The Nine Provinces Continent, Great Xia Dynasty, Yilin County.
The slaughterhouse in Shen Mansion reeked of blood, an overpowering stench that made people deeply uncomfortable. Yet the young man at work seemed not to smell a thing. He focused solely on sharpening his knife.
"Jianghe, hurry up and prepare those few yellow carp. The master's hosting a banquet soon and needs them. He specifically asked for fresh fish sashimi, so make sure you do it carefully!"
A broad, burly middle-aged man hurried in, carrying a dripping-wet bamboo basket. The several sizable yellow carp inside were still thrashing about.
The youth sharpening his knife immediately stood up and took the basket with a smile. "Don't worry, Uncle Liu."
Chen Jianghe moved with astonishing speed. He snatched a fish from the basket and rinsed it in clean water. Holding it up by the gills with his left hand, he took up the freshly sharpened knife in his right and deftly struck the fish on the head with the back of the blade. It went limp at once.
With a few deft strokes, he scaled it, gutted it, and removed the bones. The knife tip darted about, and the clean flesh came away in whole fillets. He wiped off the blood, then let the blade rise and fall, turning the fish into even, thin slices that he arranged on a platter of ice.
The entire process flowed like water, with a beauty all its own!
Uncle Liu stood nearby with his arms folded, unable to keep from exclaiming, "Jianghe! Your fish-cutting skills really are something. Clean, quick, and not a scrap wasted. No one in the mansion makes fish sashimi as well as you!"
Then Uncle Liu sighed and lowered his voice. "It's a shame your father was only a concubine-born son. Your family... ah. Take an old man's advice: don't go dreaming about learning martial arts and all that. With your skill, keep working hard here at Shen Mansion. I'll put in a good word with the head steward when the time comes. Once your three-year short-term contract ends, you can switch to a long-term one. Then you'll be in charge of the mansion's butcher's counter. Your monthly pay could rise to four hundred coins, far more than you get as a casual laborer. You could support your mother, save up for a few years, and find yourself a wife. At least then your life could be stable. In this world, there's nothing better than a steady job in the mansion."
Chen Jianghe was carefully wiping down the workbench and knives with a damp cloth. At that, he smiled and replied, "I understand, Uncle Liu!"
Uncle Liu patted Chen Jianghe on the shoulder and spoke earnestly. "In this world, there's nothing better than earning a steady living in the mansion. Those martial arts schools outside might sound impressive, but the apprenticeship fee alone is ten taels of silver! And that's before you count the monthly cost of meals and lodging, medicinal baths, equipment... It's a bottomless pit, Jianghe. People like us can't afford to take that gamble."
Of course, Chen Jianghe understood.
Three years ago, he had transmigrated into the body of a youth who shared his name. The original Chen Jianghe was an illegitimate son of the Chen Family in Yilin County. His father had taken the place of his legitimate elder brother to perform corvée labor, and had never returned. His mother and he had been left behind, barely making a living through her fishing-net weaving. Later, he had entered Shen Mansion as a short-term laborer, and finally gained a steady source of income.
The Great Xia Dynasty was steeped in martial culture, and the martial examinations offered a rare path to advancement. As an illegitimate son of low status, his path to learning martial arts was fraught with obstacles. But Chen Jianghe was different. Deep in his consciousness, a fate hung suspended:
[Life Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence, and Success Is Certain]
[Current Skill: Butchery (Great Accomplishment)]
[Progress: 3%]
[Effect: Perceive muscles, bones, joints, and vital points]
For the past three years, he had worked as a short-term laborer in Shen Mansion's slaughterhouse. He had gone from barely being able to hold a knife to reaching the "Great Accomplishment" stage, like a butcher who could carve up an ox with effortless skill. He owed it to the daily accumulation and endless knife practice that his fate had made possible.
As long as he devoted himself wholeheartedly to a particular "skill," that skill would keep advancing.
Beginner, Minor Accomplishment, Great Accomplishment. And beyond that, even higher achievements awaited him to unlock.
Chen Jianghe had long since realized that in this chaotic age, only by mastering true power could he change his fate.
Learning martial arts was his only way out.
For the past three years, he had scrimped and saved, setting aside his wages, but he was still a little short on silver.
After tidying everything up, Chen Jianghe said to Uncle Liu, "Uncle Liu, I'll be off. I've finished all today's work."
"Go on. Be careful on the way. Things haven't been peaceful around Crooked Head Alley lately. I hear the Black Tiger Gang and the Iron Hand Gang have already clashed several times over the docks and warehouses."
He patted Chen Jianghe on the shoulder again and spoke earnestly. "Jianghe, think over what I said. Staying at Shen Mansion is a steady line of work. Learning martial arts means gambling your life for a future, and fewer than one in ten make it. Your mother has only you to rely on. Don't do anything foolish."
Seeing the sincere concern in Uncle Liu's eyes, Chen Jianghe felt a warmth in his heart and nodded. "I understand, Uncle Liu."
Then he took off his bloodstained apron, changed into his own patched coarse-cloth clothes, and left the slaughterhouse.
The setting sun had already begun to sink, stretching the towering rear walls of Shen Mansion into long shadows.
He circled around to the side gate and left Shen Mansion through a small postern, stepping onto the streets of Yilin County's Outer City.
Compared with the Outer City's squalor and chaos, the area around Shen Mansion was relatively clean. But the farther he went toward Loach Bay, the worse the scene became.
The flagstones on the road had long since crumbled. Black-green water filled the potholes, giving off a pungent stench.
Unknown rubbish was piled along the road, and swarms of flies buzzed overhead. Ragged beggars huddled in corners, while a few men in short jackets, their faces fierce, passed by with their arms around each other's shoulders.
Chen Jianghe kept his head down and quickened his pace. He had to get back to Loach Bay before nightfall. At night, the Outer City belonged to warring gangs and marauding bandits.
After passing through several narrow alleys, he neared the river. Loach Bay was just ahead.
Loach Bay was a shantytown on the water, formed from countless rickety fishing boats, skiffs, and even bamboo rafts lashed together. It was crowded with poor fishermen like his family, all struggling to survive.
From a distance, he could already see the two old boats his family owned, tied together with hemp rope and scraps of cloth.
But a figure seemed to be moving on the bow.
Chen Jianghe's heart sank, and he quickened his pace!
On the gangplank at the bow, his mother, Lin, stooped over her frail frame as she tremulously handed out a small coin purse patched all over.
Three men stood before her. The one in front was a fellow in his twenties, wearing a black short jacket open at the chest to reveal a hideous, centipede-like knife scar. He was Wang Biao, in charge of collecting the "water-lantern fee" for the Black Tiger Gang in this area.
Lin kept her head bowed, not daring to meet his eyes. "M-Master Biao, this month's 'water-lantern fee,' three hundred coins. It's all here."
Wang Biao took the purse and weighed it in his hand, but didn't leave.
He cast a sidelong glance at her, baring a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Auntie Lin, this doesn't look like the right amount."
Lin froze, then looked up in panic. "W-What do you mean? It was three hundred coins last month too!"
Wang Biao toyed with the purse and spoke slowly. "Last month was last month. The gang's laid down new rules. Starting this month, the 'water-lantern fee' is charged per person. How many people are in your family?"
Lin's face went pale. "J-Just Jianghe and me..."
"Two?"
Wang Biao sneered. "What about your husband, Chen Yuanshan? He's missing, sure, but no one's seen him alive or dead, so his name's still on the books, isn't it? By the rules, he has to pay too. Three people, a hundred and fifty coins each. That comes to four hundred and fifty coins."
Lin exclaimed, "Four hundred and fifty coins?!"
Lin's legs gave way, and she nearly fell. She hurriedly caught hold of the boat's canopy. "Master Biao, I... I really can't afford that! My son and I can barely afford to eat rice bran!"
Wang Biao stepped closer, a smile on his face. "Come now, Auntie Lin, don't pretend to be poor. Everyone knows your son works at Shen Mansion. And what kind of place is Shen Mansion? A few crumbs slipping through their fingers would be enough to feed you both."
The two lackeys behind him joined in the laughter.
Tears welled in Lin's eyes. "Master Biao, I'm not pretending to be poor. It really is..."
Wang Biao cut her off, his smile deepening. "If you really don't have enough, I can lend you some. Our Black Tiger Gang values loyalty above all; we'd never leave our neighbors in a bind. How about this? I'll lend you a hundred and fifty coins at a daily interest rate of two coins. Every last detail will be clear. Once you've saved enough next month, just pay me back, principal and interest."