After leaving the county office, Chen Yue clasped his hands to the Broker in thanks.
The Broker waved him off, his gaze shifting across Chen Yue's face. Then he suddenly lowered his voice. "Kid, your registration went through. But there's something I should warn you about. Once the Martial Examination begins, there's no guarantee the Sea Shark Gang won't hear about it.
"If they find out that a Pearl Diver under their control dared to secretly learn martial arts and even came to take the examinations for an official title... Do you still have parents and family at home? Should you... make arrangements in advance and lie low for a while?"
Chen Yue's heart gave a sudden jolt at his words.
"Please advise me, sir. How can I keep them safe? And how much will it cost?" Chen Yue asked at once, his expression grave.
Seeing that the boy knew how to play along, the Broker smiled and held up three fingers. "This much: three taels of silver. During the days of the Martial Examination's County Examination, I'll use my connections at the county office to get your parents out of Pearl Village under some pretext, like a temporary requisition, and find them somewhere safe to stay in town for a few days.
"Once the County Examination is over and the danger has passed, I'll send them back. If the Sea Shark Gang asks, we can put the county office's name behind it."
The Broker paused, then continued, "If you're really lucky enough to pass the County Examination and qualify for the Prefectural Examination, I'll return those three taels. Call it a gesture of goodwill.
"And if you make it even further in the Prefectural Examination, maybe even pass and become a Martial Scholar... Heh, then I can help put in a good word for you. Wealthy families in town, like the Zhou Family and the Li Family, are always recruiting capable fighters."
The Broker's words were brazen and practical, but they sketched out a seemingly viable path for Chen Yue. Of course, everything hinged on Chen Yue passing the examinations.
Chen Yue fell silent for a moment, weighing his options. Three taels of silver was no small sum, but it was worth paying to keep his parents safe.
"All right, I understand. I'll gather the silver as soon as I can." Chen Yue nodded and clasped his hands to the Broker again. Then he turned and left, quickly vanishing into the crowd filling the streets and alleys.
The Broker watched the direction Chen Yue had disappeared in. His shrewd smile gradually faded, replaced by a trace of amusement.
He didn't believe for a second that this Pearl Diver could pass the County Examination, let alone the Prefectural Examination. The Martial Examination was a real fight with real weapons. Without years of hard training and guidance from a master, anyone who stepped into the ring would only meet a quick death and make a fool of himself.
Still, that didn't stop him from making an extra three taels of silver.
As for the arrangements he'd promised, those weren't empty words. As long as the silver was spent right, it wouldn't be hard to get a couple of Pearl Households brought in for questioning for a few days, using one excuse or another and going through the county office's runners or clerks.
Nor was his promise to make connections later just a pipe dream. That depended on whether the other party was truly worth anything.
Just a Pearl Diver. In the eyes of the county officials, he was dust; in the eyes of the Sea Shark Gang, an ant; and in the Broker's eyes, an opportunity to squeeze out a little more profit, again and again.
When all was said and done, in this world, the fate of the people at the bottom often hung on a mere few taels of silver and the tiniest, most insignificant thread of connection.
After leaving the county office district, Chen Yue calculated how he could raise the three taels of silver he still needed. On his way past the county's public notice board, he saw a small crowd gathered around it, pointing at a newly posted notice.
"Have you heard? Those bandits from West Mountain Hollow hit one of the Zhou Family's merchant caravans a few days ago! They took every last bit of cargo and wounded several guards!"
"That's not all! My cousin works at a freight company next door. He says merchant caravans heading west to the prefectural city either have to pay a fortune to hire skilled escorts or take a detour of over a hundred li through the mountains. Costs have gone way up!"
"These mountain bandits are getting more lawless by the day. I hear their leaders are pretty skilled. The county patrols have tried to wipe them out several times, but the bandits always slip away."
Others lowered their voices and shared a different sort of rumor:
"But it's strange, too. I heard from some travelers that the gang only targets merchants. They don't rob or kill ordinary folk or poor travelers. Sometimes they even hand out some of the rice they've stolen."
"Rob the rich to help the poor? Hmph, easy enough to say! A bandit's a bandit! They steal things, break the law, and now they're supposed to be in the right?"
"Right or not, it's the likes of us, with our little businesses and our journeys on the road, who end up suffering..."
Chen Yue stopped to listen for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the notice board.
Alongside the usual government notices, the most eye-catching items were several fresh wanted posters. They showed portraits of hard-eyed men, with words like "Wanted for Capture" written beside them and substantial rewards listed below.
Chen Yue silently memorized the men's features and the areas where they operated, then moved on and hurried toward the city gates.
Once he was outside the county seat, Chen Yue used his footwork technique again and raced back the way he had come.
In less than half an hour, he returned to the secluded rocky shore. After carefully scanning the sea to make sure there were no patrol boats, he located the approximate position of his father's fishing boat and slipped silently into the water.
The sea was vast, and finding one small boat wasn't easy. But Chen Yue had excellent eyesight and knew his family's boat well. After swimming several li, he finally spotted the old boat bobbing faintly in the glimmering waves.
On board, Father Chen had been waiting in agony, stretching his neck every so often to peer toward the shore.
When he saw the familiar figure racing across the water toward him, a relieved smile broke across his face. He hurriedly brought the boat in closer.
Chen Yue nimbly climbed over the gunwale. Father Chen grabbed his son's wet arm, his voice trembling with fear. "A-Yue! You... how did you get back so fast? Are you all right? By my reckoning, just going to the county seat and back would take over an hour, even at a quick pace, and you had to take care of things there, too..."
"Dad, I'm fast. I'm fine, and everything went smoothly." Chen Yue wiped the seawater from his face and smiled.
Once they were back in the relative safety of the cabin, Chen Yue lowered his voice and briefly recounted what had happened in town, mentioning that he had successfully registered and telling his father about the Broker's suggestion to have them leave Pearl Village temporarily during the County Examination to avoid trouble.
Father Chen was stunned at first. It seemed he hadn't expected anyone to have thought of a way to protect them, too.
After a moment's silence, he nodded without asking for details. "Do whatever you think is best. Your mother and I will listen to you."
The two didn't waste any more time. They packed away the fishing nets and sailed back to the Pearl Village pier.
When they got home, Mother Chen, who had been pacing anxiously, burst into tears the instant she saw father and son return safely. She rushed over and grabbed her son's hand, choking out, "You're back safe. You're back safe... My heart's been in the frying pan this whole time..."
In the days that followed, life returned to its usual calm.
Except when the weather was good enough for him to go out to sea and harvest pearls, Chen Yue devoted nearly all his free time to training.
After the Mountain-Climbing Art reached Limit-Breaking, his progress became astonishingly fast. Even when sitting quietly to regulate his breathing, his qi and blood surged like a river, constantly washing over and tempering his skin, tendons, and bones.
Chen Yue could clearly feel his strength growing steadily. The wind that followed his punches and kicks grew sharper, while his agility and reflexes improved day by day.
His skin looked much the same, but it had become remarkably tough. Ordinary scrapes and even light blows no longer left a mark.
The panel's [Skin Refining Realm (152/300)] recorded his progress in detail. At this rate, he had every hope of reaching the middle or late stage of the Skin Refining Realm before the County Examination.
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