"I hear he's a master of the bow."
"For some reason, the three major powers have suppressed the matter."
Ma Qi blurted out everything he knew in one breath.
A strange expression crossed Bai Yuan's face.
'A master of the bow…'
He confirmed with Ma Qi multiple times—it was a bow, not a sword.
It was clear the Iron Saber Gang and the other two major powers had mistaken that serial killer for the true murderer of the bearded man.
'An unexpected blessing!'
But this also served as a reminder to Bai Yuan: next time he killed someone, he had to clean up the scene properly.
After the four of them chatted for a while longer,
Ma Qi and Wen Ji had both paid seven taels in tuition, so they naturally headed back to the dormitory.
Li Ting had paid fifty taels, and though she also had a dorm room at the Martial Arts Hall, she insisted on going home.
Bai Yuan had only paid three taels, so he, of course, was returning to Baisha Town.
Just as he was about to leave the kitchen's rear courtyard, a familiar voice called out.
"Brother Yuan?"
Bai Yuan turned to see an even chubbier Zhuang Zhao.
"Brother Yuan, it really is you!"
When Zhuang Zhao saw Bai Yuan's face, he excitedly rushed forward and wrapped him in a hug.
"Let go! Let me go."
Bai Yuan's face was flushed red, squeezed so tight he couldn't breathe.
Since coming to the Martial Arts Hall, Zhuang Zhao's strength had clearly grown, and with his already large frame, Bai Yuan naturally couldn't handle it.
Hearing this, Zhuang Zhao sheepishly loosened his arms.
He asked curiously, "Brother Yuan, what are you doing here?"
"I paid the tuition to learn martial arts."
...
After the two talked for a bit, Bai Yuan learned that Zhuang Zhao's father had bribed that Fatty Zhou, also known as Zhou Qian, whom he had met before.
Zhuang Zhao had been given special treatment and a job as a kitchen helper.
What chef doesn't sneak a taste, as the saying goes? He had naturally gotten even fatter.
His old man wasn't as cruel as he had made him out to be.
"Brother Yuan, the city has been restless lately. Someone even died at the Martial Arts Hall a while ago. You have to be careful."
Zhuang Zhao added this worried reminder upon hearing that Bai Yuan had taken the job of transporting ingredients.
"You know about that too?"
Bai Yuan asked in surprise.
"Of course. It caused a huge stir at the time, but this morning the Instructor ordered us not to mention it again."
"How strange."
Bai Yuan had already guessed the gist of the situation.
The Tiger-Crane Form was undeniably precious; it wouldn't be strange for all three major powers to get involved.
'I absolutely cannot let anyone else know the secret of the Cultivation Technique.'
Bai Yuan resolved to himself, simultaneously feeling relieved that the silk scroll with the Cultivation Technique written on it had already been burned to ashes.
...
"Uncle, you're back."
As dusk fell, Xiao Qiaoniang finally saw Bai Yuan return.
"Did everything go well at the Martial Arts Hall?"
She brought over a bowl of fresh water and asked softly.
Bai Yuan proudly took out the new uniform and Token he had received today from his bundle.
Although Xiao Qiaoniang had never been to a Martial Arts Hall, she had heard plenty about them from the Chen Family's women and recognized the clothes as a disciple's uniform at a glance.
"This material... it's really nice."
She stroked the black uniform, unable to help but admire it.
Even though it was just an apprentice's uniform, it was far better than what the common folk of Baisha Town wore. At least it didn't have any patches.
Bai Yuan told Xiao Qiaoniang everything he had heard at the Martial Arts Hall, holding nothing back.
When she heard about the serial killer, Xiao Qiaoniang couldn't help but worry.
"Uncle, you must be extremely careful."
"I will."
"Sister-in-law, I'm hungry."
"..."
The fragrance of meat once again wafted from the Bai Family's small wooden cabin.
...
「3 a.m. to 5 a.m.」
In Baisha Town, every door was shut tight and every light extinguished. The town was pitch black.
A soft rustling of clothes could be heard from inside the Bai Family's small wooden cabin.
It was still early, and Xiao Qiaoniang was fast asleep.
Her face was obscured in the darkness. Xiao Qiaoniang was in a deep sleep, her breathing even and quiet, without any snores. It was quite endearing.
Looking at the beautiful, undulating curves in the darkness...
Bai Yuan finally made the mistake that all men make.
MWAH!
He planted a kiss on Xiao Qiaoniang's cheek.
His heart raced.
"Mmm..."
'Good, she didn't wake up.'
Xiao Qiaoniang didn't seem to notice anything amiss. She rolled over and fell back into a deep sleep.
With a guilty conscience, Bai Yuan knew he couldn't linger. He threw on his clothes, carefully pushed open the door, and fled into the fierce wind.
...
By the time he reached the South City Market, Ma Qi and the other two were already waiting at the entrance.
There was no sign of the Outer Disciple, Liu Chu.
"Brother Yuan, over here!"
Ma Qi waved and shouted to Bai Yuan. He was a friendly sort, and after learning he was two years younger than Bai Yuan, he had readily started calling him Brother Yuan.
Bai Yuan walked quickly over to the three of them.
"Where's Brother Chu?"
"Hasn't arrived yet."
This time, it was Li Ting who answered him.
Li Ting could afford fifty taels in tuition, so her family must be well-off. The fact that she was willing to endure hardship with the three of them made Bai Yuan see her in a new light.
This world, much like the ancient times of his previous life, held many prejudices against women.
But the matter of practicing martial arts was an exception; female Martial Artists would also earn the respect of other Martial Artists.
However, not many families were willing to send their daughters to practice martial arts.
Besides the preference for sons over daughters, most women couldn't endure the hardship of martial arts training.
As a result, female Martial Artists made up only about twenty percent of all Martial Artists.
The four of them chatted for a while, and then Liu Chu's figure appeared in the South City Market.
At the same moment he appeared, a horse-drawn carriage slowly emerged from the market.
Clearly, he had timed his arrival perfectly.
"Are you the honored guests from Huwei Manor?"
a raspy, aged voice called out from the carriage.
As the carriage drew closer, Bai Yuan and the others saw a weathered, old Groom sitting at the front.
"We are."
Liu Chu tossed a Profound Black Token to the old Groom.
The old Groom caught the token, and only after checking it repeatedly did his leathery face crack into a smile.
"Then let's set off."
The Huwei Arts Hall was in the north, and the market was in the south, so transporting the ingredients required crossing the entire Qinghe County Town.
Fortunately, at this hour between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., the streets were nearly empty of pedestrians, so their journey was smooth.
Liu Chu sat by himself next to the old Groom, his hand on his Long Sword, resting with his eyes closed.
Bai Yuan and the other three were not so lucky; they had to walk.
But they had no complaints. After all, Liu Chu was an Outer Disciple.
The Huwei Arts Hall had over two hundred people, so the kitchen required a massive amount of ingredients daily. A full carriage of supplies weighed down the scrawny old horse in front, making it walk very slowly.
Thankfully, there was no sign of the serial killer.
In winter, the sun rose late. By the time Bai Yuan's group delivered the ingredients to the Martial Arts Hall, the sky was still pitch black.
Ma Qi and the other two yawned as they headed back to the dormitory to catch up on sleep.
Bai Yuan didn't have a dorm, so he wandered around the Martial Arts Hall out of boredom, familiarizing himself with the layout.
Before the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. period began, he was already waiting in the Martial Arts Arena.
When he got there, only a few apprentices were moving the weapon racks needed for practice.
Apprentices of the Martial Arts Hall gradually arrived at the Martial Arts Arena, voluntarily lining up in five rows.
The Huwei Escort Agency had over a hundred apprentices, and their formation took up half the Martial Arts Arena.
As soon as the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. period began, a burly, middle-aged man with a calm and steady aura walked into the Martial Arts Arena.
"My name is Zhang Yang, and I am your Instructor for today."
Bai Yuan's eyes lit up.
'The real training is finally about to begin.'