Everyone Has a Bright Future

Everyone Has a Bright Future

At the end of December, the weather was bitterly cold.

Inside the small room, two large bath barrels, each four and a half feet tall, stood side by side, separated by a folding screen. Beyond the lattice window howled the icy wind; within it, steam billowed and curled.

The dense fragrance of medicine filled their nostrils, carrying that bitter, pungent scent accumulated from years of medicinal residue.

The reddish-brown medicinal liquid lapped beneath him. Every pore relaxed and opened as Liang Qu rested both arms on the rim of the barrel, his taut muscles rapidly loosening.

This wooden barrel made specially for bathing was far more sophisticated than his family's rice vat. A raised plank in the middle served as a seat, and even the rim had been carved into fine ridges to prevent slipping.

The hot water swiftly drove the chill from the entire room, making it warm as spring in an instant.

The swelling, bruises, and even blood-clotted wounds left from the earlier fight stung sharply upon first touching the hot water. Yet as the medicinal liquid seeped in, their color quickly faded. The heat dispersed pain with remarkable effect; even the wound on his head no longer hurt so much.

Medicine and martial arts were inseparable. The Martial Arts School's Healing Medicine was truly marvelous. It was made from nothing more than ordinary herbs, far inferior to the lotus roots in the water, yet combined together, they produced such potent results! Liang Qu leaned his neck against the edge of the barrel, so comfortable that he only wanted to sleep and had no desire to get out.

"A Shui, how did you do it?"

Chen Jiechang's voice came from behind the screen. After soaking for a while and finally recovering somewhat, he at last remembered the question that could kill Liang Qu.

Prompted by Chen Jiechang, Li LiBo also came to his senses. "Yeah, yeah! You actually fought all seven of them by yourself. That's insane! How'd you do it?"

"I have Innate Talent. I don't panic even with a blade in front of me. I just watched for the right moment and went in swinging."

Showing off was fun for a moment; the crematorium came afterward.

Liang Qu's face did not redden, nor did his heart skip a beat.

Behind the screen, Chen Jiechang Suddenly Realized. "So that's how it is."

Li LiBo let out a long sigh. "Senior Brother Hu only said your Root Bone was good. He definitely never expected your natural talent to be this good too. A Shui—no, Water Bro—I'm not asking you to look after your brother. I only ask that when you make it big someday, you'll let me stand guard at the gate of the Liang Residence. Three meals a day will be enough."

!!!

No, you guys actually believed that?

Words whirled through Liang Qu's mind like a storm. Just as he was about to weave a flawless excuse, he froze.

It was as if he had been about to unleash a heavy punch, only for his enemy to sidestep and then smash a hammer into the back of his head, leaving his mind blank in an instant.

Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang genuinely seemed to think so.

If it was not Innate Talent, what else could it be? Liang Qu truly did have exceptional Root Bone; everyone had witnessed it firsthand. Hu Qi had said that after feeling bones for so many years, he had never encountered anyone with such textbook Ape Arms, Wasp Waist, Mantis Legs as Liang Qu. Then that had to be the explanation.

Without the bombardment of online novels and the information age from his former life, how could the two of them have concepts like "old grandpas," "systems," or "Golden Fingers" in their heads?

Sure enough, people from the countryside were still simple and honest. Honest was good.

Liang Qu relaxed inwardly and sank back into the barrel.

Half an hour later.

The reddish-brown medicinal liquid had diluted further, turning pale red. According to Hu Qi, by this point, the medicine's effects had been fully absorbed.

Yet none of the three had any intention of leaving. Ordinary households simply would not have bath barrels specially made for soaking; they used large vats instead, cheap and practical. How could those compare to this kind of comfort? Especially with the weather so cold outside, they wanted to get out even less.

They had someone add hot water twice more, soaking for nearly an hour in total before finally getting up. Their skin had wrinkled, but they did not feel cold at all after stepping out. Once dry, they lay down in bed, and that feeling...

"Look, the blankets are actually stuffed with cotton!"

The moment Li LiBo lay down, he noticed something was off. The bedding was far too soft. He reached out to feel it and discovered it was a cotton quilt.

The south was not so cold. Most ordinary families used reed fluff, gathered Willow Catkin, or even straw for stuffing, then sewed on covers made of hemp cloth. Who could afford cotton quilts? At best, they might own a single padded cotton coat.

Liang Qu was rather surprised as well. Compared to his home, this was like a five-star luxury hotel!

No wonder the lodging cost eight taels a month. It was extravagantly luxurious! "This feels amazing."

The three blew out the candle and burrowed beneath the blankets. Strangely, though they had been dead tired before bathing, once they lay in bed, they were no longer sleepy at all. In fact, they grew more and more alert.

Especially when he thought of how Lu Tingcai and the others had just been beaten by Liang Qu until they were crawling around searching for their teeth, Li LiBo suddenly laughed from beneath his blanket.

The laughter seemed contagious. Chen Jiechang followed, then Liang Qu, until all three were laughing.

Li LiBo flung back his blanket, his face full of amazement. "It's different. It's really different now. A Shui, you're going to be a Personal Disciple. In all my life, I've never seen anyone more formidable than you."

"Yeah. Master Yang is someone even more formidable than Master Zhao, one of the very best in Ping Yang Town. I heard even Scholar Officials greet him when they see him, and even the Magistrate treats him with considerable respect."

Liang Qu folded his hands beneath his head and gazed at the ceiling beams. "I never expected Master Yang to take me as his disciple either. It feels like hauling up a fishing net and finding Treasure Fish inside."

"If it had been a few days earlier, when you went to pay the Autumn Tax, how would that dog official have dared kick your grain? If he dared kick your grain, you should've gone up and kicked him!"

"Hahaha, I wouldn't dare."

"What's there to be afraid of? He's the one who should Be Afraid. People call him an official sir, and he really thinks he's some kind of official? Isn't he still just the masters' lackey?"

"Exactly, exactly."

For a time, the room took on the air of boys talking late into the night in a dormitory. Everyone was bright-eyed, each of them looking forward to his own future.

Liang Qu had become a Personal Disciple, and his future lay wide and clear before him. Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang had likewise risen from the seven-tael tier to the twenty-tael tier, greatly increasing their chances of breaking through.

Everyone had a bright future! They chatted for another half hour before the three finally felt sleepy.

"I'm tired."

"Me too. Enough talking, let's sleep."

"I'm sleeping."

Early the next morning.

Morning mist hung thick beneath the crowing of roosters.

Liang Qu opened his eyes and got up. He was not tired in the slightest; indeed, he was full of vigor.

There was no electricity and no phones. Everyone rose at sunrise and rested at sunset. Thus, after bathing last night, it had only been a little past nine. They had talked until ten, then gone to sleep.

Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang, on the other hand, did not have Liang Qu's strong physique. Their injuries were also severe, and with the cold weather making the blankets so comfortable, they merely grunted twice at the rooster's crow before continuing their dreams.

Liang Qu did not disturb them. He quietly put on the clothes Hu Qi had given him, washed up simply, and headed out. Just then, he saw Xiang ChangSong practicing his punches in the courtyard.

"Junior Brother Liang, you're up early."

"Aren't you up even earlier, Senior Brother Xiang?" Liang Qu said helplessly. "I'd like to sleep in too, but my body is used to getting up early."

"I heard fishermen set out to fish during the Chou Hour, even the Zi Hour. Is that true?"

"Yeah. There are more fish at night. Many people have to set out then just to make enough for their families to get by."

"Ah, the common people's lives are not easy." Xiang ChangSong sighed, then paused before adding, "Enough of that. Master instructed me last night that once you woke up, I was to take you to the residence for the Apprentice Ceremony, to formally establish the bond between master and disciple. Since Junior Brother Liang is awake, come with me!"

Liang Qu's spirits soared.

"I couldn't ask for more!"