The Hall Master Musters His Troops

"Hall Master, there's a new mission!"

Sun Fa suddenly stood up and excitedly called out to the Hall Master, who was dozing off nearby.

Zhou Yingjun's eyelashes trembled, and his slightly puffy eyelids slowly opened.

The instant he raised his head, his gaze swept past the slender figure at the doorway.

Once friends, now strangers on different roads.

But who wasn't an Eighth Rank?

It was merely a matter of hiding one's light and protecting oneself while the situation remained unclear.

When he turned back, calmness overwhelmed the shame and annoyance buried deep within him, and a trace of clarity gradually surfaced.

He glanced at the newly posted mission description, curled his lip in disdain, and said:

"Going up the mountain to suppress bandits again? A Beheading Gang head is only worth a thousand taels?"

"They're that cheap?"

"Not taking it. Keep watching."

With that, his eyelids slowly closed again.

He had not slept well these past two days, especially the night before last.

Too many unexpected things had happened in that battle.

From the start of the ambush, they had found Fierce Tiger Martial Hall's resistance strangely weak.

With the four of them joining forces, it had taken only the time needed to drink a cup of tea to slaughter every disciple inside. Including two Ninth-Rank Martial Warriors, there had been over fifty people in total.

Unfortunately, they had not found Lü Chenggong, the chief culprit, within Fierce Tiger Martial Hall. Just as they had wanted to gather their spoils, the assembly whistle of the Public Security Office patrolmen had sounded outside the hall.

Though reluctant, he could only hurriedly lead his men in retreat.

The four of them had spent a day hiding outside the city in fear and trepidation.

Only then did they learn that someone had killed Lü Chenggong and Liu Jin, the Lu Family's steward, at Clear Lotus Pool.

That was what had drawn the Public Security Office's attention ahead of time.

Although this news made up for the regret of not finding Lü Chenggong, it had also cost them the chance to harvest a huge haul of spoils.

Even now, thinking back on it still left a bitter taste in his heart.

"Hall Master, another new mission! It's guarding a mine. Are we going?"

"Oh?"

The moment he heard it involved guarding a mine, Zhou Yingjun immediately perked up. He sprang to his feet and rushed toward the mission counter.

Beating everyone else to it, he asked an elderly man inside:

"Manager Zhang, what are the requirements for that mine-guarding mission?"

The development of White Ape Martial Academy could not be separated from resources, and advancing in martial cultivation required resources even more. Without Veteran's Trade House supporting him, Zhou Yingjun had become a regular in the mission hall.

After sneaking back from outside the city yesterday, he had not even returned to the martial academy. He had remained in the mission hall, with Sun Fa bringing his meals over to him.

A quarter of an hour later, the two left Martial Dao Bureau Plaza carrying a mission voucher.

"Hall Master, this Azure Cloud Mountain mine seems to be where our martial academy's iron mine is located."

"There haven't been any major cases there lately. Why would the Martial Dao Bureau issue a separate patrol mission?"

Zhou Yingjun said nothing. He merely looked silently at the mission reward.

"Azure Cloud Mountain Mine, Northern Route Garrison Mission."

"Requirement: Level-three faction (four or more registered Ninth-Rank Martial Warriors)."

"Duration: Ninety days (all twelve double-hours of the day)."

"Details: Patrol the ten-li stretch of the western section of Thousand-Zhang Cliff along the mine's northern route. Responsible for driving away ordinary intruders and apprehending ore thieves within the defensive line. Food and lodging at your own expense."

"Martial Dao Bureau points: Five hundred. Ten taels for each ore thief captured; Martial Warriors start at fifty points."

The mission requirements were not difficult for White Ape Martial Academy, and the duration was only three months. Combined with the decent rewards, it suited his current situation perfectly.

After all, their mine was located there as well, so they could look after one another and solve the food and lodging problem.

The Martial Dao Bureau's five hundred points could be regarded as five hundred taels of silver, but in practice, points were more useful than silver.

For example, when he bought Qi-Replenishing Pills, they cost five taels per bottle at the Martial Dao Bureau within his monthly quota.

But once supplies became tight, silver became useless. All medicinal pills would be sold first to Martial Warriors paying with points.

Veteran's Trade House's Eighth-Rank Level-Two plaque had been reclaimed by the Martial Dao Bureau, and everything had been reset to zero. Although White Ape Martial Academy had already completed registration, its current point quota was nowhere near enough for daily consumption.

Fortunately, with Fierce Tiger Martial Hall destroyed, their application for the territory around Narcissus Street should be approved soon.

Once they had the right to collect taxes, he would no longer need to worry about silver. He would only need to focus on point missions.

The two returned to White Ape Martial Academy.

After discussing matters with several senior members, they quickly decided on the personnel for the trip.

He would lead the team himself, accompanied by Lu Sandao, Xu Qingsong, and Chen Sanke, making four Ninth-Rank Martial Warriors in all. They would also select ten disciples as assistants.

Elder Xie and Wu Yingcai would remain behind at White Ape Martial Academy to hold down the headquarters.

When he learned from Elder Xie that Su Xinghe had already entered Inner Tempering, a long-lost smile appeared on Zhou Yingjun's face.

He knew Elder Xie had a good eye, but he had not expected it to be this good. Breaking through to Inner Tempering in a month and a half meant Grade-Entering within a year should not be a problem.

However, the martial path depended on more than cultivation realm. Temperament and methods of killing were equally indispensable.

This trip out of the city to guard the mine would surely bring them into contact with Martial Warriors from other factions within the city. It was the perfect opportunity to temper the boy properly.

He would let him learn in advance that battles between Martial Warriors differed from ordinary gang conflicts. One needed not only ruthlessness, but also connections and resources.

"With three months of training, he should be able to stand on his own when he returns."

Zhou Yingjun thought this to himself.

The benefits for Inner Disciples were far better than those in the front courtyard. In the central courtyard of White Ape Martial Academy, Su Xinghe finally had a private space of his own.

Perhaps because there were currently only three Inner Disciples, he had been assigned a small room by himself near the eastern wall.

Since it had been converted from a Brokerage Guild warehouse, calling it a room was something of a stretch. It was really one large open space. Half the size of Elder Xie's quarters, it still covered fifty or sixty square meters.

It was just completely empty at present, without even a stool.

Su Xinghe fetched well water from the courtyard and began cleaning.

A clerk hurriedly knocked on his door.

"Senior Brother, the Hall Master has called a meeting in the front courtyard."

These clerks had once been apprentices at the Brokerage Guild's various shops. Now they had been transferred to the martial academy to handle miscellaneous chores.

That was why they addressed the martial academy disciples as Senior Brothers.

"Alright, sorry for the trouble."

After hurriedly washing his face, he quickly followed.

"Mine patrol... three months... Qi-Replenishing Pills as rewards..."

Though he had not deliberately circulated the Listening to Tides Art, he could already faintly hear people discussing matters in the front courtyard from far away.

The moment he heard it concerned a mine, Su Xinghe's heart skipped a beat. The rewards seemed decent, but Qi-Replenishing Pills were already useless to him.

He was even planning to swallow several Bone-Forging Pills at once.

It could be said that before reaching Eighth Rank, the only thing he lacked was time.

With a heavy heart, he arrived at the front courtyard. Twenty or thirty people had already gathered there.

"Third Senior Brother is here!"

"Greetings, Third Senior Brother!"

As the "man of the hour" these past few days, many former Outer Disciples naturally wanted to draw closer to him.

"Hello, everyone."

Su Xinghe nodded to the disciples greeting him and walked over to Qian Jinge's side.

"Eldest Senior Brother."

"Mm. Junior Brother Su, you're here."

Seeing that senior members had already arrived, neither of them discussed the mission any further.

Before long, Hall Master Zhou Yingjun arrived with Elder Xie. The disciples who had been whispering among themselves immediately fell silent.

"Greetings, Hall Master!"

Someone took the lead in shouting.

"Good!"

Zhou Yingjun nodded with a smile.

His gaze swept across the crowd before finally settling on the three Inner Disciples.

"Su Xinghe, you've done very well."

Su Xinghe jolted.

He quickly stood at attention and called out, "Thank you for your praise, Hall Master!"

Zhou Yingjun nodded and said no more.

After all, with the nighttime raid on the Brokerage Guild as a precedent, this precious treasure had to be kept hidden.

Entering the path in one night and reaching Inner Tempering in a month and a half—he had already matched his own son's record.

What kind of talent did Zhou Hao possess?

In the Brokerage Guild's hundred-year history, only one such person had appeared.

At that thought, his gaze shifted toward the instructors.

As he looked at his son's resolute face, his eyes brimmed with affection.