I Always Keep My Word!

In the bare little house, the grandfather and two grandchildren lay on the rock-hard kang bed.

Little sister Qin Lan had fallen asleep shortly after lying down.

Not only had her little belly been filled today, but her brother was beside her too. The little girl slept especially peacefully and sweetly.

Qin Yao, meanwhile, chatted quietly with his grandfather.

Ever since Qin Yao had been convicted and banished, dark clouds had hung over the entire family.

They ate poorly, wore thin clothes, and never got enough sleep. The road ahead was pitch-black—how could they have had the leisure to chat before bed?

But today was different!

When Qin Yao took off his clothes and revealed his sturdy, muscular body, his grandfather finally believed that he truly handled himself with ease at the mine.

And for mine slaves, as long as they completed their daily quota, they could generally eat their fill.

Furthermore, in Old Master Qin's eyes, his grandson had truly done him proud. Not only could he help other mine slaves, but after exceeding his quota, he could earn several extra portions of food!

With that, they would not have to worry about going hungry for the time being.

Still, Old Master Qin earnestly warned Qin Yao that, with his current status as a mine slave, even if he had some ability, he must never show it off!

Only by knowing how to hide one's talents could one go far in this land where the strong preyed on the weak.

Qin Yao wholeheartedly agreed.

"By the way, Grandpa, I remember that you were a martial artist when you were young?"

"That was all from ages ago!"

Old Master Qin shook his head with a sigh. "Thirty years ago, this old man's dantian suffered a devastating blow, and all my cultivation was reduced to nothing.

"Still, thanks to the foundation I built through martial training in my youth, this old body of mine is rather sturdy compared to others my age!"

"Of course. Lan'er and I have you to thank for where we are today. For ten years without a single day off, you did hard labor to earn that bitter money."

"Ah, why bring that up?"

The old master waved a hand as though it were nothing. "This old man has no great wishes. As long as I can raise you and Lan'er until you are grown before I close my eyes, my wish will be fulfilled!"

"Listen to you—you're going to live to a hundred... no, that's not right. You're a blessed old man who'll live a thousand years!

"Your grandson is still counting on becoming capable someday and honoring you properly!"

"'Live a thousand years'? Hehehe."

Old Master Qin laughed, amused. "As the old saying goes, 'A turtle lives a thousand years, a tortoise ten thousand.' Wouldn't that make your grandpa a turtle?"

After grandfather and grandson traded jokes for a while, Qin Yao returned to the point. "Grandpa, can you teach me martial arts?

"I know that with my 'innately crippled meridians,' the path of martial arts has effectively been cut off from me.

"But mining has made your grandson realize that my ability to learn and adapt is still worth praising!

"If there were a cultivation method or martial skill for me to learn...

"Even if I have no martial meridians and can only copy the gourd by looking at the gourd—imitating the surface—perhaps if I practice long enough, I might still develop something?

"Even if I only end up learning a few crude farmer's moves, it would at least keep others from bullying us whenever they pleased!"

Old Master Qin said, "Your thinking is sound, but the Qin Family's methods are divided into internal and external styles.

"The internal methods are profound. Because this old man came from a collateral branch of the Qin Family, no matter how outstanding I was in my youth, I was only permitted to practice external methods.

"External methods are comparatively simple, but they still require an experienced martial instructor to teach them hand in hand; then you must follow the illustrated manuals, standardizing every movement step by step and pondering every link one by one.

"Now, we have no illustrated manuals, and this crippled body of mine cannot demonstrate the movements properly.

"If you rashly follow along and your movements are improper, it would be easy to go astray and harm yourself instead!"

"I see..."

Qin Yao felt a touch of regret.

Old Master Qin patted his grandson's hand and consoled him. "Child, you needn't be disheartened.

"Thanks to you, our family basically won't have to worry about food from now on, so Grandpa can save up his wages.

"Once I save enough, I'll go to Tiger Head Martial Hall in East Village and buy an introductory illustrated manual for external arts for you to practice!"

"No, no, Grandpa, there's no need for that. It's too wasteful!"

Qin Yao repeatedly waved his hands. "Winter is almost here, and the Northern Territory is bitterly cold. Once you earn some money, you should first buy winter clothes.

"There's no rush to learn martial arts. I only asked casually."

"Good grandson, don't worry. Tiger Head Martial Hall's martial arts illustrated manuals are very cheap.

"When this old man passed by carrying loads at noon, I heard people mention that the bamboo slips only depict basic exercises for strengthening the body through martial arts, along with the first stance of Tiger-Fighting Fist."

"Tiger Head Martial Hall isn't afraid of people learning from them. On the contrary, they hope more people will learn, which is why they deliberately sell the methods so cheaply."

"Something like that actually exists?"

Qin Yao found it novel.

Logically speaking, in this world where martial arts could reach the divine, whether clans or martial halls, if they had anything genuinely worthwhile in their hands, which of them did not guard it tightly?

They all feared outsiders would secretly learn it, then turn around and compete with them for resources someday!

Stroking his beard, Old Master Qin said, "It is because in Tang Family Village, there are not many who are willing to pay the martial hall one tael of silver every month to learn martial arts.

"Those families who could casually afford that sum, on the other hand, would not be willing to learn there!

"Because they were already relatives of martial artists. They learned at home—why would they spend money needlessly at a martial hall?

"After all, Thunder Tiger, the chief instructor of Tiger Head Martial Hall, was only at the second layer of the Body Tempering Realm...

"So he came up with an idea: draw the basics and the first stance onto bamboo scrolls, then sell them off cheaply.

"Once people bought them, practiced according to them, and got a taste of the benefits, they would want to pay to join the martial hall and learn the later moves, as well as the most important part—the mental method."

"So that's how it is."

Qin Yao said with a faint smile, "That Thunder Tiger really understands marketing!"

"What ting?"

Grandpa looked utterly baffled.

"Oh, nothing. Your grandson meant that the martial hall's chief instructor has quite a head for business."

It had been three years since he crossed over, yet Qin Yao still occasionally blurted out words from his previous life out of habit.

"Mm, it's getting late. You still have to go down into the mine tomorrow, so hurry and rest."

"Alright."

He slept soundly through the night.

The next day.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang..."

The roosters had only just begun to crow when the urgent sound of copper gongs exploded through the western part of the village.

Before Qin Yao left, Old Master Qin could not help reminding him again, "Child, now that your health has improved, you no longer need those nourishing medicinal soups. The spare money we have on hand is enough to buy several meals."

"So do only as much work as your strength allows at the mine. Don't overexert yourself and get hurt, understand?"

"I know, Grandpa. Don't worry!"

Before long, Qin Yao and the others returned to Ding Mine Pit.

By the time his hand ropes and ankle shackles were removed, food was already being handed out in the gravel plaza.

It was still Coarse Pancake with rotten vegetable-leaf soup, yet in the eyes of most mine slaves, it was no different from a lavish feast!

That was because this morning meal was the "guaranteed meal" that they could all have every day.

After all, mine slaves had to put in tremendous labor digging ore. They could not work if they ate nothing in the morning.

As for whether there would be food for the next two meals, that depended on whether they had done enough work...

In fact, the mere fact that there were "three meals a day" was enough to make many impoverished lower-class families green with envy!

Some households even had their men voluntarily become mine slaves just for the chance to eat a full meal.

Yet how could they have imagined that among this vast number of mine slaves, those who could truly eat three full meals every day were few and far between.

The work quotas here were simply too heavy. Once one came up even a little short, a whipping and an empty stomach were unavoidable!

When the next shift began, whether you had been beaten lame or starved half to death, you still had to grit your teeth and keep working...

"Big Brother Qin."

"Morning, Brother Yao."

Little Liuzi and the others whom Qin Yao had helped yesterday all came over to greet him.

Qin Yao returned each greeting in turn.

Only Zhao Jian covered his stomach and glared viciously at Qin Yao.

That punch yesterday had nearly made him vomit up bile!

After a night had passed, the fellow was so hungry that his chest clung to his back, and he had been eagerly waiting to gorge himself.

Soon, Zhao Jian finally received the breakfast he had been longing for.

Just as he was about to dig in, he suddenly noticed a figure approaching—who else could it be but Qin Yao?

Zhao Jian's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to call for the overseer, Qin Yao snatched away the food in his hands.

"Fuck, yesterday's whipping wasn't enough for you, was it?!"

Zhao Jian put on a fierce front despite his trembling heart. "If you fucking dare touch me again, you'll get—"

Bang!

Qin Yao did not wait for him to finish. He stepped forward and drove a heavy, powerful punch straight into his gut!

"Urgh..."

Zhao Jian clutched his stomach once more and dropped to his knees.

Qin Yao looked down at him with icy eyes, every word cold as frost. "I told you, it isn't so easy to owe me a debt.

"Even if I get whipped every day, I'll make sure you can't eat a single meal in peace!

"I always keep my word!"