Apprenticeship!

Walking down the road, Zhou Chen's face was calm, but his heart pounded wildly.

He had already made up his mind. If things did not work out today, he would find some gang to join. Even if he had to lick blood from a blade's edge, he would still protect his family!

He passed through the alleyways and followed the narrow stone path out.

Having just passed these street stalls, Zhou Chen suddenly caught sight of Zhang Mingfei huddled with several furtive-looking men at the corner, whispering among themselves about who knew what.

As if sensing something, Zhang Mingfei abruptly turned around and spotted him.

Zhou Chen inwardly cried out in alarm, but he did his best to remain calm and reveal no flaw. If Zhang Mingfei discovered the treasure on him, things would become troublesome. He wanted to avoid drawing Zhang Mingfei and the others' attention as much as possible!

But what one feared always came knocking. Seeing that Zhou Chen was not heading toward the market today, Zhang Mingfei's eyes flashed with suspicion before he strode toward him.

"Ah Chen, not going to kill fish this morning? Where are you headed?"

He stopped before Zhou Chen and looked him up and down. Then his gaze suddenly sharpened. "Eh? Why are your clothes all bulging? Got something good hidden in there? Take it out and let your brothers feast their eyes on it."

Before he had even finished speaking, Zhang Mingfei suddenly reached out and yanked open the front of Zhou Chen's robe.

Inside Zhou Chen's clothes, a fish-killing knife was pinned against the lining, its blade bright as snow.

The instant his clothes were pulled open, Zhou Chen's hand had already gripped the knife hilt firmly. He stared coldly at Zhang Mingfei. "What are you doing?"

"N-Nothing!"

Zhang Mingfei jumped in fright and hurriedly took a step back. "I was just curious why you weren't going to the market today."

Zhou Chen said gloomily, "Don't you know? My father was injured yesterday and couldn't take the boat out. Where would we get fish to sell? I'm going to the pharmacy today to buy medicine on credit!"

"I know, I know. I was only joking. Go on, go on."

Though he said that, he added unwillingly, "Hey, Ah Chen, have you considered what I mentioned before? Your little sister is worth five taels of silver! Five taels! Some people can work for a whole year and still not earn that much!"

Zhou Chen did not respond and simply strode away.

Behind him, Zhang Mingfei watched his retreating back with cold eyes and spat. "Damn it, you don't know what's good for you! Just you wait. There's never been anyone I've set my sights on that I couldn't get my hands on!"

Only after Zhou Chen had gone a long way did he look back. Seeing that Zhang Mingfei had not followed, he finally let out a long breath, and the tension in his shoulders and back eased slightly.

Fortunately, before leaving home, he had cautiously tied the box to one side of his thigh. If he had truly kept it against his chest and Zhang Mingfei had found it, it would definitely have stirred up more trouble.

Zhou Chen then turned through several familiar streets and arrived at a rather bustling area.

This was where Qingtian District's prominent clans and wealthy merchants lived. The largest and most imposing courtyard among them was the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall.

Standing before the black-lacquered gates, Zhou Chen could faintly hear shouts coming from inside, accompanied by the dull sounds of fists and kicks tearing through the air. Each blow seemed to hammer against his heart, making his blood boil!

Practicing martial arts was his dream!

And now it was right before his eyes!

Knock, knock, knock.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock.

Not long after, a dark-skinned face with round eyes peered through the crack in the door. It was Ma Ge, the gatekeeper.

Seeing Zhou Chen, he grinned. "Boy from the Zhou Household? We didn't order any fish from your family today."

Zhou Chen had previously delivered several batches of good fish with relatively light contamination to the martial arts hall. He came often and was quick and capable, so Ma Ge had a good impression of him. Over time, the two had become acquainted.

"Ma Ge, I came to become an apprentice today."

"Become an apprentice?" Ma Ge gave him a once-over. "Have you saved enough silver?"

"Almost."

Zhou Chen did not dare overstate it.

If he immediately said he had come to offer a treasure, Ma Ge would certainly inspect it first on Master Zheng's behalf. If Ma Ge failed to recognize it and threw him out as a swindler, then he would truly lose his chance.

So, to be safe, he should first meet Master Zheng before saying anything.

"Fine, come in with me."

Ma Ge pushed open half the gate and led him inside.

To the left of the courtyard was a garden pond, with several clusters of lotus flowers floating on the water.

To the right was a broad, level training ground where many bare-chested men stood in horse stances, throwing punches and kicks.

Several female disciples rested beneath the shade of distant trees. Perhaps some were suffering badly from the heat, for they casually tugged at their skirts, revealing half their smooth, pale legs.

Zhou Chen glanced over and muttered inwardly, Women who practice martial arts have very beautiful legs too.

He had heard that some formidable Martial Warriors kept seven or eight concubines at home, and that was considered few.

Zhou Chen pursed his lips and thought to himself that if he became a Martial Warrior, he would definitely marry several beautiful women as well.

After entering the main hall, Ma Ge went in first to announce him. He soon came back out and beckoned for him to enter, and Zhou Chen hurried inside.

The hall was furnished in extravagant luxury. In its center stood an ice brazier that emitted a chill.

An old man in a black silk robe with a goatee lounged crookedly in a grand chair. He held a novel titled Wife, Don't in his hand and was engrossed in reading it, occasionally letting out a strange "heh heh" laugh.

Beside him, a lightly dressed maid was feeding him plump, juicy grapes. Whenever Old Zheng ate one, he deliberately brushed his lips against the maid's fingers. From time to time, he would wrap an arm around her waist and grope her as he murmured lewd remarks, making the maid giggle coquettishly and lightly thump Old Zheng.

The moment Zhou Chen saw this, he was utterly dumbfounded.

The mysterious, lofty image of Martial Warriors in his mind shattered all over the floor. Looking at Old Zheng like this, he had no bearing at all. He did not resemble the master of a martial arts hall, but rather a lecherous old man.

After waiting for quite a while, Old Zheng finally deigned to lift his eyelids and glance at him. Yet he said nothing further, merely lowered his head and continued turning pages as he casually tossed out, "Pay the money and register next door. First take a bath and change clothes. Collect your token, then come back to me for a bone assessment."

At the side, Ma Ge had already opened the register and picked up a brush, waiting for Zhou Chen to take out his silver.

Seeing this, Zhou Chen could only brace himself, bow, and say, "Old Zheng, I... am still short on silver. Could this item be used to offset the registration fee?"

As he spoke, he took the wooden box from his waist and gently opened it.

Old Zheng's fingers stopped turning the page, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Ma Ge panicked beside him and quickly bowed in apology. "Master Zheng, this boy has delivered fish to us several times before. The goods were all good, and he is diligent and honest. He has never caused trouble. I thought he would not come empty-handed. I failed to ask clearly. I'll throw him out at once!"

Old Zheng did not respond. He merely slowly turned another page and gestured for the maid to feed him another grape.

Ma Ge let out a long breath, then hurriedly glared at Zhou Chen and cursed in a low voice, "You've lost your head too! What status does Master Zheng have? What treasure hasn't he seen? People have brought broken junk here before and tried to pass it off as treasure, wasting Master Zheng's time for nothing! Get out. Come back after you've saved enough money!"

On the surface, he was scolding Zhou Chen, but in truth, he was protecting him. In the end, he was only extending this kindness because Zhou Chen had given him several good fish before. Otherwise, he would never have said another word.

Zhou Chen knew clearly that once he took this step back, he would never have another chance.

He abruptly shook free of Ma Ge's hand, raised the wooden box high with both hands, and presented it toward Old Zheng. "Please, Old Zheng, just take one look. Just one look. If it truly does not catch your eye, I'll come back after saving enough money!"