Awakening

Mottled brick walls and a dilapidated roof of blue tiles.

A hemp mosquito net hung over him, and he was covered by a quilt that smelled faintly of mold.

Li Chuan felt somewhat dazed.

He remembered staying up late for overtime, exhausted to the point of collapse.

He had only intended to take a short nap.

He never expected that with one blink of his eyes, he would transmigrate.

"Chuan'er, you're awake!"

A voice filled with pleasant surprise reached his ears.

Li Chuan lifted his head and saw a woman in coarse hemp clothing with hair turning gray, walking toward him while carrying a ceramic bowl.

"Mother."

Li Chuan called out instinctively.

His mother, Wang Xiumei, looked at him with heartache as she fed him a spoonful of medicine:

"How many times have I told you? Even when you're training at the martial arts school, you must take care of your health. Wear more clothes and don't try to be a hero."

"Look at you, catching this cold. You scared your grandparents half to death; they rushed over to see you."

Li Chuan lowered his head and drank the bitter medicinal liquid as memories surged through his mind.

The original owner's family was considered well-off in the surrounding villages.

They owned two shops in the outer city; one was used to run a breakfast stall, and the other was rented out.

Ever since it was discovered that the protagonist had the aptitude for martial arts and the potential to earn a title through the martial examinations, the entire family had pinned all their hopes on him.

His grandfather had resolutely sold one of the shops to send the original owner to the martial arts school.

However, instead of working hard and diligently practicing, the original owner had become infatuated with a female disciple at the school named Jiang Ting!

He constantly found ways to squeeze money out of his family, only to lavishly spend it on rouge and powder for Jiang Ting to win her favor.

This cold wasn't caused by catching a chill as his mother thought!

It was because the original owner had treated Jiang Ting and several other senior brothers to a meal, gotten dead drunk, and slipped into a pond on his way home.

Jiang Ting, having enjoyed his meal, remained indifferent, busy flirting with another disciple.

The dual blow to his spirit and body had caused the original owner to perish.

Li Chuan cursed him silently as a pathetic simp.

A simp who simps to the end usually ends up with nothing!

The original owner was truly stupid; he couldn't even see that Jiang Ting was treating him entirely as a walking ATM!

Relying on the support of his entire family to enter the martial arts school, he had possessed a heaven-defying chance to change his fate, yet he didn't know how to cherish it.

Li Chuan was left speechless.

Once one masters martial arts, what kind of woman can't they find?

It was pitiful that his grandparents and mother were still kept in the dark, believing he was doing well at the school and was deeply favored by his teachers.

They dreamed that one day, Li Chuan would earn an official position, reducing the family's taxes and exempting them from corvée labor.

"Chuan'er, rest more in bed. Mother is going to make your favorite braised pork."

Li Chuan looked at his mother's weary face and sighed inwardly.

A year ago, his father and uncle were taken away for forced labor.

The burden of supporting the family fell squarely on his mother's shoulders.

Running a breakfast stall was no easy task.

She had to rise before the rooster crowed every day to prepare ingredients, and the few coins she earned through hard work were often extorted by patrolling officers.

In just one year, his mother seemed to have aged ten years.

Her once-black hair had turned half-gray, making her look like a woman in her fifties or sixties.

To earn the expenses for Li Chuan's martial arts training, his mother never complained once, no matter how bitter or exhausting it was.

Mothers in this world seemed to be the same, sparing no effort for their children.

Li Chuan continued to search through his memories and discovered that the original owner hadn't been self-destructive from the start.

It was only after repeated failures and being crushed by discouragement that he had become this way.

On the path of martial arts, aptitude is paramount.

Aptitude is like the "talent" from his previous life.

Those without talent are destined to struggle to reach the peak of any profession.

Li Chuan possessed lower-tier aptitude—neither good nor bad, merely mediocre.

The probability of successfully breaking through the barrier to become a martial artist was one or two in ten.

The earnest hopes of his family were, in all likelihood, destined to come to nothing.

However... he was a little different.

Li Chuan narrowed his eyes as a panel flickered before him.

[Primordial Jade Record]

[Effect: Record techniques; diligent practice will surely lead to success!]

[Li Chuan]

[Mountain-Holding Stance (Entry)]

[Proficiency: 100/500]

The Primordial Jade Record was something he had obtained from Dragon-Tiger Mountain in his past life, and it had traveled with him across the void.

Li Chuan keenly sensed the terrifying potential of this panel.

With the Primordial Jade Record, it means that as long as I work hard to practice the Mountain-Holding Stance, I can break through, ignoring the limitations of my natural talent!

If he started practicing martial arts seriously from now on, there was still time!

Li Chuan had just climbed out of bed and was preparing to stretch his limbs when he heard a commotion outside the door.

Wang Xiumei's face showed panic, but upon seeing Li Chuan, she feigned composure and said:

"Chuan'er, this has nothing to do with you. Your grandparents and I will handle it."

Knowing that something had happened outside, Li Chuan could not just sit idly by.

Following Wang Xiumei outside, he saw several burly men standing with their arms crossed, their expressions cold and sharp.

"Liu Hu, our family relies on that shop to make a living; it is absolutely impossible for us to sell it to you!"

Li Chuan's grandfather, Li Nian, said with a flushed face.

Liu Hu, who had a scar on the corner of his mouth, chuckled and said:

"Li Nian, why are you so angry? It's not like I'm not paying you."

Upon hearing this, Li Nian was choked with indignation:

"A shop in the outer city is worth at least thirty taels. You're offering five—do you call that money? That's robbery!"

Liu Hu stopped smiling and narrowed his eyes:

"Li Nian, I don't like the way you're talking."

"It's not that I want this shop; it's Gang Leader Cao Yan who wants it."

"The Gang Leader wants to open a restaurant in the city and is buying several shops to connect them into one block. Yours is the only one missing!"

"You can refuse to sell to me, but if you delay Gang Leader Cao's business, can you afford the consequences?"

Cao Yan was the leader of the Black Bear Gang, and in the outer city of Anning County, he was considered a major figure.

Liu Hu was a member of the Black Bear Gang, and by bringing up the Gang Leader's name, his words were laced with threats.

Li Nian's face turned pale.

If it were only Liu Hu trying to use force, he could simply refuse.

But with Gang Leader Cao behind him...

Yet, at an offer of only five taels, if he sold the shop, how would the whole family survive?

Li Nian glanced at Li Chuan, sighing incessantly in his heart.

Even if they could go back to farming the fields, how could they afford the expenses for Chuan'er's martial arts training?

He had heard Chuan'er say that in a little while, he would have hope of breaking through the barrier...

For a moment, Li Nian's mind was in turmoil.

Seeing the hesitation on Li Nian's face, Liu Hu knew he had achieved his goal for this trip.

He didn't expect to force Li Nian into submission with a single act of pressure.

Changing a person's mind required a gradual approach.

At worst, he could raise the offer to ten taels; after all, Gang Leader Cao had given him thirty taels of silver...

The more he could suppress the price, the more silver would end up in his own pocket.

Thinking of this, Liu Hu returned to his previous grinning demeanor:

"Li Nian, I'll give you a month to consider it. Once you've thought it through, I'll come back to find you."

"Remember not to let my brothers return empty-handed; they won't be happy."

Liu Hu said with a meaningful tone.

Before leaving, he glanced at Li Chuan.

He hadn't dared to offend Li Nian before, having heard that Li Chuan had joined the Pine Wind Martial Hall.

After all, even though Li Chuan had inferior talent, there was still a glimmer of hope for him to break through.

If he truly became a martial artist, he would be someone he couldn't afford to offend.

It was only after hearing rumors that Li Chuan was lazy and incompetent at the martial hall, and that he would be leaving in a month with no hope of breaking through, that he had begun to harbor these crooked thoughts.