Fate's Decree

Before long, Bi Kai, Jiao Kun, Qian Wende, and Wu Hao came out as well, and Xiang Qichen told them about it.

Bi Kai was fine with it. Seeing that Zhuang Jin had agreed, he agreed too. As expected, Jiao Kun, Qian Wende, and Wu Hao all wore troubled expressions.

Jiao Kun had no money on him. The two mace of silver he had borrowed from Xiang Qichen had long since been spent on the Black Fiend Palm Medicine Pack, and now he truly did not have a single coin left. Wu Hao, meanwhile, came from a poor family and did not want to waste the money.

As for Qian Wende, he could still afford the cost of a meal. But when Jiao Kun had asked to borrow money earlier, he had claimed to be completely broke. If he took out money now, what would Jiao Kun think?

Uh, although Jiao Kun had long decided that Qian Wende did have money and simply did not want to lend it, it would still look rather ugly.

Xiang Qichen had considered this long ago. "How about this? There are eight of us. Everyone puts up fifty cash, making four mace of silver in total. We'll set the meal at that standard. Those with money to spare can chip in; for those who are short, I'll cover it!"

He felt that, as the dormitory boss, he ought to be generous. So what if he suffered a little loss?

The moment he said that, Qian Wende's face blossomed with delight. "Boss is generous!"

Jiao Kun was no longer troubled either, and gratitude appeared on his face as he looked at Xiang Qichen. "Then thank you, Boss."

Only Wu Hao was still hesitant. He felt awkward about taking advantage of Xiang Qichen and still did not want to go.

"Haozi, it wasn't easy for us to gather together and end up in the same dormitory. That's fate. Don't go standing apart on your own. Besides, Boss already said that if you're short, he'll pay for it. You just need to bring your mouth and eat. Go on, eat without worry."

Qian Wende was afraid that if Wu Hao did not go, they would not have a full group and might end up not going at all. Wouldn't he then miss out on the free meal? So he spared no effort in persuading Wu Hao, half pulling and half dragging him away.

As the group went out, they suddenly heard a voice at the entrance to the outer courtyard, full of unwillingness and pleading.

"My lord, I'm about to break through the Martial Practitioner Bottleneck. I'm only a little short! Give me two more days... no, one day, and I'll definitely make it!"

Today was November thirtieth, the last day of the month. Among Zhuang Jin's batch of Martial Students, anyone who had still failed to become a Formal Martial Artist by today would have to leave. Evidently, this was one such unwilling Martial Student.

Yet no matter how the man begged, no matter how hoarse his cries became, the One-Striped Servant standing guard at the gate remained utterly indifferent. With an impatient wave of his hand, two servants immediately came out, hoisted the man up, and threw him outside.

"Pah!" The One-Striped Servant spat a thick wad of phlegm at the man outside the gate. He saw plenty of people like this every month. A little short was still a little short; failure was failure. Now he knew regret? What had he been doing earlier?

But when he turned and saw Zhuang Jin's group of eight coming out, the coldness on his face melted away like ice and snow, replaced by an amiable smile. He nodded in greeting and even asked, "Heading out?"

—As the gate guard, he was thoroughly familiar with the Shen Family Outer Courtyard. Naturally, he knew that Zhuang Jin's group were the Formal Martial Artists retained from this batch, and that several of them possessed excellent aptitude.

Zhuang Jin and the others returned the greeting. Once outside, they all fell silent for a time. What they had just witnessed had struck a chord in all of them. If they had failed to become Formal Martial Artists, they too would surely have been driven out like that man.

"Dezi, wasn't that man from our dormitory?" Xiang Qichen suddenly asked.

"What do you mean, our dormitory? Aren't there only eight people in our dormitory?"

Qian Wende knew Xiang Qichen meant their old dormitory back when they had been Martial Students, but he deliberately pretended not to understand and made a joke of it. Only after mocking the man did a trace of disdain appear on his face as he sighed. "People like that, who didn't even become Formal Martial Artists, will be on a different level from us from now on."

"What different level? If I remember correctly, you even asked him for food before, didn't you?" Xiang Qichen said deliberately. He simply could not stand Qian Wende's ungrateful behavior.

Qian Wende's expression stiffened, but his smile returned in an instant as he forced out an excuse. "Boss, a true man does not boast of former glory. Wasn't that all in the past?"

"The past? How long ago was that? Just over ten days ago..."

"Enough, enough. Why let an outsider sour the brotherhood between us? I remember that man. He used to badmouth Jinzi behind his back." It was Xiong Lei who said this.

The others immediately turned to look at Zhuang Jin.

Zhuang Jin's expression did not change. No wonder that man had seemed vaguely familiar. So they had once trained at the same Training Ground. But after the Beggars incident, countless people had spoken ill of him behind his back. He did not even remember the man's name.

"Yes, that man was originally from the Epsilon-Character Number One Training Field. I remember him too. Brother Zhuang practiced extra every day, and that man never stopped making snide remarks behind his back... If he had worked as hard as Brother Zhuang, perhaps he would have become a Formal Martial Artist and stayed."

As Bi Kai spoke of how that man had brought disaster upon himself, he thought of his own past. Had he not likewise brought disaster upon himself by showing off and inviting trouble? His expression could not help becoming complicated.

"If you ask me, that man simply didn't have the fate to become a Formal Martial Artist. I never did extra training either. I just practiced Stance Training normally, and didn't I become one in sixteen days?" Jiao Kun curled his lip.

"Not everyone has your talent, Brother Jiao. Those with exceptional martial aptitude are few, while most people still have to rely on hard work after the fact."

As Lin Hong spoke, he subconsciously glanced at Wu Hao. Clearly, this dormmate had also left a deep impression on him. After a pause, he added, "Of course, it is best to have both excellent aptitude and the willingness to work hard. Only then can one go farther on the martial path."

There seemed to be a hint of advice directed at Jiao Kun in those words, though it was put tactfully.

Whether Jiao Kun understood or not, Wu Hao took the words to heart. Seeing Lin Hong look at him, he smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Brother Lin put it very well. I think so too."

But when Jiao Kun saw Wu Hao say that, a burst of irritation rose in his heart for no reason. "What do you mean, you think so too? Haven't you heard this saying: it is all fate, and not half a bit is up to man?"

"When I was little, a fortune-teller read my fate and said I was destined for great wealth and high rank. See? I entered to study martial arts and became a Formal Martial Artist in just sixteen days. If you ask me, people still have to accept their fate." He looked pleased with himself.

"Fate?" Zhuang Jin secretly shook his head. If he had accepted his fate, he would probably still be a Beggar now, not even knowing about his own Golden Finger!

So, accept his fate?

He had never believed in such nonsense. Compared to accepting fate, he believed more that man could conquer heaven. Even if heaven wanted him dead, he would battle heaven and earth, and wrest half a victory from the heavens.

Seeing that Zhuang Jin seemed unconvinced, Jiao Kun wanted to say more.

"Enough." Xiong Lei smoothed things over. "As for fate, believe it if you want to believe it, and don't if you don't. Let's talk about what we'll eat later instead. We have four mace of silver in all. I wonder if that'll be enough for chicken, duck, fish, and meat?"

"Don't worry, it's enough! Though Dezi should remember to mind his table manners later. Every time we eat at the cafeteria, Dezi looks like a starving ghost reincarnated. Today we're eating at a restaurant, so don't let outsiders laugh at us Formal Martial Artists."

Xiang Qichen emphasized the words "Formal Martial Artists." Clearly, he still remembered Qian Wende's earlier talk of different levels and was mocking him.

Qian Wende remained all smiles, as though he had not heard it. "That won't happen. At most, I'll let my embarrassing side be seen by our brothers. I can't let outsiders see it, or wouldn't I be losing out big time?"

"Get lost, get lost! Who has the patience to watch you? Every time I see Dezi eating, I pick up my bowl right away, afraid that if he keeps eating, he'll end up eating out of my bowl!"

"Hahaha!"

At that, everyone burst into laughter.