19 Work Under Me

Upon learning the full story from the boy, the woman was deeply grateful, almost to the point of kneeling before Tian Yu and Guo Songyang. Tian Yu gently stopped her, saying, “Let’s first take this child inside to rest.” Hearing this, the woman hurriedly led Guo Songyang into the house.

The mountain dwellers of Shaoshi Mountain typically built modest earthen homes, and this family’s abode was no exception. Upon entering, Tian Yu immediately felt the cramped, dim space, though at least it was kept tidy.

Guo Songyang placed the boy on the kang and took from his pocket the medicinal salve he had previously used, handing it to the woman with instructions: “Apply this to his wound once a day, and he’ll recover without harm.”

The woman expressed her heartfelt thanks once more. After showing the same gratitude as her child, she asked for the names of their benefactors. She spoke frankly, saying their family lived in poverty and had little to repay, but despite that, she wished to remember their kindness.

At this point, not exchanging names would seem like an insult from Tian Yu and Guo Songyang. They exchanged glances and finally introduced themselves. Compared to “Bai Tianyu,” the name “Guo Songyang” clearly carried great renown on Shaoshi Mountain, for upon hearing it, the mother and son were stunned. The boy became even more excited: “Are you Songyang the Iron Sword?”

“So you are the young master of the Guo family,” the woman said, both surprised and delighted. “Last winter’s severe cold greatly reduced the harvests here, but the Guo family opened their granaries to relieve the famine, saving our family’s lives.”

“You truly are a great benefactor to the Qiao family,” she added with deep sincerity, tears welling in her eyes. Guo Songyang saw this and quickly said, “We all live on Song Mountain and should help each other.”

Tian Yu, standing quietly on the side and intending only to observe, suddenly noticed the injured boy glancing repeatedly at the knife hanging at her waist. His gaze was not out of curiosity or longing, but rather a serious contemplation.

Finding this intriguing, she met his look and asked, “You’ve been staring at my knife—what are you thinking about?”

Leaning on the kang, the boy replied calmly, “I’m wondering how you made that cut.”

Her interest piqued, Tian Yu asked, “Have you figured it out?”

He shook his head honestly. “No. It was too fast.”

A simple yet genuine compliment. Tian Yu smiled and said, “Actually, the secret is just one word: ‘speed.’”

He looked as if he half understood. Meanwhile, his mother, seeing that he hadn’t yet lain down, urged him gently, calling him Feng’er.

Tian Yu had heard this name before entering the house but hadn’t paid it much mind. Now, hearing it again, she couldn’t help but think: Their family’s surname is Qiao, and she heard the mother call him Feng’er... Could it be that this boy was none other than Qiao Feng, the protagonist of the tale “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils”?

Though she wasn’t fully versed in every character’s life story from that novel, she had once studied the role of A’Zi thoroughly while auditioning. The audition scene involved A’Zi embracing her brother-in-law Qiao Feng as they leapt off a cliff in a double suicide. She had even stayed up late to read through all of Qiao Feng’s parts in the novel, moved deeply by his tragic fate.

That night, she couldn’t sleep, haunted by his hardships, and went to the audition the next day with a face swollen from fatigue. Perhaps because she empathized with A’Zi’s sorrow over Qiao Feng, she gave a stirring performance, though she didn’t land the role—that’s another story—but from then on, she never forgot the sorrowful figure of Qiao Feng.

Qiao Feng, originally named Xiao Feng, was a Khitan from the Liao Kingdom. When he was still an infant, his parents were framed and attacked—one died, the other disappeared—and he was entrusted to a Han couple surnamed Qiao, never knowing his true origins.

By the time he understood his identity, apprenticed under a master, inherited the Beggar Sect, and became a renowned figure in the martial arts world, he was suddenly told he was not Han. His master, a paragon of justice who upheld righteousness all his life, was actually his enemy.

Fate seemed to mock him cruelly, leaving him caught between Han and Khitan, unable to find a place to belong, with death as his only escape.

As Tian Yu recalled this, she looked closely at the boy who was about to rest. Suddenly, before his puzzled gaze, she stepped forward and pressed her fingers against his shoulder bones.

He didn’t resist, though his mother tensed instinctively. Luckily, Guo Songyang quickly spoke up: “It’s nothing to worry about; my friend is merely examining your son’s bone structure.”

Indeed, Tian Yu was assessing the boy’s constitution. She remembered that the Qiao Feng in the novel was a prodigy who met any opponent with ease and grace. Such a person would have an extraordinary physique, exceptional talent. With her current insight, she could sense it with a touch.

Sure enough, after feeling just one arm, she was shocked. “Your bone structure is one in ten thousand. It’s a pity you don’t practice martial arts.”

At her words, Guo Songyang’s eyes widened. He stepped forward, feeling the boy’s entire skeleton meticulously.

By the end, he murmured, “Joints like jade, veins flowing smoothly—truly perfect material for martial arts.”

Their identical assessments left the woman speechless, unsure how to respond. The boy, after a brief moment of surprise, lifted his head and asked, “Then, can I become a sword attendant on Mount Taishi?”

He referred to the recent project of the Guo family. The Guo family, famed for their swords, selected sword attendants for each newborn heir. Before Tian Yu and Guo Songyang arrived, Guo’s aunt had just been found to be pregnant.

For over a decade, Guo Songyang had been the only heir; now with a new one coming, the entire family was joyfully preparing to select sword attendants.

The role of sword attendant was essentially a long-term sparring partner for the Guo heir, and the key requirement was a martial aptitude, which the boy had never thought he possessed and thus never tried.

But today’s accident revealed that he indeed had the potential to train in martial arts.

That meant he could earn five strings of coins each month for his family.

Thinking of this, he stared intently at Guo Songyang.

Guo Songyang was at a loss for words, half-smiling, half-crying: “With your talent, joining the Guo family as a sword attendant is truly a waste.”

“But if I don’t go, I won’t have the chance to learn martial arts, nor to help my parents,” the boy paused. “They’ve worked so hard to raise me.”

At these words, the woman, who had been standing stunned by the kang, suddenly teared up, choking out, “Feng’er!”

Living in Shaoshi, gifted and so young yet so understanding and filial—who else could he be but Qiao Feng?

Tian Yu sighed softly and said, “It’s admirable that you want to help your parents.”

“But besides becoming a Guo family sword attendant, there’s another way.”

“What?” he asked eagerly.

Tian Yu looked at him, hesitated a moment, then took a deep breath and resolved, “To be a sword attendant for the Guo family, you must sign a servitude contract. Instead, why don’t you become my subordinate? I’ll pay you a wage.”

He was stunned.

Tian Yu continued, “But I’m not from the Songyang branch. If you work for me, you’ll have to travel the martial world with me.”

“Then... will I still be able to visit my parents on Shaoshi Mountain?” he asked.

Tian Yu smiled, “Of course.”

“Traveling the martial world doesn’t sever family ties. It’s like going away for work—you can always return to see your family.”

In truth, becoming a Guo sword attendant would leave him little chance to visit home, as the Guo children practiced swordsmanship daily, year-round, and their attendants had to keep up without rest.

Tian Yu had heard this strict rule from Guo Songyang back in the East.

She didn’t think the Guo family’s approach was unreasonable—they didn’t force outsiders to become sword attendants—but as Guo Songyang said, with Qiao Feng’s talent, joining them would be a gross waste.

Wasting his abilities and being away from home for over a decade was hardly worthwhile.

Moved by her offer and recalling how she had saved him from a wolf earlier that day, Qiao Feng felt certain that becoming her subordinate was the right choice.

He promptly agreed, “Alright, I’ll be your subordinate.”

Before his words had even settled, his mother anxiously said, “Feng’er, don’t be impulsive!”

“I’m not impulsive, Mother,” he smiled at her. “You and Father always worry about my food and drink, saying I should join the Qiao family to endure hardship, but you’ve been unfair to me.”

“To me, it’s I who have wronged you.”

“Now that your son has caught the eye of Mister Guo’s friend, there’s one less mouth to feed at home. You and Father won’t have to work so hard.”

His mother laughed and cried, “You don’t understand. In matters like this, it’s always the parents’ fault. How could it be yours?”

Qiao Feng replied, “If Father and Mother don’t blame me, I won’t blame them.”

“There’s an old saying: those born into poverty grow up quickly. Such an opportunity is rare; I truly don’t want to miss it. I hope Mother will allow it.”

After hesitation, the woman looked at him, then Tian Yu, and finally nodded.

Tian Yu finally breathed a long sigh of relief. From her pocket, she took out a golden leaf, a precious token from the Seven Great Clans, and handed it to the woman.

“This is his wages for helping to support your family,” she said.

The woman was astonished, “This is far too valuable...”

Tian Yu smiled, casting a sideways glance at Qiao Feng on the kang. “Filial devotion is worth more than a thousand gold coins. How can this golden leaf be too precious?”

Besides, this was a genuine hero of great renown.