The Entire Army is Information

Chapter 4: Junior Brother

Old Chen led Lin Ye toward the martial arts school, saying as they walked, "That Yan Xiniu has a strange temper; don't provoke him."

Lin Ye casually asked, "How strange?"

Old Chen replied, "I've heard that many of the people he associates with are eccentric—some are lame, some are blind, and he's a heavy drinker and greedy." (5)

Lin Ye was puzzled. He asked, "If that's the case, why did your son also go to Master Yan's martial arts school to practice?"

Old Chen said, "I've heard that Yan Xiniu and the chief constable of Yunzhou City..." "There are some connections, so the government takes good care of me. Going to his martial arts school is only a bit troublesome."

He looked around, then whispered, "Two martial arts schools were harassed by thugs demanding money. The masters at those schools said they had mastered a skill, but they were still knocked down by those thugs with bricks. They were beaten badly, but they still had to pay them."

Lin Ye then understood Old Chen's good intentions; he thought that going to Yan Xiniu's martial arts school would at least prevent him from being bullied by thugs.

They arrived at the martial arts school at dawn. The door creaked open, and two young men, about Lin Ye's age, opened the gate.

One of them, a man with a somewhat cold and stern expression, immediately noticed Old Chen. His eyes flickered with surprise, a fleeting glint in them.

But quickly, his face darkened, and disgust filled his brows.

Old Chen reacted strongly, opening his mouth but not daring to speak. After a moment's hesitation, he turned and walked away quickly.

Lin Ye roughly guessed who this young man was, and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Such a reaction between father and son upon meeting.

The other young man looked chubby, his pale face giving off a certain aura.

"Who are you?"

That The chubby boy asked a question.

Lin Ye clasped his hands and said, "I, Lin Ye, have come specifically to become your disciple."

Upon hearing this, the chubby boy's eyes widened immediately, and he said in a low, hurried voice, "Become my disciple my ass, get lost."

Then, with a bang, he slammed the door shut, almost hitting Lin Ye's nose.

Lin Ye was startled, and then heard voices in the courtyard, as if asking who was outside the door. The chubby boy said he didn't know whose pig had come to beg for water.

Before Lin Ye left, the door creaked open again, and a rather strong-looking middle-aged man appeared before Lin Ye.

This man looked to be around forty years old, with a noticeable scar on his forehead and another on his neck. The man looked terrifying.

The first impression he gave was that he had an extremely rare type of face—thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a square jaw—and didn't look like a good person at all.

"What are you doing here?"

The middle-aged burly man asked.

Lin Ye clasped his hands and said, "I've heard that Master Yan is highly skilled in martial arts and has a reputation for chivalry, so I've come to become his disciple."

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man grabbed Lin Ye's arm and pulled him inside. Lin Ye almost floated up for a moment.

The man strode quickly, pulling Lin Ye along as they jogged into the courtyard. Under the watchful eyes of about twenty disciples, Lin Ye was then dragged into the main room.

"I am Yan Xi Niu."

The middle-aged burly man opened a drawer and took out a... He pulled Lin Ye's hand, placing it on the inkpad and then on the paper.

"An apprentice can only graduate after three years. After graduation, you're not allowed to open a martial arts school on the neighboring street. The first money you earn after graduation must go to your master, which is me."

Yan Xiniu put the paper and inkpad back in his drawer and held out his hand to Lin Ye: "The tuition for three years is thirty taels. You can pay six months, a year, or all at once. Pay up."

Lin Ye asked, "Does this mean you've accepted me?"

Yan Xiniu said, "It's written in the contract. You can't go back on your word. You can leave without learning, but you must pay the tuition."

Lin Ye said, "That was clearly a blank sheet of paper."

Yan Xiniu: "I'll pay in a bit..." "Write."

Lin Ye took the money bag from his pocket, but before he could count it, Yan Xiniu snatched it away and dumped it on the table with a thud.

Lin Ye thought to himself, "Even when I was robbing those thugs, I wasn't as fast as you," but he wanted to appear clumsy, so he deliberately pretended to be slow.

The man carefully counted out thirty taels of money. Then, glancing at the remaining ten or so taels of silver, he straightened up and faced Lin Ye, saying, "Thirty taels doesn't include accommodation. Are you staying here?"

Lin Ye snatched the silver back: "No need."

Yan Xiniu's eyes lit up, his expression saying, "Damn, someone actually managed to snatch the silver back from me!"

But he didn't argue much, pulling... Lin Ye stepped outside and called out to the people in the courtyard, "Listen up, this is your junior brother. Take care of him from now on."

After saying that, he kicked Lin Ye in the butt, "Go practice your skills."

Then he turned and went back into the house, slamming the door shut. The sound of counting money came from inside again.

Lin Ye listened to the pleasant sound of the money and silently thanked the few kind people who had sponsored his tuition, in no particular order.

The chubby boy who had locked Lin Ye out earlier shook his head and walked over. Reaching Lin Ye, he sighed, "I couldn't save you, I even closed the door. Are you going to leave now?"

Lin Ye glanced at the chubby boy and casually replied... "Thank you."

The chubby boy, a warm-hearted fellow, smiled and said, "It's fate that we're here. From today onwards, we're fellow disciples."

Lin Ye, however, was the opposite, casually replying, "Senior Brother."

The chubby boy returned the greeting with clasped hands: "I am Mo Wutong, ranked seventeenth in this martial arts school. You can call me Senior Brother Mo."

He pointed to a young man not far away, who, though young, already possessed a touch of aloofness: "This is Chen Weiwei, ranked eighteenth, your Senior Brother Chen."

At this moment, a seven or eight-year-old child ran over, holding half a steamed bun in his left hand and half in his right, and said to Lin Ye with a grin, "I am Ning Zhu, ranked twenty-third. From now on, you will be my Senior Brother Ning." Lin Ye felt a bit awkward. Was he really supposed to take care of a senior brother who was half his age?

But he had an important purpose in coming to the martial arts school, so he told himself to hold back for now.

So he asked, "Is he your junior brother?"

Ning Zhu shook his head and pointed into the distance: "He's your junior brother, ranked twenty-fourth. You're twenty-five."

Lin Ye looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a little boy who looked about three or four years old squatting on the sand used for wrestling practice, urinating.

Judging from his squatting posture, he was probably wearing open clothing. Just as Lin Ye thought this, he saw the little guy stand up, his little trunk proudly protruding, with a glistening drop of water still clinging to it.

Lin Ye He sighed inwardly, thinking, "Why the hell am I looking so closely?"

He muttered to himself, "He really is a little kid."

Ning Zhu said, "Don't underestimate him just because he's young. He's Master's wife's nephew. At least he doesn't have to spend money. It's okay to learn things without spending money; you won't lose anything."

Lin Ye detected a hint of self-deprecation in the seven- or eight-year-old's words, even a mockery of him.

Mo Wutong beckoned to the child, "Copper Hammer, come here."

The little boy came over, swinging his little elephant trunk, a piece of wood dangling from his mouth.

He ran to Mo Wutong and asked, "Brother Mo, why are you calling me?"

Mo Wutong pointed at Lin Ye and said, "From today onwards, he's your junior brother. He'll be in charge of your senior brother." "

A child of only about four years old, with such innocent and pure eyes, so clean and innocent.

He pulled out the wood: "You've tricked another one."

Mo Wutong turned away, Lin Ye looked around, and his senior brothers also looked away.

The junior brother said to Lin Ye, "I am Xue Tongchui."

Then he tossed the wood in his hand: "This is my Nana, want to come here?"

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed slightly, and after a moment he shook his head firmly: "No need."

Just then, Lin Ye and the others heard a loud crash from inside the house, followed by a scream.

His face changed, thinking something had happened, but... Seeing that the others seemed completely unfazed, Xue Tongchui even sighed, "Sigh, this clumsy fellow couldn't even hide properly, and he's been found again."

He shoved the wooden handle into the bag, then swayed away with his hands behind his back.

The next moment, the door opened, and Yan Xiniu pounced out, landing face-first on the ground.

The disciples all turned to look elsewhere, except for Lin Ye, who stared at him.

Yan Xiniu got up, brushed off the dirt, and glared at Lin Ye: "What are you looking at! Your master is practicing."

Then he called out to Mo Wutong, "Mo Wutong, show your junior brother around the martial arts school and introduce him to the senior brothers."

After saying that, he looked at Lin Ye again: "Just now, Yin..." "I miscounted, I gave you two taels too much change. Show it to me."

Lin Ye thought he was probably being swindled again, but he needed to act foolish, so he took out the silver.

Thus, Lin Ye, seemingly unlearned from his mistake, had about two taels of silver snatched from his hand by Yan Xiniu.

However, given Lin Ye's current strength, it wouldn't be easy for Yan Xiniu to avoid being taken advantage of.

Yan Xiniu said matter-of-factly, "This is your lodging fee."

Lin Ye wanted to feign shock, but he couldn't, and thought it wouldn't look genuine, so he gave up.

Yan Xiniu said, "To be fair, the silver is already given. Whether you stay or not is up to you, Mo..." "Wutong, if he's staying, he can share a room with you."

Mo Wutong replied, "Yes, Master."

Yan Xiniu walked with his hands behind his back, passing Ning Zhu who was eating, and snatched half of her meal away: "It's not good for a child to eat so much!"

Before he finished speaking, a broom flew out of the house, hitting Yan Xiniu squarely on the back of the head.

Yan Xiniu immediately shoved it into Ning Zhu's hand: "Children should eat more."

Seeing Lin Ye standing there silently, Mo Wutong patted Lin Ye on the shoulder: "You'll get used to it."

Yan Xiniu pretended to stroll around twice, then ran out of the courtyard, acting like a thief in his own martial arts school.

Mo Wutong said, "He stole your money and went to drink." "..."

Lin Ye: "Drinking so early in the morning?"

Mo Wutong: "If Master had any money to drink, would he care about the time of day?"

Just then, a stunningly beautiful woman came out of the house. Her features were striking; her eyes and brows exuded a natural air of confidence, and her overall appearance was heroic. She looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, at least ten years younger than Yan Xiniu.

She had an oval face, large eyes, and good skin. Her figure was also impeccable—long enough and with a slender waist.

Lin Ye wondered how Yan Xiniu had managed to win over such a woman as his wife.

"Master's wife!"

Everyone in the courtyard bowed deeply upon seeing her, their attitudes far more respectful than when they had seen Yan Xiniu.

Lin Ye was still thinking about this... The aura of his master's wife was far stronger than that of his master. Mo Wutong had already pressed down on his neck: "Quickly, Master's wife."

Lin Ye bowed obediently: "Greetings, Master's wife."

The master's wife looked at Lin Ye carefully and immediately smiled: "So handsome, more handsome than your senior brothers. Those eyebrows, those features, that figure, that little boy..."

She hooked her hand around Lin Ye's chin: "Master's wife, take a good look."

Lin Ye subconsciously took a half step back, but Mo Wutong pushed his back with her hand. He glanced at Mo Wutong, whose face was filled with a sincere "You trust me, don't back down" look.

"Good boy."

The master's wife smiled happily: "The more I look at you, the more pleasing you become. What is it?"

Lin Ye replied: "I am Lin Ye."

The master's wife hummed in agreement and then said: "A leaf in the forest..." "Such an unremarkable name, yet you look so pleasing to the eye. Of all the leaves in the forest, yours is the prettiest."

Suddenly remembering something, she asked Mo Wutong, "Where is your master?"

Mo Wutong quickly replied, "Master went out."

The mistress immediately asked, "Whose money did he take?"

Mo Wutong immediately said, "No!"

Lin Ye: "He did."

The mistress raised an eyebrow: "You've gone too far! You two practice your skills, don't be lazy!"

She strode out, her long, swaying robes carrying an air of military might.

Mo Wutong patted Lin Ye's shoulder: "When Master and Mistress return, don't stare at them. I'm doing this for your own good."