diymy Chapter 26 The Gao Family
Chapter 26 The Gao Family
Just then, a deafening cheer erupted from the crowd, and from the other end of the street came the sound of steady footsteps.
Dugu Xin slowly turned around, his smile fading. He gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, his gaze calmly fixed on the direction from which the footsteps came. The torchlight fell on his moon-white outfit, making his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes appear even more handsome. The surrounding noise seemed irrelevant to him; he stood quietly in the center of the open space, waiting for the person to approach.
His opponent has finally arrived.
The crowd instantly erupted into a new uproar, everyone standing on tiptoe to look in the direction of the footsteps. The tightly packed wall of people spontaneously parted to create a narrow path. Gao Zidan stood at the very front, a position carved out by the Xiongnu guards, with four elite Xiongnu soldiers beside him, their hands on their sword hilts, firmly blocking the throng behind them. By the light of the surrounding torches, he could clearly see who was approaching.
He was a young man, around twenty years old, dressed in a dark blue brocade robe with subtle patterns. The fabric was a tribute brocade reserved for aristocratic families in Jiangnan, making him stand out in the small county town of Zhongyang, clearly indicating his high status. He carried a long sword on his back, its scabbard wrapped in sharkskin and its hilt inlaid with white jade. His jade belt was neatly fastened at his waist. As he walked, the hem of his robe remained upright, his movements efficient and disciplined. Even amidst the bustling crowd, his back remained ramrod straight, his brows and eyes displaying the noble solemnity ingrained in the bones of a scion of a noble family, without a trace of frivolity. His steps were neither fast nor slow, each step landing with equal weight. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that he was a seasoned swordsman with an extremely solid foundation.
He walked step by step through the crowd and went straight to the center of the open space, where he stood opposite Dugu Xin, with only a few feet between them.
He first bowed respectfully to the crowd of onlookers, his manners impeccable, showing no arrogance even towards ordinary people. Then he turned around and bowed slightly to Dugu Xin, performing the etiquette of an equal.
The clamor of voices subsided slightly because of his calm and composed movements.
"My name is Gao Jiong from Bohai."
The man spoke, his voice clear and steady, each word distinct, overpowering the surrounding whispers, "I have not come here today to fight Dugu Lang to the death or determine a victor. It is only because I heard the other day that Dugu Lang publicly mocked my cousin Gao Yang for being ugly and dull. My cousin is quiet and not good with words, and as his younger brother, I have no choice but to come and seek justice for him."
Upon hearing this, the empty space fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a deafening commotion, several times more lively than before.
"Why waste time on this nonsense! If you want to fight, then fight!"
"Exactly! We came to watch Dugu Lang's sword fight, not to listen to your nonsense!"
"Dugu Lang! Should we accept or not? Don't let this kid spoil the fun!"
"Is this young master of the Gao family of Bohai trying to intimidate others with his power?"
"Men from the North prove their mettle with action; we don't stand on ceremony."
"I bet on Dugu Lang to win in ten rounds! Hand over the money!"
The shouts, calls, and calls for the betting rose higher and higher as the Han and Hu people of the entire arena eagerly awaited the duel between the noble young master and the legendary swordsman. No one cared about the background; they only hoped the two would start fighting. The northern lands valued martial arts and always recognized only fist and sword skills, not family background or social standing.
Upon hearing this, Han Xin immediately turned to look at Gao Zidan, a knowing smile in his eyes. Gao Zidan and Gao Jiong on the scene were of the same clan, but the Bohai Gao clan was large and had a wide network of connections. It was unclear which branch Gao Jiong belonged to; he was probably from the nearby Jinyang branch, which had long since separated from Gao Zidan's Shanggu branch. The branches were now far apart, so they could only be considered distant relatives, not close family members.
Gao Zidan's fingertips paused slightly, her gaze fixed on Gao Jiong on the field, her heart already churning with turmoil.
How could he not recognize Gao Jiong? In official history, he was the founding prime minister of the Sui Dynasty, a renowned minister known for his shrewdness, competence, and far-sighted planning; and there was his elder brother, Gao Yang, the founding emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty, a historically famous hero and emperor whose life was filled with countless controversies surrounding his achievements and failures. He never imagined that after just bumping into Dugu Xin in this small county town of Zhongyang, he would immediately encounter these two historical figures, both from the Bohai Gao clan.
He suppressed his inner turmoil, slightly raised his chin at Han Xin, indicating that he should wait and see how things develop, and said in a low voice, "Let's see how it goes first, and then listen to my instructions when necessary."
The four Xiongnu guards beside him still had their hands on their sword hilts, guarding him warily and blocking the crowd behind him. However, they couldn't help but glance at the arena, clearly also very interested in this duel between the most famous swordsmen in the north.
On the field, Dugu Xin was not annoyed by Gao Jiong's words. Instead, he laughed loudly, his voice bold and unrestrained, carrying the spirit of a chivalrous knight.
"I wonder what it is!" He waved his hand, his fingertips still resting on the hilt of his sword, his posture relaxed yet possessing an air of profound composure. "I didn't mean to mock your brother, I'm just stating the facts. Who in the world doesn't know that your Bohai Gao clan has produced outstanding talents generation after generation, from high-ranking officials to scions of noble families, who among them isn't elegant and handsome? How come your brother, Gao Yang, is born so different?"
His words were so blunt they were almost rude, and the audience burst into laughter again. Many people followed his words and looked towards the corner of the crowd on the east side, clearly already knowing that Gao Yang was also there.
But Gao Jiong showed no anger whatsoever. His back remained ramrod straight as he looked at Dugu Xin with a serious expression and asked, word by word, "So, Dugu Lang is unwilling to apologize?"
Dugu Xin raised an eyebrow, glanced at him up and down, and smiled teasingly: "I have done nothing wrong, why should I apologize? But speaking of which, your appearance and demeanor are truly befitting of the Bohai Gao family."
"In that case," Gao Jiong raised his hand, firmly gripping the hilt of the sword behind his back, his knuckles tightening slightly, his voice devoid of any emotion, "then take this!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly moved forward, his long sword flashing as it was drawn from its sheath. A cold light, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, shot straight at Dugu Xin's face! His swordplay was disciplined and precise, with no fancy moves whatsoever. Every strike was aimed at the real target, clearly the result of more than a decade of hard work.
A deafening roar of applause erupted from the audience.
However, Dugu Xin simply tapped his foot lightly, his body floating backward like a willow catkin, easily dodging the sword without even drawing his longsword.
"Wait, wait!" He waved his hand, his face still bearing that nonchalant smile. "A fight is fine, but there has to be some kind of prize, right? I can't just spar with you for no reason, can I?"
Upon hearing this, Gao Jiong remained unmoved, clearly prepared. However, Gao Zidan looked puzzled, turned her head to Han Xin's side, and whispered, "Mr. Han, what kind of rule is this? Do we have to agree on a prize before the martial arts competition?"
Han Xin, having roamed the martial world in his youth and worked as a wandering knight-errant, was intimately familiar with the unwritten rules of the northern knight-errant. Upon hearing this, he immediately lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, "Young lord, these are the hard and fast rules set by Dugu Xin, and they are also the unwritten conventions of the northern knight-errant circle. Professional knights like Dugu Xin neither farm nor serve in the government. Besides accepting gifts from familiar patrons or earning some money by helping people settle disputes, they also need food, clothing, and other necessities, and most of their income is related to these martial arts competitions."
"Especially someone as famous as him, the number one wandering knight in the world, so many people would kill to have a match with him. Let alone winning, even if you lose, as long as you can last twenty rounds against him, you can brag about it for the rest of your life, and your reputation will immediately soar; if you fight well, you might be noticed on the spot by some powerful family and hired as a retainer, or even directly recommended to become a general in the army or a clerk in the prefecture. In my early years in Dai County, I saw an ordinary wandering knight who lasted twenty-five rounds against him, and then he was hired by the border army commander as the head of the personal guard."
"Over time, people came to his door every day looking for trouble and wanting to fight him. He got so annoyed that he set this rule: anyone who wanted to fight him had to bring a prize. If the amount wasn't enough, he wouldn't even lift a finger. Firstly, it was to weed out those idle Tom, Dick, and Harry, and secondly, it was to earn a living for himself. He couldn't just let anyone come up and exchange a few blows with him, wasting his energy for nothing."
Gao Zidan understood immediately, chuckled, and shook her head. She thought to herself that Dugu Xin, despite his seemingly unrestrained and carefree nature, was actually quite astute. This method not only avoided endless trouble but also provided him with a livelihood—a win-win situation. She remembered watching TV dramas and reading novels where wandering swordsmen were always so generous, as if money was a trivial matter. In reality, most wandering swordsmen simply hadn't found their patron; after all, who wouldn't want a stable livelihood? However, Dugu Xin, being a top-tier wanderer, was a different story. In Gao Zidan's understanding, Dugu Xin was already an idol of this era.
But Gao Zidan asked again, puzzled, "If I insist on fighting you, Dugu Xin, you can't just hide from me, can you?"
"If you think like Young Master, it's not impossible, but that would be breaking the rules and would mean real fighting. If you're truly outmatched and end up with broken limbs or even your life, you can't blame anyone else."
Gao Zidan then realized that this meant if she followed Dugu Xin's rules—paying money would let him know she was seeking fame and he would naturally make things easier for her. But if she went looking for trouble, she shouldn't blame him for being ruthless. In a way, it did align with market principles.
Gao Jiong, who was present at the event, was clearly someone who knew the rules.
He didn't say a word, only turned around and raised his hand towards the edge of the crowd. Immediately, a servant guarding the area stepped forward, carrying a wooden tray in both hands, and steadily walked to the edge of the open space, placing the contents of the tray on the ground between the two men.
A plate of silver was neatly stacked, ten pieces for every ten taels, totaling one hundred taels of silver. One hundred taels of silver was one hundred strings of cash, and with the rise in the price of silver, it was worth one hundred and forty or fifty strings of cash in the countryside. In this small county of Zhongyang, one string of cash was enough for an ordinary male to eat for a whole year. Even the county magistrate, after deducting the expenses of his family and officials, might not be able to save one hundred strings of cash a year, let alone use it as prizes for martial arts competitions.
There was a moment of silence in the audience, followed by another gasp—everyone could see that this young master had truly come prepared.
"I am already aware of Master Dugu's rules, and the prize has been prepared." Gao Jiong flicked his wrist, his longsword twirling in a neat flourish, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. Without another word, he said, "Master Dugu, please."
Seeing this, Dugu Xin finally dropped his teasing expression and slowly drew his longsword from his waist. The sword, once drawn, rang out with a clear, resonant sound, its cold light gleaming—clearly a rare and fine blade. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Gao Jiong and said loudly, "Good! That's straightforward! Then I'll accompany you, Gao Lang!"
Before the words were even finished, the two figures had already started fighting.
In the flickering torchlight, two figures darted and weaved through the open space, their swords flashing and the clanging of metal echoing loudly and clearly. One sound followed another, and the cheers from the audience grew louder and louder.
However, after only three or five rounds, Gao Zidan could tell that although Gao Jiong's swordsmanship was solid and his technique was rigorous, his strength, speed, and adaptability in battle were far inferior to Dugu Xin's.
Not only him, but anyone with a discerning eye in the audience could see clearly that Dugu Xin wielded his longsword with incredible agility. The tip of the sword constantly circled Gao Jiong's body, yet each time it would deflect at the very last moment before touching the blade. He was clearly holding back, deliberately yielding to Gao Jiong, not wanting him to lose too badly. It was unclear whether this was because of the hundred taels of silver or because of the face of the Bohai Gao family. For the first ten rounds, he only defended and did not attack, allowing Gao Jiong's swordplay to be fierce, yet he couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes. In the middle ten rounds, he occasionally raised his sword to lightly deflect, easily neutralizing Gao Jiong's killing moves, his swordplay unhurried and composed. In the last ten rounds, Gao Jiong's breathing became disordered, and his swordplay slowed down. He deliberately slowed down his pace even more, accompanying Gao Jiong through the entire round.
Gao Jiong himself was well aware of this.
After thirty rounds, he suddenly stepped back, sheathed his longsword, and, slightly out of breath, remained courteous, bowing deeply to Dugu Xin and saying loudly, "Dugu Lang's swordsmanship is superb; I am inferior and humbly admit defeat."
He lost with composure, without any hesitation, which earned him a few cheers from the audience. Even Dugu Xin nodded in return and praised him, saying, "Gao Lang's swordsmanship is well-founded, but he lacks experience in actual combat. With more practice in the future, he will surely achieve great things."
With just one sentence, Gao Jiong was given a way out, and his dignity as a scion of a prominent family was preserved.
Just then, a sudden change occurred.
In the crowd on the east side, a man who had been standing silently in the corner, unnoticed by anyone, suddenly pushed through the crowd and strode into the open space.
That man was indeed not good-looking; in fact, one could say he was ugly. He was hunched over, with a dark complexion, thick lips, and cloudy eyes. Standing in the crowd, he looked like an inconspicuous piece of wood. He didn't utter a single word from beginning to end. Even when Gao Jiong went on stage to compete in swordsmanship, he just stood there silently, without offering a single word of encouragement.
It was Gao Jiong's elder brother, Gao Yang, who was mocked by Dugu Xin.
He rushed to Gao Jiong and, before Gao Jiong could react, snatched the long sword from his hand.
Gao Jiong was startled and said urgently, "Brother! What are you doing? Give me the sword!"
Gao Yang gripped the longsword, looked up at Dugu Xin opposite him, then looked back at his younger brother who had lost the sword fight to stand up for him. Ignoring the sudden uproar and discussion from below the stage, he charged forward with his sword.