Why?

"Little Aunt, don't worry. I won't do anything foolish."

Xu Qing smiled at Xu Yan, then turned to Xu Erniu. "Second Uncle, I want to go to the martial hall and take a master today."

Xu Erniu opened his mouth. He was simple and honest, but not stupid. How could he not see that Chen Jiang's behavior had provoked Xu Qing? Seeing someone insult his younger sister so cruelly, he was angry too, furious too. But he had no ability to do anything about it.

"All right!" Xu Erniu sighed and answered heavily, "Let's go home and get the silver!"

The trip there and back took two and a half hours.

On the way back, Xu Erniu deliberately took Xu Qing to Zhao Family Martial Hall to show him the way. When they entered the city again, Xu Qing did not let his second uncle accompany him.

Standing alone before the martial hall's residence, Xu Qing took a slow breath.

It was a large compound with two courtyards, vermilion-lacquered gates, and two stone lions crouching at the entrance, baring their fangs in a display of imposing might.

His martial path would begin here.

Without further thought, he stepped forward and pounded heavily on the door knocker.

Before long, the gate creaked open a crack, and a young man's head poked out.

"Who are you looking for?"

"I want to take a master."

"Taking a master now?" The youth froze, then looked him over from head to toe before pushing open the gate and stepping outside.

No wonder he was surprised. Most people who came to the martial hall to take a master arrived early in the morning, and at the latest, before noon. The martial hall charged by the day; no matter when one arrived, it counted as a full day's fee.

It was already halfway through the Hour of the Rooster. The day was nearly over, yet he had come to take a master now. That was hardly worthwhile. A single day cost one hundred and ten copper coins.

Judging by Xu Qing's clothing, he did not look like the child of a wealthy family either. Before he had even begun training, he was throwing away nearly a day's worth of money for nothing.

The youth shook his head and thought to himself, This fellow probably isn't very smart. He can't even do the sums.

"Did you bring the ten taels of silver for the apprenticeship fee?" he asked bluntly, no longer dwelling on it.

"I brought enough."

"That's fine, then. Come in." The moment he heard the money was enough, a smile appeared on the youth's face. "My name is Qin Liang. I've only been here for a month, so I suppose I'm your senior brother. Master is in the rear courtyard. I'll take you to the training ground first."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Qin." Xu Qing cupped his hands.

"We're martial brothers from now on. No need to be so polite." Qin Liang smiled and introduced the place as they walked. "Including you, there are exactly twenty people in the outer court. There are also several senior brothers in the inner court..."

As they spoke, they arrived at the training ground.

At a glance, it had everything: Plum Blossom Stakes, wooden dummies, stone locks, stone balls, sandbags, weapon racks... The training ground was enormous, and the disciples scattered across it did not make it seem crowded in the slightest.

The wooden dummies rang with repeated bangs, while several people stood steadily atop the Plum Blossom Stakes. Some grunted as they lifted stone locks, some bent at the waist and rolled stone balls, while others practiced boxing at the edge of the grounds, their fist winds stirring up the dust on the ground.

What drew Xu Qing's attention most were the two people sparring in the middle of the field.

He did not know what kind of boxing style they were using, but the fight looked fierce and deeply impressive.

Zhao Family Martial Hall taught Five Elements Fist, and that was precisely the fist art the two men in the field were using.

One crossed, one chopped; one drilled, one cannoned. They traded blow for blow, every punch landing solidly on flesh.

The crossing fist was like a snake shooting from its burrow, cunning and vicious. The chopping fist was like an axe splitting a mountain, fierce and unmatched.

The tall, thin youth twisted aside to evade a crushing fist, then followed with a drilling fist from below, shooting straight for his opponent's jaw.

The shorter youth hastily threw his head back and barely avoided it, but his feet did not stop. He rushed forward in a quick step, closing in as his cannon fist thundered out, smashing directly toward the tall youth's chest.

Instead of retreating, the tall youth advanced. He twisted both arms and forcibly deflected the punch, then immediately drove a chopping fist back down, its force like Mount Tai bearing down from above...

Xu Qing watched, utterly absorbed, his palms sweating.

He had never seen such fists and footwork before. Every move seemed to carry the roar of wind and thunder, far more thrilling than those flashy martial arts films from television in his previous life.

Seeing how captivated he was, Qin Liang patted his shoulder and smiled. "What do you think? Impressive, right? Wait here for a while. Senior Brother Chen Wang went to the inner court to invite Master."

Xu Qing smiled and nodded.

"Bang!"

The tall youth threw another chopping fist. The shorter youth failed to block it in time and took the blow on his shoulder. He gave a muffled groan, staggered back three steps, and fell flat onto the ground.

"Good!" several disciples practicing nearby shouted in unison.

Xu Qing could not help joining the others in applause and cheers.

As he clapped, he suddenly felt someone's gaze upon him.

Turning his head, he saw a youth in fitted black clothes staring at him from among the crowd. The man's face looked somewhat familiar. After thinking carefully, he remembered—it was Xu Qing.

The only son of his uncle-in-law's elder brother.

His uncle-in-law had mentioned that Xu Qing also studied martial arts at Zhao Family Martial Hall.

They had only met a handful of times. Every time, Xu Qing had refused to look at him properly, probably because he thought Xu Qing was poor and feared being tainted by bad luck.

Xu Qing recognized him, and Xu Qing recognized Xu Qing as well. Just as Xu Qing hesitated over whether to go up and greet him, a smile appearing on his face, Xu Qing suddenly frowned, turned his face away in disdain, as though he had seen something filthy.

Xu Qing immediately gave up the thought of greeting him. He had no desire to humiliate himself.

Before long, Senior Brother Chen, who had gone to the inner court, returned with an old man in a blue robe behind him.

The old man was lean, with graying temples and sharply defined features. Most frightening of all were his eyes, gleaming like two knives. After being swept by that gaze just once, Xu Qing felt cold from head to toe, as though all his clothes had been stripped away.

There was no need for introductions. Xu Qing knew this was the master of Zhao Family Martial Hall—the master he had come to take.

"You're the one who wants to take a master?" Hall Master Zhao Yan's voice was not loud, yet every word was clear, driving into the ears like nails.

"Yes." Xu Qing hurriedly bowed. "Xu Qing, a fisherman of Blackwater Bay. I wish to study martial arts at the martial hall."

Zhao Yan did not respond. He merely examined Xu Qing from head to toe, then suddenly reached out and seized his wrist.

That hand looked dry and thin, but its grip was astonishingly strong, like an iron clamp.

Before Xu Qing could react, Zhao Yan had already gripped and felt his way up his arm, from his shoulder to his spine. He then checked the bones of his legs and finally patted his shoulder blade, calmly uttering two words: "Below average."

Xu Qing immediately understood. Zhao Yan was feeling out his bones and assessing his innate aptitude.

Zhao Yan released him, his tone neither warm nor cold. "Your aptitude is ordinary."

"However, a martial hall that opens its doors to accept disciples has no reason to turn people away. The apprenticeship fee is ten taels, which covers three months. If you wish to remain at the martial hall afterward, you must pay another two taels each month. There are not many rules here: respect your master and honor the Way; do not use martial skill to bully others; do not fight with fellow disciples."

"If you break the rules, the light punishment is whipping. The severe punishment is having your hand and hamstrings cut before being expelled from the school."

Xu Qing's expression did not change. He took a money pouch from his robes and offered it up with both hands.

Without Zhao Yan needing to signal, someone accepted the pouch.

"Chen Wang," Zhao Yan instructed again, "make arrangements for him. He'll train under you first. Teach him the stance work. He will stand stances first. Once he can stand steadily, then we'll talk about anything else."

With that, he turned and left. His strides were swift, and in only a few steps he vanished beyond the courtyard gate.

A tall, broad-faced man with thick brows and large eyes came over, patted Xu Qing's shoulder, and grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Come on, Junior Brother Xu. My name is Chen Wang. I'll take you to where you'll be staying so you can put down your luggage. From now on, I'll teach you the foundations. Stance work is the basic skill. If you can't even stand steady, every punch you throw is just flowery showmanship."

Xu Qing hurriedly cupped his hands. "Senior Brother Chen."

After settling into his quarters, Chen Wang led Xu Qing to an open space beside the training ground and said with a smile, "Our martial hall teaches Five Elements Fist, and we use the Three Talents Stake. I'll demonstrate the stance work once first. Watch carefully."

As he assumed the stance, he explained, "Spread your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly, sink your shoulders and drop your elbows, hollow your chest and straighten your back, press your tongue to your upper palate, and look straight ahead..."

"Come on, give it a try. Let me see your foundation."

Xu Qing followed his instructions and assumed the posture.

At first, he did not feel much. Yet after only a moment, his legs began to tremble, his knees sinking as though filled with lead.

Chen Wang paced beside him with his hands behind his back, occasionally reaching out to pat his shoulders or press his waist, correcting his posture. "Sink your waist a little more, that's it... Don't hunch your shoulders; relax them... Breathe evenly, don't hold it in..."

Nearby, Xu Qing leaned against the weapon rack and drank water. He shot a sidelong glance in their direction, curled his lip, and muttered something to the person beside him. The two of them began laughing together.

Xu Qing heard them, but did not move.

He merely gritted his teeth and stared at the ground ahead. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead one after another. His legs felt as if they were filled with lead, yet also as if he were standing on cotton. Every breath he endured felt like a struggle against his entire body.

Just when he felt he was about to collapse—

There was suddenly a boom inside his mind, as though something had exploded.

It was not pain, but an indescribable sensation of clarity.

It was as though some dam blocking his body had abruptly burst open, and a warm current slowly rose from his dantian, spreading through his spine and into all four limbs and every bone.

His legs, which had been unbearably sore and swollen, suddenly no longer felt so heavy. His swaying body steadied, and even his breathing became smooth and long.

All at once, he understood what it meant to sink the shoulders and drop the elbows, what it meant to hollow the chest and straighten the back.

His feet rooted themselves in the ground, his head suspended from above. His entire body seemed planted deep into the earth.

The next instant, a cold voice rang out in his mind—

[Three Talents Stake (Beginner): 1/100]

He had done it!

He had held the stance!

Several disciples resting around the training ground gradually noticed what was happening.

Chen Wang was holding a bowl of water when he happened to glance over. The bowl nearly slipped from his hand.

He saw the truth of it. Xu Qing's breathing was even and deep, his lower body as steady as if rooted to the ground. This was clearly stance work that had entered the beginner level!

How was that possible?!

He rubbed his eyes and looked again.

There was no mistake!

Xu Qing's feet were rooted, his waist and back straight, his shoulders sunk and elbows dropped. Though his posture still carried a trace of rawness, that sense of steadiness was unmistakably the look of someone who had entered the gate.

Could Xu Qing have learned the Three Talents Stake before?

Chen Wang's gaze sharpened, but he decisively shook his head again.

Xu Qing's clueless appearance when he had first taken the stance could not have been faked. Whether he had any foundation in the Three Talents Stake was something that could never have escaped Master's eyes.

"This..." Chen Wang opened his mouth, disbelief written all over his face.

He remembered clearly that when he had first practiced stances, it had taken him a full five days of grinding effort before he found the feeling. Even Senior Brother Ning from the inner court, who possessed superior bone aptitude, had needed a whole day.

How long had Xu Qing been standing? Half the time it took to burn an incense stick?

The disciples nearby also stopped what they were doing, their gazes landing on Xu Qing all at once.

Xu Qing had originally been squatting nearby, wiping sweat. Seeing that something was wrong with everyone's expressions, he followed their gazes. His face immediately changed.

He stared at Xu Qing's perfectly steady stance, his eyes filled with complicated emotions—surprise, disbelief, and a thread of... deep jealousy.

Xu Qing had held the stance?!

How long had he been here? Not even the time it took to burn an incense stick!

Why did that stinking fishmonger from the bay get to do it?!