Wind-Thunder Martial Hall

A meal and drinks that cost less than half a tael of silver had won Zhou Ye several more brothers from the Woodcutter Gang.

During the casual chatter at the table, inspiration suddenly struck Zhou Ye. The excuse he had made up before seemed quite useful.

He had found an illicit charcoal-burning kiln in the mountains, so he was no longer selling firewood and had switched to selling charcoal.

With such a reason, once his purse became a little fuller and he could occasionally eat some meat, it would seem fairly reasonable.

But selling only eight hundred or a thousand catties of charcoal a month would earn, at most, three or four taels of silver. That would not make others green with envy.

Of course, the likeliest possibility was that no one cared about a small fry like Zhou Ye. That was exactly what he wanted; a certain king of lying low wished for nothing more than to become invisible.

After seeing off Big Dog and the others, drunk and reeling, Zhou Ye headed toward the outer city. After walking for more than half an hour, he arrived before a martial hall.

This martial hall was called the Wind-Thunder Martial Hall. After such a long and careful comparison, Zhou Ye had ultimately decided to learn martial arts here.

Speaking of this Wind-Thunder Martial Hall, its name sounded quite imposing, but in truth... its master was nothing special, the martial arts it taught were nothing special, and even its reputation among the common folk was nothing special. It was considered one of the worst martial halls in the prefectural city. Its only advantages were that it was easy to enroll in and very cheap.

Zhou Ye was actually quite helpless as well. Most martial halls in the prefectural city were private establishments. They only taught flashy, flowery techniques to outsiders; their true core cultivation methods and martial skills were taught only to the children of their own clans. Unless they encountered an extraordinarily gifted child, whom they would sometimes begin nurturing from a young age.

That was indeed true. Most martial halls were controlled by prominent clans and wealthy households. A monopoly on martial arts had already begun to take shape.

Only this Wind-Thunder Martial Hall taught anyone. Regardless of background or age, as long as they paid, they could learn!

Moreover, the Wind-Thunder Martial Hall charged relatively little tuition—only three taels of silver per month. Other martial halls generally charged between five and ten taels.

But no matter what, learning martial arts was an ordinary person's only chance to defy fate and change their destiny. Especially for those impoverished people at the bottom; they could only throw everything into a desperate gamble.

Thus, when Zhou Ye entered the martial hall, he saw that more than fifty or sixty people were training in the spacious practice ground.

A young man with a square face saw Zhou Ye and walked over. "Little brother, do you need something?"

Zhou Ye hurriedly bowed. "Senior Brother, I wish to take a master and learn martial arts."

"Learning martial arts is not easy." The young man sized him up a few times. "Tuition is three taels a month, paid every half year. The first payment can have one month waived, so that comes to fifteen taels."

"I know. I have already brought the silver."

"Good. Hold out both hands and do not move around. Let me see whether you are suited to martial training."

The young man grasped both Zhou Ye's wrists and placed his fingers on his pulse. Zhou Ye then felt two streams of warmth enter his body. They were warm and rather comfortable, and only stopped after circulating through him once.

Yet the young man's expression turned solemn. He glanced at Zhou Ye as if he wanted to speak but held himself back, then moved behind him and felt downward along his spine...

By then, the young man's brows were tightly furrowed. He seemed to be struggling inwardly. After hesitating for quite a while, he finally said vaguely, "Little brother, you... actually have other paths you can take. You need not waste this money. You must understand, many things are decreed by Heaven. Learning martial arts requires talent."

Zhou Ye already understood what the young man meant. Yet he gave a bitter laugh inside. It must have been his -3 bone aptitude; his talent for martial training was truly terrible. Still, the man before him meant well. Was he trying to persuade him to leave?

There was no way Zhou Ye would be persuaded to leave. He had long since made up his mind. "Please, Senior Brother, give me a chance. I simply wish to learn martial arts!"

"You...!"

The young man did not know what to say. After thinking for a moment, he quietly reminded him, "Little brother, once the tuition is paid, it will not be refunded. However, if you fail to sense qi after one month, half may be refunded. If you cannot enter Force after three months, twenty percent may be refunded. You must remember that!"

Zhou Ye did not know whether to laugh or cry, but he was also somewhat touched. "May I ask Senior Brother's honored name?"

"I am the third senior brother here. My name is Han Guang."

"Senior Brother Han, thank you! But I must learn martial arts."

Seeing that Zhou Ye remained stubbornly determined, Han Guang looked at him for a long while, at a loss for words. "Fine. Follow me and pay respects to Master! Remember, our master is named Du Keyuan. You may also respectfully address him as Master Du."

Following Han Guang, Zhou Ye went behind the martial hall. To his surprise, there was another small practice ground there. More than twenty people were likewise training upon it.

When they entered the main hall, Zhou Ye saw a lean, compact old man seated inside. Only his eyes gleamed with faint, sharp light.

"Master, a new disciple wishes to join us," Han Guang said as he bowed. Zhou Ye followed suit and bowed beside him.

The old man lazily sipped his tea and looked Zhou Ye up and down, as though his gaze had scanned his entire body. "What is your name? Where do you live? What do your parents do?"

"Master, my name is Zhou Ye. I live outside the city. My parents both died early, and I am merely a mountain man."

"Mhm. How old are you?"

"I will soon be sixteen."

"Starting martial arts is a little late... but not terribly late, I suppose. You know the rules?"

"Yes. Senior Brother Han has already explained them."

"Then go pay the money. Find Du Juan in the room on the right." Du Keyuan spoke briskly. "Also, come tomorrow morning. We will formally begin your martial training. I will personally demonstrate for you."

"Thank you, Master."

"Mhm. You may leave."

After Zhou Ye departed, Han Guang impatiently asked in a low voice, "Master, did you not see Junior Brother Zhou's bone aptitude? His aptitude is extremely poor. Even entering Force would be exceedingly difficult for him."

Du Keyuan waved a hand indifferently. "You brat, are you letting your compassion run wild again? Are you trying to turn away business at the door? I still need to earn money for my old age, and I need to prepare Du Juan's dowry."

"But... but if he cannot cultivate anything at all, would that not be deceiving him?"

"How is it deception? That boy is well nourished, at least better off than those miserable wretches. He is also a mountain man, so perhaps he has practiced a few clumsy tricks before? Even if he cannot enter Force, he can still learn several martial skills at our hall and will certainly be stronger than ordinary people. Besides, what if he does enter Force? Perhaps he might even reach Bright Force?"

Han Guang was amused. "Absolutely impossible. I have never seen bone aptitude as dreadful as his."

"That is innate deficiency. It is difficult to make up for after birth. Enough of this. In the future, whenever new apprentices come to learn martial arts, bring them directly to me."

"Yes, Master." Han Guang nodded listlessly.

At that moment, Zhou Ye did not know that the master and disciple were discussing him behind his back, and that they held little hope for his future in martial arts.

When he arrived at the side room, Zhou Ye was momentarily stunned. A writing desk stood inside, and behind it waited a girl of thirteen or fourteen, happily bobbing her little head.

"Senior Brother, I'm Du Juan. Hurry and pay up!"