Martial Arts Training

In the 827th year of the Great Chang calendar, the early summer morning light broke through the thin mist, scattering across Changyun County on Hanshan Dao.

In a small courtyard on the east side of the Wang Clan manor, Wang Yue's eyes snapped open.

He sat up, the plain cotton fabric of his clothes soft and close-fitting. He had transmigrated three months ago, becoming an ordinary member of the Wang Clan.

His gaze passed over the low wall of the small courtyard. The sun was slowly climbing the sky, its golden radiance illuminating half the heavens and dispelling the last vestiges of daze from his heart.

This was not a place he was familiar with. There was no hustle and bustle of traffic, only the chirping of birds in the early morning and the soft rustle of wind through the leaves.

Three months ago, he had still been typing code in front of his computer. The next second, he had plunged into endless darkness. When he opened his eyes again, he had become an inconspicuous disciple of the Wang Clan in this fantasy world.

His parents were ordinary Wang Clan relatives who relied on the clan for survival and held no power.

"Yue'er, if you're awake, hurry inside. The porridge will get cold."

The door was gently pushed open, and a woman wearing a faded blue cloth skirt emerged, holding a ceramic bowl. The knuckles of her fingers still bore the calluses from washing and starching clothes, but her face held a gentle smile.

This was the mother of this body, Madam Liu.

Wang Yue suppressed the complexity in his heart.

He got up and replied, "Okay, I'm coming."

On the small table inside the room, besides the steaming millet porridge, there was a plate of pickled vegetables and two white steamed buns.

This was the ordinary ration distributed by the Wang Clan, a rare delicacy in ordinary households.

But to the main branch of the Wang Clan, which held considerable status in Changyun County, it was merely the most insignificant of things.

Wang Yue picked up a bun and took a bite. The soft texture mixed with the aroma of wheat spread in his mouth. A sense of relief welled up within him.

Fortunately, he hadn't transmigrated into a starving refugee, but rather into a collateral descendant of the Wang Clan.

Even if his parents were ordinary Wang Clan members, at least they could rely on the meager grain allocated by the clan to eat and stay warm, unlike the gaunt commoners on the streets who struggled desperately for survival.

"Eat slowly."

Madam Liu watched him gobble down his food and pushed the bun from her own bowl towards him.

"Yesterday, when I delivered the sewn clothes to the front courtyard, I heard the steward's wife mention that the Clan Academy would be holding martial arts training, and that collateral disciples would also have to attend. I'll use some money to buy you new clothes to wear."

Wang Yue paused his porridge-drinking.

Clan martial arts training? This was the first time since his transmigration that he had encountered a hint of "cultivation" in this world.

Although Wang Yue's parents were part of the Wang Clan, they had never touched upon the path of martial arts in their lives.

He put down his bowl and looked at the fine lines around her eyes, sighing softly. He didn't want to live out an ancient person's life like this. Martial arts, huh?

The next day, before dawn had fully broken, with only a faint fish-belly white glow outside the window, Madam Liu quietly pushed open Wang Yue's door.

In her hands, she held a neatly folded set of black casual clothes made of the most ordinary coarse cotton.

The edges were sewn with exceptional meticulousness, clearly chosen with care.

"Yue'er, get up quickly and try on the new clothes."

Madam Liu placed the clothes on the bedside, her voice kept very low.

Wang Yue rubbed his eyes and sat up, walking to the bronze mirror to change into the new clothes.

In the bronze mirror, the young man's figure was still thin, his shoulders narrow. However, the black fabric made his complexion appear more vibrant. His originally pale face now exuded a hint of spirit.

"You look so handsome. My son looks more spirited in this than those other collateral boys."

Madam Liu stood by, covering her mouth and smiling, the fine lines around her eyes deepening. She reached out to straighten his collar.

Just as Wang Yue was about to reply, steady footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard gate, followed by a knock on the door.

The smile on Madam Liu's face instantly faded. She walked forward and opened the door, only to see a guard in grey armor standing outside, a long saber at his waist, his expression stern. He was clearly a guard from the main branch of the Wang Clan.

The guard's gaze passed over Madam Liu and landed on Wang Yue inside the house. His voice was devoid of any warmth: "Are you Wang Yue?"

Wang Yue's heart tightened. He lowered his head and stepped forward: "I am."

"Today is the clan's martial arts training. The clan leader has decreed that all male collateral and direct descendants who have reached the age of sixteen must go to the front courtyard's martial arts field for assessment. I have been ordered to bring you there."

The guard spoke concisely. As his gaze swept over Madam Liu, there was a hint of undisguised disdain. After all, she was merely a family member of the most ordinary collateral branch.

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu's face turned slightly pale. She instinctively grabbed Wang Yue's sleeve, her eyes filled with worry.

Although she didn't quite understand what "martial arts training" entailed, she knew that the main branch always acted sternly.

Wang Yue patted his mother's hand, signaling her not to worry. He turned to the guard and said, "Please wait a moment, I just need to say a word to my mother."

He leaned closer to Madam Liu and whispered, "Mother, don't worry. I'm just going to take a look, nothing will happen. When I get back, I'll tell you about the situation there."

Madam Liu bit her lip, then finally released her hand. She took out a small cloth-wrapped purse from her chest and stuffed it into his hand: "There are a few copper coins in here. If you get thirsty, buy a bowl of water to drink."

Wang Yue gripped his coin purse, nodded, and followed the guard out of the small courtyard.

The morning light had gradually spread across the streets and alleys. The guard's grey armor glinted coldly in the sunlight, his footsteps steady and powerful.

Wang Yue followed behind, feeling both curious about the martial arts training and a bit uneasy.

After passing through a few streets paved with bluestone, the outline of the front courtyard's training ground gradually became clear.

As he reached the entrance, Wang Yue abruptly stopped. The training ground before him was easily a hundred meters wide, its ground covered with flat bluestone slabs. Several slightly worn stone weapon racks stood along the edges.

The field was already filled with people, about thirty to forty in number, all youths aged sixteen or seventeen.

But these youths were completely different from the collateral clan members Wang Yue usually interacted with.

Each of them was as sturdy as a calf just released from a pen, their arm muscles bulging, blue veins faintly visible beneath their skin.

Many were holding wooden weapons used for martial arts training.

There were wooden spears as thick as a bowl, their tips polished to a smooth shine.

Wooden swords, as long as an arm, looked heavy and substantial. A few particularly burly individuals were even carrying half-man-tall wooden hammers. The hammerheads were larger than Wang Yue's head, and as they moved, the hammers hit the ground with dull thuds.

Wang Yue subconsciously lowered his gaze to his own slender arms, then compared himself to the little giants in the field, feeling utterly frail.

In the past, he had seen collateral children near his own courtyard, children who, like him, lived on the meager subsidies provided by the clan.

Thinness was the norm, and he never imagined that the younger generation of the main Wang Clan would be so strong and robust.

Just as he was secretly astonished, footsteps suddenly rang out from the crowd.

A man, even more powerfully built than the others, strode out. He wore a dark-colored martial arts uniform, a wide, brass-buckled belt cinching his waist. His facial features were sharp, his gaze as keen as a knife. As he swept his eyes across the entire field, even the sturdy youths subconsciously straightened their backs. This man was Wang Hu of the second branch of the Wang Clan, responsible for the daily training of the younger generation within the clan, and notoriously strict.

"Are all the young men of the clan who have reached the age of sixteen here?"

Wang Hu spoke, his voice as loud as a bell, making Wang Yue's eardrums tingle slightly.

A steward named Hu, wearing a blue long gown and sporting a goatee, quickly stepped forward.

Bowing his waist, he replied, "Replying to Lord Wang Hu, aside from three who caught a sudden cold yesterday, all other disciples who meet the requirements are waiting here."

Steward Hu's voice carried a clear deference, and he didn't dare to lift his head too high.

Wang Hu nodded slightly upon hearing this, his gaze sweeping across the crowd once more.

When Wang Yue met that gaze, he felt his whole body tense, and he instinctively shrank back into the crowd.

He watched the youths wielding wooden swords in the field, listening to the "bang bang" sounds of wooden spears clashing, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

This was hardly "martial arts training"; this formation looked more like preparations for selecting soldiers to go into battle.