Three days later.
He An got his wish and joined the Town Martial Division.
However, he wasn't registered in its records.
In other words, he was now an unofficial employee.
He wasn't truly considered a member of the Town Martial Division—at most, he counted as a constable.
Even so, he still had to do some work for the Town Martial Division.
Thanks to He Ping's connections, and because he could read and write,
he was easily assigned to Criminal Prison, where he handled clerical work such as copying case files.
The work was light and safe.
Most importantly, he received his full salary.
Compared to the unofficial employees who had to risk their lives, he had landed in paradise.
For such a comfortable position, the more than ten taels of silver spent greasing palms had been well worth it.
As was customary,
anyone who joined the Town Martial Division—
whether a junior clerk registered in its records or a constable who wasn't—
could claim one martial art that hadn't yet reached a rank.
Even an Entry Level martial art was worth at least twenty or thirty taels of silver.
That was more than He Ping had spent greasing palms.
If He Ping hadn't been with the Town Martial Division, then with only a few dozen taels of silver,
he probably wouldn't even have found anyone to bribe.
A few dozen taels of silver was about right!
In these Chaotic Times, not just anyone could obtain an official position.
While they were claiming the martial art, He Ping had to leave to attend to something.
But not long after he'd left, Zhang Yongda walked over with a dark expression.
"I never would've guessed your eldest brother had connections with Clerk Wei, too."
Clerk Wei's name was Wei Yangyun.
He was the one who'd arranged for He An to join the Town Martial Division.
"It's none of your business." He An suppressed the anger rising inside him.
Wang Zheng stepped in front of him and retorted, "Brother Zhang, picking on a child like He An is hardly fair. It won't do your reputation any good if word gets around."
"Wang Zheng, do you really intend to side with Lord Meng? It won't do you any good."
Zhang Yongda said gravely, "If I were you, I'd have kept far away from him by now, instead of inviting trouble."
"Brother He is my friend!"
Wang Zheng replied calmly, completely unmoved by Zhang Yongda's threat.
At that, Zhang Yongda sneered.
"Fine. Just fine. Every last one of you dares to oppose Lord Meng."
"I'll be watching to see how much longer you can stay in the Town Martial Division."
Wang Zheng glanced at him. "He An, let's go!"
As he watched the two of them leave,
Zhang Yongda's eyes blazed with fury. "You refuse the toast only to drink a forfeit. You'll regret crossing Lord Meng!"
"Here we are!"
Not long after they left,
a two-story courtyard came into view before He An.
Two bold, sweeping characters were written across the sign outside:
Martial Arts Repository.
In the Great Sui Dynasty,
Martial arts weren't something just anyone could learn.
Most ordinary people went their whole lives without ever coming into contact with martial arts.
But things were different now.
The Great Sui's territory was vast, and the country was in the midst of Chaotic Times. The Imperial Court could barely look after itself.
Its grip on the provinces had grown so weak it was almost shameful.
The laws it issued were treated as nothing but scraps of paper by countless people.
For the sake of silver,
some people secretly printed martial arts manuals and sold them cheaply to ordinary folk.
As a result, ordinary people who took up martial arts had sprung up like bamboo shoots after the rain.
At the same time, as the number of Martial Artists grew, the provinces became ever more chaotic.
Martial Artists breaking the law with their martial skills was an all-too-common sight.
"Brother Xu, I'm here to claim a martial art with He An."
After entering the courtyard, Wang Zheng took He An's identity token and handed it to the man on guard.
The Guard Man inspected it, saw nothing amiss, and then recorded their names.
"Go on in!"
"Thank you!"
They went inside.
The room was empty, with only some twenty or thirty martial arts manuals on display.
Every manual bore an officially printed seal.
Looking at them, Wang Zheng cautioned He An:
"On the path of martial arts, learning alone is the worst thing you can do. With a good teacher, you can make twice the progress with half the effort."
"Your brother learned Tong Bei Fist. It's suited to close-quarters combat."
"I learned Iron Shirt. It's all about having skin as tough as leather and flesh as thick as a wall. Once you've mastered it, you can even withstand sharp weapons."
"If you can, you'd best choose one of those two martial arts."
"That way, either your brother or I can guide you on your path of martial arts."
He chuckled and added, "So, what do you think? Want to consider my Iron Shirt?"
"I don't think so."
He An shook his head. "My eldest brother told me that Iron Shirt is suited to people with a foundation in martial arts."
"At the very least, you need to have skin as tough as leather and flesh as thick as a wall."
"I've got neither, so learning it would only make me suffer for nothing."
"Then learn Tong Bei Fist!"
Knowing you couldn't force someone to learn a martial art, Wang Zheng immediately changed his tune.
But He An shook his head again.
"Brother Wang, let me look at the other martial arts first. As for Tong Bei Fist, my eldest brother can teach me."
Wang Zheng's mouth twitched.
Passing on martial arts in secret?
That was exactly the sort of thing the Town Martial Division was supposed to police!
Was it really appropriate to say that right in front of him?
He coughed softly and lowered his voice. "He An, they aren't keeping a close watch on it these days."
"But martial arts are best mastered through depth, not breadth. Before you Enter the Ranks, there's no need to learn too many."
"I know."
He An was perfectly serious. "I just don't think Tong Bei Fist or Iron Shirt suits me."
"All right, then."
Wang Zheng gave a rueful smile, but reluctantly agreed.
He An smiled.
Eagerly, he began browsing the manuals on the first floor.
As Wang Zheng explained them, he got to see all sorts of martial arts.
Half an hour later,
he put another manual back where it belonged.
Watching He An's exacting search, Wang Zheng was at his wit's end.
"He An, if this one doesn't suit you either, there really won't be anything else to choose from in this Martial Arts Repository."
During that time,
Wang Zheng had introduced nearly every martial art in the repository.
And the result? Not one had caught He An's eye?
He An was feeling disappointed, too.
None of the ones he'd just seen seemed quite right for him.
He opened his mouth to speak, but as his gaze swept past, he suddenly noticed another martial arts manual tucked away in the corner beside him.
"Yi Jin Jing?"
He reached out to take it, but Wang Zheng immediately stopped him.
"Don't learn that."
"Why? Is it not suited to me?"
"That's not it. The Yi Jin Jing is very well suited to you," Wang Zheng said with a frown.
"Though it has no special effects, it can strengthen the body's foundations and clear blockages in the meridians."
"However, the Yi Jin Jing is extremely difficult to practice. Here in Fangcheng, hardly anyone learns it."
"So why don't you pick something else?"
"No need. I'll choose this one."
After hearing Wang Zheng out,
He An was even more certain he wanted to choose this martial art.
Wang Zheng tried to dissuade him, but He An had already made up his mind.
He sighed.
"Fine, fine."
"Start with this one. Once you've reached Minor Accomplishment in the Yi Jin Jing, your body's foundations should be about ready."
"Then your brother can teach you Tong Bei Fist. It'll be much easier to learn by then."
"It's just that this first step..."
"is hard!"
"You can't have everything in life. Having a martial art like this is already pretty good," He An said with a chuckle.
"That's true."
The two exchanged smiles and carried the manual out of the room.
The Guard Man glanced at the martial arts manual they'd chosen, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Are you sure you want this one?"
"I'm sure!"
"Very well."
The Guard Man didn't try to dissuade him. He cautioned them instead:
"Once you take it home, you mustn't teach it to anyone else. And don't lose it or sell it. Otherwise, you'll have to pay its full value."
"Understood!"
He An looked utterly obedient, like a little lamb.
The Guard Man didn't make things difficult for him. He stamped the manual and handed it to He An.
According to the rules,
after joining the Town Martial Division and receiving a martial art,
you had half a month to study and practice at home.
That would give him a chance to learn martial arts.
Clutching the martial arts manual he'd just claimed, He An hurried home, eager to get started.
As they parted,
Wang Zheng didn't forget to remind him,
"When you get home, have your eldest brother make plenty of meat dishes. They'll replenish your Qi and Blood."
"Also, remember to practice and study your martial art. Once you reach the Bone Forging Realm,"
"you can be entered into the records, leave your constable status behind, and become a junior clerk in the Town Martial Division."
Before you continue