A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

8, Exposure

Of these more than one hundred people, only eight were ultimately selected, including Chu Xuan.

Looking at the eight people, Master Bai put on a gentle smile: "Congratulations on passing the selection and receiving sponsorship from my Bai family! I won't waste any more words; the kitchen has prepared the meal, so please go and eat..."

The teenagers' eyes lit up upon hearing this. After expressing their gratitude, they were led by the waiter to the kitchen for a meal.

Chu Xuan, however, was left behind alone.

Soon, only Chu Xuan, Master Bai, and the gaunt old man remained in the courtyard.

Chu Xuan glanced at the gaunt old man with a somewhat nonchalant expression.

The gaunt old man grinned and chuckled strangely, "Boy, do I have flowers on my face?"

Master Bai smiled enigmatically and said, "No need to look at Steward Zhao anymore, he didn't inform on me! You can rest assured, I didn't expose you back then, and naturally I won't hold it against you later. I kept you around simply because I was a little curious and wanted you to help me clear up some doubts."

Chu Xuan was somewhat surprised; it wasn't them coming to settle scores with him.

He immediately replied, "Please speak, Master Bai. I will tell you everything I know."

"Have you ever had your bones examined before, or do you already know what your physical constitution is like?" Master Bai asked.

Chu Xuan shook his head: "I've never had my bones examined before, and I didn't know what my physical constitution was like until today."

"That's strange!" Master Bai stroked his chin, looking at Chu Xuan curiously. "How did you know about your innate talent before Steward Zhao?"

Chu Xuan remained silent for a moment, but finally told the truth.

"I can't believe it!" Master Bai's eyes lit up upon hearing this, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Interesting! Interesting! This is definitely worth studying!"

The gaunt old man was also taken aback, not expecting that his thoughts had been exposed on his face and seen through by this young upstart, Chu Xuan.

Master Bai said calmly, "You do have some cleverness. However, this is a one-time exception! As for the ten taels of silver, I won't return it to you; consider it a slight punishment for your petty tricks! Do you have any complaints?"

"No! I thank Seventh Master for showing mercy." Chu Xuan shook his head.

Master Bai then smiled with satisfaction: "Let me teach you another lesson! Don't use ordinary people's thinking to judge martial artists, or you'll suffer greatly! The power of martial artists is beyond your current comprehension. Go!"

"yes!"

Chu Xuan was taken aback. Only then did he realize that his supposedly well-hidden tricks were nothing but a joke in the eyes of martial artists.

Is this what a martial artist is like?

He thanked the two of them again before turning and leaving.

After Chu Xuan's figure disappeared, Master Bai looked at the gaunt old man and said, "Manager Zhao, what do you think of this group of people?"

The gaunt old man thought for a moment and said, "Overall, it's not bad. Especially Xu Yuan, who has a Grade B or higher aptitude, becoming a martial artist is almost a certainty, and he can be given special attention. Those with Grade B and Grade C aptitudes also have hope."

"Where is Chu Xuan?" Master Bai asked.

The gaunt old man shook his head: "His physical constitution is somewhat lacking!"

For those who study martial arts, innate talent is a very important criterion, but it doesn't determine everything. If Chu Xuan had been born into a wealthy family like the Bai family, even if his innate talent was somewhat lacking, he could have made up for it with resources and become a martial artist without much difficulty.

Unfortunately, Chu Xuan was just a poor person at the very bottom of society.

The Bai family's financial support is not unlimited!

"Innate talent?" Master Bai smiled noncommittally.

"Seventh Master just gave that lad a word of advice because you think highly of him?" the gaunt old man asked.

"Businessmen are all about planting more flowers and fewer thorns. It's just a matter of a word, beneficial without cost," said Master Bai nonchalantly.

"Then, what are Chu Xuan's funding criteria...?"

"Of course, we'll follow the rules!"

……

evening.

When Chu Xuan came out of Baicaotang, he had changed his clothes. He wore a brown cotton jacket with a front opening, paired with trousers with tapered legs, and brand-new black cloth shoes. A very conspicuous "white" character was also tattooed on his chest.

This outfit was exactly what the Bai family guards were dressed in. Chu Xuan and the others were also given a set as a gift.

Before leaving the house, Chu Xuan made a point of changing into this outfit.

As we left the inner city, it gradually grew dark.

Chu Xuan wasn't nervous this time. The clothes he wore were both a constraint and a form of acceptance and protection.

The Bai family still holds considerable prestige in Qingshan City. As long as they don't leave the outer city, no foolish thief or rogue dares to cause trouble for the Bai family.

As Chu Xuan reached the entrance of the alley, he saw Xie Hui and his group from afar.

No longer content with merely keeping watch from a distance, they brazenly loitered outside the door. One person was peering through the crack in the door, while another was clinging to the wall, trying to climb over.

Xie Hui and two others gathered together, discussing something.

Sensing someone approaching, Xie Hui immediately looked up, his cold eyes sweeping over, issuing a stern warning. When he saw clearly that it was Chu Xuan, dressed in a guard's uniform, and the conspicuous "white" character on his chest, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The other four also stared at the embroidered characters on Chu Xuan's chest, their movements stiff.

Xie Hui squinted at Chu Xuan, his playful smile vanishing.

Chu Xuan looked at him in return, and stopped being polite and evasive.

Neither of them spoke.

"Walk!"

Finally, Xie Hui spoke, then turned and left without looking back.

The others, having lost their former mischievous pleasure in playing cat and mouse, quickly followed Xie Hui and disappeared into the alleyway.

After entering, Chu Xuan did not, as usual, carefully bolt the door and check it several times. Instead, he left the door wide open and strode towards the main room.

inside the house.

The younger sister, Chuhe, was nestled in her mother Zeng Ke's arms. Zeng Ke held a pair of scissors, her eyes fixed on the doorway. Although her body trembled uncontrollably, her gaze was resolute.

"Mother, it's me who's back," Chu Xuan said before entering the house.

Both people inside the room shuddered.

"Brother, you're finally back!"

Chu He rushed out and threw herself into Chu Xuan's arms, her voice trembling with tears, "I almost thought I'd never see you again. Just now, Xie Hui and the others..."

"I know, I know. It's okay now..."

Chu Xuan patted Chu He's back and comforted her softly.

After a while, the little girl finally let go of Chu Xuan, her eyes immediately falling on his clothes: "Oh, brother, your clothes. You..."

"That's right!"

Chu Xuan smiled and nodded, "I've already received sponsorship from the Bai family, and I can start learning martial arts at the martial arts school tomorrow!"

"Very good!"

The little girl immediately went wild, jumping and skipping, then ran over and grabbed Zeng Ke's arm, shaking it. "Mom, did you hear that? My brother has been chosen by the Bai family and can go learn martial arts! We won't have to be afraid of Xie Hui anymore!"

"Okay, okay!"

Zeng Ke nodded with a smile, but as she smiled, tears welled up in her eyes.

Chu He was initially excited, but seeing her mother cry, she started crying too. The mother and daughter hugged each other and wept bitterly.

Chu Xuan felt his eyes inexplicably sting and quickly turned his head to the side.

By dinner time, Chu He had regained her usual liveliness. In addition, Chu Xuan stewed the pig intestines he had cleaned the day before with the meat his aunt had brought, which made the little girl very happy.

When it was time to sleep, the usually well-behaved and sensible little girl even acted spoiled for once, asking Chu Xuan to tell her a story to lull her to sleep.

Chu Xuan readily agreed, but after only a short while, Chu He fell into a deep, infant-like sleep. Her hands, however, remained tightly gripping Chu Xuan's arm. In her sleep, she would occasionally mutter things like "I want to learn martial arts too" and "Kill Xie Hui," her body trembling slightly from time to time.

Clearly, the fright she had experienced over the past few days had left her with considerable psychological trauma.

Chu Xuan didn't say anything. Of course, the matter wouldn't end there. Xie Hui and the others' names were already on his little notebook!

"Xuan'er, you've suffered these past few days."

The mother looked at Chu Xuan with heartache.

Since recovering from his illness, Chu Xuan has been like a spinning top, never stopping for a moment.

She didn't know how much Chu Xuan had done outside, but she knew how difficult it was to earn twenty-five taels of silver in half a year in Qingshan City. Especially for a young boy.

She saw it all, but she didn't say anything.

"Mom, I'm fine." Chu Xuan smiled. "Besides, it's all in the past! From now on, our family will only get better and better!"

Zeng Ke nodded and handed him a money pouch: "You'll need a lot of money for your martial arts training, so take this. I'm here at home, so don't worry about it."

"Mother, I have money," Chu Xuan refused.

"I'm so happy that you're making money. But this is my gift to you, and you must accept it," Zeng Ke insisted.

After hesitating for a moment, Chu Xuan finally accepted the money pouch: "Alright, I'll take it. Thank you, Mother!"

Then, Zeng Ke went on and on, repeatedly reminding him to be kind to others at the martial arts school and not to be reckless or get into conflicts. Chu Xuan took note of everything.

Back in his room, lying on his bed, Chu Xuan looked out at the dim moonlight but found it hard to fall asleep.

"Finally... things have settled down for now..."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

The Bai family is far superior to the dye shop owner, Mr. Wu. With this powerful backing, Xie Hui wouldn't dare to target them again anytime soon.

"It's just borrowed momentum! In the end, this world still comes down to strength!"

He became secretly alert, and the next moment, he opened the panel.

[Energy Value: 9]

"It's been upgraded!"

Chu Xuan sat up excitedly, "After a month of saving up, I've finally improved!"

Although his natural talent was lacking, placing him at the bottom among the eight chosen by the Bai family, his attribute panel gave him great anticipation for his upcoming martial arts training.