Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 172: Inner Courtyard Martial Arts Arena, Qin Ya's Kindness

Chen Ping slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, stood up, and walked towards the exit of the martial arts arena.

Outside the stone gate, the old man leaned against the door frame and gestured with his lips towards the outside.

Chen Ping followed his gaze and saw Qin Ya standing there, dressed in a martial arts robe, holding a food box in his hand.

To the inner courtyard?

Chen Ping stepped out of the martial arts arena with some doubt.

When Qin Ya saw him come out, he shook his head with a wry smile.

He first turned around and respectfully bowed to the old man leaning against the door frame: "Old Liu, please don't tease the younger generation."

The old man chuckled twice, slowly lay back in the rocking chair, closed his eyes to rest, and didn't say anything more.

Qin Ya turned his head and looked at Chen Ping again.

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, her brow twitched slightly, but she didn't delve into it further.

He explained, "This doesn't mean you've joined the inner academy. It's just that you made a great contribution this time, and you happen to be the first student in this year's outer academy to enter the Yuan Gang realm. I applied to the vice dean, and you can temporarily borrow some of the inner academy's cultivation facilities." He paused.

"For example, the martial arts training ground in the inner courtyard, and the mountain range behind it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man behind him chuckled.

"Qin boy, if you take him away, who will use this armory's training ground? It costs five hundred merit points a day."

Qin Ya turned around, his bitter smile deepening: "Old Liu, this is a note personally issued by the vice president."

The old man waved his hand impatiently and smacked his dry lips: "Take it away quickly, don't get in my way and ruin my business."

Qin Ya bowed again and apologized.

He turned and strode towards the outside of the armory.

Chen Ping followed beside him, exiting the fourth-floor armory and walking along the bluestone path deeper into Cangwu.

Qin Ya handed over the food box: "Have something to eat first, we can talk as we walk."

Chen Ping took the food box, opened the lid, and found several dishes and two bowls of rice inside, still warm.

He ate as he walked, finishing one bowl in a few bites and then picking up a second. Qin Ya walked ahead, hands behind his back, without turning around, his voice low.

"I checked your aura outside the training grounds just now. You've reached the first level of cultivation?"

Chen Ping swallowed the food in his mouth: "I broke through seven days ago."

Qin Ya paused for a few steps, his voice tinged with a hint of emotion: "Your speed is almost unbelievable, even to me."

He didn't linger on the topic and quickly changed the subject.

Tell me about your reward.

Chen Ping slowed down his eating and started listening intently.

"The first thing is that the piece of puppet silk you handed over earlier was successfully replicated in the courtyard. After the Cui family made offerings to it, they used that piece of puppet silk as a guide to accurately locate all the puppets in the city at once."

Qin Ya's voice deepened slightly.

"One hundred and thirty-seven puppets, seven of which are mixed in with Cangwu, two in the Affairs Hall, one in the Martial Arts Hall, and fourteen among the students of the Outer Academy."

Chen Ping paused for a moment while using his chopsticks.

"Besides the puppets, eleven members of the Demonic Sect were also found in the city, all of whom died on the spot." Qin Ya paused.

"You deserve the most credit for this."

Chen Ping didn't say anything and continued eating.

Qin Ya said, "Secondly, the task in Bali County was handled flawlessly. Commander Chang from the prefectural army specifically sent a letter to the governor's office praising you."

He turned his head and glanced at Chen Ping.

"After careful consideration, the court has decided to give you two rewards for taking all three into account."

He held up one finger.

"First, 40,000 merit points."

Chen Ping swallowed the last bite of rice and put the bowl back in the food box.

forty thousand.

With the addition of the 20,000 from the Bali County mission, although some has already been spent, he now has over 50,000 merit points.

Qin Ya raised his second finger. "The second one is what I just mentioned, the inner courtyard martial arts arena."

He pointed forward, and at the end of the bluestone path ahead, there stood a stone wall that was taller and thicker than the outer courtyard. Banners hung high on the top of the wall, and two fully armored guards stood at the entrance.

Inner courtyard.

"The training ground in the inner courtyard is about the same size as the one in the fourth-floor armory, only it's more sturdy. You can bombard it with your internal energy without worrying about damaging it."

He glanced at Chen Ping, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Most importantly, not only is the venue better, but you also don't need to hand over those 500 merit points every day."

Upon hearing these four words, Chen Ping paused for a moment.

He spent 500 a day, and spent 3,500 in the fourth-floor armory for seven days, just on the training grounds.

Seeing his expression, Qin Ya smiled, a rare occurrence: "The rules on Elder Liu's side are set by himself, and the inner courtyard has no say in them. But here in the inner courtyard, as long as you are qualified to enter, you can use the martial arts arena as you please."

He paused, then added a sentence.

"However, Elder Liu is not useless. Most people who go there to borrow the training ground are not hoping for the room itself, but for Elder Liu himself. If he is willing to give you a word or two of guidance, it is worth 50,000 merit points."

Chen Ping recalled his experiences in the armory these past few days: recognizing the jade skin, recognizing the puppet silk, and the way the dome was lifted with a single palm strike to reveal the person descending from the sky—each of these feats was beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. The old man usually dozed off in his chair, looking like a gatekeeper, but his true strength remained unfathomable to Chen Ping.

The two walked to the entrance of the inner courtyard.

Upon seeing Qin Ya, the guard bowed respectfully, his gaze lingering on Chen Ping for a moment before stepping aside without asking any further questions.

Qin Ya led Chen Ping across the threshold and into the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard was much quieter than the outer courtyard. There were hardly any people on the road. Occasionally, one or two figures dressed in martial arts robes would flash by between the distant pavilions, their steps hurried and without stopping.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

On a wide open space, hundreds of small courtyards are neatly arranged.

Each courtyard is separated by blue brick and stone walls. The walls are not high, but they are very thick. From the outside, you can only see a gray wall top.

Chen Ping glanced over.

Of these hundreds of courtyards, the vast majority are currently unused.

The courtyard gate was open, and inside it was quiet and deserted.

However, some courtyards had their gates closed, and from above these courtyards, one could see the qi raging and churning. Pale blue, crimson, and dark gold qi surged into the air, rolled around the courtyard walls, and then fell back down. But not a sound could be heard.

Qin Ya led him through the courtyards and stopped in front of one of the gates.

"Number six, the one reserved for you in the courtyard."

Chen Ping looked toward the open courtyard gate, where a small wooden plaque hung on the door frame with two characters engraved on it.

Chen Ping.

The ink between the characters was even slightly damp, indicating that it had only been hung up recently.

Qin Ya stepped into the courtyard first, followed closely by Chen Ping.

The courtyard wasn't large; in the very center was a training ground paved with bluestone, about the same size as the one in the four-story armory. The ground was flat, and the cracks between the stones were clean, indicating that it had been recently renovated.

Next to the training ground was a row of weapon racks, filled with all kinds of weapons.

Long spears, broadswords, heavy hammers, short swords, double halberds, longbows, and chain sickles—all sorts of unusual weapons were neatly arranged on the rack, gleaming with a calm luster in the sunlight.

Qin Ya stood beside the weapon rack, casually drew a long sword, weighed it in his hand, and said, "You can take any of these weapons at will. In terms of sharpness and toughness alone, each one is comparable to the lowest-grade treasures. If you find any one that you are comfortable with in actual combat and want to take it out on a mission, you don't need to report it. Just take it."

Chen Ping walked to the weapon rack, his gaze sweeping over the dozens of weapons one by one. The forging craftsmanship of each weapon was extremely exquisite; the curvature of the blade, the angle of the spear tip, and the counterweight of the hammer handle were all just right.

He reached in and drew a long sword. It felt solid in his hand, with fine lines on the blade. When he touched it with his fingertips, he could feel a very subtle coolness.

Dozens of weapons, each one comparable to a treasure?

Qin Ya noticed the surprise in his eyes.

He smiled and explained, "Don't be fooled by their appearance. These things are mass-produced and can't be considered true treasures. The materials used are not black iron; they are just polished to the strict requirements of treasures in terms of forging temperature and craftsmanship."

He sheathed his long sword back on the rack and gestured with his chin toward the back of the training ground.

"Come on, let's take another look at what's behind us."

Behind the training ground, there is an inner room and a side courtyard enclosed by a low wall.

Qin Ya pushed open the door to the inner room.

The interior was simply furnished. There was a bed covered with coarse cloth bedding, a futon against the wall, and a desk by the window with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on it. There was nothing else.

"If you get tired from practicing, you can take a nap in this room, or meditate to recover your energy. You can also copy down any martial arts insights you have directly at the desk."

Qin Ya glanced around the room. "A martial artist's secluded training ground is just a simple place to stay; there's nothing fancy about it."

After saying that, he turned around and led Chen Ping towards the side courtyard.

As soon as the door was pushed open, a wave of hot air carrying the smell of sulfur rushed out.

The side courtyard is even smaller.

A pool was artificially carved out in the very center.

The pool is filled with clear, fresh hot spring water.

Steam rose continuously from the water's surface, turning into wisps of white mist under the sunlight.

A small, windproof hut stands beside the hot spring pool, inside which are neatly folded clean changes of clothes and towels.

Qin Ya looked at the hot spring and smiled: "This spring contains my Cangwu secret medicinal liquid, which can effectively relax muscles and tendons and remove hidden injuries. After high-intensity cultivation, soaking in it for half an hour will be more effective than chewing blood-activating pills. It can also cleanse the impurities expelled from your marrow cleansing."

I've seen all three places.

Qin Ya stood beside Chen Ping with his arms crossed.

"How is it? Are you satisfied with this place?" Chen Ping looked around and said sincerely, "The training ground in this inner courtyard is truly excellent."

Qin Ya smiled and said, "This training ground is indeed quite good. In the past, when the inner court students were still around, those brats would practically live, eat, drink, and relieve themselves there in order to compete for the right to use a small courtyard. As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard to carry out a mission, the vacant courtyard would be occupied by someone else the next day."

He gestured with his chin toward the hundreds of small courtyards outside the courtyard wall.

"These hundred-odd martial arts training courtyards were in absolute short supply during the inner courtyard's heyday; it was all about who had the most power and who earned the most merit."

He paused and glanced at Chen Ping.

"However, this is only the treatment for ordinary inner court students. If you accumulate enough military merits and honors in the future, I recommend that you go directly to the north of the academy to exchange for your own 'student's villa'. The conditions and privacy there are much better than this communal courtyard."

Chen Ping looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "There's a better place?"

Qin Ya nodded in confirmation: "The Scholar's Courtyard is a privilege enjoyed only by the top-ranked students. Each area has its own independent martial arts training ground, medicine pool, and private library. The overall area is at least three or four times larger than the courtyard we are in now."

"However, the quantity is extremely limited, and there's only one spot available for each student. Although many courtyards are currently empty, they already have owners. If you want to exchange for one, you'll have to wait until the students on the front lines retire and the rankings are reshuffled. Only when there are vacancies will you be eligible to participate."

Chen Ping nodded silently.

I kept the four characters "Xuezi Bieyuan" in my heart.

After Qin Ya finished speaking about the student residence, he paused for a moment, then turned around and looked at Chen Ping. He raised his hand and patted Chen Ping on the shoulder, the force neither too light nor too heavy.

"Your mischief over the past six months has made you quite famous. It's spread throughout Tianyan City and has reached the ears of many interested people."

He twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Some inner court instructors want to meet you. But don't let them fool you; Instructor Sui is waiting to take you on as a student."

Chen Ping was slightly taken aback when he heard the name Sui Guan.

Qin Ya withdrew his hand, his tone tinged with emotion.

"To be honest, I've been your nominal instructor for over half a year now. Aside from giving you a few pointers on martial arts techniques, I haven't been able to provide you with any real practical knowledge or resources. As your instructor, I feel quite ashamed."

He glanced down at Jing Ye behind Chen Ping, his gaze lingering for a moment.

"In that case, I think it's time to replace your knife."

Chen Ping subconsciously reached out and touched the hilt of the knife.

Jingye had followed him for a long time, from Qingkou Town to Tianyan City, from Bone Refining to Yuan Gang. The deep blue light on the blade was still there, but there were a few fine lines on the spine of the blade.

Qin Ya offered a straightforward solution: "I'll give you two choices."

"First, I'll transfer one of my inner courtyard's treasure-refining hall forging slots to you. With that slot, you can have them use materials from the treasure vault to completely customize a brand new weapon just for you, according to your preferences."

"The second option is to take your old knife and have them add new materials to it, then reforge and repair it."

Chen Ping was slightly taken aback after hearing the two options.

He opened his mouth: "Instructor Qin, this spot..."

Before he could even utter a word of refusal, Qin Ya impatiently waved his hand to interrupt him.

"Personally, I strongly recommend that you choose the first path and completely replace your knife with a new one."

"Your sword is made of black iron. The base material is what it is. No matter how much more material you add, the final product will only be in the category of a top-tier magic weapon."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly.

"Replacing it with a new one will be more expensive, but you'll have more options. The Refining Hall has some extra materials, so you should be able to get a new crafting weapon."

Craftsman's tools.

Chen Ping was stunned. He had seen relevant records while browsing through the books in the fourth-floor armory. Crafted weapons were above treasured weapons, and the materials used were generally very precious. A good crafted weapon could boost the combat power of a Yuan Gang martial artist by several levels.

When Song Ge tried to bribe Qin Ya, the offer he made was a secret martial arts technique and a crafted weapon.

Qin Ya refused, but the longing in his eyes at that moment was genuine.

The value of a crafted tool is self-evident.

Chen Ping took a deep breath and, without thinking, shook his head in refusal.

"No, Instructor Qin, the value of a craftsman's weapon is too high. I cannot accept your spot. My merits are sufficient; I can simply reforge and repair Jingye."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ya frowned.

He slapped Chen Ping on the head.

It's not heavy, but it's loud.

"You brat, where's your inner warrior spirit? Why are you being so indecisive at a crucial moment?"

Qin Ya glared at him, her voice carrying a hint of disappointment.

"You're afraid to take the craftsman's tools right in front of you? You're even considering my feelings?" Chen Ping opened his mouth, but before he could speak.

Qin Ya continued, "Do you think I gave you this spot for nothing?"

He pointed at Chen Ping.

"When you become Instructor Sui's disciple in the future, as your mentor, how could he possibly refuse to accept the favor I, Qin Ya, have done for you by investing in you in advance?"

"I'm using one spot to catch a big fish! Do you understand?"

These words were spoken with such self-righteousness that they were utterly vulgar.

But behind these crude words, Chen Ping heard a kind of clumsy yet warm sense of protectiveness and loyalty unique to soldiers.

In order to dispel his psychological burden, Qin Ya fabricated an excuse for himself that he was greedy for Sui Guan's favors.

"Alright! I'll make the decision for you on this matter, it's settled then."

Qin Ya gave Chen Ping no room to continue making excuses.

He turned around decisively.

"I'll go to the Refining Hall right now and register this spot under your name. You can focus on your cultivation in the courtyard for the next few days. Once they have suitable materials in their treasure vault, they will naturally send someone to come here to check the blueprints with you." He turned around and strode out.

"Remember this! Stop thinking about all that nonsense. Right here in this courtyard, calm your mind and focus on your cultivation!"

After saying that, he turned around and stepped out of the courtyard without looking back, closing the door behind him.

bang.

The gate closed, the door panel vibrated slightly inside the frame, and then fell silent.

Chen Ping stood in the courtyard, staring at the closed door, and remained silent for a long time.

The instructors in the outer academy usually have dozens of disciples. They teach and learn, but there is no real master-disciple relationship between them.

Qin Ya has been teaching him all these days, instructing him in martial arts, arranging his training, and doing everything he should, but he has never given him anything extra.

This spot was definitely saved up by Qin Ya himself.

He had absolutely no reason to give up.

Chen Ping sighed and kept this kindness to himself.

He remembered this kindness.