Four Schools, Two Guilds, One Hall!

There was silence as the girls all glanced at one another. Su Hanlin rose.

"You can ask her friends; Gu Wenwen and Chu Gumei. As for us, we just woke up one morning and realised she was gone,"

"Gone? Gone where?" Sal Qian turned towards the two seething girls. They turned up their noses and shook their heads.

"We don't know,"

"And you didn't raise an alarm?!" Sal Qian was furious, "what if she went and killed herself?! I know after all that happened you despised her, but I expected better from you, Su Hanlin!"

Su Hanlin immediately knelt down.

"Pardon me, Tutor Sal! I-- I reckoned she might have also --"

"You reckoned?" Sal Qian repeated, irritated. "Enough of this! All of you, inside at once! I'll have her searched for!"

"Yes!" All the girls scurried inside. After a while, Sal Qian left.

"Hmph, serves you right that you were scolded," Fan Yurou bumped into Su Hanlin on her way to her own bed. Ye Haobei immediately pushed her in retaliation.

"Watch your neck," the bigger girl said threateningly, "I might come strangle you in your sleep,"

Terrified, Fan Yurou scuttled over to Gu Wenwen. The other girls smirked. Su Hanlin stood in the same spot with a frown on her face, but soon cleared up.

"Well, it is what it is. Girls, let's not dawdle. You heard Tutor Sal talk about the mass selection that's going to happen. Let's all prepare hard!"

"Yes!" The girls' morale was boosted.

"She didn't say when it was going to be!" One of them pointed out.

"No matter when; let's do our best," Gu Yuwei replied.

"Mn!" Fired up, most of the girls climbed up into their beds and started to cultivate. Those that had reached a bottleneck went out into the courtyard and started practicing fight stances. Time went by swiftly, and most of the cultivating girls started exiting their modes and began clamouring due to hunger.

"Haobei; let's go cook," Gu Yuwei stretched and yawned, "I'm famished,"

"Can-- can I come as well?" Ren Aiming rose up shyly.

"Sure," said Ye Haobei. The three girls thus departed for the kitchens. Over at her corner, Ren Ziyan sulked. To think her half sister was already getting close to the second in command! While she, her hands were still tied; the girls didn't even look in her direction though she had clearly stated her identity; and her bunkmate acted as if she was air!

Evening brought with it the history and etiquette instructor, Wei Yinan. The girls lit lamps and sat around her in the now darkening courtyard.

"I bet you've been told about the mass selection that will happen soon," she started. Gu Yuwei raised her hand.

"Yes, tutor. But, can we know when it will be?"

"It hasn't been decided. But it will be soon; very soon. On that note, I'll be telling you all about the various schools, sects, guilds, halls and squads within the Si Lak Mercenaries. Instead of training blindly, after hearing about each one, you will be able to decide where to put your attention on in order to increase your chances of being selected."

"Wow, thank you, tutor!"

Wei Yinan waved her hand lightly, showing that it wasn't worthy of thanks.

"You have to know that we your instructors also rely on you in a way. The more of you get chosen and selected, the more we stand the chance of getting promoted also. Anyway," she cleared her throat, "there is a popular phrase that is used in the Mercenaries to describe the major powers. The phrase is: Four Schools, Two Guilds, One Hall. Remember this."

"The Four Schools," she continued, "as you may be guessing, are the schools founded by each of the Four Seniors; that is: the Spear School, the Riding School, the Archery School, and the Sword School. Each of these is headed by a Senior. Senior Flaming Spear, as you know, is the founder of the Spear School--"

Gu Wenwen raised her hand.

"Pardon me, Tutor. But; there are also Squads named after these schools? Are the squads and schools the same thing? For example, my friend," she raised her nose, "was chosen by Elder Nalan to join the Spear Squad. Was she just selected into the school then?"

"No," Wei Yinan shook her head, "and I am getting there, if you will be patient. Yes, there are squads named after each of these schools, and more. But squads are not part of the powers or pillars of the Mercenaries. I am talking about the powers first; the most important sub-groups of the Si Lak Mercenaries. We are all under the same banner of the Grand Chief," she cupped her hands to one side, "but we are also under several other banners. The strongest pillars of the Mercenaries are the Four Schools, Two Guilds, and One Hall. It would be a great honour if you were chosen into one of these,"

"Yes, tutor!" The girl's faces were already ablaze with a fiery heat.

"Now, as I was saying, the Spear School was founded by the Top Senior. Though the preferred weapon and element affinity of this school is the Spear and Flame; it does not mean people with other weapon prowess and element affinity are not welcome there. As opposed to the Spear Squad, whose members are the best of the best of those who wield the Spear and Flame."

"Right next in rank to the Spear School is the Riding School, founded by Senior Charming Leopard. As the name suggests, the school favours those with contract mystic and battle creatures. It is one of the most difficult schools to be selected into, due to the scarcity of mystic creatures and the difficulty of taming and contracting them. If I would advise you, don't set your sights on this school,"

"The Archery School of Senior Red Monkey is next," Wei Yinan continued, "if you're good with a bow, you would think you stand a good chance of getting selected, but no. Senior Red Monkey only handpicks the exceptional talents--"

"Like my friend Yue Li," Gu Wenwen 'whispered', "she was selected as Senior Red Monkey's own disciple!"

"We know, we know," Feng Chusan rolled her eyes.

"--so you must work really hard to be noticed by whoever the representative sent is," the tutor was saying.

"I'll definitely work hard and join the Archery School," Gu Wenwen clenched her fists, "or the Spear Squad, where my friend Lu Xinyi is!"

"We know!" Feng Chusan turned around; Gu Wenwen was seated behind her, "can you shut up for a second?"

The girl glared at her, but huffed and turned away because the tutor was present. She continued hooting about her friends in a bare whisper to those beside her, though.

"And finally, the Sword School," Wei Yinan was still talking, "headed by Senior Storm Sword. The preferred weapon and element affinity, as you might have deduced, is Sword and Wind. That's it about the Four Schools. After them we have the Two Guilds, namely, the Alchemy Guild and the Weapons Guild. The former takes talents versed in alchemy, while the latter grooms weaponsmiths and weapon practitioners. I would advise you again, to not set your sights on these two Guilds. So far I have never heard an hatchling being chosen by them."

"And then we have the One Hall: the Medicine Hall,"

Li Beiyao elbowed Su Hanlin with a sly smirk. Su Hanlin reddened a little but kept her face facing forward.

"While the alchemy hall produces pills, elixirs, tonics and what not for several issues like cultivation, mystic creature taming and contracting, and so forth; the Medicine Hall is centred on natural medicine and bodily health. However," Wei Yinan's face turned slightly pale, "the head of the Medicine Hall is not a simple person. Do not, and I repeat, do not do anything that would make you chosen by them if you like yourself,"

"But tutor," Li Beiyao raised her hand, "what about Su Hanlin who's already his disciple?"

"Guardian Yi Hei is incarcerated," Wei Yinan shook her head, "she should take this opportunity to be selected into another school,"

"You can go to the Spear School," Feng Chusan murmured to her, "after all, The Top Senior wanted you as her disciple that day,"

Su Hanlin said nothing.

"You've heard all about the major powers." Said Wei Yinan, "After them are the Squads. Besides the Four Squads which are offshoots of the Four Schools, there are about seven other squads. Each of these are named after their leader's contract creature, so we have the Bear Squad, the Wolf Squad, the Deer Squad, the Tiger Squad, the Eagle Squad, the Falcon Squad and the Pheasant Squad,"

There was a snort of laughter at the last name. Even Wei Yinan's mouth twitched.

"Yes; it's the least popular," she commented drily. "Anyway, after these there are countless other small sects and schools. Some old elders and retired vanguards, guardians and tutors might also come to watch the fun and scout out a 'disciple', to take care of them in their old age,"

The girls all shivered. That did not sound nice at all!

"So be wary of them. Alright. It's late. Good night," she rose.

"Good night tutor Wei!"

The hatchery was a buzz of activities over the following days. Every single tutor and instructor also reinforced the imminent mass selection in the ears of the hatchlings. The details of the event was also slowly becoming more and more known. All the hatchlings, both male and female, would be escorted to the main courtyard in the Si Lak Mercenaries camp to display their talents and to take tests and overcome challenges set by each of the schools and guilds. The girls were all in a state of frenzied excitement mixed with worry and nerves. All of them had used up all the pills given them by Sal Qian and were now at their respective cultivation peaks. The girls had even segmented themselves into small groups of fours and fives and were each working on a collective method of being noticed by a preferred school or guild or sect. Of course, Su Hanlin, Feng Chusan, Li Beiyao and Gu Yuwei had all decided on joining the Spear School. Feng Chusan had convinced them that there was a slight possibility that Han Yuefeng would be the representative and therefore they should make it easy for her to select them. Her idea had swayed the rest.

Finally, the hatchlings woke up another morning as usual to continue preparing, when Ning Fulan strode in.

"Girls!" She called sharply, "change into presentable dresses," and with a flick of her hand several huge wooden boxes appeared in the courtyard of the hatchery. The girls threw them open and found they were full of clothes and accessories, weapons and even artefacts!

"I give you two hours," said Ning Fulan, and she left. The hatchery almost descended into chaos as the girls started fighting over weapons and artefacts if not for Su Hanlin's timely caution.

"I'm sure the assessment has started from this moment. If we behave in an uncouth manner, we will all be punished!"

Thus the girls quieted down and agreed to line up by each box and await their turn. They were more focused on the weapons and prowess enhancing artefacts rather than the dresses and accessories (as opposed to Ren Ziyan). After taking their pick, they hurried inside to change.

When Ning Fulan came back, she had with her a tall man with the same cropped hairstyle on her head.

"Are you all ready?" Ning Fulan asked.

"Yes, tutor!" The girls responded.

"Let's go," with the man's help, a very wide teleportation matrix was created by Ning Fulan, "at the word go, jump in. Go!"

Whooooshhh!

"Ugh!"

"Ow!"

Many of the girls clutched one another for support when they landed, their eyes spinning, their faces pale. Then after calming down they looked about them. Oh! So this was the main courtyard of the Si Lak Mercenaries! It was so so wide! Very wide, it could contain almost a thousand people! The fifty plus girls from the hatchery felt swallowed up by the seemingly unending space. After a while, about seventy boys and young men also appeared next to them, accompanied by another Riding Squad member. Ning Fulan activated a voice enhancing artefact on her and addressed the hatchlings.

"Arrange yourselves. In a short while, the representatives of the schools and sects will arrive."

Su Hanlin was surreptitiously pushed to stand at the very front of the hatchery girls. She hugged herself, feeling quite nervous. Seeing that Ning Fulan and the two other men were talking among themselves, Feng Chusan poked Su Hanlin's back.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Su Hanlin replied, "you?"

"Good. Oh!"

A number of people entered the courtyard. They started erecting booths at different places, with flags over each one. Others brought furniture and arranged them. A table was placed under each booth, and three chairs behind it. On each table was a affinity revealing artefact; a round glassy orb. An inkwell, sheaves of paper, and a quill were also prepared.

All this was done quite quickly, and, as if premeditated, the representatives, accompanied by at least two people each, started to arrive. Upon locating their respective flags, they settled behind the booths. More equipment for the assessment were retrieved from their own spatial storages. For example, the man from the Riding School brought out a viscous looking mystic eagle almost five feet tall, and tethered it to one of the poles of his booth.

"Look, it's Yuefeng! Yuefeng is the representative of the Spear School!" Feng Chusan, who had her eyes trained to the people under the spear and flame flag booth, suddenly exclaimed. Su Hanlin quickly hushed her.

"Yes, it's her! We're in luck!"

Beside them, Li Beiyao and Gu Yuwei were also excited. Han Yuefeng looked very different from the last time they saw her. She wore her hair in a delicate knot atop her head, a sparkling azure phoenix hairpin holding it in place. Her face seemed more stern and firm than it used to be. She carried strapped to her waist a sword, too, and her bearing was confident and assured.

Tears almost came to Feng Chusan's eyes. How many months had it been, yet, her Yuefeng was already so dashing!