"Someone from the Wu family," Qiao Zhi chuckled. "Wu Siqi, a Grand Academician in the current Grand Secretariat. He's also an absolute powerhouse who entered the Dao through martial arts, and his ancestral home is right here in Qingyang County. The Wu family children here in Qingyang County all hire formidable masters to study martial arts at home. They don't come to Yinglue Academy at all."
Chu Qiguang knew that the Grand Secretariat of the Great Han Dynasty was the central hub of imperial administration, capable even of checking imperial power to a certain degree. There were as few as two or three Grand Academicians, or as many as six or seven, and they determined the policies of the empire.
"Wu Siqi?" Chu Qiguang said. "And he entered the Dao through martial arts? Quite a formidable man indeed."
To his surprise, Qiao Zhi dropped another bombshell. "What matters most is that although Wu Siqi is currently only a Grand Academician, the present Senior Grand Secretary has to return to his ancestral home in two months for filial mourning. Wu Siqi is going to become the new Senior Grand Secretary."
Chu Qiguang knew that the Great Han Dynasty ruled through filial piety. When an official's parent passed away, they were required to return home for three years of mourning.
And the Senior Grand Secretary was the premier minister of the Grand Secretariat, presiding over supreme state affairs and wielding authority over the Six Ministries. Equivalent to the prime minister of the dynasty, he truly stood beneath one person and above ten thousand.
Hearing that Wu Siqi would become the new Senior Grand Secretary in two months, Chu Qiguang's eyes instantly lit up. "Then I need to find an opportunity to visit the Wu family and get acquainted with them."
Qiao Zhi curled his lip. "You want to latch onto their coattails?"
Chu Qiguang replied, "Coattails or not don't matter. Mainly, I just like making friends with people surnamed Wu."
Then he thought to himself, 'That Right Censor-in-Chief from the Hao family who governed Dianzhou—that's basically equivalent to being commander of the Dianzhou military district, isn't it?'
He turned to Qiao Zhi and said, "A viceroy, a Vice Minister of War, and now even a Senior Grand Secretary is emerging. Just what kind of remarkably blessed place is this Qingyang County?"
Qiao Zhi chuckled and said, "The feng shui of Qingyang County really is extraordinary. High officials have come from here regularly since the founding of the dynasty, and now it has even produced immortal seeds like you and me. How could it not be remarkable?"
Chu Qiguang nodded at his words, saying with profound conviction, "Now that Qingyang County has produced two such luminaries as the Sleeping Dragon and the Young Phoenix in the two of us, the world is truly blessed."
Qiao Zhi asked in confusion, "What's a Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix?"
Chu Qiguang sighed. Master Qiao was formidable, but an entire world still separated them.
Suddenly, Chu Qiguang's gaze focused as another thought struck him.
'The new county magistrate in Qingyang County wants to collect back taxes, and I hear he even plans to survey the farmland. But since Qingyang County is Grand Academician Wu Siqi's ancestral home, who would dare stir up trouble like this? Could this move be aimed right at Elder Wu?'
'Is this a struggle from the imperial court spilling over into the local government?'
In an instant, Chu Qiguang sensed terrifying undercurrents surging beneath Qingyang County's calm surface.
At this moment, Chu Qiguang also understood why the Wang household still dared to conceal land and refuse to cooperate with the magistrate. They clearly believed the Wu family could withstand whatever the new county magistrate did.
Wang Cailiang suddenly walked over from the side, tugging Chu Qiguang as he squeezed through the crowd. "Brother Chu, let me introduce you to someone. He's a good older brother I took on in the county seat. With him watching our backs, you can swagger anywhere in this county from now on."
"He's already broken through to the fourth realm of martial arts this year, making him even stronger than the academy's masters. Everyone says that this year, he won't just pass to become a wusheng—he'll go straight on to pass as a martial juren! He only shows up at Yinglue Academy each day to sign the register before leaving. Let's hurry over to see him."
With that, Wang Cailiang had already led Chu Qiguang before Ding Daoxiao, addressing him with a deferential expression. "Big Brother Ding."
"You are...?" Ding Daoxiao froze for a moment, his brow furrowing. "...A new student at the academy?"
Wang Cailiang said somewhat awkwardly, "Big Brother Ding, you don't remember me? I'm Little Wang! We drank together at Sixi Hall."
"Little Wang?" Ding Daoxiao blinked. A moment later, as if realizing, he said, "Ohhh, Little Wang! Long time no see. How is your father's fabric workshop doing?"
Wang Cailiang lowered his head in embarrassment, murmuring softly, "Not bad."
Ding Daoxiao swept a glance over Chu Qiguang. Although Chu Qiguang was wearing his newly purchased silk robe today, in Ding Daoxiao's eyes, a garment worth a mere one tael and two qian was practically no different from wearing nothing at all—it labeled him as a commoner.
Ding Daoxiao smiled faintly and said, "This must be another new student, yes? Quite a fine-looking youth indeed. Now that you're at the academy, study your literature and practice your martial arts well so that we may serve the imperial court together in the future. If you run into any trouble in the county, feel free to find me. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."
With that, he gave each of their shoulders an encouraging pat and walked away with a smile.
Wang Cailiang was thoroughly mortified, having no idea what to say to Chu Qiguang. Chu Qiguang, on the other hand, wore an indifferent expression, not showing the slightest reaction on his face.
Next, the students entered the Martial Branch in separate batches to train. Once training time arrived, all of them shed their earlier relaxed demeanor, their expressions turning solemn and their attitudes earnest.
Because Chu Qiguang and Wang Cailiang were only in the first stage of martial arts, they were naturally assigned to the Outer Branch.
The Outer Branch had the most people among the three branches, numbering nearly thirty. Most were rural landed gentry like Wang Cailiang, along with a few sons of merchants.
Chu Qiguang and Wang Cailiang followed the crowd to the Outer Branch. The first thing they saw was a massive martial training ground.
On the training ground stood various training implements such as sabers, spears, staves, clubs, stone locks, and stone blocks. Wing rooms, study halls, and covered corridors flanked both sides.
The moment everyone entered the training ground, all conversation ceased. Each person began practicing in earnest. The vast training ground fell quiet, filled only with the whooshing of strikes through the air, the thudding of footsteps, and the clatter of impacts.
Even these academic underachievers of the Outer Branch trained in martial arts quite seriously; otherwise, their families would never have sent them here in the first place.
Wang Cailiang looked at the people on the training ground and sighed. "Brother Chu, we'll be spending the next two or three years here."
Chu Qiguang shook his head and said frankly, "I'll be staying here for a month at most. After a month, I'm entering the Inner Branch."
Right at that moment, a cough sounded from behind them. An Outer Branch instructor walked over, his face stern as he looked at Chu Qiguang. "In the cultivation of martial arts, complacency is the greatest danger. You've only just entered Yinglue Academy. Your foremost task is to build a solid foundation; you must never aim too high too soon."
Chu Qiguang knew the man had the students' best interests at heart, so he immediately nodded and accepted the instruction.
"You're the newcomers, Wang Cailiang and Chu Qiguang?" the instructor said. "Whatever martial arts you've practiced, demonstrate them all for me to see."
From Wang Cailiang's earlier introduction, Chu Qiguang knew this was likely the Outer Branch master and instructor, Lin Yao.
He and Wang Cailiang demonstrated their martial arts together. However, the Yaksha King Fist Chu Qiguang practiced was military martial arts and would invite complications if revealed, so he only performed a set of Heavenly Spirit Body Tempering Fist.
After they finished demonstrating, Lin Yao asked them a few questions regarding their age, how long they had practiced martial arts, their family backgrounds, and the like. Upon hearing that Chu Qiguang had practiced martial arts for three years and came merely from a farming household in Wang Family Village, his attitude cooled considerably.
After all, Chu Qiguang's status did not even qualify as a humble scholar family; he was the poorest of commoners. In Lin Yao's eyes, it was utterly impossible for someone like him to have the means or qualifications to sit for the martial examinations in the future.
Wang Cailiang, on the other hand, was at least a rural wealthy scion, making him comparatively more worthwhile to invest in.
Chapter 40