At Hengjiang Port, as the golden scales left by the setting sun on the river’s surface gradually faded, a hint of coolness touched the sweltering wind.
The dock workers, having toiled all day, were lining up to collect their daily wages. This was perhaps their happiest moment of the day.
"Earned another twenty copper coins today. Heh, I’ll buy some meat to satisfy my cravings."
Zhang Tieniu pushed forward the twenty-five bamboo tallies from his pockets, exchanging them for twenty copper coins.
"I don’t know where you get all that energy. Your daily wage is always around twenty copper coins." Liu Dachun looked at the dozen or so copper coins in his own hands, unable to help feeling a bit envious.
According to the dock’s rules, moving one hundred and twenty catties of goods earned a single bamboo tally. This meant Tieniu’s daily freight volume was around three thousand catties! He truly lived up to the name Zhang Tieniu. Dachun certainly didn’t have that kind of strength.
Zhang Tieniu gave a good-natured smile. "This is the tuition money I’m saving for the Martial Arts Hall. I can’t slack off." His gaze then fell upon Chen Yuan, who was waiting to the side. "I see Yuan has moved quite a bit today as well. You must have saved up a good amount for the Martial Arts Hall too, right?"
Chen Yuan simply smiled. "I can’t compare to you, Tieniu."
In truth, he hadn’t moved any less than Zhang Tieniu today. He had collected thirty bamboo tallies in total, exchanging them for twenty-four copper coins. His output was already nearly identical to that of a fully grown, burly man.
However, he knew deeply that in this chaotic world, staying low-key was the only absolute truth. Before gaining the strength to protect himself, he had to keep a low profile. The taxes were already draconian, and the local gangs acted like leeches, refusing to let go until they had squeezed out every last drop of profit from a person. Only by hiding his true capabilities could he retain some of his hard-earned money.
Therefore, in the three months since transmigrating to this world, he had silently assumed his predecessor’s identity, toiling away at the docks every day and shedding countless drops of sweat. He had gradually increased his workload from twenty bamboo tallies a day to thirty. Even the foreman would cast an extra glance his way when he handed them in. Yet, Chen Yuan would always cover the number of tallies with his hand and quickly stash his copper coins into his pouch, entirely unwilling to show off.
Of course, his ability to increase his workload by fifty percent in such a short time wasn’t because his predecessor had been lazy or because he himself was working miraculously hard. Instead, it was all due to the Low-key panel that had transmigrated with him:
[Comprehension: 10]
[Root Bone: 28]
[Cultivation: None]
[Cultivation Technique: None]
[Low-key Points: 2]
[Evaluation: You keep a low profile, avoid making enemies, and understand the principle of concealing your strengths. You have caught your first glimpse of the Low-key Dao. Daily Low-key Points +2.]
As the name implied, the panel evaluated his daily behavior and rewarded him with Low-key Points. These Low-key Points could then be used to upgrade his Root Bone and Comprehension.
Chen Yuan remembered that when he first arrived, both his Comprehension and Root Bone had been at ten points. Ten Low-key Points could upgrade an attribute by one point. Over three months of accumulation, he had raised his Root Bone from ten to twenty-eight. After all, in his eyes, Comprehension was a highly abstract concept, and his current intellect was more than sufficient for this stage of his life. The improvement to his Root Bone, however, was far more tangible, directly reflecting in the increased number of bamboo tallies he could earn.
He believed that by the time he saved enough silver coins for the Martial Arts Hall’s tuition, his Root Bone would be more than sufficient to successfully enroll.
Joining a Martial Arts Hall was a goal Chen Yuan had set the very moment he transmigrated. With gangs fighting for territory and the Government Office ruthlessly exploiting the commoners, the only way to change his fate was through the Martial Dao!
Liu Dachun looked at his two ambitious companions and couldn’t help but sigh. "Who doesn’t know that practicing martial arts can lead to a better life? But everyone also knows how difficult it is. For people like us, just scraping together the apprenticeship fee takes years, not to mention the dietary and medicinal supplements required afterward. Besides, how many actually manage to officially enter the Martial Dao? If you ask me, martial arts are something for wealthy families to consider. It’s not suitable for us."
He had long since abandoned any thoughts of practicing martial arts after seeing one of his cousins stubbornly pursue it, only to drain his family’s savings and ultimately achieve nothing.
"You still have to try," Zhang Tieniu said, gritting his teeth. He was fully aware of the hardships involved, but he had already steeled himself for them.
Liu Dachun shook his head slightly. He looked at Chen Yuan and urged, "I won’t say any more about Niu, since his dad supports him. But Yuan, you really need to think this through. Is your biased old man actually willing to pay for your training? If he refuses, how many years and months will it take for you to save up all on your own?"
After Liu Dachun finished speaking, Zhang Tieniu also gave Chen Yuan a deep look. Although he hoped his friend could join the Martial Arts Hall alongside him, he was well aware of Chen Yuan’s family situation.
"There will always be a way," Chen Yuan replied helplessly.
After parting ways with the two, he walked home alone, Liu Dachun’s words still echoing in his mind. He had his father and grandfather above him, both carpenters in Lotus Lane. While they were far from wealthy, they had certainly accumulated some savings over the years. If they were willing to support his martial arts training, that would naturally be ideal.
However, Chen Yuan’s biological mother had died early from complications during childbirth. As soon as the mourning period was over, his father, Chen Dashan, had quickly remarried, taking Mrs. Li as his wife. A year later, she gave birth to a son, Chen Kai. In Chen Yuan’s memories, his father and Mrs. Li heavily favored his younger half-brother. All the best things were always reserved for Kai’Er. Only his grandfather, Chen Dahai, showed some fairness and looked out for him, though even he was inevitably influenced by Mrs. Li.
He had brought up the idea of practicing martial arts at the dinner table once before. Mrs. Li’s face had immediately darkened, and she had bombarded him with a fierce lecture, telling him to stop his wishful thinking. Chen Dashan’s attitude had been just as clear; with a cold face, he had ordered him to honestly keep working at the docks.
Nevertheless, things were what they were, and Chen Yuan had no desire to argue. At worst, he would just slowly save up the money himself. Now that his Root Bone was steadily improving, his earning speed was increasing. Combined with his predecessor’s prior savings, it wouldn’t even take a year to gather enough money for the Martial Arts Hall. He was seventeen this year; if he gritted his teeth, he could still afford a little delay.
Pushing open the door to his home, a rich aroma of meat wafted toward him before he even saw anyone. They must be stewing meat. Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, wondering what good occasion warranted such an extravagant meal. Normally, having even a tiny scrap of meat in their dishes was considered lucky, though all of it inevitably ended up in Chen Kai’s stomach. He washed his hands and sat at the table. Sure enough, there were two or three meat dishes laid out. It seemed he would get to treat himself to a good meal today.
Upon seeing his older brother, Chen Kai didn’t offer a single word of greeting. Instead, he pinched his nose, putting on a show of disgust at the stench of sweat on Chen Yuan’s body.
Chen Yuan was used to this. He looked toward Chen Dashan at the head of the table and asked, "Dad, what’s the occasion today? Why the lavish spread?"
Chen Dashan cast a doting look at his youngest son. Even his response to Chen Yuan carried a hint of a smile. "Today, your Late Mother took Kai’Er to the Cyan Pine Martial Arts Hall for a Root Bone evaluation. The Martial Artist said that Kai’Er has an Upper-Ding aptitude. As long as he studies hard and trains diligently, he has a solid chance of officially entering the Martial Dao."
Chen Yuan froze for a moment. Since his own goal was to enter a Martial Arts Hall, he naturally had some understanding of aptitudes. A Lower-Ding aptitude already gave one a chance to enter the Martial Dao. Since Chen Kai tested as an Upper-Ding aptitude, the Martial Artist had indeed spoken the truth. However, he also caught the underlying meaning in Chen Dashan’s words. He asked in a low voice, "Dad, did you enroll Kai’Er in the Martial Arts Hall?"
Just then, Mrs. Li walked out of the kitchen carrying the final plate of greens, and his grandfather, Chen Dahai, entered the room puffing on a dry tobacco pipe.
Overhearing Chen Yuan’s question, Mrs. Li beat her husband to the punch, her tone filled with immense pride. "But of course! The status of a Martial Artist is incredibly prestigious. If he can pass the military examinations and become a Martial Scholar, it will bring glory and prosperity to the entire family. Our Chen Family will be relying on Kai’Er to honor our ancestors."
Grandfather Chen Dahai set down his tobacco pipe. His wrinkled face was brimming with smiles as he looked lovingly at Chen Kai. "Indeed. Since he has the opportunity to change his fate through martial arts, and Kai’Er himself is determined to do so, we naturally have to put all our effort into supporting him."
Chen Yuan fell silent, once again blatantly experiencing his family’s favoritism. Even though Chen Kai’s Root Bone was quite good, and supporting his martial arts training was understandable, Chen Yuan himself had never even been given the chance to get his Root Bone evaluated. He knew full well that even if he had been tested and found to have a good Root Bone, his family might not necessarily support him. And now that Chen Kai was starting his expensive martial arts training, it would be even more impossible for him.
He sighed in his heart and stopped dwelling on it. At worst, he would just slowly save up the money. Looking on the bright side, thanks to Chen Kai, at least he had some meat to eat right now.
But just as he reached out with his chopsticks, Mrs. Li spoke up casually. "Chen Yuan, as the older brother, you ought to support your younger brother’s martial arts training. I’ve already taken the silver you kept in your room. From now on, you will hand over another two mace of silver every month to improve his meals. A martial arts practitioner cannot go without eating meat."