Nineteen: A Hundred Feet Up the Pole

After leaving the county office, Chen Yue cupped his hands in thanks to the middleman.

The middleman waved his hand, his gaze lingering on Chen Yue's face for a moment before he suddenly lowered his voice: "Kid, the registration went through. But I've got a word of warning for you. Once the Martial Examination starts, there's no guarantee the Sea Shark Gang won't find out."

"If they learn that a Pearl Household under their control secretly learned martial arts and dared to take the exam for rank... do you have parents or family at home? Need to... make some arrangements in advance, lay low for a while?"

Chen Yue's heart tightened sharply at these words.

"Please, sir, advise me—how can I protect them? What's the cost?" Chen Yue asked immediately, his expression grave.

Seeing that he understood the situation, the middleman smiled and held up three fingers: "This much—three taels of silver. During the few days of the county-level Martial Exam, I'll find a way through the county office's channels, using something like a temporary conscription order, to get your parents out of Pearl Village and find them a safe place in town to stay for a few days."

"Once the county exam is over and the heat dies down, I'll send them back. If the Sea Shark Gang comes asking, the county office's name will be backing it up."

The middleman paused, then added: "If you really strike it lucky and pass the county exam, earning the right to take the prefectural exam, I'll refund those three taels as a gesture of goodwill."

"If you go even further in the prefectural exam, even pass and become a Martial Scholar... heh, then I can help you make connections. The Zhou Family, the Li Family, and other big houses in town are always recruiting skilled fighters."

The middleman's words were blunt and pragmatic, sketching out a seemingly viable path for Chen Yue. Of course, it all hinged on Chen Yue actually passing.

Chen Yue was silent for a moment, weighing his options. Three taels of silver was no small sum, but for his parents' safety, it was worth it.

"Alright, I understand. I'll raise the silver as soon as I can." Chen Yue nodded, cupped his hands to the middleman once more, then turned and left, his figure quickly swallowed by the flow of people in the streets and alleys.

The middleman watched the direction Chen Yue had disappeared, the mercenary smile on his face gradually fading, replaced by a hint of amusement.

He didn't believe for a second that this Pearl Diver would pass the county exam, let alone the prefectural one. The Martial Examination was a real fight of steel and blood—without years of grueling practice and a master's guidance, going in was just suicide and a laughingstock.

Still, that didn't stop him from pocketing an easy three taels.

As for the arrangements he'd promised, they weren't entirely empty talk. As long as the silver was properly spent, getting a couple of Pearl Divers pulled out for questioning for a few days through the county office's clerks or runners, under some pretext, wasn't hard at all.

As for the later introductions, that wasn't entirely a pipe dream either—provided the other party actually had that kind of value.

A Pearl Diver was dust in the eyes of the county officials, an ant in the eyes of the Sea Shark Gang, and in the eyes of this middleman, just another chance to squeeze out some profit.

When it came down to it, in this world, the fate of those at the bottom often hung on a few paltry taels of silver and a sliver of insignificant connections.

Leaving the county office area, Chen Yue mentally calculated the three taels of silver he still needed to raise. As he passed the public notice board in town, a small crowd had gathered, pointing and murmuring at a newly posted announcement.

"Did you hear? That gang in West Mountain Hollow robbed another Zhou Family merchant convoy a few days ago! Took everything and wounded several guards!"

"That's not all! My neighbor's cousin, who works at a freight company, says that merchant convoys heading west now either have to pay a fortune for skilled escorts or take a detour of over a hundred li through the mountains—costs have shot up!"

"These mountain bandits are getting bolder by the day. I hear the leaders have some real martial skill. The county patrols have tried to hunt them down several times, but they always slip away."

Others lowered their voices, sharing different rumors:

"But it's strange, I've heard from some travelers that this gang only targets merchants. They don't rob or kill ordinary folks or poor travelers. Sometimes they even hand out some of the stolen grain."

"Robin Hood? Hah, easy to say! Bandits are bandits! They steal goods and break the rules—how's that justified?"

"Justified or not, it's us small-time traders and travelers who suffer..."

Chen Yue paused to listen for a moment, his eyes scanning the notice board.

Aside from the usual official documents, the most eye-catching were several freshly inked wanted posters, depicting a few fierce-looking men with bounties for their capture written beside them, offering no small sum of silver.

Chen Yue silently memorized their features and areas of activity, then didn't linger any longer, quickly heading out of the city.

Leaving the county town, Chen Yue once again broke into his movement technique, racing back along the same path.

In less than half an hour, he returned to that remote stretch of rocky coast. He carefully scanned the sea, confirmed there were no patrol boats, identified the general direction of his father's fishing boat, and slipped silently into the water.

The sea was vast, and finding a small boat wasn't easy. But Chen Yue had sharp eyes and knew his family's boat well. After swimming a few li, he finally spotted the familiar shadow of the old vessel, swaying gently in the shimmering waves.

On the boat, Father Chen had been waiting anxiously, craning his neck to scan the shore.

When he saw the familiar figure rapidly approaching through the water, a relieved smile instantly broke across his face. He quickly maneuvered the boat closer.

Chen Yue agilely climbed over the gunwale. Father Chen grabbed his son's wet arm, his voice trembling with lingering fear: "A Yue! You... how are you so fast? Are you alright? I was counting the time—just going to the county town at a brisk pace takes over an hour, and you've been there and back, plus handled business..."

"Dad, I'm fast on my feet. It's fine, everything went smoothly." Chen Yue wiped the seawater from his face and smiled.

Back in the relative safety of the cabin, Chen Yue lowered his voice and briefly recounted what had happened in town, mentioning that he'd successfully registered and the middleman's proposal to temporarily move his parents out of Pearl Village during the exam to avoid trouble.

Father Chen was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't expected someone to have thought that far ahead for them.

He was silent for a beat, then nodded without asking for details, simply saying: "You handle it. Your mother and I will follow your lead."

They didn't waste any more time. They hauled in the nets and sailed back to the Pearl Village dock.

At home, Mother Chen, who had been pacing restlessly, burst into tears the moment she saw father and son enter safely. She rushed over, grabbing her son's hand, her voice choked with sobs: "You're back, you're back... My heart's been burning like it's frying in oil..."

The days that followed returned to their usual calm.

Aside from going out to dive for pearls when the weather was good, Chen Yue spent almost all his free time in cultivation.

With the Mountain-Climbing Art having broken its limits, its efficiency was astonishing. Even just sitting quietly to regulate his breathing, his qi and blood surged like a great river, constantly washing and tempering the skin, membranes, and bones throughout his body.

Chen Yue could clearly feel his strength steadily increasing. The wind from his punches and kicks grew sharper, and his agility and reflexes improved day by day.

Though his skin didn't look much different, it had become remarkably tough. Ordinary scrapes or even light blows could hardly leave a mark.

On his panel, the number [Skin Refining Realm (152/300)] recorded his progress in detail. At this rate, reaching the mid-to-late stage of the Skin Refining Realm before the county exam was well within reach.