Martial Arts School

Iron Clothes Martial Arts School carried considerable prestige in town. Many wealthy gentry sent their children there to learn martial arts; afterward, guarding homes and estates, serving as constables, or escorting caravans were all good paths.

Zhou Qiming turned through alley after alley with practiced ease.

Just as he crossed a wooden bridge, two men in short fighting outfits leaped out from the shadows and blocked his way with ill intent, grinning.

"Kid, what have you got in that box? Let your uncles search it."

The passersby hurriedly kept their distance, lowering their heads and going around them, not daring to provoke those two hooligans. Their eyes held some pity. This youth from the restaurant was afraid to be in trouble.

"Gentlemen, this is food being delivered to Iron Clothes Martial Arts School. You should move aside. If you delay the Hall Master's business, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

Zhou Qiming neither groveled nor acted arrogant, his tone carrying a hint of threat. He recognized Chen Meng and Zhao Fei. Relying on their gang connections, they usually bullied men and women alike and had done every kind of evil.

Chen Meng, whose face bore a saber scar, was indeed startled. Then he flew into a rage. "You dog, Master Chen may not be able to offend the martial arts school, but can't I still handle you?"

At his side, the lackey Zhao Fei read the room, rolled up his sleeves, and swung a fist at the youth's forehead. A wet-behind-the-ears brat dared to borrow the tiger's hide of the martial arts school's experts to scare them? Did he really think he was somebody?

The two of them did not dare directly offend the Hall Master of Iron Clothes Martial Arts School, but overturning the food and making Zhou Qiming miserable was still within their power. If he failed the restaurant's task, he would not only lose his job, but also be in for a severe scolding.

"Why do you have to force me?" Zhou Qiming took a step back and raised his head. Killing Intent surged in his eyes as his hand reached for the woodcutter's saber at his waist. He had tried to reason with them only because he did not wish to kill in the busy streets. Yet some people insisted on rushing toward death.

With the Woodcutting Saber Technique at the Perfection realm, he also wanted to know what level his strength had reached and where he ranked in town.

"What are you doing?!"

Suddenly, a sharp rebuke rang out. A black-clad man in a training robe strode over at great speed and stepped in front of Zhou Qiming.

The man was broad and powerfully built, imposing even without anger. With just one sweep of his gaze, Chen Meng and Zhao Fei's expressions changed. They had been brimming with arrogance moments ago, but now they clasped their hands and apologized like ostriches with their heads tucked in.

"So it's Second Master Cheng. A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

This Cheng Yu was the martial arts school's second personal disciple. Leaving aside his family's considerable wealth, he himself had long entered the second great threshold as a Muscle Cultivation Martial Artist. Chen Meng and Zhao Fei were in no position to pick a fight with him.

The two knew perfectly well whom they could and could not afford to provoke in town.

"Hmph. Why aren't you getting lost? Don't let me see you two on the streets again, or else..." Cheng Yu showed no courtesy. If he had not noticed that today's meal delivery was late and come out to check, this youth would likely have suffered badly.

"Yes, yes, yes. Master Cheng, please carry on." Chen Meng bowed and scraped, then fled in terror. Yet as he left, resentment clearly flickered in his eyes as he gave Zhou Qiming a nearly imperceptible glare.

"Xiao Ming, are you all right? I came too late." Cheng Yu revealed a friendly smile, then added, "If you run into trouble again, just give them my name!"

For the past half year, Zhou Qiming had been responsible for delivering the daily meals. He had never been late or caused any trouble, and he was clever and good with words. Cheng Yu, who enjoyed making friends, had therefore remembered his name.

"Thank you, Brother Cheng. In the end, I'm still too weak. If I practiced martial arts and became as formidable as Second Brother Cheng, I wouldn't be bullied..."

Zhou Qiming thanked him while lavishing him with praise. Cheng Yu clearly enjoyed it, pride and delight appearing on his face.

"Martial arts? Perhaps you could even become Master Yuan's disciple. If you're short on silver, this brother can lend you some." Cheng Yu looked him over a few times. Just now, the youth had faced the threats of two ruffians alone without showing the slightest fear. That courage and temperament alone were quite good and worth viewing in a different light.

Who knew where Zhou Qiming's confidence came from? Could it be the woodcutter's saber at his waist that gave him courage? Cheng Yu shook his head with an amused smile and did not dwell on it.

"How could I accept that?" Zhou Qiming smiled awkwardly.

Had Cheng Yu not appeared in time, he would have had no choice but to coldly display his Blade Technique. There might well have been deaths.

Sure enough, only by practicing martial arts and becoming strong could one gain status and respect!

These street thugs judged people by the dishes set before them and did not take him seriously. But what about Cheng Yu? The moment his identity as a martial arts school disciple was revealed, Chen Meng fled at the mere whisper of the wind. That was the difference.

"One day, I will become the strongest person in the world, so that no one will ever dare provoke me!"

Zhou Qiming secretly made up his mind. Meals had to be eaten one bite at a time. His urgent task was to learn a genuine martial art and enter the Body tempering realm, and Iron Clothes Martial Arts School was quite good.

Cheng Yu walked with him. With no more hooligans blocking their path, they soon arrived on the street where Iron Clothes Martial Arts School stood.

It was a large courtyard with two successive entrances and exits. An iron-character banner hung before its bronze gates, while the shouts of men training inside shook the tiles with vigorous force.

Stone Locks, wooden posts, and sandbags sat across the gravel ground before the courtyard. People trained in every area, grinding their skin and tempering their bodies, drenched in sweat.

"Food's here. Train more later."

"Why are you so late today?"

"Eh? It's Senior Brother Cheng. He's close to cultivating Iron Cloth Force, isn't he?"

The crowd was dissatisfied at first, but upon seeing Cheng Yu, their faces filled with admiration. After the laundry maid sent a portion of lunch to Hall Master Yuan Tieyi in the rear courtyard, the disciples rushed to serve themselves food and wolfed it down.

"Qiming, you haven't eaten either, have you? Why not dine with us?"

After nodding to his junior brothers, Cheng Yu pulled Zhou Qiming over out of courtesy.

"Um, I already ate at the restaurant." Zhou Qiming scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. The meals had all been paid for, and he truly felt awkward about freeloading.

"All right, then. Didn't you say you wanted to practice martial arts? Come with me." Cheng Yu could only let it go. He led the way to the training area by the entrance, pointed at the second Stone Lock, and said, "You're still young, but you're already quite well-built. Try it and see how much strength you have."

He knew that his Master, Yuan Tieyi, had always wanted to take in a highly talented disciple to care for him in his old age and see him through to the end. He had even set a rule: anyone who could reach four hundred jin of arm strength before turning sixteen could enter his school free of charge and receive every resource for training.

Cheng Yu also knew that Zhou Qiming was merely a menial worker at the restaurant. His monthly wages were already barely enough to keep himself alive, so there was no way he could save up the hundred taels of silver required to become a disciple.

The saying "poor scholars, rich martial artists" was no empty phrase. The apprenticeship fee was merely the entry cost. After that came medicinal paste and decoctions for Skin Grinding, along with the food needed daily to replenish and build Blood Qi. Which of those was not a major expense?

When he had mentioned lending money earlier, it had actually been half a joke. At most, he could lend three to five taels to cover a shortfall. The later expenses of martial arts training were truly not something a restaurant woodcutter could afford.

Only after truly setting foot on the path of martial arts did one understand its hardships. Every step required money; diligence and hard work alone were far from enough. It would be good to discourage this boy so that he would retreat in the face of difficulty, honestly learn a trade, save money, and live his life.

"All right, Brother Cheng."

Zhou Qiming nodded, rolled up his sleeves, and walked toward the Stone Lock Cheng Yu had indicated.

He had thought Cheng Yu would introduce him to someone and help him build ties with the Hall Master. So it turned out Cheng Yu merely wanted to give him some guidance.

Cheng Yu was at the Muscle Cultivation level, but against his Woodcutting Saber Technique at the Perfection realm, it was not certain who would be guiding whom. Zhou Qiming laughed inwardly. No matter how tough one's skin and flesh were, it was only a matter of one saber stroke or three to five.

"Be careful. Don't force yourself. It would be bad if you hurt your lower back." Cheng Yu had only offered a casual reminder, never expecting the other party to be so eager to try. Fortunately, he was standing guard nearby, so Zhou Qiming should not suffer damaged tendons or broken bones.

Young people loved to show off and force themselves, thinking they were different from everyone else. Cheng Yu did not expose him, merely protected him silently from the side in case of an accident.