Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
The next time that Yan Liqiang stood at the western entrance to Pingxi City was already in the morning of the 28th day of the tenth lunar month!
After over a month of not entering the city, even though it was early morning, the western entrance to Pingxi City was already bustling. The entire western entrance was full of people coming and going, both in and out of the city. Due to the weather cooling down, the coal usage had increased. Ox-drawn carts full of coal ready to sell were crowded around the city gate, lined up in a long queue, almost like a train.
Watching the crowds bustling around him, Yan Liqiang had the feeling that he was once again returning back to civilization. The most important thing though, was that at this moment, his feelings and emotions were not the same as they once were a month ago.
After paying the entrance fee for the city and entering, Yan Liqiang looked towards the announcements posted at the city gate. The arrest warrant for King Cobra was still stuck there, but after over a month of wear and tear, the picture on the warrant had become very worn and there wasn’t anyone crowded in front of it to check it out. A gust of cold wind blew past and the edge of that worn picture begun to waver, almost like a yellowing leaf that wanted to fall from the tree at any moment.
After over a month of not being able to find King Cobra, the alert level of Pingxi City had long since lowered. Both the city bailiffs and mercenaries were tired. Even the guards at the city gate had lowered their guard. Though the hundred gold taels was a large temptation, if they wanted to find a person that didn’t exist, after a while, anyone would lose interest.
Everyone seemed to think that after King Cobra had made a run for it after committing murder.
Looking at the fluttering arrest warrant, Yan Liqiang smiled a little, walking directly in the direction of the martial arts academy.
There was a swordsmanship lesson by Shi Changfeng today. Thinking about how he had not been to the martial arts academy in a long time, Yan Liqiang couldn’t help but go to have a look. Last time, Shi Changfeng had looked after him. This time, from starting until now which was about a period of two months, he had yet to see Shi Changfeng and he was a little embarrassed just thinking about it.
According to his experience from ‘last time’, it was around this time when many of the new students were starting to awaken from the first flush of excitement, and getting to know that everything within the martial arts academy wasn’t as perfect as they had previously imagined. The county’s top martial arts academy’s higher purpose was to produce martial warriors and you couldn’t really learn any high leveled martial techniques or secret techniques. When the teachers taught lessons, they were all taught accordingly and were all foundations to advancing to martial warrior. In this stage, no matter how much of it was told or described, it wasn’t as important as hard work and practice. The martial arts academy was that it was the best place to enable people to practice hard, therefore those students who assumed that they could come into contact and learn wonderful, advanced martial techniques within the martial arts academy would be sorely disappointed.
Not only that, to many young, inexperienced people, Pingxi City was a busy, bustling place. In a place like this, even the county’s martial arts academy students were a normal sort of existence. It didn’t have that sort of shine about it like there was previously when they were in their hometowns, in front of their villagers. The students around them were basically the same as they were and their abilities were not something they could boast about anymore…
Even more people would discover that in a place like this, your actual personal abilities were hardly as important as another classmate’s family background and the money they had on their person. Each person’s life and social circle would slowly show a huge gap. Some people could already live like a king, passing their days with beautiful women. However, people like you still needed to calculate how much money you could save by eating one less mantou every breakfast this month. While you spent each day squatting in a horse stance, there were other students who had already found masters at the martial arts academy and were learning other, better techniques and eating high-class medicinal pills. They weren’t working as hard as you but their improvements far outstripped yours and they were much more likely to reach martial warrior status.
This huge difference and disappointment were unable to be accepted by many people. They could even fall into a daze and become suspicious. Those who could pass this test would work and sweat even harder during the time they spent in various practice arenas at the martial arts academy. Those who were unable to pass this test would slowly sink into alcohol and prostitutes, and would gradually become useless and just end up as another one of the crowd.
Under this sort of circumstance, many people had already learned to choose between the classes held once per week at the martial arts academy. Some new students had already learned to skip class. As to the reason why, it was because some had found their goal and learned to choose; for others, it was because they had lost their direction and unknowingly had already given up.
Stepping back into the martial arts academy again, there were not many people who saluted Yan Liqiang with their gaze anymore. In these last two months, apart from the first day at the beginning of school, Yan Liqiang hadn’t shown his face at the martial arts academy at all, let alone do anything impressive in the martial ring of the academy. Without many people observing and without any new topics of conversation, the shine of being number one of the top three in Qinghe County’s Martial Arts County Trial had slowly worn off. Both Yan Liqiang and Guang Tongcheng had absolutely become one of many passing students within the martial arts academy.
This was also the result that Yan Liqiang had specifically created. In a lot of cases, being normal was the best defense.
After arriving at the large classroom, he found that Shi Changfeng had yet to arrive and there was neither hide nor hair of Shi Dafeng and Shen Teng. To Yan Liqiang’s knowledge of the past, the basic sword technique that Shi Changfeng was teaching had already been taught to the two of them before at home. The one who had taught Shen Teng basic sword technique was his uncle. Shi Dafeng’s old man had spent money to hire a teacher to pass on their techniques to him. It was a pity that Shi Dafeng had no interest in basic sword technique, his preferred weapon was the saber as he thought that using the saber was smoother.
After waiting a while in the classroom, Shi Changfeng arrived.
Shi Changfeng’s gaze swept across the classroom. When he saw Yan Liqiang, his gaze paused slightly before he started the lesson.
This was the second time that Yan Liqiang had attended this same class. In this class, Shi Changfeng only spoke about the snap movement within the basics of sword technique. He took less than twenty minutes and then the class was dismissed.
Just as he stepped out of the classroom, a voice sounded next to Yan Liqiang’s ear.
“Yan Liqiang…”
Yan Liqiang turned his head and saw that Shi Changfeng was looking at him, standing beneath a tree that wasn’t far from the classroom exit, his hands behind his back. Yan Liqiang hurried ran over.
“Greetings to you, Teacher Shi…”
Shi Changfeng carefully looked at Yan Liqiang from head to toe. His expression was slightly serious and without humor. “I remember that you were number one in this year’s Qinghe County’s Martial Arts County Trial. A couple of months ago, it was me who called you here to try out for the Trial…”
“Yes, I didn’t expect that Teacher Shi would still remember!” Yan Liqiang said smiling.
“This is the first time that I’ve seen you in the martial arts academy in two months, ever since the start of class. Normally, I don’t see you go to class, nor do I see you in the practice arena. Now, I don’t know what you’re busy with, but you must know from the moment you entered this county’s martial arts academy, any achievements you made prior are not enough to prove your worth. You must not become complacent or arrogant. Even though the things taught in this martial arts academy isn’t deep, but it is the basics of becoming a martial warrior. It is only after you have this foundation and advance into a martial warrior that you can move further in the future. You might deeply regret your current moments of leisure in the future!” Shi Changfeng told Yan Liqiang, words both meaningful and heartfelt.
Yan Liqiang hadn’t actually expected Shi Changfeng to be so mindful of himself. The last time, it was only because he was righting a wrong at the city gates that Shi Changfeng had seen him in a new light and was slightly admiring of him. However, this time, he hadn’t done a single thing, but Shi Changfeng had been unexpectedly concerned about him, noticing that he had not come to class for about two months. It looked like that this teacher was quite concerned about him. If he wasn’t concerned, then who would care if he lived or died.
“Thank you, Teacher Shi, for your honest advice!” Yan Liqiang said politely.
“Are you currently living near Three Yuan Street?”
“I’m living outside the city, in a village on the west. It’s cheap to live and eat there, and no one bothers you when you cultivate…”
Hearing Yan Liqiang’s words, Shi Changfeng paused slightly. “I remember that your family’s not badly off, with a smith’s forge to garner a living. Why…”
“Oh, about that, I feel that I’m not a child anymore. Even if I’m to study at the Prefecture Martial Arts Academy, I will still need to slowly learn to fend for myself and reduce the burden of my father a little. Even tael less that I spend here, means that my father can toil less at home…” Yan Liqiang looked every inch the studious student who was striving for self-improvement.
Shi Changfeng’s expression had softened quite a lot. He nodded lightly. “To be able to fend for yourself is not a bad thing, but don’t push yourself and miss the bigger picture. As long as you can achieve Martial Warrior status as soon as possible, then fortune will follow. There’s no need to worry about it like that!”
“Yes, I’ll remember!”
Shi Changfeng only left after encouraging Yan Liqiang with a few more words. Yan Liqiang was initially going to search for Shi Dafeng, however, he reconsidered. It was better for him to keep a distance from Shi Dafeng before he had completely gotten rid of the impending crisis upon him, to avoid getting Shi Dafeng involved. With that in mind, Yan Liqiang directly descended the mountain.
Just as he walked out of the front door of the martial arts academy, a horse-drawn carriage coincidentally stopped before the door. The curtain on the carriage drew apart and a person disembarked. Yan Liqiang and that person looked at each other, both startled into pausing.
“Sixth Master!”
“Liqiang!”
The person who stepped down from the carriage was actually Lu Peien…
