This Road Is Blocked

Chen Yue took a deep breath, adjusted the empty fish basket on his shoulder, and stepped inside.

The courtyard was paved with smooth bluestone. Two rows of men in uniform gray short outfits were practicing punches under an instructor's lead, their fists cutting the air with whooshes.

Chen Yue's arrival immediately drew attention. A man of about thirty, also dressed in gray, strode over. He was not particularly tall, but his gaze was sharp, and the muscles on his arms knotted like twisted roots.

He looked Chen Yue up and down, his gaze lingering on the coarse cloth jacket carrying a faint smell of the sea before finally settling on the somewhat battered fish basket behind his shoulder. His brow creased almost imperceptibly.

"What is it?" the man asked, his tone neither warm nor cold.

Chen Yue steadied himself and cupped his hands. "Master, this junior is Chen Yue. I wish to join the martial hall and learn some fist and leg techniques to strengthen my body. May I ask how the martial hall charges its fees?"

Rather than answering Chen Yue's question directly, the man stared into his eyes and said gravely, "You want to learn martial arts? Fine!"

"But when our martial hall accepts disciples, we require a clear background. Later, we'll ask where you live and what you do for a living, and you must answer truthfully. We'll also investigate before deciding whether to accept you! If you conceal anything or make false reports, not only will you be expelled from the martial hall, but not a single coin of your entrance fee will be returned. Do you understand?"

Chen Yue nodded at that. "This junior understands. I would not dare deceive you. I come from Hepu Pearl Village outside the city. I am a Pearl Household who harvests pearls."

"Pearl Village? A pearl harvester?" The man's brow suddenly twisted into a knot, and his face darkened at once.

He asked no further questions, merely waving his hand impatiently as though shooing away flies. "Go, go, go. Our martial hall doesn't accept Pearl Divers."

Chen Yue froze. The obvious contempt in that tone tightened his chest, yet he could not help asking, "Why? Doesn't the martial hall accept disciples based only on character and ability to pay?"

"Why so many questions?" The man's tone grew increasingly impatient, and his voice rose. "It's the rule! A rule set long ago by the Sea Shark Gang and several martial halls in the city. Pearl Folk and boat households will not be taught, period! Get out of here. Don't stand around getting in the way!"

The commotion drew the attention of the other disciples practicing in the courtyard. Quite a few stopped moving and turned to look.

Upon hearing the words "Pearl Diver," many faces broke into undisguised smiles. Several even snickered outright and began whispering among themselves.

"Did you hear that? A pearl-harvesting Pearl Folk wants to learn martial arts too?"

"That poorhole place can barely fill their stomachs, and they want to practice their fists?"

"They probably scraped together a few copper coins and no longer know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is. The Sea Shark Gang would let Pearl Divers learn martial arts? What a joke!"

Mocking and disdainful gazes landed on Chen Yue one after another, pricking him like needles.

Chen Yue's brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing. He merely gave the man driving him away a long, deep look, then silently turned and left Nantong Martial Hall.

The faint laughter behind him was blocked in part by the heavy doors, but thin strands of it still wormed their way into his ears.

Standing on the street outside the martial hall, Chen Yue found the afternoon sunlight as bright as ever, yet a layer of gloom had settled over his heart. His brows were tightly drawn as he recalled what had just happened.

"Pearl Divers are not allowed to learn martial arts... a Sea Shark Gang rule..." he repeated the words under his breath.

There truly had been no related information in the original owner's memories. Perhaps that was because the original owner, along with the vast majority of Pearl Households, had long since had every extravagant hope ground away by the crushing Pearl Tax and the pressure of survival.

They had already exhausted all their strength simply trying to eat, stay warm, and gather enough for the Pearl Tax. When had they ever dared dream of practicing martial arts? Naturally, they would not ask around, and no one would tell them such rules.

He had thought that after breaking through to the Skin Refining Realm and selling the pearls for silver, he could knock open the gates of martial arts and gain the real power to protect himself. He had never expected the first obstacle would not be silver, nor aptitude, but this damned identity.

Nantong Martial Hall had clearly shut him out, while Iron Mountain Hall had already closed its doors to visitors.

Chen Yue suddenly felt as though he had punched cotton. Every plan in his heart, along with the hope newly kindled by his increased strength, seemed to have been doused over the head with a basin of icy water.

The path to learning martial arts had only opened a thin crack before his eyes before snapping shut again.

After standing there for a while, Chen Yue forced himself to calm down. No matter what, buying medicine for his father was the important matter. He took a deep breath, suppressed the frustration and unwillingness in his heart, got his bearings, and headed toward the district where the medicine shops lay in his memories.

He had only just turned into a relatively quiet alley when someone suddenly emerged from the shadows at its entrance ahead.

The man stood with his arms folded, leaning sideways against a mottled brick wall as though he had been waiting there all along. He was of average build and wore an ordinary brown short jacket. His face was expressionless, but his eyes traveled over Chen Yue from top to bottom.

"Kid," the man said, his voice low and slightly hoarse, "were you the one at Nantong Martial Hall just now? The one who wanted to learn martial arts and got thrown out?"

Chen Yue's steps halted, and caution rose in his heart. He stopped without answering immediately, instead asking, "Brother, what advice do you have?"

Seeing Chen Yue answer a question with a question and remain on guard, the man instead grinned, revealing uneven teeth.

He took two steps closer and lowered his voice. "Your vigilance isn't bad. Looking at how you're dressed, and the gear on your back, you're a Pearl Diver from Pearl Village, aren't you? That bunch at Nantong Martial Hall looks down on people with dog eyes. They only recognize the Sea Shark Gang's rules."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Chen Yue's jacket—old, but cleanly washed and starched, with the sturdy body beneath its fabric faintly visible—before continuing, "If you truly want to learn martial arts, it's not like there's no way. Follow me!"

Having said that, he did not wait for Chen Yue's response. He turned cleanly and headed deeper into the alley, his pace neither fast nor slow.

Chen Yue watched the man's back as thoughts raced through his mind.

Was this a trap? Or was there some other reason?

Before Chen Yue's eyes rose the miserable sight of Old Zhou's family at the pearl-drying grounds. He remembered Scarface of the Sea Shark Gang's vicious grin, and his own predicament of possessing the strength of the Skin Refining Realm yet having no techniques to use.

He hesitated for less than two breaths before gritting his teeth and following. No matter what, he needed strength. He needed the possibility of changing his circumstances.

The man in brown knew these streets and alleys extremely well. He led Chen Yue through the crisscrossing lanes while Chen Yue silently memorized the route, his vigilance never easing.

After roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the man stopped at the end of a relatively spacious alley. Before them stood a courtyard of blue bricks and gray tiles. Its gates were tightly shut, and it looked weathered by years. It was not as imposing or eye-catching as Nantong Martial Hall, yet it possessed a quiet, settled air of its own.

Chen Yue raised his head and looked at the plaque hanging over the gate.

Against its black background were four faded golden characters. Thanks to the few scattered characters the original owner had learned, he recognized the first two: Iron Mountain.

"Iron Mountain Martial Hall?" Chen Yue's heart stirred. Hadn't they said the master of Iron Mountain Martial Hall had been summoned away, and that it had already closed its doors?