Purgatory

As far as the eye could see, in the center of Pearl Village, that modest sunning ground was now littered with no fewer than thirty or forty corpses, lying every which way.

Some wore the ragged garb of mountain bandits, others the short jackets of the Sea Shark Gang or the official uniforms of county yamen runners, but most were simply ragged pearl households, the common folk.

These pearl households had been driven from their homes by the bandits earlier, gathered in the sunning ground, and then, when the two sides suddenly erupted into fierce battle, they were swept up completely, becoming fish trapped in a pond with no escape.

Blades and swords had no eyes; stray arrows flew everywhere. In the shockwaves of martial artists clashing, they were as fragile as weeds.

Father Chen and Mother Chen, hearing from the inner room that the outside had gone completely quiet, and seeing that their son had not called for them for so long, grew anxious. Leaning on each other, they tremblingly moved to the doorway.

When their gazes passed over Chen Yue's shoulder and landed on the gruesome scene in the sunning ground, the two were struck as if by lightning, their bodies shaking uncontrollably. Mother Chen even clamped her hand tightly over her own mouth.

Among those twisted, bloodstained corpses of the pearl households were all familiar faces!

There was Uncle Zhang, who had been mending fishing nets with them at the dock just yesterday. There was Sister-in-law Liu, who had come to borrow some fishing line a few days ago. She lay face-up on the muddy ground not far away, her eyes still wide open, staring at the gray sky, her hand seemingly still clutching something tightly...

"Zhang... Brother Zhang... Sister Liu..." Father Chen's voice trembled, a disbelieving whisper.

Lives that had been vibrant just yesterday, worrying about their livelihoods, now lay silently in this filthy mud in the blink of an eye.

And what had taken their lives was merely the misfortune of being at the center of a storm, shattered by a single insignificant ripple from a towering wave.

Chen Yue stood there quietly, a deep, solemn gravity in his eyes.

This was the truth of this world, laid bare before him, dripping with blood. Without strength, you were an ant. The bandits saw you as goods to be plundered at will, the Sea Shark Gang saw you as livestock to be squeezed dry, the government saw you as a number to be sacrificed at any time.

"I must become strong. Stronger!"

This thought, like a branding iron, seared itself deep into Chen Yue's heart. Only by grasping enough power to resist could he, in this world where man devoured man, fight for a sliver of hope, a shred of dignity, for himself and those he cared about.

After daybreak, the Sea Shark Gang and the county yamen had already cleared away their own dead and wounded, withdrawing with the captured bandits and spoils, leaving behind only the village's devastation and the pearl households' grief.

The surviving pearl households, like startled lambs, began to emerge from their homes in suppressed fear, searching for and identifying the bodies of their relatives on the sunning ground.

Soon, heart-wrenching cries of grief rose and fell, spreading across the entire Pearl Village, mixing with the lingering smell of blood to form a scene straight out of hell.

Father Chen and Mother Chen silently joined in to help, assisting familiar families in gathering the dead, their faces etched with deep numbness and sorrow.

In the days that followed, Pearl Village slowly restored a semblance of order amidst a deathly stillness of grief and oppression.

The Sea Shark Gang symbolically strengthened their daytime patrols, and their exploitation of the pearl households seemed to ease for a time.

Chen Yue focused without distraction, devoting nearly all his time to cultivation. The Mountain-Climbing Art cycled without cease; he could feel his blood and energy growing increasingly vigorous, the foundation of the Skin Refining Realm steadily solidifying, advancing step by step toward a higher level.

Finally, the day of the county examination arrived.

Before dawn, Chen Yue had already risen. He changed into a set of coarse cloth clothes, swallowed a few low-grade pearls with water.

Before leaving, he looked at his parents' worried faces and said quietly, "Father, Mother, I'm heading to the county seat now. You two pack up at home. When I see the broker, I'll have him arrange for you to be brought into the city for a few days under the pretext of a yamen summons. No matter how the county exam turns out, you'll be safer in the city than here."

Father Chen and Mother Chen nodded. Mother Chen seemed to want to say something, her lips moving, but in the end, she just smoothed her son's already neat collar.

Father Chen patted his son on the shoulder, his eyes filled with complex emotions—worry, hope.

Chen Yue found an excuse to leave Pearl Village. In less than half an hour, the familiar outline of Hepu County town was already visible in the distance.

Entering the city, Chen Yue first found a secluded spot, took out the low-grade pearls from his stomach, and carefully washed them.

These pearls were of average quality, but fortunately there were several. He knew his way around and found a small shop he had never visited before, exchanging them for three taels and two qian of loose silver.

With the money in his pocket, he headed straight for Donkey Market Alley.

The broker had just opened his doors. Seeing Chen Yue arrive on time, a mercenary smile crept onto his face.

Chen Yue wasted no words, placing three taels of silver directly on the table.

The broker weighed the silver, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. "Done. Little brother is straightforward. Leave your parents' matter to me. At the latest, by afternoon, a runner will take the documents to Pearl Village to fetch them and settle them in a safe place in the city. You just focus on your exam."

He paused, cupped his hands, and said, "Today's the county exam. I wish little brother a triumphant start and a swift victory!"

"Thank you for your kind words." Chen Yue cupped his hands in return, said no more, turned, and left, striding quickly toward the county yamen.

The usually solemn gate of the county yamen was now buzzing with noise, a dense crowd of no less than a hundred people gathered.

They stood in small groups, some chatting in low voices, some stretching their limbs. The air was thick with a complex mix of excitement, nervousness, and anxiety.

Chen Yue silently walked to the edge of the crowd, found an inconspicuous corner to stand in, and calmly swept his gaze over the surroundings. This was the first checkpoint on his path to changing his fate.

About half an hour later, the middle gate of the yamen creaked open. Several yamen runners filed out and stood at attention on either side. A man who looked like a secretary stood on the steps, dragging out his voice: "The hour of Chen has arrived—! Candidates for the martial examination, line up in order for identity verification and entry!"

The crowd stirred and began to queue as instructed.

Chen Yue took the guaranteed examination documents the broker had prepared for him from his bosom and moved slowly forward with the line. After being checked by a runner and a clerk, he passed smoothly through the yamen gate, crossed the front hall, and arrived at the spacious training ground in the back.

The training ground was paved with blue bricks. On the east side stood a high platform with tables and chairs set up, the seats for the county magistrate and examiners.

In the center of the training ground, dozens of black stone locks were neatly arranged, varying in size. These were the equipment for the first round—the stone locks. According to what Chen Yue had learned beforehand, the county exam consisted of two rounds.

The first round tested strength. One had to lift a stone lock of a specified weight to qualify for the next round. This tested both raw power and weeded out candidates with too weak a foundation.

The second round was a contest of skill, held on a temporary fighting platform built on the west side of the training ground.

It required two consecutive matches: one unarmed, one with weapons—spear, staff, or saber, the choice was the candidate's. Winning just one of the two matches meant passing the county exam and qualifying for the higher-level prefectural examination.

As for the archery, policy debate, and other events that had existed in earlier years, they had long since been abolished for various reasons. The current martial examination focused more and more on practical combat ability.