The Scholarly Martial Artist

The sun climbed higher and higher.

The yellow earth of the Training Ground had been baked scorching hot, giving off a raw, earthy smell.

Lu Zhen was still holding the "Coiling Dragon Stake."

His legs had begun to tremble, his muscles stretched to their limit and crying out in agony.

Sweat ran down his brow ridge and into his eyes, stinging fiercely, yet he did not dare raise a hand to wipe it away.

Senior Sister Xiong Yue had said that stance training was all about this one breath.

Once the breath leaked away, the stance would collapse, and all the previous effort would have been wasted.

Lu Zhen gritted his teeth and held on with all his might.

The few young apprentices who had just joined had long since collapsed on the ground, gulping for air.

Only Lu Zhen was still persevering.

There was only one thought in his heart.

Every minute and every second had been bought with shining silver dollars.

If training would not kill him, then he would train as though it would.

"Clang—! Clang—!"

A burst of gong-beating came from the rear courtyard.

The sound was like heavenly music.

"Food's ready!"

Xiong Yue roared.

The crowd on the Training Ground sprang to life at once. Like hungry wolves, they threw down their stone locks and dashed west toward the kitchen.

Lu Zhen withdrew his stance and exhaled a long breath of Turbid Qi.

The instant he relaxed, he nearly dropped onto the ground on his backside.

But he did not dare move slowly.

If he got there late, there might not be any meat left.

The kitchen was steaming hot.

Several huge iron cauldrons stood in a row, their fragrance burrowing straight into his nose.

Lu Zhen swallowed, his stomach growling like thunder.

He took a chipped, large coarse porcelain bowl and joined the back of the line.

When it was his turn, the plump cook gave him a glance and steadily lowered his iron ladle.

A heaping bowl of mixed-grain rice—sorghum mixed with cornmeal, filling enough to keep hunger at bay.

Then came a large ladleful of cabbage, tofu, and vermicelli stew, rich with oil, a thick layer of glistening fat floating on top.

Resting on top was a palm-sized piece of braised pork.

The meat was mostly fat with little lean, wobbling softly, stewed to a glossy crimson translucence that made saliva flood the mouth.

Finally, there was a bowl of bone broth sprinkled with chopped scallions. Though it contained little meat, it had been simmered overnight with large pork bones, milky white and excellent for replenishing calcium.

Lu Zhen carried his tray of food to a corner and sat down.

He first lifted the bowl of bone broth and, heedless of the heat, tipped his head back and gulped down a mouthful.

"Ha—"

A stream of warmth slid down his throat into his stomach, instantly driving away the chill and exhaustion in his body.

Comfortable.

Next, he picked up that piece of braised pork and bit down hard.

The fat burst across his mouth, soft, sticky, and sweet without being greasy in the slightest.

Lu Zhen narrowed his eyes and shoveled rice into his mouth in great mouthfuls.

In all his years, this sort of richly oiled meal had been something he only dared dream about during the New Year.

Yet here in the martial arts school, he could eat it every meal.

The money had been well spent.

Just as he was eating with relish, someone sat down at the table beside him.

It was a young man around his age, his face as fair as jade, so clean that he stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens amid the rough men. Even dressed in a coarse training uniform, he carried the refined air of a scholar in a long gown and mandarin jacket.

Yet at that moment, the young man could not even spare attention for food. He held a palm-sized thread-bound booklet, rapidly sketching on the paper with a fine charcoal pencil while muttering anxiously under his breath.

"This won't do... If it ejects shells from the rear, pulling the lever once can only chamber one round. How could the speed possibly increase? If I ran into a crowd, I'd still be at a disadvantage."

"How can I fire several shots in succession without changing magazines? Even firing two barrels at once only gives two rounds..."

The young man scratched at his ears and cheeks, his brows knitted tightly together.

He had drawn a pile of intricate mechanical components and bolt structures on the paper. To others, it would probably look like ghost talismans.

Lu Zhen swallowed the braised pork in his mouth and gave the page a slight sidelong glance.

With one look, he understood that it was a firearm sketch—a concept for improving upon the structure of Western guns.

"You like Western firearms?" Lu Zhen casually asked.

The young man looked up, sighed, and scratched his hair in distress.

"My name is Gu Yanzhi. Brother, you may not know this, but several like-minded friends and I formed a Mechanical Club. We all enjoy studying Western firearms.

"A gathering is coming up, and we are to present sketches for newly conceived Western guns. Whoever comes up with the most ingenious idea will make a grand showing."

Gu Yanzhi tapped the blueprint with his knuckles and said ruefully, "I wanted to make something that could fire continuously without frequent shell ejection, but I've racked my brains dry. The firing mechanism and bolt I drew are all jammed into one place. It's a dead end."

Lu Zhen casually pointed to the area behind the barrel in his drawing.

"What is the use of stubbornly making a fuss inside one chamber?"

Gu Yanzhi froze. "Then what insight do you have, brother?"

"Why not add an axle-mounted rotating drum behind it?" Lu Zhen took another mouthful of rice. "Make a cylindrical star wheel and hollow out five or six parallel chambers inside.

"Every time the trigger is pulled, a pawl inside turns the cylinder one notch. One round after another, with the firing pin striking directly onto the primers—wouldn't that let it fire continuously?"

With a buzz, Gu Yanzhi froze on the spot as though struck by lightning.

A few breaths later, his eyes abruptly widened into perfect circles.

The charcoal pencil in his hand flew across the paper, swiftly outlining the rudimentary form of a revolver with a multi-chambered rotating wheel.

The chambers rotated, the single barrel fired—it was simply ingenious beyond the craft of nature!

Smack!

Gu Yanzhi slammed a hand onto the table. "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! A Cylinder Star Wheel, rotating ignition! With this, five or six bullets can pour out in a barrage. What terrifying firepower! How had I never thought of such an immortal design?"

He turned and stared fixedly at Lu Zhen.

"You are practically my benefactor! With this diagram, when I go to the club tomorrow, I'll surely crush all competition and finally show my face properly!"

"What's your name? I'm Gu Yanzhi."

Lu Zhen waved a hand and quickly scraped the remaining rice from the bottom of his bowl.

"Lu Zhen."

After giving his name, Lu Zhen did not chat further. He picked up his tray and stood.

"Young Master Gu, enjoy your meal. I still have work to do, so I'll be going."

"Take care, Brother Lu!"

By the time he left the martial arts school, the sun had already tilted westward.

The cold wind remained biting, cutting across his face like knives.

Lu Zhen tightened his vest and headed straight for Shunfa Rickshaw Firm.

Though he had trained in martial arts all morning and felt somewhat tired, he had no intention of resting.

Those sixteen silver dollars had been spent, leaving his pockets cleaner than his face. He had to earn them back quickly.

He collected a rickshaw and took to the road.

As soon as he began running, Lu Zhen felt the difference.

Though the Coiling Dragon Stake he had practiced that morning was only superficial, when he set off pulling the rickshaw just now, he instinctively used the force from the stance.

His back curved slightly, his thighs exerted force, and the soles of his feet gripped the ground.

When he had pulled rickshaws before, he relied on his knees to forcefully brace the load. After running for long, his joints would ache fiercely.

Now, that force seemed to travel directly from his heels to his waist, then into the rickshaw handles.

"Breathe in—breathe out—"

Keeping pace with his breathing, the wheels rolled steadily forward.

Lu Zhen only felt as though wind had sprung beneath his feet. The heavy rickshaw was as light as a toy in his hands.

After running more than ten li, his body was hot all over, yet he was not panting like a bellows as he had before.

"Driver, take me to the Great World!"

"Certainly, sit tight!"

That entire afternoon, Lu Zhen ran at tremendous speed.

Whether he was pulling fat men or hauling cargo, he handled it all with ease.

When several passengers got off, they even praised how steadily he pulled the rickshaw and deliberately tipped him two extra copper coins.

He kept running until dusk darkened the sky and the streetlamps lit up.

Lu Zhen found a secluded place and counted his money.

After deducting the rickshaw rental fee, he actually had one silver dollar left, along with a handful of loose copper coins.

He had earned more than one dollar in half a day.

That was an amount he would never have dared imagine before.

Martial arts training really was different. Once strength was turned into cash, the benefits were solid and tangible.

By the time he returned to Pig Cage Alley, the night was already deep.

Lu Zhen bought several hot sesame flatbreads and brought his little sister a skewer of candied hawthorn.

When he entered the room and saw his little sister eating happily, Lu Zhen felt at ease as well.

After washing up simply, he lay down on the bed.

That familiar line of pale blue writing appeared once more.

[Daily Settlement Panel activated]

[Today's settlement: Practiced martial arts at the martial arts school for three hours, pulled a rickshaw for four hours, traveled sixty li.]

[Obtained: Silver Dollar +1.2, Profession Experience +15, Physique Experience +10, General Experience +5!]

[Current Daily Settlement level: LV1. Daily rewards additionally multiplied by X1.]

[Lu Zhen (30 years old)]

Wealth: 2.4 Silver Dollars

Current Profession: Rickshaw Puller

Level: Daily Settlement Lv.1 (5/50)

Skills:

Rickshaw Pulling Lv.1 (45/50)

Coiling Dragon Stake Lv.1 (5/50)

Iron Wire Fist Lv.1 (5/50)

Physique: Strong and Healthy Lv.2 (20/200)

General Experience: 10 points

...