Learning Martial Arts

But Miao Liwu—no, he should be called Lin Mo. You knew perfectly well how much learning Lin Mo had in his belly.

During the third simulation, Miao Liwu had once achieved the glorious feat of angering even you, who taught him to read, into directly breaking through a realm.

You patted Lin Mo's belly. "So, is there any ink in that little stomach of yours?"

Lin Mo immediately shriveled up.

He guiltily glanced up at Wei Xia twice and said in a low voice, "N-No... I learn characters very slowly..."

You burst out laughing. As expected of you, kid. Still the same foolish boy as before, not changed in the slightest.

Wei Xia also felt that Lin Mo's talent for studying was too embarrassing to show, so she hurriedly changed the subject.

"Young Master, well... you probably won't be able to find Miao Jiayao. It's getting late, so you should hurry back into the city and find somewhere to stay."

Seeing how imposing your clothes and bearing were, Wei Xia knew you were no ordinary farmer.

So she urged you, a city man, to return to the city.

Naturally, you would not leave just yet.

Originally, you had only come this time to save Wei Xia and Miao Jiayao's family.

Yet even Lin Mo had been born seven or eight years early this time.

And you were extremely curious about that Child-Giving Guanyin.

Naturally, you had to visit Wei Xia's home and take a look.

You looked at Wei Xia and asked, "Madam Lin, is your husband at home?"

"Of course he is. Why do you ask, Young Master?" Wei Xia asked doubtfully.

You said with a smile, "I've traveled a long way and am rather hungry. There are no eateries nearby. Could I go to your home and have something simple to eat? I'll pay double."

Wei Xia hesitated. "Young Master, money is secondary. I'm only afraid that our ordinary household has no fine food with which to entertain you."

You waved a hand. "No matter. Something to fill my stomach will do."

Wei Xia took Lin Mo's hand and said to you, "Then please come, Young Master."

Wei Xia led you to the neighboring village.

Along the way, you exchanged names.

You also learned that Lin Mo's father was named Lin Kaifeng.

He was a stipend student.

A stipend student was a xiucai scholar with exceptionally outstanding grades, entitled to receive a state subsidy.

The annual stipend allowance was five taels of silver.

Together with Lin Kaifeng's occasional work teaching at private schools, ghostwriting for others, and other miscellaneous income, he earned several more taels of silver here and there.

Thus, although Wei Xia's family was not wealthy, they could comfortably keep food on the table.

Sometimes, they could even afford meat.

That was also why Wei Xia carried herself differently in this simulation.

This time, Wei Xia's social standing and financial circumstances had both risen by a great deal, so naturally she had more confidence.

Before long, you arrived at Wei Xia's home.

It was a farmhouse courtyard with a fairly spacious plot of land.

"Father, Mother and I are back!"

Lin Mo ran all the way into the courtyard.

Right afterward, Child-Giving Guan... Lin Kaifeng came out to greet them as well.

Lin Kaifeng scooped up Lin Mo, who had thrown himself into his arms, and smiled. "Mo'er, you've been playing all day again, haven't you?"

"Father, I'll make up for my studies tonight!"

Lin Kaifeng scraped Lin Mo's nose. "You say that every time!"

Lin Mo's eyes rolled around, and he hurriedly changed the subject. "Father, Mother and I met an uncle today. He's having dinner at our house tonight!"

"An uncle?"

Carrying Lin Mo, Lin Kaifeng walked out of the courtyard and saw you.

Seeing that your appearance and bearing were unlike those of an ordinary person, Lin Kaifeng set Lin Mo down and cupped his hands politely. "Brother, have you run into some trouble? My family may not be rich, but providing one full meal is no hardship. Please come in, Young Master!"

You knew Lin Kaifeng had misunderstood you.

Lin Kaifeng thought you could no longer make a living and had come to someone else's home to mooch a meal.

You sized Lin Kaifeng up from head to toe.

He looked like an ordinary, frail scholar.

Yet his bearing was all the more free-spirited and unrestrained.

After all, he was someone skilled enough to earn a state subsidy through genuine talent. It was perfectly normal for him to have some pride.

Still, no matter how you looked at him, he did not seem like someone with that sort of hobby.

Could it be that he was a beast in human skin?

You could not make sense of it.

Just as you were about to follow Lin Kaifeng into the courtyard, a thunderous roar suddenly rang out behind you.

"Madam Lin! Are you still refusing?!"

You turned and saw a brawny man with a leopard's head, ringed eyes, and a black beard standing in the road, blocking the entrance.

His face was covered in fierce flesh, and he looked like a bootleg Zhang Fei.

One look told you he was no good person.

When you sensed him again, he was actually a bone tempering martial artist.

Wei Xia's expression was awful, and she looked extremely troubled.

Lin Kaifeng also fell silent, glancing at the brawny man one moment and at Wei Xia the next.

The moment you saw it, you knew work had come knocking.

In broad daylight, this bastard dared to forcibly seize another man's wife?

Was there no law? No justice?

And since he had run into you today, it meant this bootleg Zhang Fei had not come only once or twice.

You flashed straight over.

"Eat my fucking kick!!"

Bang—

Bootleg Zhang Fei only saw a blur before he was sent flying more than a dozen zhang away.

He crashed to the ground, nearly falling apart. The entire world spun and roared around him.

A breath was trapped in his chest, and he could not even groan.

Your Soul Awakening Blade flashed.

"Now eat my fucking blade too!!"

"Young Master He! Don't!!"

At the critical moment, Wei Xia cried out in terror.

Your Soul Awakening Blade came to an abrupt stop beside bootleg Zhang Fei's neck.

At that moment, the blade was only 0.01 centimeters from his throat.

But a quarter of an incense stick later, the owner of that blade would directly compensate bootleg Zhang Fei for his medical expenses.

At this moment, the terror in bootleg Zhang Fei's eyes was practically spilling off the screen.

You looked at Wei Xia. "What's going on? Wasn't this little strongman here to snatch you away?"

Wei Xia was also shaken and uncertain. On one hand, she was stunned by your terrifying strength.

On the other, she was still frightened by the thought of how someone had nearly died just now.

Wei Xia hurriedly said, "You've misunderstood, Young Master He! Hall Master Zhang wants to take my Mo'er as his disciple!"

"Take a disciple?"

Only after questioning carefully did you learn what had happened.

It turned out that Hall Master Zhang had accidentally discovered that Lin Mo possessed excellent talent for martial arts.

So he wanted Lin Mo to go to his martial arts hall and become his disciple.

But Wei Xia did not want Lin Mo to go out fighting and killing people.

She only wanted Lin Mo to be like Lin Kaifeng: a scholar who could pass the imperial examinations, earn official rank, and embark upon a career in government.

So she had repeatedly refused Hall Master Zhang.

Hall Master Zhang treasured talent dearly and often came to persuade Wei Xia to let Lin Mo join his martial arts hall.

That was what had led to your misunderstanding.

After hearing the whole story, you nodded.

Then you asked Lin Kaifeng for his opinion.

Lin Kaifeng actually supported Lin Mo learning martial arts.

Because Lin Kaifeng knew best that Lin Mo had no future on the path of literature.

During exams, Lin Mo often said one thing—

"What kind of skill is it to remember it in your head? Do you dare to have a fair and square guessing contest with me!"

So, to be honest, Lin Kaifeng had seen many useless students in studying, but they would all have to call Lin Mo useless.

But Lin Kaifeng and Wei Xia had a very good relationship, so he could not directly oppose Wei Xia.

After all, Wei Xia's worries were reasonable too.

Learning martial arts meant going out and chopping people up all day. If he failed to chop someone up even once, the lights would go out.

It was extremely dangerous.

Whenever Hall Master Zhang came, Lin Kaifeng could not directly state his opinion, which was why you had thought earlier that he was cowardly.

You looked at Wei Xia and Lin Kaifeng.

But neither dared meet your eyes. They were a little afraid of you.

Hall Master Zhang was also one of the strongest people in the city.

Yet in your hands, he was like a little chick, to be pinched however you pleased.

How could Wei Xia and Lin Kaifeng dare laugh and joke with you anymore?

You did not care. You looked directly at little Lin Mo.

What you had not expected was—

At that moment, Lin Mo's eyes were filled with crazed excitement!

His tiny body trembled uncontrollably from excitement.

He looked at you with the reverence of someone beholding a god.

Your combat power had completely surpassed the limits of his tiny, limited understanding.

He had thought Hall Master Zhang was the highest heaven.

Yet he had not expected that above this heaven, countless gods and Buddhas sat upon the clouds.

A dream of becoming a great hero had long been growing vigorously in Lin Mo's heart.

He was only young, and Wei Xia had always kept him down.

But after today, the great tree of that dream took root completely in Lin Mo's heart.

You looked at Lin Mo. "Lin Mo, the choice is yours. Are you willing to learn martial arts?"