By the time Jiang Fa came out of the Teaching Hall, daylight had fully broken.
Several inner courtyard disciples were sparring on the training grounds, their fists and feet whistling through the air in succession.
A ring of spectators had gathered nearby, their applause and cheers unceasing.
Jiang Fa did not join them. He first returned to his room and read through the annotations on the second level of the Mountain-Breaking Stance that Zhao Zhong had given him, committing several notes to memory before straightening his clothes and heading out.
The outer courtyard disciples lived on the western side of the martial hall, while the inner courtyard disciples lived on the eastern side.
Steward Ma's residence stood beside the back wall of the dining hall. Two crooked-necked jujube trees grew before the door, a few shriveled fruits dangling from their branches and swaying in the wind.
The door stood ajar, and the sound of turning pages drifted out.
Jiang Fa raised a hand and knocked on the doorframe.
"Come in."
Steward Ma's hoarse voice sounded from inside.
Jiang Fa pushed the door open and entered. Steward Ma sat at a table, leafing through a ledger. Brushes, ink, an inkstone, and a thick stack of registers also lay on the table.
Hearing footsteps, Steward Ma looked up, his gaze settling on Jiang Fa.
He put down his brush and pointed at the chair opposite him. "Sit."
Jiang Fa sat down as instructed.
Steward Ma closed the ledger and got straight to the point. "What brings you here?"
Jiang Fa cupped his fists in salute. "Steward Ma, Master sent me to ask you about taking a post."
Steward Ma nodded, seemingly having expected this.
Without beating around the bush, he said directly:
"Taking a post can be simple or complicated, depending on how you look at it. For inner courtyard disciples, there are only a few paths."
"The first is to become a runner for an escort agency."
"Qingshan County has three escort agencies. The Weiyuan Escort Agency is the largest, followed by the Ping'an Escort Agency, with the Shunfeng Escort Agency last."
"A runner's work isn't easy. An escort trip takes three to five days at the shortest, or ten days to half a month at the longest. Eating in the wind and sleeping under the open sky is commonplace, and if you run into highwaymen, you'll have to fight for your life. But there's plenty of money in it. Your share from a single trip will be at least seven or eight taels of silver. If the escort captain takes a liking to you, you might get an extra reward."
"The second is to become a household guard for a wealthy family."
"The three great lineages-the Wang Family, the Liu Family, and the Zhou Family-all recruit martial cultivators at Ming Jin or above year-round."
"A household guard's work is leisurely. You don't have to travel far, and the monthly pay is steady, starting at two taels of silver, with extra rewards during festivals and holidays. But you'll be living under someone else's roof and have to watch your employer's mood. If you end up with an unreasonable employer, swallowing grievances will be commonplace."
"As for the third..." Steward Ma paused and glanced at Jiang Fa. "Hunt beasts on Black Wind Ridge."
Jiang Fa's brows stirred slightly.
He knew of Black Wind Ridge, a stretch of mountains north of Qingshan County that extended for hundreds of li, with dense forests and thick grass where many fierce beasts roamed.
It was said that third-tier fierce beasts comparable to Transforming Force martial artists even lurked in its deepest reaches. Ordinary hunters did not dare venture deep inside.
"Hunting beasts on Black Wind Ridge brings in money the fastest. With luck, you might even come across spiritual herbs with quite a few years on them. But it's also the most dangerous."
Steward Ma's tone grew more serious.
"A complete first-tier fierce beast pelt can sell for upward of ten taels of silver if it's in good condition. If you're lucky enough to dig out a beast core, a single one can fetch thirty to fifty taels."
"But this work means trading your life for money. Never mind newcomers like you who have just entered Ming Jin-even someone at Late Dark Force like your eldest senior brother Wang Shi has to be exceedingly careful when entering Black Wind Ridge."
"Last year, an inner courtyard disciple named Zhou Ping, with an Early An Jin cultivation, entered Black Wind Ridge alone. He wanted to hunt a Green-Maned Wolf and earn some silver to buy Blood Condensation Elixir."
"But he lost his way in the mountains and ran into a second-tier Iron-Armored Dire Bear. By the time the search party found him..."
Steward Ma fell silent for a moment before saying, "All they recovered was half a boot."
Jiang Fa remained silent.
Seeing him say nothing, Steward Ma assumed he had been frightened and softened his tone. "But you needn't worry too much. The outskirts of Black Wind Ridge are relatively safe. As long as you don't venture deep inside, the worst you'll encounter are low-grade first-tier fierce beasts. With your Ming Jin cultivation, you should be fine if you handle them carefully."
"But my advice is not to rush into hunting beasts during your first few months. Go to an escort agency or become a household guard. Your main priority right now is to stabilize your realm."
"Of course," Steward Ma changed tack, "none of these three paths is mandatory. The martial hall only provides connections; it doesn't force you. If you have your own ideas, that's fine, as long as you don't break the martial hall's rules."
After hearing him out, Jiang Fa pondered for a moment and asked, "May I ask, Steward Ma, is there a time limit for taking a post?"
"No."
Steward Ma shook his head.
"Take one if you want to. If you don't, focus on your training. But there's one thing: the inner courtyard isn't the same as the outer courtyard."
"Food and lodging in the outer courtyard cost one tael of silver a month. Although the inner courtyard provides them free of charge, you have to pay for your own medicinal ingredients, weapons, and hidden weapons for training.
"If you never take a post and have no silver on hand, sooner or later your fellow disciples will leave your cultivation behind."
At this point, he glanced at Jiang Fa, his tone taking on the ruefulness of someone who had been through it himself. "You've seen it yourself. Qin Xuan has topmost-grade aptitude, along with Master's personal guidance. His progress covers a thousand li a day."
"Those of you whose aptitude falls short have to pile on resources and hammer out a path with silver. I heard you also come from poverty, so money must be tight. But that's precisely why you need to plan early."
Jiang Fa nodded. "Thank you for your guidance, Steward Ma."
"No need to thank me." Steward Ma rose and reminded him, "Come see me when you want to take a post. I'll arrange it for you."
"I know several escort captains at the agencies, and I've shared drinks with the Liu Family's guard commander a few times. They'll still do me a favor or two."
Jiang Fa rose as well, cupped his fists in salute once more, and took his leave.
As he crossed the training grounds on his way back, he was already considering something else.
He still had some loose silver in his pocket, obtained on the night of the incident with Liu Laizi, totaling twenty-odd taels. He had originally planned to use it to pay off his debt to the Black Tiger Gang.
But on second thought, this was precisely when he lacked resources. He had to turn all the silver on hand into strength first.
There were still more than two months until the Black Tiger Gang's deadline. If he raised his strength, he could try his luck on Black Wind Ridge. A few extra trips would let him save up some silver.
Now that he had broken through to Ming Jin, the effects of Blood Strengthening Powder had diminished greatly. To improve his strength faster, Blood Condensation Pills were the first choice.
Blood Condensation Pills could continuously nourish his Qi and blood for six hours and promote the opening of his meridians, making them more suitable for Ming Jin martial artists than Blood Strengthening Powder.
Leaving the martial hall's main gate, Jiang Fa headed straight for Precious Ganoderma Hall on the main street.
The hour of the snake had just passed, and the main street was gradually growing crowded.
The same young shop assistant was at the entrance of Precious Ganoderma Hall, sitting on the threshold and dozing, his head bobbing and a glistening strand of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Only when Jiang Fa reached him did he jerk awake and rub his eyes.
The young assistant stood up, clearly still remembering Jiang Fa. His gaze swept over Jiang Fa's brand-new training clothes, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
"What would you like, sir?"
The young assistant's tone was much more polite than last time.
Jiang Fa walked up to the counter.
"Get me four Blood Condensation Pills and five packets of Blood Strengthening Powder."
"Coming right up!"
Hearing that Jiang Fa wanted to buy so much at once, the assistant immediately took on a more respectful expression.
He turned and swiftly retrieved everything Jiang Fa wanted from the medicine cabinet, deftly wrapped it in oiled paper, and offered it with both hands.
Jiang Fa took out the silver and placed it on the counter, then accepted the medicine package and tucked it into his robes.
The assistant did not even count the silver, his face wreathed in an enthusiastic smile. "Take care, sir!"
Jiang Fa nodded, turned, and walked out of Precious Ganoderma Hall.