He took out a washed-out, coarse hemp tunic from his knapsack and put it on. By the time he stepped out of the room to wash up, his uncle was already nowhere to be seen. Selling baked flatbreads was no easy task. One had to wake up before dawn to knead dough and prepare the fillings, then shoulder the load and head out to catch the morning market before 5:00 AM.
His aunt worked at the dyehouse and was also preparing to leave. Pointing to the pot on the stove, she lowered her voice and said, "Yuan, there are baked flatbreads left in the pot. The big one is yours."
Chen Yuan nodded, softly acknowledging her words. At the moment, Yu was the only one in the house who had not yet woken up. But considering she did chores at the Gu Family, she likely wouldn’t be able to sleep in either.
Every day began with hard labor.
Lifting the lid off the pot, he found that the fragrant flatbread was still warm. Chen Yuan took a bite. It was soft, savory, and filled with pork.
His eyes flickered with complex emotions. At his biological father’s house, he never got a share of any meat dishes. Here, however, his uncle and aunt had gone out of their way to save a pork-filled flatbread just for him.
After wolfing it down in a few bites, Chen Yuan stepped out into the yolk-yellow morning sun and headed toward Hengjiang Port. Practicing martial arts was expensive; he had to earn as much as he could, day by day.
As the sun rose and set, the sparkling light on the river gradually dimmed. It was time to finish work once again.
Chen Yuan bunched up his tunic and wrung out streams of sweat, which splattered onto the wooden planks with a wet patter. He then lifted the fabric to wipe the perspiration from his forehead. Standing near the front of the line as usual, he pushed forward thirty-three bamboo tallies this time and received twenty-seven copper coins.
"Good work," the foreman said, taking an extra glance at Chen Yuan. His impression of the young man deepened. People came and went at the docks, but capable young laborers like him were a rare sight.
Chen Yuan kept his head down and mumbled an acknowledgment, swiftly pocketing the copper coins.
After deciding to leave last night, he had treated himself to a large meal. Several thick slices of meat had greatly revitalized his energy, and combined with the morning’s pork flatbread, he had been full of vigor today.
He didn’t wait for Zhang Tieniu and Liu Dachun today. After greeting them and mentioning he had some matters to attend to, he left straight away.
Watching Chen Yuan’s shadow stretch longer in the setting sun, Liu Dachun spoke with a hint of melancholy. "Niu, did you hear? Yuan had a falling out with his family yesterday. Word is they’ve completely severed ties. His Late Mother was loudly cursing him out at the morning market bright and early."
Zhang Tieniu, looking exhausted with his hands on his hips, shook his head. "I asked Yuan about it at noon. His parents are total scum. They took all his hard-earned savings and still wanted to wring every last bit of his dock wages dry, all just to fund that little brat Chen Kai’s martial arts training. If it were me, I would’ve fought them right then and there."
"So that’s how it is." Liu Dachun clicked his tongue. "I said it before—his biased old man would never support his martial arts training. I just didn’t expect them to go that far. Yuan should give up now."
Being able to save two mace of silver a month from working at the docks was already considered good. Yet, even the cheapest Martial Arts Academy cost four or five taels of silver. Even if everything went smoothly, it would take two years to save up. By then, Yuan would be nineteen, having long missed the golden age for practicing martial arts.
He then lowered his voice to warn, "Niu, if Yuan brings up borrowing money during this time, you’d better be careful. If he borrows money to practice martial arts, it’ll likely never be repaid."
Zhang Tieniu nodded, his gaze complex. "I know."
It wasn’t that he refused to acknowledge Yuan as a friend. It was just that lending him money for martial arts was no different from ruining him. Even though he also wanted to join a Martial Arts Hall alongside Yuan, in this world, even the slightest ripple could crush a person’s dreams.
***
"The Gu Family scheduled the selection for tomorrow?" Upon returning to his aunt’s home, Chen Yuan learned the news from Cheng Xiaoyu.
Cheng Xiaoyu nodded eagerly like a pecking chick, speaking with a hint of excitement. "Yes, Brother Yuan! The young miss said it herself. If a true talent emerges, the Gu Family will put all their effort into grooming him, and might even betroth one of their own young ladies to him!"
Chen Yuan didn’t dare hope for too much. "Earning the Gu Family’s favor and getting them to sponsor my martial arts training would be good enough."
Cheng Xiaoyu clenched her fists and encouraged him, "Brother Yuan, do your best! You can definitely do it!"
In the blink of an eye, it was another morning. Chen Yuan woke up early, and despite suffering from a bit of insomnia last night, he still looked radiant and full of energy.
He checked his interface:
[Comprehension: 10]
[Root Bone: 28]
[Cultivation: None]
[Cultivation Technique: None]
[Low-key Points: 10]
[Evaluation: You do not show off, do not make enemies, and understand the principle of concealing your strengths. You have caught your first glimpse of the low-key path. Daily Low-key Points +2.]
Nothing eventful had happened yesterday, so his Low-key Points increased by 2 as usual. Having accumulated another ten points, Chen Yuan continued to add them to Root Bone. The number 28 jumped and became 29.
His body underwent a subtle change in an instant—a tingling numbness spread through him, feeling rather deeply satisfying.
After he washed up, his aunt, Huang Juan, brought over a set of new clothes and smiled. "Yuan, change into this. You should look presentable when you go out."
Chen Yuan nodded, committing every ounce of her kindness to memory. After returning to his room to change, he indeed looked much more respectable. Though it was still made of coarse linen, the outfit was clean and neat—far better than his old, heavily patched clothes.
"Aunt, I’m heading out," Chen Yuan said with a smile.
Watching his aunt carefully smooth out his collar, he thought, "How is this any different from having my own biological mother?"
"Go on. Don’t be nervous."
Chen Yuan nodded and stepped firmly over the threshold, heading toward the Gu Family in the Outer City.
Unlike the marginalized Hundred Flowers Lane, the further inward he walked, the more he saw row upon row of closely packed shops along the main street, their interlocking eaves stretching into the distance. The morning market was especially bustling with a cacophony of voices, and he could smell the savory aromas just by passing through.
He kept his head down and hurried on his way. Guided by his memory and the directions of passersby, he soon arrived at the entrance of the Gu Residence.
At the door stood a burly man wearing a short jacket. Seeing Chen Yuan approach, the man narrowed his eyes and interrogated him, "Here for the selection? How old are you?"
"Seventeen," Chen Yuan replied, cupping his fists respectfully.
"A bit on the older side... go on in." The man waved his hand, letting him pass.
"Thank you." Chen Yuan let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, he hadn’t been disqualified due to his age. He figured sixteen was probably the ideal age.
Upon entering the Gu Residence, he followed the signs to the Martial Arts Arena in the front courtyard. The spacious grounds were already occupied by thirty or forty waiting people, all of whom were young men.
Chen Yuan asked around and learned that the Gu Family was only accepting candidates between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. The selection was set to begin at around nine o’clock. He glanced up at the sky and estimated that there were still about two quarters of an hour before the start, so he found a spot to sit and wait.
At the same time, he observed the crowd. He noticed that most of them were dressed plainly and were generally thin and frail. It made perfect sense. If they could afford tuition fees, they wouldn’t have surrendered themselves to the Gu Family. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If the Gu Family was sponsoring them, they definitely wanted something in return. Most of the people here were impoverished youths hoping to gamble for a better future.
"Brother Chen, I heard that only one in a dozen or two has a High Grade-D Root Bone, whereas one in three has a Low Grade-D Root Bone. I wonder what the Gu Family’s standard for selecting talent is. Sigh."
The voice came from beside him. The speaker acted quite familiar with him, though his expression was rather gloomy. It was clear he was deeply worried about the upcoming selection.
Chen Yuan noted that it was the young man he had spoken to earlier, Sun Chengjie. He gave a slight nod. "We’re just here to try our luck anyway. There’s nothing to lose, and we even get a free bone assessment out of it. There’s no need to fret."
Sun Chengjie smiled bitterly. "Brother Chen, you sure are optimistic. My dad told me that if nothing comes of this assessment, I’m to go back home and honestly farm the land... Sigh."
Root Bone couldn’t determine everything; it only meant that those with a better Root Bone had a higher chance of success. But for children of impoverished families, Root Bone was their only stepping stone.
Chen Yuan sat quietly, though it would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous. He had no idea what the Gu Family’s standards were either. He figured that if his Root Bone reached 30 points, he might have a seventy or eighty percent chance of passing.