The Hardship of Practicing Martial Arts
[Qin Yan] [Talent: Infinite Physique] Strength: 1.5 → 1.3 Speed: 1.4 → 1.2 Spirit: 1.2 → 1.2
Looking at his three attributes, he saw that the recovery ability granted by his special talent had already healed the wound on his forehead almost completely.
The moon shone bright amid sparse stars, and specks of moonlight slipped into the room through gaps in the window.
Qin Yan sat with his legs loosely crossed as he rested, but hunger began to gnaw at his stomach. An hour of basic body training had taken quite a toll.
He was a little hungry.
Feeling the two taels of silver fragments in his hand, Qin Yan let his thoughts wander. The Qin family had once been quite well-off, but Qin Zhaolin had spent a considerable portion of their savings running around on his predecessor's behalf.
On top of that, Qin Zhao had spent what little silver the family had left on connections, hoping to make a living in town.
He looked at the old house, with the wind whistling in from every direction!
Qin Yan was at a loss for words. It was fine while the weather was clear, but if the wind picked up and rain fell, they would be in trouble.
Tomorrow I'll go into town to buy some daily necessities and a brush knife!
Then I'll train my body and raise my three attributes.
As long as I have enough strength, everything that follows will be much easier.
Qin Yan lay down on his straw bedding, and the night passed without a word.
Early the next morning!
Qin Yan touched his forehead. The scab had already fallen off, leaving the skin as smooth as ever, without the slightest trace of a wound.
He couldn't help being surprised. It had healed far too well.
He felt the two taels of silver fragments tucked inside his clothes and wasted no time. He immediately left the house and headed for Qinghe Town, the center of the area for dozens of li around.
"That's Qin Yan. The kid sure was ruthless. I reckon those two brothers of his won't be able to get out of bed for ten days or so."
Everyone who saw Qin Yan along the way couldn't help whispering among themselves. None dared approach him, speaking only in hushed voices.
After a day's worth of gossip, everyone knew that Qin Yan had suffered a shock and undergone a drastic change in personality.
"Ah Yan, where are you going?"
A man carrying an animal pelt on his back saw Qin Yan and came over to greet him.
"Seventh Uncle!"
Qin Yan answered when he saw who it was. The Qin family had three branches in all, and theirs belonged to the second branch. Qin Zhaolin ranked fourth among his generation.
His Seventh Uncle, Qin Zhaofeng, belonged to the third branch.
"Ah Yan, I heard you three brothers split up the family. If I hadn't gone hunting in the mountains yesterday, I might've given those two brats a thrashing."
Qin Zhaofeng patted Qin Yan on the shoulder. "It's just as well you've split up. If you need help in the future, come find your Seventh Uncle!"
Hearing this, Qin Yan gave a faint smile and nodded. "Seventh Uncle, you said it yourself."
"Of course!"
Qin Zhaofeng thumped his chest.
Chatting and laughing, the two soon reached the village entrance.
A crowd had gathered around the Qiao Brothers, who were buying mountain goods, but the people around them didn't look pleased.
"These Qiao Brothers have hearts that are far too black. A rabbit pelt worth ten copper coins, and they're only offering seven.
"They're driving down the prices on all sorts of things."
Qiao Shanhe saw the people wagging their tongues, and a sneer immediately appeared on his lips. "You don't have to sell your goods to us. You can take them into town and sell them yourselves.
"How much you get for them is up to you."
The crowd, who had been showing their displeasure, all had slight changes of expression when they heard this. They reined in their feelings and refused to speak up.
"This rabbit pelt has a flaw. I'll give you five copper coins at most. This one's decent, so I'll count it as seven. This one isn't quite as good—six copper coins!"
Qiao Shansheng looked at the pelts the farmer had handed him and began appraising them one by one.
The prices, however, were all generally low.
Even so, the man could only swallow his anger and helplessly accept the outcome.
"Ah, if only nothing had happened to Fourth Brother."
Qin Zhaofeng sighed at the sight.
Qin Yan was indifferent. His father had previously been in charge of buying mountain goods.
But once the tree fell, the monkeys scattered, and all the old ties of obligation were severed at once.
Buying mountain goods was a business in itself. In town, there were people who specialized in goods such as pelts and medicinal herbs.
If ordinary villagers took these things to medicinal herb buyers or fur shops, they would be squeezed even harder.
There were forces of all sizes in town, each holding a tight grip on its own channels.
Without connections, one could only be squeezed.
His father had been a member of the Azure Blade Gang in town, responsible for buying mountain goods in and around the village.
His eldest brother Qin Zhao had spent money on connections for the sake of that very job.
Unfortunately, the money had been spent, but the lucrative post had fallen into the Qiao Brothers' hands.
Relations between the Qin Family and the Qiao family had been no more than ordinary, especially now that the Qiao Brothers of this generation not only had a shop in town but had also secured the lucrative job of buying mountain goods.
They would likely grow even wealthier in the future.
Qin Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, bid Seventh Uncle farewell, and hurried toward town.
Qiao Shanhe glanced at Qin Yan's retreating back and scoffed inwardly.
The Qin family was becoming more and more useless. Once Qin Zhaolin died, the whole family had fallen apart, each member pulling in a different direction, incapable of anything worthwhile.
The town was more than twenty li from the village, and Qin Yan moved swiftly.
His physical condition, far beyond that of an ordinary person, let him stride along as though flying.
[Long-distance running training: speed limit +0.1]
Looking at the line of text that appeared before him, Qin Yan couldn't help the slight upward curve of his lips.
He thoroughly enjoyed the comfortable feeling that spread through his body after a brisk run.
After reaching the town, Qin Yan spent three copper coins on three large white steamed buns.
As his physical condition continued to improve, Qin Yan's appetite grew larger too. Three buns were barely enough to take the edge off his hunger.
He touched his stomach and felt a sudden pang of melancholy.
The two taels of silver he had probably wouldn't last long. While improving his strength, he also needed to find a way to earn money as soon as possible.
Or at least make sure he wouldn't go hungry.
Qinghe Town as a whole was neither large nor small. It sat right beside the Cypress Water River and had a small shipping wharf.
But the times were indeed troubled. From minor gang factions to mountain bandits and brigands, sparks of trouble sprang up endlessly.
In Qinghe Town alone, there were around twenty gang factions.
Moreover, most had official backing or were local powerful clans.
Without any connections, there was no telling whether one could get by in this place.
After spending nearly the whole morning walking around Qinghe Town, he found that the ways to earn money came down to the same few jobs.
He could work as a porter at the wharf, become a long-term laborer in someone's household, or take a job as a shop hand.
There were also plenty of ins and outs to these jobs. Wharf workers in particular had to spend money on connections just to get work.
The wharf was controlled by the Qinghe Shipping Gang, the strongest of them all. Even the local authorities dared not easily offend the force backing it.
After walking around, Qin Yan felt somewhat dazed. Information was scarce here, and the avenues for making money were essentially blocked off.
It was no easy feat for an ordinary person to get ahead.
Shaking his head, Qin Yan bought some basic daily necessities in town, spending about seven mace of silver.
Then he went to the blacksmith's shop and bought a brush knife, which cost him nearly three mace of silver.
The blade was about one chi and two cun long, straight from end to end, with a broad, thick spine. Though a little expensive, it was quite good overall.
"Young man, I'll throw in a wooden handle."
Master Chen of the blacksmith's shop smiled and handed Qin Yan the brush knife, now fitted with its handle. His manner was very warm.
"Thank you, Master Chen."
Smiling, Qin Yan accepted the long-handled brush knife, which was nearly a meter long. It felt natural to swing, and each slash sent a whistling rush through the air.
"You look lean, kid, but you're quite strong. If you took up martial arts, you'd probably accomplish something in the future."
Master Chen smiled. When the young man had first arrived at the shop, he had been carrying several dozen jin of goods in one hand without a change in expression.
Now, watching him swing the brush knife, Master Chen saw that although he hadn't trained in any martial arts, his strength was probably already no less than a grown man's.
He was a promising seedling.
Hearing this, Qin Yan smiled helplessly. "Taking up martial arts isn't that easy."
"True enough!"
Seeing the young man's expression, Master Chen couldn't help sighing. The saying "the poor study, the rich practice martial arts" was more than just empty words.