Registration

Li Yuan carried the two pheasants and one wild rabbit he had hunted today, treading through the thick snow as he walked toward the village.

The harvest was not particularly bountiful, but it was enough to trade for a few days' worth of food.

"I'll take the Purple Sable and these to Wuxi County today to sell for money, then find a Martial Arts Hall to sign up and learn martial arts."

Just as he reached the village entrance, Li Yuan saw Chicken Brother running over in a hurry.

"Brother Yuan! You're finally back!" Chicken Brother panted heavily, grabbing him by the arm.

"What's wrong, Chicken Brother? Why the panic?" Li Yuan asked.

"I saw Chen Qing at noon, along with those two sycophants, Pizi and Laizi. The three of them were acting suspiciously, carrying a crate toward the county town!" Chicken Brother lowered his voice. "That wooden crate... it looked a bit like the one you usually keep your odds and ends in."

Chicken Brother lived not far from him, and they would occasionally visit each other's homes.

Li Yuan had a bad premonition.

His crate? He had been out in the mountains; could his home have been robbed?

Li Yuan hurried back to his house and confirmed that the crate was indeed gone.

"How long ago did they leave?" Li Yuan asked, his face expressionless.

"It's been about an hour. I saw them taking the back trails, moving very quickly," Chicken Brother said anxiously. "I felt something was wrong, so I've been waiting here for you!"

"Alright, I understand."

"Thanks, Chicken Brother. Next time, I'll treat you to a pound of chicken butts."

If it really was Chen Qing and his group who had stolen it, then calculating the time, they would already be in the county town. If luck was on their side, perhaps the Purple Sable had already been sold.

Walking along the road, Li Yuan's expression grew increasingly cold.

He had no choice but to submit to the imperial court's harsh taxes.

Facing the ruffian Yan Xiang in the county town and his pack of underlings, he had also been forced to yield for the time being.

But now, someone wanted to scavenge his prey and steal his money.

In this world, stealing his money was the same as wanting to kill him!

I may not be able to beat Yan Xiang for now, but that doesn't mean I can't beat you, Chen Qing!

Not just any piece of trash could step on his head and defecate.

The character for "patience" has a blade resting above it.

But if too many blades are stuck there, no amount of patience will suffice!

"Chen Qing, you deserve to die!"

After entering Wuxi County, Li Yuan asked around the market and learned that after Chen Qing had exchanged the goods for silver, he had headed straight for the brothel to indulge himself.

Wuxi County.

"Young Master Qing, don't go yet, we haven't had enough fun~"

Several courtesans pulled at Chen Qing's hands, refusing to let him leave and wanting him to stay the night.

They had just heard that earlier in the day, one of Chen Qing's sables had caught the eye of a young master from a prominent family, who was so delighted by the catch that he had paid a full fifteen taels of silver!

"Next time, definitely next time."

Chen Qing shook them off and stumbled out of the brothel.

He wasn't stupid; staying the night would cost extra.

This money had to be taken to his brother, Chen Xiao, tomorrow.

The village chief of Blue Stone Village had two sons: Chen Qing and his older brother, Chen Xiao.

Their mother had passed away early, and his older brother, Chen Xiao, had better talent and aptitude than him, having been accepted into the Clear Wind Temple in the Inner City several years ago.

Practicing martial arts was a money pit; between tuition fees, buying meat to nourish one's blood and qi, and the occasional need for medicinal salves, the miscellaneous expenses added up to quite a sum.

Fortunately, his older brother would also take on tasks in other places to subsidize himself.

Over the past three years, he had heard that his brother had finally passed the critical stage of the Ox Skin Realm and stepped into the Stone Skin Realm; now was precisely the time when he needed silver.

He had seen with his own eyes his brother crush a large boulder with his bare hands, no different from the ferocious beasts in the great mountains.

"Hmph, Li Yuan, you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

"I offered you a job out of kindness and you refused, so don't blame me for what happens next."

Just as Chen Qing passed the corner of an alley, intending to find a place to spend the night, a small pebble whistled from behind his head and struck him hard on the back of his skull.

Chen Qing froze, raising a hand to touch the spot.

"This is... blood?"

Several more pebbles flew over, and Chen Qing felt his head spinning.

Chen Qing's eyes went black, and he slowly collapsed to the ground, losing all signs of life.

A moment later, Li Yuan emerged from the shadows of a distant alley, a slingshot still in his hand.

Li Yuan had already tested it; his minor mastery of Archery applied just as well to a slingshot.

A slingshot is a bow, after all!

Strike first to gain the advantage; strike late and suffer the consequences.

There is no such thing as stealing only once; it is either zero times or countless times.

The same goes for killing.

This was not the civilized society of his past life, so Li Yuan felt no psychological burden.

"Found it. There's actually twenty taels of silver here."

Before long, Li Yuan had fished a fair amount of silver from the corpse.

"Could this be what he was going to give his brother tomorrow?" Li Yuan speculated.

After stashing the silver away, Li Yuan walked off, leaving the body where it lay.

"Under normal circumstances, they shouldn't suspect me for a while, and Chen Qing's cause of death isn't an arrow wound."

"It's normal for someone who sold so much silver to attract envy and jealousy; even in Wuxi County, a death here and there is a common occurrence."

"By the time they trace it back to me, his brother might not even be able to beat me."

"I'll find a random place to spend the night, and tomorrow I'll head to the Martial Arts Hall to start training."

Having thought it through, Li Yuan's figure quickly vanished into the alley.

Wuxi County, early morning.

The quiet night in Wuxi County began to stir with activity: the clanging of blacksmiths, fishermen selling their catch, and peddlers shouting their wares.

This was Li Yuan's first time spending the night in the county town.

He reached the main street, bought a few large, oily flatbreads, and ate while he walked.

Li Yuan navigated the streets and alleys of the city until he arrived at a courtyard near the Inner City.

Above the entrance hung a plaque that read: Five Animals Academy.

This was the place Chicken Brother had mentioned to him a few days ago for learning martial arts.

The instructor inside was an old man, rumored to be a veteran retired from the battlefield, who taught the Five Animals Fist.

The apprenticeship fee was also relatively affordable.

From within the courtyard, the sounds of various shouts drifted out from time to time.

Li Yuan stepped forward and knocked on the door ring.

There was no response.

After waiting a while, he knocked again.

"Who is it?" a voice called out.

"This Humble One is Li Yuan, here to apprentice and learn martial arts," Li Yuan replied in a deep voice.

The gate opened to reveal a rather lean man.

He looked Li Yuan up and down, asking with some doubt, "Do you know how much it costs to apprentice and train?"

The man didn't think Li Yuan looked like someone who could afford the silver.

"Fifteen taels for three months of tuition," Li Yuan replied.

Hearing this, the man opened the gate and let him in.

In the courtyard, several men were repeatedly squatting while holding heavy stones, while others were practicing various strange postures and sparring.

Their movements resembled a tiger, a bear, a crane, a deer, and an ape.

The lean man led Li Yuan across the courtyard to the main hall.

Sitting in the hall was an old man with white hair and a beard, yet his frame remained sturdy and robust. He was slowly sipping from a teacup.

"Master, this person says he wants to apprentice," the man said respectfully.

The old man set down his teacup, his gaze landing on Li Yuan as he spoke in a booming voice, "I am Yang Chong, the master of this Five Animals Academy. Boy, what is your name, what is your background, and why do you wish to learn martial arts?"

"This junior is Li Yuan, a mountain hunter," Li Yuan said, cupping his hands. "I seek to learn martial arts only to have a measure of self-preservation in this world."

Yang Chong nodded slightly; the times were difficult, and this was a sound reason.

"Hmm, you must have heard the rules: fifteen taels of silver for three months, excluding food and lodging.

If you want room and board, you'll have to pay more.

However, money is a minor matter. If your foundation and bones aren't up to par, no amount of silver will make a difference."

He stood up and walked over to Li Yuan. "Come, let me feel your bones."