"Boss, I'm here to return the bow."
By the time Zhao Xuan had finished up and arrived at Shangtang Market, it was already past noon.
He went to the blacksmith's shop first to return the bow.
When the blacksmith saw him, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, and he glanced at his old assistant.
The old assistant nodded slightly, signaling that he had already found the yamen runners.
Knowing what was going on, the blacksmith kept a straight face and asked, "Lad, it's only been three days. Have you managed to scrape the money together?"
Zhao Xuan shook his head. "No, this horn bow is too expensive. I don't want to buy it anymore."
The blacksmith's expression froze. *You don't want to buy it anymore?*
*I went to all the trouble of getting someone to find the yamen runners, planning to rob you of your bow today, and now you decide not to buy it? What kind of game is this?*
He forced a dry laugh. "The butcher said your haul has been pretty good lately. How could you not afford it?"
"Besides, nobody's asking you to pay right away. If you put it on credit for a few days, you can definitely afford it. If worst comes to worst, I can give you another discount."
The stage was all set; how could the main character just walk off?
Zhao Xuan scratched his head. "Boss, to be honest with you, an older brother from my village found me a job with a wealthy family in the city. They're paying two taels of silver a month, rain or shine."
"I'm not going to hunt anymore, so buying this is useless. As per our agreement, I'll pay you one tael of silver as compensation."
He certainly wouldn't dare tell the man that he was planning to enroll in the Martial Academy.
Wouldn't that be a confession that he had more than two taels of silver on him?
First of all, one should never flaunt one's wealth.
Secondly, once you admit to having two taels of silver, how could you claim you couldn't afford a one-tael bow and wanted a refund?
With that, he handed both the bow and the money over to the blacksmith.
Only then did the blacksmith notice the two bundles resting at Zhao Xuan's feet.
"Lad, you'd better think this through. Working for a wealthy family isn't easy. Beatings and scoldings are common—how can that compare to the freedom and easy money of hunting?"
Zhao Xuan had no choice but to play along, mumbling something about how hunting wasn't easy either, exposed to wind and sun.
He added that since a fellow villager hooked him up, the man wouldn't screw him over.
With a guilty conscience, the blacksmith didn't dare press the issue.
If Zhao Xuan got robbed on his way back, he'd surely suspect the blacksmith.
That wouldn't be drumming up business; that would be making an enemy.
So he could only flash a cheerful smile and say, "Alright, old brother wishes you a bright future."
"I'll leave this bow here. Whenever you feel like coming back for it, just drop by."
...
Bidding farewell to the blacksmith, Zhao Xuan headed to the post station.
At the station, you could either charter a whole carriage or share one with others.
Taking a carriage was quite expensive these days. To charter one to the county town cost eighty wen, and it would depart whenever you wanted.
Carpooling required a minimum of four people and a maximum of eight, with the fare being one hundred and twenty wen split evenly among everyone, departing once the carriage was full.
Zhao Xuan wanted to save money, but he didn't see a single person looking to carpool and had no idea how long he'd have to wait. With no other choice, he opted to charter the carriage.
Seeing that he was traveling alone, the station deliberately picked a smaller carriage body.
Of course, not a single coin of the fare was discounted.
For Zhao Xuan riding alone, however, it was more than enough room. By drawing his knees up, he could barely manage to lie down and sleep.
To his satisfaction, although the bedding inside the carriage was worn and faded to a pale white, it had no strange odor.
The oxcart wasn't fast—it couldn't even match Zhao Xuan's own two legs.
But what could he do? He didn't know the way to the county town. Without taking the oxcart and relying solely on himself, he'd likely wander off God knows where.
Then there was safety.
After being stopped by the yamen runners that morning, Zhao Xuan had lost all faith in the local law and order of this era.
Traveling alone, who knew how many bandits and highwaymen he might attract.
The driver was an uncle of about fifty who couldn't sit still, chatting Zhao Xuan's ear off the entire way.
Zhao Xuan couldn't sit still either, chatting back and forth with the driver through the curtain.
Four hours later, just before nightfall, they finally arrived at the county town.
The eight-meter-high city walls, the heavy crossbows gleaming fiercely atop the battlements, and the armor-clad soldiers.
It gave Zhao Xuan a proper glimpse of what a cold-weapon-era fortified city looked like.
The city entry fee was one copper coin.
No entry was permitted after dark.
Left with no choice, Zhao Xuan had to find an inn outside the city to stay the night.
According to the carriage driver, the inns and taverns inside the city were either old and run-down or terribly expensive, making the ones outside the city much more practical.
The place Zhao Xuan found cost only ten wen a night and even came with two complimentary bowls of rice porridge for breakfast.
Diagonally across from it was a pleasure house bustling with painted ladies. Being a bit light in the pocket—bah, a man of utter righteousness—he didn't even spare it a second glance.
...
Early the next morning, Zhao Xuan asked directions as he walked and smoothly arrived at the Martial Academy.
Before he could even step through the gates, he was intercepted.
The guard watching the academy glanced over Zhao Xuan's crudely made clothes and cheap cloth shoes, lifted his chin slightly, and looked down his nose. "What are you here for?"
Zhao Xuan gave a light cough. "Here to learn martial arts."
The guard looked genuinely surprised. "To learn martial arts?"
Although Zhao Xuan didn't look the part, the academy had rules.
The guard didn't dare be negligent, tossing out a "Wait here" before hurrying off to report.
A moment later, the courtyard gates swung open, and an elderly man in martial attire strode out with the vigor of a dragon and the steps of a tiger, his gaze piercing. "Who's here to enroll?"
Zhao Xuan raised a hand. "Me."
The old man glanced him up and down. "Did you bring money?"
Zhao Xuan opened his cloth bundle, presenting the shattered silver pieces right before the old man's eyes. "Please... have a look, sir."
The old man snatched the silver away. "My surname is Li, given name Yan. I am an instructor here at the academy. Since you've paid your tuition, you are now a disciple of our academy. You may address me as Teacher Li."
"Follow me inside. I'll register you."
...
"Name?"
"Zhao Xuan."
"Age?"
"Fifteen."
"Place of origin?"
"Dishan Village."
Li Yan paused his brush. "Where is Dishan Village?"
That question caught Zhao Xuan off guard.
Dishan Village is in Dishan Village, of course.
Fortunately, a young man nearby chimed in, "This disciple remembers it being in Stone Bridge Town, I believe."
Looking at the bewildered Zhao Xuan, Li Yan instructed, "Li He, go fetch the *Chronicles of Geography* and look it up."
After confirming it, he clicked his tongue in wonder. "To think he comes from a mountain village."
"Li He, how long has it been since the academy last accepted a student from a mountain village?"
The young man called Li He pondered for a moment and shook his head. "This disciple has been assisting Teacher Li with internal affairs for three years, and to my recollection, this junior brother is the first."
"One every three years. Interesting."
Li Yan smiled and handed the paper containing Zhao Xuan's information to Li He. "Take him to the county yamen to get his name entered into the martial registry, and I'll take him to the Outer Courtyard to meet his mentor."
Li He accepted the order and left. Zhao Xuan asked curiously, "Dare I ask, Teacher Li, what is a martial registry?"
Li Yan chuckled softly. "It's something far more important to you than your own lifeline."
"You've come to practice martial arts—is it for the martial examination?"
Zhao Xuan nodded. Who in their right mind would spend two taels of silver to come to the Martial Academy if not to take the martial examination?
Li Yan said leisurely, "Without a martial registry, you aren't even permitted to take the county-level trials."
Zhao Xuan suddenly understood.
No wonder the fees were so steep; it turned out he was holding a ticket to the upper echelons.
He followed Li Yan into a courtyard with a plaque hanging above that read "Chunlai Courtyard, Group Five."
In the courtyard, some twenty shirtless men with bulging muscles were hard at work.
Some were hugging boulders to build strength, some were practicing stance training, while others practiced boxing and kicking techniques.
In the pavilion, a thin, withered old man with a goatee sat on a stone stool, sipping tea slowly from a cup with a leisurely air.
Li Yan introduced them: "This is Teacher Wu, the mentor of Chunlai Courtyard, Group Five. From now on, you will study martial arts under him."
Zhao Xuan quickly cupped his fists. "Greetings, Teacher Wu."
Teacher Wu slowly put down his teacup and glanced at Zhao Xuan. "How did you get here?"
Zhao Xuan was about to reply that he got here by paying the tuition, but something felt off. Didn't everyone get in by paying tuition?
Were there different ways of entering?
Li Yan gave a light cough to prompt him, reminding him, "Teacher Wu is asking what kind of carriage you took to the academy."
In an instant, Zhao Xuan understood.
Wasn't this the exact same nature as when his nephew went to kindergarten and the teacher asked them to fill out their parents' job titles and income?
Was the Martial Academy really this realistic too?