12: First time entering the martial arts school

The next morning.

【evolution value: 107.92/500】

The first thing Li Qing did upon waking up was check his System panel.

The evolution value had increased by a little over three points.

The speed was a bit slow.

Afterward, he felt for the status of his Clone.

There were very few large fish left in the small river.

It seemed he still needed to find an opportunity to check out the Great River.

At this rate,

it would take forever for the Clone to reach the next evolution.

Withdrawing his consciousness,

he ate a simple breakfast and began packing his belongings.

There wasn't much to take, but he certainly had to bring his money.

Thirteen taels of silver plus several dozen copper coins.

In a place like the Inner City where he was a total stranger,

it would be convenient for buying supplies.

Just as dawn was breaking, Chen Shui brought Chen Meng to Li Qing's dilapidated shack.

Today, Chen Meng had changed into a clean martial arts uniform, making her look even more heroic and spirited.

There was a hint of girlish innocence and longing for the future in her expression.

She was even a head taller than Li Qing,

standing at about 1.7 meters tall.

She stood tall and graceful.

Her twin ponytails swayed behind her.

When she saw Li Qing, she turned her head away.

She gave a simple nod, which counted as a greeting.

"Li Qing, I'll be counting on you to look after Meng'er from now on."

Chen Shui patted Li Qing's shoulder and then turned to Chen Meng.

"Meng'er, Li Qing is a steady boy; don't go bullying him."

"Cultivate well at the martial arts hall, and don't fail your father's expectations."

"And don't let those questionable people dazzle your eyes."

Chen Shui emphasized the words 'questionable people' with particular weight.

Chen Meng's cheeks flushed slightly as she grumbled,

"Dad! What are you talking about!"

Last time, she had only mentioned in front of her father that Senior Brother Lu was elegant and poised,

and she had received a long lecture from Chen Shui.

Now he was using Yin and Yang sarcasm on her again.

Whether Senior Brother Lu is that kind of person or not, wouldn't I know?

Li Qing understood clearly and smiled.

"Don't worry, Uncle Chen, I will cooperate well with Senior Sister Chen Meng."

He called her Senior Sister quite naturally now; after all, Chen Meng was an Inner Sect Disciple.

As for 'looking after' her, he didn't dare promise that.

He was just an informant, appearing weak and frail on the surface.

What right did he have to talk about looking after someone?

Their simple luggage was already prepared; there wasn't much, just a few changes of clothes.

Li Qing's strength had increased significantly, so he easily picked up both of their bundles.

An attendant must have the observational skills of an attendant.

Fortunately,

Li Qing had been a corporate slave for decades in the modern era!

His observational skills were already perfected.

The three of them walked together toward the martial arts hall.

The martial arts hall of Jinling City—the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall.

It was located in an area of the Outer City close to the Inner City, occupying a vast amount of land.

Compared to the decay of the Slum, the streets here were wide and clean, and the houses were much more grand.

Before long, a magnificent building appeared before their eyes.

It had vermilion gates, and two stone lions at the entrance looked majestic and extraordinary.

Hanging on the lintel were four gold-leafed characters written in a flourishing style: "Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall."

Two Disciples dressed in uniform martial arts attire stood guard at the entrance, their steady auras clearly indicating they were trained fighters.

Chen Shui stepped forward to speak with the gatekeeping Disciples and handed over a waist token.

After the verification was complete, the gatekeeping Disciples politely let them through.

Upon entering the martial arts hall, their field of vision suddenly opened up.

There was a wide courtyard paved with bluestone, surrounded by simple and elegant pavilions and wings.

The air was filled with a faint scent of medicinal herbs and sweat.

In the distance, shouts could be heard from the training grounds, full of masculinity and vitality.

"How grand!"

Li Qing observed silently, his heart quite shaken as well.

Inside this martial arts hall, there were a great many people.

A servant led them to a courtyard called the External Affairs Hall.

They completed the formal move-in procedures for Chen Meng as an Inner Sect Disciple and registered Li Qing's status as an attendant as well.

The person in charge of registration was a middle-aged Deacon with a lukewarm, business-like attitude.

Upon learning Li Qing was an attendant, he simply recorded his name and issued a wooden Utility Disciple waist token.

"Chen Meng, your residence is Room 33 of the B-rank section in the East Courtyard."

"Attendants, by rule, cannot live with the Disciples."

"There is a dedicated residence for attendants next to the East Courtyard. Go there to report."

Great, he felt the weight of social classes as soon as he arrived.

"Thank you, Deacon."

After giving their thanks, the group headed toward the East Courtyard.

The East Courtyard was the residence for female Inner Sect Disciples, and the environment was quiet and elegant.

Room B-33 was a small independent courtyard with two rooms.

On the way, he heard Chen Meng mention that the East Courtyard was all women, and since she was Room 33,

it meant there were at least thirty-three female Inner Sect Disciples alone.

Above them were the Personal Disciples.

Personal Disciples had their own dedicated living quarters.

"Meng'er, you'll be living here from now on."

"The boy Li Qing and I will go check out his living quarters."

Chen Shui finished settling his daughter.

Chen Meng nodded, looking at her new home with some excitement.

Opposite the East Courtyard was the West Courtyard.

The West Courtyard was where the male Inner Sect Disciples lived.

And slightly further away were the attendants' quarters,

right next to the housing for the Utility Disciples of the martial arts hall.

The attendants' quarters were much simpler, with eight people to a room.

The conditions were much better than Li Qing's shack in the Slum, but the smell inside was hard to describe.

With more people, the smell was naturally stronger.

"Li Qing, I've put you in a difficult spot."

Chen Shui felt somewhat apologetic.

"What are you saying, Uncle Chen? Having a place to stay is already good enough."

Li Qing didn't mind these things at all.

After settling in, Chen Shui gave Li Qing some detailed instructions.

The core message was still to keep an eye on Chen Meng, especially to watch out for that Lu Yunfei.

"That Lu Yunfei is quite famous among the Inner Sect Disciples. He's handsome and knows how to please girls."

"If you notice him making any inappropriate moves, or if Meng'er seems deluded by him, tell me immediately."

Chen Shui lowered his voice, his expression solemn.

"Don't worry, Uncle Chen, I understand." Li Qing nodded solemnly.

After seeing Chen Shui off, Li Qing returned to the simple attendants' room.

The other attendants in the room weren't there at the moment; they were likely busy with their own tasks.

Li Qing put his luggage down and sat on the edge of the bed, beginning to calculate in his mind.

"The environment of the martial arts hall is indeed good, and there are Disciples Cultivating outside."

"If I get the chance to enter some special places, like the herb garden or the alchemy room, I might be able to find something like ink spirit grass."

His primary concern right now was still the evolution value.

"The priority is to familiarize myself with the martial arts hall's environment and find a stable way to obtain food and resources."

In a new place, he naturally needed to figure out the local rules.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he ended up offending someone.

There was definitely a kitchen in the martial arts hall, but as an attendant, the food he could access would likely be limited.

Moreover, he couldn't keep running to the river outside every day; it would attract too much attention.

While he was deep in thought, the door was pushed open.

A young attendant with a sharp, monkey-like face walked in. Seeing Li Qing, he looked him up and down.

"New guy?"

"Yes, just arrived." Li Qing stood up.

"My name is Hou San. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

Hou San grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth.

"But life as an attendant isn't easy. Lots of work, little pay, and you have to watch your master's mood."

Li Qing gave a faint smile: "Thank you for the advice, Brother Three."

Hou San thought: Hey, this kid knows how to behave!

Li Qing then began chatting with Hou San.

The fastest way to get information was to ask someone who knew.

At dusk, Chen Meng sent someone to call Li Qing, saying they were going to the Dining Hall for a meal.

The Dining Hall of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall was quite large; Disciples and Deacons were on the first floor, while attendants and Utility Disciples were in a side hall.

He didn't know about the Inner Sect's food,

but the food for Utility Disciples and attendants was mediocre.

A scoop of vegetables, a piece of meat, and two scoops of brown rice.

This wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between Li Qing's teeth.

However, this did match what Chen Shui meant by 'filling one's stomach'.

For an ordinary person, this was more than enough.

But for Li Qing, it was far from it.

After the meal, Chen Meng asked Li Qing to get some hot water for her bath.

To be honest, it wasn't quite appropriate for a man like him to do these chores.

He observed that most were female Disciples with female attendants.

Male Disciples also mostly had female attendants.

A female Disciple with a male attendant was quite rare.

Li Qing carried the water buckets to the martial arts hall's public well, where many Disciples and attendants were drawing water.

As he drew water, he quietly released his sensing, sharing Xiao Jia's vision.

At this moment, Xiao Jia was still tirelessly devouring fish and shrimp.

【evolution value: 106.96/500】

In one day, the evolution value had grown slightly—only a bit over 2.1 points!

Too slow.

"I have to find a way to go to the Great River again," Li Qing pondered.

Just as he finished drawing water and was about to leave, he suddenly heard a commotion and the giggling of female Disciples nearby.

He looked toward the sound.

He saw several well-dressed Inner Sect Disciples surrounding a tall, handsome young man as they walked over.

The young man was dressed in snow-white clothes, holding a folding fan, with a perfectly measured smile on his face, causing the passing female Disciples to glance at him frequently.

Li Qing's heart stirred. Could this person be the Lu Yunfei that Chen Shui had mentioned?

Sure enough, he heard some attendants nearby whispering.

"Senior Brother Lu is chatting with the Junior Sisters again; he really is elegant."

"Yeah, Senior Brother Lu is not only highly skilled in martial arts but also kind to others. He's an outstanding figure among our martial arts hall's Inner Sect Disciples."

Lu Yunfei glanced at Li Qing casually and then paid him no more attention, continuing to talk and laugh with the female Disciples around him.

Li Qing withdrew his gaze and hurried away with the water buckets.

"He definitely looks like a pretty boy, but his bearing is indeed extraordinary. No wonder Chen Meng would be smitten."

After delivering the hot water outside Chen Meng's courtyard, Li Qing returned to his own quarters.

In the dead of night, as he lay on his bed, his consciousness switched back to the Spirit Turtle Clone.