"Yes, Senior Brother Wang!"
The scarred man gave Bai Ziyue and Zhang Guoyi a strange look, murmuring to himself, but still quickly responded.
Bai Ziyue felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Even though he didn't know what kind of treatment a miscellaneous disciple received, he knew they were being targeted.
"Follow me."
After Wang Jian left, the scarred man led them into a room, took out a book and pen for registration, and said, "What are your names, where are you from, who are your family members and parents? State everything."
"Bai Ziyue, from Cloud Leaf Village, parents..."
Bai Ziyue knew this was for official registration, marking their formal acceptance into the Sunburst Gang. Although they were only apprentices, and so-called miscellaneous disciples at that, he didn't dare to slack off and answered meticulously.
"Zhang Guoyi, also from Cloud Leaf Village, parents deceased..."
Zhang Guoyi followed suit and introduced his situation in detail.
"Bai Ziyue, Zhang Guoyi, those names aren't bad at all."
The scarred man nodded slowly. Names given by ordinary village folks were usually simple, like Erlang, Gouzi, Sanniu, and so on—simple and easy to remember.
"We have an old scholar in our village. Our names were all given by him."
Bai Ziyue quickly explained.
The scarred man nodded, not particularly caring about these details. His expression soon turned indifferent and stern.
"Entering our Sunburst Gang means following our rules. Memorize the three regulations, five codes, and twelve articles.
If you break them, the consequences will affect you at best, and at worst, did you see the registration information above? Even your parents and family members will suffer."
As he spoke, he pointed to the information about Bai Ziyue and the others in the book, his tone tinged with a threat.
Their faces turned pale.
"Of course, with your status, you don't have the chance to commit serious mistakes anyway.
Next, let me tell you about your status and responsibilities.
In our Sunburst Gang, apprentices are divided into three kinds: Inner Sect Apprentices, Outer Disciples, and the likes of you, miscellaneous disciples."
At this point, the scarred man paused before continuing, "Generally, new apprentices start as Outer Disciples. After a one-month assessment period, those who do poorly or make mistakes are demoted to miscellaneous disciples.
It's obvious that you must have offended someone, like Senior Brother Wang?"
He chuckled mockingly, his scar looking terrifyingly like a centipede.
"N-no... how could he do this to us?"
Zhang Guoyi said in a panic, looking completely lost.
Nobody would feel good about starting at the lowest status as a miscellaneous disciple.
Bai Ziyue naturally understood the reason and could only manage a bitter smile.
"Alright, since Senior Brother Wang has said you should be placed among the miscellaneous disciples, you must accept it. I have no authority to change it.
However, being a miscellaneous disciple doesn't mean you have no chance to become an Outer Disciple or even an Inner Sect Apprentice.
Apprenticeship lasts for five years. As long as you perform well, there will always be opportunities for promotion.
Additionally, being a miscellaneous disciple has one advantage that neither Outer nor Inner Sect Apprentices enjoy, which is earning a wage. Though it's not much, it's better than nothing, right?"
The scarred man waved his hand as if joking.
"Then, sir, what do miscellaneous disciples do? Can we—learn martial arts?"
Bai Ziyue was not concerned about status but remained focused on his goal.
"You may call me Mr. Qian." The scarred man first introduced himself, then continued, "Of course, you can learn martial arts. Our Sunburst Gang has today's status relying on martial prowess.
Moreover, it's worth mentioning that to be promoted from a miscellaneous disciple to an Outer Disciple, aside from achieving significant merit, the best opportunity is learning martial arts.
Generally, miscellaneous disciples can apply for one day of martial arts training each month.
Almost every morning, there are people within the gang who instruct Outer and Inner Sect Apprentices in martial arts. You can follow along.
As for whether you can receive guidance from Senior Brothers and learn martial arts, that depends on your own fortune.
But, miscellaneous disciples have a lot of work. The daily chores are endless, so how could you have time for martial arts training?
So, I advise you to accept your fate."
Mr. Qian shook his head slowly.
He had seen many kids hoping to change their fate by learning martial arts. In the first few months, they would come to learn, but after some time with no progress, they would give up.
"Then, Mr. Qian, can I apply to start martial arts training tomorrow?"
Bai Ziyue's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked.
"I want to start learning martial arts tomorrow too."
Zhang Guoyi, not being dull, quickly chimed in.
"You're quite astute."
Mr. Qian smiled faintly.
He didn't have any ill feelings toward Bai Ziyue and Zhang Guoyi. They were just kids, so he saw no need to make things difficult for them.
...
"Finally, we can learn martial arts. External Forging, Inner Cultivation, and the Inner Qi Realm... I wonder what true martial arts are like."
Bai Ziyue lay on his bed, quietly looking forward to it.
Currently, he was in a somewhat shabby small house with a large bed stretching from one side of the wall to the other, with nine boys sleeping together.
Mr. Qian had arranged this place for them to stay temporarily. Zhang Guoyi slept next to him.
As for the others, they were also miscellaneous disciples, some of whom had arrived just a few days earlier but were already assigned to work in the Sunburst Gang's branch mansion.
According to them, miscellaneous disciple work assignments could be elsewhere, so staying here was only temporary. If sent to other industries of the Sunburst Gang, they would naturally have to leave.
Based on their description, miscellaneous disciples were further divided into internal and external miscellaneous disciples. Those able to stay in the Sunburst Gang's branch mansion were considered internal, while those working outside were external, with a lower status than even theirs.
At the very least, they looked down upon the external miscellaneous disciples.
"Ziyue, do you think we can become as powerful as Uncle Ming if we learn martial arts? I heard Uncle Ming once went up the mountain alone and killed a seven-hundred-pound tiger.
If we learned martial arts and were as powerful as Uncle Ming, we'd be successful and never have to worry about going hungry again.
Oh, by the way, the food here is really good, that pancake as big as a face was delicious."
Zhang Guoyi said, starting to drool.
In the village, with his parents deceased, he lived with his uncle and barely had enough to eat. The pancake they had for dinner already seemed like top-notch food to him.
"We will, definitely."
Bai Ziyue said with determination.
In his heart, not even Uncle Ming was his goal.
For from today's experiences, he understood that even in this small Qinghe Town, many were stronger than Uncle Ming, like the Fourth Village Chief of Ghost Head Stronghold, Iron Arm Hand Wu Liang, and Li Xu, one of the Li Family's three heroes who captured Wu Liang, and not to mention Logistics Steward Zhang Bo's description of Guardian Liu Yang... And beyond Qinghe Town, there lay an even vaster world.