A Journey of a Thousand Miles

Looking at the two new lines on the Panel, Lu Zhen's heartbeat quickened.

The skill column now plainly contained [Coiling Dragon Stake Lv.1] and [Iron Wire Fist Lv.1].

This meant the Panel could not only settle cash and experience, but also turn the skills he learned into data.

When others practiced martial arts, they cared about natural physique and comprehension. If one was dull by nature, even a lifetime of training might leave one stuck at a bottleneck, unable to advance a single step.

But he was different.

As long as he had this progress bar, there would be no limit to his talent.

So long as he was willing to train, so long as he was willing to grind, his experience would rise bit by bit.

No bottlenecks, no thresholds.

"Accumulate small steps to reach a thousand miles; gather little streams to form rivers and seas."

Lu Zhen clenched his fist, a glint flashing through his eyes.

In this troubled age where human lives were as cheap as grass, he would eventually rely on this Panel to climb step by step to the summit of martial arts and see the scenery above.

Still, the road had to be walked one step at a time, and meals had to be eaten one bite at a time.

As his surging emotions settled, Lu Zhen's gaze returned to those 10 points of "General Experience."

The key now was to build a snowball.

Without hesitation, Lu Zhen shifted his Intent and added all 10 points of experience to [Daily Settlement Level].

[Daily Settlement Lv.1 (15/50)]

Though it had not leveled up yet, this was a long-term investment.

Only by raising this level would the reward multiplier be higher in the future. The strong grew ever stronger, the rich ever richer—this was the foundation.

After finishing all this, Lu Zhen closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

At first light, Lu Zhen woke up.

He threw a round of punches in the courtyard to loosen his muscles and bones, then prepared to leave for Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall.

The moment he pushed open the door, a burst of noisy shouting rode the wind into his ears.

The sounds came from the direction of Shen Yun's home across the street.

Lu Zhen frowned slightly, shut his door, and turned to look.

Several neighbors had gathered before the He family's long-broken wooden door, pointing and whispering as they watched, yet none dared step forward.

A middle-aged man in a gray long robe stood blocking the doorway.

He had two thin mouse whiskers above his lip and a lean, withered frame. He held a folding fan in his hand, and despite the bitter cold, he pretentiously fanned himself.

Shen Yun stood inside the threshold, gripping a pair of scissors tightly in her hand. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes rimmed red.

"Shen, don't be so blind to what's good for you!"

The middle-aged man snapped his folding fan shut and pointed at Shen Yun's nose as he cursed:

"I'm He the Third's cousin, which makes me the head of the He family!"

"Now that He the Third is dead, and he left no son behind, his line is cut off!"

"By the old rules back home, this is called 'eating an extinct household.' This house and this deed are all ancestral property of the He family. What do they have to do with an outsider woman like you?"

Shen Yun bit her lip. Her voice trembled, yet there was stubbornness in it.

"This is the home He the Third and I shared... My name is on the deed too..."

"Pah!"

The middle-aged man spat on the ground, his face full of contempt.

"Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. While He the Third was alive, you were part of the He family. Now that he's dead, you're an outsider!"

"If you know what's good for you, pack up your junk and get lost! If you anger me, believe it or not, I'll sell you to a brothel to pay your debts?"

"Come to think of it, He the Third seemed to have borrowed five silver dollars from me before he died and never paid me back. This house can settle it nicely!"

The surrounding neighbors murmured among themselves.

"Isn't that He Gui, He the First's cousin? I heard he lends at usurious rates. His heart is black as coal."

"What a sin. He the Third's bones aren't even cold, and he's already here to snatch the house."

"A widow and an orphan—how could they possibly fight a rascal like that..."

Lu Zhen stood not far away, coldly watching the scene.

He the Third had only been dead for a day.

These so-called relatives were less like family than vultures drawn by the scent of blood.

Slap.

Just as He Gui's hand was about to seize Shen Yun's hair, a large hand thrust in from the side and firmly clamped around his wrist.

He Gui felt his wrist tighten.

"Who the hell is it? Who dares meddle in—"

Furious, He Gui whipped around, his inverted triangular eyes widening.

But once he saw the man behind him, the curse at his lips was swallowed back down.

Behind him stood a man in a short blue-cloth outfit, tall and straight, with eyes as cold as ice.

Cripple Lu, the cart puller?

No.

He Gui's gaze shifted downward and landed on Lu Zhen's chest.

On the left breast of that brand-new training uniform were two black characters the size of fists—"Iron Arm."

The lettering was vigorous and forceful, carrying a fierce air.

He Gui was an old hand who made his living on the streets. Naturally, he recognized it.

That was the uniform of Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall in the south of Ocean City.

In Ocean City, if one offended the Constabulary, stuffing them with some money might settle matters.

But if one offended those martial arts masters who ran schools and taught disciples, one could truly end up with broken arms and legs before being tossed into the river.

These martial artists all had explosive tempers, struck without restraint, and were fiercely protective of their own.

"Let... let go."

The arrogance on He Gui's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a fawning smile. Even his waist bent.

"Oh, brother, it's a misunderstanding. All a misunderstanding."

"I was merely discussing family matters with my own sister-in-law. I didn't mean anything else."

Expressionless, Lu Zhen released his grip and casually flung his hand aside.

He Gui staggered back several steps, rubbing his reddened wrist and hissing in pain.

He cast Lu Zhen a wary glance, then looked at the uniform, unease churning in his heart.

When had Cripple Lu joined a martial arts hall?

From the look of things, he was afraid Lu Zhen had truly learned something.

A wise man did not fight when the odds were against him.

He Gui's eyes spun, and he clasped his hands toward Lu Zhen with a dry laugh.

"Since a brother from the martial arts hall has stepped in, I have to give you face."

After saying that, he shot Shen Yun a vicious glare and cursed under his breath:

"Consider yourself lucky! Just you wait!"

Leaving behind those harsh words, He Gui tucked his folding fan into his belt, hunched his neck, and shamefacedly squeezed through the crowd before fleeing.

The doorway fell quiet.

Shen Yun's body went limp, and the scissors in her hand fell to the ground with a clang.

She braced herself against the doorframe, her face pale.

"Little Lu... th-thank you."

Without Lu Zhen, she likely would not have been able to keep the house today, and she truly might have been sold.

Lu Zhen sighed.

"It was nothing."

"Keep your doors and windows shut tight from now on."

With that, Lu Zhen turned around and strode toward the alley entrance.

Only then did the neighbors who had been watching come back to their senses.

Several longtime residents stared after Lu Zhen's back with their eyes wide.

"Huh? Look at Cripple Lu's leg..."

"It's really healed! He isn't limping at all!"

"Good heavens, not only is his leg healed, he's even wearing a martial arts hall uniform. He must have met a benefactor—he's about to make something of himself."

"I always said that kid looked different from the rest of us. He was someone who could get things done."

Some envied him, while others marveled.

Yet within every crowd, there were always voices dripping with mockery.

Auntie Fatty cracked sunflower seeds, rolled her eyes, and jerked her chin toward Shen Yun's home, her face full of disdain.

"Tch, what making something of himself?"

"Didn't you see the way they looked at each other just now? They were batting their eyes at each other."

An idler beside her gave a lewd chuckle and chimed in.

"Exactly. He the Third's bones aren't even cold, and she's already hooked up with someone else."

"I was wondering why Lu Zhen, who usually kept to himself, suddenly stood up for her now of all times. Turns out he has his eye on that pretty widow."

"Tsk, tsk. Some women these days look honest enough, but in their bones, they're nothing but sluts..."

The gossip was like rats in a gutter, fragmented and venomous.

Shen Yun clenched her lips without defending herself. She merely picked up the scissors from the ground and silently turned back into the house.

By the time Lu Zhen reached Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall, the sun had just warmed the yellow earth of the Training Ground.

As usual, the apprentices were grunting as they lifted stone locks or lined up to plunge their hands into iron sand.

Lu Zhen had just changed into his training uniform and come out. As he tied his sash, a neat-looking figure approached him.

It was Gu Yanzhi.

The rich young master looked radiant today. At the sight of Lu Zhen, his eyes practically shone.

"Brother Lu! Incredible, truly incredible!"

Gu Yanzhi did not mind the smell of sweat on Lu Zhen at all. Lowering his voice, he said excitedly:

"Last night, I took that revolver sketch you helped me revise to our Mechanical Club."

"Guess what happened? Those people who usually look down their noses at everyone nearly had their eyes pop out!"

"They kept praising the idea behind this 'Cylinder Star Wheel,' saying it was ingenious beyond compare. They even asked whether I'd stolen the blueprint from some foreign munitions factory."

Gu Yanzhi chuckled, pride written all over his face. "I didn't expose anything. I only said I had happened to receive guidance from an expert.

"I really stole the show at the gathering last night!"

Lu Zhen tied his sash and smiled faintly. "As long as it was useful."

"Useful! It was incredibly useful!" Gu Yanzhi nodded repeatedly and grabbed Lu Zhen's arm. "Whenever I hit another bottleneck while tinkering with these foreign gadgets, I'll have to come to you for help again!"

After a few pleasantries, it was time for the proper lesson.

Senior Sister Xiong Yue carried that finger-thick rattan switch as she prowled around the grounds. Whoever she caught slacking off received a lash.

Lu Zhen and Gu Yanzhi stood side by side in a corner, practicing the "Coiling Dragon Stake."

Though Gu Yanzhi was obsessed with accounts, his physical constitution was indeed excellent.

His feet gripped the ground, his spine arched, and his great backbone wriggled vividly. Rising and falling with his breaths, it truly carried some of the "swimming dragon" charm Xiong Yue had described.

Then there was his Iron Wire Fist.

Smack! Smack!

When his arms snapped out, the sound was not as explosive as Xiong Yue's, but it was still clear and crisp, his force flowing through without obstruction.

That was talent.

He had grown up clothed in fine silk and fed on meat, eggs, and milk without interruption. His tendons and bones had been nourished supple and resilient, and with a quick mind, he learned everything fast.

Then there was Lu Zhen.

His thirty-year-old body had long since taken shape.

Even though his leg was healed now, the stiffness built up over more than a decade remained.

When he stood in the stance, his waist and back were as rigid as an iron plate, awkward no matter how he twisted; when he punched, there was mostly brute force that howled through the air, with little crisp power.

Xiong Yue walked over, looked at Gu Yanzhi, and nodded approvingly. "Not bad. You're starting to get the hang of it."

Turning to Lu Zhen, Xiong Yue frowned slightly and tapped his lower back with the rattan switch.

"Relax! You need to relax! This is just a lump of dead flesh. How are you supposed to transmit force through it?"

"Yes, Senior Sister."

Lu Zhen was neither angry nor discouraged.

Watching Gu Yanzhi's standard posture, his heart remained calm as still water.

Talent was not something one could envy into existence.

But he had the Panel.

You practiced once, and that was one practice. I practiced once, and that was solid, tangible experience.

So long as he kept grinding, even rotten wood could be worked into a lump of iron.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight days passed.

These days were regular and dull.

Before dawn, he rose to practice boxing; in the morning, he suffered through training at the martial arts hall; at noon, he mooched a filling meal; in the afternoons and evenings, he pulled carts to earn money.

The wind and snow never stopped. Several cracks opened across the backs of Lu Zhen's hands from the cold, then sweat stung them until they burned.

But he reveled in it.

That night, after returning to his ramshackle plank house and shutting the door, Lu Zhen sat by the bed and summoned the Panel.

[Lu Zhen (30 years old)]

Money: 17 silver dollars

Current Profession: Rickshaw Puller

Level: Daily Settlement Lv.2 (50/200)

Skills:

Pulling a Rickshaw Lv.1 (45/50)

Coiling Dragon Stake Lv.1 (40/50)

Iron Wire Fist Lv.1 (40/50)

Physique: Strong and Healthy Lv.2 (100/200)

General Experience: 0 points

Looking at those rows of data, Lu Zhen let out a long breath.

His money pouch had swollen, and he had seventeen silver dollars in hand. In Pig Cage Alley, that counted as a huge sum.

Under the skills column, both Coiling Dragon Stake and Iron Wire Fist had reached 40 points. They were on the verge of breaking through Lv.1.

The changes in his body were the most obvious.

That original stiffness was gradually fading away, replaced by a steady sense of control.

Now, when he threw a punch, it occasionally carried a sharp crack.

Most crucially, that Daily Settlement level—

It had already reached Level 2.

When the time came, the daily rewards would double. Whether it was experience or money, both would come pouring in twofold.

That would be the moment he took flight.