From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

"How long are you going to stay with me?"

As Chen Shi left the city in the afternoon, he glanced at Lian'er, who was following closely behind him, and couldn't help but frown.

After driving the man away, Lian'er not only didn't leave, but became even more attached to him, following Chen Shi wherever he went.

He initially thought she was in trouble, so Chen Shi, being a good person, took her out to eat and buy her things. In the end, he even gave her fifty taels of silver, but Lian'er still wouldn't leave and followed him all the way to the outskirts of the city.

"Wherever you go, young master, Lian'er will go."

Lian'er lowered her head slightly, her voice soft but resolute.

"Why are you following me? I've already said it, I don't need you to offer yourself to me."

Chen Shi sighed helplessly and repeated himself once more.

"I know that you don't think much of me, and I dare not hope for anything else. I only ask to stay by your side and serve you as a maid."

As Lian'er spoke, her eyes reddened, and she took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, looking pitiful and endearing.

"Alright, alright, if you're so capable, then come and join us."

Watching coldly, Chen Shi chuckled three times, then mounted his horse and gave the reins a sharp jerk.

"drive!"

The horse beneath him neighed and immediately set off on all fours.

When Lian'er saw Chen Shi mount his horse, she panicked and tried to stop him, but it was too late. She then took off after him, but how could a weak woman possibly catch up with a fast horse?

After chasing for a few steps, Chen Shi was already dozens of feet away.

Lian'er stood by the roadside, waving her handkerchief to clear the dust kicked up by the galloping horses, watching Chen Shi disappear into the distance, her fists clenching tightly.

After a moment, he gave a soft hum, his gaze unwavering.

"Nonsense."

He ran for two miles in one breath, glanced back, and saw that Lian'er had not caught up. Chen Shi snorted coldly.

Too lazy to think any further, he headed straight for Zhechongyuan.

The Zhechong Academy was located twenty li outside Shengping City. Chen Shi rode at full speed and arrived in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"This is it."

Just as I was wondering where to look, I suddenly saw a tall gatehouse in the distance, at the foot of a mountain range.

Upon closer inspection, the five large vermilion characters "Jiangnan Zhechongyuan" were written in a vigorous and powerful style.

However, there was only a gatehouse, and no courtyard was visible.

"Dismount!"

Foot soldiers stood guard on both sides of the gate tower, raising their spears and shouting a command.

Chen Shi pulled on the reins and dismounted.

"My name is Chen Shi, and I am a student here to register."

"A new student?"

The guards exchanged glances, then looked Chen Shi up and down.

The school year is already halfway over, so it's a bit too late to come now.

Chen Shi didn't waste any time and directly took out the official letter from his bundle.

The guard took it, checked it and found nothing wrong, and immediately let them pass.

One of them remained on guard while the other led Chen Shi inside.

Entering through the gate tower, one sees a vast expanse of mountains and forests ahead, with banners fluttering and tents faintly visible.

This entire mountain forest is the Jiangnan Zhechongyuan!

Although both institutions taught martial arts and military strategy, the Zhechong Academy differed from the official schools. Official schools taught literature and only required a small study. The Zhechong Academy, on the other hand, taught martial arts and military tactics, and required a much larger space for troop deployment.

Therefore, there is no specific courtyard. This entire mountain forest is the Zhechongyuan. Although it is called a "yuan", it is actually more like a military camp.

After walking three or four miles, they came to a barracks, where the guards went in to report.

A moment later, a young man dressed as a captain came out.

"You are Chen Shi."

"Exactly."

"The hospital has received the official document. Come with me, and I will take you through the admission procedures."

"Thank you, General."

Chen Shi cupped his hands in thanks.

The captain smiled and waved his hand, then called over a soldier to lead Chen Shi's horse away.

All the horses, whether cadets or instructors, were gathered together and cared for by dedicated staff.

Immediately afterwards, the captain took Chen Shi to fill out the forms and collect the items.

The process itself wasn't complicated, but the distance was a bit far, and it took almost half an hour.

The items received, besides some basic necessities, mainly consisted of a set of clothes and a student token.

"May I ask, General, why is your attire different?"

Walking along the road, Chen Shi occasionally saw other students and noticed that their clothes were not the same.

Some people dressed like him, but others dressed slightly differently.

"Different origins, different identities, naturally lead to different clothing."

The young captain smiled and continued.

"The students of the Zhechong Academy mainly come from two sources: those recruited from the capital and those recommended from local areas. The so-called recruitment..."

Listening to the man's explanation, Chen Shi couldn't help but nod.

The so-called "recruitment and appointment" system involved two processes: "recruitment" and "appointment." "Recruitment" meant the emperor personally issued an edict to recruit candidates, while "appointment" meant a high-ranking official issued an order. It was impossible for a mere student to trouble the emperor; in reality, these processes were handled by high-ranking officials.

These high-ranking officials, or the powerful and influential, could decide who could enter the Zhechongyuan (a military academy for studying).

The recommendation system involved local officials who used a specific set of examination methods to select virtuous and talented individuals from among the common people.

Both of these are methods of selecting talent, and although they seem similar, they are actually quite different.

As the saying goes, nepotism prevails, and those recruited through recruitment are often from powerful and wealthy families.

In contrast, although not everyone could rise through the recommendation system, the scope was wider, and most of them were ordinary people.

The system of recruitment and recommendation involved both the powerful and the common people.

"They really are clearly divided."

Their identities and backgrounds were different, even their clothes were different, Chen Shi couldn't help but chuckle.

The army is divided into the Twenty-Fourth Army and miscellaneous armies. I didn't expect that the students in the military academy would also be different.

That makes sense, though; people in this world are born different.

They walked into the barracks area while talking to the young captain.

We stopped in front of a simple, rustic house.

"Young Master Chen, this is your residence."

The captain smiled and continued.

"All matters concerning the hospital are clearly written in that admission booklet. If there is anything you don't understand, you can come and ask me."

Thank you.

"Then I shall take my leave."

The captain cupped his hands in greeting, turned, and left.

Chen Shi pulled a key from a pile of items and opened the door.

The house was large, with only a bed and two simple cabinets as furniture. A map of the military headquarters hung on the back wall, and a sand table for military simulations was in the middle of the room.

This doesn't look like a residence at all; it's more like a central military camp.

Chen Shi couldn't help but smile. Truly worthy of being a member of the Zhechong Academy.

The room looked like it hadn't been lived in for months, with a thick layer of dust everywhere, but thankfully there wasn't anything dirty.

Chen Shi simply dusted off the bed and put the things down.

He didn't have many belongings with him. Besides some clothes, he had two black iron one-foot swords and an iron box containing the Eight Trigrams Formation.

He put all these things into a box.

After making the bed, I took a breath and sat on the edge of the bed, picking up the admission booklet.

The military discipline of the military academy, the lecture times for various subjects, and other precautions were all recorded, just as the young captain had said.

"Try them on."

After reading it, Chen Shi picked up the academy student uniform.

He wore a light blue cross-collar short brown top, matching trousers, and a short knee-length battle skirt over which he wore black cloth thin-soled boots.

Dressed neatly, Chen Shi looked him up and down and couldn't help but nod.

What a spirit!