Joining the Martial Hall

Back home, Liang Qu poured out all nine taels and three mace of silver he had saved so far, along with the 127 Copper Coins on his person. This was now his entire fortune.

The broken silver rolled across the hard plank bed, clinking and rattling together. The longer he listened, the more addictive it became.

Twenty-six days—nearly a month—had passed since he came to this world. At last, he had saved enough money to learn martial arts and glimpse the most mysterious corner of this world.

It had not been easy. Far, far from easy.

Liang Qu kept turning the broken silver over, gazing at its enticing bright-white gleam. For a moment, he could understand Grandet a little.

But spending money now was for the sake of earning more later and living a better life.

Liang Qu took a deep breath, set aside seven taels of broken silver, and tucked them into the little purse Hu Martial Master had casually given him. He carefully slipped it into his clothes.

Yi Xing City counted as a major city. LaiTou Zhang was not its only hooligan; among several thousand people, there were always a few rotten scum who had gone bad to the core.

But now he was no longer that orphan struggling to survive. People would have to think twice before crossing him.

He buried the remaining two taels and three mace, along with 127 Copper Coins, in the dirt beneath the rice jar to deal with the Autumn Tax.

Da Shun had already implemented Taxing Households by Land and the Single Whip Law. Taxes were simple—there was only one category—but in essence, not a cent had been reduced. They had merely been lumped together. He needed to have the money ready, or if he failed to pay and was seized for corvée labor, the loss would far outweigh the gain.

Once he paid the taxes and entered the Martial Arts School, his finances would be far easier. First, he would buy a mattress. Sleeping on this hard plank bed was damn unbearable. Then he would save a few more taels to repay Uncle Chen. Life would get much better.

Filled with excitement, Liang Qu did not fall asleep until the latter half of the night.

Early the next morning, Liang Qu, with faint dark circles under his eyes, met Li LiBo, who wore the same dark circles.

The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"When did you sleep last night?"

"Around Zi Hour. What about you?"

"Chou Hour."

Liang Qu mocked him, "No wonder your dark circles are worse than mine."

Li LiBo gave a cold snort, looked around, and lowered his voice. "Did you bring all the money?"

"Mm."

Liang Qu nodded. He had left early that morning because he wanted to get to the Martial Arts School and pay as quickly as possible, lest a long delay breed improper thoughts in certain people.

Once the money was paid, no matter how much nerve those thugs had, they would not dare demand it from the Martial Masters.

As for Li LiBo, today had not originally been his planned day to take a master. But seeing how anxious Liang Qu was, he had no choice but to move it up so they could have each other for company. Li's father had agreed as well.

Following the road, the two traveled together to the entrance of Yi Xing City, spent ten copper coins, and took a flatbed cart to the neighboring Ping Yang Town.

The road was far from smooth, and trees stood thick and shadowy along it. It was only because the day was bright and clear that they traveled it. If it had been overcast or nighttime, Liang Qu guessed few people would dare walk such a road after dark. At the same time, he felt a faint anticipation for the Ping Yang Town they were about to reach.

The Liang Qu of his memories had also followed Father Liang, like Chen Qingjiang, walking more than ten li with a fish basket on his back to sell fish in Ping Yang Town for a higher price.

It was a sight completely different from Yi Xing City.

"Fresh roasted chestnuts! Fresh roasted chestnuts! Fresh from the oven—fragrant, soft, sweet, and delicious!"

"Lamb blood soup! Lamb blood soup! Fresh lamb blood soup!"

"Osmanthus buns! Piping-hot osmanthus buns!"

Street vendors' cries filled the long avenue. It was paved with bluestone slabs as well, but much broader than the streets in Yi Xing City. Even the side lanes were paved, rather than being muddy yellow dirt roads.

The two sides of the long street were even more densely packed, shop after shop with their eaves linked together. Small Restaurants, competing for business, had set up cloth awnings of various colors outside their doors.

"Customer, have two. They're delicious."

"Give me two."

Liang Qu tossed over some Copper Coins, took two osmanthus buns, and tossed one to Li LiBo.

"Hot, hot, hot!" Li LiBo shifted it rapidly between his hands. Once it cooled a little, he bit into it and found his mouth filled with fragrance.

Liang Qu had tried Osmanthus Cake before, but never osmanthus buns. Yet after taking a bite, he found them less delicious than he had imagined, far behind products made under modern industry.

Ping Yang Town's prosperity exceeded his expectations. There were so many pedestrians that it could rival Bianjing in Along the River During the Qingming Festival. It seemed this world's productive capacity was more advanced than he had imagined. What must Da Shun's capital look like, then? As Liang Qu pondered, Li LiBo unknowingly led him to the Yang Martial Hall he had longed for.

There were no carved beams or painted rafters, but the place was large. It stood on the edge of Ping Yang Town with Fir Forest at its back. Behind a stone wall was a backyard, where people could often be seen coming and going. That was perhaps the lodging for the ten-tael tier.

A long table stood at the entrance to the Martial Arts School, where a young man sat. Seeing visitors arrive, he rose to stop them and cupped his fists. "I am Xiang ChangSong. You two are unfamiliar faces. What brings you here? Are you here to learn martial arts, or to visit someone?"

Li LiBo was older, so he stepped forward and returned the salute with some semblance of form. "Hello. We've come to learn martial arts."

"Do you know the costs of learning martial arts here?"

"We know some of it. Seven taels is enough, right?"

"That's right. Seven taels of silver does not include food or lodging. Ten taels includes lodging, twenty includes lodging and medicinal soup, while meals are charged separately. Fifty taels includes food, lodging, and Medicinal Baths. The term is only three months, of course, and the instruction is the same. How much you learn depends entirely on yourself."

"After three months, if you still have not Broken Through the Skin Barrier among the four barriers of skin, flesh, bone, and blood, then if you wish to remain, you must pay tuition again."

Liang Qu clicked his tongue. It took fifty taels to get the premium Medicinal Baths—wouldn't that mean catching ten Bullhorn Pomfrets? Ordinary people could not save that much in a lifetime.

The fixed term was not surprising, though. If someone lacked talent, they could not just cling to the place forever.

Come to think of it, the Yang Martial Hall was thoroughly equipped. There was even someone specifically assigned to guide newcomers at the entrance, and his manner was courteous. He showed not the slightest reaction to the fishy smell on the two of them.

This wasn't quite like the novels. Where was the promised face-slapping and showing off?

Li LiBo nodded repeatedly. "We know, we know. We're only signing up for the seven-tael option."

Xiang ChangSong showed no trace of disdain. He pointed to the long table where he had been sitting. "In that case, please come here to register. State your name, age, and place of origin, then pay the fee."

The two came forward and reported their details. After Xiang ChangSong finished writing, he read it back to them.

The writing of this world was also pictographic, and unexpectedly, it differed little from that of Liang Qu's previous life. Liang Qu had been surprised when he first arrived, but gradually grew accustomed to it. He had not exposed the fact that he could read, merely pretending to be like Li LiBo and nodding in confirmation.

After confirming that everything was correct, Xiang ChangSong led them into the Martial Arts School. They passed through a corridor and arrived at the payment office, where he handed over the paper bearing their information.

Once their silver had been weighed and verified, Xiang ChangSong received two Wooden Tokens and handed one each to Liang Qu and Li LiBo.

The entire master-taking process was smooth and practiced. The Martial Arts School had clearly received quite a number of apprentices before them.

Liang Qu took the Wooden Token and examined it. It was very simple, bearing only his name and the date he joined. Once three months passed, the token would become invalid.

There were not many people at the Yang Martial Hall. Whether someone was an apprentice was mainly determined by recognizing their face, so there was no need for any anti-counterfeiting measures.

"Congratulations, you two. Starting today, you are disciples of the Yang Martial Hall. You may call me Senior Brother Xiang."

"Senior Brother Xiang!" *2

Xiang ChangSong smiled. "I'll take you around so you can familiarize yourselves with the place, then briefly introduce some martial knowledge, so you may gain an understanding of the martial path."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Xiang."

Liang Qu's spirits lifted. The part he had looked forward to most had finally arrived. He had come here for a month—wasn't this the practical knowledge he had been waiting for?