Sorting

Zhuang Jin looked at this roommate. He was somewhat short, his skin slightly dark, and his upper lip curled upward a little. At that moment, he was humming in an operatic voice: "From Jiangnan to Jiangbei, who~ doesn't know Great Hero Li?!"

Xiong Lei introduced Zhuang Jin, Qian Wende, and Bi Kai, who had arrived that day, to Jiao Kun. They exchanged greetings.

Lin Hong glanced at the paper parcel in Jiao Kun's hand and asked with a smile, "Brother Jiao, I heard you humming opera the moment you came in, and you even bought these. They're snacks from You Ran House, right? Don't tell me you went out to have fun today?"

"Ah, not really. I just had a meal at Fu Man Restaurant, drank a little wine, then spent the afternoon watching opera at You Ran House. Hong Zi, let me tell you, that new actress in the troupe is incredibly lovely, just like a fairy maiden from the heavens..."

"Not to criticize you, Kunzi, but you should put more thought into martial training. We've only just become Formal Martial Artists. Cultivating and nourishing our bodies is what matters most." Xiang Qichen still carried himself as the self-appointed leader of the dormitory. His attitude was somewhat condescending, but his words made sense.

Jiao Kun had been interrupted, and hearing Xiang Qichen lecture him like that made him frown. "Wasn't I cultivating yesterday? Besides, I haven't gone out for fun in half a month. And now that I've finally become a Formal Martial Artist, can't I enjoy myself a little?"

As he spoke, he opened the parcel he was carrying. "Candied fruit from You Ran House. Who wants some?"

"I do! I trained all night and was just saying I was hungry. Brother Jiao, you really came like timely rain!"

As Qian Wende spoke, he stepped forward and grabbed a huge handful himself. Seeing Jiao Kun frown deeply, he immediately rattled off, "Thank you, Brother Jiao!" and "Brother Jiao, you're so generous!" leaving Jiao Kun unable to say anything further. Then he turned and added, "I think Brother Jiao is right. Work and rest should be balanced. None of us has gone out in half a month, and we've just become Formal Martial Artists. Celebrating a little isn't excessive!"

"A man's mouth goes soft when he eats another's food—especially when Dezi ate that much. At most, half of what you say can be trusted." Lin Hong accepted the candied fruit Jiao Kun offered him. Since they had joined on the same day, they were a little closer. He teased Qian Wende, seeming to stand up for Jiao Kun and mock Qian Wende for his lack of manners in taking so much, while also seeming to gently advise Jiao Kun against it.

Jiao Kun handed out candied fruit to Xiang Qichen, Xiong Lei, Zhuang Jin, and Bi Kai. Xiang Qichen and Xiong Lei took some. Zhuang Jin politely declined, saying he was not used to eating at night, while Bi Kai did not take any because of his throat.

"Kunzi, thanks. I've only heard of You Ran House's snacks—I've never actually tasted them!"

Xiong Lei sighed, then earnestly advised him again, "Martial training costs a great deal. We should keep a tight grip on our money. Our Monthly Stipend is only one tael, and everything else has to come from home, so we need to be even more careful and spend less on things like this."

Jiao Kun waved a hand unconcernedly. "A little food, drink, and entertainment won't cost much."

Seeing Jiao Kun's behavior, Zhuang Jin suddenly thought of those high school classmates from his previous life who had been strictly managed, only to enter university with no one watching them and let themselves run wild. As for Xiang Qichen and Xiong Lei's words, one could only say, "Loyal advice grates on the ear but benefits one's conduct." Words truly spoken for someone's good were usually unpleasant to hear and won no favor.

He could also tell that Jiao Kun was not someone who listened to advice. They were merely casual acquaintances, so naturally Zhuang Jin said nothing.

At this moment, Xiong Lei opened his mouth, seemingly intending to persuade him further.

"Brother Xiong, where's the place to wash up?" Zhuang Jin asked.

Xiong Lei swallowed the words at his lips and replied, "Go out, turn left and head forward, then turn right when you see the flower bed, and then... it's a bit hard to find. How about this? I was about to wash up too. Let's go together!"

After washing up, everyone lay on their beds. Formal Martial Artists were different from Martial Students; even if they chatted for a while at night, no duty martial master would come to supervise them. With Zhuang Jin, Qian Wende, and Bi Kai newly assigned to the dormitory that day, it was much livelier, and they casually chatted together.

Jiao Kun brought up the opera he had watched that afternoon and suddenly suggested, "In that opera, Great Hero Li of Jiangnan had four sworn brothers, and they were known together as the Five Tigers of Jiangnan. There are seven of us in this dormitory. Why don't we rank ourselves too?"

"I think that works. We're all Formal Martial Artists, and being able to live in the same dormitory is fate." Xiang Qichen immediately voiced his approval, seeming to imply that he was the unquestionable leader.

"Sure. It'll make us seem closer," Xiong Lei agreed as well.

"Right, count me in!" Qian Wende's eyes shifted as he considered that if they became closer, wouldn't it be more convenient for him to take advantage of them?

"Sounds kind of interesting." Lin Hong did not refuse either.

Zhuang Jin did not really want to take part in this spur-of-the-moment game, like children playing house, but after thinking about it, he saw no need to deliberately stand apart and make himself seem unsociable. He merely said, "I'm fine with anything."

"If Brother Zhuang agrees, then I don't object either." After the events of the previous night, Bi Kai had become far more low-key and spoke little. Yet he still remembered Zhuang Jin's kindness, following him almost like a younger brother, just as he had that evening and now again.

Since everyone agreed, they began discussing how to rank themselves. At first, Jiao Kun, who had been the most enthusiastic and first proposed the idea, suggested going by age. But once everyone gave their ages, they discovered that Qian Wende was actually the eldest of the seven. Xiang Qichen's expression immediately became rather unpleasant. Seeing this, Qian Wende quickly said, "Ah, we're all Martial Artists. What's that saying? The accomplished, the accompli..."

"The accomplished come first?" Lin Hong prompted.

"Right, the accomplished come first! Why don't we rank ourselves by the order we moved into the dormitory?" Qian Wende proposed.

Zhuang Jin lay on his bed. After stating his age, he had remained silent and let them discuss it. Hearing that, he secretly guessed, Qian Wende said that partly to give Xiang Qichen an out, but more likely because he's afraid that if I become the leader, it'll be harder for him to take advantage of others.

After all, being the leader was not merely an honor. It was also a responsibility.

In the end, by that method, Xiang Qichen became First Boss, Xiong Lei Second Boss, Jiao Kun Third Boss, Lin Hong Fourth Boss, Zhuang Jin Fifth Boss. Because of the previous night's events, Qian Wende had taken advantage and moved in earlier, making him Sixth Boss, while Bi Kai was Seventh Brother.

Once the seven dorm mates had ranked themselves, they seemed to become closer at once, as though certain conflicts had dissolved. As the leader, Xiang Qichen prided himself on his bearing and even took the initiative to say a few words to Zhuang Jin, as if demonstrating his magnanimity and showing that he no longer cared about the grievance from noon, when Zhuang Jin had embarrassed him.

As they talked, the conversation drifted to the events of the previous night. Learning that the unassuming Zhuang Jin had decisively saved Bi Kai, the others naturally marveled again. Jiao Kun in particular, who had been absent that day and was only now hearing about it, perhaps imagining himself inside an opera tale, repeatedly praised Zhuang Jin as "loyal enough" and "having the bearing of a great hero." The details needed no further telling.

Then Qian Wende casually asked, "Seventh Brother, I heard Overseer Chang, a Three-Insignia Servant, came by last night. Is he your uncle?"

"Yes, he's my uncle, but a distant uncle. We're not that closely related..." Bi Kai repeated what he had told Zhuang Jin that morning.

Though he said so, the perceptive people in the dormitory knew that even if their kinship had originally been distant, now that Bi Kai had become a Formal Martial Artist and displayed excellent martial talent, they would swiftly become much closer. Not to mention that Chang Hetong and Bi Kai were both in the Shen Family. With visits and exchanges back and forth in the future, as they spent more time together, perhaps they would not be any less close than a blood-related uncle and nephew.

After all, relationships were built through interaction. Having kinship in the first place naturally made them one step closer than strangers, and with shared interests binding them together, that sort of bond was relatively stable.

As the dormitory leader, Xiang Qichen naturally could not stay out of the topic. He jokingly asked, "Seventh Brother, did your uncle tell you any inside information about us?"

"Yeah, if your uncle... no, our uncle said anything, you can't keep it tucked away. Give your brothers a little hint!" Qian Wende chimed in.

"Inside information? Does this count..." Bi Kai thought for a moment, then mentioned that next month's Martial Student Recruitment would expand to three hundred people, as well as the assessment at the end of next month: those who reached the Second Meridian Realm and gained entry into the Black Fiend Palm would receive a half-year Self-selected Mission reward; those who only reached the Second Meridian Realm would receive a four-month Self-selected Mission reward; those who only gained entry into the Black Fiend Palm would receive a three-month Self-selected Mission reward; and those who achieved neither would only have one month's chance to select their own mission.

"There really is such information?" Hearing these two pieces of news, Xiang Qichen was greatly startled. He sat upright and glanced at Bi Kai.

The others were not much better. Even Lin Hong, who rarely spoke, said, "Expanding Martial Student Recruitment starting next month means the pressure the Medicine King Gang has brought upon our Shen Family is considerable... So the Self-selected Mission rewards from the assessment at the end of next month are very important. We need to take them seriously."

He did not make it too explicit, but everyone else understood the implication: if they did not work hard and failed to earn many opportunities to choose their missions, they might later be assigned dangerous duties and sent to fight the Medicine King Gang's people.

Zhuang Jin listened in mild surprise, not because of the two pieces of news—he had already heard them from Ping Yongfeng—but because Xiang Qichen and Xiong Lei did not know. Master Ping never told Xiang Qichen?

What he did not know was that on the day Ping Yongfeng had brought Xiang Qichen to move his bedding and blankets, he had sensed a subtle shift in Xiang Qichen's attitude and naturally could not be bothered to tell him. As for Xiong Lei, he had not even received the treatment of being personally escorted by Ping Yongfeng, so naturally he knew even less.

"First Boss Xiang, what do you think about this?" Qian Wende asked.

Xiang Qichen thought for a moment. "To get the best reward in the assessment at the end of next month, we'd need to reach the Second Meridian Realm and gain entry into the Black Fiend Palm. I'm afraid only top geniuses can accomplish both. If we aren't confident we can do both but want this and want that, we may end up with neither. So if we lack confidence, we should focus on one."

"That makes sense. First Boss, which one are you planning to choose?"

"I haven't decided yet." Xiang Qichen was hesitating. He had broken through to become a Formal Martial Artist in fourteen days. Once his family learned of it, they sent him some Silver Ingots in support. If he added his Monthly Stipend and gritted his teeth to spend all of it on Black Essence Powder, it would be enough to support him through the end of next month. In fact, with such ample Provisions, training every day, he was confident that by the middle to latter part of next month, he could complete the accumulation required for the One Meridian Realm itself. But as for using the remaining time to break through the Second Meridian Bottleneck, honestly, he felt the odds were slim.

He was hesitating over whether to trust his talent and take a gamble, or settle for second best and focus entirely on Martial Skill.

"Sixth Boss, what about you?" Xiang Qichen asked in return.

"I'll choose Martial Skill. My family isn't well-off, so they can't provide much support. I can only rely on the basic Monthly Stipend each month." Qian Wende did not hide it, openly laying out his circumstances. Then he added, "I plan to use the more than one tael I have on me to buy Black Essence Powder first and restore my body. Once I receive next month's stipend, I'll buy the Black Fiend Palm Medicine Pack and focus on Martial Skill. What about you, Second Boss?"

"Same as you." After Xiong Lei became a Formal Martial Artist, his father had brought him three taels of Silver Ingots. But even then, after calculating, it was not enough to cover his Cultivation Provisions through the end of next month, so he could only choose Martial Skill.

"Third Boss?"

"I'm fine with anything." Jiao Kun was clearly not focused on martial training. Although Lin Hong had already analyzed the situation thoroughly, a thousand people had a thousand dispositions. Just like in Zhuang Jin's previous life—weren't there still plenty of people in their senior year of high school who kept playing and fooling around?

"Fourth Boss?"

"I'll just train and see how it goes," Lin Hong answered vaguely.

"Fifth Boss?"

"I haven't decided yet." Although Zhuang Jin had long since decided to focus first on raising his cultivation realm, he did not say it aloud, lest they ask where he had gotten enough money to buy Cultivation Provisions and provoke envy.

"Seventh Brother?"

"I'll choose Martial Skill too!" Bi Kai had received one tael of Silver Ingots for his Monthly Stipend that day, and his father had secretly slipped him another five taels. Together with next month's one-tael stipend, it was actually just enough to buy fourteen doses of Black Essence Powder and sustain cultivation through the end of next month. But he knew his own talent and was not confident he could break through the bottleneck before then. After hesitating, he still chose to place his focus on Martial Skill.

Moreover, he knew his family's circumstances. Counting the ten taels given to thank Zhuang Jin, those fifteen taels were already the limit his family could temporarily scrape together. Any more would affect the Cloth Shop's daily operations. For the next three to five months, his family likely would not be able to provide further support. He had to use it sparingly and did not dare throw it all into one gamble.

Everyone considered their own circumstances, and for a while, no one spoke. The dormitory fell silent.

Pfft~ Pfft~ Pfft~

Until a succession of rising and falling fart sounds rang out. Qian Wende abruptly sat up, cursed, "Fuck," then dragged his shoes on and ran outside.

He had clearly eaten too much that night and needed to take a shit.

When he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something. Turning back, he quickly said to Xiong Lei, who slept by the entrance, "Quick! Quick! This is an emergency! Brother Xiong, lend me some Blotting Paper!"

"Take it yourself!" Xiong Lei tilted his chin, moving aside to reveal a stack of Blotting Paper beside his pillow.

Qian Wende did not stand on ceremony. He grabbed a small bundle at once. By the time Xiong Lei painfully cursed, "Fuck," the guy had already rushed out, leaving even the door open.

"Sixth Boss went out and didn't even close the door!" Feeling waves of cold wind blowing in from outside, Xiong Lei shivered, climbed out from beneath his blankets, and hurried over to shut it.

Not long after, Qian Wende returned from the latrine, freezing as he rushed toward his bunk.

"Fuck, Sixth Boss, you left the door open again!" Xiong Lei's irritated voice rang out behind him.

"Forgot, forgot. I'm already under the blankets. Brother Xiong, could you get up and close it for me? Thanks." Qian Wende's ingratiating voice followed.

Cursing under his breath, Xiong Lei got up and shut the door. He suddenly regretted swapping bunks with Qian Wende.

The others in the dormitory remained immersed in thoughts of their own situations. No one said anything.

Zhuang Jin watched coldly and said nothing either. If he had agreed to swap bunks with Qian Wende at noon, he would probably be the one receiving Xiong Lei's treatment now.

He gave a slight shake of his head, turned over, gathered back his thoughts, and continued recalling the Black Fiend Palm Martial Skill he had studied during the day, pondering its key points in his mind.