Inner Courtyard.
Second Senior Brother Luo Zheng took a bite of food and looked at Hu Yuan:
"Master has sent word. He'll be back tomorrow and personally assess you, then plan your path in martial arts."
Jiang Ting covered her mouth and chuckled:
"Master has been talking about you for ages."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Luo Zheng put an arm around Hu Yuan's shoulders, beaming as he said:
"Remember to bring your sister. Let her watch Master take you as his disciple. This is a moment to bring glory to your ancestors."
Everyone showered him with more congratulations.
The smile never left Hu Yuan's face, and his eyes brimmed with hope for the future.
Only Luo Zheng furrowed his brow, unnoticed.
Did I imagine it? Never mind... I'll wait until Master gets back. It's only tomorrow, anyway.
Thump!
Thump, thump!
Li Chuan faced the wooden post and struck it with three quick punches.
"Time's up! Get to work for the day!" Instructor Ma roared.
Many Outer Courtyard disciples who had been training stopped what they were doing and hurried over.
Li Chuan looked up. Instructor Ma certainly looked like someone from the Sichuan region.
A full beard and a round little face.
Li Chuan instinctively lowered his gaze, wondering if he was wearing white socks.
Alas... black socks.
Instructor Ma's voice had a slightly effeminate lilt:
"Liu Zhuxing, move rocks today; Luo Rui, clean the latrines; Qin Feng, mop the floors; Li Chuan, chop firewood!"
Li Chuan nodded to show he understood.
The Outer Courtyard disciples—or, more accurately, those among them who hadn't passed through Gate-Knocking, the "Apprentices"—had to work.
They helped the Martial Hall with various tasks each day, which reduced their tuition.
Of course, if they were wealthy enough, they could do nothing at all. They'd simply have to pay more silver.
Only "Registered Disciples," those who had entered Bright Force, were free of these tedious chores and able to focus on honing their martial arts.
The Pine Wind Martial Hall's strict hierarchy was on full display in every little thing.
Li Chuan was just about to go chop wood.
Qin Feng hurried over and stopped him, his face set in an ingratiating smile:
"Senior Brother Li, I'll do your work for you."
"That doesn't seem right..."
"What's wrong with that? I've loved working since I was a kid!"
With that, Qin Feng took the axe and started chopping wood before Li Chuan could.
Li Chuan was happy to have the free time to practice his stance training.
The next day.
An old man in gray, sporting a mustache, strode into the Martial Hall with vigorous, imposing steps.
Though his face was already deeply lined, every movement he made brimmed with more vigor than that of a lad in his teens or twenties!
The head of the Pine Wind Martial Hall, Liang Hangzhou!
One of the few masters in Anning County to have reached Transforming Force. Even the County Magistrate treated him with great respect!
Armed with nothing but his Through-Arm Fist, he had come from elsewhere and established a Martial Hall in Anning County, snatching away the locals' livelihood.
"Master, you're back!" The eldest senior brother, Tang Xiang, second senior brother, Luo Zheng, Jiang Ting, and the other Inner Disciples came forward to welcome him.
Liang Hangzhou stroked his mustache with a beaming smile:
"Is Hu Yuan here?"
"Master, I'm here!"
Hu Yuan came over from a distance, accompanied by a plainly dressed young woman.
"Greetings, Master Liang," Hu Yuan's sister said quietly.
Liang Hangzhou examined Hu Yuan carefully, then nodded with satisfaction:
"Regular features. In this robe, you look quite the gentleman."
"From now on, you'll be my Inner Disciple. If you have any questions about your cultivation, you can come straight to me. You'll receive one tael of silver for meals each day, and a packet of Blood Vitality Powder every seven days."
Hu Yuan's face lit up with barely contained joy.
One tael of silver a day for meals—what extravagance!
And he would get an extra packet of Blood Vitality Powder every seven days. A single packet was worth three taels of silver!
Jiang Ting stepped forward, clasped her hands, and smiled:
"Congratulations, Junior Brother Hu. From here on, you'll soar to greatness. Your martial future is bright!"
Hu Yuan suddenly drifted off, imagining his future achievements.
Dark Force... Transforming Force, or even higher?
"Let me feel your bone constitution," Liang Hangzhou said with a smile.
He reached out with his right hand and kneaded Hu Yuan all over.
The strange force and pain made Hu Yuan tremble uncontrollably.
"How... how can you have a Low-Grade Bone Constitution?!"
Even Liang Hangzhou, with decades of composure cultivated through years of practice, couldn't hide his astonishment.
"What... Junior Brother Hu has a Low-Grade Bone Constitution? Could you have felt wrong, Master?"
Jiang Ting hurriedly asked.
She had invested quite a lot in Hu Yuan!
Liang Hangzhou furrowed his brows:
"Who felt his bones?"
Lu Zhe, who had just broken through to Dark Force, raised his hand and stepped forward:
"Master, I felt Junior Brother Hu's bones. At the time, I clearly felt one High-Grade Bone Constitution and one Low-Grade Bone Constitution..."
Luo Zheng asked in surprise:
"Who was the other person?"
Lu Zhe said, "I think his name was... Qin Feng?"
Luo Zheng was shaken to the core:
"So it was him... I thought his comprehension was extraordinary back then. He needed only half an hour to grasp the basics of Through-Arm Fist."
A glint flashed in Liang Hangzhou's eyes. "Bring Qin Feng here."
Soon, Qin Feng was brought over, still holding an axe.
He looked at the several important figures who had once seemed utterly beyond his reach. They were all staring at him strangely, leaving him completely baffled.
"Ah!"
A broad hand pressed against his spine, then roamed across his shoulder blades and collarbones. Waves of soreness and pain surged over him like a tide.
Liang Hangzhou glared at Lu Zhe:
"Pay closer attention next time! This is the High-Grade Bone Constitution!"
Lu Zhe replied awkwardly:
"Your disciple was wrong. It won't happen again."
"What? A High-Grade Bone Constitution? Me?!" With a clang, Qin Feng dropped his axe, his eyes full of disbelief.
The usually stern Liang Hangzhou wore a gentle smile:
"I don't make mistakes when feeling someone's bones. Are you willing to join the Inner Courtyard and become my Inner Disciple?"
Liang Hangzhou repeated the benefits he had just offered Hu Yuan.
Smack!
Qin Feng dropped to his knees at once and kowtowed three times, hard enough to make a resounding thud:
"Your disciple pays his respects to Master Liang!"
Liang Hangzhou roared with laughter:
"Get up."
A strange glimmer shone in Jiang Ting's eyes. She smiled seductively:
"Congratulations on joining the Inner Courtyard, Junior Brother Qin. I can guide you in your Martial Arts."
Hu Yuan, left standing to one side, turned deathly pale and sank to his knees, trembling.
His sister's lips quivered, and she couldn't get a word out.
But no one cared about them anymore.
"Have you heard? Senior Brother Lu felt the wrong bones. Hu Yuan actually has a Low-Grade Bone Constitution, and Qin Feng is the one with a High-Grade Bone Constitution!"
"I've been at the Martial Hall for three months and never seen anything so unbelievable!"
Li Chuan raised an eyebrow.
The fates of the two people who shared his bunk had been switched?
"Look toward the Inner Courtyard—Hu Yuan's come out!"
"Why aren't you showing off anymore?"
"Serves you right!"
Li Chuan looked at Hu Yuan.
His face, once brimming with pride, now looked desperate and broken.
The luxurious robe he wore no longer suited him as it once had.
Many people's confidence came only from the "status" they held.
Strip away that status in an instant, and they were no different from ordinary people—sometimes worse.
Hu Yuan was a glaring example.
Li Chuan shook his head and thought to himself:
"Only the status you fight for with your own fists is real enough, stable enough."
Everyone surged forward, eager to see the fallen genius.
Li Chuan didn't budge. He simply kept practicing his punches in front of the wooden post, again and again, and kept honing his stance, again and again.
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