"Mohists, living above the matters of His Majesty and below the difficulties of farmers, are truly formidable."
Lame Man Uncle praised his own inadequacies, but when it came to boasting about his family’s teachings, it was a relentless cascade.
"However, the legitimate disciples of noble families have secluded themselves in the deep mountains, indifferent to the mundane world for many years, and their whereabouts are long lost to the world."
"Having said that, in these turbulent times, even hermit families have been uncovered, haven’t you also ended up fighting as one of the ruddy men at the front?"
This statement by Bai Junjun was quite cutting, causing the uncle to choke, and it took him a while before he could reluctantly say, "It’s true, indeed, my brothers and I have been wrongly involved."
Bai Junjun and Li Wenli were taken aback.
They had thought Lame Man Uncle was alone; who knew he had kinsmen in this Death Valley?
Before they could voice their query, the sound of the "giggle giggle" lift came from downstairs, and soon, One-Armed Uncle and One-Eyed Uncle leisurely appeared before them.
The arrival of the two was both surprising and expected.
After all, in the past few days, the two were inseparable as if they were attached at the hip.
Furthermore, wasn’t it said that One-Eyed Uncle and One-Armed Uncle only ended up as they are now to save each other?
Strictly speaking, without a life-deep connection from before, it’s indeed impossible to sacrifice an arm and an eye for another.
Initially, they thought the relationships here were purely those of comrades-in-arms, but now they couldn’t understand anymore.
So what are these three men really? Simple descendants of Outer Sect disciples?
Li Wenli and Bai Junjun were completely baffled.
"Good one, Old Lame Man, trying to secretly take on disciples; luckily, we are well-informed. We have arrived just in the nick of time, haven’t we?"
"Little Fox, Junjun Girl, have you taken on a master yet?"
The two bombarded them with questions the moment they met; Bai Junjun and Li Wenli opened their mouths, unsure how to respond.
Lame Man Uncle shook his head as he held his forehead, "I told you not to make a mess, but none of you listens. I’ve told you I’m not taking disciples, yet you don’t believe me."
"If you’re not taking disciples, then why did you call them up here? Come to listen to stories?"
The two were puzzled.
Lame Man Uncle patiently explained the backstory to them.
"So, you want to exchange skills with Little Fox Brother?"
"Yes," Lame Man answered frankly.
"We also learned the method of salt-making; I want to exchange with them too."
One-Armed was forthright.
"Fox Brothers and Miss Junjun, honestly, the three of us brothers learned different things; Lame Man learned farming difficulties, and we learned about the affairs of His Majesty, ours are more valuable."
"Nonsense, what did our master often say? ’No constant honors for the officials, no permanent lows for the common folk, the hardships of farming are the foundation of the world.’
The group then debated about who had the higher knowledge.
Bai Junjun couldn’t grasp what all this technique and hardship they were describing really meant.
However, seeing the trio argue, it seemed Lame Man Uncle studied one aspect, while One-Armed and One-Eyed Uncle learned another.
It’s no wonder that those two were neighbors, while Lame Man Uncle lived alone; clearly, there was some sort of professional contempt among the brothers.
As their conversation became increasingly arcane, Li Wenli had to interrupt.
"In truth, whether it’s about His Majesty’s affairs or the hardships of farming, they are the same to us; if you esteemed teachers would graciously impart your knowledge, we could not be more thrilled."
Upon hearing Li Wenli’s words, they finally realized they had been caught up in the entanglement of their debate once more.