OBS Chapter 10 Becoming an Apprentice
Chapter 10 Becoming an Apprentice
Dark as ink.
Lin Mu lightly touched the ground with his toes and began to use his Wind Step technique. He moved like a nimble cat, leaping along the wall and returning to the old house in less than a quarter of an hour.
He took off his clothes, which were stained with night dew and blood, and stuffed them, along with the black cloth covering his face, into the cold earthen stove. With trembling hands, he pulled out the things he had taken from Lin San.
Seven taels of silver and a copper waist tag.
The plaque is about the size of a palm, with its edges polished to a shine. The front is engraved with the two characters "Jinsha" in bold strokes; the back is engraved with a crescent moon and several sand patterns, with a sheathless short knife attached below the sand patterns.
It seems that what Lin San said was true.
He buried the waist token in the woods not far away, covering it with fallen leaves and withered branches, before weighing the seven taels of silver.
The next day.
As sunlight gradually spread across Willow Leaf Village, news of Lin San's death also arrived.
Village chief Lin Tianyou sat in a grand chair, tapping his fingertips on the table. Zhou Mao stood at the lower end, bowing and keeping his hands at his sides, not daring to breathe.
"Lin San is dead just like that?" Lin Tianyou asked.
Zhou Mao bent down even lower.
"Does he have any enemies?"
"They're everywhere in the entire town of Xihe."
"What about the kind of deep-seated hatred, the kind that's irreconcilable?"
"Liu Gao from Zhaoyang Village, Zhang Yaoqing from Yushi Village, Lin Yushu from the east end of the village... and Zhao Guo from the Black Tiger Gang, all had relatively fierce conflicts with him."
"Has he offended anyone recently?"
"Things have been relatively peaceful lately, except for one thing—they want to force me to rent Lin Mu's old house."
"Lin Mu?"
"Lin Youfu's nephew."
"What does Lin Mu do?"
"I heard he works as a handyman at Changfeng Martial Arts School."
"Go and find out the details."
At this moment, wisps of smoke rose from the old house, and Lin Mu, who was being thought of, lit the blood-stained clothes and cooked rice bran in front of the earthen stove.
He drank the rice bran and returned to the martial arts school, everything as usual.
The former and newly accepted students of Changfeng Martial Arts School stood on either side of the instructor.
Novice disciples follow the lead of Cui Mingyue and Ye Lang.
They were from a branch of one of the five great families in the inner city, and were responsible for finding martial arts talents in various towns.
They're most likely after Yan Hua.
Apart from the two inner courtyard disciples with hidden strength, the old disciples were mainly senior brothers Liu and Zhou, both masters of visible strength. Although they had followed the academy master for a long time, they were somewhat weaker compared to the newly accepted disciples.
The instructor was well aware of their ulterior motives. Seeing that Senior Brother Liu looked a bit dejected, he slapped him hard on the shoulder.
"I heard Qiao Zhan will be back in the next couple of days."
The coach's words were like a drop of water falling into a pot of oil, causing the former students to boil over.
"Is Senior Brother coming back?"
"We need him to tell us about his experiences with the Changwei Escort Agency."
"You must have brought us gifts, right?"
"Have him accompany us to Chang Le Casino. I've heard there's a tough guy in there, but I haven't seen him yet."
Lin Mu couldn't empathize with their excitement.
He just kept sweeping and learning from the masters, continuing until noon.
Hu Xiaoying rested her left hand on the wooden door of the inner courtyard and peeked out from behind it:
"Lin Mu?"
"Come and collect your training clothes."
Lin Mu stepped into the inner courtyard and caught a glimpse of a girl patting her shoulders, back, waist, and legs as if she were acting crazy.
This made him stop and take a second look.
[After observation, you may replicate the skill: Body Tempering Technique (not yet mastered).]
[Will it be reissued?]
Is this the body-strengthening technique that Zhou Yu and the others were talking about?
He quietly put away his training clothes and left the inner courtyard.
Behind him, Hu Xiaoying's earnest admonitions could still be heard:
"How could you practice body-strengthening techniques in front of outsiders, just like my cousin?"
"He's just a menial laborer, what could he possibly know?"
"What if he gets it out?"
"The fact that you allowed him into the inner courtyard shows that you trust him."
"Moreover, the core of body-strengthening techniques lies in the secrets of qi and blood circulation, and these secrets are hidden in the incantations of the techniques."
"Relax~"
Next came the girl's coquettish voice, and Lin Mu could even picture her charmingly shaking Hu Xiaoying's arm.
......
The crescent moon hangs like a hook.
The silver light fell on the outer courtyard of the martial arts school and also shone on Lin Mu.
He cleaned and tidied until midnight, polishing every weapon on the weapons rack until it gleamed.
He wiped very carefully, as if afraid of disturbing the inner courtyard.
But after only a moment, Master Hu came out wearing an outer robe, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the courtyard: "It's midnight, go back."
The five senses of a martial artist who has mastered the Transformation Realm are far more acute than those of an ordinary person. The headmaster, who hadn't slept well, spoke with a hint of resentment.
Lin Mu was actually aware of this as well.
He clenched the rag in his hand and turned around: "Master, I want to learn martial arts at Changfeng Martial Arts School and become your disciple."
Master Hu stopped and glanced at him.
Under the moonlight, the boy's shadow was thin and long.
"You want to learn martial arts?" Master Hu's voice was neither loud nor soft. "Since you weren't born into a wealthy family, and your natural talent is probably just average, what makes you think you can learn?"
Lin Mu pursed her lips: "Learn it with your life on the line."
Why do we learn?
"I want to live."
"Survive in this chaotic world." Lin Mu repeated, his voice soft but firm.
The curator remained silent.
He originally thought Lin Mu would say something about learning martial arts to bring glory to one's ancestors and family, or about becoming a martial arts champion and sweeping across the world.
Then he explained the facts and reasoned with him, persuading him to give up on his own.
I didn't expect this answer.
He looked at Lin Mu's unusually upright figure, holding a rag in his hand, and felt a pang of pity.
ah~
This chaotic world.
He remained silent for a moment, then turned and walked into the inner courtyard.
When he came out, he had a bluish-black stone in his hand—the Martial Arts Stone.
"Without inherent talent, nothing you say will make a difference."
"Put your hand on it."
Lin Mu took a deep breath and placed his right hand on the stone.
After a few breaths, a faint blue-green color appeared on the surface of the stone.
"Inferior bone, slightly lower."
"Practice is certainly possible."
Master Hu said in a calm tone, "But even if you enter the academy to cultivate, you may not be able to go very far."
Lin Mu didn't reply, but simply withdrew his hand and let it hang at his side.
"Can you afford ten taels of silver for the repair?"
Lin Mu took out a few pieces of silver from his sleeve pocket and placed them on the table.
"I've saved up five taels," Lin Mu said. "I pay it in every two weeks."
Master Hu glanced at the pile of broken silver, then at Lin Mu.
"If you can't submit it within two weeks, then leave."
Lin Mu lowered his head: "Yes."
"No, if we can't come up with the repair money in half a month, we'll have to keep doing the menial work."
"Even tomorrow, you'll still have to do the menial work, and you'll still get paid."
"You are only permitted to sit in on the proceedings."
"OK."
Master Hu took five taels of silver, handed him a waist token symbolizing the Changfeng Martial Arts School, and turned back to the inner courtyard.
A faint sigh came from the inner courtyard: "If you leave, where will you find such a hardworking and resilient servant, one who is worth three men?"
Lin Mu stood in the courtyard, the moonlight illuminating his clenched fists.
He no longer had to practice his boxing in the dead of night; he could finally perform the Long Wind Fist in the sunlight.
Back at the old house, he closed the courtyard gate.
Moonlight slanted down through the holes in the eaves, casting a bright circular patch on the ground.
Lin Mu stepped inside, rolled up his sleeves, stepped forward with his left foot, and loosely clenched his right fist.
Relax your shoulders, twist your waist, exhale and exert force—
He practiced the Long Wind Fist over and over again.
Sweat dripped from his chin, splashing into the mud at his feet and leaving small puddles.
My chest heaved violently, my throat was dry, but I felt completely relaxed, as if every joint had been soaked in warm water.
Only after all the pent-up frustration from practicing boxing in the dark had been released did he take out the booklet.
[Long Wind Fist: Beginner 3/100]
[Replicable Skill: Body Tempering Technique (Unmastered)]
[Will it be reissued?]