White-Striped Profound Snake Meat

The sun dipped low, its rays blood-red, casting a faint, lingering glow over the entirety of Blue Stone Village.

From time to time, hunters descended from the mountain paths.

Some wore expressions of joy at their catch, while others returned empty-handed, heads hanging low.

Li Yuan wove through the alleys of Blue Stone Village, occasionally exchanging greetings with acquaintances he passed on the road.

Before long, Li Yuan arrived before a familiar, dilapidated wooden door.

He raised his hand and rapped his knuckles against it.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door was opened by a youth of similar age to Li Yuan, roughly seventeen or eighteen, with a lean face and a robust constitution.

"Cousin," Li Yuan said with a smile.

"Li Yuan? Come in, come in."

Li Wen pulled the wooden door open and beckoned Li Yuan inside.

As he stepped over the threshold, Li Yuan asked, "Where is Uncle?"

"Father went out to hunt in the mountains; he should be back soon," Li Wen replied, pouring him a cup of water.

Aunt Clan Han and cousin Li Cuihua were busy in the backyard preparing the evening meal, and Li Yuan took a moment to greet them as well.

Inside the room, Li Yuan and Li Wen sat facing each other.

In truth, he and Li Wen were not particularly close.

"Right, Cousin, Uncle mentioned sending you to a martial arts hall in the city to study. Has that been settled yet?"

Li Yuan broke the silence first to ask.

"Almost. I've checked a few halls in the outer city. As long as I pay the tuition for three months, I can become an apprentice. They provide lodging, but no food, and it's all about tempering the blood and qi."

Li Wen's eyes flickered; usually quite taciturn, he became incredibly animated when speaking of martial arts.

"In the outer city, Zhenbei Hall teaches the Eight Extremes Fist, and Flying Mountain Sect practices the Rock Leg. They're all third-rate martial arts, but it only costs five taels of silver a month for an apprentice.

To be honest, I don't expect to change my destiny just by practicing martial arts.

I just don't want to spend my whole life stuck in these mountains. If I can learn some real skills, I might be able to work as a guard or join a caravan later on—who knows, I might stumble upon some opportunities."

Li Wen shook his head as he spoke, showing a clear-eyed understanding of his own situation.

"We mountain hunters, to be frank, what makes us any different from the lowly commoners? Aren't we still at the bottom of the heap? Subject to the oppression of others? Still worrying about our next meal just the same!"

Li Yuan fell silent for a moment, offering no reply.

Seeing his silence, Li Wen asked again:

"What about you, Li Yuan? Do you want to learn martial arts too?"

Hearing this, Li Yuan frowned, his expression troubled as he said, "Where would I find that much silver? The commission fees have gone up recently, and with the cost of daily necessities, it's difficult!"

At the mention of this, Li Wen suddenly remembered something.

He stood up, picked up a yellowed, tattered booklet that had been propping up the corner of the table, and handed it to Li Yuan.

"This is a 'martial arts manual' I bought a while back. When I went to the county town with my father to sell goods, I stole some of his money and was swindled into spending a hundred or so coins on this. At the time, I thought that just by buying it and reading it, I'd be able to practice martial arts. Take a look."

"Uncle didn't beat you?" Li Yuan was somewhat shocked.

He had been working himself to the bone for days just to earn a few hundred coins, let alone spending that kind of money on a manual.

"Heh, I was hung from the rafters and whipped for three days and three nights..."

Li Yuan took the booklet and saw the slightly blurred characters on the cover: Self-Mastery Fist!

It had to be said, the name was certainly imposing.

He flipped through a few pages, finding only drawings of small figures performing movements, accompanied by simple, explanatory notes.

It doesn't look like a fake, but it seems more like something a martial arts student scribbled down based on their own understanding to earn some tuition money—thirty percent truth, seventy percent nonsense, Li Yuan thought to himself.

He couldn't possibly practice based on this. If learning martial arts were that simple, no one would be paying silver to enter the halls.

For instance, when practicing a punch, how to exert force, how to chain moves, and how to coordinate the upper and lower body—these were things not found in the manual.

Not to mention which parts of the body suffer the most damage after training, or what medicine to drink or apply for the best results.

Without a complete, systematic process, one would likely cripple themselves within a few days.

Furthermore, after Li Yuan finished looking through it, his panel showed no reaction at all.

This indicated that, in the panel's perception, this item did not count as a skill.

Li Yuan's eyes shifted; he guessed that only once he had actually entered the threshold of a skill would it appear on the panel.

Otherwise, there were simply too many arts in this world that he had yet to master.

While he was lost in thought, Li Zhi returned, carrying a few pieces of wild game.

"Xiao Yuan? What is it, is something the matter?" Li Zhi tossed the prey aside, hung his quiver on the wall, and proceeded to unstring his bow.

Li Yuan shared his thoughts with Li Zhi.

With taxes being so tight, if they only hunted pheasants and hares every day, they would never be able to scrape together six taels of silver within a month.

Only by heading to areas frequented by large beasts could they earn enough money in a short amount of time.

Li Yuan had no experience hunting big game; if he rushed in blindly, he would likely lose his life.

It would be better to find an experienced old hunter.

When one's strength is low, one must remember the way of survival: stay low and develop, run if you can't win, and keep a tally of the debt in your little notebook.

"Alright! Then I'll head up the mountain with you first thing tomorrow morning!" Li Zhi replied after understanding the situation.

After saying this, Li Zhi hesitated for a moment before adding, "If you really can't scrape it together, I can help cover it for you for the time being."

He did not ask Li Wen to come along; if an accident were to happen, at least there would still be a man left to protect the household, so they wouldn't be left vulnerable to being wiped out.

"Come, let's eat, let's eat. Xiao Yuan, you come eat too."

Before long, the meal was ready, and Clan Han called out.

On the dining table sat a plate of chicken, a dish of shredded potatoes, and a large bowl of rice.

Compared to the chicken from his past life, this meat was tough and stringy, but Li Yuan had long since grown accustomed to it.

Money was needed everywhere now; as long as there was meat and rice to eat and they weren't starving, that was enough.

Fine white flour and premium grains were likely things only the people in the Inner City could afford to consume daily.

However, he noticed that inside Li Wen's earthenware bowl, there were pieces of meat emitting a faint white glow.

Li Yuan was a bit curious and asked, "What kind of meat is this? How come it looks a bit different?"

"Oh, this is what Xiao Wen usually..." A trace of awkwardness flashed across Clan Han's face, "This meat is only for Xiao Wen to eat, to help replenish his blood and qi."

"What do you mean only Xiao Wen can eat it? Can't Li Yuan eat it too?" Li Zhi said with some dissatisfaction, then stood up.

He went to the kitchen, retrieved something wrapped in layers of pale yellow oil paper from underneath, and placed it in front of Li Yuan.

"This is White-Striped Profound Snake meat. I got lucky while trekking through the mountains and stumbled upon it. If you want to eat it, just take it.

In the county town, this meat sells for five taels of silver per catty! It's the favorite tonic for those Martial Arts Hall disciples."

"Cough~"

Clan Han lowered her head to eat her rice but suddenly let out a cough.

"Uncle, you've misunderstood. I was just curious because I hadn't seen it before, that's all."

Li Yuan shook his head, explaining.

"It's fine, let me give Li Yuan a taste." As he spoke, Li Wen picked up a piece of meat from his bowl and placed it into Li Yuan's.