Zhao Lin nearly laughed out loud at the driver's words. 'Some tricks really never change,' he thought.
There was an old saying: "Drivers, boatmen, innkeepers, porters, and brokers—they deserve death even if innocent." People in these trades had low social standing but were notoriously difficult to deal with, both pitiful and detestable.
But then it occurred to him that he had recently been hauling goods at the docks, which would technically make him a porter. The saying was, in a way, a curse on himself.
The blue-robed youth finally caught on. His gaze swept over Zhao Lin and the others, realizing they had seen through the act long ago. His face darkened. "How much?"
"It'll be at least three to five hundred wen."
The driver was completely unabashed, like a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water. He was blatantly trying to extort them.
The blue-robed youth said angrily, "You're the one who got the cart stuck in the pit! Why should we have to pay for it? That's shameless!"
The driver didn't get angry. He just gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Our carriage company has its rules. The full fare for a trip must be handed over. This humble servant wouldn't dare make his own decisions."
"If you gentlemen aren't in a hurry, you can always wait. Maybe more people will come along the road later, and you can ask them for help."
With that, he pulled a dry pipe from his robes, leaned against the cart's shaft, and started smoking, puff after puff, without a hint of urgency.
The blue-robed youth's face alternated between pale and livid, so angry he was speechless.
"No need to find anyone. We'll lift it."
Now that he understood the driver's intentions, Zhao Lin wasn't worried. He spoke to the driver.
"The few of you?"
The driver sized up Zhao Lin and Liang Song, then chuckled. "I'm afraid you'll just be wasting your energy."
"That's none of your business. Get the horses ready!"
Zhao Lin walked to the back of the carriage, his tone leaving no room for argument. Liang Song followed him.
The driver reluctantly put down his pipe and stood by the cart, symbolically cracking the whip a few times.
"Up!"
Zhao Lin strained his arms, and the rear of the carriage lifted off the ground. He gave it a forward push, and with the two horses pulling, the carriage slowly began to move.
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm not on board yet!"
The driver shouted as he chased after it, managing to stop the carriage only with great effort.
"Can we go now?" Zhao Lin asked coldly.
The driver shuddered, then nodded and bowed. "Yes, we can. We'll leave right now."
"Watch the road carefully this time. Don't get stuck in another pit," Zhao Lin added, his tone deliberate.
"I'll be careful," the driver said sullenly.
...
After they got back on the carriage, the blue-robed youth gave Zhao Lin a fist and palm salute. "Many thanks for your assistance, brother," he said politely. "My surname is Xu. May I ask for your esteemed surname?"
His attitude had done a complete one-eighty.
"My humble surname is Zhao."
As is customary for strangers who meet by chance, they only exchanged surnames, not given names.
The young man surnamed Xu then asked, "Brother Zhao, where did you study martial arts?"
"I have never studied martial arts," Zhao Lin answered truthfully.
The young man surnamed Xu raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Brother, to have such strength without any training... you truly possess Innate Divine Power."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "With such a gift, why not learn martial arts? Even the head instructor at the martial arts hall where I used to train wasn't as strong as you."
"Oh? So Brother Xu is also a martial artist?" Zhao Lin's interest was piqued.
The young man surnamed Xu blushed. "My aptitude is poor, and I couldn't endure the hardship. I only studied for half a year and learned just the basics..."
"However, my older brother is the chief instructor at the Kaisan Boxing Hall and has mastered the essence of the Kaisan Fist."
Zhao Lin and Liang Song exchanged a glance. Then Zhao Lin said to the young man, "To be honest with you, I have been thinking about learning martial arts myself."
"But my family isn't wealthy, so I'm worried about the tuition. Also, there are so many martial arts halls and sects in the county town that I don't know how to choose. Could Brother Xu perhaps shed some light on this for me?"
A smile spread across the young man's face. He adopted the tone of an expert and said, "Then you've asked the right person. My brother is a key member of a martial arts hall."
"After being around it for so many years, while I can't say I know everything, I do know a thing or two about how it all works."
Zhao Lin found it amusing that the man couldn't seem to go three sentences without mentioning his brother, but he kept his expression neutral. "There's something I've never understood," he asked. "What's the difference between a martial arts hall and a sect? Aren't they both just places to learn martial arts?"
The young man seemed to find the question so basic that he paused for a moment before replying, "It seems Brother Zhao really doesn't know. Let me explain it to you."
"Sects are all about lineage and emphasize the formal master-disciple relationship. Their Fist Skills, weapon techniques, and Inner Power methods all belong to a single, unified system."
"Take the Eight Trigrams Sect, for example. Their hand-to-hand combat includes the Eight Trigrams Fist and the Kanli Palm. Their weapons are the Eight Trigrams Saber and the Eight Trigrams Sword, and their Inner Power is the Mixed Element Skill. You could say it's all part of a single, continuous lineage."
"Martial arts halls aren't so particular. They're often run by several masters, and some even hire experts from the outside. They might teach martial arts from all sorts of different schools."
"Of course, this is just a general rule. Some sects have Cultivation Techniques just as varied as any martial arts hall."
"Then what's the difference in how they choose disciples?" Zhao Lin continued to ask.
The young man surnamed Xu smiled. "An excellent question. They are indeed quite different."
"Sects are very strict about recruitment. If you already have martial arts skills when you try to join, they most likely won't accept you. They only want young people who are blank slates. The only exception is if your talent is exceptionally high and you have completely severed ties with your former master."
"Martial arts halls are much more lenient. It doesn't matter if you have a family style of martial arts or if you've been in a gang. As long as your aptitude is decent and you can pay the tuition, they'll take you."
"But there's one catch: after you complete your training at a hall, you have to work for them for a period of three to five years."
"I see," Zhao Lin said with dawning comprehension.
Liang Song, who had been listening on the side, chimed in, "So, does that mean the tuition for a martial arts hall is cheaper?"
The young man surnamed Xu glanced at him and smiled. "Exactly. Martial arts halls are businesses. They can't make much just from initiation fees. The real money comes from the commissions their disciples pay after graduating, from jobs like escorting caravans or guarding shops."
Zhao Lin thought for a moment, then asked, "I know there's the Liuhe Sect and the Lingshan Sect in Qinghe County. What's the difference between an organization called a 'Gate' and one called a 'Sect'?"
The young man surnamed Xu smiled slightly. "A hundred people make a Gate, a thousand make a Sect, and ten thousand make an Order."
"A place that calls itself a 'Gate' usually only has a few dozen members, some as few as a handful. But a 'Sect' will have at least several hundred."
"Furthermore, a Sect's martial Cultivation Techniques are relatively more numerous. For example, the famous Songyuan Sect in the prefectural capital claims to have forty-nine different types of Inner Power."
Zhao Lin nodded as he listened. When the man finished, he asked, "So a Sect is better than a Gate?"
The young man shook his head. "Not necessarily. With more people, a Sect naturally has more scheming and infighting. You can't focus on training with the same single-mindedness as you can in a Gate."
"Take the Lingshan Sect you just mentioned. Their headquarters is in Lingshan City. The one in Qinghe County is just a branch that only teaches basic martial arts. If you want to pursue advanced studies, you have to go to Lingshan City."
Zhao Lin felt this carriage ride had been well worth it. He thanked him earnestly, "Your words, my friend, have been a true eye-opener. It's like the clouds have parted."
The young man surnamed Xu waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that there was no need for such formality.
...
At sunset, the carriage entered the territory of Lushan County.
A checkpoint had been set up on the road, manned by two squads of soldiers who were inspecting passing vehicles and pedestrians.
The soldiers ordered everyone out of the carriage, questioned their origins, and then had them open their bags for inspection.
Zhao Lin and Liang Song were only carrying some food and daily necessities. Finding nothing of value to sell, the soldiers waved them through.
Just as they were about to get back on the carriage, the leader of the soldiers curiously felt Zhao Lin's "fur coat" and remarked, "That's a fine coat you have there. Looks nice and warm."