Chapter 125

Leaving the prefecture office, he buckled on his twin swords and took the horse reins from Zhang Junxue's hand.

"Is it done?" Zhang Junxue asked proactively.

"It's done."

Pei Ye nodded, and the two continued walking forward.

This time, they were going to the Changdao Martial Arts Hall.

After walking along the street for a long time, passing many shops with names he had never heard of and various buildings that dazzled Pei Ye, the rows of houses along the street suddenly broke, and the view ahead opened up abruptly—they had arrived at a huge square.

This time, Zhang Junxue slowed her pace. Her gaze remained fixed on a certain spot in the square until they had crossed the entire square, when she whispered: "This is where the martial arts competition is held."

"Mm."

After walking a bit further, they turned into a side road. After reaching the end and turning, they looked up to see the four large characters "Changdao Martial Arts Hall" hanging overhead.

Beneath the plaque, the imposing main gate had red paint that looked brand new, wide enough for carriages and horses to enter. The two stone lions were a size larger than those at the Fenghuai county office. Pei Ye clicked his tongue twice; this scale was almost a different thing from the "martial arts hall" he knew.

Zhang Junxue went up, lifted the beast-head ring, and knocked. Before long, a man in tight-fitting clothes opened the door from inside.

Zhang Junxue explained their purpose and handed over a credential.

The man took it, looked at it, and said with an "Oh": "Xu Gu, Zhang Junxue, right? You're three days late, no matter, a spot has been reserved for you."

Then Pei Ye stepped forward and handed over the recommendation note Chang Zhiyuan had given him.

The man took it and looked at it, but frowned slightly: "A recommendation from Bai Sibing... that's no problem, just follow along and learn. It's just that you are an extra arrival, and we have no spare rooms left. You'll have to find a place to stay nearby yourself."

"Understood. Is there training today?"

"Don't worry about today. You find a place to stay first, and just come back tomorrow morning to train together," the man in tight clothes said, informing Pei Ye of the morning and evening times.

"Little brother is from Fenghuai?" The man glanced at the recommendation letter. "You must be tired from the journey. You can rest today and wander around; the prefecture city has many fun places. Martial arts training also requires a balance of work and rest. Just come tomorrow morning in your best state—where are there inns? Just follow the street, there are many."

So Pei Ye bid farewell to Zhang Junxue, led his horse away from the martial arts hall, and went to look along the street.

By now, the brightest time of the sun had passed, and it was just approaching dusk. Pei Ye walked along the strange street, leading his horse and carrying his pack, looking at the strange people coming and going, feeling truly a bit lost.

But soon, he chose a direction and followed the street.

The man was right; even just wandering along the street like this held many novel and interesting things for Pei Ye to see.

Wider streets, more orderly roof tiles, long processions of carriages and horses, people in various attire coming and going, and snacks he had never seen before being sold along the street—Pei Ye bought two thin pancakes sprinkled with sesame seeds for three coppers and tasted them; they were indeed hot and fragrant.

As he walked further, the houses on the right side of the street were no longer adjacent, but became a continuous courtyard wall. Eight or nine yards ahead along the wall, a door opened, and some young men and women in Confucian robes were laughing as they entered and exited.

After Pei Ye walked closer, he looked up and saw a plaque hanging on the door. He didn't recognize the first character, but the last three were "Fang Academy."

A place where people were taught to read.

He examined these scholars in black caps and white robes, some of whom cast curious glances at him in his dusty, coarse clothes.

A scholar stood at the door with a small table and a wooden frame, on which was posted a paper scroll filled with writing. Pei Ye identified the first five large characters as "Yinfeng Pavilion Poetry Gathering."

"Bidding farewell to summer and welcoming autumn, playing with swords and testing ink. The Jin Qiu Martial Arts Competition is imminent; we have already occupied Yinfeng Pavilion. Any fellow students interested can come tomorrow at dusk to compose poetry together."

Pei Ye saw someone stop before the scholar, bow to each other, and after the ritual, ask: "Fellow student Fang, is this poetry gathering themed around the martial arts competition?"

"Indeed. It's always about lotus moons and willow winds, which is inevitably tiresome. Since the martial arts competition is about to begin, our poetry gathering this time intends to focus on the hardness and clarity of metal and iron."

"Mm!" The person hammered his palm lightly with interest. "Fellow student Fang, I have one point of confusion. The martial arts competition hasn't started yet, and the martial artists haven't arrived. What will we use as our material?"

The scholar smiled: "There will always be martial artists who arrive. We have already obtained the preliminary list for this martial arts competition. We will take this list to inns and other places to invite martial artists to leave their names. Afterward, each of us will choose one person and compose a poem about them. The quality of the poem will be a competition, and the person with the most votes will be recommended by all of us to participate in the Luzhou Poetry Gathering. When the martial arts competition begins, we will all hold our respective poems and watch according to the names. Whoever's 'person in the poem' ranks higher will be another competition."

"Mm, this way of playing is interesting," the person's eyes lit up, and he turned to call his friends to come and see.

Young Confucian scholars came and went, joking and laughing with each other. Pei Ye stood still and watched for a good while without realizing it. Finally, he curled the corner of his mouth and was about to leave when he heard the scholar call out: "Young hero, this young hero!"

Pei Ye turned back in surprise.

He saw the scholar step out from behind the stand, cup his hands, bow, and after straightening up, look at Pei Ye, who was leading his horse and carrying his pack, and tentatively ask: "May I ask, is the young hero here to participate in the Jin Qiu Martial Arts Competition?"

Pei Ye cupped his hands: "Yes."

The scholar's eyes widened immediately: "What a coincidence! May I ask the young hero's name?"

"My name is Pei Ye."

"Pei Ye..." The scholar thought for a moment, seemingly having no impression of the name, so he pulled a paper filled with names from his bosom and searched with his fingers.

His gaze traveled all the way to the bottom, where the four characters "Fenghuai Pei Ye" finally appeared.

The Fenghuai scholar's expression stalled for a moment, but he quickly waved his hand and revealed a smile: "No matter! Would the young hero be willing to leave his name on our poetry gathering scroll? We will compose poetry for the young hero. If truly no one composes poetry, we will also cheer for the young hero during the martial arts competition."

After speaking, he spread out a stiff scroll on the table, dipped a brush in ink, and handed it to Pei Ye.

Pei Ye walked over and hesitated: "Do I have to write it myself?"

"Naturally! The young hero leaves his handwriting for us, and we return the favor by composing poetry for the young hero; this is the friendship of peaches and plums. If we just chose people to compose poetry for ourselves, it would inevitably seem too self-indulgent—oh, the young hero wouldn't..." The scholar slapped his forehead in annoyance. "Apologies, then, I will write the name for the young hero, and the young hero can leave a thumbprint."

"It's fine, I can do it." Pei Ye picked up the brush. His own name was the two characters he wrote best. He wrote them stroke by stroke on the scroll; although still clumsy, they were clear.

The scholar held up the scroll and blew on the ink lightly, saying happily: "Then the young hero is our first participating martial artist. I wish the young hero great success in twenty days!"

Pei Ye smiled; this kind of ritual was also a bit novel to him. He cupped his hands and asked: "What is the brother's name?"

"Oh! Apologies, apologies." The scholar slapped his forehead again, adjusted his cap, and said with a solemn bow, "I am Fang Jidai, a local of Bowang, twenty-one years of age. Meeting you for the first time, I hope for your guidance in the future."

Pei Ye also cupped his hands, opened his mouth, stood silent for a while, and said: "Hello."

—

After parting with Fang Jidai and continuing forward, he noticed that the clothing of the pedestrians gradually became more sophisticated. There was less hemp and more silk and satin. The colors were no longer limited to gray, white, and brown, but began to become vibrant, and the tailoring became various novel and attractive styles Pei Ye had never seen before.

The houses along the street also became more spacious and exquisite, with beautiful detached courtyards appearing from time to time, and even the stone-paved road underfoot seemed to be smoother.

Walking further, the houses on both sides began to turn into various shops. As Pei Ye watched, he suddenly saw a shop moving out a portrait of a person and posting it in front of the door.

He looked curiously and saw a full-length portrait of a person standing tall with a sword.

The person in the painting had thick eyebrows and large eyes, a firm expression, and was wearing a well-tailored martial arts outfit. On the front of the outfit were four large characters: "Dingyun Firm."

Pei Ye looked up and saw that this was indeed a grain and oil shop, with the same four characters written vertically on the right side of the plaque.

His gaze returned to the portrait, and next to it were a few bold regular script characters: "On the seventh day of the ninth month, watch Dingyun's Chang Yue defeat the enemy."

"." Pei Ye shifted his gaze and continued walking forward.

Next, the small shops also became fewer, and buildings began to appear one after another. He had already seen seven buildings that were four or five stories tall.

Some were restaurants, some were teahouses, some were built by the lake with all sides open, some were very elegant and their purpose was unclear, and others were built in small gardens, appearing to be private property.

Pei Ye's pace became slower and slower. He began to realize a simple problem—there might indeed be an inn ahead, but it didn't seem like one he could afford.

Just as he was about to turn back, before his steps had stopped, a high eave appeared in the sky behind the buildings on the side. This caught Pei Ye's attention. He walked to the middle of the street to clear his view, then his eyes widened, his steps stopped, and he tilted his head slightly upward.

—Five, six, seven, eight... a nine-story building!

Pei Ye walked past with his head tilted. This building was not adjacent to any other structure; it had its own huge courtyard, and several small two or three-story buildings and pavilions were scattered within the courtyard.

At this time, the sky was just beginning to darken, and the entire building, along with the courtyard, was already lit up, adorned on the brackets, eaves, and glazed tiles, appearing magnificent and elegant.

To the north of this building was a huge garden, and to the south was the Zhuoyue Lake in the city, standing in the wind, playing with the clouds and fishing for the moon.

It was Pei Ye's first time seeing such a vast and beautiful building connected in one piece. He stood still, holding his breath under the flying eaves and pavilions for a few breaths, and finally murmured: "So tall..."

He withdrew his gaze and saw people entering and exiting at the courtyard gate. Pei Ye keenly captured their horses and luggage.

Was this also an inn?

What kind of scenery would one see from the top of such a tall building?

An impulse surged in Pei Ye's heart. He took his horse and walked slowly toward the tall courtyard gate.

A man in crisp green clothes stood at the entrance. Pei Ye stood on the street and looked up for a while before walking up, cupping his hands, and asking the man in green: "Brother, may I ask what place this is?"

The man stepped forward, smiled, bowed, and cupped his hands: "This is Bowang Garden. Does the young master wish to dine or rest?"

Pei Ye was stunned for a while. It wasn't until the man tried to reach out to take the horse reins from his hand that he realized—this man, whose clothes were worth many times more than his own, was actually a waiter.

He subconsciously pulled back his hand holding the reins: "How much does it cost to stay here for one night?"

The man scanned him and kindly quoted the lowest price: "One tael of silver, young master."

"." Pei Ye looked up at the highest floor, feeling it wasn't unacceptable.

He still had thirteen taels of silver!

Money could be borrowed if it ran out, but opportunities to climb a nine-story building were rare.

"If I stay here, can I climb this building?" Pei Ye pointed and asked.

"The Xifeng Building in the northeast corner is for sleeping, and the Zhuoyue Building is for elegant banquets," the man in green explained, pointing to the buildings in the courtyard. "However, after staying, the young master can also go up to the Zhuoyue Building to view the scenery, but it is limited to the fifth floor."

"Fifth floor?"

"Yes, young master. When the former minister served as the prefecture inspector, he once climbed to the ninth floor and left the calligraphy 'Bowang' for our place. Since then, every successive inspector, upon taking office, first goes to the ninth floor to view and leave calligraphy; this floor is not open at will. The seventh and eighth floors only receive banquet guests—these two days, they are both the banquet venue for Young Master Qijiao Shang Huaitong. The sixth floor could have been accessed, but today it is occupied by a literary gathering, so unfortunately, one can only go to the fifth floor."

"Oh." Pei Ye was a bit disappointed; he didn't want to go to the fifth floor that much. He cupped his hands to thank him, took his horse, and turned to leave.

Just at this moment, a group of people in brocade robes and jade belts walked over, laughing and talking—Confucian scholars, martial artists, young women in light skirts, men like pine wind and women like colorful orioles.

The leader was tall and thin, wearing a black brocade robe. As he approached, he threw his horse whip, and the man in green before Pei Ye immediately bowed and caught it with both hands. Then, this person walked into the courtyard gate with a haughty expression and eyes looking straight ahead, his cloak flying in the wind like spreading wings.

The voices of those following also passed by Pei Ye. Pei Ye heard one clear, laughing shout: "Let's just climb to the eighth floor today. In twenty days, Senior Brother Shang will naturally climb even higher!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Pei Ye saw several pedestrians nearby pause their steps and cast glances.

"Oh? Was that just Qijiao Shang Huaitong?" Pei Ye heard two people talking nearby.

"I think so."

"I heard people say that no one is his match in this martial arts competition. Is it true?"

"It's indeed true. Don't you know about this Young Master Shang?"

"I only know he is a true disciple of the Seven Serpents Cave master."

"Exactly. Think about it, with that background, and his cultivation being at the peak of the Fifth Life, wouldn't he be the choice to win in previous years?"

"That's true."

"But people say that these two things are only 'equal to the champion,' and this Young Master Shang is actually 'higher than the champion'."

"Oh? What is his higher point?"

"For one, there are rumors that he has actually crossed into the Sixth Life Realm."

"Mm! In all these years, has there been...?"

"Naturally. But there are three champions every year. Why do you think this Young Master Shang is so surrounded by stars?"

"Isn't it because of the momentum of the last few years?"

"That's just one reason. Think about it, did Young Master Shang participate in the spring competition this year?"

". It seems not. With this strength, he should have been able to secure a spot in the spring competition."

"It is said that he obtained a recommendation from the Kongdong Sect and went to the Sword Academy in Shaolong Prefecture."

"——!"

"It is said that he passed by a narrow margin, and after returning, his sword path has improved even more in these six months. After this martial arts competition, he will go again, and it will surely be a sure thing."

"So that's it. This truly counts as stepping out of the small prefecture of Bowang, and his vision will be on the entire Great Tang."

"And after this, the Seven Serpents Cave is truly going to..."

"Hahaha, stop talking, stop talking."

"Actually, it's not a bad thing. Our Bowang also has hope of producing a major sect!"

Pei Ye stood to the side and listened for a long time. Here, he was truly moved by the three words "Sword Academy." Finally, he couldn't help but cup his hands and ask: "Two brothers, may I ask what the 'Sword Academy' is?"

The two looked at him with some surprise and one said: "The Sword Academy is a place built by the imperial court specifically for the Dao-Opening Society, assisting the Dao-Opening Society in examinations, practice, liaison, and other duties."

". What society?" Pei Ye was even more confused.

The two looked at each other, and one laughed: "The Great Tang Thirty-Three Sword-Wielder Dao-Opening Society. I see the little brother also carries a sword; have you never heard of it?"

"Well... I come from Fenghuai."

"Oh!"

(End of Chapter)