Retainers and Household Retinue

The impulse that had kept him up all night was extinguished by the news he had just received.

The next day, as the morning light first touched the earth, Huang Chun received a reply from Liu Xiong.

Liu Xiong was the man he had entrusted with the task, a sergeant in the City Guard Department who happened to oversee the district where Hong Ming resided.

The man had cryptically and politely refused him, citing reasons such as "family matters should be handled by family."

Huang Chun naturally understood the subtext; the City Guard Department and the Water Army belonged to different systems, and it was best to keep clear boundaries where possible.

Yet, what puzzled him was that a mere Hong Ming shouldn't have been enough to warrant such a stance from the other party, should it?

This confusion was soon cleared up by the arrival of a single piece of information.

"Hong Ming... has broken through?!"

When he received the roster for the latest promotions to official water soldiers in the Water Army, Huang Chun thought he had misread it.

It was only after confirming it repeatedly that the two characters for Hong Ming on the list continued to prick at his eyes like steel needles.

He finally accepted the reality with a sense of defeat, his expression shifting between shades of light and dark.

Gritting his teeth, he hissed, "Good, good, good. As expected of the man I had my eye on, Hong Ming, you truly did not disappoint me!"

The training grounds of the Preparatory Camp were vastly different from where Hong Ming had practiced before; this was a massive martial arts arena.

The ground was paved with orderly bluestone, flat and spacious, with thick stone pillars standing around the perimeter, hung with heavy sandbags.

Both sides were lined with various training equipment, primarily blades and spears.

In the four corners, stone locks of varying weights were neatly arranged.

When Hong Ming arrived, it was still early, and only a few people were practicing in the arena.

Some were practicing fist techniques, while others were standing in horse stances.

The fist technique, as expected, was likely the Frost Sky Fist that Hong Ming was set to learn next.

Lacking the essential pointers, he couldn't grasp the method, so he turned his attention to those practicing their stances.

A layman watches the spectacle, while an expert watches the technique; at a glance, he could see the profound foundation these people had in their stance work.

They were far beyond what the water soldiers on the riverbank who had yet to develop Bright Force could compare to.

In terms of pure movement proficiency, he might not be inferior to them, but when it came to the various essentials, he fell short.

"Eh? Hong Ming, why are you here?"

As he was observing, people began to arrive one after another, and Chen Yao and Wen Xin were among them.

Seeing Hong Ming, Chen Yao's face lit up with joy, and she took the initiative to greet him.

"Have you developed Bright Force?"

Wen Xin answered for Hong Ming, looking somewhat surprised.

She hadn't expected that this fellow, whom she had personally declared hopeless, had actually leaped into the ranks of martial artists.

Hong Ming did not recognize Wen Xin and looked to Chen Yao for clarification.

Chen Yao quickly introduced, "Hong Ming, this is my friend, Wen Xin."

"Miss Wen." Hong Ming followed the cue and cupped his hands in greeting.

Wen Xin smiled in return, acknowledging the greeting.

"This person looks familiar... hm? It's him!"

Not far away, Wang Heng noticed the appearance of a new martial artist in the arena, his gaze narrowing.

After only a few looks, he recognized Hong Ming, and his expression couldn't help but show a hint of being moved.

He hadn't expected that the man who used to row his boat would produce two martial artists!

This flicker of being moved immediately turned into a faint sense of interest, which was keenly captured by Zhou Min beside him.

She read Wang Heng's thoughts and asked with a light laugh, "What? Thinking of sponsoring this kid?"

"A little." Wang Heng did not deny it; he had indeed developed such an intention.

Previously, Qin Hao being snatched away by the Zhong Family had already made him sigh with regret, and now that another Hong Ming had appeared, he was naturally unwilling to miss out.

Zhou Min, however, shook her head and offered a reminder: "I advise you not to waste your time on him. I have already verified that this child has inferior aptitude."

These words were like a basin of cold water poured over Wang Heng, instantly bringing him back to clarity.

Inferior aptitude?

Wang Heng pursed his lips, and the flicker of interest in his eyes as he looked at Hong Ming suddenly faded.

He silently withdrew his gaze, no longer having the slightest intention of paying attention.

"Hong Ming, your friend has come to find you. You two chat slowly; we have to go get busy."

As Chen Yao was exchanging pleasantries with Hong Ming, she caught sight of someone approaching and took the initiative to excuse herself.

After bidding farewell, Hong Ming turned around to look at the friend Chen Yao had mentioned, and it was none other than Qin Hao.

Qin Hao greeted him with great joy: "Haha, Hong Ming, you really succeeded!"

"Brother Hao." Hong Ming also revealed a smile.

Arriving in a strange place and seeing an old acquaintance, it was hard not to feel happy.

The two caught up like old friends reunited, their shared background and past relationship fostering a sense of closeness.

While chatting, Qin Hao took the opportunity to briefly introduce the situation of the Preparatory Camp to Hong Ming.

The number of water soldiers in the Preparatory Camp was far less than in the Training Camp, totaling fewer than a hundred, yet it served as the vital link for personnel replacements for the entire Qing Province Water Army Combat Department.

Strictly speaking, they were considered the reserve force for the various combat battalions and already held half-official status.

They only needed to receive the corresponding documents to be posted to a combat battalion, where they could take up duties, patrol, and go on expeditions.

"Right, before going to the combat battalions, you can also receive funding from various factions. You just arrived, so you haven't received any yet, right?"

As they chatted, Qin Hao suddenly changed the subject and asked tentatively.

Hong Ming shook his head: "Not yet."

"Are you interested in accepting funding from the Zhong Family with me?" Qin Hao extended an invitation.

Hong Ming's expression flickered upon hearing this.

Having practiced martial arts until now, he was well aware of the importance of wealth and resources.

These were essential and scarce materials that could compensate for talent and allow ordinary people to cross natural chasms.

If he could receive funding from others and have sufficient cultivation resources, his martial path would undoubtedly be much easier.

But he also understood that there were gains and losses; such funding would inevitably come at a price.

He needed to weigh whether the cost was within his tolerance, so he didn't rush to agree, instead asking about the nature of the arrangement.

Qin Hao provided a precise explanation: "It's similar to being a retainer; the relationship is equal, and you only help out when needed, provided it is within your capabilities, of course."

He cared more about the pros and cons than Hong Ming; he was willing to accept funding, but he was unwilling to be recruited.

The former meant remaining a free agent, while the latter was akin to being a house servant, obeying every command.

"Then I will have to trouble you, Brother Hao." After a moment of contemplation, Hong Ming cupped his hands and said.

Qin Hao waved his hand: "Wait here for a moment; I will go speak to Brother Zhong about the situation so I can introduce you."

With that, Qin Hao headed toward the core area of the drill ground, where the "Brother Zhong" he mentioned was located.

Hong Ming watched him go, noting yet another difference between the Preparatory Camp and the Training Camp.

If the Training Camp was characterized by water soldiers of different backgrounds forming distinct, clear-cut groups, the Preparatory Camp was divided into various circles of all sizes.

Some circles were similar to those in the Training Camp, but more often, commoners were attached to the scions of noble and wealthy families.

Conversely, commoners who could band together for warmth were, as far as the eye could see, few and far between.

With a slight sigh, Hong Ming withdrew his gaze and looked around.

Seeing that the number of water soldiers was gradually increasing, his expression shifted, and he took this time to investigate the entries.

There were more entries than he had expected; calling it "an entry every step" might be an exaggeration, but entries appeared frequently within a ten-step radius.

The names, categories, and grades of the entries varied, most of which Hong Ming had seen before.

There were Breathing and Exhalation entries, mostly level one, with the highest being gold.

There were also bone-structure entries, generally of lower grade, with only a few of medium grade.

Currently, he had only detected three people with medium-grade bone structures; he knew two of them, Qin Hao and Wang Heng, while the third was a stranger named Shen Lin.

Among them, Qin Hao had a medium-high bone structure, Wang Heng had a medium-medium bone structure, and Shen Lin had a medium-low bone structure.

Hong Ming memorized them one by one; these were all targets for him to solidify in the future.