The Path of Martial Arts

After dinner, the Laborers continued working.

Once they finished with this courtyard, they went to other courtyards. There was always work to keep them from stopping for even a moment.

By the time the moon shone bright and the stars were sparse, and the martial instructors had retired for the night,

the Laborers, who would normally have long since prepared to rest, were all brimming with excitement. One after another, they went to the corner behind the rooms to practice.

The servants making their rounds understood the situation as well.

After stressing that they were not to disturb the martial instructors' rest and must still complete their daily work, they turned a blind eye to the rest.

Xu Yuan came alone to a corner and looked at the System Panel in his mind.

[Name: Xu Yuan]

[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Minor Accomplishment 1%) Stone Platform Stance Practice (Beginner 2%)]

[Aptitude: 3 (Average Talent)]

In truth, Xu Yuan had already realized during the afternoon practice that even though he was familiar with the routines of the stance practice, there were still many obscure points he could not understand.

Meanwhile, Li Shan and Sun Rong had not encountered some of those same problems.

That made him immediately understand that differences in aptitude were plain as day.

Given the same amount of time, others would face no obstacles, and their efficiency would naturally be higher than his.

"Sure enough, martial arts cannot be separated from talent."

Xu Yuan deeply hated the anguish of being unable to solve a problem.

He pondered in secret, preparing to try the Tai Chi Exercise again and see which one was easier at the beginning, so that he could use it to break through the bottleneck of his aptitude.

Then he stood tall as a pine or cypress, while the muscles throughout his body gradually relaxed without becoming slack.

He led with his waist, planted his lower body firmly, and moved as smoothly as drifting clouds and kneaded rain, embracing the elixir and guarding the circle.

He repeated the cycle again and again until an hour had passed.

Only then did Xu Yuan raise his head to look at the System Panel.

[Name: Xu Yuan]

[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Minor Accomplishment 6%) Stone Platform Stance Practice (Beginner 2%)]

[Aptitude: 3 (Average Talent)]

"The Tai Chi Exercise is still easier. The efficiency is obviously much higher."

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up. At once, he found his path in martial arts.

From now on, he would continue stabilizing his stance practice every day at the hour of the Snake, then practice the Tai Chi Exercise at night. Once he broke through the limits of his aptitude, he could use it in turn to nourish his stance practice.

"That settles it!"

Xu Yuan practiced the exercise a while longer. A thin layer of hot sweat seeped over his body before he finally looked up at the sky.

The bright moon, round as a silver plate, had already been bitten halfway through by dark clouds, and the clear radiance it cast had dimmed considerably.

Of the Laborers around him, aside from a few still gritting their teeth and persevering, most had already gone inside to rest.

There was one among them whom Xu Yuan recognized.

It was Xiao Sheng, the one who had been made an example of earlier. He shared a dormitory with Xu Yuan and was usually quiet, rarely associating with others. Yet at this moment, he was still practicing alone.

"Forget it. I still have work to do early tomorrow morning. Too much is as bad as too little."

Xu Yuan shook his head and went to the water vat. He took a piece of cloth and scrubbed it clean, then wiped the grime from his body in a few quick motions before returning to the room. Not long after, he fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

As usual, the Laborers rose and began working before the morning dew had fallen.

This time, quite a few of them were more calculating. They filled huge bowls to the brim with thin porridge, while the salty, bitter vegetable bits were spread thick across the surface. They swallowed bowl after bowl, only putting down their chopsticks when they were so stuffed they could barely bear it.

When Fatty Wang saw this, he gave them a fierce scolding, saying things like, "You cheap hides aren't afraid of stuffing yourselves to death," and, "You can't get fresh peaches, so you fill your bellies with rotten apricots."

No one took it to heart. Their martial arts practice yesterday had consumed too much energy, and the emptiness in their stomachs had been unbearable. Of course they had to eat more in the morning.

After all, apart from thin porridge and pickled vegetables in the morning, they had nothing else to eat.

But before long, another incident occurred.

When a servant came to inspect the Laborers' work, he wiped a hand beneath the eaves and found plenty of dust on it. He immediately burst into curses and swung a loud slap across someone's face.

"You stupid bastard! Nothing ever went wrong before. What the hell did you clean this time?"

"If it happens again, watch out—I'll dock your meals!"

The Laborer had dark circles beneath his eyes and a clear handprint on his face, but he did not dare make a sound. He silently stepped forward and carefully wiped away the dust.

He had practiced for too long the previous night. Not long after lying down, he had needed to rise for work again. His body had been truly exhausted, and he had carelessly missed one spot.

Yet the servant did not stop there. He turned and coldly lectured the Laborers again.

"I don't care how you practice martial arts at night, but you'd better do your daytime work properly. Otherwise, watch your skins!"

Everyone's hearts tightened, and their hands moved all the more briskly. Several Laborers who had likewise stayed up half the night widened their eyes, terrified of overlooking anything.

But Xu Yuan saw it clearly. If the Laborers had not been practicing martial arts and still possessed a chance to change their fate,

this servant would never have let the matter end with a single slap.

At the end of the day, Laborers had neither human rights nor dignity.

They were nothing more than cheap assets of the estate. Even servants one rank above them could knead and pinch them as they pleased.

Until the hour of the Snake, nine in the morning.

Feng Xiao arrived at the rear courtyard on time and taught the Laborers about the meridians, acupoints, and the first of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, the Ren Meridian.

Then he led everyone through the stance practice once, briefly answered a few questions, instructed them to practice on their own, and strolled away.

Everyone had learned only half-understood fragments and still felt somewhat resentful about it.

But after Xu Yuan spoke with Li Shan, he saw the matter clearly.

These martial instructors' monthly pay was divided into two parts: one was a base salary, while the other was performance pay.

Teaching the students in the front courtyard and the Laborers in the rear courtyard both earned them a fixed monthly base salary. Only if someone broke through one meridian would they receive additional income.

In their eyes, Laborers clearly had less chance of breaking through than Martial Students. The fact that they did not hold anything back and fulfilled their teaching duties was already good enough.

As for any special instruction?

Don't even think about it.

In the courtyard.

The three of them gathered together once more to practice.

During their conversation, Xu Yuan also asked a question that had troubled him for a long time.

"Brother Xu, you mean there are so many maids in the side courtyards, so why are only a few of us here?"

Sun Rong's voice was crisp, but when she heard this, her smile became somewhat complicated.

"You don't understand. Maids differ somewhat from Laborers. Because of their positions and their gender, they have an easier time becoming familiar with the nobles of the inner courtyard, so they rise through the ranks more quickly."

"For example, Master Feng signed a contract with the Shangyang Family, so he belongs to the Shangyang Family. He has reached the second meridian, making him a Second Pattern Household Guard."

"And sometimes, a maid only needs to catch a noble's eye to become a Level Two Maid. Though their status is still a notch lower, they receive quite a few benefits, so..."

By this point, Xu Yuan understood.

He had previously found it strange. This was clearly a chance to change one's fate, yet barely any maids had come.

So it turned out that they could often serve the Shangyang Family members in the inner courtyard. If they did their work well and occasionally spoke a few intimate words, they might rise directly through the ranks. Naturally, they had no need to come here and practice martial arts in bitter hardship.

Put plainly, their goals for advancement were different.

"Then Sister Sun is quite a strong-willed person."

Li Shan praised her with a chuckle.

Sun Rong shot him an irritated glance. "Naturally. Nothing gives you more confidence than having your own abilities."

"I'm not as generous as Brother Li, casually scattering such a precious opportunity to the wind."

"Uh." Li Shan froze. He felt as though her words carried hidden spears and cudgels. Just as he wanted to refute her, several Laborers suddenly ran over to ask him for guidance.

He could not bring himself to refuse, so he had no choice but to walk over and carefully point out the mistakes in their movements.

Sun Rong shook her head at the sight, but did not concern herself with him any longer. Turning to Xu Yuan, she smiled.

"Brother Xu, let's continue practicing together."

Xu Yuan nodded. Some things only needed to be mentioned once. There was no need to forcibly involve himself in another person's cause and effect. All he could do was respect fate.

Time passed swiftly amid the dull practice.

When the hour of the Snake ended,

Xu Yuan noticed that the Laborers who had eaten several bowls of thin porridge that morning were pale-faced. They were now clutching their thighs and rushing back and forth to the latrine several times.

The others could not help laughing, mocking them for barely practicing martial arts before they had spent all their time opening the gates and draining the floodwaters.

Xu Yuan could only shake his head helplessly.

There had only been a few grains of rice in that morning's thin porridge. No matter how much they ate, one piss would send it all out again. What use was it?