The Beacon of Kyushu

Xiao Tallin did not answer, but walked quickly, patted Yelu Juncai on the shoulder and said, "Cousin, I haven't seen you for a long time. Do you still remember my cousin?"

Yelu Juncai smiled, his face showing no sign of panic, as if he had expected someone to be behind him. "Cousin, it's been a long time since we last met! Last year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, you drank five jars of strong liquor in a row, and you were still able to wield a sword in public. I still remember it vividly. If you have time, I hope you can teach me, so that my martial arts can advance by leaps and bounds!"

Xiao Tallin didn't say anything, but he thought in his heart, "My footsteps were very light just now, and my cousin couldn't have noticed it with his martial arts skills. Why wasn't he scared? Instead, he was talking and laughing, and deliberately mentioned the Mid-Autumn Festival last year to me. I'm afraid there's something strange about it!"

Yelu Ting also stepped forward and said kindly, "Brother, how are you? How long has it been since we last met? Um... a month? Two months? No, no, it seems to have been at least four months! Where was the last time we met?"

Yelu Juncai said, "Sister, you have always had a good memory, how come you even forgot about the last time we went hunting on horseback outside Linhuang Prefecture? You shot a hare that time and insisted on stewing it in a pot, but I said hares should be roasted, and we had a quarrel because of it!"

Yelu Ting had a kind and amiable elder sister look on her face, and she was also more or less trying to find out. After trying it out, she became more certain of her thoughts, and couldn't help but say with a little pride, "Well, my vision is still good. I can tell at a glance that this cousin is genuine! Otherwise, no matter how cunning that bastard is, he would never know these little things!"

Seeing that both of them had tried, Yelusha came over and said with a smile: "Brother, we brothers don't meet often. Do you remember what we did last time we met? I'm not as smart as your cousin and sister. I only remember that we seemed to have a lot of fun, but I don't remember what we did!"

Yelu Juncai pointed at Yelu Sha and said, "Brother, you are still so stupid! The last time we met was about half a month after the Battle of Gaoliang River. At that time, you said that you got a lot of good things on the battlefield, and brought a full box for me to choose. But when I looked around, the box only contained some broken flags that the Song people didn't want, broken military uniforms that they didn't have time to get, and the only thing left was the sword on my waist. I smiled and said, 'Brother, if you want to give me a sword, just say so. Why bring a box of junks? Don't you think it's too heavy?' But you said, 'These trophies are junks to others, but to you, each one is a precious treasure and the honor of a Liao warrior!'"

As they chatted and laughed, they gradually walked to the front of Wanghai Hall. Mu Liao led Yelu Juncai into the hall first to complete the ceremony of apprenticeship. Xiao Talin, Yelu Sha, and Yelu Ting stood at the door in front of the hall and looked at each other. Yelu Sha and Yelu Ting spoke almost at the same time, saying: "Brother Xiao, I think this cousin is not fake, otherwise that bastard would not know so much!"

Xiao Tallin shook his head slightly and said, "No, he came to the mountain to become a disciple. Do you remember what it was like when we first arrived?"

Yelusha recalled for a long time before saying, "I remember when I was very young, I heard about a fierce bandit named Mu Liao in Liao. At that time, my master had just come to Wanghaitang to take charge of the sect. My family hoped that I could learn martial arts, but they were unwilling to spend too much money to hire a famous teacher in the Central Plains, so they asked someone to send me to Wanghaitang. I was worried all the way, wondering if my master would really kill people without blinking an eye as the legend said, and would rob any good thing he saw. If that were the case, it wouldn't matter if I became a thief, but the key point would be that I would bring disgrace to the sect and lose my life, which was really not worth it. So, when I went up the mountain, I didn't even dare to raise my head, and I kept thinking about whether I should escape back home."

Yelu Ting said, "I was introduced by Brother Yelu. At that time, Brother Yelu didn't tell me whether I was a bandit or not. He just repeatedly emphasized in his letter that Master was very strict and told me not to have a bad temper like a rich and powerful woman. So when I went up the mountain, I was always thinking about how to please Master. I didn't have time to think about anything else."

Xiao Talin also said: "I have been stronger than other children since I was young. I am not worried that my master will do something to me, but I am worried that I am not talented enough to learn the most advanced martial arts. When the time comes, I will be too embarrassed to face my parents and my elder sister."

Yelu Ting said, "Well, although the three of us are different, we are generally worried about this and that." Xiao Tallin said, "That's right. It is impossible for anyone to have no worries when they first become disciples. But look at your cousin's face. Has there ever been a trace of worry? I think even if he is the emperor's nephew, he shouldn't be so calm, right? And the words we said seemed to be asking about our well-being, but in fact, every word was a test. Not only did he not feel a little confused, but he answered every question, and even took the initiative to bring up things we didn't mention. Isn't this strange?"

Yelusha and Yelushing said disapprovingly: "What's the big deal? Everyone has a different personality and status. Just because we are worried doesn't mean everyone should be worried. What's more, we are all his relatives. How can he not answer our questions?"

Xiao Talina nodded slightly, but his brows furrowed even tighter. "Well, what you said makes sense, but I'm still a little worried. Why don't we deliberately make a surprise attack tomorrow and test this cousin. If he can withstand the test, we can be completely relieved. If he can't withstand the test and his true colors are revealed, it's time for us to get rid of the thief!"

The next day, early morning.

As soon as the day dawned, Mu Liao called Yelu Juncai into the abode. The abode was basically the same as it had been a few years ago, still as fresh and unique, with a strong scholarly atmosphere. Mu Liao sat on the bed and said to Yelu Juncai: "My disciple, do you know what kind of martial arts is respected in my Wanghai Hall? What makes me stand at the top of the Liao martial arts world?"

Yelu Juncai shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Mu Liao sighed and said, "Alas, there was a martial arts method in my Wanghai Hall that has been passed down for a hundred years, called "Nine Glory Seven Stars Art". Your master's master used this skill to be the best in the Liao martial arts world, but even so, he still hadn't practiced it to perfection. I, your humble master, wanted to inherit your master's legacy and practice this skill to perfection, but the hateful traitor Yuwen Yanyi took advantage of your master's retreat and stole the secret book and poisoned you. If it weren't for your deep internal strength, you would have died before you could become my disciple."

Yelu Juncai nodded and was about to speak when he heard hurried footsteps outside the door. As the footsteps got closer, Xiao Talin and Yelu Sha walked into the house one after another. When Mu Liao saw the two, he seemed a little confused and asked, "Tuoning, Anyin, why are you here?"

Xiao Tallin bowed and said, "Master, I left the capital this time because I was sent by Lord Yelu Xiu'ge, the Privy Councilor of the Northern Court, to take advantage of Yuwen Yanyi's loss of power to sneak into the Central Plains to assassinate the dog thief. This move can not only eliminate the threat to the Liao Dynasty, but also avenge Master. Naturally, I will not refuse. However, now that it has been delayed for a long time, there are important matters in the court that urgently need us to return to the capital to deal with, so this disciple came here to say goodbye to Master."

Muriao nodded slightly and said, "Well, since you have important matters to attend to, go down the mountain."

"Thank you, Master. I'm leaving now!" Xiao Talin and Yelusha bowed together, slowly left the abode, and closed the door again. Seeing the two of them leave, Yelu Juncai continued to talk to Mu Liao, but a smug look flashed in his eyes. Mu Liao seemed not to notice anything wrong, and continued to talk about the various important news and anecdotes in the hall over the past few decades.

After about half an hour, Mu Liao was a little tired, and said with his eyes half open and half closed: "Disciple, you just entered the hall, and you still have a lot of things to do? The master is a little tired, so I won't keep you any longer, go and do your own thing. Remember, you can do anything, but you are not allowed to step into the back mountain casually, do you understand?" (End of this chapter)