Apprenticeship!

After a moment of silence, Mei Shuangfeng slowly said:

"You go out of the city first. I'll accompany you there. If what you say is true, and it truly is a Silver-backed Treasure Fish... my Mei Martial Hall will not treat you poorly."

Shen Xiuhan let out a long breath, the huge stone hanging over his heart crashing down at last.

This move had been the right one.

He immediately gave a deep bow. "Hall Master, your righteousness is admirable. I shall lead the way..."

"No need."

Mei Shuangfeng raised a hand. "Just go ahead. The inner city is crowded, with too many eyes and ears. To avoid drawing attention, I have my own way of following behind you. Go on first."

"...Understood."

Shen Xiuhan did not waste words. He cupped his hands in another salute, hoisted the fish basket onto his back, and respectfully withdrew from the side room.

After the sound of his footsteps faded away.

The woman in fitted martial attire strode forward, concern faintly visible in her eyes as she lowered her voice. "Mother... can that boy's words truly be trusted?"

"Eight or nine chances out of ten."

Mei Shuangfeng stood with her hands behind her back, her voice calm. "But the human heart is treacherous. There is always the chance of misjudgment. Still... if he dared use such a matter as a pretense to toy with me..."

She paused, and a vicious gleam suddenly erupted in her eyes.

"No matter what bitter hardship he may have suffered, I will make him beg for life and be unable to die."

The warm chamber.

Fell into a brief, deathly silence.

The charcoal fire crackled softly, casting half her face into alternating light and shadow.

A moment later, Mei Shuangfeng seemed to recall something. The corner of her lips curled upward.

"Heh... that boy just said I possessed righteous qi?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Her shrill laughter exploded through the hall like the blood-weeping screech of a night owl, chilling all who heard it to the bone.

"My Mei Family was indeed once an upright and renowned sect. From top to bottom, we practiced vast and righteous qi!"

The laughter abruptly stopped.

Mei Shuangfeng's beautiful, dignified face instantly twisted with venomous hatred.

"But ever since..."

"Ever since your younger brother was thrown alive into an iron cauldron of boiling water by that pack of scum worse than pigs and dogs, and boiled to death..."

Crack!

Her five fingers clenched around the rosewood desk.

The corner of the desk, harder than iron or stone, was crushed into a handful of powder that sifted down beside her feet.

"From that day onward, there was only one thing left—ruthlessness and vengeance for every slight..."

"The Face-Ripping Demon!"

After leaving the martial hall, Shen Xiuhan headed straight for the city gate.

As he passed the teahouse, he deliberately swept his gaze around.

The two Golden Dragon Gang lookouts from earlier had already vanished without a trace.

Perhaps they've gone to block me at the fish market?

Shen Xiuhan pondered as he continued onward without slowing.

He hurried all the way to the depths of the reed marsh.

He dug out the tightly frozen lump of ice from the snow and brushed it clean.

Shen Xiuhan sat cross-legged on the spot, held his breath, and waited quietly.

The cold wind passed through the woods, making the dead reeds rustle.

No one knew how much time had passed when a faint rustling sound suddenly reached his ears.

They're here!

Shen Xiuhan's heart tightened as he prepared to rise.

"Where is the fish?"

A cold female voice sounded against the back of his neck without warning.

Every hair on Shen Xiuhan's body stood on end, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out across his back!

He whirled around, only to discover in horror that Mei Shuangfeng was already standing behind him, hands clasped behind her back, just three feet away like a ghost.

There were no footprints in the remaining snow—not even the slightest indentation.

Was this what a martial artist was capable of?

It truly was... unfathomable as gods and ghosts!

Shen Xiuhan's heart shook wildly, but his movements did not slow in the slightest. He lifted the heavy lump of ice with both hands and respectfully said:

"Hall Master, this is the Silver-backed Fish."

Mei Shuangfeng took it one-handed. The hundred-pound block of ice seemed weightless in her palm.

After examining it through the ice for a moment, her expression visibly softened. A flash of wonder crossed her eyes as she said quietly:

"Not bad..."

"Its qi and blood are abundant, and its silver scales shine. It truly is an authentic Silver-backed Fish."

"Judging by its growth, it is at least five years old."

Seeing Shen Xiuhan's baffled expression, she glanced at him and explained flatly:

"For all aquatic treasures, the older they are, the more majestic the qi and blood they contain, and the more priceless they become."

"Ordinary Silver-backed Fish are second-grade Treasure Fish. They are not particularly rare. Around the two counties bordering Cloudwater Lake, several are caught every two or three months."

"A newly matured one is worth ten taels of patterned silver. But yours..." Mei Shuangfeng thought briefly before saying, "can be valued at twenty taels."

Twenty taels of patterned silver!

Shen Xiuhan's heart trembled.

His mind suddenly recalled the Silver-backed Fish Shen Sanhuai had caught years ago.

As he remembered, Shen Sanhuai had said it was nearly the same size as this one.

Yet a steward of the White Family had taken it away for a mere tael of silver...

The Bai clan.

Ma Xianyang.

In this man-eating world, those at the bottom were as cheap as grass and weeds!

I must learn martial arts!

Only by learning martial arts could he find a way out!

Shen Xiuhan gritted his teeth, bent his knees, and knelt in the snow. In a deep voice, he said:

"This boy, Shen Xiuhan, gives his whole heart to martial arts! I offer this fish as a gift and beg Hall Master Mei to accept me as your disciple!"

Mei Shuangfeng looked down at him but did not immediately agree.

"Keep the gift. My Mei Martial Hall opens its doors to teach disciples, and we have our own rules."

"I will not short you a single coin for however much this Silver-backed Fish is worth."

"As for becoming my disciple..."

She paused, scrutinizing him.

"How old are you this year?"

"I just turned seventeen."

"Seventeen... a little late for laying the Foundation Establishment of martial arts."

Before her words had faded, Mei Shuangfeng extended her right hand. Her fingers, like an eagle's claws, settled on Shen Xiuhan's shoulder blade and squeezed.

A piercing pain surged through him, as if his bones were about to be crushed alive!

Cold sweat poured from Shen Xiuhan. His teeth ground together with audible creaks, yet he forced himself not to utter a sound.

"Mm. Your bone seams have not fully closed, and your tendons and fascia still have resilience. There is still room to shape you."

Mei Shuangfeng slowly withdrew her hand. But then her tone changed, and she said sternly:

"But let me make this clear beforehand."

"To become my disciple, you must pay tuition. How much you pay determines how much martial arts you learn. If your purse runs dry in the future, do not blame my martial hall for showing no mercy... do you understand what I mean?"

Shen Xiuhan answered without hesitation, "I understand. Just deduct whatever tuition is due from the money for the Treasure Fish!"

"Very well."

Mei Shuangfeng pondered briefly and untied the cloud-patterned purse at her waist.

"Outer court disciples pay eight taels of patterned silver for half a year of tuition. Half a year is enough to reveal whether you are a dragon or a worm upon the martial path."

"If you can achieve some measure of proficiency—for instance, break through the Blood Tempering Realm and step into the early stage of Bright Force—you may enter the inner court afterward and continue your studies."

"If you make no progress at all... give up this notion early and seek another way to make a living."

Shen Xiuhan was overjoyed. He clasped his fists in another heavy salute.

"This disciple will hang from the beam and stab his thigh, study diligently and train bitterly. I will never disappoint Master's grace in taking me in!"

As Mei Shuangfeng looked at the blazing longing for martial arts in the youth's eyes, an almost imperceptible daze flickered through her gaze.

As though some memory had been touched, a trace of softness appeared on that face eternally covered in frost—an unprecedented sight—before vanishing in an instant.

Mei Shuangfeng steadied herself and slowly spoke again.

"Report to the martial hall's outer court before the hour of the Snake tomorrow. Someone will teach you the basic stance training. As for how far you can cultivate, that will depend on your own fortune."

After saying this, she reached into her purse and felt around for a moment. An awkward look suddenly crossed her face.

"Ahem... your master left in haste today and did not bring enough silver."

She pursed her lips and withdrew her hand. Three thumb-sized ingots of snowflake silver rested quietly in her palm.

"I'll give you these three taels first. After deducting the eight taels of tuition, the remaining nine taels..."

"When you come to the martial hall tomorrow, your master will make up the rest in full. How does that sound?"

"Of course."

Shen Xiuhan respectfully accepted the silver ingots.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed about owing him money, Mei Shuangfeng's tone grew gentler.

"Once a Treasure Fish leaves the water, the pure qi and blood within it rapidly dissipates. Fortunately, you were clever enough to preserve it with ice. Only then did you barely manage to protect its medicinal effect."

Shen Xiuhan froze slightly.

How could he possibly understand such methods?

He had frozen it into a lump of ice purely to keep it hidden from prying eyes.

But since Mei Shuangfeng had said so, he could only shamelessly lower his head and agree.

"We'll discuss everything tomorrow. I'm leaving!"

Having settled the matter, Mei Shuangfeng carried the Silver-backed Fish ice block in one hand, and her figure suddenly flashed!

With a light tap of her toe upon a reed stalk, her entire body soared into the air like a nimble swallow piercing clouds and mist.

Her black gauze robes snapped in the cold wind as she glided dozens of zhang through the air, leaving no trace upon the snow.

After only two or three rises and falls, her figure dissolved into the white expanse at the end of the wind and snow.