Chapter 13: Change of Status, Scholar Ji

The next day.

Wei Tu woke up early, carrying his belongings as he made his way to the county office, waiting outside the gates.

It was nearly midday when several yamen enforcers finally pushed open the heavy doors of the county office.

The front court of the county yamen appeared dilapidated, clearly having gone years without repair. However, after Wei Tu passed through the shadow wall, stepped through the ceremonial gate, and arrived at the discipline stone pavilion, he caught sight of the inner quarters beyond the courtyard wall—where a towering three-story wooden pagoda loomed.

The structure was exquisitely built, with eaves that curled gracefully, ridge decorations shaped like mythological chiwen, and intricate carvings of koi transforming into dragons and cranes soaring through the clouds.

Wei Tu couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

He had now arrived at the hall marked "Household Registry," where only a lone clerk in a black yamen robe was inside, hunched over a desk, busy writing official documents. Seeing that the clerk was too preoccupied to notice him, Wei Tu boldly stepped onto the raised platform, stretching his neck to take a peek over the courtyard wall.

Stone-paved walkways, white walls with dark tiles…

Pavilions, towers, and halls…

The inner residence of the county magistrate was an entirely different world compared to the neglected front yamen.

"A true man should aspire to such a life," Wei Tu mused to himself.

The Li family and the Huang family were wealthy households, but when he had lived among them as a lowly servant, he had never dared to gaze too long or admire too much. Now, having regained his freedom, his mindset had shifted.

Seeing these grand and ancient buildings, he no longer felt disdain or resentment—instead, admiration and desire took root in his heart.

In his past life, there were skyscrapers and common residential buildings, but the difference in living spaces did not dictate one's status as rigidly as in this world.

Here, one's social standing determined the kind of house they could live in. It was a matter of established hierarchy, strictly adhering to societal customs.

With that thought, Wei Tu collected himself, retrieved his deed of sale and proof of release from his robes, and gently knocked on the wooden door of the Household Registry office.

"What business do you have?" The clerk inside halted his writing, lifting his head to scrutinize the visitor.

Wei Tu kept his response concise, explaining his request to remove himself from the slave registry.

"Removing your slave status?" The clerk raised a brow in mild surprise before setting his brush aside, letting it rest on the brush rack. He took a better look at Wei Tu.

Although the Household Registry was responsible for managing population records—including the occasional case of slaves buying their freedom—this particular clerk had never encountered a servant who personally came to the yamen to change their status.

"Do you have your deed of sale? A release letter from your former master?" The clerk's tone softened slightly.

Though he did not know Wei Tu, the fact that a man at this age could buy his way out of servitude suggested that he was no ordinary individual—certainly someone worth keeping an eye on.

"I have them." Wei Tu didn't waste words. He stepped into the room, giving a respectful bow as he placed both his deed of sale and the release letter onto the clerk's desk with both hands.

"Hmm… Nineteen years old?" The clerk arched a brow.

At first glance, he had assumed Wei Tu was a rugged man in his thirties, but the documents revealed that he was barely twenty.

After committing Wei Tu's name and place of birth to memory, the clerk carefully examined the documents, comparing the handwriting and official seals against the county records.

Once everything checked out, he pulled out a thick registry book with "Citizen Records" written on the cover and added Wei Tu's name to the last page.

"Now that you're officially a commoner, you'll be required to pay an annual head tax. If you acquire land, you'll also need to pay property taxes… Additionally, every year, the government mandates corvée labor—if you wish to be exempt, you must pay a substitution fee."

The clerk listed out the obligations of a citizen.

Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded, signaling that he understood.

Becoming a commoner was only temporary.

As long as he passed the martial examination and earned a title, he could advance from "civilian registry" to the "military registry," or even the "official registry."

At that point, he would no longer have to pay head tax or labor substitution fees.

"If you remain a commoner for three years without owing taxes or fees, and if your household has no land, the county may allocate you a piece of permanent farmland. Remember this."

The yamen clerk reminded him.

"Thank you, sir."

Wei Tu bowed in gratitude.

Leaving the county yamen, Wei Tu didn't linger in town. After eating a flatbread Xinghua had prepared the day before, he merged into the crowd and left the county.

For safety, he avoided traveling in haste and chose to stay overnight at an inn. It wasn't until the next day that he resumed his journey.

By midday on the second day, after crossing a hill ridge, he finally spotted a village nestled by a riverbank, with a large sign reading "Dan Family Stronghold."

After asking the villagers for directions, he arrived at the only residence in the village with three hitching posts—a solid blue-brick courtyard home.

"Li Yaozu? Well, that's a surprise."

Scholar Ji sat atop a stone mill in his front yard. He was a lean man with sharp features, clad in a dark purple cotton robe. A brass tobacco pipe hung from his waist.

After reading through the letter, Scholar Ji flicked the ashes from his pipe, looked Wei Tu up and down, and said simply, "Come in."

With his hands clasped behind his back, he led the way into the courtyard.

The Dan residence was a three-section compound. The first courtyard housed several fine horses, each neighing at their master's return.

Upon reaching the second courtyard's main hall, Scholar Ji sat down and said, "I'll take you in as a laborer, but as for teaching you martial arts—that depends on my mood. Also, it depends on whether or not you're cut out for it."

"One more thing. If you earn a title in the martial examination, you'll need to send me annual gifts as a show of gratitude. Can you do that?"

Scholar Ji leaned back, observing Wei Tu's reaction.

"If I succeed, you would be my benefactor. A student honoring his teacher is only natural."

Wei Tu considered briefly before responding with a carefully worded answer.

"Not bad."

Scholar Ji did not refute his words. A faint smile surfaced.

"There's a set of stone locks and a war bow outside. Go try them. Let's see if you're worth training."

He gestured toward the training yard.

Wei Tu nodded and stepped out.

Upon entering the courtyard earlier, he had already noticed the variety of weapons—every standard military weapon was present. There were even bronze training dummies and wooden striking posts.

Wei Tu walked over to the practice corner, took a deep breath, and grasped a 300-jin stone lock with one arm. With a surge of strength, he lifted it off the ground.

Over the past year, his Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation had advanced further. Though he hadn't yet reached the Major Accomplishment stage, he had surpassed Minor Accomplishment by a significant margin.

His raw strength had also increased—from lifting 200 jin with one arm to now lifting 300 jin.

"Impressive physique."

Scholar Ji nodded approvingly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

In martial arts, natural talent in physical conditioning was crucial.

Without a strong foundation, no amount of training could turn a weakling into a warrior.

A single-arm lift of 300 jin? That put Wei Tu among the gifted few.

However, when it came time to draw the war bow, Wei Tu shook his head and admitted his lack of archery skills.

"You're no good with a bow?"

Scholar Ji frowned. Strength alone wouldn't be enough to pass the martial examination.

Still, he wasn't too concerned. If he failed this time, he could always try again next year.

Archery could be trained.

After all, Wei Tu was still young.

"What about hand-to-hand combat? Saber techniques?"

Scholar Ji asked.

He wasn't referring to flashy, ornamental moves but real combat techniques—styles built upon solid stances and foundation training, which formed the basis of external martial arts.

Many advanced saber techniques were derived from these core disciplines.

"I've only practiced Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation."

Wei Tu answered truthfully.

"Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation? That longevity exercise? What kind of nonsense is that?"

Scholar Ji scoffed upon hearing the name.

It was clear he had heard of Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation, but from his tone, he had little regard for it.