Chapter 211: Don't like us
It's dawn.
The air was still filled with the pungent smell of smoke, and the original site of the library was in a mess, with traces of burning and thick ashes left by the fire everywhere.
It took the martial arts school members a whole morning to clean up the scene. When they finally counted the things they had salvaged, there was only less than a basket of broken books.
The owner, Zhang Sanjin, sat in the reception hall, looking at the basket in front of him with a very ugly expression.
The most talked-about thing about Qingshan Martial Arts School is its rich library, which covers a wide range of topics, from various martial arts manuals to various weapon catalogs, regional chronicles... After a fire, only dozens of miscellaneous notes were left in the three-story collection.
Steward Ding, who was in charge of the martial arts academy's internal affairs, bowed and reported, "Master, I've checked. There's no suspicion about Jiu'er and her brother Shiyu. They are both orphans who wandered from the south. They happened to learn about the martial arts academy recruitment and signed up to make a living. The brother and sister have performed well recently. They are quick to understand and have good foresight. They are considered excellent among the ten new recruits."
Zhang Sanjin's mind flashed to the girl's clear eyes, and his frown relaxed a little. "I've seen her hands. There are no calluses on her palms or fingertips, so she must not have practiced martial arts before. However, the sudden fire in the library is still suspicious, so we must not let our guard down. If any of these selected people can stay, they will all be sent to the library in the future, so we must be extremely cautious."
Steward Ding responded, "I understand. I will keep a close eye on these people."
The conditions for accepting disciples in the pavilion have always been strict and harsh. In the past, talented children were selected and trained from a young age, and only after passing multiple levels of assessment could they become disciples of Guiyi Pavilion.
If the cabinet had not lost so many masters in recent years, resulting in a gap between the upper and lower levels, the conditions would not have been relaxed and direct recruitment would not have been carried out like this.
At noon, the martial arts school members who had been busy all morning gathered in the cafeteria to eat.
The dining hall is located behind the martial arts hall, in the small courtyard next to the dormitory.
The space is quite spacious, with long tables and benches placed against the walls on both sides of the room, and it is full of people during meal time.
The old members and the new members sat in separate corners, clearly separated.
Tianbao and Bai Yu sat together with eight other people who came in at the same time. In addition to them, there were four men and four women.
"I see those old members are always hostile when they see us. We've already come in and are disciples of the martial arts school just like them, so why do they always look at us with disdain?" The young man with a square scarf whispered to the person next to him while eating.
The other young man sitting next to him whispered, "Because there will be an exam at the end of the year at the martial arts school, both veterans and newcomers can participate. The top five winners will be sent to the Qingshan Escort Agency in Xindu. Once there, not only will they receive instruction in advanced martial arts from the chief escort, but they'll also receive a monthly salary, which is like getting a good job. They see us new recruits as vying for spots, so naturally they don't like us. Everyone, be careful about this when you're working, lest they deliberately pick on you, otherwise you'll just be bullied."
"So there's a secret behind this, no wonder."
As they were talking here, there was a noise over there.
Several older members, about seventeen or eighteen years old, came over here with plates in their hands, with raised eyebrows and raised eyes, looking like they were here to cause trouble, and they couldn't even wait to get out of the door.
The new members suddenly became nervous, slowed down their eating, and stared warily at the person walking towards them.
The other people who were still eating in the cafeteria also turned their heads to look over here, gloating with an attitude of watching a good show.
Some people even made some noises of booing.
The young man leading the way was a medium-sized fat man.
Arriving at the new members' table, the chubby teenager slammed his bowl on the table, raised his lips and shouted, "Just because I want to share a table, you're going to throw my bowl? The martial arts gym has its own rules. New members need to be respectful to the old members. You've just arrived and you're so arrogant. Do you think we're good-tempered and easy to bully?"
Hearing this, the boy with the square scarf frowned and suppressed his anger. "It was you who threw your own rice bowl away, and you are just looking for an excuse to pick on us! You are just bullying us because we are new here!"
"Wow, you're quite the talker! You actually dare to accuse me of picking a fight?" The chubby young man stepped onto the long table, kneeling on his knees and grinning. "There's a whole room full of people sitting here. Am I bullying you, or do you just not know how to respect your elders? Why don't you ask? Come on! Everyone, tell him who's picking a fight!"
The veteran members present all started to jeer. "Young Master Ding has been at the martial arts gym for three years now. He's always been very protective of the newer students. Who in the gym doesn't know that? You newcomers actually took advantage of the good old Young Master Ding and slandered him. You're really brave!"
Others laughed heartily, "Even if you have the guts, you still have to be brave enough to hold on. Why are you talking so much nonsense? These junior brothers and sisters don't know the rules, so we, as senior brothers, should teach them. We'll understand after we give them a beating!"
"That's right, give him a beating!"
The old members started to make noises one after another, their eyes focused on this place as if they were watching a joke.
The other side was more numerous and powerful, and the new members sat there, angry but not daring to speak out.
They have only been here for about ten days. How can they learn anything in such a short time? If they really fight with the old members, they will only get beaten.
At this moment, a small cry of pain suddenly came from the corner of the newlyweds' table. The girl sitting there quietly raised the back of her red and swollen hand and gasped.
"Jiu'er, did you accidentally touch the blister on the back of your hand? How could you be so careless?" The fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy beside the girl said to her anxiously, "Where's the burn ointment the owner gave you this morning? Take it out and rub it on the wound!"
The girl responded softly, took out a box of ointment from her sleeve pocket, unscrewed it and applied the ointment on the back of her hand.
It was a small wooden box, only about the size of two fingers, with the word "Qingshan" carved on the lid, along with precious patterns.
The old members recognized at a glance that this was indeed a plaster unique to their martial arts school, which was only awarded to disciples who performed well or made contributions to the school.
The booing died down, and the group of people who came to cause trouble looked at each other and returned to their original positions.
The fat boy looked at the box of ointment, then at the young man and girl who were applying the ointment without paying attention to the people around them, and finally waved his sleeves heavily, "Good job, the young master will remember you, just wait for me!"
Being rewarded with ointment by the owner himself, no matter whether the other party has excellent performance or has made some contribution, has caught the owner's eye. If he continues to cause trouble, he will probably be punished in the end.
The fat boy failed to cause trouble and was humiliated in a roundabout way. He was annoyed and angry, and he remembered the boy and girl who ruined his plan.
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