Hearing the voice outside the courtyard, Liu Cuiling's heart stirred. Before Madam Qin could speak, she hurried out to greet the visitor. "Is that a letter from Jing?"
"It sure is. Little Jing asked me to bring it." Yang Lao San handed over the letter, then said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, your Little Jing has really made something of himself. Just standing there, he looks different from folks like us. Anyway, he's the sort you can tell is impressive at a glance."
Yang Lao San did not know that Yang Jing had already broken through to bright strength.
In fact, this ordinary village peddler did not even know exactly what entering strength meant.
But he could sense the change in Yang Jing. Simply standing there, Yang Jing exuded an intimidating presence that made even a well-traveled peddler like Yang Lao San inwardly uneasy.
Hearing Yang Lao San praise her son, Liu Cuiling's smile deepened. "Sorry for the trouble, Lao San," she said politely.
With that, Liu Cuiling hurriedly opened the envelope in her hands, while Old Master Yang and Madam Qin gathered around.
Yang Jing had written every stroke of the letter carefully. His handwriting was not particularly neat, but it was painstakingly earnest:
"Grandpa, Grandma, Mother: I hope this letter finds you well. I have broken through to bright strength at the Martial Arts Hall and become the hall master's formal disciple. I can now hold a paid position, and my monthly allowance is enough for my own needs. Please don't send me any more money.
"The Ning Family's recent visit was probably because I am now a martial artist. They wouldn't dare"
The three of them read the letter through, word by word.
"Bright strength? A formal disciple?" Old Master Yang suddenly snatched up the letter and brought it closer for a careful look. Light gradually kindled in his clouded eyes. "Jing... has Jing really done it?"
Before Yang Jing began practicing martial arts, they had not even known what bright strength was.
But after Yang Jing started training, the whole family's knowledge of martial arts had grown by leaps and bounds.
Although none of them practiced martial arts, they knew a little about Martial Path realms such as bright strength and hidden strength.
Madam Qin was so moved that she kept wiping away tears. "Heaven has blessed us! My grandson has made something of himself!"
Liu Cuiling read the words in the letter over and over, tears falling like pearls from a broken string.
The three huddled together again and read the letter time after time. Their earlier unease gradually faded like smoke scattered by the wind.
Looking at the plow ox in the corner of the courtyard, Old Master Yang suddenly burst out laughing. "That fine boy! No wonder the Ning Family changed their tune. So Jing has made something of himself! This ox was sent on Jing's account!"
Madam Qin had long since breathed a sigh of relief. Patting her chest, she said, "I knew it. There couldn't be that many schemes afoot. Our grandson has made something of himself, and now he can stand behind our family."
As she spoke, she looked at Old Master Yang and nodded with a smile. "Old man, you made the right decision after all. If you hadn't sent Jing to practice martial arts, we never could have dreamed of days like these."
It was Old Master Yang Shouzhuo who had brushed aside every objection and decided that Yang Jing would practice martial arts.
For generations, the family had kept their heads buried in the yellow earth, living as farmers with no prospects.
Old Master Yang had ventured out into the world in his youth. He knew that to truly change a lineage's fortunes and bring it to prominence, the most important thing was to produce a genuine martial artist.
The more chaotic the times, the more valuable martial artists became.
After learning that his grandson Yang Jing had the root bone for martial arts, Old Master Yang had immediately decided to stake everything on one bold gamble. Even if he had to smash their cooking pots and sell the iron, he would support Yang Jing's training, even if it swallowed up the savings of several generations.
If Yang Jing succeeded, the Yang Family would soar into the clouds, escaping their fate of farming generation after generation.
If he failed, they would simply accumulate land again and toil for a few more generations.
Madam Qin knew full well that some people in the village were waiting to laugh at their family.
The Yang Family had originally owned more than twenty mu of land, making them one of the village's better-off households. But to support Yang Jing's martial arts training, their circumstances had gone downhill like a river plunging toward the sea.
At some point, rumors had also sprung up in the village, claiming that her grandson did not train diligently at the Martial Arts Hall in the city, that he was not cut out for martial arts, and that he would never make anything of himself on that path.
But look at things now. Her grandson had done them proud-even the Ning Family, one of Wazi Township's foremost powerful gentry families, had sent people bearing gifts.
Liu Cuiling walked over to the plow ox and gently stroked its back. Its coat was sleek and glossy, and it was far sturdier than the one their family had sold.
They were short of an ox for spring plowing. With this one, their work in the fields would be more than halfway eased, and they would no longer have to bow and scrape to borrow someone else's ox.
As the three spoke, more people entered through the courtyard gate.
Aunt Madam Xue and Yang An walked in, one behind the other.
"Has something happened? I heard you talking from outside," Madam Xue asked.
Yang An looked around the courtyard and only relaxed after seeing that there were no other outsiders present.
Ever since the Ning Family had delivered the plow ox yesterday, the whole family had been uneasy.
The Ning Family's sudden change left them at a loss. They had even worried that the Ning Family might intend to trade this single ox for the two mu of grade-A farmland north of the village, without paying them any silver at all.
That was why Madam Xue had been keeping an eye on the old master's household, worried that the Ning Family would come to cause trouble.
In the past, Madam Xue might not have shown such concern for Old Master Yang, his wife, and Liu Cuiling. But now that the ice between the two households had thawed and they were on good terms, they naturally visited more often.
"An, this is a letter from your younger brother. Read it to your mother." Knowing that Madam Xue could not read, Liu Cuiling handed the letter to Yang An.
Yang An nodded, took the letter, and read its contents aloud, word by word.
As Yang An read, his eyes widened.
Only one thought remained in his mind-Jing has developed inner force!
Unlike the rest of the family, Yang An was also passionate about martial arts and had taken the initiative to learn a great deal about the Martial Path. Naturally, he knew exactly what developing inner force meant.
It meant becoming a true entering strength martial artist.
At that moment, Yang An understood at once why the Ning Family had come bearing gifts and gestures of goodwill.
He could also dimly imagine that their family's fate might soon undergo an enormous change.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.
As the sky darkened, Yang Jing finished his training, left the Martial Arts Hall, and walked through the streets of Chengping Ward.
With a thought, the Martial Path System Panel appeared before his eyes-
[Mountain Collapse Fist: minor achievement (211/500)]
After more than two months of diligent, grueling training, his progress in Mountain Collapse Fist was approaching the halfway mark.
Besides his own daily training, which never stopped come wind or rain, the most important reason for his rapid progress was dietary nourishment.
With the ten jin of bear meat the Liu Family provided each month, plus his monthly allowance of ten taels of silver, Yang Jing now relied mainly on bear meat for nourishment, supplemented by horse meat.
I'm still short of money. If I had enough silver to buy fierce beast meat and nourish myself with plenty of it, my progress in Mountain Collapse Fist would definitely be much faster.
Yang Jing thought this to himself.
For the time being, however, he had no good solution.
He spent most of each day practicing martial arts and occasionally escorted a shipment of medicinal ingredients for the Liu Family. He simply had no spare energy to earn more money.
Shaking his head, Yang Jing put those thoughts aside.
He was already fairly satisfied with his current circumstances.
Although his cultivation speed could not compare with that of geniuses with middling or superior root bone, Yang Jing had no bottlenecks despite his slower progress. He was certain to break through to hidden strength.
Those disciples with good root bone might cultivate faster for a time, but eventually they would be held up at a bottleneck for a long while. They might even fail to take that crucial step forever.
"Hm?"
Back in Datong Ward, just as he was nearing his courtyard gate, Yang Jing's brows drew together slightly.
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