Two Worlds

With the Quarterly Assessment drawing near, Blue Martial Arts Hall's outer courtyard grew livelier by the day.

Before dawn had fully broken, people were already practicing their punches on the Training Ground.

"Eighty-seven!"

"You counted wrong! I clearly did eighty-eight!"

"I was watching right beside you. You started gasping by the sixtieth punch."

"Gasping doesn't mean I didn't throw it!"

"Fine, then throw another hundred for me to see."

Several people surrounded a wooden post, arguing until their faces and necks turned red.

Instructor Li passed by and swept them a glance.

"So spirited, are we?"

They immediately fell silent.

"If you have that much energy, do a few more rounds."

"..."

Only after Instructor Li had gone far away did Zhao Chuan whisper:

"I suspect he did that on purpose."

Zhou Ye asked:

"On purpose how?"

"On purpose, listening to us talk."

Zhou Ye gave him a look.

"You were so loud that people could hear you from a hundred feet away."

Zhao Chuan rubbed his nose.

"That's true enough."

Chen Mo smiled faintly beside them but said nothing.

Zhao Ming and the others were still the same lately.

After practicing their punches, they liked gathering together to talk.

What Zhao Ming talked about most was no longer how many gifts of thanks the village had given that day, but what they could actually do once they entered Blue Martial Arts Hall.

"I heard from my father that official Martial Artists in the county can sometimes travel with merchant caravans."

Zhao Ming said as he wiped away his sweat.

Zhao Chuan's eyes lit up.

"Merchant caravans? Does that mean we can go to other towns?"

"Probably."

"That wouldn't be bad."

Zhao Chuan stroked his chin.

"In the future, the few of us can go together."

Zhou Ye poured cold water on the idea from the side.

"Get through the Quarterly Assessment first."

"Why do you only ever talk about the Quarterly Assessment every day?"

"Because it's about to happen."

"..."

Zhao Chuan choked on that and could only resume practicing his punches.

Wang Lie, meanwhile, did not join their discussion.

He had just finished sparring with an older disciple and was crouching on the ground, tying his wrist guards.

Zhao Ming walked over.

"Wang Lie, what do you want to do in the future?"

"Practice punches."

"What about besides practicing punches?"

"Beat you."

Zhao Ming froze.

"How did I provoke you again?"

Wang Lie stood up.

"Didn't you say you were improving quickly?"

"I did."

"Then let's test it."

Zhao Ming hurriedly waved his hands.

"Not today."

"Why?"

"I'm not in good condition today."

Zhao Chuan nearly laughed himself breathless from the side.

"Didn't you just say you were in exceptionally good condition?"

Zhao Ming glared at him.

"Whose side are you on, exactly?"

"Whoever buys me steamed buns, I'm on their side."

"Then I won't buy any."

"Then forget it."

Their noisy bickering made the morning Training Ground feel particularly full of life.

But by afternoon, the older disciples were noticeably quieter than they were.

The change was subtle.

Not everyone would notice it.

Sometimes, several people would be called away at short notice.

Sometimes, a few familiar faces would be missing from the dining hall.

And sometimes, after training ended, several older disciples would stand beneath the corridor eaves talking, then gradually lower their voices.

Chen Mo did not deliberately watch them.

Nor did he think any of it had anything to do with him.

Until one evening several days later.

It was already dark.

Chen Mo came out from his quarters carrying two wooden buckets to fetch water.

Blue Martial Arts Hall's well was on the other side of the outer courtyard.

When he neared the inner courtyard, he spotted several people standing beneath the corridor eaves from afar.

One of them was Instructor Li.

The other two were both older disciples of Blue Martial Arts Hall.

The three were not chatting or laughing, and their voices were kept very low.

Chen Mo had originally intended to go around them.

But as he drew a little closer, he happened to hear a sentence.

"That area in the west needs to be checked again."

His steps paused.

Then he heard another person's voice.

"Tomorrow?"

"Mm."

Just those two sentences.

He could no longer make out what came after.

Chen Mo did not stop to listen.

He carried the buckets onward toward the well.

After only a few steps, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Still not asleep this late?"

Chen Mo turned around.

That older disciple was looking at him.

Chen Mo shook the wooden buckets in his hands.

"Fetching water. I'll be back right away."

The older disciple nodded.

"Rest early. There's early training tomorrow."

"Yes."

Chen Mo answered, then continued onward.

After filling the buckets, he carried one in each hand back to his quarters.

He ran into Zhao Chuan on the way.

Zhao Chuan was holding a stack of clothes. The moment he saw him, he asked:

"Why are you fetching water so late?"

"There wasn't any water earlier."

"Then bring a bucket for me."

"Go yourself."

"I just washed my feet."

Chen Mo lowered his gaze to the clothes in his hands.

"Then what did you wash?"

"My clothes."

"You didn't wash your feet after all?"

"..."

Zhao Chuan held it in for a while.

"I'm taking the clothes back first."

Chen Mo smiled and shook his head.

"Enough. Go yourself."

"No loyalty at all."

Zhao Chuan muttered as he left.

Early training proceeded as usual the next day.

Instructor Li was still the same Instructor Li.

He called people to practice punches when they needed to practice punches, and corrected their movements when they needed correcting.

As though nothing had happened the previous night.

Chen Mo did not ask further questions either.

Until two days later, when he saw the older disciple he had encountered that night on the Training Ground.

The other man was returning from outside.

He still wore Blue Martial Arts Hall's short training clothes, except several fresh scratches now marked his right forearm.

They were not deep.

They looked like they had been scraped by tree branches.

The man sat beneath the corridor eaves, using a strip of cloth to wrap his arm again.

Chen Mo walked over.

"Senior Brother."

The older disciple looked up.

"What is it?"

"What happened to your hand?"

"Nothing."

He lowered his head and continued wrapping the cloth.

Chen Mo looked at his arm.

"You went into the mountains again?"

The older disciple's movements paused for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"More or less."

"The western side?"

"Mm."

Chen Mo hesitated for a moment.

"Recently... has it not been going well?"

The older disciple did not answer immediately.

Only after a while did he say:

"Some things aren't ours to casually tell others."

Chen Mo nodded.

"Oh."

"You all should focus on building your foundations properly."

The senior disciple patted his shoulder.

"The less you pry, the more of a blessing it is."

Chen Mo did not keep asking.

"Got it."

The senior disciple smiled.

"Go practice your punches."

"Mm."

Chen Mo turned and left.

He had only taken a few steps when he heard Zhao Chuan calling to him from afar.

"Chen Mo!"

"What is it?"

"Come over!"

Chen Mo walked over.

Zhao Chuan pointed at the wooden post before him.

"Do you think I can reach ninety punches today?"

Zhou Ye said coldly from the side:

"Yesterday you said eighty, but you stopped at seventy-two."

"Yesterday was yesterday."

"What about today?"

"Today will definitely be different."

Zhao Ming also came over.

"How about we make a bet?"

Zhao Chuan was immediately interested.

"What are we betting?"

"Whoever loses buys buns tomorrow."

"Fine!"

Zhao Chuan agreed without hesitation.

Zhou Ye frowned.

"Have you forgotten about the Quarterly Assessment?"

Zhao Ming smiled.

"Of course not."

"Then why are you still betting?"

"Precisely because there's an assessment, we need to practice."

Zhao Ming patted Zhao Chuan.

"If you lose, you practice more."

"Now that's what I like to hear."

The few of them quickly started fooling around again.

Chen Mo stood beside them, watching.

Then he turned and walked to his own wooden post.

These past few days, some things in Blue Martial Arts Hall had indeed changed.

But for them, life remained the same.

Practice punches.

Eat.

Sleep.

Prepare for the Quarterly Assessment.

Occasionally take on some odd jobs.

Occasionally get scolded by their senior brothers.

As for where those senior disciples had gone and what they had encountered, no one would take the initiative to tell them.

Chen Mo did not keep pressing for answers either.

He raised his hand and rubbed the calluses on his palm.

"Begin."

Bang!

The first punch landed.

On the other side of the Training Ground, Zhao Chuan was shouting.

"Seventy-five!"

"You just counted to seventy!"

"I counted them in my head!"

"You can count five extra in your head?"

"Why can't I?"

"Your arithmetic needs some practice too."

"Zhou Ye, shut up!"

Laughter soon rang out again.

Chen Mo did not turn around.

One punch.

One punch.

Then another punch.

The Quarterly Assessment was still waiting for them.

The Advanced Body-Strengthening Medicinal Powder was still waiting for them.

As for the things they could not reach for now, they would leave them there for the time being.