Training Ground.
More than two-thirds of the men lay sprawled crookedly across the ground.
One-third of them were too exhausted to continue training, while the other third had been lying flat from the very beginning.
To them, being soldiers was merely a way to scrape together a living, while some had simply been forced to enlist.
Only the final third still persevered bitterly.
Chen Sanshi had made the fastest progress among them, reaching the twenty-fifth stance.
Next was the youth with the special breathing method, who had reached the seventeenth stance.
Finally, there was a bearded man who had barely made it to the twelfth stance.
The three of them had begun training the moment they received the cultivation technique last night.
Of the rest, even the fastest had only reached the seventh stance.
"Looks like the physical improvements brought by Arrowsmanship Mastery are quite remarkable!"
Chen Sanshi had not expected the physique of a born archer to benefit his martial training so greatly. He wondered what the next advancement would bring.
The youth and the bearded man practicing stances alongside him kept glancing his way, as if competing with him.
What the hell are you trying to outwork me for?!
Chen Sanshi was rather speechless.
When he reached the twenty-sixth stance, he gradually felt his strength running dry and chose to stop.
It was not because he was lazy, but because he understood that hot tofu could not be eaten in haste.
If he forced himself onward and caused irreversible damage to his body, it would only backfire.
Seeing that he had stopped, the youth and the bearded man finally collapsed to the ground after him.
"Hey, what's your name?"
The bearded man wiped away his sweat and asked between ragged breaths.
"Chen Sanshi," Chen Sanshi replied.
"Chen Sanshi?"
The bearded man said in surprise, "The one from Yanbian Village?"
Chen Sanshi was puzzled. "You know me?"
The man laughed heartily. "Who in the countryside doesn't know that Yanbian Village produced such a skilled hunter, loyal and righteous?"
"Is that really necessary..."
Chen Sanshi found it strange.
Loyal and righteous—was that referring to how he had saved Shunzi's father?
But that had only involved two taels of silver. There was no reason for him to become this famous.
"Your sworn brother Zhang Shun's mother beat and cursed you just because you owed their family two mace of life-saving money. She even wanted to sell your wife to Qin Xiong to settle the debt. Yet not only did you bear no grudge, you even risked retaliation from the martial hall's disciples at the critical moment and paid five taels of silver to save them!"
The man thumped his chest hard, his voice booming. "Where could one find a man so loyal and righteous these days? This brother admires you!"
"?"
Chen Sanshi's face was full of question marks.
It was true that he and Shunzi had played together since childhood, but when had they become sworn brothers?
When had his mother ever beaten and cursed him?
And what did Qin Xiong's matter have to do with Aunt Li?
He had no idea who was so good at making up nonsense.
Was this the legendary spreading of rumors from mouth to mouth...
"My surname is Zhu, and my given name is Tong!"
Zhu Tong cupped his hands. "If you do not mind, I will call you Brother Chen from now on!"
Chen Sanshi returned the salute.
The other youth also came over. "My name is Song Yan. You practice your stances very quickly. You're impressive."
"You're not bad either," Chen Sanshi said.
Zhu Tong said rudely, "Ignore this brat!"
Chen Sanshi asked in confusion, "Brother Zhu, what is this..."
Before Zhu Tong could explain, Song Yan cut in first. "The cultivation technique you learned is missing a portion, but mine is not, because Commander Luo is my second maternal uncle, and he taught me beforehand. If you want to learn it, you can take eight taels of silver to ask the various Hundred Household Commanders for instruction."
"You've got some nerve, saying that with such a thick skin!"
When Zhu Tong had arrived at the Military Camp yesterday, he had happened to see this brat together with Commander Luo and had overheard something about a breathing method.
"Alright, thank you."
Chen Sanshi nodded.
Just as he had guessed.
Song Yan nodded as well, then went to find a step and sit down to rest.
Zhu Tong pulled a stuffed flatbread from his robes and handed it over.
Chen Sanshi did not stand on ceremony. As he ate the flatbread, he chatted with Zhu Tong and learned a little about his background.
Zhu Tong was a pig butcher from Zhu Family Village. Not long ago, he had seen a local gentry bullying a widow and beat the man up in outrage. He had nearly been exiled south for hard labor, and only after his family spent most of their savings pulling strings had his punishment been changed to enlisting in his hometown.
"Old Zhu, give me a flatbread too."
As the two chatted, a hand stealthily reached toward Zhu Tong's robes, only to be slapped away. "Scram!"
Chen Sanshi looked up and saw the man who had previously explained the meaning of "Vanguard Selection" to everyone. He looked nearly fifty, with white hair already mixed into his head.
Zhu Tong introduced him irritably. "This is Xu Wencai, a famous layabout from Zhu Family Village."
Xu Wencai protested, "Hey, who are you calling a layabout?"
"You either hole up at home all day without working, or wander around idling your time away. Your mother farmed to support you every day. If you are not a layabout, who is?!"
Zhu Tong said disdainfully, "And now that your mother is dead, nobody is left to work and earn money. You could not pay your taxes, so you were dragged here to fill out the ranks."
Those who could not pay taxes were also sent here to enlist.
As for Zhang Shun being sent to repair the canal, that was purely because he had offended someone.
"You... you're talking nonsense!"
Xu Wencai said excitedly, "At home, I read ten thousand volumes of books. When I travel abroad, I walk ten thousand miles! I am a man destined for great things!"
Zhu Tong spat contemptuously. "You gave yourself the nickname Wolong, yet you cannot even pass the Xiucai scholar examination. And you still want to talk nonsense to me!"
"You... fine. Before I scram, can I have a flatbread?"
Xu Wencai had not eaten for two days.
For the past two years, unless there was a war, the Military Colony did not even provide meals.
If soldiers could eat their fill every meal, there would not be nobody willing to enlist.
"You disgraceful thing."
Zhu Tong ultimately still tossed him a flatbread.
Xu Wencai immediately ran happily to the side, pulled out a book, and read with great relish while eating his flatbread.
Chen Sanshi noticed that the heavy bundle on his back seemed to be filled entirely with books, weighing the Old Scholar down so much he could not straighten his back.
"Brother Xu."
He took the initiative and said, "Could you lend me a book to read? I'll return it as soon as I finish."
Only one book remained at home. Reading it over and over made it difficult to improve his reading progress any further, while buying more would waste money. There were still many places where he would need silver for martial training.
"No."
Xu Wencai refused without even thinking.
"..."
After hesitating for a moment, Chen Sanshi asked again, "Xu Wolong, lend me one book. I guarantee I'll return it to you after reading it without the slightest damage."
"Cough..."
Xu Wencai nearly choked on his flatbread. He asked, "What did you just... call me?"
"Xu Wolong. I said I wanted to borrow a book from you," Chen Sanshi repeated.
"Mmm~"
Xu Wencai narrowed his eyes in enjoyment. "Since you are this sincere, you must be someone who loves reading too."
"Yes."
Chen Sanshi admitted frankly, "I used to be a scholar too. I took the Xiucai scholar examination for several years without passing. I could not make a living anymore, so I came to enlist."
"Is that truly so?"
Xu Wencai perked up.
"Truly so!"
"Good, that's what I thought!"
Xu Wencai said indignantly, "The Great Sheng Dynasty's imperial examinations are complete bullshit. What use are examinations that test dead writings? People with true talent like us have all been buried beneath the dust!
What book do you want to read? Pick whatever you like!"
He spread his bundle open on the ground, revealing all kinds of books, from poetry to storybooks, from historical records to tales of the strange—everything was there.
"If I had not scraped together money to buy my mother a coffin and bury her, I would still have a whole roomful of books!"
"..."
Chen Sanshi casually picked one out. "Thank you, Xu Wolong."
The garrison did not provide meals.
Usually, once the time came, the military households would each return home to eat.
Chen Sanshi began packing up as well.
Before leaving, he found Xu Bin and asked whether he could get a heavy bow.
Since Mastery had already helped his martial training so much, Minor Accomplishment was even more worth anticipating. He could not let his arrowsmanship training lapse.
Before you continue