"The Iron Saber Gang congratulates Hall Master Xue on accepting a cherished disciple!"

"Flying Eagle Castle congratulates Hall Master Xue on gaining a cherished disciple!"

The full-throated shouts of men echoed outside the Martial Arts Hall. Upon seeing people from the two great powers arrive, the crowd of astonished well-wishers parted to clear a path.

Bai Yuan looked on with surprise at the disciples of the Iron Saber Gang and Flying Eagle Castle who were now lining the path on both sides.

’It seemed even Senior Brother Chu Yuan hadn’t received this kind of treatment back in the day.’

From within the crowd, Han Tie, the Vice Gang Leader of the Iron Saber Gang, stepped forward.

"So this is Nephew Bai?"

His eyes, like a viper’s, swept up and down Bai Yuan’s body, as if trying to see right through him.

Bai Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. ’This Vice Gang Leader clearly wasn’t here just to offer congratulations.’

’His fame is gradually spreading, bringing him to the attention of Qinghe County’s highest echelons. His past must have been thoroughly investigated by now.’

’It’s highly likely Han Tie has grown suspicious and connected me to the Tiger-Crane Style.’

’I was once a Hunter in Baisha Town, and the bearded man died on a mountain near Baisha Town. It would be hard for Han Tie not to be suspicious.’

Chu Yuan, who had been standing beside Bai Yuan all along, took a step forward, shielding Bai Yuan behind him.

"Vice Leader Han, for you to come in person truly honors us. Please, come inside."

He and Han Tie were both Yijin Martial Masters, so he was not the least bit afraid of the other man.

Han Tie suddenly smiled.

"Nephew Chu, the Huwei Arts Hall is truly a place of outstanding people. To produce two prodigies in a row... congratulations."

"You flatter us, Vice Leader Han."

With that, Han Tie led the disciples of the Iron Saber Gang into the main hall.

In contrast, the elder from Flying Eagle Castle was much more cordial.

"Nephew Bai, this old man has come to offer congratulations on behalf of Lord Ji."

Bai Yuan smiled warmly, but inwardly he was puzzled. ’I don’t think I know this Lord Ji.’

’Although Chu Yuan had sent an invitation to Flying Eagle Castle, their willingness to attend was still unexpected.’

’Come to think of it, because of Zhu Huan, there might even be some bad blood between me and their Sixth Young Master.’

But today, all who came were guests. He enthusiastically led the members of Flying Eagle Castle into the main hall.

...

Loyalty Hall was already packed to the brim.

The top powers of Qinghe County were all gathered in one hall.

Looking at this scene, Old Xue couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.

’A disciple of mine, Old Xue, is second to none!’

’This level of pomp and ceremony is in no way inferior to that for the most outstanding disciples of the three great powers.’

’Flying Eagle Castle, the Iron Saber Gang, the County Magistrate’s Office... Aside from the Liu Family, all the major powers in the city have gathered. A spectacle like this hasn’t been seen in ten years.’

"Thank you all for coming to show your support today."

Old Xue stood up and cupped his fist to the crowd in thanks—a courtesy of the Jianghu.

After that came the apprenticeship ceremony.

In this world, when a Martial Artist takes a master, they generally perform three kowtows to show respect to Emperor Xuanyang. Only the current Holy Emperor and the ethereal, mythical gods were worthy of the grand ceremony of nine kowtows.

Bai Yuan meticulously performed the kowtows, then took a cup of hot tea from Chu Yuan’s hands and presented it to Old Xue.

Old Xue took the teacup with satisfaction and took a sip.

"Good disciple, you may rise."

At his words, Bai Yuan finally rose and stood respectfully by Old Xue’s side.

During the ceremony, Vice Leader Han of the Iron Saber Gang stared at Bai Yuan without blinking, not bothering to conceal his scrutiny at all.

Old Xue, seated in the most honored position, naturally saw all of this. He couldn’t help but wonder,

’Why is Han Tie so fixated on my disciple?’

’Bai Yuan shouldn’t have had any dealings with the Iron Saber Gang.’

Although Old Xue was suspicious, he didn’t act on it, instead observing Han Tie covertly.

Fortunately, the Iron Saber Gang made no move by the time the ceremony ended, and he was finally able to relax.

The grand and solemn apprenticeship ceremony finally concluded between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

After everyone had departed, only Old Xue and Bai Yuan remained in Loyalty Hall.

Old Xue looked at his new closed-door disciple.

"What exactly is the grudge between you and the Iron Saber Gang?"

"I once killed someone."

After some consideration, Bai Yuan ultimately decided to reveal some of the truth to Old Xue.

"You killed someone?"

"The Iron Saber Gang once put a bounty on a bearded man. I happened upon him while hunting in the mountains. He was already heavily injured, and I shot him dead with an arrow."

Old Xue’s expression grew thoughtful.

He did have some recollection of that bounty. Two years ago, the Iron Saber Gang, Flying Eagle Castle, and the Liu Family had suddenly joined forces to hunt down a Martial Artist, who was said to be connected to the Divine Mansion Sect.

Although Old Xue had once been a Strong Organ Pass Martial Artist himself, his realm had ultimately fallen, so he didn’t know the full truth of the matter.

’To think that the man hunted by the three great powers had actually died at the hands of my own disciple.’

"Alright, I understand."

Old Xue didn’t press for more details.

’No matter why the Iron Saber Gang has their eyes on Bai Yuan, I’ll do everything in my power to protect him. Knowing this much is enough.’

Seeing that Old Xue didn’t press further, Bai Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

’Old Xue treats me well. I really don’t want to deceive him.’

’But the Tiger-Crane Style is connected to the Divine Mansion Sect. If I tell Old Xue, I’m afraid the entire Huwei Arts Hall will be implicated.’

’If an expert from the Divine Mansion Sect targets us, forget the mere Huwei Arts Hall—even the Iron Saber Gang would be wiped out.’

Just as Bai Yuan was preparing to leave, Old Xue called him to a halt.

"The Divine Mansion Sect will be sending people soon. If they follow the precedent of previous years, Qinghe County should have eleven spots."

"I have two recommendation slots. One is for you, and the other is for Chu Yuan. As for whether or not you’ll be favored by the Divine Mansion Sect’s envoy, that will depend on your own fortune."

Old Xue spoke with a serious expression.

Bai Yuan nodded heavily. There was no need to be modest about this matter.

Even with his secret advantage, the thought of competing on the same stage as a long-famous Yijin Martial Master like Chu Yuan still put him under considerable pressure.

"Master, I will do my best."

"Just do your best. There’s no need to force it."

Old Xue waved his hand, looking somewhat weary.

He had run the Martial Arts Hall in Qinghe County for forty years and had been through the Divine Mansion Sect’s recruitment many times.

The Divine Mansion Sect was extremely capricious in its recruitment, never following common sense. High talent didn’t guarantee acceptance. There was even one time an envoy chose a disciple simply because he found the disciple’s appearance "pleasing to the eye," and just like that, the disciple became a member of the Divine Mansion Sect.

There was no logic to it at all.

Old Xue hoped both his disciples could enter the Divine Mansion Sect.

But if they couldn’t, it didn’t matter. The legacy of the Black Sha lineage wasn’t necessarily much weaker.

...

Bai Yuan left the Huwei Arts Hall and walked straight out of the city, heading toward Baisha Town.

By the time he returned to the town, few houses still had candles lit.

When he pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard, the light in the east wing was still on. Xiao Qiaoniang’s silhouette was cast upon the window paper, flickering with the flame.

Xiao Qiaoniang heard the noise at the gate and came out of the room.

"Brother Yuan, you’re back."

"Mm."

Bai Yuan hummed softly in reply.

He and Xiao Qiaoniang sat on the edge of the bed and spoke intimately for a while before blowing out the candle.

A short while later, cries for mercy began to sound from the east wing.

But this time, there was no one eavesdropping from the corner of the wall. The people from the Zhu Family had quietly withdrawn at some unknown time.