Taking an Attached Post

Night gradually fell.

After his medicinal bath, Lu Li waited for Zhao Kuo at the entrance to the inner courtyard.

"Junior Brother Lu."

Several senior brothers from the inner courtyard greeted him with smiles.

The news that Lu Li had been accepted as a personal disciple had long spread throughout the martial hall. Whatever they truly thought, nearly all of them greeted him with smiles on their faces.

"Senior Brother Lu."

The disciples from the front courtyard were even more enthusiastic. A few newly initiated disciples practically revered Lu Li, worshipping him to the utmost.

Only recently had Lu Li learned that the inner courtyard's senior brothers privately called the outer courtyard the lower court, while the inner courtyard was naturally the upper court.

As expected, feudal society loved this hierarchy nonsense.

"Junior Brother Lu, what do you need me for?"

Lu Li gave a bitter smile. "Senior Brother Zhao, money has been tight lately. What jobs can the martial hall currently assign for concurrent protection duties?"

As soon as he spoke, Zhao Kuo pulled Lu Li to a corner by the entrance wall of the rear courtyard and lowered his voice. "Temporary escorts for the escort agency, caravan hands, transporting goods for the horse yard, night escort work for sedan-chair shops leaving the city, intimidating petty thieves—those are all our Heji's own jobs. The pay is decent, around five taels a month..."

Lu Li shook his head. He felt those jobs were too cumbersome and consumed too much time every day.

"Senior Brother Zhao, are there any others?"

Zhao Kuo's expression gradually turned serious. "There are."

"There's also taking an attached post at Fragrant Joy Pavilion and Ruyi Gambling House to watch the premises. That one is rather special—you need to know where to draw the line. All manner of fish and dragons are mixed in there. We've always avoided dealings with gangs. If you're willing to go, do your assigned duty well and don't casually make connections with others. The monthly stipend is around six taels."

Seeing that Lu Li still did not seem interested, Zhao Kuo continued.

"Then there's guarding warehouses for the Su Clan Chamber of Commerce at night, receiving goods at the docks, and patrolling at night. The monthly pay is lower, around four taels."

"The Su Clan? The one in the Inner City?"

Zhao Kuo nodded. "Su Meiyi of the Su Family came to the martial hall today. He was probably here because of the Martial Lecture Hall slots at the end of the year..."

Zhao Kuo noticed that Lu Li was not surprised. "Master must have told you already. They say he has Upper-Grade Bone Aptitude. He's competing with us for a slot, and the inner courtyard brothers don't think much of him..."

Amid the silence, Lu Li suddenly thought:

Since Su Meiyi had Upper-Grade Bone Aptitude yet still had to come to the Outer City to fight for a slot, his voice in the Lineage was probably not very strong either. He had agreed to exchange fists with Lu Li at the end of the year, so he must be determined to win this slot.

The inner courtyard brothers surely would not give up their slots easily either. It concerned their futures on the martial path—perhaps no less than a struggle between life and death...

Master had made an exception and accepted him as a personal disciple. Perhaps the inner courtyard brothers saw him as a thorn in their eyes as well.

Including Zhao Kuo in front of him.

Fortunately, they still did not know he had successfully achieved Gate-Breaking. For now, their spearheads would not be aimed at him.

Lu Li's eyes shifted slightly as he asked softly, "Fourth Senior Brother, what do you think of the Martial Lecture Hall slot?"

Zhao Kuo gave a scornful laugh. "I'm already past thirty. The Martial Lecture Hall has rules: newly admitted Martial Students cannot be older than eighteen. I gave up on that idea long ago, which is why Master has me managing this whole mess in the front courtyard now."

He considered his words for a moment.

"You'll still have chances, Junior Brother. You're young. This year's slot is probably out of reach, but in the next year or two, Master will definitely send you in."

Lu Li nodded lightly and asked seriously, "Fourth Senior Brother, are there any other attached posts?"

"Two more."

"One is at the Inspection Bureau. For that, Master must personally write a letter of recommendation and stand as guarantor. As long as Master agrees, you can register tomorrow. It's also five taels of silver a month, but it has plenty of free time, with eight rest days every month."

"Many disciples in the courtyard want to go, but Master won't agree."

Lu Li nodded in silence. "What's the other one?"

"Fighting in the arena!"

"Every night, win or lose, stepping onto the stage earns five taels of silver. Life and death are of no concern."

"Pleasure Lane on North Gate Avenue is the holy ground of many competitive men. Behind the Deathmatch Arena stands Master Pang. It has also remained Blackwater City's ever-flourishing dream-seeking ground. No small number of gamblers from both the Inner and Outer Cities go there to place bets. Ordinary people gamble there too, hoping to turn their lives around. They wager their own money—and the lives of others."

Upon hearing this, countless thoughts surged through Lu Li's mind.

The arena was indeed a good place to make quick money, but fights on the stage were between opponents of the same level. He had only completed Skin Tempering once, so the risk was too great. He needed to consider it carefully.

After thinking it over again and again, Lu Li felt that the Inspection Bureau was the only option that suited him for the time being.

Besides that, he needed to meet with the dozen or so wealthy households that had previously funded his Protection Fee as soon as possible and collect the silver.

After thanking Zhao Kuo, Lu Li went to the rear courtyard, knocked on his master's door, and explained his thoughts.

Shen Gangfu pondered for a moment, then wrote a letter and handed it to him. "Go to Eternal Peace Ward on Peaceful Prosperity Street in the Inner City and find Captain Hu. I'm not particularly close with him. Whether it works out or not, you'll have to see once you get there."

"Thank you, Master."

Dusk deepened.

The Inspection Bureau had already finished for the day, so Lu Li could only go tomorrow.

He turned and headed to Top Scholar Street, to Hometown Inn.

This was his second time returning to the inn since he began training in martial arts. Yet in little more than a month, he had already become a martial artist whom his fellow townspeople could only look up to.

The moment he entered, the same people still lived in the courtyard. They could not bear to spend even half a coin on the large shared bunks on the first floor. They were all people burdened by bitter fates, scraping out a living in this filthy Outer City.

For the time being, they did not dare return to the countryside. There were countless mountain bandits, while wandering bandits truly robbed money and grain, killing without batting an eye.

"Master Lu, you've come back to see us again?"

"Master Lu, don't forget us fellow townspeople after you make it big. Come back and visit us poor souls when you have time..."

"Master Lu, is martial training hard?"

Lu Li merely nodded calmly, no longer putting on a cold face. That counted as a response as he searched the crowd for Old Li.

"A-Li!"

Old Li poked his head out and came out from his straw mat to greet him.

Lu Li smiled, pulled Old Li out of the courtyard, and found a quiet spot. "Old Li, I knew you couldn't bear to stay in the shared bunks. Come with me. I found you a job guarding the gate for a wealthy household. What do you think? Are you willing to go?"

"Ah?"

Old Li looked somewhat uneasy, his eyes darting about. The threshold of a wealthy household was high. He did not know whether the master would be easy to get along with, or whether he would have to sign a contract of sale...

"Don't worry. They're acquaintances. You'll get one tael of silver a month, with food and lodging included, and you won't need to sign any contract."

"Really!?"

Such a good opportunity left Old Li at a loss for words. He rubbed his hands together and kept smiling at Lu Li.

Naturally, his heart was filled with gratitude toward Lu Li. Becoming a martial artist truly was different. Lu Li had only been one for a month, yet he could already introduce him to such a fine job.

"Old Li, go pack your things. Just bring some clothes you need. Don't take the miscellaneous stuff. We're leaving tonight."

Old Li nodded with a smile, immediately understanding that he could not bring too much broken junk lest the master of the house dislike it.

Lu Li then turned and returned to the courtyard, intending to look for Liu Rushuang.

The moment he entered.

"Master Lu, if there are benefits, don't keep them all for Old Li alone. You grew up eating from a hundred households..." Old Wu smiled with simple honesty, reminding Lu Li not to forget his roots.

Hearing that, Lu Li likewise smiled, nodded, and replied, "Fellow townspeople, I've only been apprenticed in martial training for one month. There are many places where money is needed. Only after training did I learn that becoming an apprentice is merely the threshold. The monthly medicinal baths and endless dietary supplements are even more of a bottomless pit. I may look polished on the surface, but in truth I can barely protect myself from one morning to the next. Rest assured, everyone. Once I achieve something in my studies, I will not forget the townspeople who once helped me..."

At this moment, Lu Agui muttered in a low voice:

"What Master Lu? He's just an apprentice with the lowest-grade Root Bone. I thought he was really something impressive. I heard that martial hall apprentices only count as martial masters if they succeed in Gate-Breaking within three months. If he fails, won't he still spend his whole life like the rest of us, muddling along at the bottom..."

Upon hearing this, the townspeople began discussing it among themselves...

Lu Li glanced sideways. Lu Agui's gaze darted away, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at him. Lu Li could not be bothered to argue with him.

A thought crossed Lu Li's mind. Lei Zhengming must have revealed details of his Root Bone to Lu Agui while investigating him earlier.

As for his later defeat of Lei Zhengming in their exchange of fists and his master accepting him as a personal disciple, how could these people possibly know?

Lu Li no longer responded to the crowd and walked straight toward the counter.