Power Struggles in the City, Fighting for Life with Fists

At his words, Yang Ning's hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly.

His heart was a tangled mess of emotions.

He slowly raised his head and looked into the expectant eyes of his brother and Sister-in-law.

The air around the table seemed to freeze for a moment.

Long ago, after his matchmaking meeting, he had accidentally overheard his brother and Sister-in-law talking late at night behind the door and learned of this plan.

Back then, hearing that his brother had returned to Hundred Herb Hall for his sake, only to be humiliated by Fei Yan again while still running everywhere to beg for help, Yang Ning had clenched his fists so hard that his nails nearly sank into his flesh.

Now that he heard his brother say it to his face once more, that weighty love—heavy enough to nearly bend his back—tightened his throat.

"Brother, Sister-in-law."

Yang Ning put down his chopsticks, his voice calm yet firm:

"I understand your intentions.

These past days, the family has done far too much for me. I... have always kept it in my heart."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across their faces.

"Actually, aside from helping at the apothecary recently, I have indeed been quietly asking around about the various forces in the city.

As for joining Hundred Herb Hall..."

Yang An and Liu Ying both held their breath as they listened.

"Please allow me to consider it more carefully."

Yang An frowned slightly.

"Ning, do you have some concern?

As for Steward Fei, I'll find another way to deal with him.

He isn't the only steward in the inner hall. Over the years, I've come to know several others..."

"It is precisely because of Fei Yan."

For once, Yang Ning interrupted his brother. His voice remained steady, but a trace of killing intent flashed through his eyes.

"Brother, you know better than I do how much weight Fei Yan carries in Hundred Herb Hall.

He is an old hand, a veteran.

He has operated in Hundred Herb Hall across the three streets for years, with a tangled web of connections. Do you think the people you know would dare stand against him?"

"If I truly enter Hundred Herb Hall's inner hall, even if I am not under him, as long as I remain within Hundred Herb Hall's system, I cannot avoid him."

He looked at Yang An and spoke each word distinctly.

"With his attitude toward our family, with his petty, vindictive, harsh, and ungrateful nature, even if I entered, so what? Would he tolerate me?"

"Openly or secretly, tripping me up and making things difficult for me would be the least of it.

Perhaps he would even use the hall's rules to punish me, cut off my future, or even..."

Yang Ning did not continue, but the meaning behind his words changed both Yang An and Liu Ying's expressions.

"Ning is... right." Liu Ying murmured softly, unconsciously tightening her grip on the corner of her clothes.

Yang An remained silent, his lips pressed into a straight line.

How could he not know what Fei Yan was like?

It was only that in these chaotic times, Hundred Herb Hall was ultimately a great tree capable of sheltering them from wind and rain. He had always thought that, for his younger brother's future, if they endured a little, perhaps...

But what he did not understand was this:

A man may have no heart to harm a tiger, yet the tiger may intend to wound him.

After Fei Yan had humiliated them that day, he had already played a trick of killing with a borrowed knife.

If not for Yang Ning, the Yang Family's situation would likely already have become perilous.

Seeing this, Yang Ning continued.

"These past few days, I have gone through East Street, South Street, North Street, and West Street from end to end.

The large and small gangs, martial schools, escort agencies, merchant guilds, wealthy households' guards...

I quietly asked about everything I could."

He gave a bitter laugh.

"But honestly, after looking around, even though I have achieved something in martial arts now, suitable work is still hard to find.

There is no need to mention the large and small gangs. They all deal in gray and black businesses. The threshold is low, but the risks are great. A person's life hangs by a thread, and enemies are everywhere. Even if the pay is decent, I do not want to go there.

As for the more respectable martial schools, escort agencies, and merchant firms similar to Hundred Herb Hall, though they conduct themselves fairly, their barriers to entry are extremely high. They require introductions from acquaintances or ties to a master.

Looking at it this way, Hundred Herb Hall actually counts as the tallest among dwarfs."

"But—"

His voice sank, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

"I remember Fei Yan's face, every single word he said in the hall that day, with perfect clarity.

His humiliation of our family, his insult to you, Brother...

I have not forgotten these grudges."

"You want me to enter his territory, make a living under his hand, and watch his expression?"

Yang Ning slowly shook his head. "I can't do it."

The dining table fell silent.

The oil lamp on the table crackled and burst with a flicker of flame.

Xiao Hua seemed to sense the heavy atmosphere. She obediently ate her meal, her large eyes quietly shifting among the three adults.

After a long while, Yang An let out a long breath, and his shoulders sagged slightly.

It was a heavy release, mixed with helplessness and exhaustion.

"Er Lang... you are right."

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

"I was thinking about it the wrong way.

I only thought Hundred Herb Hall was a good place, but forgot there was a hungry wolf crouching inside."

He raised his head to look at Yang Ning, his eyes holding both relief and guilt.

"Ning, you have thought things through more carefully than your brother.

This matter...

Your brother did not consider it properly. Since you do not wish to go, then forget it. Your path is yours to choose. I will not force you."

Liu Ying hurriedly nodded as well.

"That's right, Ning, make your own decision.

You are an adult now, and you have achieved something in martial arts. Your knowledge is no less than ours."

Warmth rose in Yang Ning's heart, and more than half of the stifled gloom lodged in his chest dissipated.

Family was family, after all. Even if their thoughts differed, that respect and support had never changed.

"Thank you for understanding, Brother, Sister-in-law."

He spoke sincerely.

"Actually, my investigations these past days were not without gains. I have already found work that I may be able to keep doing long-term.

Though it is not exactly stable, the money is fairly good, and it can temper my martial arts as well. You need not worry too much about me."

"Oh? What kind of work?"

Yang An was curious.

Yang Ning's gaze flickered, and he smiled.

"I cannot explain it in detail for now. Once I have established myself, I will tell you all about it.

In any case, it is an honest path, and I can still look after the family."

In the end, he did not say the words "Martial Arena."

There, fists and feet had no eyes, and life or death was one's own responsibility. Saying it aloud would only make his brother and Sister-in-law worry day and night.

Some burdens were his alone to bear.

Yang An and Liu Ying exchanged a glance. Though they still had doubts, seeing their younger brother's resolute expression and clear eyes, and knowing he did not seem to be acting recklessly, they suppressed the urge to question him further.

"Since you have a plan, we can rest easy."

Yang An finally said, raising his bowl of water.

"Come, let water stand in for wine. May our Er Lang have a future bright as brocade and flourishing martial fortune!"

"To Uncle!" Xiao Hua also raised her little bowl, copying him as she spoke in a crisp voice.

Yang Ning smiled and raised his bowl.

The four bowls lightly clinked together.

The lamplight reflected off four faces, warm and resolute.

Late at night.

Yang Ning returned to his cramped room, but he did not rest immediately.

He pushed open the window and gazed into the deep night outside.

The outline of Kuishan County rose and fell in the darkness, scattered lights flickering like ghost flames.

The faint sound of the night watchman's clapper drifted from afar, adding further loneliness to the night.

He thought again of what he had seen during his secret visits to the Martial Arena on East Street these past days.

A dim venue, a clamorous crowd, the thick mingling stench of sweat and blood.

On the stage, bare-chested martial artists wearing masks fought fiercely, fist striking flesh. The cheers and curses below the stage were deafening.

The victor took away generous prize money. The defeated were carried off, and some never stood again.

Dangerous, but direct.

Fists did the talking; the victor was king.

There might also be complicated struggles between people, perhaps schemes and deceitful contests of wits, but a hard fist was the greatest principle.

There were no disgusting faces like Fei Yan's.

Most importantly, the returns were plentiful, and money came quickly.

Winning a single match earned enough prize money to match what an ordinary person could toil for months to make.

The family needed money, and his martial training needed money even more.

The Destiny System was good, but cultivation consumed enormous resources. These past days, food and medicine alone had nearly drained the family's savings of patterned silver.

If he wished to improve further, the gap in silver would only grow larger.

The second reason was actual combat. Though he had cultivated until now and had the Destiny System to guide his direction, he had never truly fought another person.

The martial path was ultimately an art of killing. Having only a realm without experience in life-and-death combat was a castle in the air.

The Martial Arena, where victory was contested through martial prowess, was exactly the right place to temper his fists and feet and sharpen his edge with blood.

The third...

His gaze softened for a moment, then became firm again.

The family's situation now could only be described as worsening with each passing day.

Prices were soaring, bandits ran rampant, his brother's position in Hundred Herb Hall was difficult, Sister-in-law labored day and night, and his niece Xiao Hua was still young.

Now that he had broken through Body Tempering, he was the pillar of the family and ought to shoulder its responsibilities.

For the first twenty years, his brother and Sister-in-law had raised him through bitter hardship. Now, it was his turn to hold up this family.

"Then it is settled."

Yang Ning murmured softly, his gaze gradually sharpening like a blade.

"First, I will make a name for myself in the Martial Arena, protect the family, and save enough capital.

At the same time, I will continue investigating to see whether there is a more suitable path in Kuishan's Inner City, or even farther away in Nanning Prefecture."

"And Hundred Herb Hall... Fei Yan..."

He slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles giving off faint, crisp cracks.

"Sooner or later, I will return to Hundred Herb Hall.

But I will not return as a disciple. Rather..."

"Rather, I will let you take a good look at who I am."

Outside the window, the night wind swept past, lifting several withered leaves.

The young man stood before the window, his back straight as a pine, silent yet blazing flames burning in his eyes.

The chaotic age was a furnace, and human lives were like grass.

But since Heaven had favored him and he bore the Destiny System, he had to accomplish something. From this thicket of thorns, he would carve out a great road leading to the heavens.