Entering the City

This world had martial artists.

Qin Fang had learned as much from the original owner's memories.

For instance, Jingping County, where the original owner had lived, had dozens of martial arts schools, both large and small.

True martial artists even had different identity plates from ordinary people... They were registered in the "Martial Registry."

And Great Yu revered the martial arts.

Martial artists who had officially "entered the registry" enjoyed treatment vastly different from that of ordinary commoners.

Never mind the rest...

Just the fact that they could travel the land without oversight was enough to make ordinary people green with envy.

Having absorbed all the original owner's memories, Qin Fang naturally knew... Nine out of ten youths in Great Yu wanted to become martial artists.

That was one reason there were so many martial arts schools.

But clearly, martial arts weren't something one could practice just because one wanted to.

As the saying went, "The poor studied literature; the rich practiced martial arts."

Practicing martial arts required money in the first place.

Not only did the training process require large quantities of nourishing food, but the tuition alone was a hefty sum.

The original owner had wanted to practice martial arts too, but even the cheapest martial arts school in Jingping County charged ten taels of silver a year in tuition.

His family certainly didn't have that kind of money to spare...

Thinking of the original owner's family,

Qin Fang fell silent for a moment.

The original owner naturally had parents and other relatives.

But during a clash amid a riot of refugees, the panicked crowd had scattered them. In the crush, the original owner had been trampled and knocked unconscious.

When he woke up, someone else had taken his place.

And his family was nowhere to be found.

Qin Fang had once tried searching for his family among the refugees, thinking that another pair of hands would make them stronger... but he'd failed.

Now more than three months had passed. The refugees had split up and gathered again many times during that period. As for the original owner's family, Qin Fang didn't even know whether they were still alive, let alone where they had gone...

He let out a quiet breath, put the thought aside, and stepped forward to ask for a bowl of rice porridge too.

The True Martial Fist Hall had set up three enormous iron pots. A sturdy man in his thirties was keeping order, with a sea of refugees gathered around him.

"Everyone, don't rush. We've prepared plenty of food. Line up in an orderly fashion, and there'll be enough for everyone."

"Let me make this clear: we're from the True Martial Fist Hall in True Martial County, the county's largest martial arts school. Master Chen is a powerful martial artist registered in the Martial Registry. If any of you are thinking of practicing martial arts, you might consider joining our school..."

He took the opportunity to advertise the True Martial Fist Hall.

Many refugees were gulping down their porridge, but when they heard this, some were clearly tempted. "What do you need to join the True Martial Fist Hall? Can I get in?"

"As the largest martial arts school in True Martial County, we naturally have certain admission requirements. After all, once you enter the school, you're one of us, and we'll be responsible for you. But our resources are limited, so the True Martial Fist Hall can't take in everyone who wants to join."

"There are two ways to get in. First, naturally, is to pay the tuition. Pay one hundred taels of silver and you can become a disciple of the True Martial Fist Hall. Our school has been established in True Martial County for many years and has connections far and wide. If you're willing to join, we'll handle your re-registration in True Martial County, and you'll never have to wander as a refugee again."

"The second is selection by merit. Anyone under sixteen who passes our internal assessment can join the True Martial Fist Hall without paying tuition! The test is challenging, but if you pass, you can practice martial arts for free. We'll also arrange for your registration in True Martial County and even provide food and lodging, so you'll have no worries about your basic needs..."

The sturdy man answered with a broad smile, speaking loudly.

Many people around him immediately looked tempted.

After three or four months on the run, these people yearned for stability more than anything.

Qin Fang held his bowl, drinking as he listened.

He was tempted too.

Martial arts...

He thought of his cheat.

He licked his lips.

...His cheat seemed tailor-made for practicing martial arts!

According to the original owner's memories, powerful martial artists were terrifying figures who could split mountains and crack rocks with their bare hands!

In his previous life, they would basically have been superheroes!

Unfortunately, after getting his cheat, he'd had no time or energy to study it properly, since he'd been fleeing for his life.

Now that True Martial County seemed like it might offer a little stability, perhaps he could consider practicing martial arts.

His gaze flickered.

Having transmigrated straight into a crowd of refugees and gone through many bloody clashes he'd never experienced in his previous life, Qin Fang had already realized just how important personal strength was in this world!

But...

"Two requirements..."

He pressed his lips together.

The first was to pay one hundred taels of silver in tuition.

The second was to pass the assessment.

Unfortunately, he couldn't take the test. His identity plate clearly stated that he was already eighteen, while the school only accepted those under sixteen.

As for the tuition...

He silently drank his porridge.

He drank two more large bowls in a row. At last, when he couldn't drink another drop, he set down the bowl. Seeing that many others were tempted and following the True Martial Fist Hall to take the assessment, he got up and headed for the refugee shelter.

He passed a few more porridge stations along the way. They were all run by powerful groups in True Martial County, including more than a dozen martial arts schools...

It was clear that martial artists held considerable influence in this world.

Eventually, Qin Fang reached the refugee shelter.

It was an enormous plaza that had clearly been opened up only recently. A vast number of refugees had gathered there, sitting on the ground amid a clamor of voices.

A powerful stench hung in the air... A crowd of refugees who hadn't bathed in months, the reek of sweat and urine, the smell of blood—every kind of odor hit like a fist to the face. Many of the sturdy men on patrol couldn't help covering their noses, and the occasional glance they cast at the refugees carried unmistakable disgust.

But Qin Fang was already used to it.

He glanced at the sturdy men standing guard near the plaza, let out a quiet breath, and found a place to sit.

Only then did he finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

Then he looked at his feet... His straw sandals had holes in their soles. He carefully took them off, tearing open the wounds that had stuck to the soles in the process. A sharp pain shot through him.

But he gritted his teeth and pulled off the sandals. His feet were covered in blood blisters, and some spots had even begun to fester. The raw flesh was caked with black dirt, a sight that made his heart lurch.

He'd have to find a way to treat them...

Qin Fang thought.

But there was no way he could do it today.

He'd deal with them after dawn.

Once he was full, an intense exhaustion swept over him like a rising tide. He forced himself to look around... In the distance, sturdy men carrying torches were still making their rounds, guarding against trouble from the refugees.

The refugees, too, were clearly exhausted after eating. There was nothing to shelter them in the open plaza, yet many were already snoring like thunder, fast asleep.

It should be safe.

He pulled his tattered clothes tighter around himself, hugged the crude crutch in his hands, and soon sank into a deep sleep...

He didn't know how long had passed in the haze of sleep when, half-awake, Qin Fang suddenly sensed someone turning him over.

Qin Fang jolted and snapped his eyes open. His right hand went almost instinctively to his waist. Before he could even see who was touching him, the dagger was already in his hand. With a smooth, swift twist, he gripped it in reverse and thrust it diagonally upward.

"Fuck!"

A shout rang out. The person beside him was clearly startled and hurriedly backed away.

Only after the man retreated did Qin Fang have time to quickly survey his surroundings.

But then he froze, and the dagger he'd thrust forward stopped in midair.

Several sturdy men were gathered around Qin Fang, staring at him in shock. One of them had even stumbled back several steps, his face full of alarm and anger.

"You bastard, have you gone mad?!"

Once he recovered, the man launched into a furious tirade.