Leaving

Night deepened.

The River Bureau Patrol Guards called for everyone to disperse. Some went home, while others made plans to seek out wine and women.

Chen Qing headed home, the early autumn evening wind carrying threads of chill.

When he reached Yazi Bay, he saw fishermen gathered in twos and threes outside Aunt Cui Hua's home, shaking their heads and sighing beneath a pall of gloom.

Chen Qing stepped forward. "Uncle Da Chun, what happened?"

Uncle Da Chun let out a heavy sigh. "Old Liu's boy got up early to sell salted fish at Lushui Market. On the way back, he ran into some thugs. Not only was all his fish money stolen, but they broke his leg clean in two. He still hasn't woken up."

"There have been too many plague gods cracking people over the head lately. You'd better watch yourself too!"

Who knew how many greedy pairs of eyes were hidden in this Outer City?

There were Thief Gangs among them, along with plenty of desperate fugitives.

Chen Qing frowned slightly at this, but said nothing more. He turned and headed for his family's Covered Boat.

Several waterbirds flapped up from the reeds by the shore and disappeared into the heavy night.

"Mother, I'm back."

Lifting the canvas cover, Chen Qing pulled off his sweat-soaked short shirt.

Madam Han was mending fishing nets by the oil lamp, her rough fingers moving deftly through the mesh.

"There's some fish soup in the pot."

Madam Han spoke without looking up.

Chen Qing ladled himself a bowl of fish soup so clear one could see the bottom, with a few tiny mixed fish floating sparsely within.

After taking a sip, he said, "We have enough fishing nets at home. Mother, you should rest too."

"If they won't sell now, there'll always come a day when they do."

Madam Han sighed and rubbed her Temple with her knuckles. "In past years, this would be the height of the fishing season. The docks ought to be packed with merchants buying fish, but this year, it's as if the Dragon King has levied a tax on the fish in the river. They've become few and far between."

"Now even the fishermen can barely feed themselves, so fishing nets won't sell either."

As she said this, a trace of worry appeared between Madam Han's brows.

Outside the canopy came the sound of waves gently slapping against the hull, making the boat sway faintly.

Chen Qing set down his bowl, his expression grave. "Mother, you've heard about Aunt Cui Hua's family, right? You need to be careful too."

If they had any means at all, who would not want to move into the Inner City for a little peace and security?

But in Gaolin County, even an ordinary residence in the Outer City cost anywhere from fifty taels to several hundred taels of snowflake silver.

As for a home in the Inner City, that was a symbol of status and standing. Ordinary folk had no chance of laying a hand on one.

Even a seemingly ordinary place to shelter in the Outer City could drain half a lifetime of savings, and some might never reach it even after spending their entire lives striving.

At the end of the day, their family foundation was simply too thin.

The next day.

After completing his usual patrol, Chen Qing entered Zhou Academy.

The moment he stepped through the gate, he sensed something unusual in the atmosphere.

Several gazes swept over him, seemingly by accident. The disciples stood clustered in small groups, their whispered conversations abruptly dropping when he drew near.

Chen Qing was puzzled, but his face remained calm as usual as he walked toward his usual place of training.

Then he noticed that He Yan, usually so diligent, was sitting alone on a Stone Stool in the corner. His face was pale as if drained of blood, and his unfocused gaze was fixed on the ground.

"Senior Brother He."

Chen Qing walked over and called softly.

He Yan slowly raised his head. The corner of his mouth pulled into an exceedingly forced curve, and his voice was dry and hoarse. "Junior Brother Chen, I failed my breakthrough."

Chen Qing's heart sank. Forcing a smile, he said, "If your Qi and Blood has scattered, you can gather it again. Senior Brother, your foundation is solid—"

Failing to break through meant that the Qi and Blood accumulated beforehand had been almost entirely depleted, and it would have to be built up anew.

"This time, I damaged my foundation."

He Yan shook his head. "I may never have another chance."

Chen Qing's throat tightened, and all his words of comfort lodged in his chest.

Bright Strength, Hidden Strength, Transformation Force—the three great realms of martial arts. Each was a hurdle like a mountain, and some people could never climb over them in their entire lives.

For a disciple like He Yan, whose innate constitution was not outstanding and whose family circumstances were ordinary, reaching Bright Strength was already extremely rare. To advance another step and enter Hidden Strength now was exceedingly difficult.

At Zhou Academy, Bright Strength disciples counted as Registered Disciples, while only Hidden Strength disciples counted as core disciples.

Over the next few days, He Yan still appeared at Zhou Academy.

He became extraordinarily silent. He was no longer the He Yan who rose at dawn and rested only late at night.

More often, he simply sat beneath the Old Scholar Tree in the corner of the courtyard, staring blankly at the gray sky with an emptiness in his eyes that was frightening.

Quite a few senior and junior brothers in the academy shook their heads and sighed at the sight. More merely turned away numbly; such scenes were not uncommon at Zhou Academy.

"How naive!"

From the other side, Qin Lie watched everything unfold and sneered. "If Heaven Rewards Diligence really worked, Zhou Academy would have Hidden Strength practitioners everywhere by now."

Both openly and implicitly, he seemed to be saying that he, Qin Lie, was different from "them."

Luo Qian agreed deeply. "Over the past few years, I've seen too many disciples like this. Martial arts ultimately depend on talent."

Sun Shun opened his mouth, but in the end it only became a heavy sigh. He said nothing.

That day, toward evening.

Chen Qing had just finished two sets of punches and was sitting on a bench, catching his breath.

At that moment, He Yan walked over with a bundle on his back.

Chen Qing was slightly taken aback when he saw this. "You're leaving?"

He Yan nodded faintly, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Yes. There's no point in staying."

Chen Qing pondered for a moment, then said quietly, "Senior Brother He, have you really thought this through?"

"I have." He Yan answered calmly.

His tone was light, as though he were describing something insignificant, but inside, his heart churned like rivers and seas, waves surging violently.

Chen Qing said nothing more.

He Yan gently exhaled and looked into the distance. "For the past two years, I always believed that Heaven Rewards Diligence. I also believed I could change my fate through the Martial Arts Examination. So I practiced martial arts desperately. Even when people looked down on me, I never cared. Instead, I took it as motivation."

He smiled, but only he knew the bitterness hidden within that smile.

Chen Qing looked into He Yan's eyes. The glimmer of tears there was fiercely restrained, yet could never be fully concealed.

"These past few years..."

He Yan's voice was hoarse. "I kept telling myself that everything would get better, but what about the truth? Not only did things not improve, they only got worse and worse."

Unable to restrain himself any longer, he lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly. "My dream is shattered—completely shattered. I worked so hard for so long, yet I still have nothing. Junior Brother Chen, do you know that feeling? Every day when you open your eyes, you can't see even a shred of hope. Above your head, it's all darkness, without the slightest bit of light. That suffocation, that despair—it leaves me unable to breathe."

The surrounding disciples noticed the commotion and turned their gazes toward them.

"Senior Brother He..." Chen Qing reached out and lightly patted He Yan's shoulder.

How many people in this world were not like this? They came bearing dreams, only to leave in the end with quiet desolation.

"Even now, I don't understand what exactly I've been clinging to."

He Yan wiped at the corner of his eye. "Did I truly want to practice martial arts, or did I merely want to prove myself?"

He gave a bitter laugh. "Thinking about it now, it wasn't that practicing martial arts was useless—it was that I was useless."

He took a deep breath, stood up, and patted Chen Qing's shoulder. "I'm leaving. I won't be able to practice martial arts with you anymore. But you must keep going. You absolutely cannot give up."

"Junior Brother Chen, I've always seen your diligence and hard work. Before you appeared, I never believed there was anyone in this world who could work harder than I did. Then you came—your family was poor, you lived day after day on nothing but Mixed Grain Beans, yet you never slackened for even a day. I admire you from the bottom of my heart."

"I often think that if Heaven truly has eyes, it will never let down someone like you. Your senior brother may not count as a success—indeed, I could be called a failure—but I sincerely hope you carve out a place for yourself. You deserve it."

"Senior Brother He..." Chen Qing's throat tightened.

"Be sure to remember my words," He Yan said at last.

"Which words?"

"Any of them!"

With that, he gathered his bundle and turned toward the rear gate of Zhou Academy.

His back looked especially frail in the morning light, like a fallen leaf drifting silently into the distance.

On the third day of the sixth month in the twenty-eighth year of Shizong, the day was sunny, yet in Chen Qing's heart, a great rain fell.