The Cold and Warmth of Human Relationships

The siblings blew out the candle, pushed the door open gently, and headed west along a deserted alley.

Before long, they arrived at a courtyard with old, low walls, where two lanterns swayed in the yard.

This was the old residence of their grandfather, where Chen Bao and his family had long resided.

While not comparable to the wealthy local gentry, it was far better than the single shack Chen Mo called home.

The slightly plump Chen Bao was currently in the courtyard, spotting Chen Lan and her brother approaching from afar.

The siblings called out, "Second Uncle."

Chen Bao did not respond immediately; instead, he lowered his head, imagining the siblings asking for money in a moment and how he would refuse them.

He mentally drafted his response.

As the siblings neared him, he finally looked up, feigning surprise as if he had just noticed them, and deliberately raised his voice.

"Oh my, it's Lan and Mo!"

Someone inside heard the commotion, and after some rustling, an elderly man with a hunched back walked out leaning on a cane. This was the grandfather whom Chen Mo had rarely seen.

The old man raised his eyes and saw the thin hemp clothes the siblings wore in the biting wind. He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat and fell back down.

At this moment, a young man and woman emerged from the house: Chen Mo's cousin Chen Hang and his cousin Chen Mei.

Chen Hang was studying martial arts at a martial arts hall, while Chen Mei had married a man from the town with a modest family background.

The old man finally spoke in a deep voice, "How have you two been lately?"

"We..." Chen Lan paused slightly, "The monthly tribute grain has been a bit stressful lately, but we are working hard."

Hearing this, Chen Bao, terrified that the old man might suddenly grow generous, interjected:

"If it weren't for the heavy expenses of Xiao Hang's martial arts training, we would definitely help you out. Sigh, it really is difficult for you."

Chen Hang nodded immediately, "Yes, yes. Just the nutritional supplements at the martial arts hall cost four or five times more than usual, not to mention the medicinal supplements and the tuition fees."

As he spoke, he rolled up a sleeve of his outer coat, glanced at Chen Mo, and revealed his silk martial arts uniform and his significantly more muscular arm.

Chen Mei struck while the iron was hot, "Sister Lan, really, you're old enough now; why don't you find a man to marry? You work yourself to the bone every day and still have to take care of Mo. Even if you can't find a good man, someone decent would do. Look at how relaxed I am now; I have connections with the government officials, and my tribute grain is cut in half!"

The curve of her mouth was higher than the step she stood on.

Her words were filled with ulterior motives.

Since childhood, she had been compared to Chen Lan, and the neighbors always gossiped that Chen Lan was prettier than her, a fact she had secretly held onto.

Chen Lan could not fail to hear the subtext, but since they had come to borrow martial arts techniques for Chen Mo today, she could not afford to burn bridges.

Chen Mo noticed his sister's hands clenching tightly.

He knew it was his turn to speak, "Hang, to be honest, I came today to ask to borrow a martial arts manual from you to practice."

As soon as these words were spoken, all four people opposite them cast astonished looks at him.

Chen Bao chuckled, then stepped down from the steps, patting Chen Mo on the shoulder with his protruding belly.

"Chen Mo, it's not that Second Uncle wants to criticize you, but you're only wanting to learn because you're jealous of Xiao Hang, right? With your spindly arms, you're clearly not cut out for martial arts. You'd be better off staying in the Iron Furnace Room and working honestly."

Chen Mei covered her mouth and let out a snort.

Chen Hang raised his head, "Learning martial arts isn't simple. Only one in hundreds can successfully step onto the path of martial arts. I am only a step away from success, and you have neither the natural talent nor a master's guidance—you are destined to fail!"

Chen Mo's expression remained unchanged as he listened to the mockery.

"I know it's difficult; I just want to strengthen my body so I can have more energy for work."

Chen Hang rubbed his chin, "That won't do either. If it were discovered that I passed on martial arts to others, the martial arts hall would expel me."

Upon hearing the words "expel me," both the grandfather and Chen Bao shuddered.

Chen Hang was the family's hope; nothing could go wrong!

"What if it's just the most basic martial arts moves? Surely that wouldn't be so strict?" Chen Lan asked.

"You two should stop being so unreasonable; this will harm Xiao Hang." Chen Bao lost his patience, his face turning angry.

"Alright, alright." The old man tapped the ground with his wooden cane, "You two should go back."

Hearing this, Chen Mo did not want to linger. He took one last look at the four of them and pulled Chen Lan out of the courtyard.

The warmth and coldness of human relationships are much like this.

Back home, the two chewed on some hard steamed buns for dinner.

After eating, Chen Mo tossed and turned in bed; he would have to think of another way to obtain a manual.

He suddenly remembered that Master Wu at the furnace room had once mentioned that he had practiced some martial arts moves in his youth, though he hadn't achieved much.

Unlike the laborers, Master Wu was skilled in smelting and forging. He had been hired by the Black Tiger Hall with silver, so he didn't suffer beatings or scolding, nor did he have to pay tribute grain.

If Master Wu still kept his old martial arts manuals, that would be perfect.

The next day, the cold wind persisted.

Chen Mo went to the furnace room early, and the other laborers arrived one after another, along with two supervisors from Black Tiger Hall.

If one were to ask how ruthless the supervisors were, a glance at the shocking whip marks on the laborers' bodies would reveal a thing or two.

Inside the furnace room, people were assigned to stoking the fire, fanning the flames, forging, quenching, sculpting with tongs, and hauling materials.

Chen Mo was responsible for stoking the fire; it was exhausting, but still better than forging or hauling.

During a break when the supervisors went out to drink, Chen Mo quickly approached Master Wu, "Uncle Wu, you once said you had practiced some martial arts techniques. Do you still have the manual?"

Master Wu looked up at Chen Mo, "What, you have an interest in this too?"

Chen Mo nodded, "A little interest. If Master Wu still has the manual, could you lend it to me for a look? I can pay a fee."

Master Wu loved chatting about martial arts topics and often let words like "jianghu" or "knight-errant" slip from his lips. If he found someone with similar interests, he was more than happy to oblige.

His eyes immediately lit up, "I actually have one with me. I'll get it out for you."

Master Wu rummaged through a wooden box to the side and finally brought out a book with a dark blue cover, with the words Fuhu Fist written on it.

"This is the one. It counts as an entry-level martial art; I practiced it for a few years." Master Wu sighed, lost in recollection:

"But the results were meager. I'm afraid I have no hope for the path of martial arts in this life."

Chen Mo took the book with both hands, "Thank you, Uncle Wu. Consider this a loan; how much is the fee?"

"Forget it." Master Wu waved his hand, "I won't take a fee. If you manage to figure out some path forward, just let me know."

Chen Mo bowed to thank him again.

The Fuhu Fist in his hands was, at this moment, a heavy sense of hope.

He walked to a corner and opened the cover, seeing the diagrams of the fist techniques along with some annotations and explanations.

He flipped through it page by page.

He didn't understand a single thing.

Even with this most basic martial art, it was difficult to grasp the essentials.

As he reached the last page, golden text suddenly emerged in his mind:

[Thousand Hammer Refinement, Mountain and Water Cultivation]

[Successfully bound Fuhu Fist; required Mountain Essence and Water Soul for polishing: Crude Iron]

[Polishing this material will unleash its latent potential and increase your martial arts Comprehension]