What Could Dispel Worry? Only Sudden Wealth!

Yang Dongxiong did not live at the Martial Arts School. He usually resided in a better courtyard house in town, about a li from the school.

Liang Qu did not idle away the journey. He borrowed three taels of silver from Xiang ChangSong, intending to buy some Apprentice Ceremony gifts from the shops. One still had to understand the basics of human relations.

Yet after browsing all the way there, he found no good choices.

Three taels of silver could last a long time for daily living, but using it to select an Apprentice Ceremony gift left him stretched thin.

In the end, he could only buy some pastries and dried meat strips.

The meat strips were essential. This world also observed the custom of "Tuition Fee."

"Junior Brother Liang, there is no need for this. Master Yang does not care about such things."

"Senior Brother Xiang, Master may not care, but as his disciple, I cannot lack this sincerity."

Xiang ChangSong scratched his head. "Junior Brother Liang is thoughtful."

Had he brought a gift when he first became a disciple?

He had kind of forgotten. "What a grand residence."

The Yang Residence was enormous. It could be seen from a hundred meters away: towering gates and deep courtyards, with the words "Yang Residence" written on the plaque in strokes that danced like dragons and flew like phoenixes.

Especially since behind the residence lay a small lake. A little pavilion stood in its center, surrounded by withered lotus pods, while trees lined the shore. It was exceedingly beautiful.

From closer up, one could even see ripples on the lake's surface. Yet there was no wind today. There ought to be an underground river below, most likely connected to the Jianghuai Marshlands.

Liang Qu recalled Li LiBo mentioning that Master Yang had once served in the army before coming to Ping Yang Town to teach boxing. If that was true, then Master Yang's former position had certainly not been low.

At the seat of honor on the left side of the hall sat Yang Dongxiong. His hair was completely white, and he was not particularly tall or imposing in build, yet his bearing was astonishing, his eyes bright and keen.

At the seat of honor on Master Yang's right sat his wife, Xu Shi. Perhaps because she had never practiced martial arts, she even appeared older than Yang Dongxiong.

Along Both Sides stood the other seven disciples. Xiang ChangSong was the youngest, positioned at the far end on the right.

There should have been eight of them, but Liang Qu Had Not Seen one of them since last night. Perhaps that person had business elsewhere and was not in Ping Yang Town.

A Prayer Mat lay in the hall. Liang Qu did not hesitate. He stepped forward and dropped to both knees.

"Liang Qu, you repay kindness, possess courage beyond ordinary men, and are steady and diligent in conduct. I wish to take you as my disciple. Are you willing?"

Yang Dongxiong spoke in a deep voice. One night had been enough for him to thoroughly investigate Liang Qu's past.

Everything Xiang ChangSong had said was true, so there was naturally no reason to go back on his word.

What was more, Liang Qu greatly resembled his younger self.

"This disciple is willing."

"Once you enter my school, you must be as modest as an empty valley, keep your ambitions humble and remain diligent, honor your master and respect the Way, be filial at home and respectful among brothers, never slaughter your fellow disciples, never defy your elders or act unfilially, never commit evil or rely on strength to bully the weak. Will you remember this?"

"This disciple will bear it in mind."

"Repeat it."

"You must be as modest as an empty valley, keep your ambitions humble and remain diligent, honor your master and respect the Way, be filial at home and respectful among brothers, never slaughter your fellow disciples, never defy your elders or act unfilially, never commit evil or rely on strength to bully the weak."

A faint sheen of sweat appeared on Liang Qu's forehead. Being made to repeat it on the spot was downright lethal.

Spoken recitation was harder to remember than written words. If not for the foundation from his previous life, he might not have been able to remember it all.

He was rather curious whether any of his eight senior brothers and sisters had gotten stuck at this stage.

Satisfaction appeared on Yang Dongxiong's face. "Good! Bring the tea."

The maid who had long been waiting brought over a lacquered tray and presented the Tea Offering to the Master.

"Once you offer this bowl of Tea Offering to the Master, the rites between master and disciple will be complete. From this day onward, you are the Ninth Disciple of I, Yang Dongxiong!"

Hearing this, Liang Qu respectfully accepted the porcelain bowl. He raised himself slightly, lowered his head, held the bowl level with both hands, and offered the tea.

Yang Dongxiong accepted it with both hands, lifted the lid, and drank it all in one gulp.

Then Yang Dongxiong rose and helped Liang Qu to his feet.

At this point, the Two People had truly become master and disciple.

At this very moment, Liang Qu finally set his mind at ease, his heart surging like storm-tossed waves.

Everything last night had not been a dream! He was no longer a country fisherman with no roots and no backing. He was Yang Dongxiong's ninth disciple! Who would still dare bully him?

After the tea, Liang Qu presented his Apprentice Ceremony gift. "This disciple's means are modest. I could only buy some pastries. I hope Master will not disdain them."

Xiang ChangSong hurriedly stepped forward to add, "Master, Junior Brother Liang truly put his heart into this. In order to offer an Apprentice Ceremony gift, he even borrowed silver from me. I told him you did not care for such things, but he said, 'Master may not care, but as a disciple, I cannot lack this sincerity.'"

"What a good child." Xu Shi, beside Master Yang, praised him.

Yang Dongxiong burst into laughter, patting Liang Qu on the Shoulder as he said "good" several times in a row.

Having such sincerity was good. Especially for a fisherman who had never received an education, it was difficult to think of such things. That made it all the more precious, showing that Liang Qu was intelligent and filial.

But after laughing, Yang Dongxiong's face turned stern. "I am very pleased that you possess such sincerity, but I do not wish for it to become a burden upon you. I had already investigated your background last night. Do not blame your master for being petty, but taking on a disciple is a Major Event."

"This disciple understands." Liang Qu hurriedly nodded.

They were not merely masters and apprentices who paid fees at a Martial Arts School. They were genuine master and disciple—truly half father and half son. Who could fail to be cautious?

"It is good that you understand. Since I know you are an orphan and that life has not been easy for you, Nan Di!"

Yang Dongxiong extended his right hand. The maid who had just offered the Tea Offering to the Master came forward again, placing a money pouch and a red-and-black Waist Token in Yang Dongxiong's hand.

Yang Dongxiong accepted them and handed Both items to Liang Qu.

The Waist Token felt heavy in his hand. It was made of wood, though he did not know what kind. It was long and rectangular, with a Half-circle at the top and a loop through which a cord could be threaded. Its patterns were intricate and exquisite, and it sat comfortably in one hand.

Turning it over, he found his name on one side. The other bore a large Yang character that occupied most of the token, with smaller characters below. All the characters were raised relief: the surrounding wood had been carved away, leaving only a raised rim around the Wooden Token so that it would not easily wear down after long use.

It must have been prepared beforehand, with his name carved overnight afterward. Otherwise, something this exquisite could never have been completed in a single night, Liang Qu thought.

"The Waist Token is your proof of identity. Ordinary officials will generally not make things difficult for you when they see it. When you buy medicine at the Evergreen Medical Hall in town, the price will be halved.

"The money pouch contains Ten Taels of Silver, for you to buy yourself some things. Do not think it too little. Ten taels of silver is not much, but what I fear is that you will develop the habit of loving ease and hating labor, so I can only give you ten taels."

People changed, and human hearts changed all the more.

There were countless examples of people who had been diligent in youth but became lazy and gluttonous in old age. A person's temperament was nurtured bit by bit.

Yang Dongxiong did not want Liang Qu to lose his drive for progress and spoil his character from this point on. He would provide some resources for martial arts training, but Liang Qu would still need to earn most of them himself. Not everything could go as he wished.

"Thank you, Master!"

Liang Qu was deeply moved.

Master, master—he truly was like half a father.

But Master Yang had truly overestimated his wealth, saying he was "only" giving him ten taels of silver.

Come on, ten taels was already an enormous fortune he had never even seen in his entire life!

Liang Qu's highest savings record had been nine taels and three mace before he began learning martial arts. Now, he had only a dozen or so copper coins left on him.

Sure enough, people were different from one another.

"Since Master has given a gift, we senior brothers cannot be stingy either. We prepared our meeting gifts last night. We just do not know whether Junior Brother will like them."

A tall man stepped forward. His features were square and upright, though his face was dark, making him look like a farmer.

According to Xiang ChangSong's introduction, this man was Yang Dongxiong's Second Disciple—Yu Dun.

"That's right, we prepared gifts too."

"And me."

"Of course we have."

The senior brothers all spoke up in turn. Every one of them had prepared a meeting gift for their new junior brother.