Martial Hall

Chu Ning had exhausted every ounce of strength he had, but at last he dragged the wild boar back to the village entrance.

The scent of blood quickly attracted a crowd of villagers. They surrounded Chu Ning and the wild boar in layer upon layer, chattering among themselves.

"Good heavens, how much luck did it take to hunt down such a huge wild boar?"

"Who would've thought Chu Ning had this kind of skill? He's usually so quiet and unassuming."

The villagers' voices rose and fell, but Chu Ning turned a deaf ear to their noisy discussions. His eyes were filled with nothing but coldness.

Back when his family had been mired in hardship, these people had not only failed to lend a hand but had also poured cold water on him behind his back. Their harsh words still echoed in his ears to this day.

At this moment, their praise and astonishment sounded to Chu Ning like nothing more than hypocritical flattery.

Unwilling to linger, Chu Ning swept his gaze over the crowd and found someone with whom he was somewhat acquainted. He went over and quietly borrowed a handcart.

After laboriously hauling the wild boar onto the cart, he pushed it along without a word, heading toward the county town.

The wheels rolled over the rough, uneven dirt road, creaking loudly.

After obtaining the cultivation technique, Chu Ning's pace was astonishingly fast. In less than two hours, he reached the county town.

The streets were filled with cries of vendors hawking their wares, and there were countless peddlers lining the roads. At a glance, everything seemed prosperous and flourishing, but closer observation revealed that quite a large number of people wore thin clothing, while an unhealthy sallow yellow tinged their faces.

But none of that had anything to do with Chu Ning. Right now, he was focused only on selling the pig, repaying his debts, and buying medicine to restore Chu Yun's health.

Dragging such a massive black-haired wild boar naturally attracted countless eyes, but Chu Ning paid them no heed.

This restaurant was adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, its upturned eaves and interlocking brackets magnificent. The stone lions before the entrance stood imposing and majestic, displaying luxury in every detail.

Chu Ning knew very well that this was a place where officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants often came to amuse themselves. Game meat had always been a favorite on their dining tables.

What was more, his wild boar was robust and heavily built, its body plump with fat and brimming with vigorous blood qi. It even faintly resembled some astonishing monster.

As long as the restaurant owner knew what he was looking at, it would certainly fetch a satisfying price.

Sure enough, after some negotiation, he received the handsome price of twelve taels.

"Four taels to repay the Wang family, then winter necessities, grain, and medicinal herbs. I'll still have six taels left."

Chu Ning walked slowly through the city with his head lowered. He had just gone to the Wang family pawnshop to repay the money and settle the note, but he would never forget the look in the Wang family's eyes, as though they wanted to eat him alive.

"Autumn tax collection is coming soon, too. That'll be another one tael and five mace..."

As he lowered his head in thought, an angry shout suddenly rang out beside him.

"Stop! Who are you? How dare you try to barge into Thunderclap Martial Hall?"

Chu Ning was startled. He jerked his head up and discovered that, without realizing it, he had walked in front of a martial hall—and after a few more steps, he would have gone straight inside.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Chu Ning's face. He hurriedly stepped back, clasped his hands, and said with an apologetic smile:

"I'm truly sorry. I was distracted for a moment and had no intention of causing offense."

The man who had shouted was a disciple guarding the martial hall's entrance. Dressed in snug martial attire, he looked wary. Seeing that Chu Ning's attitude was fairly sincere, his expression eased somewhat, but he remained relentless:

"Hmph. Thunderclap Martial Hall isn't a place you can come and go from as you please. Unrelated idlers aren't allowed near!"

In this world, once a martial artist successfully cultivated a technique to the level of an official grade, they gained many privileges beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Not only could they register with the authorities and be exempted from burdensome taxes thereafter, but when they encountered officials of seventh rank or below, they no longer had to kneel and pay their respects. Their status and standing would rise dramatically.

More enticingly, they would also gain the right to establish residence in the county town.

That meant Chu Ning could bring his elder sister out of that remote little village, completely bid farewell to the precarious life where they could be attacked at any moment by beasts and monsters from the mountains, and let his sister live in peace.

He also possessed the Chaos Divine Order. No matter how profound, abstruse, or difficult a cultivation technique was, as long as he could fulfill the repayment cost attached to borrowing power in advance, he would definitely be able to master it.

After struggling and fighting his way through these three months, he had long since come to understand that in this harsh, tangible world, lacking strength was like being a lamb awaiting slaughter. One could only let others bully them, becoming helpless meat on the chopping block.

"Enter the martial hall, learn a cultivation technique, revive my ambitions, and avenge the blood feud!"

Chu Ning's heart gave a fierce leap. If he reached an official grade, how could he possibly still fear the Wang family's retaliation?

He had also been fretting over having nowhere to learn profound martial arts. Perhaps this martial hall before him was an opportunity.

What one learned at a martial hall could not possibly be compared to the cultivation technique passed down in his family.

That "Rough Stone Hardening Technique" at home could indeed strengthen the body somewhat when practiced. It was adequate for hunting in the mountains and handling a bit of heavy labor, but ultimately, it was merely a basic body-tempering art.

At best, it could only strengthen the body and improve one's health. It was fundamentally impossible for it to help him reach an official grade and become a martial artist.

Thus, he drew a deep breath and summoned his courage before saying:

"To be frank, my name is Chu Ning, and I've always aspired to pursue martial arts. I've heard that your esteemed martial hall is renowned far and wide. Passing by today, I became so captivated that I lost my manners. May I ask whether the martial hall accepts disciples? I'm willing to enter under its tutelage and cultivate diligently."

The gatekeeping man looked Chu Ning up and down several times. When he saw the thin, tattered clothes on Chu Ning's body, patched from one place to another, the contempt in his eyes deepened.

"Poor scholars study literature, while rich men study martial arts. The martial hall isn't a charity. Ten taels for three months, food and lodging not included. If you want to study martial arts, prepare your silver and come in."

Chu Ning's heart sank at those words. Ten taels of silver for three months was undoubtedly a fortune to him.

He subconsciously tightened his grip on the few taels of silver still in his hand, his knuckles paling from the force.

This money had originally been meant to buy his sister winter clothes and stock up on grain and medicinal herbs. If he spent it all on martial hall tuition, his sister's days ahead would become very difficult.

He hesitated. His mind filled with his sister's sallow, emaciated face, along with their dilapidated, drafty home.

"Once I go back and repay the cost of the Rough Stone Hardening Technique, I can borrow an archery technique in advance. Then I'll be able to hunt even faster. I can make up the six-tael shortfall in two months at most..."

After thinking for a while, Chu Ning slowly raised his head.

"Thank you for telling me. I'll go back and make some preparations."

With that, he turned around and strode away.