Chapter 503: Dealing With

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Liu Dahei looked a little awkward. He hadn’t expected Qi Haoran to take his words seriously. Who knew that this kid would really be thick-skinned enough to mention it? He glanced at him to warn him not to go overboard since they were still respectively officials and bandits now. Moreover, they were on his territory.

Qi Haoran pretended not to understand and went forward to put his arm around Liu Dahei’s shoulder as they walked into the city. He said in a friendly manner, “Chief Liu, I encountered a calamity this time. You’ve got to help me. These brothers under me have only been focused on escaping recently and haven’t even had a sip of hot water…”

When Liu Dahei heard this, he panicked. Qi Haoran was a trump card for him and Lin Man. He was anxious to know Qi Haoran’s current strength, so he was not in the mood to probe and delay any longer. With a wave of his hand, he brought him back to his residence.

The bandit guarding the door had been shrinking his neck and watching from the side. When he saw that they had left, he hurriedly called for someone to inform Chief Yang.

Liu Dahei let his subordinates make arrangements for Qi Haoran’s men while he brought Qi Haoran into his study. When he saw Fei Bai and a regiment commander following behind him, he stopped in his tracks. Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchalantly and asked Fei Bai and the regiment commander to make arrangements and restrain their men. He followed Liu Dahei into the study alone.

Liu Dahei couldn’t help but praise the other party’s courage in his heart. He also left his men outside.

Liu Dahei closed the door. When he turned around, he saw Qi Haoran flipping through the books on his shelf in disdain. “What’s the use of reading these books?”

Qi Haoran flipped through the books and realized that they were very new, so new that there were no signs of them being flipped. He pursed his lips and said, “So it’s just for show.”

Liu Dahei’s face darkened slightly, a little displeased. He looked at Qi Haoran gloomily and did not speak. He was illiterate. This was his weakness and also the greatest source of his inferiority complex. Even that rough fellow, Lin Man, could read. He was clearly so smart, but he hadn’t had the chance to learn to read. It was because of this reason that newcomers would always choose to follow Lin Man over him because of this reason. Even if Lin Man could not compare to him in all aspects, those people would be bewitched by his appearance and resume.

Qi Haoran did not know the darkness in Liu Dahei’s heart. Neither was he aware that Liu Dahei had already killed him seven or eight times over in his heart. He only threw the book back on the bookshelf in disdain and said, “These books are no good. I suggest that if you want to learn to read, you should just read the ‘Three Character Classic’, ‘The Analects’, and ‘I Ching’. Of course, if you want to learn how to train soldiers and fight in wars, you’ll have to read a lot of books.”

Liu Dahei suppressed the tyranny in his heart and said casually, “Don’t you descendants of aristocratic families all have to read the four books and five scriptures? Why do you only recommend that I read these two books? Or is it that in your eyes, us bumpkins are unworthy of reading the four books and five scriptures?”

“It’s not like we need to take the Imperial Examination. Since we have no interest in them, why should we read those books? If one wishes to be literate, just the Three-Character Classic is enough. If one wishes to know how to conduct themselves in life, ‘The Analects’ will serve that purpose. And when it comes to leading troops to war, the ‘I Ching’ is a must-read. For example, I have to know the contents of these three books so well as to be able to memorize them backwards. However, my Big Brother never asked me to memorize the other books, only requiring that I read them once.” Qi Haoran said confidently, “I don’t dare to say anything else, but in terms of leading troops to war, other than General Yuan and my Big Brother, I believe that no one can compare to me.”

Liu Dahei looked up at Qi Haoran, who was oblivious to the fact that he had offended him. After a moment of silence, he said, “I thought you were looking down on me for being illiterate…” So it turned out, he was genuinely giving him advice.

Slightly stunned, Qi Haoran tilted his head and sized him up. He pursed his lips and said, “You’re so burly, but why are you still so sensitive? There are many people in this world who can’t read. Do I have to look down on all of them? Besides, you’re not old. If you want to learn to read, just start now. Is your room full of books really just for show?”

Liu Dahei said bitterly, “I’m already 32 this year. It’s too late for me to start learning to read now.”

Qi Haoran said disdainfully, “You’re only 32 years old and you speak as though you’re already in your twilight years. Even in his sixties, Cao Cao said that ‘An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand miles; an old hero still cherishes high aspirations’. If you start studying now, no matter how poor your aptitude is, you should be able to finish learning all the words in five years. After you finish reading ‘The Analects’ and recognize all the words, you can go on to read other books and learn from them.”

Liu Dahei was taken aback. Although he did not understand what Qi Haoran meant by “An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand miles”, he had heard of Cao Cao and also understood the rest of the sentence. He lowered his head and pondered. In the end, he stood up and bowed to him. “Thank you for the reminder, General Qi..”

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