Chapter 13: Changing One's Surname, Passing the Military Imperial Examination Alone (Please bookmark and follow for updates)

The next day.

Wei Tu rose early, shouldered his luggage, and arrived at the entrance of the county government office to wait.

It was nearly midday before the main gates were pushed open by a few laborers.

The county office was divided into a front administrative area and a rear residence. The front area had not been repaired for years and looked quite dilapidated. However, after Wei Tu bypassed the screen wall, passed through the ceremonial gate, and reached the "Jieshi" (Warning Stone) archway, he caught a glimpse of the towering three-story wooden pavilion in the inner residence over the courtyard wall.

The pavilion was exquisitely built, with upturned eaves and slightly raised ridge ornaments. The structure was embedded with auspicious patterns such as carp transforming into dragons and dancing cranes.

Wei Tu watched in wonder. He had reached the side of the hall marked "Household Department." Seeing no one around except for a minor official in a black robe writing documents at a desk—too busy to look his way—he grew bold, stood on his tiptoes on the foundation, and peered over the courtyard wall.

Flagstone floors, white walls, and dark tiles...

Pavilions and towers...

The architecture of the inner residence was vastly different from the style of the front office.

"A great man should be like this," the thought crossed Wei Tu's mind.

Although the Li and Huang families were wealthy, he had been in a lowly position at the time and dared not look too closely. Now that he had come to redeem his status, his state of mind was different. Seeing these antique buildings, he felt no annoyance or hatred, but rather a sense of appreciation and longing.

In his previous life, despite the distinction between high-rise buildings and ordinary houses, the status gap between people was not so vast, and such strange feelings did not arise.

In this life, status differed, and the houses one lived in differed as well; they had to conform to ritual, so naturally, the feeling was different.

After looking, Wei Tu composed himself, took out his slave contract and letter of certification from his bosom, and gently knocked on the door of the Household Department.

"What is it?" The clerk stopped writing, looked up at Wei Tu outside the door, and asked.

Wei Tu was concise, explaining his situation regarding the removal of his slave status.

"Removing slave status?" The clerk exclaimed in surprise. He tucked his sheep-hair brush into the pen holder and gave Wei Tu a good look.

Although the Household Department managed household registration and handled the redemption of servants, ever since he had inherited his father's position and become a petty official, he had never once seen a servant come to the office on their own to remove their slave status.

"Do you have the contract? A letter from your master?" The clerk's tone softened.

Although he did not know Wei Tu, the fact that Wei Tu could redeem his status at this age meant he was someone of note, worthy of being taken seriously.

"I do!" Wei Tu did not waste words. He walked into the office, bowed slightly, and presented both the contract and the letter to the clerk with both hands.

"Hmm... nineteen years old?" The clerk raised an eyebrow.

At first glance, he had assumed Wei Tu was a sturdy man of thirty; he hadn't expected him to be a youth under twenty.

The clerk noted down Wei Tu's name and place of origin, then opened the contract and letter, carefully comparing the handwriting and seals with the archives of the Household Department.

Once confirmed, the clerk took out a book with "Civilian Registry" written on the cover and added Wei Tu's name to the last page.

"After becoming a civilian, you must pay a fixed poll tax every year. If you own land, you must also pay land tax... Additionally, if you do not wish to perform the annual corvée labor, you must pay a substitute tax."

The clerk listed them one by one.

Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded to show he understood.

Becoming a commoner was only temporary.

As long as he passed the upcoming military examination and earned a title, he could move from the "Civilian Registry" to the "Military Registry," or even the "Official Registry."

By then, he would no longer need to pay poll tax or substitute labor fees.

"Three years after becoming a civilian, if you have no outstanding poll tax or labor fees, and your family owns no land, the government will allocate you permanent land at its discretion. You must remember this," the clerk reminded him.

"Thank you, sir."

Wei Tu bowed in gratitude.

...

Leaving the county office, Wei Tu did not linger in the county town. After eating a pancake he had bought from Xinghua the day before, he followed the flow of people out of the city.

For safety, Wei Tu did not push himself to travel day and night. Instead, he found an inn halfway to rest, continuing his journey the next day.

After traveling for half a day on the second day, Wei Tu rounded a hill and finally saw a village marked "Dan Family Stronghold" near the river below the slope.

After asking the villagers for directions, Wei Tu arrived at the only blue-brick residence in the village that had three hitching posts.

"Li Yaozu? That’s strange." Dan Wuju sat on a stone roller in front of the house. He had a thin, gaunt face and wore a brown-purple cotton summer robe, with a brass water pipe tucked into his waistband.

After reading the letter, Dan Wuju shook the ash from his pipe, told Wei Tu to "come in," and walked into the house with his hands behind his back.

The Dan residence was a three-courtyard compound. The first courtyard kept several fine horses, which neighed loudly as they saw Dan Wuju enter.

In the main hall of the second courtyard, Dan Wuju sat down and said, "I will take you on as a long-term laborer. As for teaching you martial arts, that depends on my mood and whether you have the talent for it."

"Also, after you participate in the military examination and earn a title, you must pay me annual tributes and send gifts during the holidays. Can you do that?"

"If I succeed, Master Dan will be my mentor. It is only right for a student to honor his master," Wei Tu thought for a moment and gave this slightly tactful reply.

"Very good."

Hearing this, Dan Wuju did not object and a smile appeared on his face.

"There are stone locks for strength training and hard bows outside. Try them all and see if you are truly material for the craft."

Dan Wuju pointed outside.

Wei Tu nodded and walked out.

When he had entered, he had noticed the equipment in the second courtyard; all eighteen types of weapons were present, along with bronze statues and wooden training dummies.

A moment later, Wei Tu reached the corner of the courtyard, tensed his right arm, and lifted a stone lock marked "Three Hundred Catties."

Over the past year of practice, his progress in the health-cultivation technique had improved. Although he had not yet reached perfection, he had far exceeded the initial stage.

His strength had also increased from two hundred catties per arm to three hundred.

"Good foundation," Dan Wuju nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

In martial arts, foundation is everything.

Without a good foundation, no amount of practice will lead to mastery.

Being able to lift a three-hundred-catty stone lock with one arm, in the eyes of Dan Wuju, meant Wei Tu was a person of extraordinary talent among commoners.

However, when it came to drawing the hard bow, Wei Tu shook his head and honestly admitted that his archery skills were not refined.

"You can't shoot?" Dan Wuju frowned. In the military examinations, relying solely on strength was far from enough to earn a title.

But Dan Wuju did not take it to heart; if he failed this time, he could just take the exam again.

Archery skills could be practiced.

In any case, Wei Tu was still young.

"What martial arts have you learned? Saber techniques?" Dan Wuju asked thoughtfully.

The martial arts he spoke of were not flashy moves, but legitimate lineages with various stance trainings—the basics of external martial arts.

These could be practiced for a lifetime.

Most saber techniques among martial artists were derived from these basic stances.

"Only... the Turtle Breathing and Qi Cultivation Technique."

Wei Tu replied truthfully.

"Turtle Breathing and Qi Cultivation? That health-cultivation manual? What kind of nonsense is that?"

Dan Wuju had clearly heard of the "Turtle Breathing and Qi Cultivation Technique," and he quickly expressed his disdain for the health-cultivation method.