Chapter 21 Inner Court Examination

Just as the sky was getting light, the forging shop was already bustling.

Li Yuan came very early. When he passed by the martial arts arena, he actually met a dozen apprentices from various courtyards, and there were even strangers among them.

"There are nine courtyards in the forging shop, and I have seen more than 60 apprentices. Who are they?"

Li Yuan glanced at the unfamiliar faces and paused on one of them.

Among a group of apprentices wrapped in coarse linen cotton clothes, there was only this one wearing a fox fur cloak. He couldn't help but pay attention to him.

"Wang Gong, the third son of the third shopkeeper Wang Ding? Isn't he here to take the test too?"

Hearing 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 busy sweating under the shouting of Fatty Sun.

"Good fellow, you're willing to sacrifice your life!"

Li Yuan looked up and saw three large pots of meat and vegetables stewed in the house. It was really too rich.

"This is the treatment only available on the day of the inner courtyard assessment. In previous years, it was once every three years, and in the future it will be once a year."

Fatty Sun lifted the curtain of the small kitchen and walked out with a stern 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 chopsticks and started to chew it. This is the treatment for the kitchen helpers.

The other apprentices who were sweating profusely looked at him.

"Those guys are not here to eat for free."

Fatty Sun pursed his lips. Through the gate of the middle courtyard, Li Yuan saw that several young men and women who were obviously dressed differently from all the apprentices walked to Wang Gong and seemed to be chatting.

These young men and women were about the same age as the apprentices next to them, but standing together, it was like the dividing line between two worlds, which was very eye-catching.

"Wang Gong, the third son of the third shopkeeper, Zhao Xiaoming, the youngest daughter of the leader Zhao, and the others are also temporarily squeezed in from several families in the inner city. Fortunately, they don't take up your quota."

Playing special recruitment, right?

Li Yuan shrugged and asked:

"Bad?"

"Bad... Really bad."

Fatty Sun's face became very ugly and ugly: "It's a ghost. The third item of the inner courtyard assessment this year is actually touching the bones..."

"Touching the bones?"

Li Yuan frowned slightly: "What about previous years?"

"In previous years, the three items were pile work, hammer method, and strength. Why do you require root bones this year?"

Fatty Sun looked sullen. The root bones of the boy in front of him were not very good.

"Root bones?"

Recalling Qin Xiong's attitude, Li Yuan was thoughtful.

There must be deep reasons behind any abrupt change, but it's a pity that Fatty Sun doesn't seem to know...

"If there are root bone requirements..."

Before Li Yuan spoke, Fatty Sun couldn't stand anymore. He picked up the food box and walked to the backyard, worried:

"You stay here and I'll go find...someone to ask..."

Root bone, how to feel it?

Li Yuan shook his head in his heart, but he didn't panic. He took care of the three big pots and took the time to make a bowl for himself. When Fatty Sun came back, he was full.

"Don't eat!"

Fatty Sun's face was a little dark, and he said in a deep voice:

"No wonder those families in the inner city are stuffing people here. This assessment is a little special...Li Yuan, anyway, do your best. Don't hide it. If you don't fight, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

After that, he added:

"I'm not afraid that you can't pay back the money..."

"Ah?"

Looking at Fatty Sun's rare seriousness and a little envy, Li Yuan's heart moved slightly.

He wanted to ask something, but Fatty Sun had already waved his hand, walked out of the house, rang the "dinner bell", and the apprentices outside the door filed in.

...

The weather was good, and it was sunny after dinner.

On the yellow mud martial arts field, a group of apprentices were arranged neatly according to their respective courtyards, and the heads of each courtyard came quite complete.

Li Yuan stood in the crowd, his eyes passed through Fatty Sun in front of him, and on the simply built platform, three people sat upright.

Qin Xiong stood on the right, lowered his head and said this to the old man in a black gown. On the right, sat an old man with a white beard. Li Yuan recognized that this was the second shopkeeper Tang Tong.

"The one 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 three shopkeepers for the first time.

The shopkeeper Cao, who was very famous in the whole Gaoliu, looked only in his early thirties and wore a simple gown. There was nothing surprising.

Suddenly, Cao Yan glanced over here, and when their eyes met, Li Yuan immediately lowered his head, and only his heartbeat could be heard between his ears.

"This look..."

Li Yuan felt a little scared, and had the same feeling of fear as when he stood on the edge of the rooftop in his previous life and looked down, and felt that he might be crushed to pieces at any time.

How could a person's eyes be so scary? !

"The shopkeepers are here!"

The apprentices were a little agitated, but no one dared to make too much noise.

Li Yuan didn't look up, Cao Yan's look made his heart almost jump out, and the cold sweat hadn't fallen yet.

"Qin Xiong, tell me the rules!"

Li Yuan looked up when he heard the voice. Cao Yan's voice was not loud, but very clear, short and concise, and very majestic.

"Yes!"

Qin Xiong clasped his fists, walked to the front of the stage, and his full voice exploded:

"My forging shop has been passed down for 237 years. It was not easy for our ancestors to establish the business. In order 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, and he talked 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 court assessment, at least one person from each yard will be selected! And, regardless of whether they enter the inner court or not, all apprentices present today will be rewarded with one month's worth of money!"

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 to 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! "

The apprentices who were new to White Ape Hammer cheered.

"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 he had made it so clear that this kid actually dared to come.

"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 audience 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 had already selected the best one among them.

"I want this one!"

There was a strong wind behind him. Li Yuan stepped on it and grabbed the handle of the hammer. Without looking, 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 rooted and motionless. The long-handled training hammer he had controlled before the attack flashed past his palm.

Mastery level hammer technique blessing!

boom!

The sound of this hammer was so loud that it surpassed 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?!"