Chapter 8, Group Youths

Translator: StarReader

 

Beneath the frozen chain bridge were several fishermen waiting with bamboo rafts.

 

When they saw the child fall into the water, they immediately pulled the struggling child out and handed him back to his parents. The child’s father and mother changed the child’s soaked clothes, while the uncles had built a fire beside the iron bridge to warm the child and drive away the cold, afraid he might catch a serious illness.

 

One by one, more than ten children gathered the courage to cross the bridge. Unfortunately, over half of them either fell into the water or cried out of fear, too terrified to go further.

 

Of course, there were some who weren’t as fortunate—and others who were lucky. Two older boys, around twelve or thirteen years old, with bold personalities and strong enough to carry their own weight, clenched their teeth, endured the freezing cold, and used all their strength to cross the iron bridge.

 

Especially Butcher Zhang’s son, Zhang Tieniu, who usually ate a lot of pig meat and had grown into a stocky, well-built boy with thick arms and a round waist. He bellowed and began climbing the iron bridge, using his hands and feet to move up. Remarkably, he managed to crawl across the entire bridge in one go, earning cheers from the crowd gathered on the other side.

 

Su Chen was so amazed that he couldn’t take his eyes off him. “Tieniu, you’re fantastic! I will cook you one big pork leg, no, two!”

 

Butcher Zhang’s face flushed with excitement as he bellowed.

 

Across from the iron bridge lay Medicine King Group’s outer disciple. From now on, Butcher Zhang’s son was no longer a lowly butcher boy; he had become an outer disciple of the Medicine King Group and would finally make it big.

 

Several white-clad youths from the Medicine King Group stood there, waiting to take the children who had crossed into Medicine King Estate.

 

Su Chen watched with a mix of excitement and amazement. Climbing this treacherous iron bridge was no easy feat—it could be difficult or easy depending on one’s strength and determination.

 

If one had the robust build and stamina like Tieniu and remained cautious, there was a good chance to scale it and become an outer disciple of the Medicine King Group.

 

Su Chen, although slight in build and not as robust as Zhang Tieniu, was agile and flexible, having spent his childhood doing heavy labor, climbing trees to chase birds’ nests, and diving into rivers to catch fish. His experience in scaling heights was extensive.

 

His only concern was that he had come alone without any family members for support. If by any chance he fell into the river and got completely soaked, there wouldn’t be any dry clothes to change into or a fire to warm himself by. The thought of freezing to death was terrifying.

 

This opportunity was his one chance; he had to succeed. Failure meant waiting until next year for another attempt to join the Medicine King Group. But in Gusu County City, finding work was difficult, and he didn’t know if he could survive until then.

 

Su Chen pondered deeply, then looked up at the sun in the sky. In winter, the sun rose later, and by noon it reached its warmest point. That would be the best time to avoid getting his hands and feet frozen. The iron chain bridge’s cables, warmed by the sun, might also be easier to grasp.

 

With a plan in mind, he calmed his thoughts. Moving around too much would lead to hunger and fatigue, so he found a large tree near the iron bridge and sat down on a clean stone to rest, conserving his strength as much as possible.

 

Su Chen waited patiently for an entire morning.

 

In the morning hours, nearly sixty children attempted the iron bridge, but only ten succeeded in crossing. Most of the weaker children were eliminated early on, resulting in an extremely high failure rate. In fact, many younger and timid children were too afraid to even approach the bridge despite being scolded by adults—they refused to climb on board no matter what.

 

By noon, when the sun was at its hottest, most of the ice on the iron chains melted away. Consequently, fewer and fewer people gathered around the bridge as time went on. The children brave enough to cross had already attempted the bridge, while those who lacked courage were long gone, dragged away by disappointed parents.

 

The number of kids who managed to pass this freezing iron bridge was less than one-fifth—and perhaps fewer.

 

Su Chen glanced at the sun from time to time.

 

The iron chains had been bathing in the sunlight for half a day and should no longer be so cold.

 

He couldn’t wait any longer. From his pocket, he took out three coarse buns, ate them greedily until he was full, and then knelt by the stream beneath the bridge, scooped up a mouthful of water, warmed it in his mouth before swallowing it down. After resting for a moment, he gathered his strength.

 

Su Chen stretched his arms and legs before attempting to cross the icy iron bridge. If he could join the Medicine King Group, maybe he would find a livelihood and make a name for himself. He decided to give it his all.

 

With careful hands, Su Chen grasped one of the thick iron chains. Instantly, he felt a piercing chill seep into his bones. The sun had been shining on the iron chains for hours, yet they remained ice-cold. Startled, he released his grip as a shiver ran through him.

 

It was no wonder so many children had failed to cross—this bridge was simply too cold. Gripping the freezing iron chains with bare hands would quickly numb his fingers, making it impossible to hold on and risking a fatal fall into the gorge below.

 

After thinking it through, he tore two pieces of rag from his sleeve. Wrapping them around his hands and securing them tightly, he used the fabric to shield himself from the cold. The cloth provided some insulation against the biting cold wind and the numbing chill of the iron chains.

 

It couldn’t be too thick, or it would be hard to grip, but it also couldn’t be too thin, or else it wouldn’t withstand the cold.

 

After that, he once again grabbed the icy chain with both hands and began to climb it using his arms and legs.

 

Su Chen gripped the freezing iron chain, trembling uncontrollably. Fortunately, most of the ice on the chain had been melted by the sun, making it less slippery.

 

The longer he stayed, the more likely he was to freeze and lose feeling in his limbs. Once his hands and feet were numb, falling into the water was inevitable.

 

Su Chen gritted his teeth and didn’t dare to waste a single moment, climbing quickly.

 

After climbing about thirty meters, halfway through the chain, his arms began to tremble, and he felt increasingly exhausted. If it hadn’t been for the three coarse buns he had eaten earlier, filling his belly and giving him strength, he was sure he would have already collapsed and fallen into the river.

 

Su Chen was deeply worried, afraid that a single misstep would send him plummeting into the river. His dream of traveling and venturing in the martial world with the Medicine King Group could very well end right there on the icy chain bridge, and falling into the water would surely leave him half-frozen to death.

 

Su Chen quickly thought of an idea. He tightly wrapped his legs around the iron chain, then untied the sash around his waist that held his pants.

 

He tied one end of the sash around his waist and made a loop at the other end, securing it on the iron chain. This way, if he lost his grip, the rope would catch him on the iron chain, preventing him from falling into the river.

 

Four blue-clad swordsmen were guarding the head of the iron bridge. They had been standing there for most of the day and were now completely exhausted. Instead of paying attention to Su Chen, they sat by the cold iron bridge and chatted idly among themselves.

 

Su Chen struggled to cross the remaining thirty meters of the iron bridge, exhausting all his strength. Finally, he reached the other side, barely able to stand on the shore, his limbs trembling with fatigue.

 

Su Chen untied himself from the rope to avoid being noticed by the guards. If they saw him tied up, they might revoke his permission to cross or force him to climb back, which would be impossible given how exhausted he already was.

 

With his strength nearly gone, Su Chen cautiously walked down the hundreds of steps leading to the Medicine King Estate. A white-clothed youth standing on the stone step held a sword in his arms and gave him a cold glance. Saying nothing, he led Su Chen to a large courtyard enclosed by adobe walls.

 

The white-clothed young man gave Su Chen a brief instruction, telling him to stay with the group of kids in this courtyard and not wander around. They were to wait here for tomorrow’s allocation of new disciples into the Medicine King Group before leaving on their own.

 

As he walked away, two guards at the entrance of the large courtyard stood there, their muscular figures exuding an air of authority. The high walls and deep compound made it impossible for ordinary people to enter or exit freely.

 

“Another one!”

 

“Probably some country bumpkin from the village. Look at him in his ragged hemp clothes—how pitiable!”

 

Inside the courtyard, a crowd of children and teenagers gathered together. Upon seeing Su Chen dressed in the simple attire of a young fisherman, they began to ridicule him openly.

 

As Su Chen snapped out of his thoughts and looked inside the courtyard, he was astonished to find that nearly a hundred teenagers had already gathered there. All of them had passed the freezing iron chain bridge test to become new disciples of the Medicine King Group.

 

Within the courtyard, groups of children were clustered together in groups, their faces alight with excitement.

 

Su Chen ignored the mockery and had no desire to get involved. He lowered his head and made his way to a quiet corner of the courtyard, carefully observing the group of children inside.

 

All the kids ranged in age from nine to thirteen years old. From their attire, demeanor, and overall feel, it was clear they belonged to vastly different social circles, dividing into distinct cliques.

 

Among them were ten boys and girls dressed in luxurious silk garments, fur-lined coats, and black boots, their presence immediately standing out due to their airs of superiority. They looked down upon the other children from Gusu County with disdain.

 

Su Chen was surprised to see that one of these elaborately dressed girls was the same delicate girl she had encountered at the western entrance pier. The girl appeared to be Li Jiao, the daughter of Merchant Li. With her frail constitution, Su Chen doubted she could possibly scale the freezing iron bridge. It must have been her father who pulled some favors to get her into the Medicine King Estate.

 

The other children from Gusu County were whispering amongst themselves about these wealthy and influential youths, many of whom had connections with the top leaders of the Medicine King Group.

 

“Look at that boy in the fur-lined coat—he’s Young Master Wang Fugui! Word has it he’s a cousin to the magistrate himself, and they’re even distant relatives through marriage. In our county, he’s practically the best among the elite! There’s no doubt he’ll become an inner disciple and rise to become a core disciple of the Medicine King Group!”

 

“True, there’s also Wei Han, a relative of Leader Wang of our faction. It is rumored that he was pre-selected as an inner disciple!”

 

“That one over there is the Young Miss Li from the Li family rice shop in town! Though not born into a powerful or noble family, her father operates several rice stores and comes from a very wealthy and influential household. People say he spent a fortune to get her admitted here.”

 

“They’re all likely to be inner disciples. They come from affluent and influential backgrounds, far superior to us ordinary outer disciples. Everyone, be cautious and avoid offending them. If we mess with them, it will be hard for you and me to gain a foothold in the group!”

 

Wang Fugui greeted the new recruits with great dignity, thoroughly enjoying the flattery from the young men around him.

 

Wei Han, however, stood arrogantly with his arms crossed, staring coldly ahead, showing no interest in anyone nearby.

 

Surrounding these ten lavishly dressed youths were several children from average families in the city.

 

Most of them wore simple cloth garments and, though still young, had already learned to seek favor and read the room.

 

Among them was Butcher Zhang’s hefty son, Zhang Tieniu, who seemed quite popular among the peasants despite his robust build and somewhat foolish appearance.

 

Like Wang Fugui, the eldest son of a wealthy family, and Wei Han and others, they had basically secured their place as Medicine King Group’s inner disciples, and they were undoubtedly the most sought after by other common children. The poorer kids hoped to capitalize on this brief period right after joining to make acquaintances and build connections.

 

The last few were poor, unlucky children from dozens of townships and villages around the county. Many came from tenant farmers, casual laborers, and fisherman families—sturdy but uncommunicative country folk. They didn’t even qualify for flattery; they were pushed to the very edge of the courtyard and bullied in silence, never daring to cause a scene.

 

Su Chen was among them as well. He naturally kept to himself, hiding away in a corner of the courtyard to rest and regain his strength. He had no interest in mingling with the crowd for fun.

 

He watched as the other boys struck up conversations, imitating their elders. But he didn’t understand what made inner disciple or outer disciple so special. It all seemed pointless to him; he chose to remain alone and let his thoughts wander.

 

Having run away from home and finding no work in the county, he decided to join the Medicine King Group, hoping for a decent future. He didn’t care about being an inner or outer disciple. As long as he could eat well within the group, that was all he needed.

 

By afternoon, several more boys had been brought into the courtyard. Now there were over a hundred children aged thirteen or so gathered inside.

 

By evening, the gates of the Medicine King Estate were tightly shut. This year’s recruitment of disciples had come to a close, meaning those hoping to join the Medicine King Group would have to wait until next year.

 

Dinner time arrived, and several cooks from within the estate brought out over ten large barrels of rice porridge, steamed buns, and pickled vegetables.

 

“Come, eat!”

 

“The food isn’t great, but we’ll manage with it for now. Tomorrow, once you’re officially admitted and have a master to train you, you’ll be able to enjoy better meals.”

 

The ten barrels of porridge were quickly devoured by over a hundred eager teenagers who had been starving all day. They rushed forward like a swarm, leaving nothing behind.

 

Su Chen struggled hard to make his way to the front and managed to grab two coarse buns. He then returned to his corner, carefully chewing each bite, not wasting even the smallest piece. Finally, he felt full and satisfied, easing his hunger.

 

It was only then that he noticed the ten young masters and young misses standing far away, looking at the porridge with disgust. None of them were willing to touch a single spoonful.

 

Su Chen was surprised to see that the wealthy Wang Fugui had actually offered a bribe to the cook with some silver. To his delight, the cook, who seemed genuinely pleased, prepared an extra fancy meal for them alone—a feast featuring chicken, duck, fish, and other delicacies—the aroma of which filled the entire courtyard.

 

The other children watched in awe, feeling nothing but envy and longing for such a treat. It was no surprise that these inner disciples came from families of wealth and influence; they simply never suffered hardship anywhere they went.

 

As the night deepened and the cold made its presence noticed, the large estate offered limited guest rooms and heated brick beds. Naturally, the ten prospective inner disciples claimed the warmest spots on the beds—no one dared to challenge them.

 

Even with such accommodations, however, these privileged young masters and misses continued to complain endlessly.

 

“This food is terrible,” one youngster griped. “It’s no better than what pigs eat!”

 

“Even a decent bedroom with a proper washbasin and silk bedding is out of reach here. The fleas are everywhere—I should’ve had the servants bring some clean blankets from home.”

 

“Once I formally become a disciple, I must have my own quarters; otherwise, I won’t be able to stay here!”

 

After they occupied their spots, the remaining beds were taken by other more assertive young men from the county. Most of the rest ended up sleeping on mats on the floor, huddled together for warmth. Despite the cramped conditions, the warmth from so many bodies kept them relatively comfortable.

 

Su Chen curled up on his straw mat, having grown accustomed to the freezing conditions aboard his family’s old fishing boat, so he didn’t find this too bitter. Instead, he felt a mix of excitement and exhilaration, unable to sleep.

 

The courtyard was filled with their chatter, echoing with an air of lively joy.

 

After joining the Medicine King Estate, these boys were no longer ordinary townsfolk from Gusu County but had become disciples of the Medicine King Group, stepping onto the martial path they had always dreamed of—a life of endless opportunities and plenty.

 

Su Chen felt a sense of peace and fulfillment in his heart. At least now that he had joined the group, he no longer had to worry about where his next meal would come from or struggle to find a warm place to sleep each night. He also no longer had to endure the insults of the ruffians and beggars in the city. Life was much better than when he used to scavenge for work in the county.