Life As An Outer Disciple

Yimin returned and announced the results. I had thought I would fail, so when he told me I had passed, joy welled up inside me.

“Did I really pass?”

“In Kou’s case, his written exam did not reach the passing score. But I judged that he would be able to learn after entering. Make sure you study properly.”

“I understand. Thank you very much.”

After that, we who had become outer disciples were given an explanation. Outer disciples lived in a dormitory-like building called the Wallside Hall. It seemed that if we gathered medicinal herbs and such and delivered them to the apothecary, that would become spending money for outer disciples.

The problem was how I would quit the Chian Trading Company, but if Yulong had passed, it would be easier to leave. Come to think of it, had the inner disciple exam ended yet?

“Senior Brother Yimin, has the inner disciple exam ended?”

I asked Yimin to confirm. Incidentally, “Senior Brother” meant an older disciple.

“No, not yet. Is someone you know taking it?”

“Yes.”

He said it would take about half a koku more, so it would probably be fine to wait in front of the gate. When Yulong came out, I should be able to tell from how he looked whether he had passed. Incidentally, they had a custom of dividing one day into twelve parts to tell time, so half a koku was about one hour and one koku was about two hours.

Apparently, it was fine to move into the Wallside Hall within ten days. Yimin distributed proof of admission to us, the new outer disciples. It was a board about six centimeters wide and eight centimeters tall, branded with the mark meaning Gyorei Cave, with my name written beneath it.

After bowing in thanks, I went outside and waited for Yulong in front of the gate. About an hour in terms of my old world, or half a koku in this world, had passed when Yulong came out smiling. He had apparently passed.

“You were waiting for me?”

Yulong called out when he spotted me. Then he tossed his luggage at me. I caught it, let out a sigh where he would not notice, and started walking behind him.

When Yulong returned to the Chian Trading Company, he reported to his father that he had passed the inner disciple exam.

“Well done. Now we have a connection to Gyorei Cave. Taoist practitioners wear fine clothes, after all. This will definitely lead to business.”

I had been listening behind Yulong, but I judged that now, while the master was in a good mood, was the perfect chance to say I was leaving.

“Master, if Young Master Yulong is going to Gyorei Cave, what will become of me?”

Chian Shaou glared sharply at me.

“Hmph. You will simply do other odd jobs.”

“Huh? I still have to do odd jobs?”

“If you dislike it, you may quit.”

The look in his eyes seemed to say I should be grateful that he was employing me when I had nowhere else to go.

“Then I will quit. Thank you very much for everything until now.”

I bowed my head and was about to leave the room.

“Wait. What are you thinking? Are you planning to return to your hometown or something?”

“No. I found work I want to do, so I intend to change occupations.”

Shaou furrowed his brows.

“You fool. You are probably chasing some dream that will never come true. People like that always end up dying by the roadside. Do as you please.”

“Excuse me.”

I said that and left the room. I noticed Yulong looking at me with cold eyes. It almost made me sigh. Since I would now be living in the same sect as Yulong, we would probably see each other again. Just that much was a little depressing.

I packed my things and left the shop. My coworkers looked at me like I was a fool. I did not know whether I would succeed as a Taoist practitioner, but I hated the idea of staying weak. Even now, I still dreamed about the time we were attacked by bandits. The faces of the children, frightened and on the verge of tears, were burned into my mind.

I stayed one night at an inn in town, then headed for Gyorei Cave early the next morning. Yesterday we had gone to the mountain by carriage, so we arrived quickly, but walking took time.

I showed my proof of admission to the gatekeeper and entered, then headed to the Wallside Hall that Yimin had told me about. Part of the wall built around the sect was broken off, and beyond it the land sloped downward. When I went down that slope, I saw an old building standing at the edge of a cliff. This had to be the Wallside Hall. Looking at the wall behind it, I understood why it was called the Wallside Hall.

When I approached the old building, a man around thirty came out. He turned his eyes toward me.

“I don’t recognize your face. Could you be a new outer disciple?”

“That’s right. I look forward to working with you from today onward.”

The man looked at me as though appraising me.

“What is your name?”

“Den Kou.”

“I am Fan Yingjie. If there is anything you do not understand, ask me anything.”

“Thank you very much. Which room should I use?”

“The first floor on the left is open. You may use any of those.”

I thanked him and went inside. There were small dormitory-like rooms lined up, and when I went to the left side, there were several rooms whose doors did not have names written on them.

I chose the room closest to the entrance and went inside. It was about the size of five tatami mats, with only a bed in it. I felt a presence behind me, so I turned around and saw Yingjie standing there.

“There are straw mats in the shed, so use one of those.”

Apparently inner disciples were given proper bedding, but outer disciples used straw mats. A straw mat was a floor mat woven from straw and similar materials.

I brought a straw mat from the shed and spread it over the bed, then lay down on it. As expected, it was prickly, so I disliked straw mats. It would be getting colder from here on, so I should prepare something.

It seemed meals could be eaten in the dining hall. And since they were free, there was no need to worry about food expenses. However, the food was apparently not especially delicious. The main ingredients, it seemed, were potatoes and meat from animals hunted in the demon realm forest.

As for food, there were many things similar to what I had eaten in my previous life. Wheat, rice, soybeans, buckwheat, and various vegetables were almost the same. However, commoners’ food was often simple, and most of it had a plain taste. Even so, since I was not a gourmet, I had no complaints.

Still, every so often I felt an intense craving for curry or ramen. Well, whatever. In this wide world, there might be similar dishes, so I would look for them.

I remembered something I had wanted to ask.

“What are the odd jobs assigned to outer disciples?”

“Basically, fetching water and cleaning. Kou, you will fetch water. You will fetch water in the morning, and from the afternoon onward you are free. Is there something you want to learn?”

“Aren’t the inner disciples supposed to teach us?”

Yingjie shrugged.

“There are inner disciples who provide instruction, but basically you will be learning on your own. The books for that are in the library on the second floor. However, the librarian manages it, so get permission when you want to look at them. And taking books out of the library is forbidden.”

That meant the books in the library were expensive. I asked Yingjie to guide me there.

“This is the library.”

When we went up to the second floor and opened a door near the center, I saw a room about twenty tatami mats in size. Along the walls were many bookshelves, and they were filled with numerous books and scrolls.

To me, it was a mountain of treasure.