Disciple Factions

During his recovery, he could not train, and his Experience Points stopped increasing. Apart from the 100 points gained from completing the trial, there was no other income.

Yet half a Mountain Lord Life-Replacing Pill brought an unexpected delight.

Not only did it sweep away the evil aura of the Phantom Wraith that had invaded his body, it also raised his Attack by 5 points.

However...

Like the Tiger Subduing Fist, the Mountain Lord Life-Replacing Pill focused primarily on strength and defense.

Strength and Defense had each increased by 2 points, but Speed had only risen by 1.

Zhou You found it a little obsessive-compulsive, so he spent 10 Experience Points at his own expense to raise Speed equally to 22.

"Attribute increases are essentially like pulling seedlings up to help them grow. They must be matched by suitable methods of exerting force and sufficient proficiency."

"Next, I need to practice the Tiger Subduing Fist diligently and raise its level through my own efforts."

Zhou You had mostly recovered from his injuries. The moment he was able to get out of bed, it was time for him to move.

That was right. He was now a formal apprentice and could no longer remain in the collective dormitory for new recruits.

Formal apprentices were still in the Outer Court, but not in this area. They had a separate corner for living quarters.

The activity areas of new recruits and formal apprentices did not overlap in daily life, and they rarely saw one another.

For instance, after Li Hao broke through and moved away upon becoming formal, the new recruits had rarely seen him again.

"Is that you?"

Zhou You had not expected the formal apprentice sent to help him move to be Li Hao.

Li Hao was somewhat surprised as well. He had still underestimated Zhou You; this youth from the city had quietly cultivated Martial Force.

He was also somewhat glad that he had not listened to Zhang Shu's instigation and made trouble for Zhou You back then.

Otherwise, he would have made himself a powerful enemy by now.

"That's right. Senior Disciple Shen asked me to come help."

Li Hao was brief and direct, revealing the backing behind him in a single sentence.

Zhou You was somewhat surprised. Li Hao actually had ties with Shen Sijing. It seemed the interpersonal relationships within the martial arts school were quite complicated as well.

In truth, Li Hao's arrival was more for the sake of showing support.

Now that Zhou You was a formal apprentice, he did not need to do things himself. With a single call, several powerful new-recruit apprentices came to help.

These people had not been familiar with Zhou You before. Some had even kept their distance from him because of Zhang Shu's rumors.

Yet now, they were exceptionally enthusiastic...

"Senior Brother Zhou, you've only just recovered. Let me handle this rough work."

An apprentice with a mature-looking face forcibly snatched the light bundle of clothes from Zhou You's hands.

The other apprentices refused to be outdone. Moving briskly, they packed up all his belongings in moments.

The truly valuable possessions were all kept on Zhou You himself, so he was not worried about others seeing them.

"Anything else?"

Li Hao asked.

Zhou You subconsciously looked around, his gaze falling on Fang Guiqi's bed.

During his recovery, apprentices acting under orders had already come to search the place and pack away Fang Guiqi's belongings.

The apprentices handling the task had been extremely dissatisfied, complaining that the monster was a pauper who did not even know to save up some wealth like other people.

There was usually some profit to be had from such cleanup work, yet this place had been picked clean. They could not find even a single silver grain.

Who could have imagined that Zhou You had been so ruthless? While recovering from illness, he had actually crawled to the bedside and stripped away the valuables in advance.

"Nothing else. Let's go!"

That day, Zhou You officially moved into the formal apprentices' quarters and was formally enrolled under Jianxiong Martial Arts School.

Li Hao then introduced him to another formal apprentice named Xu Ying.

"This is your apprentice waist token. Wear it at your waist to prove your identity."

"The martial arts school has ten sets of training clothes, all provided by Senior Disciple Shen's family."

"Oh, right, Junior Brother Zhou. I heard your father also works at the trading firm owned by Senior Disciple Shen's family?"

After introducing all these matters, Xu Ying did not forget to ask.

When Zhou You gave an affirmative answer, Xu Ying became even warmer. "What a coincidence! My father works at the trading firm too. Our families are old acquaintances!"

From that sentence alone, Zhou You knew that Xu Ying was definitely one of Senior Disciple Shen's people.

Perhaps because of his father's connection, he himself was also regarded as one of Shen Sijing's prospective lackeys.

In conversation, he learned that Xu Ying's father was a manager at the trading firm, part of its management.

When he learned that Zhou You's father still did low-level work, he patted Zhou You on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Senior Disciple Shen is fair and forthright in his dealings. He'll definitely give you an explanation."

What explanation? A promotion and pay raise for my father?

Zhou You suddenly wondered whether Zhong Shaoying's hostility toward him was because of this.

He asked casually, "Does Zhong Shaoying from the Inner Court have a bad relationship with Senior Disciple Shen?"

Xu Ying looked at Zhou You in surprise. This newly promoted junior brother was quite perceptive.

He had originally planned to remind him later.

"That's right. Zhong Shaoying's family has an estate outside the city. They were tenants under the martial arts school master. Later, after he became an Inner Court disciple, his mother was promoted to become the estate's steward. They've risen in the world."

"Several apprentices are tenant farmers' children, and they follow Zhong Shaoying."

"We city-born folk don't get along too well with them."

I see. I see.

Zhou You suddenly saw the light. Without realizing it, he had become entangled in the internal struggle among the martial arts school's disciples.

Wang Jianxiong ran the martial arts school. Aside from being a martial artist, he was also a great landlord who sat back and collected rent.

He had shops and residences in the city for rent, bringing in a substantial sum each year. Outside the city, he also possessed several hundred mu of fertile fields and estates, employing over a thousand tenant farmers to cultivate land and work for him.

The martial arts school's disciples came from complicated backgrounds. Some were children of respectable city families, while others were sons of tenant farmers from the fields and estates.

Those from the city and those from outside it came from different origins, and they were naturally at odds.

Shen Sijing's family were wealthy merchants representing the city's connections, while Zhong Shaoying was an outstanding young man from the estate tenant farmers.

The two sides clashed constantly in daily life, to the point that disciples and apprentices of differing backgrounds had divided into factions.

Why had Zhong Shaoying made things difficult for Zhou You? Because Zhou You was a city youth.

Shen Sijing had spoken for him and later come especially to win him over for the exact same reason.

"Human relations and worldly ways are traps everywhere. Dangerous, truly dangerous!"

Zhou You could not help wiping away a bead of sweat. He cupped his hands sincerely. "Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Xu."

"No need. Our fathers are colleagues, and we should become closer in the future."

As Xu Ying spoke, his expression suddenly turned grave. "There is one more person in the Inner Court. His status is extraordinary, and neither side dares provoke him lightly. You must remember this, remember it well."

"Who?"

"The Third Young Master of the Qi family, a noble family of Gongliang City—Qi Fengzhang."

One man alone overshadowed both the city and countryside factions. He was a scion of a noble family: Qi Fengzhang.

There was a reason behind this. Old Master Wang Jianxiong had been able to establish himself in the city and operate this martial arts school with the support of the Gongliang noble family.

Therefore, Qi Fengzhang held a status above all others in the martial arts school. No one dared offend him.

Not long after Zhou You settled in, someone came urgently looking for him. It was Song Fugui.

He had arrived in such haste that his oil carrying pole toppled onto the ground, splashing a wide patch of oil that drew stray dogs to scramble over and lick it up.

Song Fugui's face was full of anxiety. Upon seeing Zhou You, he grabbed his sleeve. "It's good that you're all right."

"Today, when I came to deliver oil, I saw the Wild Fox Gang bringing people to block your door. They all said you were seriously ill and bedridden, that you would never recover."

"Tu Laosan is pressing step by step. Hurry back! If you're late, it'll be too late!"