Long Wind Escort Agency

Thanks to his fisherman's short-garb attire, the fact that it was broad daylight, and his choice to stick to the main official roads, Lu Cheng traveled with ease.

Over an hour later, Lu Cheng had safely arrived outside the south gate of Yangcheng County.

Despite it being high noon, the area inside and outside the city gate was still bustling with people, lively and vibrant.

Vendors selling water, pears, and steamed buns shouted at the top of their lungs, crowding toward every passerby they saw.

Porters and cart drivers shouted for people to make way, not daring to collide with the pedestrians, yet they still shoved against the peddlers and merchants, drawing a chorus of curses.

Though it was only twenty-odd miles away from that stretch of mudflats, it felt like two entirely different worlds.

After passing through the gate and squeezing through the crowd, the road became much wider.

Lu Cheng stood by the side of the road to catch his breath, but his gaze was drawn to six or seven burly men standing by the roadside ahead.

These men wore various types of training uniforms, with banners planted beside them displaying the names and introductions of their martial halls.

Among them, names like "Golden Blade Sect," "Divine Leg Hall," and "Iron Palm Sect" were still within the realm of reason.

The remaining few, such as "Mountain Shaking Martial Hall," "River Severing Pavilion," and "Sky Splitting Sword Sect," were a bit too intimidating.

However, intimidating as they were, these men's attitudes were exceptionally good.

Whenever someone stopped to look, they would smile and introduce their respective martial halls.

Before long, a crowd had gathered, and several of the men began competing by showing off their fists and kicks.

Lu Cheng's heart stirred; he immediately focused his mind on the [Heavenly Mandate] and walked toward them.

Yet, after watching several times, the golden light in his sea of consciousness showed no reaction at all.

After smiling and declining the men who tried to pull him into their halls, Lu Cheng walked to a secluded spot on the road, feeling somewhat troubled.

Is it because the martial arts moves these people are performing are incomplete?

Or must one be formally apprenticed and receive personal instruction for the [Heavenly Mandate] to take effect?

Recalling the performance of the [Heavenly Mandate] when he learned skills from Old Man Ge, it was likely the latter.

This is a bit troublesome.

In this world, martial arts are held in high esteem, and teaching boxing is a lucrative business.

Because of this, the waters of the martial arts world run deep, to the point where truth and falsehood are mixed, making it difficult to distinguish the genuine from the fake.

Take these men, for example; they appeared to have quite an imposing aura.

But what their martial halls were actually like could not be determined by the eyes alone.

For Lu Cheng, time was tight and money was scarce; he could not afford to lose on either front.

If he chose the wrong school, it could cost him his life.

While he was lost in thought, a slightly muffled voice came from behind him:

"Don't bother looking; these are all flashy fakes with loud names, none of them have real skill."

Along with the voice came the scent of savory braised meat drifting into Lu Cheng's nostrils.

He turned his head to see a braised pork knuckle, easily the size of a human head, swaying before his eyes.

Looking closer, he realized it was a short, chubby fellow gnawing away at the knuckle behind him, his mouth glistening with grease.

The previous remark had been made in the brief gaps between his bites.

To be able to speak clearly while chewing such a large mouthful of meat—this little fatty's mouth-work was truly impressive.

But the knuckle and the mouth were not important; the content of his words was.

Lu Cheng hurriedly asked:

"Flashy fakes? Are these all scams?"

The little fatty behind the knuckle shook his head, speaking as he chewed:

"Scams wouldn't be the right word. If their fists and kicks are practiced well, they are fine for dealing with local thugs and ruffians, but as for stepping onto the path of martial arts and becoming a true martial artist, they are far from it."

A true martial arts master would never lower their status to solicit students on the street like a common peddler.

Moreover, those names—"Sky Splitting," "Mountain Opening"—were clearly exaggerations, held by those with empty reputations.

However, this little fatty before him clearly possessed an understanding of the martial arts scene in Yangcheng County.

Lu Cheng had been worrying about not having a channel to learn, so he could not let this opportunity slip by.

He immediately asked:

"To be honest, I am here specifically to find a master and learn martial arts."

"But as I am new to Yangcheng, I am completely in the dark regarding the surrounding martial arts factions. Since you are so knowledgeable, brother, could you perhaps offer some guidance?"

The little fatty moved the knuckle aside upon hearing this, revealing his round face:

"Heh heh, then you've asked the right person."

With that, he pointed the knuckle toward the men not far away, while holding up two fingers with his other hand:

"There are indeed many martial halls in Yangcheng County, but those that can be called sects and have truly stepped into the path of martial arts are few and far between."

"The two top-tier factions are one Buddhist and one Taoist: Heavenly Spring Temple in the north of the city and Emerald Cloud Abbey on Emerald Cloud Peak to the east."

"There are three realms of martial arts: Refining Strength, Refining Body, and Refining Qi."

"Neither of these two sects possesses masters of Refining Qi, but it is said that they each have more than one powerhouse at the peak of Refining Body."

"With such strength, they wouldn't just be notable in Yangcheng County; they would hold their own even across the entire Dongyang Prefecture."

"It would be best to be accepted into these two, of course, but their requirements are quite high. One must either be a descendant of a prominent family with a background, or possess peerless talent and exceptional aptitude."

"There are seven or eight others remaining, and while they are legitimate martial arts lineages, they pale in comparison to those two in terms of both martial techniques and the strength of their masters."

"If those two are considered second-rate, the rest can only be considered third or fourth-rate, with reputations limited to within Yangcheng County."

Having said this, he began to gnaw heartily on a pork knuckle.

Everything the little fatty said, especially the so-called "three realms of martial arts," was something Lu Cheng had never encountered before, and his interest was immediately piqued:

"Three realms of martial arts? Is there some specific logic to this?"

The little fatty took two large bites of the knuckle before waving his hand:

"I don't know the specifics too well myself. Everyone just says it like that, but once you've apprenticed under a master, you'll naturally understand."

Lu Cheng nodded:

"To be honest, brother, I am a man of no means. I only possess a decent level of comprehension. I wonder what the specific standards are for the 'peerless talent and exceptional aptitude' required by Heavenly Spring Temple and Emerald Cloud Abbey?"

"Decent" was Lu Cheng's humble way of putting it.

With the Heavenly Mandate in his possession, Lu Cheng believed he should be able to meet the criteria for "exceptional aptitude."

But the little fatty raised his eyebrows in surprise at these words:

"Comprehension? Who can even see that? The study of martial arts relies on bone structure and vitality."

"The stronger the bones and the more vigorous the vitality, the more solid the foundation, and the smoother the path of martial arts will be."

As he spoke, he patted his own fatty chest and shook the knuckle in his hand:

"Look at me. My vitality is so abundant that I have to eat three knuckles a day just like this. And that's only because I haven't started training yet and can't handle the medicinal potency, so I'm using food to supplement it first."

"Once I start training, I'll have to switch to medicinal pills; that's where the real power is."

"If you don't have any family wealth, you're in trouble."

"Martial arts are fueled by money."

These words made Lu Cheng's heart turn cold.

But the little fatty was right.

Since ancient times, it has been said that literature is for the poor and martial arts for the rich. Even in his past life, weren't all those who practiced martial arts from wealthy backgrounds?

The martial arts of this world were far more exaggerated than those of his past life, so the consumption would only be greater.

He had thought the seventeen taels of silver in his pocket was a significant sum, but after paying the tuition fees, he feared he wouldn't even be able to afford a pork knuckle.

Could it be that he would really have to go catch Silver Sturgeon regularly?

As for talent...

Given the living conditions of this body, how good could his vitality and bone structure possibly be?

Heavenly Spring Temple and Emerald Cloud Abbey would likely have no use for him.

"What about the other seven or eight factions? Since they are far inferior to those two, they surely wouldn't have such high requirements, right?"

The little fatty wore an expression of "the student is teachable" and nodded:

"The others are much easier to talk to. I recommend you go to..."

"Shh, Liu Guicai, you're spouting nonsense again." Before the little fatty could finish, a female voice interrupted him.

Immediately after, a boy and a girl squeezed out from the crowd and walked over quickly.

The two were about the same age as the little fatty, around fourteen or fifteen.

The boy was unusually tall, a head and a half taller than Lu Cheng; he was nearly two meters tall.

Yet, he was extremely thin, standing there no different from a bamboo pole.

The little fatty was a head and a half shorter than him but twice as wide, and even the pack he carried on his back was significantly wider than his own frame.

The other girl was much more normal. She was about the same height as the little fatty, with a well-proportioned figure. Although her features weren't striking, she was fair and clean, and her attire was quite decent.

Her arms were laden with bags and parcels, and she held a plum blossom cake in her hand.

When the two reached them, the girl complained to the little fatty without any courtesy:

"What is wrong with you? The moment I went to buy a cake, you disappeared. You made Liu Chang'an and me search everywhere. If we miss the apprenticeship ceremony, I won't forgive you."

The little fatty "hmphed" and retorted:

"You won't forgive me?"

"We entered the city at the Hour of the Snake (9-11 AM). You wanted to see this and buy that, and now it's already past the Hour of the Horse (11 AM-1 PM). How are you blaming me?"

The young girl frowned, glaring at the little fatty as if about to lose her temper, while the thin bamboo pole beside her hurriedly spoke up:

"Alright, alright, let's get moving. If you two keep bickering, we're really going to be late."

With that, he grabbed one of them in each hand and hauled them away.

The little fatty was dragged along, but he still managed to look back and shout at Lu Cheng:

"Didn't you want somewhere with a lower barrier to entry? Hurry up and keep up. The Long Wind Escort Agency isn't easy to find; if you lose us, you'll have to wait another three months."

Long Wind Escort Agency?

Do escort agencies take on disciples too?

And what is the meaning of this "three months"?

A flurry of doubts instantly arose in Lu Cheng's mind.

But on second thought, since this little fatty knew so much, this Long Wind Escort Agency couldn't possibly be a lousy place.

Regardless, he would follow them and see for himself.

Even if it didn't work out, he could ask for more information along the way, which was better than wandering around blindly and wasting time.

Thinking this, he quickened his pace to catch up, and in the blink of an eye, the four of them vanished into the crowd.