It was just dawn, and the forging shop was already bustling.
Li Yuan arrived very early, and when passing by the martial arts arena, he met a dozen apprentices from various schools, and there were actually some unfamiliar faces among them.
"I have seen more than sixty apprentices in all nine yards of the blacksmithing shop. Which ones are they?"
Li Yuan glanced at the unfamiliar faces out of the corner of his eye and paused for a moment on one of them.
Among the group of apprentices wrapped in coarse linen and cotton-padded clothes, he was the only one wearing a fox fur cloak. He couldn't help but notice it.
"Wang Gong, the third son of the third shopkeeper Wang Ding? Isn't he also here to take the assessment?"
Listening to the slight discussion, Li Yuan's heart moved slightly.
"Hurry up!"
Before entering the middle courtyard, Li Yuan smelled the smell of meat. In the middle courtyard, Liu Qing and other apprentices were sweating profusely under the shouts of Fatty Sun.
"Good guy, I've spent all my money!"
When Li Yuan raised his eyes, he saw three large pots of meat and vegetables stewed in the room. They were really too rich.
"This is a treatment only available on the day of the inner court examination. In previous years, it was once every three years, and from now on it will be once a year."
Fatty Sun opened the curtain of Xiaozao and walked out with a straight face.
"For this meal, the apprentices have to come too."
Li Yuan had just eaten, but now he was hungry again. He picked up a big bone with his chopsticks and started to chew it. This was how the kitchen helper was treated.
The other apprentices who were sweating profusely started to pay attention.
"Those guys are not here to make a living."
Fatty Sun pursed his lips. Through the door of the middle courtyard, Li Yuan saw several young men and women who were obviously dressed differently from all the apprentices walking up to Wang Gong and seemed to be chatting.
These young men and women are almost as old as the apprentices beside them, but standing together, they are like a dividing line between the two worlds, which is very eye-catching.
"Wang Gong, the third son of the third shopkeeper, Zhao Xiaoming, the youngest daughter of leader Zhao, and the others were temporarily brought in by several companies from the inner city. Fortunately, they won't occupy your quota."
Playing special moves, right?
Li Yuan shrugged and asked:
"What's bad?"
"Bad... also really bad."
Fatty Sun's face became very disgusting and ugly: "What a ghost, the third item in this year's inner court assessment is actually bone touching..."
"Feel the bones?"
Li Yuan frowned slightly: "What about previous years?"
"In previous years, the three items were pile skills, hammering skills, and strength. Why do you ask for bones this year?"
Fatty Sun had a sullen look on his face. The boy in front of him was not very good at all.
"Gen Gu?"
Recalling Qin Xiong's attitude, Li Yuan was thoughtful.
There must be a deep-seated reason behind any sudden change, but it's a pity that Fatty Sun doesn't seem to know...
"If there is any real requirement for this..."
Before Li Yuan spoke, Fatty Sun could no longer stand. He picked up the food box and walked to the backyard, worried:
"You stay here and take care of me, I'll go find... someone to ask..."
Gengu, how to touch it?
Li Yuan shook his head inwardly, but did not panic. He took care of the three large pots and took the time to make himself a bowl. When Fatty Sun came back, he was full.
"Stop eating it!"
Fatty Sun's face turned a little dark and he said in a deep voice:
"No wonder those families in the inner city are sending people here. This assessment is a bit special... Li Yuan, anyway, try your best. Don't hide it, don't fight, you will regret it for the rest of your life."
After speaking, he added another sentence:
"I'm not afraid that you won't be able to pay back the money..."
"ah?"
Seeing Fatty Sun's rare seriousness and a hint of envy, Li Yuan's heart moved slightly.
What else did he want to ask, but Fatty Sun waved his hand, walked out of the room, rang the 'dinner bell', and the apprentices outside the door filed in.
…
The weather was kind and the weather was fine after dinner.
On the mud-filled martial arts field, a group of apprentices were arranged neatly according to their respective courtyards, and the masters of each courtyard were quite complete.
Li Yuan stood in the crowd, looking through Fatty Sun in front of him. On the simple platform, three people were sitting upright.
Qin Xiong stood on the right side, lowering his head and saying this to the old man in a black coat. On the right side, sitting an old man with a white face and no beard, Li Yuan recognized that this was Tang Tong, the second shopkeeper.
"The person talking to Qin Xiong is the third shopkeeper Wang Ding? Then, the one in the middle is the big shopkeeper Cao Yan? So young?"
Li Yuan was also a little surprised to see the three shopkeepers for the first time.
Shopkeeper Cao, who was very famous throughout Gaoliu, looked to be in his early thirties and was wearing a simple coat, nothing out of the ordinary.
Suddenly, Cao Yan glanced this way, and their eyes met. Li Yuan immediately lowered his head, and the only sound left between his ears was the sound of his own heartbeat.
"This look..."
Li Yuan felt a little frightened in his heart, and he had the same terrifying feeling as when he stood on the edge of the rooftop and looked down in his previous life, feeling that he might be shattered to pieces at any time.
How can a person's eyes be so scary? !
"The shopkeepers are all here!"
There was some commotion among the apprentices, but no one dared to make too much noise.
Li Yuan didn't raise his head. Cao Yan's look made his heart almost jump out of his chest, and he was still sweating.
"Qin Xiong, tell me the rules!"
Li Yuan raised his head when he heard the voice. Cao Yan's voice was not high, but very clear. The words were short and very majestic.
"yes!"
Qin Xiong clasped his fists, walked to the stage, and said in a powerful voice:
"My weapon forging shop has been passed down for two hundred and thirty-seven years. It is not easy for our ancestors to establish a business. To pass on the family business, we established an inner courtyard. Apprentices with outstanding talents can join..."
Qin Xiong's voice was loud and measured, talking about the history of the weapon forging shop, the grace of the master's family, and the benefits of the inner courtyard. He talked about the time for a cup of tea.
"One tael a month, no need to work, there is a teacher to enlighten me, and the second shopkeeper Tang Tong personally teaches martial arts, not just the White Ape Cloak Hammer..."
Li Yuan summed it up in his mind.
"...Today, for the inner courtyard assessment, at least one person from each courtyard will be selected! Moreover, regardless of whether they enter the inner courtyard or not, all apprentices present today will be rewarded with one month's salary!"
Qin Xiong paused slightly, and all the apprentices cheered. For most apprentices, this is the real benefit.
“Remember the Lord’s grace in the future and do your best!”
Qin Xiong's voice overwhelmed the cheers of the apprentices:
"Those who are new to the White Ape Cloak Hammer, come out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a commotion in the crowd, and many apprentices looked disappointed. They had already lost their chance before the assessment began.
Li Yuan walked out of the queue and glanced out of the corner of his eye. Not counting Wang Gong, Zhao Xiaoming and others who were independent in one corner, among the more than sixty apprentices, there were only twelve beginners.
“If you’re new to it, don’t be disappointed.”
As soon as Qin Xiong clapped his hands, several burly old men walked out from behind the stage:
"Apprentices who are not out of the queue should follow Master Zhang and the others to the front yard and touch the bones first.
If the bones are good, they can still enter the inner courtyard... Apprentices who are out of the queue will still have to touch the bones later. If the bones are not good, they can't enter the inner courtyard! "
Only then did the apprentices who were new to White Ape Hammer cheer.
"It's about to begin!"
Fatty Sun was a little sleepy at first, but he suddenly became excited.
Qin Xiong glanced at the apprentices on the stage and paused slightly at Li Yuan, his expression indifferent.
He didn't expect that this kid actually dared to come after everything he said was so clear.
"That's all it takes."
Hearing Fatty Sun mention it, Li Yuan didn't feel any emotion at this time. He just looked curiously at the strong men carrying the iron ingots from outside the venue.
Comparing strength?
What an unpretentious way to select.
When Li Yuan was slandering in his heart, several more big men came to the stage with hammers.
"The White Ape Cloak Hammer pays attention to the combination of movement and stillness. The pile and hammer are integrated. The 18-style hammering technique must be both fierce and continuous..."
Qin Xiong took a few steps back:
"Each person picks a handful, hammers the iron ingot, and shows the shopkeepers your skills!"
"yes!"
When Niu Gui and other apprentices were gearing up and responding loudly, Li Yuan was already in line first, and with a glance from the corner of his eye, he selected the best one among them.
"I want this one!"
There was a strong wind blowing behind him. Li Yuan stepped on it and grabbed the handle of the hammer. Without looking at it, he just took a step back and knocked the apprentice who had grabbed the hammer to the ground.
The five people on the stage looked at each other one after another. Li Yuan raised his arm, looked at Qin Xiong calmly, and then lowered his sledgehammer:
boom!
The sledgehammer dropped and sparks flew.
On the wooden platform, Qin Xiong's expression changed, and the three shopkeepers who didn't care much at first also raised their eyebrows:
"This is……"
Mastery level, White Ape Cloak Hammer? !
Cao Yan, who was sitting upright, leaned forward slightly and his eyes moved slightly.
boom!
Niu Gui and other apprentices slowed down a beat, and then they also raised their hammers to hit.
when!
As soon as the hammer fell, the force of the shock rebounded. Li Yuan's feet seemed to be lifted up and motionless. The long-handled training hammer he had controlled before the attack flashed past in his palm.
Mastery level hammer technique blessing!
boom!
The sound of this hammer was so loud that it overwhelmed the sound of all the apprentices' hammers. In the stands, Qin Xiong's face changed drastically. Next to him, the second shopkeeper Tang Tong slapped the case and stood up suddenly:
"Xiaocheng?!"
