Only by Going Mad Could One Survive

"Qin Heng, why did you come so early today?"

A girl's voice reached his ears.

Qin Heng withdrew his gaze from the off-road vehicle and looked into the shop.

"Ling Xue... why do you two look like that?"

Only then did he notice that both Fang Lingxue and Yu Lingling looked miserable. He could not help asking, "What happened?"

His instincts told him the two girls' reactions had to be related to that Martial Warrior from earlier.

Fang Lingxue sighed but said nothing.

With a mournful face, Yu Lingling explained, "That man just now was our boss. He said the shop's revenue is too low, so it's closing at the end of the month. After that, neither of us will have jobs..."

"Ah, it's closing?" Qin Heng was very surprised.

He had thought the two girls had been bullied by a Martial Warrior. He never expected that man to be the owner of the shop!

Yu Lingling said, "I never imagined the first time I met the boss himself would be because of this. What are we supposed to do now? Without this salary, my younger brothers and sisters..."

Her expression was filled with sorrow.

Once Frost Snow City closed, the two women would lose their stable jobs and could only pick up odd work. Their income would definitely be slashed.

Fang Lingxue said to Qin Heng, "Qin Heng, don't worry. The boss gave each of us 500 yuan in severance pay. That's enough for you and Uncle and Auntie to hold on for a while longer. Once tomorrow's assessment is over, you'll be a Quasi-Martial Warrior. You'll enroll next month, and the month after next, you'll be able to collect your salary. By then..."

"Ling Xue, this..." A pang of anguish welled up in Qin Heng's heart.

Fang Lingxue was the one who had lost her job. At a time like this, he should have been comforting her—so why had it turned around instead?

"You still haven't told me why you came to see me so early," Fang Lingxue asked, forcing a smile as she tried to change the subject.

"I..."

Qin Heng took out the braised pork hock and chicken leg.

"Wow, is that for me?" Fang Lingxue's eyes lit up as she asked in delighted surprise.

Qin Heng nodded. "Coach treated us to a luxury meal today. I couldn't finish that much by myself, so I packed some up and brought it back."

A smile appeared on Fang Lingxue's face. "Then I'll have the chicken leg. Give the hock to Uncle and Auntie." She took the noticeably smaller chicken leg.

"Mm. Eat it while it's hot."

Qin Heng looked at her, his emotions a tangled mess.

The two girls had already made lunch: a small pot of plain rice porridge, pickled radish, and a dish of stir-fried greens made up their meal.

With the chicken leg, Fang Lingxue ate very happily. She even shared a piece with Yu Lingling. The two of them, who had been upset over losing their jobs, seemed to be in somewhat better spirits.

Yet seeing her innocent, carefree appearance only made Qin Heng feel worse.

She should not have had to live like this...

"Don't just stand there like an idiot. Go home already. The hock won't taste good once it gets cold," Fang Lingxue urged when she saw he had not left.

"Ling Xue, I..."

Qin Heng hesitated, unable to express how he felt at that moment.

"Oh, right."

Fang Lingxue slapped her forehead, put down her chopsticks, and ran over. She pulled five 100-yuan bills from her pocket and pressed them into his hand. "The boss just gave me this. Make it last until you get your Quasi-Martial Warrior salary the month after next, okay? I don't have much money left either. From now on, you can only rely on yourself."

After saying that, she ran back to continue drinking her porridge.

Qin Heng opened his mouth but could not make a sound. His whole body froze in place.

It felt as though something were lodged in his throat. The world before his eyes suddenly blurred, veiled by misty tears.

Ling Xue...

She could have lived very well.

With a monthly salary of 900, she was absolutely a high-income earner in the Slum District. And she had no family burdens. After three years, she should already have become a little rich woman.

But for his sake, she drank plain rice porridge every day, swallowed pickles, and lived such a hard, frugal life.

He could not even remember the last time Fang Lingxue had eaten meat.

Watching her nibble at the chicken leg as though savoring a rare delicacy, cleaning even the cartilage from the joints off the bone, the guilt in Qin Heng's heart became stronger than ever.

I have to pass tomorrow's assessment!

Once I get my first salary, she'll never have to suffer like this again!

Qin Heng said to himself.

He did not know what virtue or ability he possessed to have encountered such a wonderful girl.

He only knew that he absolutely could not let Fang Lingxue down!

No matter how much money he earned in the future, no matter how powerful a Martial Warrior he became, he had to share everything he had with Fang Lingxue!

Otherwise, he would be a beast worse than pigs and dogs!!

Qin Heng turned and left, not daring to linger. He was afraid Fang Lingxue would see the pathetic redness in his eyes.

But the two girls had already seen it all.

Watching Qin Heng leave, Yu Lingling whispered to Fang Lingxue, "He was so moved he cried. Ling Xue, you're really too good to Qin Heng. If it were me, I wouldn't bear to give all the money I earned for someone else to spend."

Fang Lingxue smiled. "What can I do? I can't control myself either. Whenever I have money, I just want to stuff it into his hands. Sigh, maybe this is what love is."

Yu Lingling curled her lip. "That isn't love. That's being an idiot. What if Qin Heng becomes a Martial Warrior, sees all the dazzling temptations of the rich world, and abandons you?"

Fang Lingxue said confidently, "He won't. He's not that kind of person. I believe in him!"

"Ah, you foolish girl..."

Yu Lingling shook her head and sighed.

Fang Lingxue said, "You keep talking about me, but you're a foolish girl too."

Yu Lingling thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm not foolish. I'm just unlucky."

"It'll get better. Everything will get better!"

"I hope so."

That afternoon, Qin Heng returned to the Martial Hall and continued training with his head down.

The image of Fang Lingxue and Yu Lingling splitting a chicken leg, and his father and mother splitting a portion of pork hock, kept replaying in his mind, impossible to shake away.

And scene after scene from the days and years before continued to spur him onward, leaving him not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Even though he already knew he would definitely pass tomorrow's assessment, he still wanted to improve a little more before then, so he could secure better treatment and a higher salary!

All so his parents and Ling Xue could live good lives, never having to toil for a mouthful of food again, never having to regard a piece of meat as a treasure and be reluctant to eat it!

Not only that, he hoped to become stronger and wealthier, so he could help more unfortunate people like Sister Lin next door and Yu Lingling live prosperous lives too.

Huff, huff, huff...

The Mechanical Arm's punching motions never stopped, stirring up gusts of wind.

Chen Yuan was doing strength training in the same training room. Seeing the frequency Qin Heng had set, he could not help clicking his tongue. "Qin Heng, are you trying to go crazy? Four mechanical fists every 0.7 seconds? If it were me, I'd have been beaten black and blue long ago."

Qin Heng was training and had no time to speak.

Only after finishing a round of agility training did he reply, "Only by going mad can one survive. I'd rather take a few more 50-kilogram punches now and improve desperately than get struck by Monster claws after entering the Wilderness Area."

"That may be true, but you still need to know when to tighten and when to loosen. Don't push yourself too hard. You should know that going too far is as bad as not going far enough," Chen Yuan advised.

Qin Heng acted as though he had not heard him. After resting briefly, he continued again.

The training lasted three hours.

A little after four in the afternoon, a student came over and knocked on the door. "Senior Apprentice Qin, Senior Apprentice Chen, Coach is calling for you."

"Okay, we're coming."

The two stopped what they were doing, wiped off their sweat, and headed for the office.

Su Kuang was there too, along with several other relatively strong students. They had all gathered in the office.

"Coach Yang, you were looking for us?" Su Kuang spoke first.

Yang Huai'an handed them a stack of palm-sized cards and said, "These are your Admission Tickets. Keep them safe. Gather at the Martial Hall before eight tomorrow morning. I'll drive you to the examination site."

"Yes, Coach!"

Everyone was somewhat excited.

The assessment was tomorrow. The moment that would change their destinies was about to arrive!

Yang Huai'an glanced at Qin Heng and said, "Go home now. Train well tonight, and give the Chief Examiner a surprise tomorrow."

Clearly, his expectations for Qin Heng were higher than for the others.

"Yes! I definitely won't disappoint you!" Qin Heng said, patting his chest.

Last night's all-night training had increased his punching force by 240 kilograms.

After training another night today, he wondered how much more he could improve.

"Go on."

Yang Huai'an waved his hand, and everyone left together.

A total of twenty-six people from the District 7 Slums had registered this time. Some were retaking the assessment, while only nine were taking the First Assessment.

Though the First Assessment and retake assessment were held at the same examination site, the treatment they received was completely different.

There was also a huge difference between taking the First Assessment after training for three years and taking it after training for four years.

The shorter one's training time and the higher one's First Assessment score, the better the treatment one would receive in the future.

As for those retaking the assessment, even if they punched with 800 kilograms of force, their treatment would still be fairly ordinary.