A glimpse of opportunity: Start by marrying a mermaid bride.

As darkness fell, they arrived at the house provided by Zhou Xun. The house was located along the riverbank, and Li Jitong's house was about half a mile to the east.

When Zheng Xuan and the others arrived, the courtyard had already been cleaned up. Zhou Xun helped the two of them carry their things down and said to Zheng Xuan, "You two tidy up the house yourselves. I'll come pick you up tomorrow afternoon and take you to buy some gifts for your apprenticeship."

"Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother Zhou."

Zheng Xuan thanked him, and Zhou Xun nodded. Then they went to Li Jitong's house at the east end of the village. Li Jitong had no children in his life, and before taking Zheng Xuan in, he only had Zhou Xun as his apprentice.

Zhou Xun also came from a poor background. His parents died early, and he was raised by Li Jitong as a son. So Zhou Xun lived with Li Jitong all the time, and his parents' house was left abandoned.

He used to rent it out to other people, but after the previous tenant left, Zhou Xun was unwilling to rent it out anymore, so it had been abandoned. Since Zheng Xuan had nowhere to live, he gave the house to Zheng Xuan.

After seeing Zhou Xun off, the fisherwoman went inside to get busy.

She was a real workaholic, busy inside and out, without Zheng Xuan needing any help, she cleaned the whole house, wiping and sweeping what needed to be wiped.

Seeing that he couldn't get involved, Zheng Xuan went to prepare the ingredients and cooked dinner.

After eating and drinking their fill, the two lay down on the warm kang (heated brick bed). The fisherwoman said with a happy expression, "Husband, we can say we've finally settled down in the city."

Zheng Xuan said, "Yes, the best days are yet to come."

As they were talking, the fisherwoman said, "Right, let's go to sleep quickly. Tomorrow, Senior Brother Zhou said he'll take you to town to buy a gift for becoming an apprentice. We can't let anyone find fault with us, especially with Master Li. Otherwise, we won't be able to bear it if they make things difficult for my husband in the future."

In this era, apprentices must respect their masters, otherwise the master may not teach you real skills. Even if you learn the master's skills, you will still have to work for the master for free. In the crosstalk industry, it is called "three years of learning the craft and two years of service".

In short, the concept of master-apprentice relationship is still very important in this era.

Zheng Xuan said, "Okay, I understand."

As Zheng Xuan spoke, his hands began to wander, and the fisherwoman blushed and asked, "What are you doing?"

Zheng Xuan's response was simple and direct: "Let's do it!"

Nothing happened that night. The following afternoon, Zhou Xun came to find Zheng Xuan and took him to the city to buy a gift for Zheng Xuan's apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship ceremony consists of six items, each with its own symbolic meaning. The first item is dried meat, which represents tuition. Next is a bundle of celery, symbolizing diligence in learning. After that is a handful of lotus seeds, symbolizing painstaking teaching.

There are also red dates (early maturity), longan (fullness), and red beans (good fortune).

In addition, a red envelope should be prepared containing "disciple's gift money".

Having prepared all this, Zhou Xun took Zheng Xuan home and said to Zheng Xuan, "Master said that a silver dollar is enough in the red envelope."

Zhou Xun left after giving his instructions.

The third day arrived quickly. Today was the day Li Jitong was accepting disciples, and the news spread rapidly. Water Ghost Li had some influence in the martial arts world, so many guests came.

In Li Jitong's courtyard, a master chef had already prepared a grand feast, with twenty tables set up for a continuous banquet. The entire corpse retrieval team had come, along with some of Li Jitong's friends from the martial arts world. It is said that Li Jitong had once roamed the martial arts world and even served in the army.

As a result, many friends came. Zheng Xuan was also shocked by the scene when he arrived. He had heard that the apprentice usually paid for the apprenticeship banquet, but this time it was clear that Li Jitong had taken care of everything.

Finding a master in Tianjin is no simple matter; it requires careful consideration of the background. Clearly, Li Jitong took care of all of that. At the same time, knowing that Zheng Xuan couldn't find anyone of high standing to act as the guarantor for the three masters, Li Jitong also found one for Zheng Xuan.

At the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the ceremony officially began.

In the presence of many colleagues from the corpse retrieval team and some fellow江湖人士 (jianghu figures) who were on good terms with Li Jitong.

Zheng Xuan formally became Li Jitong's apprentice.

At this moment, the apprenticeship ceremony was laid out on the table outside the main hall. Li Jitong sat in the main seat, and the three masters, the guide, the guarantor, and the representative, sat on his left. These were all chosen by Li Jitong for Zheng Xuan.

Zheng Xuan knew two of them. The introducer was Yu Biao's uncle, Yu Defa, whose role was to introduce and recommend them to the master.

Then there is the substitute teacher, whose role is Captain Zhao Zhen. A substitute teacher is someone who can teach in place of the master when the master is not around.

The most respected and virtuous person, who was sitting in the very center, was a complete stranger. He was very handsome, with eyes like lightning and a strong aura. Anyone who got close to him could feel a powerful sense of pressure.

Zheng Xuan felt that this was like a human-shaped ferocious beast.

"Senior brother, who is this?"

Zheng Xuan turned to Zhou Xun and asked, "This is Song Jin'ao, my Uncle-Master Song, a life-or-death friend of my master. He has only been in Tianjin for less than a year."

"But don't underestimate him. He's a seventh-grade martial artist, a master of the Transformation Realm. Even the county magistrate has to show him respect. With him as your guarantor, you'll have a solid foundation in Tianjin."

Upon hearing Zhou Xun's words, Zheng Xuan's eyes flashed. He was a seventh-grade martial artist, a master of internal energy transformation!

This is a real big shot.

Through chatting with Zhou Xun over the past two days, Zheng Xuan has gained a better understanding of the extraordinary system in this world.

This world is far more wondrous than the late Qing Dynasty in history. In addition to demons and monsters, there are also professions that can lead to sainthood. Each profession is a sequence, and those who cultivate to a high level can enter the sequence and gain extraordinary power.

The sequence is divided into nine levels, also known as the nine ranks, with the ninth rank being the lowest and the first rank being the highest.

In theory, all professions have the potential to advance to the first rank. However, since ancient times, no other profession has ever produced a master of the third rank or higher. Only the fields of literature and martial arts have produced a first-rank sage.

Therefore, it is said that all professions can produce gods, but only the civil and military saints can truly become saints.

Therefore, studying and practicing martial arts were considered the highest level of academic achievement in this dynasty. It was no joke that all other professions were inferior except for studying (and practicing martial arts).

This is also why martial arts schools are so popular in the city. And sitting in front of you is a seventh-rank martial arts master, which is quite frightening. You should know that the old master of the Bagua Sect, which is known as the number one in Tianjin, is also a seventh-rank martial arts master.

The old man was stationed in Tianjin, and even the county magistrate's first act upon taking office was to pay him a visit.

The person in front of him was also a seventh-rank martial artist, and he was also his mentor. If word got out, who wouldn't look up to him? Thinking of this, Zheng Xuan looked at Li Jitong and thought to himself, "It's really not a waste of time to have such a master!"

"The apprenticeship ceremony will now begin, with the initiator writing the apprenticeship agreement."

Yu Defa was sitting in his seat at this time, writing a letter of apprenticeship. The letter stated Zheng Xuan's birthday, clearly defined the seniority between master and disciple, and emphasized respect for teachers. Then, the signatures of the three masters were below.

It is made in triplicate, one copy for the master, one copy for the apprentice, and one copy for the guarantor.

After the writing was completed, the apprentice kowtowed and offered tea, his head hitting the ground, thus establishing our master-apprentice relationship.

The ceremony concluded amidst lively conversation. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a meal and drinks. Once the guests were seen off, Li Jitong approached Zheng Xuan and said, "Come with me!"

Seeing Li Jitong's back, Zheng Xuan immediately followed, because he saw a blue exclamation mark above Li Jitong's head!

There's a chance!