Chapter 24

On the training ground, several young men in their early twenties stood beside Instructor Xu, one of them lazily yawning: “Master, why are we here so early?”

“Obviously, he’s found another promising disciple!”

“Isn’t today supposed to be about watching the two servants of Young Master Zhao?”

These young men were all guards of the Zhao household, but they were closer to Instructor Xu than the other guards.

Although all Zhao household guards were trained by Instructor Xu and nominally his disciples,

these few had formally served tea and bowed to him as their master, and one was even his own nephew.

With Instructor Xu’s backing, they advanced quickly and now held key positions across Zhao family enterprises—busy men all. Unless Instructor Xu summoned them today, gathering them together wouldn’t have been easy.

At this moment, all of them were curious about why Instructor Xu had called them.

“One of these two boys today has excellent talent. If nothing goes wrong, he’ll be your new junior brother.”

“Wait.” The young man who had yawned suddenly realized: “The servants of Young Master Zhao? He’s willing to become a guard like us?”

It wasn’t that he looked down on himself—no matter how much Instructor Xu protected them, Young Master Zhao’s influence dwarfed it all.

He’s doing fine as a servant; maybe he’s even aiming to become head steward. Who’d want to be a lowly guard, rising before dawn and returning after dusk, braving wind and rain?

“Is becoming my disciple something shameful? Besides, he’d better be able to hold onto his position as a servant!” Instructor Xu snorted: “When Young Master Zhao kicks him out, I’ll just go beg Lady Zhao for mercy.”

The young men exchanged glances and felt their master had a point.

Who in the Zhao household didn’t know Young Master Zhao’s temper?

None of his servants ever lasted long.

“Then why did you call us here, Master?”

“First, get to know him. If anything comes up later, lend him a hand if you can.”

“You really do value this kid,” muttered the first speaker, sneering.

“Second, this boy has strong talent—he’ll progress fast in martial arts. I’m afraid he’ll grow arrogant…”

“Got it! A lesson in humility!”

The young men looked at each other, rolling up their sleeves.

“Who told you to lay hands on him? Just talk. Whisper in his ear, let him learn there are greater men out there.”

Now they were certain: their master truly valued this junior disciple who had not yet been formally initiated—and feared he might get hurt.

…

When Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan arrived at the training ground, they felt several probing stares making them uneasy.

They didn’t hear the murmurs:

“Which one? Which one?”

“The taller, darker one.”

“What about the other?”

“He’s got worse talent, and his father’s a senior steward of the second branch—he’s got his own path. My humble family? He probably wouldn’t even notice me.”

“This future junior brother doesn’t look particularly special.”

As Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan approached, Instructor Xu couldn’t help adding: “Not only is he top-tier in innate talent, but his temperament is steady—a truly excellent seed. Enough talk!”

When Zheng Fa stepped before them, he saw Instructor Xu frowning at him, clearly displeased.

Behind him, the young men all wore solemn expressions.

Today was meant to test them, and with this group so serious, the two naturally grew more tense.

Even their breathing grew quiet.

“You’re late!”

Instructor Xu opened with reprimand; the two dared not argue, bowing their heads obediently.

“You’re beginners—this is the time for diligent practice. Why are you late?”

“It’s me… I overslept and lost time,” Gao Yuan mumbled.

For days, he’d stayed up late studying those diagrams, and being young, he slept deeply. When Zheng Fa woke him, it was already too late.

“You? If you sleep so well, your Song Crane Stance must be excellent. Show me!”

Gao Yuan’s face fell, but he obediently assumed the Song Crane Stance.

Zheng Fa watched beside him, seeing Gao Yuan standing firm, shoulders rising and falling with his hips.

From Zheng Fa’s beginner’s perspective, Gao Yuan was nearly at the threshold of mastery!

This surprised him greatly—had it not been for seven days in the modern world, he might not have reached Gao Yuan’s level yet.

And Instructor Xu had clearly said his own innate talent surpassed Gao Yuan’s.

Instructor Xu’s eyes widened slightly. He circled Gao Yuan twice, frowning for a long moment, then suddenly asked: “Did your father give you extra training?”

“...Yes,” Gao Yuan muttered, embarrassed.

“Your posture matches your father’s flaw—your left shoulder is an inch higher! He had a shoulder injury, and you copied him?” Instructor Xu sneered: “Relax!”

He slapped Gao Yuan’s left shoulder blade.

Gao Yuan unconsciously adjusted his stance—his breathing became smoother, his posture now more true to the Song Crane Stance’s essence.

“Enough!” Instructor Xu nodded: “Good. Progress is fast. But tell your father to cut back on the tonics—too much training damages the body, and tonics can’t fully repair it!”

Zheng Fa suddenly understood.

He’d wondered why Gao Yuan always slipped away at lunchtime and brought him meals every day.

Now it was clear: Gao Yuan had been secretly training with his father daily.

By rights, both he and Zheng Fa were only supposed to practice the Song Crane Stance for one hour per day.

But from Instructor Xu’s words, Gao Yuan drank tonics daily and trained longer than he did.

He’s richer than me and trains harder—this guy’s a real dog.

Gao Yuan, sensing Zheng Fa now knew his secret, felt embarrassed and lowered his head as he returned, avoiding Zheng Fa’s gaze.

“You—step forward!”

Instructor Xu glared at Zheng Fa, though his eyes held a hidden smile: “Gao Yuan’s talent is inferior to yours, yet he’s nearly mastered it. Let me see how you’ve done!”

He was genuinely pleased.

On one hand, Gao Yuan’s progress exceeded his expectations.

The boy had good family standing and worked hard.

Even though he knew Gao Yuan wouldn’t become his disciple, teaching a promising student still brought him joy.

On the other hand, having Gao Yuan as a benchmark would better spur Zheng Fa’s drive.

Someone with worse talent trains harder than you.

Aren’t you nervous?

Even calling his few direct disciples here felt unnecessary.

Gao Yuan alone would make this boy stop underestimating the world!

He’d already planned how to scold Zheng Fa when he performed worse than Gao Yuan.

“Hm?” Instructor Xu watched Zheng Fa assume the Song Crane Stance, sinking into a state of self-forgetfulness, then glanced back at his disciples—his expression uncertain.

The disciples’ faces also showed surprise.

They all saw: Zheng Fa had already entered the realm of mastery in the Song Crane Stance.

Instructor Xu held up his fingers, counting: “One day, two days, three days. I taught you both the full Song Crane Stance—just three days ago, right?”

Gao Yuan nodded.

“So he’s already mastered it?” Instructor Xu pointed at Zheng Fa, skeptical: “Did your father give him extra training too?”

Gao Yuan: …I’m an only child!