"What are you all muttering about? Are you going to train or not?"
Zhao Shanyue sharply rebuked the whispering trainees.
"You lot! You should be working harder! If you still haven't developed Qi Blood after half a year and can't learn any real skills, don't blame me when I throw you out!"
The trainees shuddered, falling silent as cicadas in winter, and hurried back to lifting the stone locks.
Zhao Shanyue turned to Chen Feng. "You should be feeling a warm current inside your body by now, right?"
Chen Feng nodded.
"Come on, pick one that suits you."
Under Zhao Shanyue's guidance, Chen Feng chose a stone lock of suitable weight.
"Martial arts training is all about the word 'training.' From now on, work on your strength here every day. Use this stone lock for curls and squats. At the same time, coordinate with the Breathing Method and let the warm current wash over your muscles."
"Once you've developed Qi Blood, you'll be able to learn our school's signature techniques."
"How will I know whether I've developed Qi Blood?"
"It's simple. You'll feel a little extra strength inside your body. It'll be obvious. You'll know when it happens."
"Yes."
"Oh, and one more thing: martial arts training takes a toll on the body. Make sure you eat plenty of meat, or you might end up with a body full of injuries before you've learned anything."
"Understood."
Chen Feng wasted no time. He trained alongside the others for the entire day.
He was drenched in sweat, with an aching back and sore waist.
Yet, strangely, as soon as he practiced Tuna Gong, the aches and soreness quickly faded. He could even clearly feel his strength slowly increasing!
Even better, a voice kept ringing in his ears—
[You exercised...Experience +100]
Over the next few days, Chen Feng arrived at the martial arts school early each day to train his strength, hoping to develop Qi Blood soon and take the next step toward becoming a Martial Artist.
After finding time to raise [Tuna Gong] to perfection as well, Chen Feng felt that his heart and lungs had grown stronger. His heart thundered in his chest like an engine, burning through a vast amount of energy with every breath.
At the same time, he felt as though he had endless strength. The fatigue and soreness in his muscles from training quickly faded, becoming the foundation of his steadily growing strength.
Time flew by.
As usual, Chen Feng returned home from the martial arts school. To his surprise, someone familiar was waiting outside his door: a sharp-faced man with a ratlike grin. The moment he spotted Chen Feng, he called out from a distance.
"Ah Feng! Let's go get a drink!"
The man was Sun Qiang, a friend of the Original Owner—or rather, a fair-weather friend. He often dragged the Original Owner out drinking, then pretended to be dead drunk whenever the bill came, leaving the Original Owner to pay.
It was suspicious that on the day the Original Owner had been hit over the head, he had been drinking with this man. Chen Feng suspected Sun Qiang had done it.
"No. After we drank together last time, I got robbed on the way home and took a stick to the head. It took me half a month to recover."
After saying this, Chen Feng watched him carefully.
Sun Qiang was taken aback.
"What! Seriously? Who'd do something so vile?"
"Don't look at me! I was dead drunk too. We split up as soon as we left the tavern. I don't know anything!"
There were no obvious flaws. Chen Feng pondered that if Sun Qiang really had done it, he was a remarkably good actor. Even so, Chen Feng wanted nothing more to do with him. Better to cut ties now.
"I just paid the Black Tiger Gang's protection money. I'm broke."
Chen Feng spread his hands, showing that he didn't even have enough money to buy drinks.
"If you're broke, how can you afford to train at a martial arts school?" Sun Qiang asked suspiciously.
"..."
"Haha, well, I mean I'll treat you! My treat!"
[You were deceived...Experience +100]
Chen Feng: "..."
Sun Qiang clearly knew Chen Feng had money for martial arts training. He'd come specifically to mooch a free meal.
"I'm really not going. I've quit drinking."
"Really not going?"
"Really not going."
"Fine. I was going to tell you something about Lin Jingshu, but I guess you're busy." Sun Qiang clicked his tongue regretfully and turned to leave.
Chen Feng froze. An inexplicable anger surged up from deep within him.
The reason the Original Owner's parents had died, and why he had ended up alone and destitute in the Slums, at the very bottom of society, could all be traced back to one person...
They had been Childhood Sweethearts, innocent and inseparable. But after getting engaged, she had thrown herself into another man's arms. The two of them had conspired together and killed the Original Owner's parents. Overwhelmed with grief, the Original Owner had drowned himself in drink day after day...
At Sun Qiang's mention of her, the Original Owner's memories flashed through Chen Feng's mind like a film. His heart pounded violently as powerful resentment and a suffocating sense of despair crashed over him like a tide.
[Your State of Mind changed...Experience +100]
"Wait!"
Chen Feng called after Sun Qiang.
Dusk had just begun to spill over the streets, and the evening breeze sent the tavern banners fluttering. A young attendant stood at the entrance, warmly welcoming guests.
A table inside the restaurant was laden with food, both meat and vegetables, all in generous portions, along with a pot of Clear Wine. Sun Qiang stuffed food into his mouth as he poured himself a drink.
"We're friends, aren't we? Come on, let's drink to you joining the martial arts school!"
Without waiting for Chen Feng to answer, Sun Qiang raised his cup and gulped it down.
"What do you think of Lin Jingshu?"
Chen Feng asked in a low voice.
"Don't rush me. Eat first."
Chen Feng's gaze gradually turned cold. Sun Qiang knew how to read the room, so he quickly said, "It's her older brother, Lin Yan. Do you remember him?"
Of course Chen Feng remembered. Lin Yan had introduced her to the man she'd married, treating the Original Owner like a stray dog kicked aside on the road.
Lin Jingshu, Lin Yan, and Li Shuxian, the culprit behind the Original Owner's parents' deaths.
At the thought of those three, Chen Feng felt anger surge through him. Yet his soul remained calm, firmly suppressing the turmoil as he kept his face expressionless.
Chen Feng knew the Original Owner's memories were affecting him too strongly. To clear his mind, he had to do something about it.
"What happened to him?"
"He wasn't any good at studying, so the Lin Family sent him to learn martial arts. As it happens, he's at the Dragon Walk Martial Arts School too. What are the odds?"
Chen Feng frowned.
"How come I've never seen him?"
Sun Qiang added, "He's paying for the highest tier, so of course he's not in the same group as you. And I've heard he has Upper Grade Root Bone. He was born to practice martial arts."
"I'm telling you, you should give up on martial arts and leave the Dragon Walk Martial Arts School as soon as possible, before they target you."
Chen Feng fell into thought.
"All right, that's all I know. Let's stop talking and drink!"
Sun Qiang raised his cup and drained it in one go, letting out a satisfied shout.
Chen Feng stayed silent, quietly eating meat as he listened to Sun Qiang brag about all sorts of things.
After several rounds, Sun Qiang had gotten a little drunk.
Belching, he began to lecture Chen Feng.
"Feng, I'm telling you, you're too stubborn. What's done is done. You should just move on and live your life."
Sun Qiang took another sip and nudged the food around on his plate with his chopsticks.
"Learning martial arts...hic...what a waste of money. You're not cut out for it anyway. You'd be better off giving that money to me. I've got a good eye for investments, and I could work my magic. I guarantee I'd double it twice over..."
"Look at me... I'm already an honest government officer. I've got enough to eat and drink, and a bright future ahead of me. You should follow my example and keep your head down and do your job."
The food was cold and the wine had run low, but none of that could stop Sun Qiang from running his mouth. Reeking of alcohol, he seemed intent on keeping Chen Feng there talking all night.
Chen Feng put down his chopsticks and said slowly, "We've eaten our fill. Before we came, you said you'd treat your buddy to a meal. Thanks for that."
Sun Qiang narrowed his eyes, pretending to be drunk. Then he slumped onto the table with a clatter, as if he'd passed out completely.
[You witnessed someone getting drunk to dodge the bill...Experience +100]
Chen Feng: "..."
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