The County Yamen

After leaving the courtyard gate, Li Chengfeng carried his expectations for the imperial court's Martial Hall in his heart. He first went to the market and sold off the six long spears he had been carrying.

The six long spears ultimately brought him fifteen taels of silver. The price was fairly good, leaving Li Chengfeng quite satisfied.

Right after that, he tucked the silver securely into his money pouch, held his long spear, and strode toward the county yamen with a sharp gleam in his eyes.

"..."

The county yamen was said to be a place for redressing grievances, but in truth, to poor commoners, it was like a living prison that swallowed people whole.

So long as one went inside even once, unless a layer of skin was peeled off and a few bones were drawn out, there was absolutely no chance of getting away.

Even if one was in the right, one would suffer a great loss; if one was in the wrong, even one's life would be forfeit.

Under such circumstances, the county yamen naturally became forbidden ground in the eyes of poor commoners.

Li Chengfeng's former self, let alone entering the county yamen to see what lay inside, had been unwilling even to go near it. Naturally, there had been no way for him to learn that this county yamen actually contained the mysterious department known as the Martial Hall.

But now, Li Chengfeng was utterly unafraid.

At the entrance of the county yamen, the yamen sat quietly beside the main street, built quite spaciously and imposing.

It crouched there like a Street-Clearing Tiger. Not a single commoner lingered before its gates. The occasional passerby who went by all hurried along with their backs close to the wall, and even they were invariably from wealthy households who dared to do so.

As for the poor commoners, they would rather take a detour than pass in front of the county yamen gate.

Li Chengfeng strode onto the street before the county yamen, walked straight to its main gate, and under the scrutinizing gazes of the two yamen runners, revealed his own qi and blood without the slightest hesitation. Calmly, he cupped his fists and asked softly, "May I ask how to get to the Martial Hall?"

"The Martial Hall?"

Hearing Li Chengfeng's words and sensing the ordinary-seeming momentum on him, the two yamen runners immediately hurried to withdraw their scrutinizing gazes. With fawning smiles, they pointed behind the county yamen gate. "Go in through the gate, turn left, and follow the road to the rear courtyard. That's where it is."

"Many thanks."

Li Chengfeng nodded and said indifferently. Then, holding his long spear, he straightened his chest under the yamen runners' gazes and strode into the county yamen.

Inside the county yamen, the sunlight shone bright and clean across the spacious grounds. After Li Chengfeng walked in, he felt none of the sinister terror his former self had imagined.

After entering, he looked to the left and indeed saw a small gate. He stepped over to the small gate on the left, glanced back, and chuckled inwardly. There's nothing so frightening about it after all.

Thinking of the expressions on the two yamen runners' faces just now, Li Chengfeng felt teasing amusement in his heart.

But then he thought that if an ordinary commoner had come in through that small gate, just that one step would have drawn all manner of extortion, and if they refused, they would have been forced to kneel there forever. At once, he put away his teasing thoughts, his expression calm as he proceeded straight along the passage on the left.

Walking in through the small gate on the left, he found only a corridor with pillars standing along it, thick walls on both sides enclosing a garden.

Following the corridor, before long, Li Chengfeng saw a neat, orderly blue-brick building, above which hung a plaque inscribed with the words "Martial Hall."

Li Chengfeng stepped straight into the building and took a look, only to find that the large room was merely a resting area with stools placed inside. There were also two arched doorways on the left and right.

He went in through the arched doorway on the left, and another small courtyard appeared in his field of vision. On the left side of the courtyard were four different signboards: [Elixirs] [Cultivation Methods] [Weapons] [Bounties].

Behind every signboard was a spacious room, and farther behind them were spaces leading even deeper in. Inside, several smiling shopkeepers sat respectively.

Looking to the right, three more signboards appeared before his eyes as well: [Martial Registry] [Position Exchange] [Acquisitions].

"This Martial Hall's functions are actually so complete."

Li Chengfeng looked at the seven broad buildings with clearly different divisions of labor, feeling surprised.

But after thinking about the marvels of martial artists in this world and the strength of martial prowess, he understood. Who knew how long such a martial dynasty had developed? It was only natural for the division of labor to be so refined.

As that thought turned in his mind, Li Chengfeng walked straight toward [Martial Registry], which was clearly the place Zhao Lie had mentioned for registration and enrollment.

"Why didn't you leave your weapon outside?"

Li Chengfeng had just walked into the spacious Martial Registry office when he heard a dissatisfied voice from inside. Turning his head, he saw that among the people seated inside the five windows, the one closest to the main entrance was looking at him speechlessly because his long spear was too long, forcing him to enter at an angle.

"Apologies, how rude of me."

Li Chengfeng smiled awkwardly and hurriedly placed the long spear outside the room. Then he walked in and sat down outside that person's window.

"Though the long spear is strong, martial artists will inevitably encounter situations where they must fight in narrow places. You cannot practice only the long spear and waste all other weapons."

Once Li Chengfeng sat down on the stool before the window, the person inside casually offered a word of advice. Then he took out a register, lifted his brush, and asked aloud, "Where do you live? What is your surname and name? How old are you?"

"I live in the third small alley inward from the southern end of Wuhou Street, the seventh household counting from east to west."

Li Chengfeng thought for a moment and gave a precise location, then continued, "My surname is Li, given name Chengfeng. I have just passed eighteen full years of age."

"What is your background? Whom did you learn from? From the look of it, you've cultivated qi and blood for some time already. When did you break through?"

The person inside nodded as he recorded the information, asking one question after another.

"Commoner background, no master or lineage. I broke through a little over a month ago."

Li Chengfeng answered very honestly. The person inside paused with his hand, then raised his head with a frown and looked at him, astonishment in his brow. "A commoner, with no master or lineage?"

"Exactly."

Li Chengfeng nodded. The other party frowned again. "Martial registration is a serious matter. Only when your master and lineage are fully recorded can you be properly registered. You must not lie, or you will bear the consequences yourself."

"I would not dare conceal anything. I truly have no master or lineage, and am only of commoner status."

Li Chengfeng said solemnly.

"Stand in front and throw a punch with all your strength. Let me have a look."

The stiff-faced man with a long beard frowned and spoke to him.

"This... will do."

Li Chengfeng froze for a moment, then understood that the other party wanted to see whether he truly had no master or lineage. At once, he calmly stood up from the stool and, under the curious gazes of the man and the people in the other windows nearby, came to stand directly in front of his window.

"Wait a moment."

Li Chengfeng had just taken his position when he heard the man inside say this. Then the man rose and came out. The closed wooden door to one side opened, and his compact, powerful figure appeared before Li Chengfeng. He nodded to him. "All right. Throw a punch and let me see."

"Yes."

Li Chengfeng nodded seriously and answered honestly. Then, after thinking for a moment, he dropped into a horse stance, circulated his Clear Power, and threw a punch with all his strength—Cannon Blast!

"Pa!"

In that instant, the force inside Li Chengfeng's body advanced joint by joint. His fist shot out like a cannon, letting out an explosive crack in the air, its might fully displayed.

"Oh? He really isn't from a city lineage."

Looking at Li Chengfeng's punch, the registrar standing in front showed surprise. In the end, he could not help calling inside, "You lot come take a look too. Can you tell where this punch comes from?"

"There's a fist technique even you don't recognize?"

"That sound really does seem unfamiliar."

"Let's have a look."

At this person's words, the people inside the four other windows also spoke in surprise. Then four doors opened, and four people walked out together, looking curiously at Li Chengfeng.

"Don't be afraid. Throw another punch and let us have a look."

The man who had come out first looked at Li Chengfeng and spoke to him with a calm expression.

"Yes."

The moment these people stepped out, Li Chengfeng immediately sensed that the aura about them was anything but ordinary. His heart thudded, but after thinking it over, he still nodded calmly. Then he stood where he was, circulated the Clear Power inside his body, and once again threw a Cannon Blast with all his strength.

"Pa!"

An explosive crack rang through the air, and surprise showed on all five faces.

"He really did strike with full force, but I've actually never seen this method before."

A burly man inside clicked his tongue in wonder. "What about you?"

"I truly have never seen it before either."

An old man with half-white hair and beard also furrowed his brows and could not help asking, "Little brother, where did you learn this martial art? Did you figure it out yourself and cultivate your way into becoming a martial artist?"

"This..."

Seeing their expressions, Li Chengfeng understood somewhat. These people were probably all old martial masters who had studied deeply for many years, and all were widely experienced and knowledgeable. They could tell what lineage a single move came from, and they could also tell whether someone had used their full strength.

After hesitating inwardly for a moment, he thought that these questions would be impossible to avoid in the future, so he spoke frankly.

"This junior was struck from behind with a club before and lay unconscious in bed for several days. After I woke up, this kung fu had somehow appeared in my head for no reason. I tried practicing it, and I didn't expect I would actually become a martial artist."