Yang Dongxiong did not live at the martial hall; he usually resided in a finer courtyard residence in town, roughly one li away from the hall.
Liang Qu had not idled along the way. He had borrowed three taels of silver from Xiang Changsong, intending to browse the shops first and purchase some apprenticeship gifts. After all, one had to understand basic social courtesy.
Yet after browsing all along the street, he found no particularly good options.
Three taels of silver was certainly enough to live on for quite some time, but when it came to choosing an apprenticeship gift, it proved rather tight.
In the end, he could only buy some pastries and strips of dried meat.
The dried meat was essential; this world also observed the tradition of shuxiu offerings.
"Junior Brother Liang, there was really no need for this. Master Yang doesn't care about such things," Xiang Changsong said.
"Senior Brother Xiang, Master may not care, but a disciple cannot lack the courtesy."
Xiang Changsong scratched his head. "Junior Brother Liang is truly thoughtful."
Had he brought a gift back then?
He had sort of forgotten...
"What an imposing residence."
The Yang Manor was enormous, visible from a hundred paces away. With its towering gates and sprawling courtyards, the plaque above the entrance bore the two characters "Yang Manor" written in sweeping, vigorous strokes.
Behind the residence lay a small lake, with a pavilion sitting in its center, surrounded by withered seedpods and shores lined with trees—a picturesque sight.
Drawing closer, ripples could be seen across the lake's surface. Yet there was no wind today; an underground river must run beneath it, almost certainly connected to the Jianghuai Zeye Marsh.
Liang Qu recalled Li Libo mentioning earlier that Master Yang had once served in the military before coming to Pingyang Town to teach boxing. If that were true, the rank he once held had certainly not been low.
In the main hall, seated in the seat of honor to the left, was Yang Dongxiong. His hair was completely white, and though he was not particularly tall, his aura was overwhelming, his eyes bright and piercing.
To Master Yang's right sat his wife, Madam Xu. Perhaps because she had never practiced martial arts, she looked even older than Yang Dongxiong.
Lining the two flanks of the hall were seven other disciples. Xiang Changsong was the youngest, standing at the very bottom right.
By rights there should have been one more, but Liang Qu had not seen that person since the previous evening; perhaps they had business outside Pingyang Town.
A kneeling cushion rested in the middle of the hall. Without hesitation, Liang Qu stepped forward and dropped to both knees.
"Liang Qu, you know how to repay kindness, you possess extraordinary courage, and you are diligent and steadfast in character. I wish to take you as my disciple. Are you willing?"
Yang Dongxiong's voice was deep and resonant. A single night had been more than enough for him to thoroughly investigate Liang Qu's past.
Everything Xiang Changsong had said had proved true, so there was naturally no reason to back out.
Moreover, Liang Qu reminded him very much of how he had been in his own youth.
"Disciple is willing."
"Entering my sect, you must maintain an open and modest mind, be humble and eager to learn, revere your teachers and honor the Way, practice filial piety at home and brotherly respect abroad. You must never harm your fellow disciples, disobey your elders or lack filial respect, nor commit evil or bully the weak. Do you remember this?"
"Disciple will remember it with all his heart."
"Then repeat it back to me."
"Maintain an open and modest mind, be humble and eager to learn, revere teachers and honor the Way, practice filial piety at home and brotherly respect abroad. Never harm fellow disciples, disobey elders or lack filial respect, nor commit evil or bully the weak."
A faint bead of sweat formed on Liang Qu's forehead. Having to repeat it on the spot was truly nerve-racking.
Oral recitation was far harder to remember than the written word; if not for his foundation from his past life, he might not have been able to recall it so accurately.
He wondered curiously whether any of his senior martial brothers or sisters had stumbled at this step.
Yang Dongxiong's face showed satisfaction. "Good! Bring the tea."
A maidservant who had been waiting for some time brought forward a lacquer tray, presenting the ceremonial tea for honoring the master.
"Offer this cup of tea to honor your master, and the rites of master and disciple shall be complete. From this day forward, you are the ninth disciple of Yang Dongxiong!"
Hearing this, Liang Qu respectfully took the porcelain bowl, raised his torso slightly, bowed his head, and held the cup level with both hands to offer it up.
Yang Dongxiong took it with both hands, lifted the lid, and drained it in a single draught.
Then Yang Dongxiong rose and helped Liang Qu to his feet.
With this, the two had formally become master and disciple.
At this moment, Liang Qu finally let his heart settle, emotions surging like a tide within him.
Nothing from last night had been a dream!
He was no longer a rustic fisherman without origins or backing, but the ninth disciple of Yang Dongxiong!
Who would dare bully him now?
Having served the tea, Liang Qu presented his apprenticeship gifts. "Disciple's means are modest, so I could only purchase some pastries and dried meat. I hope Master will not take offense."
Xiang Changsong quickly stepped forward to add, "Master, Junior Brother Liang was truly sincere. In order to present gifts, he even borrowed silver from me. When I told him you didn't care about such things, he said, 'Master may not care, but a disciple cannot lack the courtesy.'"
"What a fine young man," praised Madam Xu beside Master Yang.
Yang Dongxiong let out a hearty laugh, clapping Liang Qu on the shoulder and uttering several praise-filled "Good"s in a row.
Having such consideration was commendable in itself. For an uneducated fisherman to think of this was even rarer, showing that Liang Qu was both sharp and dutiful.
Yet after laughing, Yang Dongxiong composed his expression. "That you have this heart pleases your master greatly, but I do not wish for this to become a burden to you. I investigated your background last night—do not blame me for being overly cautious, for taking a disciple is a grave matter..."
"Disciple understands," Liang Qu nodded quickly.
Theirs was not the casual paid relationship between an instructor and a student at the martial hall; they were a true master and personal disciple, akin to a surrogate father and son. How could one not be cautious?
"It is well that you understand. Thus, knowing you are an orphan and that life has not been easy—Nandi!"
Yang Dongxiong extended his right hand. The maidservant who had brought the tea stepped forward again, placing a pouch of money and a reddish-black wooden waist tablet into his hands.
Taking them, Yang Dongxiong handed both items to Liang Qu.
The waist tablet felt heavy in his grasp. Carved from an unfamiliar kind of wood, it was rectangular with a rounded top and a hole through which a cord could be tied. The intricate carvings were exquisitely crafted, and it sat comfortably in the palm.
Turning it over, one side bore his name, while the reverse featured the character "Yang" occupying most of the surface, with smaller characters below. All the characters were carved in relief—the surrounding wood had been chiseled away, leaving a raised border around the edges to guard against wear over time.
The tablet had likely been prepared beforehand, with his name carved overnight; such fine workmanship could never have been produced from scratch in a single night, Liang Qu thought.
"This waist tablet is proof of your identity. Ordinary officials will not make trouble for you if they see it, and purchasing medicine at the town's Changchun Medical Clinic will cost you half price.
"Inside this pouch is ten taels of silver for you to buy some necessities. Do not think it meager. Ten taels is not much, but I fear you might develop a habit of loving ease and loathing work, which is why I can only give you ten taels."
People change, and the human heart changes even more easily.
Examples of those who were diligent in youth only to become gluttonous and slothful in old age were everywhere; temperament was cultivated little by little.
Yang Dongxiong did not want Liang Qu to lose his drive and ruin his character. While he would provide some resources for studying martial arts, Liang Qu would still have to earn most of them himself; life could not be made entirely effortless.
"Thank you, Master!"
Liang Qu felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
A master indeed—truly like a surrogate father.
Even so, Master Yang had vastly overestimated his wealth by saying he was "only" giving ten taels.
Please! Ten taels was an enormous sum of money that he hadn't even laid eyes on in this lifetime!
Up until now, Liang Qu's highest record of savings had been the nine taels and three qian before starting his martial arts training, and right now he had only a dozen or so copper coins left on him.
Truly, people lived in entirely different worlds.
"Since Master has given his gifts, we senior brothers cannot be stingy either. We prepared our welcoming gifts last night, though we aren't sure if Junior Brother will like them."
A tall man stepped forward. He had a square face, though his complexion was somewhat dark, making him look like a farmer.
According to Xiang Changsong's introduction, this man was Yang Dongxiong's second disciple, Yu Dun.
"That's right, we prepared gifts as well."
"Me too."
"Of course we do!"
The group of senior martial brothers chimed in one after another, each having prepared a welcoming gift for their new junior brother.
Chapter 38