The Princess of Northern Land

Chapter 271 - 271 271 Shocking (2)_1

?Chapter 271: Chapter 271 Shocking (2)_1 Chapter 271: Chapter 271 Shocking (2)_1 The training ground of Shili Village was two miles away from the village itself, without occupying the village’s territory. Not only was there a training ground, but there was also a newly established school. The place was vast and the facilities were complete.

Before the day could fully break, a group of villagers had already begun their training with Jue Ming. Not far from them, in the small practice field, was a group of children. With Yu Shao’en, they also practiced martial arts, mainly the horse stance. It seemed many children had already adapted to this kind of training, none were complaining about being tired or in pain.

Chu Suifeng arrived with a group of guards and came to a halt on the training ground.

The villagers’ practice was somewhat unusual: they began with a few sets of fist techniques. Chu Suifeng and Si Jinhan, both versed in martial arts, stood by the sidelines observing carefully, their surprise mounting.

They knew Lin Ziyin was adept in close-quarters combat, but they hadn’t expected it to be this effective.

“What’s the use of those things?” asked a villager, gathering some training equipment after concluding his martial arts practice.

“Don’t underestimate this equipment. Its effects on physical training are significant,” Lin Ziyin commented indifferently. “If the Prince and the third son remain skeptical, you can have your soldiers, who have no inner strength, spar against the villagers who’ve trained here.”

Intrigued by this proposition of a contest, Si Jinhan agreed enthusiastically. “Fine, let’s do it. But a one-to-one contest is not fun. Why not field ten people each from your side and ours for a skirmish?”

Chu Suifeng nodded, giving tacit approval.

“Just training is no fun either, why doesn’t the third son add something to spice it up.” Lin Ziyin proposed in a lighthearted manner.

“A scheming one, aren’t you? Why are you always after my silver, reluctant to put out your own?” Si Jinhan remarked, also in good spirits.

“Afraid, are you third son?” Lin Ziyin retorted with a slanted look.

“What? Me, afraid? Tell me, how much silver do you want?” To Si Jinhan, a little silver was nothing. Having teased Lin Ziyin, he readily agreed to part with some as a prize.

“Whether it’s the Prince’s men or our villagers, whoever wins should be rewarded with two taels of silver,” announced Lin Ziyin, indifferent as ever.

Two taels of silver, Si Jinhan laughed off. Was she truly trying to outfox him over such measly sum?

“Alright, I agree,” Si Jinhan said in a cheerful manner.

Many villagers had heard Lin Ziyin’s and Si Jinhan’s wager by now. The prospect of winning two taels of silver had many keen to participate.

Si Jinhan selected ten men from his guard crew. They were all big, muscular men with imposing stature; untiring in their regular military camp training.

Many villagers hesitated upon seeing the formidable opponents. They were casual practicers with limited experience. Could they win?

Lin Ziyin paid no mind to the buzz among the villagers and calmly surveyed the crowd.

“Stop the commotion, let’s hear what Ziyin has to say.” Amidst the chaos, it was Lou Zheng who could bring order. At his shout, the clamor among the villagers instantly died down.

“Most of you haven’t trained for long, just over a month. As you can see, our opponents are professional soldiers, who spend most of their day training. This is quite unlike you,” Lin Ziyin began, inciting nods of agreement from the villagers. They spent just over an hour training a day, with many only doing it begrudgingly. Without the multitude of rules set by the Lin family and their dire need of this employment, who would want to come over and train so early, especially after a long day’s work?