Martial Arts Path

After dinner, the laborers continued their work.

Once they finished with one courtyard, they moved on to the others, always finding something to keep them busy.

By the time the moon was high and the stars were sparse, and the Martial Masters had retired for the night.

The laborers, who would normally have been preparing for rest long ago, were now all excited, heading to the corners behind their rooms to practice.

The servants on patrol knew the situation.

After emphasizing that they mustn't disturb the Martial Masters' rest and that their daily work must be done, they paid no further attention.

Meanwhile, Xu Yuan went to a secluded corner alone, looking at the panel in his mind.

[Name: Xu Yuan]
[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Minor Accomplishment 1%), Stone Platform Stance Practice (Novice 2%)]
[Aptitude: 3 (Mediocre Talent)]

Actually, during his practice at noon, Xu Yuan realized that even though he was familiar with the routines of the stance practice, there were still many obscure and unclear points.

Conversely, Li Shan and Sun Rong hadn't encountered some of these issues.

This made him clearly understand the significant difference in aptitude.

In the same amount of time, others progressed without any obstacles, their efficiency far exceeding his.

"As expected, martial arts training is inseparable from talent."

Xu Yuan hated this kind of torment where he couldn't solve a problem.

He pondered in secret, preparing to try Tai Chi Exercise again to see which one had a lower initial difficulty, hoping to break through his aptitude bottleneck with it.

Then, he stood tall like a pine and cypress, his muscles slowly relaxing yet remaining firm.

His waist led his hands, his lower body stable, his movements flowing like clouds and water, as if kneading clouds and rubbing rain, embracing the dan and guarding the round.

He repeated this cycle until an hour had passed.

Only then did Xu Yuan look up at the panel.

[Name: Xu Yuan]
[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Minor Accomplishment 6%), Stone Platform Stance Practice (Novice 2%)]
[Aptitude: 3 (Mediocre Talent)]

"Tai Chi Exercise is indeed simpler, and the efficiency has improved significantly."

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately found a path for his martial arts training.

From now on, he would continue to consolidate his stance practice every day at the hour of Si, and practice Tai Chi Exercise in the evening, striving to break through his aptitude as soon as possible so that he could then use that to benefit his stance practice.

"That's settled!"

Xu Yuan practiced the boxing routine for a while longer, feeling a layer of hot sweat seep from his body. Only then did he look up at the sky.

The bright, silver disc of the moon had been half-bitten by dark clouds, and the clear moonlight cast down was significantly dimmer.

Among the surrounding laborers, apart from a few who were still stubbornly persisting, most had already gone inside to rest.

And among them, there was one person Xu Yuan recognized.

It was Xiao Sheng, who had been reprimanded before. He shared a dormitory with Xu Yuan, was usually quiet and rarely interacted with others, and was still practicing alone at this moment.

"Forget it, I have to work early tomorrow. Too much of a good thing can be bad."

Xu Yuan shook his head, went to the water vat, picked up a cloth, scrubbed himself clean, and then quickly wiped away the dirt from his body before returning to the room. Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

The laborers, as usual, got up and started their work before the morning dew had fallen.

This time, many of them had put some thought into it, filling their bowls with thin porridge and spreading the salty, acrid chopped vegetables on top. They ate several bowls until they were so full they could barely stand it before putting down their chopsticks.

Fatty Wang saw this and scolded them fiercely, saying things like, "You cheapskates aren't afraid of bursting," and "You can't eat fresh peaches, so you'll settle for eating rotten apricots."

The others paid no mind. Their martial arts training yesterday had been too strenuous, and their empty stomachs felt very uncomfortable, so they had to eat more in the morning.

After all, in the morning, besides the thin porridge and pickles, they had nothing else to eat.

But soon, another incident occurred.

A servant came to inspect the laborers' work. He wiped his hand under the eaves and got a lot of dust on it. He immediately started cursing loudly and slapped the laborer across the face.

"You idiot! Nothing like this ever happened before. What kind of bird's nest did you clean this time?"

"If this happens again, I'll dock your food!"

The laborer, with dark circles under his eyes and a clear handprint on his face, dared not speak. He silently stepped forward and meticulously wiped away the dust.

He had practiced too late last night and had to get up for work shortly after lying down. His body was too tired, and he had accidentally missed a spot.

The servant didn't stop there. He turned and sternly lectured the laborers, "I don't care how you practice martial arts at night, but you must do your daytime chores properly, or you'll feel the sting!"

Everyone's hearts tightened, and their hands worked even more efficiently. Several laborers who had also pulled an all-nighter widened their eyes, afraid of any omissions.

Xu Yuan saw clearly that if the laborers weren't practicing martial arts, they would still have a chance to change their fate.

This servant would never let it go with just a slap.

In the end, laborers had no human rights or dignity.

They were just cheap assets in the compound, easily manipulated even by servants a rank higher.

Until Si Shi (9 AM).

Feng Xiao arrived at the backyard on time, teaching the laborers about meridians, acupoints, and the first meridian of the eight meridians, the Ren Meridian.

Then he led everyone in practicing the stance for a round, briefly answered some questions, and instructed them to practice on their own before pacing away.

Everyone learned half-heartedly and still had some complaints.

However, after chatting with Li Shan, Xu Yuan understood.

The monthly salary of these Martial Masters was divided into two parts: a base salary and performance-based pay.

Teaching students in the front yard and laborers in the backyard both came with a fixed monthly base salary. Only if someone managed to break through a meridian would they receive additional income.

In their view, laborers were obviously less likely to break through than Martial Students. It was already good enough that they weren't holding back and were teaching diligently.

As for other special tutoring?

Don't even think about it.

In the courtyard.

Xu Yuan and the other two gathered again to practice.

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

"Brother Xu, are you asking why, with so many maids in the side courtyard, only a few of us came here?"

Sun Rong's voice was clear, but her smile was a little complicated when she heard this.

"You might not know, but there's a difference between maids and laborers. Due to their positions and gender, they are more likely to become familiar with the important figures in the inner court, so their promotion speed is faster."

"For example, Master Feng, once signed a contract with the Shangyang Family, he belongs to the Shangyang Family. If his realm is Second Meridian, he belongs to a Second Pattern Household Guard."

"Whereas maids might only need to catch the eye of a noble to become a Level Two Maid. Although their status is lower, they still have considerable benefits, so..."

Xu Yuan understood when he heard this.

He had been wondering before why, despite it being an opportunity to change their fate, so few maids had come.

It turned out that they could often serve the Shangyang Family in the inner court. If they did a good job, coupled with a few intimate words from time to time, they might be promoted directly, so there was no need for them to train hard.

To put it bluntly, the promotion goals of the two were different.

"Sister Sun, you're quite ambitious."

Li Shan praised with a chuckle.

Sun Rong gave him a playful glare, "Of course. Nothing beats having the ability to be confident."

"I'm not as generous as Brother Li, giving away such a precious opportunity for nothing."

"Uh." Li Shan was stunned. He felt like her words had a hidden barb. Just as he was about to retort, several laborers suddenly ran over to ask him for advice.

He couldn't refuse, so he walked over and carefully pointed out the mistakes in their movements.

Seeing this, Sun Rong shook her head and stopped paying attention to him. She turned to Xu Yuan and smiled:

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

Xu Yuan nodded. A reminder was enough; there was no need to forcibly intervene in others' karma. He could only say, respect fate.

During the tedious practice, time passed quickly.

When Si Shi ended.

Xu Yuan noticed that the laborers who had eaten several bowls of thin congee in the morning had pale faces. They were now clasping their legs and rushing to the latrine several times.

The others couldn't help but laugh, mocking them for not practicing martial arts for long and only focusing on relieving themselves.

Xu Yuan could only shake his head helplessly.

The thin congee in the morning only had a few grains of rice. No matter how much they ate, it would just come out as urine. What was the point?