Martial Arts School

"Thirty paces!" Zhao Feng sprang to his feet in the woods, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow. Whoosh! He let it fly!

Squelch! The arrow struck the right side of Huang Biao's neck, piercing straight through his throat.

"Kh! Kh!" Huang Biao's eyes bulged, and bloody foam poured from his mouth. He reached out, desperately trying to shout, but could only make rasping sounds that were swallowed by the snow and wind.

Thud! He fell onto his back, staring blankly at the night sky as his body convulsed. A blood-red haze flooded his vision, gradually blurring everything. Then a face appeared before him.

"It's you..." Huang Biao's gaze slowly lost focus. He died!

Zhao Feng quickly pulled out the arrow and dragged the corpse into the woods with all his strength. He dragged it farther and farther, stopping to catch his breath only once he was deep among the trees.

He searched Huang Biao's pockets and found a heavy money pouch and a stack of IOUs. After stuffing them into his clothes, Zhao Feng found a rock and, fighting his nausea, smashed Huang Biao's face and skull to pieces, leaving him unrecognizable and completely destroying the wound.

Only then did he dig a pit at the bottom of a wooded gully and bury the corpse.

The snow falling that night in flakes as large as goose feathers would bury every trace perfectly.

Of course, Zhao Feng still had to be cautious and avoid giving himself away however he could.

After leaving the woods, he took a long, roundabout route home. By then, dawn was nearly upon him. Only after making sure no one was around did he pull Huang Biao's money pouch from inside his clothes with trembling hands. When he opened it, he found that the pieces of silver inside added up to almost fourteen taels. With the New Year approaching, this was probably money Huang Biao had collected for Li the Landowner. Now it was all his. He took out all the silver, then went to the kitchen and quickly stripped off his bloodstained, tattered padded jacket. He threw it into the stove along with the empty pouch and the stack of IOUs, burning them all to ashes. Only after finishing everything and lying down on the earthen kang bed did overwhelming exhaustion and lingering fear wash over him. After all, this was his first time killing someone.

Zhao Feng crossed Huang Biao's name off the little ledger in his heart.

His mother had already brought out the last of the family's savings, and his sister-in-law had gone back to her parents' home to borrow another two taels for him, bringing his funds to six taels. With these fourteen added, he now had twenty in total, enough for the Tuition Fee and living expenses in the county town. After some thought, Zhao Feng decided not to tell his family about the money for now, or leave any with them. If one of them let something slip, it could arouse suspicion or even bring a calamity down on their heads.

Only three days later did word begin spreading through the village: Huang Biao had disappeared!

And supposedly, he had run off with the money he had collected! Li the Landowner in town, who had entrusted him with collecting those debts, was now looking for him.

Li the Landowner had also sent men to the homes of Huang Biao's underlings, demanding to know where he was hiding.

This was an unexpected blessing for Zhao Feng. He no longer had to be quite so nervous.

"Who would've thought Huang Biao would run off with the money!" During the New Year celebrations, Zhao Youlin happily drank a few extra cups of millet wine.

Now that the thug had fled, no one would be coming to force him to mortgage his fields for the time being.

The dark cloud hanging over the Zhao Family had dispersed as well. They could finally enjoy the New Year properly.

With dried, salted roe deer meat to eat, the Zhao Family enjoyed a rare, cheerful New Year. Though one major concern still weighed on their hearts-the lack of news about Zhao Shuo-at least they now had hope.

On the third day after the New Year, Zhao Feng was ready to head to the county town to learn martial arts.

"Feng, have you scraped together enough for the Tuition Fee?" Zhao Youlin asked in surprise. He had been worrying about it himself; they were still several taels short.

Zhao Feng said he had borrowed it from Little Aunt, leaving Zhao Youlin half-convinced. Since when had his younger sister had so much money? And would his brother-in-law agree? That man looked down on them and forbade them from visiting. His sister could only sneak over to see her family, so there was no way to verify the story.

"You must be good to your Little Aunt in the future. She's always treated you as practically a son," Zhao Youlin sighed.

Zhao Feng nodded solemnly.

He had wanted to leave a few taels at home so the children and his father could eat better and build up their strength, but held back after thinking it over. Everything would have to wait until Huang Biao was completely forgotten. Besides, he would need money in the county town himself.

Zhao Feng once again rode Old Ding's donkey cart into town, leaving the villagers' gossip behind him.

"Youlin's family is smashing their pots and selling their iron just to send Feng off to learn martial arts."

"Doesn't he know how much he weighs?"

"A wastrel like him can learn martial arts? His head doesn't even work properly anymore."

"Youlin's family is headed for complete ruin."

At the county town's main gate, after getting directions from Old Ding, Zhao Feng quietly tightened his grip on the money belt beneath his clothes and headed toward the Huo Family Martial Arts School.

The Huo Family Martial Arts School stood in Five-Peace Ward in the Outer City, a relatively tidy neighborhood. He arrived outside an unremarkable courtyard, where a sign bearing the school's name hung over the entrance. Faint shouts from martial training drifted over the walls.

Several people were waiting at the gate. After asking around, he learned that they had all come to enroll after the New Year.

Before long, the gate opened, and a young man in close-fitting training clothes stepped out. He cupped his fist toward the waiting group and said:

"My name is Wei Yuan. Have you all come to seek a master and learn martial arts?"

The others hurriedly copied his gesture and returned the greeting, all confirming that they had come to learn martial arts.

"In that case, there's something you should know. Master Huo must examine you first. Only those who meet his requirements may stay and train."

They followed Wei Yuan inside and found an ordinary compound with two successive courtyards, neither particularly large. Wooden posts, stone weights, sabers, staffs, and other training equipment stood in the front courtyard.

Seven or eight men were training there. Some practiced punches, some held horse stances, and others worked with stone weights. Veins bulged on every face; they were flushed red and drenched in sweat.

A ruddy-faced man in his fifties, with a square face and large ears, was supervising their training.

"Don't let your mind wander while holding your stance!"

"Every punch must carry force, even when you're punching empty air! Put your waist and abdomen into it!"

"If you want to become martial masters, you have to train yourselves half to death!" he barked.

Wei Yuan stepped forward then and said, "Master, these are the new applicants."

The square-faced man turned toward Zhao Feng and the others. "My name is Huo Shan. I trained under the Eight Extremes Lineage. Come over here, all of you, and stand straight."

He began patting and squeezing them one by one. Those whose bodies were too weak, whose bones were too mature, or who had injuries were rejected.

When Zhao Feng's turn came, he asked, "How old are you? Have you trained in martial arts before?"

"Eighteen after the New Year. I've never trained," Zhao Feng answered honestly.

"You're a little old to start without any foundation," Huo Shan said with a frown.

Zhao Feng's heart sank. "Fortunately, your bones haven't finished growing, and your major tendons are still fairly supple. You can train!" Huo Shan continued.

"Phew!" Zhao Feng let out a relieved breath. Master Huo, could you please not pause for breath like that?

Of the seven applicants, only Zhao Feng and two others remained. One was a dark-faced youth with a somewhat sturdier build. The other was thin and withdrawn; his constitution was so weak that he had nearly been rejected too.

"Since you're entering my Huo Family Martial Arts School, I'll get the unpleasant words out of the way first. Ten taels of silver in Tuition Fee covers only three months. If you want to keep training after that, you'll have to pay again. If you can't pay, don't blame me for throwing you out. I didn't open a martial arts school to run a charity," Huo Shan declared sternly.

"Have you all thought it through?"

"We have!" Zhao Feng and the other two nodded repeatedly, taking out the silver they had prepared and paying the Tuition Fee.

Huo Shan put away the silver. "From today onward, you are apprentices at my martial arts school."

"Heaven rewards diligence. As long as you achieve something in your training, supporting yourselves and your families won't be difficult. Remember, true martial arts are killing arts. Their purpose is to defeat your opponent, or even kill them-not to look impressive while being useless, like the tricks of street performers."

"Even apprentices must obey my rules. Wei Yuan is your second senior brother. He'll explain the Sect Rules to you."