The crowd dispersed, leaving only Chen Xingjia and his son, Chen Yongquan, in the ancestral hall.

Chen Yongquan said hatefully, "Father! Did you see that little bastard? So sharp-tongued and insolent, he has no respect for us at all! We should have just forced the issue and made his family cough up the five hundred piculs of grain! What was the point of negotiating with him?!"

"You scoundrel!" Elder Chen flew into a rage, slamming his long-stemmed pipe hard on the table. "Do you think this is still your great-grandfather’s era? Our family lost its Official Position long ago. As clan patriarch, I can’t just run a one-man show! If you keep acting so recklessly in the open and give the clansmen reason to curse us behind our backs, we’ll truly lose our grip on the patriarch’s seat!"

After being thoroughly chewed out, Chen Yongquan felt suffocated with frustration. He stubbornly retorted, "Then how about our branch of the family just donates the five hundred piculs of grain? We can let Zhengping get a post at the County Magistrate’s Office. With someone in the Government Office, it’ll be easier to get things done in the future."

"Fool! An absolute fool!" Elder Chen’s beard trembled with rage. "Our ancestors produced a Martial Scholar—that is a noble and prestigious honor. And you want Zhengping to become a mere clerk? That is a willing degradation! Once we’re labeled a family of clerks, the path to both the Imperial Examination and the Martial Examination will be forever closed to our descendants! Do you want to shame our ancestors and have future generations curse you at your own tombstone?"

Rebuked again, Chen Yongquan was rendered speechless. His face darkened, and he said no more.

Elder Chen let out a long sigh. Through the swirling smoke from his pipe, a flicker of weariness crossed his cloudy old eyes. ’If only Zhengtong can become a Martial Scholar... only then will our position in Lingxi Village be truly secure...’

He puffed on his long-stemmed pipe a dozen more times, then rose to his feet. "Tomorrow, I’ll go sound out the Wang Family again. If there’s no other way... we’ll collect it at a rate of three piculs."

A vicious gleam flashed in Chen Yongquan’s eyes. He leaned close to his father and whispered with chilling ruthlessness, "Father, Zhengping is in the county town, and he has some dealings with the San Dao Bang. Isn’t that little bastard Chen Li taking his son to the county town? Why not... have Zhengping find some men, look for an opportunity, and take care of him..."

Elder Chen didn’t look back or say a word. He leisurely wound the thin cord around his pipe’s stem, tightening it around the bowl. Then, with his hands clasped behind his back and his shoulders stooped, he slowly shuffled out of the ancestral hall, one step at a time.

A cold smirk spread across Chen Yongquan’s face as he watched his father’s silent, retreating figure.

He knew his father’s temperament all too well.

Silence was consent.

...

When Chen Li returned home, he told his wife what had transpired at the ancestral hall.

The moment his wife heard that Shouheng would be going to the county town alone to learn Martial Arts, her eyes reddened instantly, and tears began to fall. "Shouheng is so young... How will he manage all by himself..."

"Don’t worry. It’s only the county town, not far from home. He’ll be able to come back every now and then," Chen Li comforted her in a soft voice, gently patting her back.

His eldest son, Shouheng, on the other hand, showed not a hint of anxiety upon hearing the news. In fact, his eyes lit up with excitement.

The young lad’s mind was filled with visions of a bustling city and dreams of making his way in the Jianghu.

To avoid any complications from delay, Chen Li took some silver, and with his eldest son in tow, set off for the county town early the next morning in their swaying ox-cart.

...

Jingshan County was situated on a vast, fertile plain.

For a hundred li in every direction, the land was flat, save for a single, solitary peak—Mirror Mountain—rising abruptly from the earth. The county town was built at its base, from which it took its name.

Lingxi Village was about forty li from the county town.

Chen Li drove the ox-cart, which creaked its way along for the better part of the day, before the majestic outline of Jingshan County Town finally emerged on the horizon.

Towering, blue-gray walls rose high into the air. The silhouettes of patrolling Soldiers could be seen between the battlements, while a constant stream of carts, horses, and pedestrians flowed through the gate below.

This scene filled Chen Shouheng, who had never traveled far, with immense excitement. He spent the rest of the way gawking in every direction and chattering with endless questions.

Chen Li, meanwhile, was the very picture of a worried father, nagging his son for the rest of the journey. He repeatedly drilled into him the rules of survival for being out in the world: don’t flash your wealth, mind your own business, and exercise forbearance in conflict.

But seeing his son’s giddy excitement, Chen Li had his doubts about how much was actually sinking in.

The ox-cart slowly rolled through the city gate, and a wave of noise and bustling energy washed over them.

Both sides of the street were lined with shops, packed with vendors.

The shouts of vegetable sellers, the THWACK of butchers’ cleavers, the ringing of a candy-maker’s Copper Gong, and the rumbling wheels of passing carts all wove together into a symphony of sound.

Chen Shouheng was utterly dazzled, feeling as if two eyes weren’t nearly enough to take it all in.

The father and son found a clean-looking inn to settle in for the night.

Early the next morning, he took his eldest son to find a master at a martial arts hall.

Years ago, Chen Li had already made his inquiries. There were three martial arts halls in Jingshan County Town: the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall, the Tingtiao Martial Arts Hall, and the Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

The Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall taught the Tiger Subduing Fist. Its master was said to be a lay disciple of a Buddhist Sect, and his Martial Arts were powerful and orthodox, placing great emphasis on building a solid foundation.

The Tingtiao Martial Arts Hall was renowned for its Tingtiao Swordsmanship, known for its light and nimble techniques.

The Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall taught a Horizontal Training Skill called Iron Mountain Lean, and its Cultivation was known to be exceptionally arduous.

After much consideration, Chen Li decided to have his eldest son join the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall.

’The Tiger Subduing Fist is likely a Buddhist Sect art, which should be better for building a foundation. Given my son’s temperament, I doubt he could endure the hardship of the Horizontal Training Skills.’

The reason for not choosing the Tingtiao Martial Arts Hall was also simple: Chen Yongquan’s son, Chen Zhengtong, trained there.

The animosity between their two branches of the family ran deep. If Shouheng joined the Tingtiao Martial Arts Hall, conflict between the two hot-blooded youths would be inevitable.

It wasn’t that Chen Li feared trouble; he simply didn’t want such things to interfere with his eldest son’s training.

The Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall was located down an alley on the east side of town, housed in a large, three-courtyard complex.

After explaining their purpose to the doorman and handing over their identification Tooth Token for inspection, they were led inside.

The courtyard opened into a spacious training ground where some twenty-odd youths were practicing their techniques, sweat flying as they trained. A powerfully built, middle-aged man stood to the side, his sharp, steady gaze overseeing their practice as he offered guidance.

The middle-aged man was the hall’s master, Zhou Zhen.

After the doorman made the introductions, Master Zhou sized up Chen Shouheng, then felt his bone structure. He nodded. "His frame is decent. However, I have a rule here: I only take on Registered Disciples. During that time, I will teach them Martial Arts, but they are not considered formally accepted into the hall. After three years, if his character, aptitude, and willpower meet my standards, he may formally become my disciple and inherit the legacy of the Tiger Subduing Fist."

Chen Li was prepared for this. He voiced no objection and immediately presented the tuition gift he had prepared: fifty taels of patterned silver.

Master Zhou accepted the silver without ceremony. His tone was calm but carried an innate authority. "You can leave the boy. I will teach him well."

He turned to a disciple training nearby. "Dalin, take this new junior brother of yours to the back courtyard, get him settled, and show him the rules."

"Yes, Master," the disciple named Dalin responded respectfully.

Chen Li patted his son on the back. "Quick, pay your respects."

Chen Shouheng immediately made to kneel and kowtow, but Zhou Zhen stopped him with a firm, raised hand. "There’s no need for such ceremony. It won’t be too late to perform the full rites when, in three years’ time, you have truly earned the right to call me Master."

"Don’t be the one to stick your neck out... Don’t say things you shouldn’t, and even when you should speak, don’t say too much... Haste makes waste. When you run into trouble, give it time. Think things through before you act..."

After helping his eldest son settle into his new quarters, Chen Li gave him another round of instructions, left him with forty taels of silver, and finally took his leave.