Chu Lingguang poured out the silver taels.
He recalled how Zhang Da had prepared a gift for him that morning, saving him from embarrassment in front of the guests and effectively preventing any displeasure from Guo Wei.
So he returned home, scraped clean the bowl of oil his Second Aunt had sent, and scalded the bowl with boiling water. The next morning, Chu Lingguang took the bowl and went to his Second Aunt's house.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
His Second Aunt's family was still fast asleep.
Chu Lingguang didn't wake them. He placed one silver tael and three large copper coins inside the bowl, set it down in the kitchen, and then covered it with a rag.
Only then did he quietly leave and head for the Martial Arts Hall.
A short while later, the sounds of crowing roosters and barking dogs filled the air.
Zhang Da and Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family got up at the same time.
One of them had to go to work at the tile factory, and the other had to go to the Martial Arts Hall to do laundry and clean. Whenever the roosters crowed and dogs barked, they would invariably get up to boil water, wash up, and cook.
Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family groggily went to the kitchen to get busy. After lighting the fire and scrubbing the pot, she noticed a bowl on the stove covered by a rag. At first, she thought one of the children had forgotten to wash it yesterday and was about to toss it into the washbasin. Hearing a CLINK, she lifted the rag and discovered one silver tael and three large copper coins inside.
"Zhang Da, come look at this!"
Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family cried out.
"What are you shouting about?"
Zhang Da was brushing his teeth with a willow twig. He came closer and saw the silver in Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family's hand, his expression a mix of delight and accusation. "Woman, I knew you were hiding a private stash! You've finally decided to take it out today."
"You fool, this is from Lin Guang."
Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family dodged Zhang Da's outstretched hand and rolled her eyes.
"From Lin Guang? How do you know?"
Zhang Da was skeptical.
"A while ago, I used this bowl to bring him some oil. Just like today, I placed it in his kitchen early in the morning before the sky was light."
Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family explained.
"Where did he get the silver?"
Zhang Da was puzzled.
"He became Master Guo's disciple yesterday. Master Guo is a reasonable man; this silver must be a gift from him for the apprenticeship ceremony."
said Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family.
She was also at the Martial Arts Hall yesterday, but as a servant, she could only help in the back kitchen. After the guests had left and she had helped clean up, the Guo Family rewarded her with some food and wine. She had hurried home to share it with her children, so she hadn't seen Chu Lingguang at all that day.
"So what do we do with this silver?"
Zhang Da was in a bind. Normally, he would have just accepted it, but now Chu Lingguang was Guo Wei's disciple. In the future, he might even pass the examinations to become a Martial Scholar and serve as a Chief Constable in the yamen.
Whether to accept the silver, and what to do with it if they did, were both problems.
"You blockhead. Weren't you quite clever the night before last?"
Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family teased.
"Why don't we upgrade the fabric for the clothes we were going to give him? We can use this money for those two outfits."
Zhang Da suggested after a moment of thought.
Hearing this, Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family shook her head. "Lin Guang sent so much silver mainly because he's grateful you stayed up the night before last to prepare a gift for him. Didn't you see the gifts Hei Hu's family sent? They filled an entire large table. I had to make several trips just to help move them into Master Guo's room yesterday."
"He's grateful you saved him from embarrassment, and he's also concerned about our difficult lives. If we spend all the silver he gave us on clothes for him, it would put him in an awkward position. He might mistakenly think we want him to be indebted to us, expecting something in return later on."
Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family analyzed.
"Your brain's finally had an Enlightenment, woman."
Zhang Da felt his wife was right.
"Guang'Er is different now. From now on, we have to be mindful in our interactions with him. We can't just carelessly exhaust this familial bond."
Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family reminded him.
Looking at the silver in her hand, she added, "Let's use this money to buy new clothes for the children and some things for the house. In a few days, I'll ask him over for a meal. That way, he can see how we've used the money and won't get the wrong idea."
"Alright, but don't forget to send him a pot of lard."
Zhang Da added his own suggestion.
Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family nodded. She had often given Chu Lingguang lard before. It used to be a bowl, and now it would be a pot; it was a natural progression that wouldn't make Chu Lingguang overthink it.
Chu Lingguang arrived at the Martial Arts Hall.
A line of text appeared before his eyes.
(Repaid Favor to Zhang Da, received 21 Favor Points.)
'This… So I can get Favor Points both by making people owe me Favors and by repaying Favors?'
"Hahaha, this is fantastic!"
It was an unexpected discovery for Chu Lingguang.
He hadn't thought that repaying Favors could also grant Favor Points. His hopes of passing the examination to become a Martial Arts Scholar were now a little brighter.
"Good morning, Senior Brother!"
Upon entering the Martial Arts Hall, both new and old students took the initiative to greet Chu Lingguang.
Chu Lingguang had never received such treatment before. Every time he came to the Martial Arts Hall to practice, he was ignored. He had gotten used to practicing in a corner, avoiding interaction with others.
Everyone was acting this way simply because his status had changed.
"Good morning, everyone."
Chu Lingguang responded politely, without a hint of arrogance. He waited for Hei Hu in the front courtyard for a while, and then they went to the rear courtyard together to pay their respects to Guo Wei.
In a year, this was the first time Chu Lingguang had ever entered the rear courtyard.
He discovered that the rear courtyard was fully equipped with all kinds of training apparatus.
The Stone Locks alone ranged in weight from twenty to five hundred jin. All eighteen types of traditional weapons—sabers, spears, staffs, and clubs—were available, and there was even an archery range for practicing Archery.
Normally, Guo Wei taught his students in the front courtyard and the Inner Courtyard.
He only used the rear courtyard when instructing his personal disciples. Students were not allowed to enter the rear courtyard without permission. Trespassers would be thrown out of the Martial Arts Hall immediately, and if they happened to see Guo Wei's teaching methods, they would have their hamstrings and tendons cut.
"Master, your disciple pays his respects!"
Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu saw that Guo Wei was already waiting for them in the rear courtyard. He stood ramrod straight in the middle of the yard like a javelin, his eyes closed.
The two of them had a bad feeling.
It was always the disciple who waited for the master, never the master who waited for the disciple.
But Chu Lingguang felt he had arrived early enough; he never expected to still make Guo Wei wait for him in the courtyard.
Guo Wei said nothing.
His chest rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern, and a DRONING sound like a bellows came from his nostrils.
"Master is performing his Breathing and Exhaling. Let's not disturb him."
Hei Hu whispered.
Chu Lingguang nodded. He could also tell that Guo Wei was practicing his Breathing and Exhaling. He mentally compared Guo Wei's breathing method with his own Basic Breathing Technique.
He found that Guo Wei's breathing method was not only louder but also had a much more complex rhythm. He couldn't yet determine whose Breathing Technique was better for cultivation.
"PFFT!"
Suddenly, Guo Wei took a sharp breath in. When his chest had expanded to its absolute limit, he opened his mouth and, with a shout, expelled a stream of white vapor.
The blast of white vapor made the leaves of a Guihua tree by the courtyard wall RUSTLE loudly.
Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu were stunned.
Both had heard of the ability to kill a man by exhaling. Although Guo Wei's breath didn't possess such power, it made them believe that it was possible for someone to cultivate to that level.
"Using all your strength, lift every Stone Lock once."
Guo Wei commanded.
His voice was like thunder, as if a current of internal energy was circulating in his chest, making the two disciples' ears RUMBLE.
Chu Lingguang was now certain that Guo Wei's Breathing Technique was far superior to his Basic Breathing Technique.