Predicament

Chen Jianghe had been at the martial arts hall for half a month now, and life had been fairly peaceful.

Every day, he did nothing but tirelessly practice the Three-Body Stance. Before dawn, he was already in the courtyard, training hard.

His muscles took turns aching, swelling, going numb, and hurting, as if his body were being taken apart and pieced back together.

He gritted his teeth, adjusted his breathing again and again, and felt for that faint sensation of his bones and muscles "opening up."

[Destiny:Heaven Rewards Diligence,Must Surely Succeed]

[Current Skill:Three-Body Stance (Not Yet Initiated)]

[Progress:20%]

[Effect:None]

Chen Jianghe finished his stance and leaned against a wooden post, panting heavily. He had no time to care about his aching body; his heart was full of worry.

The martial arts hall provided two meals a day, morning and evening: coarse-grain flatbread with pickled vegetables. They gave you enough to fill your belly, but nothing more.

Though Uncle Liu secretly slipped him scraps of meat, Chen Jianghe wrapped them in oiled paper and hid them beneath his bedding, then chewed a few bites with cold water at night.

He often bought meat to supplement his meals himself, but this was no long-term solution, and even that was nowhere near enough.

In just half a month, Chen Jianghe could already feel his body growing weak. His calves trembled violently when he held his stance. He had once been able to last half an hour, but now his vision went dark after only two quarters of an hour.

He knew his qi and blood were depleted. He needed plenty of meat and tonics. Otherwise, his body simply couldn't handle repeated, effective practice, and his progress would only slow further.

At noon that day, after training, he sat beneath the covered walkway to catch his breath. His hands and feet felt weak, and even his vision seemed hazy.

He felt the money pouch in his clothes. Of the five taels of silver he'd started with, almost none remained after buying meat to nourish himself. Martial arts really were a "gold-swallowing pit."

"Feel like your body's been hollowed out?" a calm voice asked from beside him.

Chen Jianghe looked up and saw Senior Brother He Shouzhuo. He hurried to rise, but He Shouzhuo waved him down.

He Shouzhuo squatted beside him. "That's normal. When you're changing strength, the old power's gone, but the new power hasn't yet been born. That's when your body's at its weakest. The food the hall provides definitely isn't enough. You'll have to find a way to nourish yourself."

Chen Jianghe felt the flat, empty money pouch in his clothes and said nothing.

He Shouzhuo saw the gesture and sighed. "That's how it is for people like us, born into poor families. When I first joined, I drained my family's savings just to scrape through the first three months. Things are a little better now, though."

He Shouzhuo reached into his clothes, took out a package wrapped in oiled paper, and pressed it into Chen Jianghe's hand. "Take it."

Chen Jianghe accepted it and opened the package. Inside was a coarse-flour flatbread mixed with a little minced meat. It was still slightly warm.

"Senior Brother, I can't—"

"Enough," He Shouzhuo cut him off. "I'm not giving it to you for free. Our hall is too quiet."

He squatted down again and looked at the few scattered senior brothers in the courtyard. His voice dropped. "You've seen it yourself. Including you, there are only eleven of us. Master's fees are cheap, but Xingyi Martial Arts Hall has long fallen into disrepair. And the 'changing strength' threshold of Xingyi Fist is high. Fewer than ten out of a hundred can get through it, let alone the three stages that come after. Which wealthy young master, with enough money to pay the tuition, would want to come here?"

He paused, then added, "Third Senior Brother is an exception, though. He's generous, and the eldest grandson of the Su Family Escort Agency in the Outer City. I think he came because he has some connection with Master, but I don't know the details."

Chen Jianghe held the meat flatbread in his hand. The oiled paper rustled softly in his palm.

He Shouzhuo tugged at the corner of his mouth, but his smile was bitter. "Over the years, people have come and gone like horses on a revolving lantern. Some couldn't last three months and left. Others made it through three months, then realized they'd need to eat more meat and spend more money from then on, so they left too."

He looked at Chen Jianghe. "Master doesn't say it, but he remembers. You're willing to work hard, and he can see the grit you show when you hold your stance."

He paused. "Keep going. Give our hall one more person."

Without waiting for Chen Jianghe to thank him, he turned and walked toward the back courtyard, his back looking a little forlorn.

Chen Jianghe held the flatbread, his throat bobbing.

After training that evening, Chen Jianghe dragged his aching, exhausted body toward Loach Bay.

The sunset dyed the river blood-red. Wisps of cooking smoke rose here and there from the boats at Loach Bay, mingling with the stink of fish and the damp smell of wood.

As he approached his shabby boat, he saw Lin standing at the bow, looking out for him. When she saw him return, she hurriedly waved. "Jianghe!"

Chen Jianghe jumped onto the deck, and Lin led him into the cabin. She brought a pottery bowl from beside the stove. Inside was half a bowl of fish soup, simmered until milky white, with a few wild greens floating on top.

"Drink up. We were lucky today and caught a crucian carp in the net." Lin pushed the bowl toward him.

Chen Jianghe looked at the soup, then at the fatigue she couldn't hide from her face, and didn't move.

"Mother, have you had any?"

Lin urged him, "I have, I have. There's more in the pot. Drink it while it's hot."

Chen Jianghe lifted the bowl. He drank the fish soup slowly, carefully swallowing every mouthful.

When he was done, he scraped up even the scraps at the bottom of the bowl before setting it down.

Lin looked at him, hesitating to speak.

"Mother, is something wrong?" Chen Jianghe asked.

Lin rubbed her hands together and lowered her voice. "The Black Tiger Gang came by again at noon."

Chen Jianghe's heart tightened. "What did they want?"

Lin knitted her brows. "They didn't say. They just walked around our boat a couple of times, took a few looks, and left. I can't shake this uneasy feeling. Everyone says what happened to Wang Biao was a gang feud, but who knows if they'll blame us lot for it?"

Chen Jianghe was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "They won't. Wang Biao's dead, so I figure someone else is taking over this territory. They're just checking the place out and getting a feel for things."

Lin sighed. "I know, I'm just scared. I heard there's also a 'Sun Moon Cult' that's been robbing people of their silver outside the city. The authorities never step in. Why can't people just live in peace in this world?"

"Don't worry, Mother," Chen Jianghe said. "Once I successfully change strength, I'll be an official disciple of the martial arts hall. Then they absolutely won't dare do anything to us."

Lin looked at him, her eyes reddening. In the end, she only nodded. "I believe you."

That night, Chen Jianghe lay on his bed, listening to the river slap against the boat outside the cabin as he calculated how much money he had left.

He'd paid ten taels to become a disciple, and over the past half month, he'd spent another three taels on energy and nourishment.

At this rate, he wouldn't even make it through the month. But he had to practice Xingyi Fist, and he had to succeed.

He turned over, facing the cabin wall.

The next day, the Outer City's street market hadn't fully packed up yet. A few food stalls had lit oil lamps, and the hazy yellow glow hung over the smell of cooking oil.

Chen Jianghe walked up to a butcher's shop. It was nearly closed for the day. Only a few pieces of pork belly, mostly fat, and a section of pork bone remained on the chopping block.

Chen Jianghe asked, "How much for the meat, boss?"

The shopkeeper was a burly man with a face full of flesh. He glanced at Chen Jianghe's martial arts uniform. "Pork belly's two hundred wen a pound."

Chen Jianghe felt his money pouch. "I'll take a pound of pork belly. Could you throw in that bone?"

The shopkeeper snorted. "Young man, this is a business, not a charity."

Even so, he cut off a piece of pork with a good balance of fat and lean, weighed it, and found it was exactly a pound. Then he casually tossed the nearly meatless bone from the chopping block into the oiled-paper wrapper. "All right. You look like a stranger around here, and like you practice martial arts. Take the scraps of bone home and make yourself some broth."

Chen Jianghe took the package and thanked him repeatedly.

He was just turning to leave when a burst of laughter rang out from across the street.

Several men in black short jackets swaggered over with their arms around one another's shoulders. At their head was a scar-faced man named Li Gouzi, one of the followers who'd gone with Wang Biao to Loach Bay that day.

Chen Jianghe's heart tightened. He lowered his head and hurried to go around them.

"Well, well! Isn't that the kid from Loach Bay?" Li Gouzi called mockingly. "Stop right there!"

As he spoke, the men spread out and blocked Chen Jianghe's way.

Chen Jianghe had no choice but to stop and lift his head. He arranged his face into an appropriate show of fear and ingratiation. "Lord Gou, were you calling me?"

Li Gouzi looked him up and down, his gaze settling on the oiled-paper package in his hand. "Buying meat?"

"Y-yes."

Li Gouzi grinned, baring a row of yellow teeth. "You're living pretty well, huh? Brother Biao's only been dead a few days, and you're already eating meat?"

The other followers burst into laughter.

Chen Jianghe hunched his shoulders and tried to hide the package against his chest. His voice trembled. "My mother isn't well, so I went to get some medicine. I bought the cheapest fatty meat while I was at it, to render out some oil and help nourish her."

Li Gouzi leaned closer, his breath reeking of wine. "Such a filial son. Your mother's sick, so why didn't you come to the Black Tiger Gang to borrow some money? We're the most loyal bunch around. If our neighbors are in trouble, of course we'll help them out!"

Chen Jianghe shrank back. "I wouldn't dare trouble you, sir."

Li Gouzi reached out and gave Chen Jianghe's shoulder a hard pat, laughing. "It's no trouble. We still haven't figured out what happened to Brother Biao. Isn't it strange? He'd just lent your family money, then someone went and killed him in an alley!"

He paused, watching Chen Jianghe's face turn deathly pale with satisfaction. "You didn't happen to see anything back then, did you? Hmm?"

Chen Jianghe's face blanched, and his voice quavered. "I... I don't know. Lord Gou, I swear!"

Li Gouzi stared at him for a few breaths, then suddenly burst out laughing and turned to the followers. "Look how scared the kid is."

He took his hand back and waved it. "All right, get lost. Remember, if you're in trouble, come to the Black Tiger Gang. We're the most loyal bunch around. And though Brother Biao's dead, that debt belongs to the gang. By the end of the month, we want every cent, principal and interest! We'll come to your mother ourselves to collect!"

Chen Jianghe bowed repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes! I'll pay it back for sure! I might even have to count on you, Lord Gou, to... to give me a little more time."

Li Gouzi nodded in satisfaction and laughed. "Ha! You know how to play the game after all. We're off."

Chen Jianghe didn't dare linger. He immediately ducked into the nearby alley with his head lowered, watching their backs as they left, his gaze cold.