Chapter 21: Inner Courtyard Examination

It was barely light, but the Weapon-Forging Shop was already bustling.

Li Yuan had arrived very early; passing the martial practice field, he actually ran into a dozen or so apprentices from the various courtyards, among whom were even unfamiliar faces.

"I've seen all sixty-plus apprentices from the nine courtyards of the Weapon-Forging Shop—who are those few?"

Li Yuan's peripheral gaze swept over those unfamiliar faces, lingering for a moment on one person among them.

Among a group of apprentices wrapped in coarse hemp padded jackets, there was only this one wearing a fox-fur greatcloak; he couldn't help but notice him.

"Third Shopkeeper Wang Ding's third son, Wang Gong? He's not here to take the examination too, is he?"

Listening to the faint murmurs of discussion, Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly.

"Hurry up!"

Before entering the central courtyard, Li Yuan already smelled meat; in the central courtyard, apprentices like Liu Qing were drenched in sweat under Fatty Sun's bellowing.

"Good lord, they're really going all out!"

The moment Li Yuan looked up, he saw three big pots of stewed meat and vegetables inside the room—truly extravagantly lavish.

"This is a treatment reserved for the day of the Inner Courtyard examination. In previous years it was once every three years; from now on it'll be once a year."

Fatty Sun lifted the cloth curtain of the small stove and walked out with a stern face.

"Just for this meal alone, the apprentices have to show up."

Li Yuan had just eaten, but now he was hungry again; he picked up his chopsticks, snagged a big bone, and started gnawing on it—such was the perk of helping out in the kitchen.

Which drew the gaze of the other apprentices, drenched in sweat as they were.

"Those few aren't here just for the free meal."

Fatty Sun tilted his chin; through the central courtyard's gate, Li Yuan saw several youths in clothes clearly distinct from all the other apprentices, boys and girls, walking up to that Wang Gong together, seemingly chatting.

These few youths were about the same age as the apprentices beside them, but standing together they were like a dividing line between two worlds—extremely eye-catching.

"Third Shopkeeper's third son Wang Gong, Squad Leader Zhao's little daughter Zhao Zhao Xiaoming; the others were also squeezed in at the last minute by a few families in the inner city. Good thing they don't take up your slots."

Playing the special-admission game, are they?

Li Yuan shrugged and asked:

"The bad part?"

"The bad part… is truly bad."

Fatty Sun's face turned very sour, very ugly: "I've seen a ghost—this year the third item of the Inner Courtyard examination is actually bone-feeling…"

"Bone-feeling?"

Li Yuan frowned slightly: "In previous years?"

"In previous years the three items were stake-skill, hammer technique, and strength. Why are they asking for bone structure this year?"

Fatty Sun's face was glum—the bone structure of this kid before him wasn't all that great.

"Bone structure?"

Recalling Qin Xiong's attitude, Li Yuan fell into thought.

Behind any abrupt change there must be a deep-seated reason; pity that Fatty Sun didn't seem to know…

"If there's a bone-structure requirement…"

Before Li Yuan could speak, Fatty Sun could no longer sit still; he picked up the food box and headed toward the rear courtyard, his face heavy with worry:

"You watch things here, I'm going to find… someone to ask…"

Bone structure—how exactly do they feel it?

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly, but didn't panic; he tended to the three big pots and took the chance to ladle himself a bowl. By the time Fatty Sun returned, he was already full.

"Stop eating!"

Fatty Sun's face was a bit dark; he said in a low voice:

"No wonder those families in the inner city are squeezing people in. This examination is a bit unusual… Li Yuan, anyway, give it your absolute best effort. Don't hold anything back—if you don't fight for it, you'll probably regret it for the rest of your life."

After saying that, he added one more line:

"It's not that I'm afraid you won't pay back the silver…"

"Huh?"

Looking at Fatty Sun's rare seriousness, tinged with a thread of envy, Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly.

Before he could ask anything else, Fatty Sun was already waving his hand, walking out of the room, and striking the "meal bell"; the apprentices outside filed in one after another.

……

Heaven cooperated; after the meal the weather cleared up beautifully.

On the yellow-earth-packed martial practice field, a crowd of apprentices lined up neatly according to their respective courtyards; the stewards of each courtyard had arrived in force.

Li Yuan stood among the crowd; his gaze passed over Fatty Sun in front of him, and on the simply erected platform, three people sat upright and proper.

Qin Xiong stood at the right, head lowered, speaking with the old man in a black outer robe; on the right side sat a pale, beardless old man—Li Yuan recognized him as Second Shopkeeper Tang Tong.

"The one talking with Qin Xiong is Third Shopkeeper Wang Ding? Then the one in the middle is Head Shopkeeper Cao Yan? So young?"

It was also Li Yuan's first time seeing the three shopkeepers; he was somewhat surprised.

That Shopkeeper Cao, who had a great reputation throughout all of Gao Liu, looked barely past thirty, dressed in a simple jacket, nothing out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, Cao Yan glanced over this way; their eyes met, and Li Yuan immediately lowered his head—for a moment, between his ears, only the sound of his own heartbeat remained.

"That look…"

Li Yuan's heart prickled with unease, giving him the same feeling as in his past life standing at the edge of a rooftop looking down—that terror of being smashed to pieces at any moment.

How can a person's gaze be so terrifying?!

"The shopkeepers are all here!"

The apprentices stirred a little, but none of them dared make too much noise.

Li Yuan didn't raise his head; that one glance from Cao Yan had made his heart nearly leap out of his chest, and at this moment the cold sweat hadn't even dried yet.

"Qin Xiong, state the rules!"

Li Yuan only looked up when he heard the voice. Cao Yan's voice was not loud, but very clear, each word brief, carrying an air of great authority.

"Yes!"

Qin Xiong cupped his fist, walked to the front of the stage, and his voice, full of vigor, exploded outward:

"Our Weapon-Forge Shop has been passed down for two hundred and thirty-seven years. The Laozu Sect built this business from nothing—it wasn't easy. To pass down the family trade, he established the Inner Court. Apprentices with outstanding talent may join…"

Qin Xiong's voice was loud, rising and falling with cadence, as he spoke of the Weapon-Forge Shop's history, the main family's grace, and the benefits of the Inner Court. The words flowed freely, and he spoke for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"A monthly stipend of one tael, no labor required, a Mr. tutor to provide basic education, and Second Shopkeeper Tang Tong personally teaches Wu Gong—not just the Bai Yuan Cloak Hammer…"

Li Yuan summed it up in his heart.

"…Today, for the Inner Court examination, at least one person will be chosen from every courtyard! Moreover, whether or not you enter the Inner Court, every apprentice present today will receive a full month's stipend as a reward!"

Qin Xiong paused slightly, and the apprentices erupted in cheers. For most of them, this was the real benefit.

"In the days to come, remember the main family's grace and work well!"

Qin Xiong's voice pressed down over the apprentices' cheers:

"Those who have mastered the entry level of the Bai Yuan Cloak Hammer, step forward!"

The moment his words fell, the crowd stirred. Many apprentices showed looks of disappointment—the examination hadn't even begun, and they had already lost their chance.

Li Yuan stepped out of the line. A sweep of his peripheral vision showed that, not counting Wang Gong, Zhao Zhao Xiaoming, and the others standing off to one side, out of more than sixty apprentices, only twelve had reached entry level.

"Those who haven't reached entry level, don't be disappointed either."

Qin Xiong clapped his hands, and several burly old men walked out from behind the platform:

"Apprentices who didn't step forward, follow Master Zhang and the others to the front courtyard to have your bones examined first.

If your bone structure is good, you can still enter the Inner Court… The apprentices who stepped forward will also have their bones examined afterward. If your bone structure is poor, you still can't enter the Inner Court!"

The apprentices who hadn't mastered the Bai Yuan Hammer finally cheered.

"It's starting!"

Fatty Sun had been listening so long he was getting drowsy, but now he jolted awake.

On the platform, Qin Xiong swept his gaze over the apprentices, pausing briefly on Li Yuan, his expression cold.

He hadn't expected that, after making it so clear, this kid would actually dare to come.

"That's all the ambition he's got."

Having heard Fatty Sun mention it, Li Yuan's heart was now completely unruffled. He merely watched with curiosity as the burly men carried iron ingots in from outside the grounds.

A test of strength?

What a plain, unadorned way to select.

While Li Yuan was muttering inwardly, several more big men arrived at the foot of the stage carrying hammers.

"The Bai Yuan Cloak Hammer emphasizes the harmony of motion and stillness, stance and hammer as one. These eighteen hammer forms must be both fierce and unceasing…"

Qin Xiong stepped back a few paces:

"Each of you pick one, strike the iron ingot, and show the shopkeepers your skill!"

"Yes!"

Niu Gui and the other apprentices were rubbing their fists and palms, responding loudly, when Li Yuan had already stepped forward first. A sweep of his peripheral vision, and he had picked out the best one.

"I'll take this one!"

A gust of wind struck from behind. Li Yuan stamped his foot, caught the bouncing hammer handle, didn't even look, and simply stepped back, sending the apprentice who had tried to snatch the hammer flying to the ground.

The five people on the platform all looked over. Li Yuan raised one arm, glanced calmly at Qin Xiong, then brought the great hammer down:

Bang!

The great hammer fell, sparks flying.

On the wooden platform, Qin Xiong's expression changed, and the three shopkeepers, who had not been paying much attention, all raised their brows:

"This is…"

Mastery level, Bai Yuan Cloak Hammer?!

Cao Yan, who had been sitting upright, leaned forward slightly, his eyes stirring.

Bang!

Niu Gui and the other apprentices were a beat slow, but now they too raised their hammers and struck.

Clang!

One hammer fell, the rebound force rebounded, but Li Yuan's feet seemed rooted and didn't move. The long-handled practice hammer he had been controlling before coming flashed once through his palm.

Mastery-level hammer technique boost!

Bang!

This hammer strike was so loud it drowned out every other apprentice's hammer ring. On the viewing platform, Qin Xiong's face changed drastically. Beside him, Second Shopkeeper Tang Tong slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet:

"Minor Mastery?!"

(End of chapter)