Chapter 146: Shadow of the Wu Warriors of Wei

"Dali, how long have you been following your young master?" Looking into each other's eyes, Wei Wuji suddenly broke the silence.

"Ah...?" Zheng Dali was somewhat bewildered, not expecting such an abrupt question, but he honestly replied, "My lord, this subordinate has been following you for a little over three months now."

"A little over three months..." Wei Wuji repeated, instantly feeling rather deflated. Why wasn't it thirty years?

If it had been thirty years, wouldn't he be able to continue by asking, "Dali, all these years, how has your young master treated you?"

"Having followed me for so long, I still don't understand you very well," Wei Wuji said slowly, purely making conversation for the sake of talking.

"Ah...?" Zheng Dali was once again baffled. What on earth did the young master consider a deep understanding?

*Such a blockhead,* Wei Wuji cursed inwardly. He just wanted to chat with his subordinate like family and close the distance between them!

Yet now, Wei Wuji really did find himself curious about Zheng Dali. It seemed he actually knew very little about his own premier bodyguard.

The only information he had was what Zheng Dali himself had mentioned: after Lady Dan had saved his life, he had remained by her side.

As for Zheng Dali's background before that, Wei Wuji's mind was a complete blank.

What also surprised Wei Wuji was how someone with Zheng Dali's explosive combat prowess had almost been beaten to death.

"Since we have nothing else to do, Dali, tell me about your past!" Wei Wuji smiled at Zheng Dali, his eyes full of coaxing temptation.

"What does the young master want to know?" Zheng Dali scratched his head, looking not at all like a fierce warrior who had killed without blinking an eye.

Since Zheng Dali asked, Wei Wuji casually inquired, "Do you still have family?"

Zheng Dali shook his head and said, "This subordinate has been an orphan since childhood. What family could I possibly have?"

*Another bitter soul with no family,* Wei Wuji sighed inwardly.

He had been the same in his past life; he deeply understood the feeling of growing up without love or care.

"Then how did you get through all these years?" Wei Wuji asked again. It was extremely difficult for an orphan to survive in these turbulent times.

Zheng Dali wore a wry smile as he recounted, "When I was little, this subordinate hung around with beggars, begging for food everywhere. We managed not to starve, and just muddled through day by day."

Wei Wuji had not expected Zheng Dali's childhood to be so miserable. Compared to his own past "hardships," Zheng Dali's experiences held an overwhelming advantage.

Under Wei Wuji's scrutinizing gaze, Zheng Dali continued, "Later on, because I had some brute strength, I went to the large freight yards and started working as a porter. Even this nickname 'Dali' was given to me by the steward there."

Speaking of his own embarrassing past, Zheng Dali looked a bit sheepish. Who would have thought that such a stalwart man would have such a "unmentionable" history!

"And then? How did you learn all these martial skills?" Wei Wuji asked again. If he had relied solely on brute strength, how could he have become such a formidable killer?

Zheng Dali made the gesture of pressing his hand against the hilt of his sword, then said, "Reporting to the young master, that was eight years ago, when this subordinate was almost nineteen..."

Hearing this, Wei Wuji, who was in the midst of drinking, spat out a mouthful of wine.

Eight years ago? Nineteen? Did this fellow mean he was only twenty-seven years old now?

Looking again at Zheng Dali's face—that full beard and the two intersecting saber scars—it was truly hard to believe this guy was only twenty-seven.

Twenty-seven... He looked well past thirty-seven! Wei Wuji thought to himself.

Yet Zheng Dali did not stop speaking, and slowly continued, "At that time, Wuan City suddenly posted a notice, saying they wanted to gather brave warriors for the country and recruit talented men for the sovereign's service..."

"So you were unsatisfied with the status quo and went to sign up?" Wei Wuji interjected eagerly. What a classic tale of a soldier's origins.

"How did the young master know..." Zheng Dali said in astonishment, his intelligence seeming to have plummeted severely.

"Alright, hurry up and get to the rest of the story..." Wei Wuji waved his hand, interrupting him once more. This fellow was sometimes quite sharp-witted, yet at other times ridiculously dense.

Zheng Dali's excitement was forcefully suppressed, and he went on, "Later on, this subordinate was selected..."

The two of them stared at each other again until Wei Wuji finally couldn't help asking, "And after that?"

At this point, Zheng Dali was not as calm and composed as before. His expression turned somewhat complex, as if he were struggling internally.

"If you have something to say, spit it out. Fidgeting like a woman..." Wei Wuji scolded angrily, full of mockery at Zheng Dali's demeanor.

Seeing Wei Wuji use this tactic once more, Zheng Dali gritted his teeth and said, "Later on, because of my outstanding performance, this subordinate was exceptionally selected into the Wei Martial Warriors."

Wei Martial Warriors... Hearing these three words, the scene of awe-inspiring dominance he had witnessed earlier flashed simultaneously in Wei Wuji's mind.

That Zheng Dali had once served among the Wei Martial Warriors was both unexpected and reasonable; it was completely normal for such a ferocious warrior to emerge from that unit.

"Exceptionally selected? You entered based on your own strength, so why was it considered exceptional?" Wei Wuji asked in confusion, baffled as to why even joining the army involved special exceptions.

Zheng Dali explained, "My lord, the Wei Martial Warriors are all selected from the regular army; even county garrison troops have no chance of being chosen..."

Wei Wuji understood upon hearing this, so he said, "Ah, so rising from a commoner to be selected directly into the Wei Martial Warriors—that's why it was an exceptional recruitment."

Zheng Dali broke into a rare, triumphant smile, and said with a hint of pride, "Precisely so!"

Wei Wuji couldn't help but chuckle softly. Indeed, everyone loved to show off, and Zheng Dali was no exception.

"And you learned all these skills over there with the Wei Martial Warriors?" Wei Wuji asked again.

No wonder this fellow had looked so disdainful when watching the Wei Martial Warriors train! He looked just like a veteran watching raw recruits in that world from his past life.

"Mm!" Zheng Dali nodded.

"Then why didn't you stay there instead of running out to become a bodyguard for your young master?" Wei Wuji asked, puzzled. Life among the Wei Martial Warriors must have been far more glorious than the present.

Zheng Dali's expression darkened unusually, and his hand tightening around the sword hilt finally loosened at last.

"Later on, this subordinate angered my company commander. After being punished with fifty heavy blows of the military staff, I was thrown out of the military camp," Zheng Dali said calmly, as if the matter had nothing to do with him at all.

Wei Wuji fell silent. Although Zheng Dali stated it simply, he could guess that there must have been plenty of dirty tricks behind it.

"What matter caused you to anger that commander?" Wei Wuji still refused to drop the subject and asked.

"My lord," Zheng Dali glanced at Wei Wuji and said solemnly, "It was entirely my fault, there's nothing much to say about it."

Since Zheng Dali wouldn't speak of it, Wei Wuji didn't press further. Still, he trusted Zheng Dali's character; the man was definitely not a "bad person."

Thus, the problem arose: even knowing that Zheng Dali had suffered an injustice, Wei Wuji could do nothing about it. He certainly couldn't afford to cross a commander of the Wei Martial Warriors.

After the two of them sat in silence for a while, Wei Wuji thought of a topic to break the awkwardness and asked, "Dali, after you joined the Wei Martial Warriors, what on earth did you learn to make you so ferocious?"

Zheng Dali wasn't as solemn as Wei Wuji and answered casually, "Nothing much. Every day it was training with the brothers, then practicing the sword, the dagger-axe, and the bow and crossbow..."

"If your young master undergoes such training, is there any hope of becoming a fierce warrior?" Hearing Zheng Dali's explanation, Wei Wuji's eyes burned with intensity.

He had now developed a strong desire to pursue personal martial prowess.

The feeling of powerlessness when facing the assassination attempt today had caused Wei Wuji profound pain; he refused to be a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Moreover, if a situation like Wang俞 challenging him were to arise again, he would be able to handle it far more brilliantly.