Chapter 8 Getting Started Smoothly_1

Huang An's countenance turned awkward upon hearing that, and shook his head uncomfortably:

"I don't have that. Does learning martial arts really require hundreds of taels of gold?"

Huang An was astounded, even incredulous.

Was the cost of learning martial arts so high?

That shouldn't be the case. Along the way, he had met no fewer than twenty disciples, none of whom appeared to be the type who could afford hundreds of taels of gold.

After all, the nature of gold dictated that wherever it was, it was a valuable metal and worth a lot of money.

Zhao Le sneered upon hearing Huang An's words, sighed, and responded:

"No need for that, studying martial arts in our academy only costs twenty silver taels for the whole Five Viscera Realm training."

Five Viscera Realm?

Huang An perked up a bit at that. As for the twenty silver taels, he did not care for them at all.

Silver was cheap on Earth, costing about 4 yuan per gram, and could be even cheaper in bulk.

Twenty taels of silver, even if not 99% pure, would only cost around 4000 yuan, a sum affordable to most young people.

Just as Huang An was about to inquire about the apprentice acceptance process, he noticed Zhao Le was still unsettled, so he asked out of curiosity:

"Is Miss Zhao short of money?"

He had a strong impression of this little money lover, hence the question.

"Whoever practices martial arts is not short of money," Zhao Le muttered, leading the way with her head down.

"Since we brought you here, I'll on behalf of my father and sister accept you as an apprentice. Whether my father and sister will accept you or not, I do not know. I'll arrange a temporary place for you to stay first."

Huang An paused momentarily, and declined gently:

"A temporary accommodation will suffice. I have a small residence in the city which I can move into once I am accepted as a disciple."

"You actually have a house in our Feng'an City?"

Zhao Le looked doubtful, and after glancing at Huang An, nodded unconsciously and mumbled to herself:

"That makes sense. Otherwise, how could you have come to Feng'an county alone while being sick? You must be staying with a friend or relative,"

She added:

"But it's late today. After you've been accepted as a disciple, I'll have some of the fellow apprentices accompany you to your house to see if you need any assistance!"

"However, you need to perform well. Otherwise, my sister might not accept you, especially since you are already quite old."

Old?

Did she have to emphasize that?

Was twenty-three considered old?

Huang An's expression briefly froze, but he acted as if nothing was amiss and nodded quickly, adding earnestly,

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Huang An was happy to comply.

He wasn't concerned about his housing situation or the lies he'd told about it. He was certain he could refuse the Senior Sister's kindness with a valid reason when the time came.

His eyes flickered as he registered the key information - that he was now in Feng'an county.

However, a cloud of concern still lingered in Huang An's heart.

From Zhao Le's words, he learned that the martial academy didn't accept older students.

Whether he could gain acceptance was still uncertain.

Huang An decided to behave himself at all times. No heroics.

As Zhao Le and Huang An chatted about various topics, her feelings of injustice and fear seemed to have dissipated somewhat, which led her to share more with him.

"My father is seriously injured. Doctor Xue said that eradicating the injury completely requires the assistance of a practitioner at the 'Golden Body' realm. However, such a practitioner would demand at least a hundred taels of gold simply to render assistance. Even if we were to sell off our martial arts academy and give up all our worldly possessions, we still wouldn't be able to afford that. You will probably become my sister's disciple."

It seemed that expressing her frustration had eased Zhao Le's anxieties considerably. Her face brightened, she started offering casual advice, and even told Huang An he could call on her anytime as she lived close by.

Upon hearing Zhao Le's words, Huang An didn't say much, only occasionally sighing.

Through these sighs, he demonstrated empathy with Zhao Le, fostering a sense of rapport between them.

However, one detail caught Huang An's attention.

"The 'Golden Body' stage? Merely to render assistance requires a hundred taels of gold!"

It was a new realm.

Huang An was not clear about the martial arts ranking system, but he did know that a hundred taels of gold were no small amount anywhere.

Huang An wasn't familiar with the prices in Daming, but based on the high level of industrialization on Earth, a hundred taels of gold would be worth around 2 million yuan.

Even after combining all the gold he had collected over the years and his own savings, he was still short.

And a hundred taels of gold in the less developed Daming would surely be worth even more.

Actually, Huang An could muster the required amount of gold by asking his parents for help combined with his own savings, but he didn't promise or even mention it.

In this seemingly barbaric era, carrying a hundred taels of gold was tantamount to seeking death.

Even masters like the head of the martial arts school were bedridden due to injuries and lacked funds for treatment. Huang An, being on the brink of death, would probably be killed as soon as he stepped out with a hundred taels of gold.

It was highly unlikely that Zhao's martial arts academy could protect him.

Moreover, he might not even make it out of Zhao's martial arts academy before he got killed.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Huang An's mind, and he vividly remembered the words of the teenager who had brought him to the academy.

"An unhealed sword wound from a month ago!"

Had the master suffered grievous sword wounds?

Could it have been tetanus? Or perhaps a severe infection of the wound?

Huang An's gaze fell on Zhao Le's back as he contemplated whether he could gain the trust of everyone at Zhao's martial arts academy through this situation, thereby ensuring his smooth admission.

"It seems likely. I've seen and treated many wounds caused by metallic objects like iron sheets and steel bars!"

Should I take the initiative now and offer to examine Master Zhao's injury?

If I can treat it, I'll do it directly. If I can't treat it immediately, I can at least take measures to relieve it somewhat.

But Huang An hesitated, worried that if he volunteered, it might seem too hurried?

What if he was suspected of having ulterior motives, wouldn't all his efforts have been in vain?

After all, to the people at Zhao's Martial Arts School, he was just a stranger with an unknown background.

Huang An's mind was racing, still unable to make a decision, when he noticed the despondent little girl in front of him and the faint sound of sobbing.

Huang An's heart trembled. He suddenly remembered himself, severely ill, and thought of his foster parents who would be distraught after his death, probably more heartbroken than this little girl.

He would do it!

Huang An had made up his mind.

Examining Zhao Le's retreating figure, Huang An, considering his experiences in Zhao's Martial Arts School, finally made up his mind.

I have to save him!

The Zhao sisters can be trusted. Although this little girl is greedy for money, she also has principles in dealing with the world.

Her sister may seem cold, but in terms of principle, she is even stronger than the little girl and can be trusted to some extent.

With his decision made, Huang An stopped in his tracks and spoke up directly.

"Senior Sister Zhao, I have some expertise in external injuries, may I go and take a look at Master Zhao?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Le turned around, looked at Huang An skeptically, and saw that Huang An was serious. She frowned, mumbling something under her breath.

Huang An couldn't hear clearly, and he didn't ask.

After considering for a while, Zhao Le felt helpless, but didn't dare to refuse. She could only nod her head.

"Well, we can talk about your situation with my sister. You should join our school as soon as possible."

Huang An forced a smile, but he forgot that his current appearance was somewhat frightening.

The little girl shivered, quickly turned around and led the way to the courtyard where her father was recuperating.

"Follow me."

After about two minutes, they arrived outside of a courtyard.

There were two disciples guarding the entrance to the courtyard. Both of them looked dispirited. After seeing the little sister bringing a stranger in, they greeted them and let them in.

The courtyard wasn't large, in the middle of which was a long bamboo pole for hanging clothes. There were blood-stained white rags hanging from it.

Huang An's steps faltered for a moment before he continued following Zhao Le.

The wooden door of the room in the courtyard was closed. Zhao Le gently pushed the door open, and both of them went in.

Before Huang An could get a clear look at the situation inside, he suddenly felt his body being lifted off the ground. He had been pulled out of the room.

Huang An tripped on the door sill, staggering, and almost fell to the floor. Before he could straighten up, he heard a grinding his teeth sound by his ear.

"What's this sickly fellow doing here? Get out, get out!"

"Bad luck, bad luck!"

Huang An was bewildered for a moment, not having anticipated such a situation.

Only after raising his head did he get a clear look at the man in front of him. He was a burly man with a heroic face, his temples bulging prominently.

But at this moment, his face was filled with anger, as if he wanted to eat Huang An alive.

The hand gripping his collar was like an iron clamp. Huang An couldn't break free, his mind racing.

"This man must hold a high position in the martial arts school and has probably seen me before. He's probably worried that my severe illness would infect Master Zhao, so he drove me out."

Huang An quickly realized this, and most of his initial anger dissipated. This man was genuinely concerned, after all.

Huang An clung to the man's hand and tried to ease the tension with a smile and some explanation.

"Brother, let go. Although I am seriously ill, I am not infectious."

"Go away, who's your upperclass man?"

The man was none other than the first Senior Brother of the martial arts school, Pang Han.

His mood was complicated at the moment. He was both fearful and indignant. Seeing Huang An now just annoyed him. Did he care to listen to Huang An's explanation?

While the two were struggling, Miss Zhao, dressed in white and with red-rimmed eyes, stepped out from the door. She furrowed her brow and sternly said:

"If you two want to squabble, go outside. Why disturb my father's rest?"

She had intended to explain for her Senior Brother's brusque behavior to Huang An but lost the mood seeing the disturbance they were making.

Taken aback by her words, the men finally stopped making a commotion.

Pang Han shook off the hand holding Huang An's collar, snorted coldly, and, without even taking a glance at Huang An, turned back into the room.

He was still angry.

Huang An was puzzled but didn't care much about it. He bowed apologetically to Miss Zhao, and was quietly taken aback by her grace and beauty.

An exquisite beauty, truly captivating.

However, Huang An was not fervently taken by her looks and didn't stare intently. He only apologized:

"It was my fault!"

Seeing Huang An's respectful attitude and sincere actions, although a bit funny, Miss Zhao, who was feeling wronged, didn't vent her frustrations on him.

She moved lightly to Huang An's side and lowered her voice, solemnly saying:

"I have mentioned about you joining our school. At our Zhao's Martial Arts School, as long as you pay the fee, anyone can join and learn martial arts. To reach your internal organs level, it requires twenty silver taels. But looking at your health, you might not be able to learn everything. You only need to pay fifteen silver taels to join."

Upon hearing this, Huang An was overjoyed, and quickly said:

"I will pay twenty taels and will learn everything."

Seeing his earnest attitude, Miss Zhao did not refuse any further. She decided to wait until Huang An couldn't continue, or had no opportunity left, and then she would refund the extra money.

The two stayed silent for a few breaths. Seeing that Miss Zhao had no intention of letting him in to see the Master, Huang An suddenly forgot for a moment that he had already achieved his goal, he could just leave. But he instinctively spoke up.

"I have some understanding of how to treat external injuries. May I be allowed to examine the Master's injury? If there's a way to treat it, it would be a good thing."

Huang An finished speaking, cursing himself silently. He was getting carried away in his victory, forgetting his objective. He should have been more careful.

But since he had said it, he didn't think about withdrawing his offer. Maybe he could take a look, and then discuss the possibility of treatment after that.