prynovel Chapter 2 Selection into the Inner Court
Chapter 2 Selection into the Inner Court
Perhaps because he had gone to bed early, Chen Ye opened his eyes before dawn, and the snoring of his roommates rose and fell.
He did not get up immediately, but lay quietly in the darkness for a while.
The system is still in sight.
The name displayed on the panel is still Peiyuan Gong.
He remembered clearly that Zhang Tieyi was talking about the Tiger-Capturing Fist, and he was also practicing the Tiger-Capturing Fist stance taught by Zhang Tieyi.
There is no doubt about this.
As for the Gao family's boxing style, it wasn't originally called Tiger-Capturing Fist; it's just a translation issue on the interface.
With too little information, continuing the deduction will lead to a dead end and yield no results.
For now, we should focus on getting to know the system thoroughly.
Chen Ye turned over, suppressing his wandering thoughts.
As dawn was breaking, I rubbed my eyes, got up from the earthen bed, put on an overcoat in the dark, and quietly slipped out the door, going around to the vacant open space behind the house.
There are some abandoned haystacks here, and no one comes here except for night owls looking for food.
The morning mist was thick.
Chen Ye patted his cheeks, regaining his senses.
He took a deep breath and lowered his voice to silently recite in his heart: "Pawn. Two months of life."
In view, a golden scale suddenly appeared, with two crystal weights, one blue and one red, falling onto the left and right trays respectively.
[Sixty days of lifespan will be deducted, but sixty days of cultivation will be provided.]
The status on the panel also changed rapidly.
[Peiyuan Gong (Beginner)] → [Peiyuan Gong (Beginner)]
A familiar warm current surged out from deep within my waist and abdomen without warning, quickly spreading to my limbs and bones.
Wherever it passed, the tendons trembled slightly, and the flesh and bones creaked softly, as if a spring thunderclap had awakened every inch of the body.
Chen Ye resumed his stance, setting up the stake.
Not the same.
Yesterday, when he was setting up the stance, he used his willpower to tell his body that he had to stand in that position.
Now, when you're in a stance, your body knows on its own that you should stand like this.
The shoulders were relaxed, the waist and hips were properly twisted, and the posture was impeccable.
It was as if they had really trained hard for two months.
Sixty days of lifespan.
Two months of hard work, funds arrive in a second.
Chen Ye slowly relaxed his stance, his breathing becoming so steady that even he was surprised.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, he used the only two taels of silver he had to test the redemption mechanism of the pawnshop system, and found that one tael of silver could only be exchanged for four days of life.
It's as shady as those online loans from my past life.
The monthly allowance for slaves in the Gao family was two taels of silver.
In other words, it would take three years and nine months of not eating or drinking to save up for one year of life.
He only has three years left to live, so no matter how you look at it, this is a losing proposition.
Using silver to buy back one's lifespan is only a temporary solution, not a long-term one.
To extend one's lifespan, another solution must be found.
"Since martial arts exist in this world, perhaps there is also a path of immortal martial arts, and elixirs and techniques for prolonging life."
"A breakthrough in cultivation might also extend one's lifespan."
"If possible, then this pawnshop panel... has great potential."
Chen Ye put the matter aside for the time being, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.
The two taels of silver in his hand vanished as if gently lifted, as if they had never existed.
Chen Ye subconsciously clenched his fist, but it was empty.
The number on the panel quietly changed to "three years and eight days".
As dawn broke.
When Chen Ye returned to the front yard, some people were already practicing their martial arts.
Three or five people occupied different corners of the yard, setting up stakes and frames, their postures revealing varying degrees of awkwardness and clumsiness.
Some people have knees that are too heavy, and some people have shoulders that are too loose.
Chen Ye didn't say much. He found a corner and slowly got into position.
After two months of cultivation, the feeling of getting more and more tired from standing yesterday is gone, and I can stand for half an hour without any effort.
However, it already attracted some attention yesterday.
Adding to the confusion surrounding the "Neiyuan Gong" (a type of qigong practice), he was preoccupied with his own thoughts and unwilling to be the first to speak out today.
Chen Ye held out for about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn before pretending to be exhausted, stopping his stance, and sitting down to rest under a pillar.
The people around him breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that he was nothing special.
The days that followed flew by.
In the blink of an eye, seven days have passed.
These past few days, the person who has come to teach them is Zou Rong, another guard from the Gao family.
Compared to Zhang Huyuan's detailed explanation, Zou Rong's explanation seemed much more perfunctory.
He only cared about standing in one stance, then had everyone practice with him, and once he had practiced enough, he turned and left.
Without supervision, and with the initial excitement of martial arts training gradually fading, everyone in the courtyard became lax and started practicing sporadically.
The remaining few who were willing to work hard saw their skills in piling and framing improve visibly.
Chen Ye blended in with the crowd, keeping a low profile.
The rate of progress is just right, hovering around the line of being excellent but not outstanding enough.
On the eighth day, Zhang Tieyi, who had not shown up until now, finally arrived.
He stood in the courtyard and said bluntly, "Standing in a fixed stance can be difficult or easy. Those with good talent can get the hang of it in three to five days. Those without talent won't even get the hang of it in three to five months. You've been practicing for seven or eight days now, so let's test it out."
Zhang Tieyi spoke calmly, but what he said made everyone present tense up.
"Those who train well will be selected for the inner court, and will receive an additional two taels of silver. Those who don't train well..."
Zhang Tieyi paused, leaving the rest of his words unsaid.
But everyone present understood.
"Get into position, everyone!"
Zhang Tieyi's short shout interrupted everyone's thoughts.
Without a second thought, everyone set up their stakes.
Zhang Tieyi started by kicking or pushing the nearest person, applying a moderate amount of external force.
Most people would fall over with a push, landing hard on the ground.
"disuse."
"disuse."
"..."
In the blink of an eye, most of the participants were eliminated.
Zhang Tieyi walked up behind Chen Ye.
Chen Ye couldn't see the other person's expression, but he vaguely sensed that the aura behind him was different, and remained silent for a few more breaths.
Just then, Zhang Tieyi suddenly raised his foot and kicked Chen Ye in the back.
This kick was clearly much stronger than the others.
Chen Ye felt a sudden force strike him, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward.
His knees instinctively twisted inward, and his waist and hips sank, forcefully neutralizing the force.
Only his upper body swayed slightly before he regained his balance; the stake did not collapse.
Zhang Tieyi remained silent.
Chen Ye stared at the floor tiles in front of him, feeling a chill run down his neck.
He silently counted to three before he heard a soft "pass" from behind him.
After Zhang Tieyi finished speaking, he continued testing the next person with a calm expression.
Chen Ye maintained the stake frame, but his heart was beating a few beats faster than before.
He noticed that Zhang Tieyi kicked him harder than the other two combined.
This doesn't feel like a test; it's more like a validation of an idea.
Soon, everyone else in the courtyard had finished their tests, leaving only four out of fifteen or sixteen people.
Zhang Tieyi faced the crowd and said calmly, "The rest of you should go back to where you came from. The Gao family doesn't support idlers."
The dismissed servants looked dejected; some were annoyed, some were unwilling, and some secretly wiped away tears with their sleeves.
No one spoke up for them.
Chen Ye stood with the other three selected people.
The three of them whispered to each other, their faces showing the excitement of being chosen.
Only Chen Ye stared thoughtfully at Zhang Tieyi's departing figure.
As instructed, Chen Ye and the others needed to change their accommodations.
They were moved from the communal sleeping quarters for lower-ranking servants to a private side room in the inner courtyard.
Without lingering, the group returned to their original lodgings to pack their belongings.
Apart from a few changes of clothes, Chen Ye had almost nothing of value on his body.
In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he had checked everything in the house. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a slender figure already at the door.
The newcomer was handsome, with fair skin like snow, and his hair was parted into a bun on top of his head, falling naturally down.
She looked to be no more than 28 years old, but her figure was already exquisite and shapely, especially her full and heavy breasts, which were in no way inferior to those of women who had given birth.
Chen Ye glanced at him briefly before quickly lowering his head, avoiding direct eye contact.
Gao Qiaoniang.
The maidservant of the head of the Gao family.
Gao Qiaoniang's eyes sparkled, and she said in a clear voice, "Your place has been prepared. Please come with me."
Chen Ye bowed in response and quickly followed.