Two New Roommates

"Yeah, Brother Xu, we just finished eating, our stomachs are still full. It wouldn't feel good to do strenuous exercise right now," Li Shan also chimed in.

"I took a look at Thunderclap Fist last night and found it very interesting. I wanted to strike while the iron was hot and ponder it some more," Xu Yuan explained.

"Alright then, Xu Yuan, you keep practicing. The rest of us will head back to the dorm to rest," Wang Huan interjected abruptly. He was clearly still bothered by what happened yesterday afternoon, and his words carried a hint of exclusion and isolation.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Li Shan hesitated, just about to try and smooth things over, when Tian Yang's voice rang out, "Brother Yuan, I'll practice with you."

Li Shan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that someone was giving the other party an out. He then said, "Alright, Brother Xu, you two practice first. I'll come over tomorrow."

At this point, the usually silent Xiao Sheng also spoke up, "I'll practice with you guys. My aptitude isn't good, so I have to be a diligent bird that flies early."

Wang Huan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He had intended to lead people to isolate Xu Yuan, but instead, it seemed to be forming a counter-force.

Chen Sanli maintained his usual smiling demeanor, as if he hadn't noticed the undercurrents of tension. He picked at his teeth with his finger, as if savoring the meal they had just finished.

Finally, the six men divided into two groups. Three went to the training grounds to practice martial arts, while the other three returned to the dormitories to rest.

Evening.

After dinner, the six returned to the dormitories together, appearing amicable on the surface, as if nothing had happened before.

Upon entering the dorm, two unfamiliar faces were standing inside. Xu Yuan saw his last two roommates.

One was quite fair-skinned, with narrow, slanted eyes and thin lips. He exuded a sharp aura.

The other had wheat-colored skin and a lean, tall physique. Coupled with a somewhat pointed chin, he looked like a bamboo pole.

A ruddy-faced Martial Master stood nearby and introduced them, "Due to the tight bed situation for Martial Students, we've assigned some people to share rooms with you."

He then pointed to the narrow-eyed man and said, "This is Qin Yang... and this is Gao Yuan."

Not long after the introduction, the Martial Master left the dormitory.

Seeing that the Martial Students from the front courtyard had arrived, the others couldn't help but look them over with curiosity.

Chen Sanli, being the most outgoing, stepped forward and said with a smile to Qin Yang, "Brother Qin, my name is Chen Sanli. We'll be in the same dorm from now on, please take care of me."

Qin Yang merely nodded slightly. As a Martial Student from the front courtyard, he looked down on these former laborers, harboring a sense of superiority.

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Chen Sanli turned to Gao Yuan beside him without changing his expression, "Hello, Brother Gao. Please take care of me in the future."

Gao Yuan's attitude was relatively friendly, and he replied with a smile.

Afterward, the men present introduced themselves to each other. They then began conversing in low voices with those they were familiar with, and the dormitory seemed to be implicitly divided into several small circles.

Xu Yuan, Wang Huan, and Xiao Sheng still had some topics to discuss among themselves.

Qin Yang and Gao Yuan, being fellow Martial Students, instinctively stuck together, chatting sporadically. Most of the time, Qin Yang was doing the talking, and Gao Yuan would simply respond.

However, perhaps because none of them came from particularly affluent families, the class barriers hadn't completely solidified. Or perhaps it was because they knew everyone was a Martial Artist, standing on the same level.

After three to four days, Qin Yang and Gao Yuan had somewhat integrated into the group, at least on the surface, appearing amicable.

In the blink of an eye, it was the last day of the month.

Xu Yuan and the other two were still practicing in the training grounds. Wang Huan was also often there. Li Shan would occasionally visit, but Chen Sanli would soon drag him off somewhere else.

Although Gao Yuan was outwardly friendly, there was still a subtle distance between him and the others. He would occasionally go to other dormitories to hang out with old friends, remaining quite mysterious.

As for Qin Yang, he often slipped out in the afternoons to listen to operas. When he returned to the dorm, he would hum a few tunes if he had nothing else to do, claiming he was warming up his voice.

Evening.

Qin Yang returned as usual after listening to an opera, carrying a paper-wrapped package and humming an out-of-tune opera melody.

Seeing this, Xiao Sheng couldn't help but laugh, "Brother Qin, did you have a good time listening today?"

"Ah, it was alright. It's just that the intensive training starts tomorrow, so I wanted to come back early. I haven't even finished watching one of the performances yet," Qin Yang waved his hand, looking regretful. He then clicked his tongue twice, his face animated as he continued, "Let me tell you, the opera troupe brought in a new dan role who is absolutely stunning. Her skin is so tender it looks like it could be squeezed for water, her figure is as slender as a willow branch, and when she moves, it's as soft and flowing as rolling waves..."

The others were captivated by his description and couldn't help but swallow.

Xu Yuan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Was he really just listening to opera?

"Yangzi, I'm not trying to lecture you, but you should focus more on your martial arts training. We're just starting out," Wang Huan, considering himself the most talented, didn't think much of Martial Students. He still acted like the elder brother of the dorm. While his words were reasonable, they carried a lecturing tone.

Qin Yang, who was in the middle of an enthusiastic description, was interrupted and frowned slightly, looking displeased.

"Didn't I just practice yesterday? Besides, I used to train so hard. Now that I've finally become a Martial Artist, can't I enjoy myself a little?"

After speaking, he opened the paper package in his hand. "Sanli Xiang pastries. Does anyone want some?"

"Me, I'll have some! I just practiced martial arts and I'm starving. Thanks, Brother Qin!"

Chen Sanli quickly stepped forward and grabbed a large handful. However, seeing Qin Yang frown, he let some fall back, saying, "Brother Qin is a timely rain," and "Brother Qin is generous."

After a string of flattery, Qin Yang couldn't say anything more. Seeing this, Chen Sanli added, "I think Brother Qin is right. Now that we've just become Martial Artists, we should relax a bit."

Upon hearing this, everyone present twitched their lips.

"Relax? How many days have you been relaxing?" Li Shan shot him an exasperated look. "But you're eating so much of Yangzi's food, you should say a few more nice words."

Qin Yang then proceeded to share the pastries with the others. Xu Yuan declined, claiming he had just eaten and wasn't hungry. Tian Yang also politely refused.

"Thanks, Yangzi. I've heard these Sanli Xiang pastries are quite famous. I've never tried them before," Li Shan said, holding a piece of nut brittle, and then kindly advised, "However, martial artists cost quite a bit, so we still need to be a little tight with our money."

He knew Qin Yang's circumstances were better than the others present, but only slightly. Qin Yang often had to rely on his family for financial support.

Qin Yang waved his hand, "What's this little bit of money? It's just enough to get a snack."

Li Shan secretly shook his head. Things from Sanli Xiang weren't cheap, and Qin Yang also enjoyed listening to opera. He probably spent a lot of money on these things.

However, since he had accepted Qin Yang's hospitality, offering a few words of advice should be enough. Otherwise, it would be bad to sour their relationship.

The atmosphere in the dormitory became stagnant for a moment, then quickly became lively again.

Xu Yuan and Xiao Sheng, among others, exchanged insights on Stance Practice and Thunderclap Fist.

Chen Sanli and Li Shan listened with great interest as Qin Yang recounted amusing stories from the opera troupe. Their laughter was occasionally punctuated by risqué jokes, causing the young men to blush.

Just then, Gao Yuan returned from another dormitory, bringing a gust of cold air with him.

Seeing this, Wang Huan couldn't help but complain, "Yuanzi, I have to say, why do you go to other people's dorms every day? Is our dorm not good enough for you?"

Gao Yuan gave him an embarrassed smile. Then, with a serious expression on his face, he said, "Everyone, I heard some news from a friend. It's absolutely reliable!"