The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 28 Apprenticeship
Before Han Qing could even reply after Yang Wu finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted in the corridor.

"Hahaha! Him? He's barely grown any hair, how could he even lift a knife?"

"If Grandpa stood here and let him chop, would he dare to do it?"

"Haha! You little brat, don't wet your pants when you see blood!"

...

"Shut up!"

Han Qing suddenly let out a low growl, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room, his heart surging with killing intent.

In an instant, the entire corridor fell silent, and all the prisoners whose gaze fell upon him suddenly shut their mouths.

When their eyes met, when their gazes fell upon Han Qing's eyes, it was as if they had instantly fallen into a dreamlike world of corpses and blood, and a strong sense of fear rose in their hearts.

At that moment, everyone realized that Han Qing was not someone to be trifled with; his eyes truly looked like they were about to devour someone.

Yang Wu, standing to the side, also showed a strange expression. He hadn't expected this taciturn young man to suddenly erupt with such a strong aura, capable of intimidating this group of thugs. This was something that ordinary people couldn't do.

Han Qing slightly suppressed his killing intent, his gaze sweeping over these people, a hint of excitement stirring within him.

The prisoners felt uneasy under that gaze; they had never seen any other executioners come in to patrol with such eyes.

Han Qing was indeed excited; how could he not be?
The stronger these people are in martial arts, the more he gains. These are not prisoners; they are walking treasure chests.

In the silence, Yang Wu led Han Qing around from front to back, and they returned to the first floor.

At the end of a corridor, Han Qing saw a door leading to a deep, dark passage that went straight down, its destination unknown.

Yang Wu caught his gaze and patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's go. The underground level holds some more powerful criminals. You're too weak right now. You can only go in when you reach the second realm."

Han Qing nodded. All he wanted was to reach the second realm as soon as possible so that he could execute more powerful criminals.

The two then walked out of the cell. Yang Wu turned his head and suddenly said, "Han Qing, if you practice martial arts by haphazardly figuring it out on your own, your progress will be very slow. It's best to have a master to guide you. I, Yang Wu, am not very talented, but I am qualified to be your master. Are you willing?"

After spending so many days together, Yang Wu became increasingly satisfied with Han Qing. He was serious and down-to-earth, bold yet meticulous, hardworking and diligent, and also had excellent physical attributes and extraordinary talent. Such a martial arts prodigy could only appear once every few years in Baiyun County.

Not to mention Baiyun County, even in the prefectures of Shu, there would be a large number of people vying to take him as an apprentice.

Now that he has seized the initiative, he naturally wants to act first to prevent others from taking it away.

Upon hearing this, Han Qing bowed down without hesitation.

He had offended the Luo family in Baiyun County. Besides his own strength, he also needed a powerful backer, and Yang Wu was the best choice.

Not to mention that Yang Wu had always treated him well, Yang Wu also had an excellent reputation in the county.

Although he didn't know the extent of Yang Wu's martial arts skills, he could feel a sense of pressure standing in front of him, which meant that Yang Wu's strength was far superior to his own, and that he was more than qualified to be his master.

A hint of appreciation flashed in Yang Wu's eyes: "Alright, don't do the formal ceremony yet. Tomorrow I'll have a meal with all the constables of the brigade, and then we'll do the apprenticeship ceremony. That way it will be more formal, and I can also introduce you to everyone."

"Ma Er, come here, take him to get a new outfit." With that, Yang Wu called out to the distance.

Ma Er was leaning against a wooden stake, eating a pear. Hearing the sound, he responded and quickly ran over.

"Come with me!"

Ma Er, ever the friendly type, put his hand on Han Qing's shoulder.

Although Han Qing felt a little awkward, she did not try to force her way out.

So the two walked side by side toward the warehouse.

*Crunch!* Ma Er took another big bite of the pear, a look of envy in his eyes.

"You're a lucky guy, kid. So many people in our compound want to get on Yang's good side, but he won't let them."

Our class leader is very principled; only those who truly gain his approval can become his disciples.

Once you successfully become an apprentice, your days of enjoyment are yet to come. You'll have everything you could want: silver, martial arts skills, and health tonics.

Most importantly, our class leader is protective of his own. If anyone bullies you, our class leader will definitely stand up for you.

"What a pity, brother, I don't have your talent. We can't compare, we can't compare at all." Ma Er sighed as he walked, occasionally taking a bite of a pear.

Before long, the two arrived at the warehouse door. Inside, an old man registered Han Qing's name and then gave him a set of clothes, including a long robe in the style of a bailiff, a heavy nine-ringed broadsword, and a square waist tag.

"If something breaks, come here to replace it. You can get it replaced for free once a year. If you want to replace it a second time, you'll have to pay extra," Ma Er said.

Han Qing nodded. The clothes were of very good quality, and he felt very comfortable wearing them. He felt more energetic and refreshed.

“There’s nothing else to do. You’re free to move around, but don’t leave the yamen. It’s best to stay in the courtyard; you never know when you might be assigned some work,” Ma Er added.

Han Qing nodded, then suddenly remembered the matter of becoming an apprentice. As the saying goes, "A teacher for a day is a father for life," and becoming an apprentice is an extremely important event in this world.

"Brother Ma, how should we prepare the apprenticeship ceremony?"

"That's easy, just cater to his tastes. Our class leader doesn't have any other hobbies, he just loves a glass of peach blossom wine from Happy Forest. Just bring two jin over tomorrow and that'll be fine."

"Don't overthink this. It's all about the sentiment behind the gift. It's the sincerity of your heart and how much you respect your master," Ma Er said.

"Okay." Han Qing nodded.

He was just about to find a quiet spot in the courtyard's martial arts training ground to practice when Yang Wu leaned over to him again.

"Han Qing, you've got the uniform. I'm giving you a day off today. Getting promoted is a great thing. Go back and tell your parents, let them be happy!"

"it is good."

Han Qing was overjoyed and very grateful to Yang Wu. He bowed slightly and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

He first went back to Master Fang's courtyard, took off his entire outfit, leaving only his waist tag, which could be very useful at certain crucial moments.

on the way back.

As he passed through the market, he first saw a scraggly man, reeking of alcohol, surrounded by a group of people.

"Brother Li, how much is this roe deer?" someone asked.

Li Tai sat on the ground with his legs spread out like a winnowing basket, his eyes glazed over, looking dejected and downcast.

He let out a hearty burp and mumbled, "Just give me a few copper coins, enough for me to buy some wine."

Han Qing's heart stirred slightly. He remembered seeing Li Tai not long ago, and the latter was full of energy. How could he have changed like this in the blink of an eye?
Suddenly, he heard people talking nearby.

"Oh, those damned Yin Yang Sect! Li Tai's beloved wife, Yingzi, was stabbed to death by these beasts at home."

"Yes, I heard it was all for a piece of jade. Is it really worth it?"

“Brother Li has been hit too hard. He used to be a renowned hunting expert in our county, and also the star of the martial arts school. He was known as a martial arts prodigy. How did he end up like this? He needs to pull himself together,” another person said.

Han Qing felt incredibly sorry upon hearing this, and couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Damn Yin Yang Sect!"

He walked a little further and stopped in front of Aunt Wu's stall. His eyes swept over the fish and he saw a bighead carp covered in shiny silver scales.

He recognized the fish; it was called Ronghua River Fish, considered one of the most delicious fish that ordinary people could enjoy.

(End of this chapter)