when Jiang Pengji knocked it away, it felt like colliding with a mountain, the feeling in their hands gone numb, making the wooden spear feel as heavy as lead.
“Feels like Lan Ting in the training ground has completely transformed,” Qi Guanrang thought to himself, watching nervously as Jiang Pengji moved. That person… actually had such a sharp edge, unlike the usual joking demeanor, making it hard not to take her seriously, “Now I understand why you all would rather pawn off that lieutenant and want to bring in a coach.”
With or without a leader, those people showed completely different attitudes.
“Ke suspects… the Young Master probably just doesn’t want to deal with this group that makes him so mad anymore.”
Qi Guanrang: “…”
Young man, being too honest can easily get you into trouble with your superior, got it?
Jiang Pengji tossed aside the wooden spear, expertly slotting it into the weapon rack, and addressed the crowd, “Keep a close eye on them as they practice. No one gets to rest until someone can manage a proper showing. All squad leaders, keep a tight watch; if anyone doesn’t perform well, you’ll be the ones to take the punishment!”
Qi Guanrang sighed, “If Lan Ting keeps this up, he will definitely grow into a towering figure.”
Jiang Pengji returned just in time to catch his remark, her smile blossoming even brighter, “Thank you for your kind words.”
This farm was considered a blessed land within several miles, the most prosperous in the area. The tenant farmers here lived quite well; who didn’t envy them in the neighboring villages?
While other children were eying food greedily, the kids here were still frolicking and carefree.
“Ouch—” A child playing with friends ran too enthusiastically and didn’t notice a wall of flesh ahead.
“What happened? Did you fall and hurt yourself?”
Just as the child covered their forehead, tears welling up, a mature male voice resonated with concern above them.
