The Imperial Forest Army Command.

Long covered buildings formed a gate-shaped enclosure around the drill ground. The vertical section on the left housed the stables for the Imperial Forest Army’s warhorses, while the right side contained the yamen and a storage area for military equipment.

A golden plaque, inscribed with “Loyalty, Diligence, Military Preparedness,” hung high above the yamen. The couplet on the door read: “Strategizing with a three-foot sword” on the top line, and “Devoting one’s heart to the monarch” on the bottom. It was unknown which sycophant had composed it, but the calligraphy was quite good.

Inside the yamen, Chen Ji sat at his desk, brush in hand, meticulously recording: “Duo Bao, tuition fee fifteen taels; Zhou Chong, tuition fee eight taels; Zhou Li, tuition fee five taels…”

With a smack, Qi Zhenzhuo cuffed Zhou Li on the back of the head. “Zhou Chong’s family keeps him on a tight leash, but what’s your excuse? Are you really only paying five taels to learn real skills?”

Zhou Li replied helplessly, “My lord, my Zhou family cannot compare to your Qi family. My monthly allowance is only ten taels.”

“You’ve certainly been to the Eight Great Hutongs plenty of times!” Qi Zhenzhuo told Chen Ji. “Master, record ten taels for him!”

Chen Ji smiled and said gently, “No need. If everyone has to hand over all their silver for tuition, how will they live?”

With that, he wrote in the ledger: “Zhou Li, nine taels.”

Chen Ji quietly calculated as he flipped through the ledger: The thirty-seven Imperial Forest Army soldiers who had returned from Guyuan, not including himself, contributed a total of five hundred seventy taels in tuition each month.

At this rate, he could accumulate enough for one ‘stripe’ of progress in two years, and enter the ‘Path-seeking Realm’ in another eight. A twenty-six-year-old high official in the Path-seeking Realm would be able to secure a stable life.

But Chen Ji could not wait that long.

Seeing Chen Ji frown in silence, Qi Zhenzhuo assumed he found the amount too small and explained in a low voice, “Master, those sent by their families to the Imperial Forest Army are usually not well-regarded at home. They just need a stable job and not cause trouble; they don’t have much silver. Those with real talent and favored by their families have all been sent to academies to study. Now, having returned from Guyuan, everyone has truly woken up and is eager to achieve great deeds. If you think this silver is too little, we’ll embezzle some military funds to honor you once we become generals!”

Li Xuan said angrily, “What nonsense are you talking? If you intend to embezzle military funds later, then don’t learn skills now; you’ll only end up harming people.”

Qi Zhenzhuo quickly explained, “I was just joking…”

Chen Ji stood up. “It’s not that I find it too little; I’m just considering what to teach.”

Seeing Chen Ji close the ledger, Qi Zhenzhuo eagerly asked, “Master, just teach us your archery skill of hitting a willow from a hundred paces, or perhaps your prowess with a horse lance?”

Chen Ji stood behind the desk, deep in thought, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the surface.

Seeing him remain silent for a long time, Qi Zhenzhuo grew anxious and waved his hand in front of Chen Ji.

Chen Ji suddenly said, “First, learn military formations.”

Qi Zhenzhuo raised an eyebrow. “Formations? What’s the point of learning formations? We already know them. We practice the Three Talents Formation and the Plum Blossom Formation regularly… Master, you haven’t used formations before, have you?”

Li Xuan shot him a glance. “Still talking back? Haven’t you learned your lesson?”

Qi Zhenzhuo shrank his neck. “I just think learning formations isn’t impressive enough. If I could demonstrate hitting a willow from a hundred paces during the autumn hunt, how intimidating would that be… But if it’s formations, then it’s formations. Whatever Master teaches, I’ll learn.”

Chen Ji stood up and began walking out. “Martial arts require constant practice. If you want to hit a willow from a hundred paces, go shoot ten thousand arrows first. I don’t teach flashy tricks. Since I’ve taken your tuition, I must teach you skills for survival. Lord Li, fetch two shields, four horse lances, one spear, two tridents, one hard bow… and two lengths of raw bamboo, sixteen feet long.”

Qi Zhenzhuo was stunned. “What? Raw bamboo?”

This time, even Li Xuan was puzzled. “We can find everything else, but what do you need raw bamboo for? Sixteen-foot raw bamboo is hard to find in the north; you’ll have to try your luck in the Qi family’s bamboo grove.”

Chen Ji hummed in affirmation. “Go find it; then we’ll talk.”

Qi Zhenzhuo asked curiously, “Master, what kind of formation is so peculiar that it requires raw bamboo? What’s its name?”

Chen Ji answered casually, “The Mandarin Duck Formation.”

The Imperial Forest Army soldiers exchanged puzzled glances.

The Mandarin Duck Formation? They had never heard of it.

Qi Zhenzhuo muttered softly, “That name is so strange, not imposing at all.”

Chen Ji offered no explanation. This formation, despite its unassuming name, represented the last glorious infantry tactic of the cold weapon era.

General Qi’s army had achieved a myth of nine victories in nine battles by relying on the Mandarin Duck Formation as their ultimate secret skill.

He waved his hand. “Go find the raw bamboo.”

Qi Zhenzhuo rode off and didn’t return until evening.

He returned with two raw bamboo poles of different lengths on his shoulder, one twelve feet long, and the other eleven. He dismounted, still carrying the bamboo, and handed the reins to an Imperial Forest Army soldier.

Li Xuan glanced at the bamboo. “Not long enough.”

Qi Zhenzhuo looked at Li Xuan awkwardly and said, “Brother-in-law, it’s not like you haven’t been to our family’s bamboo grove. I searched the entire Qi family bamboo grove, and these two were the longest I could find; I cut them down… Father and Grandfather love that bamboo grove the most. They always say it represents the Qi family’s scholarly spirit. If they find out I chopped down the two tallest bamboos, they might chop *me*!”

Li Xuan’s expression became serious. “You didn’t let anyone see you cut the bamboo, did you?”

Qi Zhenzhuo chuckled. “Don’t worry, I avoided people. Otherwise, why would I have dawdled until now to return? Oh, where’s my master?”

Li Xuan explained, “He left just after Shen Shi (3-5 PM), saying he was going to Tianqiao to watch wrestling performances.”

Qi Zhenzhuo was puzzled. “What’s there to see in that? A bunch of rough men grappling, it’s hideous.”

Entering the capital from the south required passing through Yongding Gate.

Past Yongding Gate were the Temple of Heaven and the Altar of Mountains and Rivers. Temple fairs were usually held here, making it exceptionally lively.

Tianqiao was right next to the Temple of Heaven, the liveliest spot amidst the bustling scene. However, if any adult heard their child went to Tianqiao, they would surely scold them, saying, “Proper families don’t go to such places.”

Chen Ji walked amidst the bustling traffic, the air filled with the smell of cow dung and the cries of hawkers.

By the roadside, a man held a red-tasseled spear, surrounded by curious onlookers. They watched as he pressed the spear’s tip against his throat, bending the shaft with sheer force.

Then a young boy walked around with a gong, shouting, “Esteemed sirs and madams, those with money please contribute, those without, please lend your support. One coin is not too little, a hundred is not too much…”

At this, the onlookers dispersed, and only two or three copper coins were collected in the gong.

An old man chuckled, “This one clearly just arrived in the capital to sell his skills, an honest fellow. Next time, you’ll have to be smarter. Haven’t you heard of ‘all talk, no action’?”

The honest man put away his red-tasseled spear and humbly asked, “Excuse me, elder, what is ‘all talk, no action’?”

The old man continued teasingly, “You collect money before you press the spear tip, when the audience is itching with anticipation. Once you’ve done it, who’s going to give you money? Look at Fatty Wang, the knife-thrower next door. Every day he says he’ll blindfold himself and throw knives at the red fruit on his daughter’s head. But he starts collecting money before he throws, and once he’s collected it, he starts the act all over again from the beginning. I’ve lived in Tianqiao for so many years, and I’ve never seen him actually let his daughter balance the red fruit.”

The man asked doubtfully, “So, can he actually do it?”

The old man chuckled and retorted, “Even if he can, he shouldn’t stab her! That’s his own daughter!”

Chen Ji walked past the red-tasseled spear stall. Along the way, he saw knife-throwers, men breaking rocks on their chests, and performers balancing large jars. The aroma of stir-fried tripe wafted from the roadside; Old Shi’s Tripe had already reached its eighth pot, and people continued to gather in front of the stall without cease.

As he walked, a hawker carrying a shoulder pole passed him, shouting loudly, “Ai Wo Wo! Freshly steamed Ai Wo Wo!”

Chen Ji stepped aside to let him pass. He turned his head and saw the busiest spot, surrounded by layers of people, unable to tell what was happening inside the crowd.

He turned and entered a street-facing tavern, standing on the second floor and looking out from the railing.

Among the crowd were two shirtless men. One had a back full of tattoos, with blue patterns extending from his neck to his wrists. His body was coated with glistening oil, reflecting the setting sun.

The other man was clean, without tattoos or oil, his sinewy muscles appearing as if they could stretch like threads.

In the arena, someone shouted to the clean-cut man, “Pao Ge, get him!”

Chen Ji observed subtly. Those surrounding the two men were not to be trifled with: on one side, they wore iron rulers and axes at their waists; on the other, foot-long daggers.

At that moment, a skinny old man, wearing black cloth shoes, slowly walked into the arena. Strangely, he was missing his index finger and thumb on his right hand.

Several young men under the old man, armed with knives, spears, and clubs, stood at the four corners of the arena. This marked the wrestling ground; non-wrestlers were forbidden to enter, and trespassers would suffer three cuts and six holes.

Even stranger, these young men also had disabilities: some limped, some were missing an arm, and some were blind in one eye.

Chen Ji looked around and didn’t see a single “whole” person among them.

The old man stood calmly in the wrestling ring and announced, “Today, Wang Huan of Heji and Zhu Guan of Ruifuxiang have invited the gentlemen of my Three Mountains Society to officiate. The stakes are the business rights to Li Shamei Hutong. Regardless of who wins or loses, accept your defeat gracefully and don’t make the elders and youngsters laugh. Without further ado, let’s begin.”

Before he had even turned to leave the ring, cheers erupted from Ruifuxiang’s side: “Well done!”

Chen Ji quietly watched as Pao Ge suddenly made his move. He swiftly moved behind his opponent, pressing his forearm against the carotid artery and locking his right hand over his left wrist. No matter how much the opponent struggled, he couldn’t break free.

In mere seconds, he rendered his opponent unconscious from lack of oxygen.

The speed was astonishing!

Pao Ge slowly released his opponent and laid him gently on the ground. “Don’t worry, he’ll wake up in a moment.”

The old man smiled. “This young man has rare skill; it seems he’s been through countless hours of practice. Ruifuxiang wins!”