"I'm not sure either. Brother Hong just sent word for all of us to gather here first!"
Chen Pi shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with confusion and curiosity. "Let's wait. We'll find out when Brother Hong and the others come out!"
Lu Yuan nodded, then stood quietly waiting.
He looked around and noticed a few new faces, while some familiar ones were gone.
Newcomers arrived every three or five days, and old hands left just as often, so he had long since grown used to it.
Although Lu Yuan had been at Song Academy for only about half a month in total, he already counted as a true veteran.
His cultivation progress had left everyone else far behind.
Even Hong Lei and Fang Chang, who had always been in the Inner Courtyard and received Master Song's full attention, might not be able to match him.
Before long, three figures came out of the Inner Courtyard one after another.
Besides Hong Lei and Fang Chang, the third was Master Song, who rarely visited the Outer Courtyard.
"Master Song!"
Everyone hurriedly clasped their fists and bowed to him in unison.
"Everyone who has learned the Five Animals Fist, come stand in front of me!"
Master Song nodded slightly, then spoke plainly.
At once, Wu Yu, Chen Pi, Lu Yuan, Gu Ming, Chen Yong, and several others—about a dozen in all—quickly stepped out of the crowd and stood before Master Song.
Master Song's gaze swept across them one by one. When it reached Lu Yuan, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.
But the surprise soon faded.
The Five Animals Fist was only the most ordinary Yellow Grade technique, and it wasn't especially difficult to learn.
He had personally examined the boy's bones before. They were far inferior to Fang Chang's. If he had managed to learn the Five Animals Fist in a month, he had probably already exhausted his potential.
There was no way he could reach proficiency in the Five Animals Fist anytime soon. As for completing his first Blood Qi Tempering and becoming a martial artist in the External Energy Realm, that would take years of diligent practice.
His hopes still rested solely on his two personal disciples, Hong Lei and Fang Chang, whose bones were exceptionally gifted.
"The rest of you can leave. For the next few days, just practice on your own at home!"
Master Song waved to the crowd behind them and spoke directly.
Everyone looked confused, but none dared say anything. They all turned and left.
"I kept you here today because there's an important matter I need to tell you about!"
Master Song turned his gaze to the dozen or so people before him.
After a pause, he continued, "I've taken on an escort job. You can all come along with me. When it's over, each of you will receive five taels of silver!"
At that, everyone couldn't help getting excited.
Five taels of silver! Even if they ate meat at every meal, it would last them two or three months.
"With five taels of silver, plus the two or so taels I already have, I should be able to buy two servings of ordinary medicinal soup!"
Lu Yuan's eyes flickered. With two servings of medicinal soup to help him, his cultivation progress should speed up considerably.
"This escort job will take about ten days, and there will be some danger. Anyone who doesn't want to go can leave now."
Master Song looked over the crowd and added,
Yet everyone remained where they were, standing quietly.
They knew escorting goods was dangerous. They might run into bandits who preyed on carriages and travelers, gangs that blocked the roads, or even mountain brigands and thieves.
But setting aside the five taels of silver, which were more than enough to tempt them, if they really left now, Master Song might never think highly of them again. They might even lose their chance to keep training at Song Academy.
Although they had learned the Five Animals Fist, practicing behind closed doors wasn't enough. If they ran into problems without anyone to guide them, they would get half the results for twice the effort—and might even go astray in their training.
If Hong Lei hadn't come out every few days to offer them pointers, they couldn't possibly have learned the Five Animals Fist so quickly.
Besides, they had all learned the Five Animals Fist by now. Their qi and blood could unleash greater strength, making them true martial artists, not people utterly helpless to defend themselves.
In short, they had to go on this escort job!
"Of course, so you can better protect yourselves, you'll have the chance to learn another saber technique during the trip. How much you can learn in ten days will be up to you!"
Master Song nodded with satisfaction, then said with a faint smile.
"We can even learn a saber technique!"
At Master Song's words, everyone grew even more excited.
Just the chance to learn a saber technique for free was enough to make them determined to go on the escort job.
Hong Lei and Fang Chang, standing behind Master Song, remained calm.
Clearly, they had already started learning this saber technique.
"I didn't expect such a delightful surprise!"
Lu Yuan's eyes brightened. He had just been wondering whether he should go, but now it seemed he had no choice.
He lacked not only money and resources, but also techniques that could improve his offensive abilities.
This escort job would bring him five taels of silver and let him learn a saber technique—a win on both counts.
For others, learning a saber technique in ten days would be incredibly difficult.
Even with extraordinary memory, they might be able to memorize every move by rote, but most of their time and energy would still have to go toward practicing the Five Animals Fist. They could hardly spare much time to train in the saber technique.
But Lu Yuan was different. Thanks to the Practice Makes Perfect fate, he could learn it after a single demonstration. He wasn't limited by talent, nor would he encounter bottlenecks or barriers. Once he mastered something, he would keep it forever.
Besides, he could only practice the Five Animals Fist once a day, leaving him plenty of time and energy to train with the saber.
Most importantly, the more he practiced, the faster he got.
Ten days wasn't a long time, but it wasn't short either. It was no exaggeration to say that he could completely master this saber technique before they returned—or even reach perfection.
"Go home and get ready. Come back to gather in an hour!"
After speaking, Master Song led Hong Lei and Fang Chang back into the Inner Courtyard.
The others didn't waste any time either. They hurried out of Song Academy.
Lu Yuan first bought enough food for Madam Yang and Nannan to eat for ten days. Then he went to the blacksmith's and spent half a tael of silver on the cheapest long saber he could find.
If he was going to practice a saber technique, he obviously needed a saber.
"Be careful when you're away from home!"
When Madam Yang learned that Lu Yuan was about to go on a long trip, she offered only that one reminder and said nothing more.
After quietly preparing the provisions, she sat down and carefully sewed Lu Yuan some clothes. From time to time, she lifted her gaze to look at him as he wolfed down his food, worry in her eyes.
"Big Brother, Nannan will be good and wait at home for you to come back!"
Little Nannan was very well-behaved too. She gave Lu Yuan several enthusiastic pecks on the cheek.
About half an hour later, Lu Yuan, carrying a large bundle on his back, walked farther and farther away beneath the reluctant gazes of Madam Yang and Little Nannan.
Before you continue