Getting Started with the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique

Qin Ming had transmigrated here four months ago, on the very day his father, Qin Shou, died.

That night, Qin Ming had been ambushed from behind and struck on the back of the head with a brick. When he opened his eyes again, he had transmigrated here.

In his previous life, Qin Ming had been an orphan with no ties to hold him back, so he quickly adapted to his new identity. After fully assimilating the original owner's memories, he immediately realized he was in a bad situation.

The Qin father and son had been attacked one after the other in a single night. There had to be a hidden hand behind it.

After creditors stripped the house bare, he had nowhere to go. He brought Embroiderer, whom he had married only recently, to the shantytown, where they managed to find shelter.

Partway through their flight, Qin Ming awakened a panel. It clearly read:

[Life-Bound Martial Art: Pig-Slaying Saber Technique (1/100), not yet initiated]

This was his only chance to turn his life around!

So once they had settled down, Qin Ming returned to Qingshan Town at the first opportunity and started slaughtering pigs under Wang Butcher.

For every pig he slaughtered, his proficiency in the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique increased by two points. Over the past four months, Qin Ming had slaughtered forty pigs in total, earning eighty points. Adding the proficiency he gained from cutting meat, chopping bones, and processing pig offal in his spare time, his points had finally reached ninety-nine.

Slaughtering one pig gives me two points. Six days straight of processing pork and pig offal gives me one. It's been five days since I got a point from processing offal last time. By my reckoning, I'll get the last point today.

Before long, after Qin Ming finished cutting up all the pig offal, a warm current appeared in his dantian out of nowhere and quickly surged into his limbs. He gently clenched his fist and felt that he had more than doubled his strength!

Looking at the panel again, he saw that it had changed:

[Heaven rewards diligence; a hundred refinements forge steel]

[Host: Qin Ming]

[Life-Bound Martial Art: Pig-Slaying Saber Technique (1/200), initiated]

[Realm: none]

[Pig-Slaying Saber Technique bonus: while wielding a pig-slaughtering saber, attack speed increases by 10%]

No realm. It seems I can only break through to the Skin Refining Realm and become a martial artist by obtaining a genuine martial arts cultivation method!

Qin Ming thought.

This was a chaotic age where martial artists reigned supreme.

Ordinary people could become martial artists by learning martial arts.

For that very reason, martial arts cultivation methods were extremely scarce. Even the Ninth-Rank Cultivation Method, the lowest grade, was treasured by the great families and martial arts schools and not shown to others lightly.

To learn one, a person had to spend a great deal of silver to enter a martial arts school or risk their life serving one of the great families in exchange for a partial handwritten copy.

After obtaining a method, they still had to spend a great deal of time practicing. During that time, they also needed secret medicines such as Qi-Blood Soup, Qi-Blood Powder, and Qi-Blood Pill to aid recovery and speed up cultivation.

Even so, fewer than one in ten managed to become martial artists.

In the eyes of ordinary people, martial artists were not to be provoked.

In such chaotic times, the authorities were mostly just for show. If an ordinary person was killed by a martial artist and there was no evidence, their death would be for nothing. The authorities would never offend a martial artist for the sake of a dead person.

Having transmigrated here, Qin Ming naturally coveted martial arts, but even the cheapest martial arts school in town charged ten taels of silver to take a disciple. Burdened with a mountain of debt, he simply could not afford it.

It was only when the panel appeared that he saw hope.

The Pig-Slaying Saber Technique is only a saber technique, after all. I have to obtain a martial arts internal cultivation method as soon as possible to truly make use of the panel!

Qin Ming thought.

The mark of a martial artist was breaking through to the Skin Refining Realm, followed by the Flesh Refining Realm, the Bone Refining Realm, and the Blood Refining Realm.

The four realms of skin, flesh, bone, and blood tempered the foundation of the body. After reaching completion in all four came Bright Strength and Dark Strength. Only when bright and dark became one could a person break through to the Xiantian realm.

Cultivation was difficult for martial artists. Someone in the Skin Refining Realm would already be considered a rare expert in an ordinary gang, while someone in the Flesh Refining Realm could walk sideways through Qingshan Town.

With Embroiderer's looks, if she did not have his protection, her fate in these chaotic times would surely be miserable.

The most important thing now was to use the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique to pay off his debts, save enough silver, enter a martial arts school, and learn a genuine martial arts cultivation method. Only then could he gain a sliver of power to protect himself in these chaotic times.

"Embroiderer, here."

Qin Ming handed Embroiderer a bowl of meat soup.

The two shared half a pot of soup.

Embroiderer glanced at the meat left at the bottom of her bowl after she finished the soup and swallowed involuntarily.

Though it was pig offal that everyone looked down on, to Embroiderer, who had gone hungry all day, it was already an exquisite delicacy. What was more, after Qin Ming's special preparation, it had no trace of the piggy smell and instead gave off a rich meaty aroma.

"Brother Qin, your meat soup tastes so good. I'm not even cold anymore after drinking it. I'm full, so you eat the rest. You have to get up early to slaughter pigs tomorrow."

Embroiderer reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the meat.

She wanted to eat it, but she understood that Qin Ming needed it more than she did.

Wang Butcher provided neither food nor lodging, and Qin Ming and Embroiderer had only this one meal each evening. Slaughtering pigs was physical work; if he did not eat more, he would not have the strength for it, and in the end they would not even have meat soup to drink.

Seeing the reluctant look on Embroiderer's face and the way she kept swallowing, Qin Ming was both amused and distressed for her.

"Eat. I'm not going to Wang Butcher's tomorrow."

Qin Ming gave her half the meat in his bowl.

"Huh? Why not?"

"I'm quitting, that's all."

Qin Ming smiled.

He had gone to slaughter pigs for Wang Butcher to increase his panel proficiency. Now that he had gotten started with the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique, there was no need to stay.

Business at Wang Butcher's was so-so, with an average of one pig slaughtered every three days. It was inefficient. The New Year was approaching, and many households needed their New Year pigs slaughtered. If he could get a steady stream of work, not only could he earn silver, but he could also improve his Pig-Slaying Saber Technique faster.

"Brother Qin, did Wang Butcher pay you your wages?"

"He did. I'll go around the villages tomorrow morning. The New Year's almost here, so there must be plenty of families who need their New Year pigs slaughtered. When I come back, I'll buy Embroiderer a new padded coat."

"No need, Brother Qin. Buy a new one for yourself. Embroiderer can wear the old one you have on."

Embroiderer's little face flushed with excitement. Having no clothes to wear really was a problem; in the dead of winter, her nose ran from the cold every time she got out of bed.

"Brother Qin, slaughtering New Year pigs is a job with good money in it. In past years, those butchers in town have had it all to themselves. If you take work, they might join forces against you. You have to be careful."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

Qin Ming tightened his grip on his pig-slaughtering saber.

Though he knew no hand-to-hand combat, getting started with the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique had greatly increased his strength, making him comparable to an ordinary burly adult man. On top of that, with a pig-slaughtering saber in hand, his attack speed increased by 10%. That was his greatest source of confidence.

If he really ran into anyone blind enough to provoke him, he would not mind letting them bleed a little!

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Little Brother Qin, are you home?"

A knock came from outside the door.

"That gave me a fright. It's Brother Wang."

Embroiderer spoke softly. Her tense little face relaxed slightly, though some fear still lingered on it.

Qin Ming's heart ached, and he longed for strength all the more. He did not want Embroiderer to keep suffering alongside him, going hungry and cold and living in constant fear.

"Coming."

Qin Ming got up and opened the door.

Heavy snow was falling outside. A middle-aged man with a deeply wrinkled face stood with his hands tucked into his pockets, stamping his feet, a thin layer of snowflakes on his shoulders.

It was Qin Ming's neighbor, Wang Shun.

Wang Shun worked as a porter in town and had a wife and a seven-year-old daughter at home. He had helped Qin Ming and his wife often since they moved in. The worn padded coat Qin Ming wore had been given to him by Wang Shun.

Hearing the door open, Wang Shun turned around, took a cloth bundle from inside his coat, and handed it to Qin Ming with an honest smile. "Little Brother Qin, my wife made these steamed buns tonight. She made too many for us to finish, and we were afraid they'd spoil if we kept them too long, so take them and eat them.

"And this little padded coat is too small for my wife now. Give it to Embroiderer to wear. It's snowing heavily today, and it'll be even colder tomorrow."

"Brother Wang, thank you."

Qin Ming did not stand on ceremony. This was their most difficult time.

Seeing Qin Ming accept the bundle, Wang Shun smiled and scratched the back of his head. "It's just a little food. It's hardly any help."

After delivering the things, Wang Shun took his leave.

Qin Ming opened the cloth bundle to find four warm, fist-sized steamed buns made of coarse grain.

"Brother Wang and Sister-in-law next door are such good people. They give us clothes and food."

Embroiderer's eyes reddened. "Yesterday, when you weren't home, Sister-in-law Wang also brought me half a bowl of hot porridge. Perhaps she saw that I was still wearing a thin short-sleeved top, so she asked Brother Wang to bring this padded coat over just now."

Qin Ming nodded.

It was easy to add flowers to brocade, but hard to deliver charcoal in the snow. He did not like owing people favors, but he would remember this kindness and repay it someday.

After putting on the close-fitting, patched padded coat, Embroiderer's face, which had been pale from the cold, immediately regained some color, and she stopped shivering.

Qin Ming and Embroiderer each ate one steamed bun. Qin Ming left the remaining two for Embroiderer to eat the next day.

"Brother Qin, take the buns with you tomorrow. It's freezing and snowy outside. I'll be staying home and won't have any work to do, so I can just drink some hot water and go without food. I'm used to it anyway."

Embroiderer tried to press the buns into Qin Ming's arms.

"Keep them. I'm going to slaughter someone's New Year pig tomorrow. Are you worried the family won't give me a meal?"

Qin Ming smiled and tucked the buns under Embroiderer's pillow.

He did not know whether it was because he had gotten started with the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique, but Qin Ming felt that his Qi and blood were much more vigorous than usual. Looking at Embroiderer's gentle, lovely face, he felt a fire begin to burn in his lower belly. He quickly pulled off his padded coat, then rolled over and pinned her beneath him.

A blush spread across Embroiderer's face. She seemed to have guessed what was about to happen.

"Brother Qin, be gentle."

Embroiderer wrapped her jade-like legs tightly around Qin Ming's powerful waist.

The next morning.

Qin Ming got dressed and tucked the pig-slaughtering saber into his waistband.

"Embroiderer, I'm leaving."

"Mmm."

Embroiderer murmured a reply in her sleep, rolled over, and continued sleeping.

The previous night, Qin Ming had been like a man on medicine, going at it until the latter half of the night and nearly shaking her apart.

After locking the iron door securely, Qin Ming turned and headed straight for Qingshan Town.

The snow had stopped, and there were quite a few more people on the streets than the day before.

Qin Ming arrived at the entrance to the town's farmers' market and hung a sign he had prepared on a bamboo pole, propping it up.

"Professional pig butcher slaughters New Year pigs: small and medium New Year pigs: 30 wen.

"Large, fat New Year pigs: 50 wen. Fixed price, no credit."

As soon as the sign went up, it drew a crowd of customers.

With the New Year approaching, many families needed their New Year pigs slaughtered. Going by previous years' prices, slaughtering an ordinary-sized New Year pig cost forty wen, while a large, fat one cost sixty.

Qin Ming's prices were ten wen lower than usual for both ordinary-sized and large, fat New Year pigs.

For many families, ten wen was already a day or two's wages for hard work.

It was not easy to earn money in chaotic times, so common folk saved wherever they could.

"Kid, can those skinny arms and legs of yours really slaughter a pig?"

"Look at those butchers. Aren't they all broad and stout from eating well? How can you hold a New Year pig down without strength?"

An older woman came over, doubt evident in her eyes.

Having gone without enough food for a long time, Qin Ming looked very frail. Coupled with his young age, he did not look like a butcher at all.

"Whether I can or not, you'll see when I put my hands to work. If I don't do the job properly, I won't take a single coin. Don't you believe in the Qin Family's pig-slaughtering craft, passed down for more than ten generations?"

"The Qin Family? I was wondering why this kid looked so familiar. He's the son of that filthy wretch from the Qin Family butcher shop!"

"I remember Qin Shou's son was fair and plump. How did he end up looking like this?"

"I heard Qin Shou gambled away his entire fortune a few months ago and ended up buried in debt. Even the butcher shop was taken to cover it, and he jumped into the river that very night."

The people around them broke into a flurry of discussion.

"Kid, I'll let you slaughter my family's New Year pig this year. But let me make this clear beforehand: if you do a bad job, I won't give you a single copper coin," Grandpa Zhang said, coming forward.

"No problem."

Grandpa Zhang lived nearby. Qin Ming packed up his things and left with him, while some older men and women with nothing to do followed along to watch the excitement.

If Qin Ming was good at slaughtering pigs, they would leave their families' New Year pigs to him this year and save quite a bit on the cost.

If his skills were terrible, they could at least enjoy the show.

Not long after Qin Ming left, Wang Butcher and the other butchers in town finally arrived. Like Qin Ming, they put up signs at the market entrance, but after quite a while, no one came to inquire. They asked around, and when they heard that Qin Ming had beaten them to the customers, they were instantly furious.

"Damn that little bastard! It was bad enough he cheated me out of a tael of silver yesterday, but today he dares deliberately undercut us and steal our livelihoods! Come on! If I don't break his legs today, I'll take his surname!"

Wang Butcher stormed off with several of his fellow butchers.