The Martial Hall

[Daily Settlement: 800 punches, three hours of standing practice, body aching all over, rating: D−.]

[Obtained a wisp of qi and blood. It can strengthen the body, increase personal strength, and lay the foundation for martial arts.]

Black Stone Martial Hall, Martial Arts Arena.

A young man stood in the sandy arena, swaying as if he might collapse. He suddenly opened his eyes and gasped for breath.

Zhou Yun looked at his hands. Memories surged through his mind like a rising tide, making his temples ache.

Then came the soreness throughout his body, along with the numbness in his chest that was slowly fading.

"Have I... transmigrated?"

In an instant, Zhou Yun understood. He looked at the strange yet familiar surroundings and accepted the truth.

"The Zhou family lives by fishing near Black Stone County. I'm the only one in the whole family with a First Form Bone, a martial arts talent. They scraped together everything they had to send me to Black Stone Martial Hall to train, and even borrowed three taels of silver from the Sea Whale Gang?"

"And because I trained too hard, I worked through the night and died suddenly. That's what gave me the chance to transmigrate."

Zhou Yun gave a bitter smile. His predecessor had died the exact same way he had in his previous life: from working himself to death.

The only difference was that in this war-torn age, plagued by demons and monsters, car payments and mortgages had been replaced by taxes and forced labor, burdens even more capable of crushing people.

The Zhou family had been fishermen and farmers for three generations. Every year, they had to hand over forty percent of their fishing yield in taxes. In recent years, for some inexplicable reason, the emperor of Great Jing had raised them by another twenty percent.

Most common folk were already on the brink of life and death. Every day, they had to venture into the wilderness to find grass roots and tree bark, or they might not live to see the next sunrise.

Only by practicing martial arts could one avoid some taxes and forced labor.

And with a martial master's status, one could secure a minor official post or join a lineage as a retainer, earning a monthly stipend.

Unfortunately, the path of martial arts demanded both talent and money. Neither could be missing.

There were more than ten people in the Zhou family, but only Zhou Yun had the lowest-grade First Form Bone, giving him a sliver of a chance to become a Bright Force martial master. That was why his entire family had staked their lives and livelihood on that faint hope.

"With my predecessor's talent, it would probably take two or three years to complete the Gate-Knocking into Bright Force. But it seems I have a cheat."

Zhou Yun recalled the voice he had heard in his mind. It seemed to belong to a Daily Settlement System, which rewarded him according to his daily rating. There were four grades—A, B, C, and D—each further divided into high, middle, and low.

At that moment, a wisp of qi and blood floated in Zhou Yun's dantian, slowly filling his limbs and loosening his stiff bones. Waves of warmth washed over him.

"Zhou Yun, why are you still in the Martial Arts Arena? Hurry up and wash my clothes, or I'll have my big brother go to your house tomorrow and demand repayment!"

Before Zhou Yun could think things through, a cold voice abruptly interrupted him.

A young man dressed in fine clothes gave a cold snort and impatiently scolded him.

"With your First Form Bone, your qi and blood will be weak by the time you attempt Gate-Knocking into Bright Force. You're just wasting your time on the martial path. And now I have to come all the way from the Inner Courtyard to find you? What a nuisance."

As he spoke, he even waved the air away in disgust, as if the air in the Outer Courtyard offended him.

Zhou Yun came to his senses and remembered who the young man was: Lu Meng, the Sea Whale Gang chief's younger brother.

At the martial hall, disciples with a Three-Form Bone Structure or better could enter the Inner Courtyard directly, becoming one of the rare inner disciples and gaining the official right to a twenty-percent tax exemption.

Lu Meng had a Three-Form Bone Structure and was only one step away from Gate-Knocking into Bright Force. He was one of the few geniuses the Sea Whale Gang had sent to Black Stone Martial Hall.

Because the Zhou family owed the Sea Whale Gang money, Zhou Yun's predecessor had usually washed Lu Meng's clothes in exchange for an extension on the debt.

That was right. The Zhou family was already struggling to pay it off, and the interest was starting to pile up.

"Senior Brother Lu, wait a moment. I'll be right there."

Zhou Yun didn't lose his temper. Instead, he smiled apologetically and cupped his hands.

"Make it quick. I'm going to meet Miss Shen the day after tomorrow, and those clothes are worth at least a string of cash. Don't mess them up."

After speaking, Lu Meng left the Outer Courtyard without looking back, muttering as he went:

"You should've married your cousin off to my brother as a concubine already. Then we'd have waived the interest on your debt. What a bunch of idiots..."

Zhou Yun kept smiling. Only after Lu Meng disappeared from sight did his upturned lips slowly relax.

"My cousin, Zhou Ningyue, fronted one tael of silver to help my family pay for my martial arts training. I have to remember that kindness."

Zhou Yun recalled a few memories. As for Lu Meng's bullying, he had already put it out of his mind.

He went to the washroom, where quite a few Outer Courtyard disciples were already washing clothes. Some were their own, while others belonged to Inner Courtyard disciples like Lu Meng.

Though people like Zhou Yun with a First Form Bone held the status of Outer Courtyard disciples, very few ever managed to Gate-Knock into Bright Force. Many were forced into debt to Inner Courtyard disciples or tried to curry favor with them.

The washroom wasn't merely a place for washing clothes. It was also a little gathering spot for conversation.

"Brother Yun! Over here!"

A young boy with a wooden basin in his arms waved.

"Zhang Hu, the neighbor's kid and my childhood friend. The Zhang family sent him here too, since he has a First Form Bone—though he's even a little worse than my predecessor."

"Didn't he owe the Zhang family one tael of silver too? My predecessor sure had racked up a lot of debt."

Memories surfaced in Zhou Yun's mind, and he got his bearings. He replied as usual, "What's up, Huzi? Have you made progress in your martial arts again?"

"No, Brother Yun. I've found a way to make some money."

Zhang Hu pulled Zhou Yun aside with a mysterious air and lowered his voice. "An Inner Courtyard senior brother has a few extra Blood Coagulation Pills. He says five of us can each chip in a string of cash, five strings in total, and one of the five is guaranteed to get a pill!"

"Blood Coagulation Pills! A single one can increase your chances of Gate-Knocking by twenty percent. They can also greatly boost your qi and blood during ordinary training."

Zhou Yun furrowed his brows but still let his childhood friend continue.

"Brother Yun, five people, each with a twenty-percent chance. Even if you and I have the worst luck, we agreed beforehand that we'd each take one pill and not grab any extra. One pill each, then we stop!"

Zhang Hu was so excited he seemed to see a clear road to martial success. "It'll cost five strings at most. It's such a good opportunity. If we miss it, we'll never get another one!"

Zhou Yun remained silent, picking up Lu Meng's clothes and beginning to wash them.

"Brother Yun, say something! This deal can't lose money. Even if you don't use the pill yourself, you could sell it outside for at least one tael of silver!"

Zhang Hu tried to contain his excitement, his voice trembling. "We came from poor families. We don't get many chances to turn our lives around. If we rely on hard training alone, when will we ever Gate-Knock into Bright Force?"

Zhou Yun still said nothing. He picked up some rice-flour paste, mixed it with water, smeared it over the clothes, and left them to soak in a wooden tub.

"Zhou Yun! Do you want to wash Lu Meng's clothes for the rest of your life?!"

Zhang Hu grew agitated. The wooden basin fell from his hands with a clatter, and the other Outer Courtyard disciples turned to look.

He clenched his teeth and let out a heavy breath. Picking up the basin, he moved to another spot, as if pouring all his anger into the clothes, and pounded them hard with a wooden mallet.

After quite some time, when everyone else had left the washroom, Zhou Yun finally spoke.

"Huzi, I understand how you feel. If this had been me a few days ago, I might have gone in on this deal with you too."

That was true. If Zhou Yun hadn't been a transmigrator with a cheat, he might have risked everything he owned for a chance.

"But think about it. Would an opportunity this good really fall to people like us?"

Zhou Yun's words cut right to the heart of the matter. Blood Coagulation Pills were precious beyond measure. Even Bright Force martial masters never had enough of them. How could the Inner Courtyard disciples possibly hand them out to Outer Courtyard disciples like them?

He didn't believe the Inner Courtyard seniors were saints. Most likely, they were using this enticing offer to squeeze the last bit of value out of the Outer Courtyard disciples.

"But it's an opportunity from an Inner Courtyard senior brother..."

Zhang Hu froze. He seemed to realize something, but he still couldn't accept it.

"Besides, you train all day. Where would you get an extra string of cash?"

Zhou Yun said no more. He patted Zhang Hu on the shoulder. "Think twice before you act."

Then he turned and left for the Outer Courtyard disciples' quarters.

Zhang Hu stared at the wooden basin in Zhou Yun's hands, lost in thought.