Martial Path

Under the light of the setting sun, the workers of the Zhang Family Mine emerged from the pits. With wages paid and a day of rest awaiting them tomorrow, every face was wreathed in happy smiles, the hardship of the month feeling well worth it in this very moment.

"I pulled in five hundred wen; I'm eating meat tonight."

As he spoke, Zhang Daniu's sweat-streaked face revealed a hint of intoxication. He slapped the money bag at his waist with force, already lost in fantasies of his meat-filled meal.

"You're a real ox, Daniu, to be able to dig up so much. I barely cleared four hundred."

A flash of barely perceptible jealousy crossed He Laosan's eyes. He had worked himself to the bone, yet he hadn't even reached four hundred wen.

"What about you, Yang? How much did you get?" He suddenly turned to look at Xu Yang, who had been silent beside him.

"About the same as you," Xu Yang replied, a faint smile appearing on his weary face.

In truth, his wages were higher than Zhang Daniu's—over six hundred wen—but he had no desire to be high-profile. Letting people know he earned more was never a good thing.

Last month, someone had been robbed and killed on the street that very night simply for showing off his high wages.

Having transmigrated to this chaotic era half a year ago, he was cautious, always keeping a low profile and never seeking the limelight.

The main reason was having no backing!

In this life, his mother had died early. Although he had a father, the man had taken up with a widow, moved into her home, and stopped caring for him altogether, leaving him to rely solely on his younger sister.

In these times, a household with only a half-grown boy was a target for anyone to trample.

For the past half-year, he had been struggling in secret, hoping to change this situation.

Soon. One more year at most.

Xu Yang looked at the Martial Dao Longevity Panel that had transmigrated with him:

[Comprehension: 21]

[Root Bone: 22]

[Cultivation: None]

[Technique: None]

[Skill: Mining Lv.3 (283/400)]

[Remaining Lifespan: 57]

[Martial Dao Longevity Points: 1]

The foundation for changing his fate was naturally this "Martial Dao Longevity" panel that had arrived with him.

The panel was truly miraculous; as long as his actions were conducive to martial longevity, he would receive point rewards. These points could be used to enhance his lifespan, root bone, comprehension, and even techniques and skills.

When he first transmigrated, his comprehension and root bone had been dismal single digits—a mere 2 and 3 respectively. Through half a year of effort, both had broken past twenty.

It was also because the panel had elevated his mining skill that his wages exceeded those of most others.

After half a year of exploration, he discovered that only by practicing martial arts could he truly utilize the panel. While mining served as a stepping stone for martial longevity, the point rewards were simply too meager.

Even without the panel, only by practicing martial arts could one hope to rise above the rest.

With success in martial arts, one could enter the martial examinations to win fame and position, or serve as a guard for a wealthy household to earn money.

Most importantly, in these chaotic times, only martial strength could ensure survival.

Yet, the wealth he had accumulated was still far from what he needed to begin martial training.

As they walked out of the mine, Zhang Daniu suddenly spoke up: "I won't be coming back to the mine anymore. My old man found me a trade in the city; I'll be an apprentice at a blacksmith shop from now on."

As he spoke, his face was full of pride. No matter the era, a man with a trade would rarely starve.

"You two should make plans early, too. You can't mine for a lifetime," he cautioned his two companions.

The mines were dangerous, prone to collapse, and claimed a few lives every month. Unless a family was truly destitute, almost no one would willingly come here to risk their lives.

Both of them had been at the mine for quite some time; there was no need to keep risking their necks.

He Laosan let out a hearty laugh. "You know my situation well enough. I only came here to earn my bride price, and I'm just about there. Once I'm married, I expect I'll go back to managing the family land."

His family had fallen on hard times, but they still owned plenty of fields; he wouldn't starve even if he didn't mine.

"Looks like you're getting hitched soon. Congratulations."

Zhang Daniu and He Laosan turned to look at Xu Yang with a smile. "What about you, Yang?"

Both of them had a way out, and their parents were still alive. With elders to support them, life was hard but had a path forward. The one in the most difficult position was Xu Yang.

His father might be alive, but he was no different from a dead man; he couldn't offer the slightest bit of help.

"I want to practice martial arts!" Xu Yang said.

Both men were stunned. Zhang Daniu laughed, "Don't joke around. That was just a childhood fantasy of ours..."

The three of them had grown up together and once vowed that when they were older, they would train in martial arts and make something of themselves.

But as they grew older and their experience in the world increased, he had long since abandoned the dream of martial arts.

He had assumed Xu Yang was joking, but looking at the earnest expression on Xu Yang's face, the last word died in his throat.

"Yang, have you gone mad? Have you forgotten the lesson of my eldest brother?" He Laosan's eyes widened, as if he had heard something inconceivable.

Xu Yang shook his head. "I haven't forgotten."

He Laosan had an older brother back home who, in his younger days, had been full of ambition, single-mindedly devoted to martial arts in hopes of rising above his station. The old man of the He family had even smashed his pots and sold his iron to support that training.

But after pouring every cent of their family fortune into it, not even a ripple was stirred.

No, that wasn't right! It stirred up a massive ripple.

He Laosan's brother had spent dozens of taels of silver, yet he failed to become a martial artist. After his failure, he relied on the little bit of training he'd had to join a gang, only to be hacked to death on the street within seven days. From then on, the He family's fortunes fell into ruin.

Later, this story became a cautionary tale for every village in the area. Whenever someone expressed a desire to practice martial arts, this incident would be brought up.

"Then why are you still thinking about it?" He Laosan shook his head. "Listen to your brother: even if you take that money to the brothels, don't throw it into a martial arts school."

He knew too much about the path of martial arts.

Master's fees, dietary supplements, medicinal tonics, and the need to stop working entirely—any one of these requirements was something Xu Yang could not possibly manage.

Most importantly, one needed talent. His brother had belonged to the type who lacked it; throwing dozens of taels of silver at the problem had been of no use.

Xu Yang shook his head. "Don't try to talk me out of it; even if I wanted to, I don't have the money."

Hearing this, the two men suddenly remembered that Xu Yang was barely struggling to keep himself fed; he had no money whatsoever.

"That's right, you don't even have the opportunity. The best age for martial arts is fifteen to eighteen, and you're already seventeen. By the time you earn enough money, you'll have missed the prime window. Even if you had the money then, the masters at the school wouldn't take you," He Laosan laughed.

After that, the three of them stopped talking about martial arts, but Xu Yang keenly noticed that because of his interest in it, He Laosan and Zhang Daniu began to distance themselves from him.

Practicing martial arts burned through money. When He Laosan's brother practiced, he had borrowed money from who knows how many friends and relatives, only paying it off slowly over the years.

When it came time to part ways, the two of them simply exchanged a brief greeting and left, no longer making plans to hang out the next day as they usually did.

Xu Yang shook his head to himself and walked quickly toward home.

"Xu Yang!"

Just as he was about to reach his doorstep, a voice behind him suddenly called out.

He turned back to see Li Hu of the Tri-Union Gang approaching with two hooligan-like youths.

The Tri-Union Gang was the local gang in this area. Everyone living here had to pay a monthly "peace fee" to them. If you dared not to pay, you'd find your house burglarized or set on fire within two days.

If you dared to refuse again, you would encounter violent thugs on the street who would kill you and steal your wealth.

"Oh, if it isn't Master Hu. What wind blew you our way?" Xu Yang wore a humble smile, his head lowered slightly.

"It's because the village folk aren't making things easy. We notified everyone long ago that the Gang Leader's mother is celebrating a grand birthday this month, and that everyone should prepare their congratulatory gifts. Yet, the month is almost over, and many people still haven't paid."

Li Hu walked over with a swagger. "Your family hasn't paid either. The Mine paid wages today, so it's time to pay up. For you and your sister, that's twenty coins in total."

Even after coming to this world and playing the role of a groveling grandson for half a year, his acting skills honed to perfection, Xu Yang couldn't help but feel his composure slipping.

If he remembered correctly, the Tri-Union Gang Leader's mother had already celebrated a grand birthday at the beginning of the year.

"Twenty coins? That's too much this time. Master Hu, could you please put in a good word to lower it? For the Old Matriarch's birthday, we certainly should offer a gift, but I still have to raise my sister. If I take out these twenty coins, we won't have enough to eat next month."

Even if he could afford twenty coins, he couldn't just hand them over readily. If these black-hearted beasts knew you had money, they would find a new excuse to demand more tomorrow.

"Cut the crap. This is the amount set by the gang; I don't have the authority to negotiate with them. If you're worried about going hungry, that's simple: your sister is grown up now. Sell her to the gang. You won't just be rid of that burden, you'll get at least ten taels of silver."

Li Hu slapped a heavy hand on Xu Yang's shoulder, a grin on his face.

Xu Yang struggled to maintain his smile, but an alarm bell rang in his heart. His sister was fourteen this year and had blossomed; he feared she had already caught the eye of the Tri-Union Gang.

"Master Hu is joking. My father is still around; even if I were to starve to death, I wouldn't dare sell my sister..." He shook his head repeatedly.

Li Hu knew it was impossible to sway Xu Yang all at once; this matter would have to be cooked slowly. His expression shifted. "Then hurry up and pay the money."

"Yes, yes... Master Hu, one moment!"

As he spoke, Xu Yang pulled a money pouch from his person, his heart aching, and fished out two strings of copper coins.

This was the pouch he had prepared in advance, containing only a portion of his wages.

Li Hu glanced at the pouch, estimating there was less than two hundred coins left inside. Realizing Xu Yang wasn't lying, he snatched the two strings of coins and walked toward the next house with a cold snort.

Xu Yang maintained his smile as he watched Li Hu leave, then turned and went home.