The middle - aged man slowly helped Zhao Yuxuan up. His gaze was like a ruler, carefully examining Zhao Yuxuan up and down as if he wanted to see through him completely. After a while, a smile finally appeared on the man's face. He said with a bit of apology, "Little brother, I'm afraid this won't work. This job is a handicraft skill passed down in our family for generations, just like a family heirloom, and has been passed on within the family from generation to generation. My son has been learning from me for such a long time and is almost done with it. It can't be taught to outsiders."
When Zhao Yuxuan heard this, he was as eager as if his heart was on fire. He quickly said, "Uncle, you've misunderstood me. I don't want to take your job away, nor do I want to perform this. I just want to make my hands and feet as tough as yours so that I'm not afraid of anything. You don't know, I have my own troubles and I especially need such an ability."
The middle - aged man burst into a hearty laugh again when he heard this. The laughter echoed in the air like a tolling bell. After laughing, he said, "Little brother, listening to your accent, you seem to be Han Chinese, right?"
Zhao Yuxuan knew in his heart that his Miao language was still rather clumsy, like a toddler just learning to walk, stumbling all the time. So he just nodded and replied, "Yes, uncle. I'm Han Chinese. But I've worshiped Witch Li Yuexuan as my master, so in my heart, I can be considered half Miao."
The middle - aged man was stunned for a moment, his eyes full of surprise. He asked, "Witch Li Yuexuan? Is Witch Li Yuexuan from Tianwang Fort your master? Why would she accept a Han Chinese like you as her apprentice?"
Seeing the skeptical look on his face, Zhao Yuxuan felt a little flustered. His eyes were like two restless little rabbits, looking around everywhere. Soon, he saw a group of people ahead. Their familiar clothes and appearance were exactly those of the people from Tianwang Fort. He ran over as if he had seen his savior and asked those people to prove it to the middle - aged man. Only after being confirmed by everyone did the middle - aged man believe it.
After the people from Tianwang Fort left, the middle - aged man's attitude immediately became enthusiastic. He loudly called for someone to bring two bamboo stools. The bamboo stools looked a bit old but exuded a simple and primitive charm. The middle - aged man took Zhao Yuxuan's hand and sat on the bamboo stools together. He said, "Little brother, since you are really Witch Li Yuexuan's apprentice, why do you still come to ask me? Witch Li Yuexuan is a very powerful figure. Her skills are hundreds or thousands of times better than mine."
Zhao Yuxuan knew in his heart that Grandma Li Yuexuan held an extremely high position in the hearts of the Miao people, like a lofty mountain. Now he could only use her name to achieve his own goal. So he said, "Uncle, I'm out this time on my master's orders. The old lady said that the unique skills of the Miao family are as countless as the stars in the sky. She asked me to learn more about them and also said that she would test me. If I come back this time without any收获, without learning anything, she will punish me severely. I don't want to be punished, so I came to ask you for advice."
The middle - aged man was silent for a moment after hearing his words, like a cloud covering the sun. Suddenly, he let out a long sigh, a sigh that seemed to well up from the bottom of his heart, with a touch of emotion. He said, "Little brother, to tell you the truth, when I was a child, I had a strange disease. That disease was like a devil haunting me and almost took my life away. At that time, I thought I was doomed. It was my father. He was so worried that he ignored the long journey and went to Tianwang Fort to invite Witch Li Yuexuan. It was dozens of miles of mountain roads, and it took him a whole night. Only then did Witch Li Yuexuan save my life. So, Witch Li Yuexuan is my savior. Since it was she who told you to learn the Miao family's unique skills, I should teach you as a matter of course. But you don't know, our 'climb a mountain of swords and plunge into a sea of fire' job is not so easy to learn. One has to start practicing from childhood."
As he was speaking, he stretched out his hands. His hands looked rough but were full of strength. He said, "Little brother, touch my hands."
Zhao Yuxuan reached out and touched them. He felt that the place where his hand touched was extremely hard, really like steel. This hardness surprised him very much.
The middle - aged man continued, "Little brother, look at my hands. They are full of calluses. When I was a child, I gradually started to grind my skin in iron sand. The iron sand was like countless small knives. Every time I ground it, it was extremely painful. When it was ground and broken, I could only wait for it to heal and then grind it again. Repeating this process like this, it has been exactly thirty years until now. In fact, in our line of work, there is no secret. It is just that one should be proficient through diligence, like an old ox plowing the field, constantly endure hardships, and have the perseverance to keep going. So very few people can do it. Even my son, it was only under my scolding and beating that he reluctantly mastered it. But the knives he uses for climbing the mountain of swords are different from mine."
When Zhao Yuxuan heard this, his heart suddenly felt like being poured with a basin of cold water, full of disappointment. He thought that it would take thirty years to master this, but he only had three years. How could this be possible? He quickly asked, "Uncle, is there any quick - learning method?"
The middle - aged man slowly shook his head, but suddenly, as if he had remembered something, a glint of light flashed in his eyes. He said, "When I was a child, I heard my father say that if you smear the juice of the 'Jiayi worm' on your hands, maybe you can learn it in a short time."
When Zhao Yuxuan heard this, he couldn't help but take a sharp breath. His heart seemed to be swept by a cold wind. He had been here for several months. How could he not know about the 'Jiayi worm'? It was a poisonous insect unique to some mountainous areas of the western Hunan Miao family. Its appearance was a bit like a centipede, but also a little different. It didn't have as many legs as a centipede, and its whole body was covered with green hair, as if it was wearing a green sweater. It grew in damp and shady rocks, which was like its little castle. It was said that the toxicity of this worm was very strong. If the skin accidentally touched it a little, it would immediately rot, as if it had been corroded by strong acid. Let alone smear the poison juice in its body on the hands. It was simply making a joke of one's own hands.
But the middle - aged man continued, "My father said that this method was also heard from his elders, but he had never heard of anyone practicing like this. You know, letting the 'Jiayi worm' rot all the muscles on the hands and then let them grow again, how terrifying this is. It is very likely to make a person disabled for life. In this lifetime, not to mention making a living by performing, but instead having to be supported by others. Then one becomes a useless person."
Zhao Yuxuan didn't speak for a long time. His heart was like a bottle of mixed feelings, all kinds of tastes welling up in his heart. After a long time, he slowly stood up and bowed deeply to the middle - aged man. The bow was full of respect. He said, "Uncle, thank you for your advice. I'm going back."
At this time, the middle - aged man also stood up. His movement was very quick. He grabbed Zhao Yuxuan and said, "Little brother, you can't leave. Witch Li Yuexuan saved my life, but she didn't ask for any repayment. The old lady seldom leaves the village. You are her apprentice, like her messenger. I have to offer you wine and let you convey my gratitude and admiration for her."
Zhao Yuxuan wanted to break free, but the middle - aged man's hand was as strong as a pair of pliers. He couldn't break free. After thinking about it in his heart, he no longer insisted and agreed.
Soon, after several assistants quickly packed up their things, the middle - aged man took them and Zhao Yuxuan to the best Miao restaurant in Yizhen. The signboard of the restaurant shone in the sun, showing a unique ethnic flavor.
At the banquet, Zhao Yuxuan was almost made to lie down on the spot by being made to drink so much.
It turns out that the Miao people live in cold and damp mountainous areas. The weather there is like a large ice cellar. They need to rely on alcohol to keep warm, just like people in a cold night need a bonfire. For thousands of years, alcohol has become an indispensable part of their lives, and naturally they have become a nation that loves drinking. Their wine culture is very rich, such as "road - blocking wine", "door - entering wine", "farewell - before - marriage wine", "welcoming - guest wine", "double - cup wine", "cross - arm - cup wine", "mid - way wine", "round - and - round wine", "sharing - cost wine", etc. There are all kinds of wines with all kinds of meanings. In short, no matter where they go or what they encounter, they have to drink, and there are certain rules for drinking, like an invisible contract.
Zhao Yuxuan's drinking capacity was not good. In the past, he only drank some low - alcohol drinks such as beer or red wine. Those wines were like gentle lambs. However, the Miao people usually drink strong corn wine brewed by themselves, and this restaurant was no exception. The strong corn wine was like a fierce beast, full of strength.
There were five people on the middle - aged man's side. They seemed to have made an agreement and naturally all came to toast Zhao Yuxuan. After just a few cups, Zhao Yuxuan couldn't bear it anymore. He felt as if there was a fire burning in his stomach. But he was really too depressed and painful in his heart, like being covered by a cloud. He also wanted to drown his sorrows in wine and get drunk, so he drank whatever was offered to him, gulping it down without thinking about whether he would get drunk or not. His such boldness immediately won the praise of the middle - aged man and his group. They thought that Zhao Yuxuan was very loyal and toasted him more frequently.
Zhao Yuxuan didn't know how the banquet ended and how he said goodbye to the middle - aged man and his group. He only knew that he had been vomiting all the way from Yizhen back to Tianwang Fort on the mountain road. His stomach felt like it was on fire, and his head seemed about to split, the pain was like countless needles stabbing. He staggered not far before he could no longer hold on. His feet gave way, and his whole body fell headlong on the roadside and seemed to roll down a not - too - high slope. But he didn't feel the pain. At this time, his heart was full of pain and resentment. He shouted hysterically without any scruples.
"Dad, Mom, where are you? I miss you so much, so much." There was a sob in his voice, and his longing surged like a tide.
"Chen Shihan, you vain and money - loving woman, I hate you, I hate you." His face was full of anger, and the resentment in his heart erupted like a volcano.
"Zhao Qiyang, Wu Junhui, you are not my brothers, not my brothers." His eyes were full of disappointment, and the former trust was like a bubble that had burst.
He was crying while repeatedly shouting these words. His voice spread far away on the mountain road. Some Miao people who were on their way at night were so frightened when they heard his random shouts that they were afraid that this person would go crazy. When passing by, they all quickened their steps and walked past in a hurry.