Settlement

"How do we trade?" someone asked.

Zhou Yang's face was wreathed in smiles. "You get three bowls of meat a day. Sell them to us, and we'll give you ten copper coins each day. If you sell us three months' worth all at once, we'll give you one silver tael.

"For a bowl of Body-Strengthening Soup that costs one silver tael, I'll pay six hundred copper coins. If you sell us three months' worth all at once, we'll give you two taels."

Some people looked tempted, seeming to be swayed by Zhou Yang's words.

Since failure was inevitable, why not trade these things for money?

"What do you think, Junior Brother Xu?" Zhou Yang asked Xu Yang beside him.

Xu Yang was unmoved. "Sorry, I still want to practice martial arts."

After all that talk, he just wanted to buy their supplies at a low price. Of course, what Zhou Yang said was probably true.

But Xu Yang was different. He had the Martial Dao Longevity Panel.

"Don't think I'm trying to trick you. If you don't believe me, ask Senior Brother Sun Tao when he comes tomorrow, or go ask Master Lin. Aside from Lu Ren, none of you really have a chance of succeeding. Trading your resources for money is the wise choice," Zhou Yang said.

He did want to buy Xu Yang and the others' meat and Body-Strengthening Soup at a low price, but everything he'd said was true. He hadn't lied in the slightest.

In his view, aside from Lu Ren, no one else—including Zhang Yong, whose Bone Root was Grade C—could become a martial artist.

"Ask someone else, Senior Brother Zhou. I'm not planning to do that for now."

Having rested enough, Xu Yang stood up and left.

Seeing that Xu Yang wasn't taking the bait, Zhou Yuan's expression darkened, but he still said, "If you change your mind, Junior Brother Xu, you can come find us anytime."

He hadn't expected Xu Yang to agree so quickly anyway. It was only his first day practicing martial arts, and he was still dreaming of becoming a martial artist. After a few days of getting his head bashed in, he would naturally change his mind.

In the blink of an eye, the afternoon passed. Xu Yang had repeated the cycle of practicing and resting without interruption, and he had no idea how much he'd sweated.

He only remembered drinking at least ten pounds of water. His body was sticky all over.

Of course, the results were gratifying. His practice of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance had gone from lasting only two or three minutes at first to lasting about five minutes at a time now, and many of its movements were beginning to flow together.

At that moment, his legs trembled as if he'd been beaten a dozen times. He dragged his exhausted body to the bathhouse and washed off the stench of sweat. By then, it was time for dinner.

This meal tasted even better than lunch, and he ate more, too.

A faint warmth spread from his stomach throughout his body, and the exhaustion gradually faded.

The people sitting together didn't speak. Everyone was utterly worn out. Even Lu Ren looked tired. Luo Dehu, who was usually bouncing all over the place, was as listless as an eggplant struck by frost, and he didn't feel like talking either.

To his surprise, although the Zhou brothers had made their offer sound so enticing earlier, he saw that no one sold their food when they sat down to eat.

Perhaps they were afraid the Huang Family would hold them accountable.

The Zhou brothers had offered a good price, and everyone had resisted the temptation. The main reason was probably the Huang Family.

After resting a little longer, everyone had regained some strength, so they got up together and left the dining hall.

Though things had turned unpleasant at noon, they still moved as a group, coming and going together.

Even the five who didn't have a Body-Strengthening Soup ration accompanied Xu Yang and the other four to the Medicine Hall to drink their soup. Then everyone left Wei Yuan Hall together.

By the time they stepped out of Wei Yuan Hall, dusk had already fallen.

"As expected of Body-Strengthening Soup that costs one silver tael for three bowls. It really is astonishingly effective."

The soup's effects began to kick in. Xu Yang felt his body grow hot, sweat break out, and his skin turn red.

As they walked, the group grew smaller. By the time they left the city, only the youth named Qian Jiaxing lived outside the city with him. Everyone else lived within its walls.

After walking a little farther, Qian Jiaxing headed in another direction, and the two parted ways.

By the time Xu Yang returned to White Stone Ward, barely any light remained in the world. The surroundings were silent, without even a dog barking.

After all, most people could barely feed themselves. How could they afford to keep a dog?

As soon as he opened the door, Xu Qing darted over and asked anxiously, "How did it go, big brother? Did you get picked?"

Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

Only she knew how much Xu Yang had suffered over the past six months to practice martial arts. His hands had never been free of blood blisters from Mining.

If he hadn't been picked, she couldn't imagine how devastated Xu Yang would be.

Xu Yang ruffled the little girl's hair and nodded firmly. "I got picked. My Bone Root still landed in the third tier. I've already spent a whole day practicing martial arts at Wei Yuan Hall."

"Ah... You got picked! That's wonderful!"

Xu Qing squealed with excitement, her shout piercing the night.

"Keep your voice down!" Xu Yang jumped in fright, then ruffled the little girl's hair again.

Only then did she quiet down a little, though she was still worked up. "Once you become a martial artist, you'll beat that annoying Yang Jun. Then we'll make Xu Laoer regret it until his guts turn green. We won't pay him any attention..."

"Mm!"

Xu Yang nodded firmly. "Go ahead and eat. You don't need to wait for me from now on. I'll be eating all three meals a day at Wei Yuan Hall."

Xu Qing nodded, picked up her bowl, and began eating.

Xu Yang sat down beside her. After thinking it over, he said, "For now, don't tell anyone that I've started practicing martial arts. If someone asks, tell them I went into the city for work."

If he told people he'd started practicing martial arts, there were two possible outcomes. First, it might intimidate Li Hu and make him stop pursuing Xu Qing.

But there was another possibility: Li Hu might fear that Xu Yang would become a martial artist and take revenge someday, and kill him before he had the chance.

Though everyone had spoken amicably earlier, in this part of White Stone Ward, given the chance, no one would hesitate to kill someone from the Tri-Union Gang.

The Tri-Union Gang lorded it over everyone, and one-fifth of what they earned each year was seized by the gang. Everyone hated them to the bone.

So the best thing to do was keep a low profile for now and wait until he'd made progress in his training.

"Mm!"

Xu Qing didn't know about any of that, but she wouldn't disobey Xu Yang.

At five in the morning, Xu Yang woke up.

Unlike the muscle soreness he used to feel the day after overworking himself at the Mine, he felt completely refreshed and full of energy. It even seemed as though he'd grown a little stronger.

The first thing Xu Yang did was look at the Martial Dao Longevity Panel.

[Martial Dao Longevity Points: 52]

"So many points!"

Yesterday, he'd taken part in the Huang Family's selection, learned the Turtle-Snake Great Stance at Wei Yuan Hall, and trained desperately all day. The points he'd earned exceeded his expectations. The panel had settled his rewards at fifty points.

In the past, it would have taken him almost two months to earn that many points.

His earlier guess had been right. Only by practicing martial arts could he truly make use of the panel.

Of course, he'd done a lot yesterday, and all of it had helped him pursue Martial Dao Longevity. That was why he'd received so many points at once. He probably wouldn't earn this many again unless he learned a new technique or did something else that helped him pursue Martial Dao Longevity.

"Other people have a one-in-ten chance of becoming a martial artist. I'm certain to become one."

The abundance of points gave Xu Yang tremendous confidence.

He climbed out of bed and ate the leftovers Xu Qing had left from yesterday to stave off his hunger. Then he sat on a stool and summoned the panel again.

[Comprehension: 21]

[Bone Root: 22]

[Cultivation: None]

[Technique: Turtle-Snake Great Stance · Not Initiated (0/5)]

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

[Remaining Lifespan: 57]

[Martial Dao Longevity Points: 52]