Chapter 56

After registering, the next step was to arrange accommodation. Chen Qing was the third batch to register, but the court treated them quite well, providing free food, lodging, and clothing. Chen Qing felt a bit like he was back in his special police academy days.

Of course, if you wanted to go out for drinks or tea, listen to music at a brothel, dress more brightly, or stay in better accommodations, you would have to pay for it yourself.

The dormitory was a three-person room, quite spacious, about fifty square meters. Only three beds were placed inside, each with a trunk and a desk at the head. Various toiletries were placed on the trunks.

Chen Qing and Huyan Tong were assigned to the same dormitory. Besides them, there was another local martial arts student who had arrived a day earlier and had already claimed the best window seat. The best bed, trunk, and desk were all taken by him, and he had even set up a screen around his area, creating a private space for himself.

Chen Qing gave the window seat to Huyan Tong and chose the corner by the door. The normal martial arts course should be three years, but due to the special circumstances, their course was only one year.

"That guy even swapped my trunk!" Huyan Tong glanced at the other roommate with disdain. Their other roommate was not there, probably out drinking.

Chen Qing finished setting up his bed and smiled, "I think they're all about the same, quite old."

"You may think so, but others might not. My trunk has seven cracks, and the one he swapped has only three, four fewer!"

Chen Qing laughed, "Huyan, are you going home today?"

Huyan Tong's family was also in Lin'an, and his ancestors were famous, including the renowned Song dynasty general Huyan Zan.

Huyan Tong sighed, "My mother wants me to go home, but my father forbids it. He says I can't step into the Huyan family until I become a commander."

"You're already a commander, right? You should be a commander after graduating from the martial arts academy!"

"Brothers, I'm really sorry!"

Before he could finish, a warrior in his thirties walked in, not very tall, with a round face, thin eyebrows, and a smile.

"My name is Ding Tao, a few years older than you two. You can just call me Old Ding."

"From your accent, you're from Bianliang, right?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.

"Ah! Half of Lin'an is from Bianliang, nothing unusual. You must be Brother Chen! I saw your registration papers, and Brother Huyan, I've heard a lot about you! The five swords of Bianliang..."

Before he could finish, Huyan Tong interrupted him unhappily, "Young and foolish, let's not talk about the past!"

"Ha ha! You're right, it's too sad to talk about the past. We should look forward. How about I treat you two to a drink?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I've given up alcohol," Huyan Tong refused outright.

Chen Qing smiled, "We just arrived, and there's still a lot to do. We can have a good drink when we have more time."

Ding Tao was not angry at all. He chuckled, "We'll have a chance to meet again!"

He took a few pieces of silver from his trunk and hurried out.

Huyan Tong looked at his back coldly, "I've heard of this guy. He's a descendant of Chancellor Ding Wei from the Renzong era. His father ingratiated himself with Gao Qiu and became a high-ranking military official. He himself became a palace guard. He's very smooth and can talk his way out of anything. Don't think he really wants to treat us to drinks. Drinking is fine, but he won't be the one paying."

"Does he have any strengths at all?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.

"Of course, he has his strengths. He's very well-informed. If you want to find out something, he's the one to ask, but he won't tell you for free. Just remember, he won't do anything without a benefit."

"Who does anything for free these days?" a sarcastic voice came from the door.

Chen Qing turned around to see Wang Bo and three other young masters standing at the door. Wang Bo had his arms crossed, leaning against the door frame, looking at Chen Qing with a mocking smile.

"Commander Chen, you're quite deep in hiding! We just found out you were the top of the exam. Did you feel we weren't worthy to compete with you, so you deliberately hid your skills? No, you were humiliating us in another way!"

Chen Qing sighed inwardly. There are people who will provoke you even if you don't provoke them.

"I didn't mean to humiliate anyone with my archery. We've never met, and I don't even know your names. Saying I targeted you is just your imagination."

"But we feel humiliated!"

"What do you want, Wang Bo?" Huyan Tong walked over, his face full of anger.

"Huyan, this has nothing to do with you," one of the young masters tried to dissuade him.

"What do you mean it has nothing to do with me!"

Huyan Tong glared, "You come to my dormitory to pick a fight and say it has nothing to do with me?"

"Huyan, let me handle it!"

Chen Qing stopped Huyan Tong and calmly said to Wang Bo, "How about this? I'll treat you all to a drink and clear up the misunderstanding. We're all classmates now, and I believe we can get along well."

Wang Bo shook his head, "A mere camp commander isn't worthy to treat us to a drink!"

Despite Chen Qing's desire to avoid trouble, he was provoked by Wang Bo and narrowed his eyes coldly, "Then what do you want?"

"Simple. The Ministry of War officials ranked you first, and we don't accept it. Who knows if you bribed the examiners behind the scenes? We want to challenge you to a duel. Unless you can beat us, you must go to the Ministry of War to explain yourself."

At that moment, a few flies flew over and buzzed around Chen Qing's bed. Chen Qing suddenly moved, grabbing a fly with lightning speed.

He looked at the two flies, crushed them, and said calmly, "It's not even hot yet, and these flies are already bothering us. Disgusting!"

The three young masters were furious and about to shout, but Wang Bo stopped them. He saw clearly that Chen Qing's ability to grab the flies was not just about speed but also precision, grabbing them by the wings. This level of skill and vision shocked him, and he knew challenging Chen Qing would only bring humiliation.

Wang Bo looked at Chen Qing deeply, "We'll see how things develop. Let's go!"

He waved his hand, and the other three glared at Chen Qing before following Wang Bo out.

Huyan Tong shook his head, "These young masters in Bianliang are like this, thinking they're better than everyone else and never respecting others. I used to be like that too, but after experiencing hardships, I changed. They haven't, and they still act the same. Just ignore them."

Chen Qing nodded with a smile, "I don't have the energy to deal with them. Let's go! We'll find a small tavern and have a drink. I'll treat you!"

Huyan Tong raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? I'm the host, so I should treat you."

......

Chen Qing wasn't new to Song dynasty taverns. He had been to a few in Linyou County. Although one was in Guanzhong and the other in Jiangnan, the style and layout were similar—dim lighting, greasy tables, and sour, murky wine.

Huyan Tong, though from a wealthy family in Bianliang, had been in the military for three years and was used to harsh conditions. He didn't mind the sour, murky wine.

"What is your courtesy name, Brother Chen?"

Chen Qing didn't have a courtesy name, but in the Song dynasty, friends usually called each other by their courtesy names. He had thought about it and decided to use "Shangyuan," the name of his predecessor.

"My courtesy name is Shangyuan. You can call me Chen Shangyuan."

"That's a good name. Unlike mine, Jinnu, which sounds terrible. Just call me Huyan!" Huyan Tong was unhappy with his courtesy name.

"It's not that bad, but since you don't like it, I'll call you Huyan. I have a question for you."

Huyan Tong laughed, "You should ask that roommate of ours. Just kidding, what do you want to know?"

"I want to know how to collect our salaries."

Chen Qing had donated most of his silver to the families of fallen soldiers, keeping only twenty taels. After paying for the boat fare, he had only eight taels left.

Although the martial arts academy provided food and lodging, it wasn't enough to last a year in Lin'an. Fortunately, he had the rank of Zhongwei Lang, which entitled him to a salary.

Huyan Tong's eyes lit up, "What rank are you?"

"Zhongwei Lang, I think."

"Zhongwei Lang!"

Huyan Tong clicked his tongue, "You're already at the 29th rank, and I'm still at the 45th rank, Congyi Lang. Sigh! It's frustrating to compare."

"I just had a bit of luck."

"Don't be modest. I'm not stupid. Without a family background, to reach the 29th rank, you must have earned it with your life. Unlike Wang Bo and his kind, who rely on their ancestors to reach the 30th rank. They probably haven't even seen a Jurchen."

Chen Qing knocked on the table, "I'm asking you a serious question. How do we collect our salaries?"

"That's easy. Get a certificate from the martial arts academy. You have that bronze plaque for your rank, right? Take it to the Ministry of Personnel. There's an office near Chaotian Gate where you can handle it. Once it's done, you can collect your salary there every month."

"How much do we get each month?"

"I don't know. You'll find out when you collect it."

They drank a few cups of wine. The tavern was now full of people, mostly martial arts students. They were not familiar with each other yet and were drinking in groups based on their dormitories.

"Wow! I didn't expect the land prices in Lin'an to be so high. A mu of land costs several thousand guan, and it was only a thousand guan last summer. It's risen four or five times in half a year. It seems impossible to buy a house in Lin'an."

"A thousand guan isn't expensive. Last summer, when the Jin army attacked, the land prices in Lin'an were at their lowest, falling to a hundred guan per mu. I heard a merchant with good foresight bought several hundred mu and made several dozen times his investment in a year. Such a chance to get rich won't come again."

"You're too narrow-minded. There's another chance to get rich."

The tavern fell silent, and everyone looked at the martial arts student.

The student said proudly, "You know Wanyan Lou Shi, the Jin commander-in-chief, right? He was beheaded by a Song general in Jingzhao. The Jin emperor is offering a reward of ten thousand guan for the capture of this Song general. Ten thousand guan!"

The tavern erupted in excitement. Everyone knew Wanyan Lou Shi had been killed by Zhang Jun's army, but the details were unknown.

Someone shouted, "What's the name of that Song general?"

"I don't know, but I heard he's a battalion commander in the Eight-Character Army."

It was a battalion commander, and the discussion became even more intense.

Huyan Tong stared at Chen Qing, "It's not you, is it?"

Chen Qing smiled faintly, "Do you think I, with my left shoulder wound, have the ability to kill Wanyan Lou Shi?"

"You're right. Wanyan Lou Shi is known as the Jin's top general. I wonder what kind of divine figure killed him?" Huyan Tong's face was full of admiration and longing.

Actually, it wasn't surprising that Chen Qing's name was still unknown. Wanyan Wushu had posted wanted notices for Chen Qing in Guanzhong, but that was before he killed Wanyan Lou Shi, when Chen Qing had killed nearly two hundred Jin scouts in Er Langzhai.

The second wanted notice was issued by Wanyan Moli, offering a reward of three thousand guan for five hundred Song cavalry.

Wanyan Lou Shi's death was a closely guarded secret, known only to a few high-ranking officials. Xu Ning had guessed it was Chen Qing based on the Distant Bow.

On the Song side, only Zhang Jun and Wu Jie knew. Even in the urgent report Zhang Jun sent to the emperor, Chen Qing's name was not mentioned.

Han Shizhong knew because he had a good relationship with Zhang Jun, and Zhang Jun's aide, Wang Mu, had told him.

Chen Qing felt it was time to return to the martial arts academy before the curfew.

He waved to the waiter, "Waiter, the bill!"

They argued for a moment, but Chen Qing insisted on paying. To his surprise, a pot of wine and three dishes cost only forty wen.

"This is sour wine, which is cheap. Try clear wine; a pot costs at least a hundred wen. Jiangnan has abundant seafood and mountain delicacies. The dishes we ordered, stir-fried river shrimp, West Lake vinegar fish, and stewed chicken with mushrooms, are the cheapest here. Next time, I'll treat you to clear wine and mutton at Hu Kou Wine House. That's a real treat."

Chen Qing smirked, "It sounds like I took advantage of you tonight. Next time, I'll treat you!"

Huyan Tong laughed, "I'd be happy to!"

As they returned to the martial arts academy dormitory, they heard shouting and saw a crowd of students surrounding the martial arts dormitory, waving their arms and shouting slogans. They didn't know what had happened.