"Master, I shall never forget your great kindness, not even when my teeth have fallen out."
Master Meng waved his hand.
"When a student faces hardship, yet I, as his teacher, cannot uphold justice, I am ashamed at heart."
Bai Yu said:
"This is all the Chen family's fault. It has nothing to do with you, Master."
Master Meng tapped the table and said:
"This Five Elements Fist is merely the most basic martial art. You may practice it for self-defense, but under no circumstances should you think of seeking revenge."
"The Chen family is powerful. Two of the five Chen brothers are Ranked Martial Artists."
"Wait until you earn scholarly honors and return home in embroidered robes. It will not be too late to take revenge then."
Master Meng wanted Bai Yu to study hard, earn scholarly honors, and only then return to deal with the Chen family.
But Bai Yu thought differently.
As one blessed with Eternal Life, why would he take the Imperial Examination?
On the contrary, he was far more interested in the martial path.
He cupped his hands and asked:
"Master, what is a Ranked Martial Artist?"
Master Meng stroked the long beard beneath his chin.
"Among the Nine Classes of Society, there is a saying: first-class immortals, second-class lords and kings, third-class martial artists, fourth-class officials."
"Immortals stand high above, impossible for ordinary people to find. Lords and kings rule the common folk, their nobility beyond words."
"Other than them, martial artists reign supreme."
"Martial artists are divided into Nine Ranks. First Rank is the lowest, Ninth Rank the highest."
"The lower three ranks are the Muscle Realm, the middle three are the Qi and Blood Realm, and the upper three are the Spirit Connection Realm."
"The Muscle Realm has three ranks: Flesh Refinement, Tendon Forging, and Skin Tempering."
Bai Yu listened with great interest.
The traces of immortals were misty and elusive, impossible to grasp, but martial artists were something he could pursue.
In any case, he possessed Eternal Life. Sooner or later, he would practice martial arts until he rose above the rest.
Master Meng's voice drifted on.
"Practicing martial arts requires immense perseverance, outstanding talent, and good martial techniques."
"Some people practice for an entire lifetime and still cannot enter the ranks."
"Of the five Chen brothers, two are First Rank martial artists. Their strength is formidable."
"Changsheng, you must not act on a hot-blooded impulse."
Bai Yu nodded repeatedly.
"Rest assured, Master. Your disciple knows his limits. I absolutely will not act rashly."
Yet he thought viciously to himself:
"Isn't it just a First Rank martial artist? When you're old, I'll snap even your walking stick!"
After offering further instructions, Master Meng returned to his stern, rigid expression.
Bai Yu bowed and took his leave.
Upon returning home,
he eagerly opened the Five Elements Fist manual.
The Five Elements Fist was simple enough, with only five moves corresponding to the Five Elements.
They followed the generating cycle of metal, water, wood, fire, and earth.
Bai Yu could not wait to begin practicing.
"Metal is called the White Tiger's invincible slaughter."
"Water is called Black Tortoise Guards the North Pole."
Black Dog followed beside him and practiced as well, copying his movements with impressive resemblance.
Though these five moves looked simple, they were actually extremely difficult to practice.
They emphasized such things as sinking the shoulders and dropping the elbows, drawing in the chest and lifting the back.
There were also the Three Harmonies: hands with feet, elbows with knees, shoulders with hips.
Bai Yu practiced for two or three hours before he finally completed one full cycle.
After finishing the five moves, Bai Yu's vision darkened. It felt as though his body had been hollowed out.
After resting for a while, he looked at his attribute panel.
Name: Bai Yu. Talent: 1 Qi and Blood: 2.8 Strength: 10 Martial Technique: Five Elements Fist (Not Yet Initiated) Divine Ability: Eternal Life. Skills: Playing the Suona (Practice Makes Perfect), Literacy (First Glimpse of the Path), Hunting (First Glimpse of the Path).
Sure enough, after practicing it once, the Five Elements Fist had appeared on his attribute panel.
Proficiency: 0.1/10.
At this rate, he would need to practice it a hundred times before getting started.
Most critically, one round of the Five Elements Fist had actually consumed 0.2 of his Qi and Blood.
If this continued, he would be drained dry before he even entered the door.
What he did not know was that in this world, fist techniques were divided into training forms and combat forms. Those who performed in the streets to earn a living also had performance forms.
Training forms were used to cultivate martial arts, combat forms to fight enemies, and performance forms for show.
Ordinarily, martial artists practiced with training forms. Not only did they not harm the body, they also strengthened Qi and Blood.
However, the Five Elements Fist was only the most basic Yellow Rank, Low Grade martial technique. It had no training form, only combat forms. The more one practiced, the more Qi and Blood one lost.
To master the Five Elements Fist, one either had to be born with abundant Qi and Blood or possess large quantities of medicinal herbs to replenish the deficit, while also eating fish and meat daily.
After thinking it over, Bai Yu added his remaining 2 points of life experience to the Five Elements Fist.
The Five Elements Fist's experience progress became 2.1/10.
It seemed he would be better off attending a few more funerals.
"No wonder they say poor scholars and rich martial artists. Without some money in your pocket, the more you practice martial arts, the more muddled you become."
"No matter which world it is, you need the power of money."
"Medicinal herbs are out of the question for now. I should eat some meat and fill my stomach first."
Bai Yu felt exceptionally hungry.
He began building a fire to cook venison.
After eating a pound of venison, he did not feel the slightest bit better.
In the end, he cooked another pot and ate five or six pounds of venison before he finally felt much more comfortable.
He could feel the energy from the venison replenishing the deficit in his body.
His depleted Qi and Blood had recovered somewhat as well.
Bai Yu calculated that this meal alone, including what Old Mo ate, had consumed nearly ten pounds of meat.
What ordinary household could withstand such expenditure?
Over the following days, Bai Yu no longer dared to force himself to cultivate the Five Elements Fist.
Only when he had a bountiful haul of prey from the mountains did he dare practice freely for a while.
In this way, his Five Elements Fist progress rose to 3.2/10.
In his spare time from cultivation, he took Old Mo into the mountains, cleared two plots of wasteland, and planted sweet potato vines.
Once the sweet potatoes ripened, together with his hunted prey, he would have no trouble scraping together food and warmth.
Farming, cultivation, hunting, and occasionally going to Master Meng's home to study.
"Food and warmth are settled. Now, how am I supposed to deal with the depletion of Qi and Blood?"
"If only I had money."
"The people of this world rush about in a panic for nothing more than a few taels of broken silver; yet it is precisely those few taels of broken silver that can dispel ten thousand kinds of panic."
Fortunately, Bai Yu possessed Eternal Life. Nothing needed to be rushed.
Just as he was thinking, Uncle Dazhuang's voice came from the foot of the mountain:
"Changsheng, there's work. Bring your gear and come to Doctor Zhou's house."
Doctor Zhou was the village physician. He was over sixty and had passed away peacefully of old age.
Bai Yu grabbed his suona and dashed downhill.
This time, he played funeral dirges for the Zhou household for three full days, from beginning to end.
Burial Target: Doctor Zhou. Identity: Physician, Farmer. Cultivation: None. Skills: Zhou Family Medical Arts, Planting, Cooking. Burial Participation: 57%. Base Reward: Qi and Blood +7, Life Experience +8. Optional Rewards: Zhou Family Medical Arts, Essence Nourishing Formula.
Only after Doctor Zhou was buried did the rewards finally appear.
With burial participation exceeding 50%, he could choose one additional reward.
Bai Yu remained as steady as an old dog and did not choose on the spot.
For this funeral, Bai Yu earned fifteen copper coins.
Compared with the first time, it had risen by half.
Only after returning home did Bai Yu choose his rewards.
Burial successful. Qi and Blood +7, Life Experience +8!
Color instantly returned to Bai Yu's face, and a warm current flowed throughout his body.
His body was like a sponge, greedily absorbing that warm current and filling its deficits.
"Cough!"
Bai Yu opened his mouth and coughed up a mouthful of black blood, feeling utterly refreshed.
From this moment onward, his congenital deficiency had been completely cured.
In high spirits, Bai Yu began selecting the other reward.
Zhou Family Medical Arts and the Essence Nourishing Formula.
The former was the Zhou family's ancestral medical art.
The latter was a medicinal prescription for replenishing vital essence. Not only could it nourish Qi and Blood, it was also greatly beneficial in bedroom matters; supposedly, it could strengthen one's virility.
Which should he choose?
Before you continue