The Great Dao Is Simplicity, Archery, Pasture City

Yu Kingdom.

Qing Prefecture, Pasture City.

It was the end of the year.

The eastern street was crowded with people coming and going.

Vegetable sellers, bun sellers, tofu sellers, meat sellers, and noodle sellers lined both sides of the street, their shops standing one after another.

There were also peddlers carrying their wares on shoulder poles, and vendors selling candied hawthorns.

It was exceptionally lively.

On the left side of the street, a modest breakfast shop displayed a sign reading "Zhen's Noodle Shop."

Two or three customers sat inside the shop, eating noodles.

"Hello, what would you like to eat? I have plain noodles, egg noodles..."

The proprietress, Sister Zhen, was around twenty-three or twenty-four. Full-chested and pretty-faced, she was cooking noodles as she warmly called out to passing customers.

Among the pedestrians, a youth of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in clothes washed white with wear and wearing a sickly pallor, hurried toward the western street.

"Changsheng, where are you going?"

Sister Zhen had sharp eyes and immediately called out.

"Sister Zhen, I'm going to get some medicine."

The youth halted and turned to answer.

"Come in and sit down. Have a bowl of noodles first."

Sister Zhen set down her bamboo noodle strainer and spoke warmly.

"No, Sister Zhen, I've already eaten."

Lin Changsheng shook his head. A bowl of noodles cost four copper coins. After getting his medicine, he planned to go home and cook some coarse grain for himself.

He had transmigrated here over a month ago.

Both his parents had died, leaving behind three tiled rooms and a small amount of savings.

Yet this body was frail, plagued by chest tightness and shortness of breath, sickly all the time. Those meager savings were nearly gone, and even the physicians could not identify the cause. He still could not do any work, and no one wanted him when he went looking for it. To save money, he cooked all his meals at home.

Having transmigrated into a sickly body, Lin Changsheng had once felt deeply depressed.

However.

As time passed, he gradually came to terms with it. Being alive and having a healthy body was better than anything. If he died again, Lin Changsheng did not believe he would get another chance to transmigrate.

"If you've eaten, then have a little more. Big sister is treating you. The noodles are already cooked—letting them go to waste would be such a pity!"

Sister Zhen ran out, grabbed Lin Changsheng's hand, and pulled him inside.

"This... I eat here so often already. It's embarrassing..."

Lin Changsheng scratched his head. He had eaten quite a few bowls of Sister Zhen's noodles, after all. Small businesses had it hard too.

"Why are you being so polite with your big sister?"

Sister Zhen pulled Lin Changsheng into the noodle shop, pressed him into a seat against the wall, then turned to scoop out the noodles.

"Changsheng, here, the noodles are ready."

Before long, Sister Zhen brought over a steaming bowl of vegetarian noodles. The broth was white, with chopped scallions, a few leafy greens, and a braised egg.

"Sister Zhen, you gave me an extra braised egg too. This..."

Lin Changsheng stirred through the vegetarian noodles with his chopsticks as he spoke.

"That's big sister's treat. You've helped me plenty too."

Sister Zhen looked at Lin Changsheng and smiled faintly.

"Thank you, Sister Zhen."

Warmth rose in Lin Changsheng's heart.

Actually.

Sister Zhen had a hard fate as well. Her husband had died the year before last, and she had been left alone to care for her child and mother-in-law. She opened Zhen's Noodle Shop to make a living. Over the past month, whenever she saw him, she would pull him in for noodles, always finding one excuse or another to treat him.

As for helping her.

Lin Changsheng had merely watched Yan Zhen's child for a few days.

"Sister Zhen, I'm done eating."

Lin Changsheng finished the noodles in a few bites, rose to his feet, and said so to Sister Zhen.

"Changsheng, come help out at the noodle shop tomorrow. Big sister can't keep up with the noodle business by herself."

Sister Zhen glanced at Lin Changsheng and said.

"This..."

Hearing that, Lin Changsheng naturally knew his own circumstances. The body he had transmigrated into was sickly, and after more than a month of seeing physicians, it still had not improved. No one wanted him when he sought work. If he came to help at the noodle shop, Sister Zhen would probably have to take care of him instead!

"Changsheng, stop hesitating. Come first thing tomorrow morning!"

Seeing Lin Changsheng's concerns, Sister Zhen immediately waved a hand.

"Then, thank you, Sister Zhen!"

Lin Changsheng nodded and did not stand on ceremony any longer.

Given his current situation, he truly needed to find work, fill his stomach, and survive first.

Lin Changsheng bid Sister Zhen farewell. The moment he stepped out of the noodle shop, three loafing young men with eagle tattoos on their chests approached him. The eldest-looking one in the lead was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with buck teeth and an upturned nose. Looking at Lin Changsheng, he said, "Lin Changsheng, it's the end of the month. Time to pay your monthly silver."

Lin Changsheng knew that the buck-toothed youth was a member of Pasture City's Green Snake Gang. His name was Tie Yang, and he was responsible for collecting protection money on this street.

"Alright."

Lin Changsheng fished around in his pocket, took out two copper coins, and handed them to the youth.

The Green Snake Gang occupied Pasture City's eastern street. Every month, residents, roadside shops, peddlers, and street singers all had to pay varying amounts of protection money.

"The gang leader said that starting this month, the monthly silver has gone up."

"You still owe one copper coin."

Tie Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Alright."

Lin Changsheng's expression did not change. He took out another copper coin and handed it over.

The original owner's parents had both died, leaving some savings behind. Lin Changsheng had used them to treat his illness, but after more than a month, his condition had shown no improvement while the savings had nearly been exhausted.

Refuse to pay protection money?

The Green Snake Gang was not easy to reason with. Lin Changsheng had heard that a month ago, a young man who relied on his youth and strength refused to pay. On the third day, he was found dead after supposedly throwing himself into the river. There had also been a street singer who was too slow in taking out his money and had three ribs broken.

Sickly as he was, if he wanted to survive in this world, he could only swallow his pride and bend for now.

"You're a sensible kid!"

"Three coins next month too! Don't forget!"

Tie Yang patted Lin Changsheng on the shoulder with a satisfied expression, then went door to door collecting protection money.

"Huh? What's this?"

"A golden... finger?"

Suddenly, Lin Changsheng saw a translucent panel with a pale white glow appear in the corner of his vision.

Filled with excitement, Lin Changsheng hurried back to his three tiled rooms. Only after bolting the door did he sit on the bed. With a thought, the pale blue panel appeared once more.

[The Great Dao Is Simplicity: Level 1]

[Lin Changsheng: 16/55]

[Cultivation: None]

[Techniques: None]

[Skills: None]

[Consume a certain amount of silver to simplify cultivation techniques, martial skills, and more.]

[Status: Yin energy invading the body]

"Yin energy invading the body! No wonder!"

Seeing the status line on the panel, Lin Changsheng was startled.

The physicians had been unable to cure his illness because he had been contaminated by yin energy!

However, with this panel, he should be able to expel the yin energy. There was hope for his body to return to normal!

"Consume a certain amount of silver to simplify cultivation techniques and martial skills?"

Lin Changsheng stared at the panel, lost in thought.

He had no silver.

However.

Lin Changsheng remembered that the original owner's mother had left behind, as bottom-of-the-chest dowry, a pair of jade bracelets, a pair of jade thumb rings, and a pair of white jade pendants. He could take some of them to a pawnshop to tide himself over. Before gaining strength, he had not dared to try. The moment he took those items to a pawnshop for silver, Tie Yang of the Green Snake Gang would surely find out.

He had no cultivation techniques or martial skills either.

Martial arts experts kept their own martial knowledge tightly under wraps. However, if he wanted to learn martial cultivation techniques and skills, he could go to the Iron Hand Martial School in the city. He had heard that as long as one had silver, one could enter and receive instruction in martial arts cultivation!

Lin Changsheng had heard that the entry fee for Iron Hand Martial School was ten taels of silver.

He would have to find a way to get silver first.

Lin Changsheng's home was two li behind Zhen's Noodle Shop.

The next day, before dawn, he arrived at the noodle shop to help. The shop could rest in the afternoon.

"Changsheng, go to my house and bring me the rolling pin from the courtyard."

Sister Zhen was kneading dough when she turned to Lin Changsheng and spoke.

"Alright."

Lin Changsheng nodded and headed to Sister Zhen's home. Her house was two li behind the noodle shop, a small courtyard with three tiled rooms. He pushed open the iron gate and searched the courtyard for the rolling pin.

"A bow?"

Suddenly, Lin Changsheng spotted a dust-covered bow in the corner of the courtyard. It looked sturdy. Lin Changsheng had loved bows and arrows since childhood and had even made one himself from bamboo and hemp rope, so he was immediately curious when he saw it.

Lin Changsheng picked it up, drew the empty string, aimed into the distance, and struck an archery pose, casually plucking the string a few times.

He then examined the hunting bow with great reluctance to part from it before setting it down, finding the rolling pin, and heading back to the shop.

"Skill Archery detected. Would you like to spend one tael of silver to simplify Archery?"

Suddenly, Lin Changsheng saw a message pop up on the panel at the corner of his vision, along with "Yes" and "No" buttons.

The panel displayed: [Skill: Archery]

"I only plucked the bowstring a few times, and I got Archery?"

"Spend one tael of silver to simplify Archery? What would it become after simplification?"

Lin Changsheng's eyes widened. He was both astonished and expectant.

"It seems I can only take part of the jade bracelets, jade thumb rings, and white jade pendants to a pawnshop in the western district."

After thinking it over repeatedly, Lin Changsheng said inwardly.

He only had a little over two hundred copper coins at present.

Those jade bracelets.

If he disposed of them at a pawnshop on the eastern street, Tie Yang would definitely hear of it.

The western district was not Green Snake Gang territory.

To be safe, he planned to sell them off in batches.

That afternoon.

Lin Changsheng put on a large hat and loose clothing, lowered the brim, and took one jade bracelet along with a pair of white jade pendants to Timely Rain Pawnshop in Pasture City's western district. He sold them outright for seven taels of silver. After taking winding turns all the way and confirming no one was following him, he finally returned home to the eastern street.

After all, in these times, seven taels of silver was enough to cover a family of three's expenses for a year and a half. It was best to be cautious.

Once home, Lin Changsheng impatiently bolted the door.

"Simplify Archery!"

Lin Changsheng reached out and selected "Yes."

After the simplification succeeded, a prompt appeared on the panel.

[The Great Dao Is Simlicity: Level 1]

[Lin Changsheng: 16/55]

[Cultivation: Unranked 0/100]

[Techniques: None]

[Skills: Archery (Beginner 0/100)]

[Consume a certain amount of silver to simplify cultivation techniques, martial skills, and more.]

[Status: Yin energy invading the body]

"An Archery skill progress bar appeared? Does that mean... as long as I touch a bow, I can increase the progress?"

Lin Changsheng's eyes lit up. He thought of the bow at Sister Zhen's house. He had heard her say it was used by her husband for hunting while he was alive. Should he bring that bow back and stroke it to see?

"Changsheng, if you want to practice archery, take it."

At Sister Zhen's home, when Yan Zhen heard that Lin Changsheng wanted the bow abandoned in the corner, she immediately took it out and gave it to him.

"Thank you, Sister Zhen!"

Lin Changsheng accepted the bow, bade Yan Zhen farewell, and quickly returned home. He tried touching the bow once.

At once, he discovered that the information on the panel had increased by one point: [Skill: Archery (Beginner 1/100)].

Lin Changsheng immediately held the bow in his left hand and gently stroked it with his right. The Archery skill surged upward, climbing from Beginner to Proficient before long!

[Skill: Archery (Proficient 1/500)]

At the same time, a wealth of experience concerning techniques and methods of archery appeared in Lin Changsheng's mind and fused with his consciousness.

At that moment.

Lin Changsheng felt as though he had practiced archery for half a year!

At the same time, his eyesight and hearing improved considerably. Even his strength seemed to have increased somewhat.

"With this Great Dao Is Simplicity function, if I can obtain a cultivation technique for training qi and blood and simplify it, perhaps the yin energy invading my body can be expelled!"

Lin Changsheng stroked the bow as anticipation surged in his heart, filling him with hope for the future.

Generally speaking.

When yin energy invaded the body, it feared nothing more than vigorous qi and blood. If his qi and blood were strong enough, this invading yin energy could definitely be expelled!

He had had enough of living like a sickly invalid!

In the blink of an eye.

With the year-end approaching, the weather had grown colder.

A heavy snowfall draped Pasture City in silver.

There were only a few pedestrians on the streets, hurrying along, and Zhen's Noodle Shop was closed today.

One li away from Zhen's Noodle Shop.

[The Great Dao Is Simple: Level 1]

[Lin Changsheng: 16/55]

[Cultivation: Unranked (99/100)]

[Techniques: None]

[Skills: Archery (Great Perfection)]

[By consuming a certain amount of silver, techniques, martial arts, and more may be simplified.]

[Status: Yin Energy Invading the Body]

Lin Changsheng stood in the courtyard and glanced at the panel. Drawing his bow, he poured all his strength into a single shot. With a whoosh, a wooden arrow he had carved himself sank more than an inch into a locust tree twenty zhang away, its fletching trembling!

"Not bad. With my current archery, I should be able to hit a willow leaf from a hundred paces!"

Lin Changsheng stepped forward and pulled out the arrow, deeply satisfied.

With his archery at Great Perfection, Lin Changsheng felt that his strength had increased considerably. Although the status of yin energy invading his body had yet to be lifted, he no longer looked like the sickly invalid he once was. His complexion had improved a great deal.

"If I want to learn a technique that boosts qi and blood, I have to enter a martial school!"

Lin Changsheng silently made up his mind.

He planned to spend ten taels of silver as the entry fee for Iron Hand Martial School. So long as he learned a martial art and successfully got started, he could simplify it!

At present, he still had six taels of silver. He intended to find time to pawn the pair of jade thumb rings and the jade bracelet at a different pawnshop to gather the entry fee.

Just then, the crunching sound of footsteps crushing snow drifted over.

"Changsheng, I simmered some soup and brought you a little. Remember to eat it while it's hot."

Zhen wore thick cotton-padded clothes. She carried a food box in her left hand and a cotton-padded coat in her right, passing them to Lin Changsheng as she added, "Put on this coat after you finish eating."

"Sister Zhen, you..."

Lin Changsheng's heart jolted, and a warm current rose within him.

He had never expected Sister Zhen to bring him food and a cotton-padded coat at a time like this.

"Say no more. Take them. It's so cold, your body is weak, and your clothes are still so thin. I'm leaving."

After setting down the things, Sister Zhen hurried away.

She had brought chicken soup, steaming hot.

Lin Changsheng ate it while it was hot. Though the cotton-padded coat was old, it was very clean.

There were still fifteen days until New Year's Eve.

Zhen's Noodle Shop.

"Changsheng, come to my home for New Year's Eve dinner this year!"

Lin Changsheng was about to finish work and head home, then go to Urgent Need Pawnshop in the eastern part of the city to sell the jade bracelet, when Sister Zhen's voice reached him.

"Thank you, Sister, but Shopkeeper Yang said he wants me to have the New Year's meal at his home. We'll talk about it then."

Hearing this, Lin Changsheng hurriedly replied.

Sister Zhen's mother-in-law was extremely harsh, every word laced with barbs and hidden daggers. If he went for New Year's Eve dinner, wouldn't trouble spring up out of nowhere?

As for Shopkeeper Yang?

That was merely Lin Changsheng's excuse, though Shopkeeper Yang was indeed a good man.

Although Lin Changsheng was frail, Shopkeeper Yang still wanted him to marry his daughter, Yang Xiaoqian, and become a live-in son-in-law.

In Shopkeeper Yang's eyes, though Lin Changsheng was thin and weak, his features were upright. With better food, he would definitely become a handsome man.

"Then... all right!"

Sister Zhen nodded.

After finishing work, Lin Changsheng used the same method to head to the western part of the city. This time, he did not go to Timely Rain Pawnshop.

Instead, at Urgent Need Pawnshop, he permanently pawned the remaining jade bracelet and the pair of jade thumb rings, receiving eight taels and six mace of silver. After winding through countless turns back to East Street and confirming once more that no one was following him, he finally returned home.

Iron Hand Martial School.

It was one of Pasture City's three great martial schools.

Its master, He Tieshou, cultivated the Iron Sand Palm. Rumor had it that he could split steles and shatter rocks, making him one of Pasture City's three great experts!

Unlike Golden Bell Martial School and Flowing Cloud Martial School, it valued quality over quantity in its disciples.

At Iron Hand Martial School, anyone who paid ten taels of silver could enter and receive instruction in the Iron Sand Palm. This also meant that Iron Hand Martial School had far more disciples than Flowing Cloud and Golden Bell Martial Schools combined!

Because it knew how to make money, Iron Hand Martial School occupied an enormous area. Two stone lions, each half a zhang tall, stood at its entrance, imposing and extraordinary.

"Young brother, pay ten taels of silver and I'll register you, issue you a disciple identity token, and you'll be a disciple of our Iron Hand Martial School."

At the entrance of Iron Hand Martial School, He Jin, who was recruiting disciples, gave Lin Changsheng a once-over with great enthusiasm.

Another one bringing money right to the door. He's already past the best age for martial arts. If he can't get started with Iron Sand Palm in three months, those ten taels will have been paid for nothing. If he wants to keep training at the martial school, he'll have to keep paying silver.