Martial Arts Was a Ladder to Heaven

Uncle and nephew were bending over to pick up the copper coins when dust suddenly billowed at the entrance to the Fish Pens.

Two carriages rumbled over, one after the other.

The curtain of the first carriage lifted, and a slightly plump middle-aged man in brocade robes stepped down. The jade ring on his finger gleamed dazzlingly. Two servants followed behind him, their steps carrying the brisk efficiency of city folk.

This was Master Qian, the manager of Lucky Auspice Restaurant in the county town, a man who specialized in procuring rare ingredients for the city's high officials and nobles.

Three young men jumped down from the second carriage, all dressed in silver-white martial outfits embroidered with the words "Rushing Thunder" over their chests.

The youth in the lead was around seventeen or eighteen. His steps were as light as if he were treading on cotton, yet his stance was as steady as though nailed to the ground. His temples bulged slightly; anyone with a discerning eye could tell he had trained in martial arts.

These were disciples of the county town's great martial academy, Rushing Thunder Martial Academy. Every day, they made their rounds through the various Fish Pens, keeping a keen eye out for treasure fish.

Master Qian walked up to Manager Wang first, casually dusting off nonexistent dirt from his sleeve as he asked, "Wang Biao, have there been any treasure fish today?"

Manager Wang sprang up as though his backside had springs in it, the flesh on his face squeezing into a lump. "Master Qian, your timing is perfect! We just received a Golden-Scaled Carp, a foot long, with plump golden scales and lively as could be!"

"Oh?" Master Qian's eyes brightened. "Bring it out for me to see."

The Golden-Scaled Carp was brought out. Master Qian stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction. "Fine quality. Fifteen taels. I'll take it."

Fifteen taels!

A commotion stirred among the surrounding fishermen.

Xu Qing and Xu Erniu both stiffened. A treasure fish worth fifteen taels, yet only three taels remained by the time it reached their hands!

With a wave of Master Qian's hand, a servant immediately poured a large and a small silver ingot from a money pouch and set them on the table. Fifteen taels of snowflake silver shone harshly in the dim Fish Pens.

It felt as though someone had clenched Xu Qing's heart. That Golden-Scaled Carp was actually worth fifteen taels! That silver would have covered his martial academy apprenticeship fee in full, with money to spare. It would have fed his family for two years, enough to build two brick rooms that did not leak when it rained.

And now, eighty percent of that money had probably gone into the pockets of the Leviathan Gang.

The disciples of Rushing Thunder Martial Academy approached at that moment as well.

The youth in the lead glanced at the Golden-Scaled Carp, his gaze warming slightly. He cupped his hands toward Master Qian. "Manager Qian, you have good fortune. The brain of a Golden-Scaled Carp is especially nourishing, and its flesh greatly replenishes the qi and blood of martial artists."

Master Qian laughed. "If Young Master Li needs some, I'll have someone deliver a portion to Rushing Thunder Martial Academy after it has been stewed."

"No need for the trouble." The youth surnamed Li waved a hand. "My master said that if there are live treasure fish, Rushing Thunder Martial Academy is willing to purchase them at a fair price."

He turned to Manager Wang, his tone neither heavy nor light. "Wang Biao, if there are treasure fish in the future, you may ask Rushing Thunder Martial Academy as well. Our price will not be lower than Lucky Auspice Restaurant's."

"Certainly, certainly!" Manager Wang nodded repeatedly, a sheen of sweat forming on his forehead. He could not afford to offend either Lucky Auspice Restaurant or Rushing Thunder Martial Academy. With treasure fish, it could only be first come, first served.

Xu Qing silently studied the two groups.

Master Qian wore a brocade robe; even a random pair of his shoes likely cost as much as half a year's food for a fisherman.

The martial outfits of the Rushing Thunder disciples were not flashy, but the fabric was thick and crisp, and their movements were entirely unrestrained. They had clearly been tailored specifically for martial training.

Their hands were clean and slender, without frostbite or cracks, their nails trimmed neat and tidy.

The fishermen of Blackwater Bay, meanwhile, mostly wore tattered clothes, their hands and feet coarse and chapped, with grime packed beneath their nails that could never be washed away.

What caught Xu Qing's attention most was the stance of the youth surnamed Li—his feet stood neither pigeon-toed nor splayed, rooted as firmly as a tree, his breathing long and even. Even without having trained in martial arts himself, Xu Qing could see that this was genuine skill.

The Profound Heaven Dynasty ruled the realm through martial arts.

Martial arts were a ladder to heaven, and the martial examinations were a gate for a carp to leap into a dragon.

In this world, only fists hard enough could keep one from being bullied.

The desire to practice martial arts burned hotter and hotter in Xu Qing's chest like a wildfire.

Just then, a skinny, dark-skinned youth poked his head out from the crowd, his voice trembling. "Master Li... does the martial academy still... still accept apprentices?"

He was a child of the Sun family from the eastern end of the bay.

The youth surnamed Li sized him up, the corner of his mouth twitching into something that was almost a smile. "Accept them? Why wouldn't we? So long as you can pay the silver, the gates of Rushing Thunder Martial Academy are always open. The apprenticeship fee is twenty taels, covering food and clothing for the first three months. After that, another five taels every month, and you can remain at the academy."

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath rose all around.

Twenty taels for the apprenticeship fee! And another five taels of silver every month afterward! Most fishing families in Blackwater Bay could not save five taels even after several years.

The Sun family youth's eyes dimmed, and he shrank back into the crowd.

Master Qian saw this and chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You people should stop dreaming of ascending to heaven in a single step."

"The path of martial arts depends on two kinds of hard currency: first, the natural aptitude bestowed by Heaven; second, wealth piled up like mountains of gold and silver."

"Never mind those elusive things like natural aptitude. Just the medicinal supplements needed to temper your muscles and bones, the meat needed at every meal—what part of that can any of you afford?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the circle of numb faces. "Martial arts are for wealthy families. You should put away those impractical thoughts. Fish in peace, pay your taxes in full and on time, and you will always be able to get by."

His words were gentle, yet they stabbed into every fisherman's heart like knives.

The youth surnamed Li glanced at Master Qian but said nothing. He turned and led his people away.

The two carriages sped off, leaving dust swirling through the sky.

Manager Wang weighed the two silver ingots in his hand, then turned and roared at the fishermen still standing there in a daze. "What are you looking at? Get back to work! Practice martial arts? Is that something lowborn trash like you can even dream of?"

"Bah! Look at yourselves! Why don't you piss and take a good look at those poor, miserable faces of yours!"

At his roar, the fishermen recoiled like a startled school of fish. Those in line started shuffling forward again, those pouring out fish bent back down, and the Fish Pens returned to their dull, obedient rhythm.

Xu Qing took one last look at the glaring snowflake silver in Manager Wang's hand, then silently lowered his head.

His nails dug deep into his palms. The stabbing pain could not suppress the fire in his heart. This world ate people alive. The authorities and the gangs wore the same pair of trousers—who cared whether those beneath them lived or died?

The Leviathan Gang committed every evil, stripping people to the bone, yet still ran rampant through the countryside.

And people like them could only hunch their necks in the autumn wind, watching the fish they had hauled up through bitter labor get peeled away layer by layer. If they resisted even slightly, their legs and arms would be broken...

He had to practice martial arts. Only strength would allow him to stand firm in this cannibalistic world, protect his second uncle's family, and break free from this sunless prison.

"A-Qing." Xu Erniu wrapped up the silver and tucked it into his chest, then gently tugged Xu Qing's sleeve.

Seeing Xu Qing's frighteningly dark expression, he feared the boy had been shaken by the blow. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Don't listen to Master Qian's nonsense. Your uncle doesn't understand things like natural aptitude, but I believe you can make it."

"Don't fret over money. Your uncle is still young, still able to work. I can earn money to buy you meat. Once you gain real skill in the future, your uncle can bask in your glory and enjoy some good fortune too."

Xu Erniu forced out a smile, encouraging Xu Qing while comforting himself as well.

He was the shadow of most people at the bottom of this world. Plain and kind-hearted to the bone. Yet this world was built to squeeze precisely such honest, kind-hearted people dry!

Xu Qing let out a long breath and smiled at Xu Erniu. "Second Uncle, I'm fine."

"That's good..." Xu Erniu's gaze softened somewhat as he turned toward Chen Laosi, who lay curled up and groaning in the mud, his face ashen.

He let out another heavy sigh and said quietly to Xu Qing, "You know Chen Laosi's mud house. Wind leaks in from every side, and the thatch on the roof has been torn off several times. If it is not fixed up soon, they probably will not survive this winter."

"There are five mouths in his family waiting to be fed. Sneaking into the county town to sell fish was the only way left... Now his leg is broken, and he is the only pillar holding that family up. The days ahead..."

He could not continue. After a pause, he said, "A-Qing, let's leave later. Once the people from the Fish Pens are gone, we'll join the neighbors and lend a hand carrying him home. We are all miserable souls struggling in the same bay..."

Xu Qing silently nodded.

Neighbors who lived side by side had not yet grown so cold-hearted. They could not offer much help, but they could still spare the strength to lend a hand.

Half an hour later, Manager Wang and his group had gone away cursing. Only the cold wind remained in the Fish Pens, carrying the stench of fish.

The Xu uncle and nephew, along with several fishermen who lived nearby, used an old doorboard that creaked with every movement to carry the nearly unconscious Chen Laosi back to the mud house that leaked wind from all sides.

Chen Laosi's wife wailed so heartbreakingly along the way that she nearly ran out of breath.

When they arrived home, the three children saw Chen Laosi's condition, and the family broke into another earth-shattering fit of sobbing. Their cries mingled with the howling wind outside, squeezed between the low mud walls in indescribable misery.

After helping settle them in, Xu Qing and his second uncle dragged their exhausted bodies home.

By comparison, the Xu family's place still looked somewhat like a home.

Xu Qing's grandfather had once possessed a fine ability to read the waters and recognize fish. His two sons had also been willing to work themselves to the bone, saving up enough to build a small courtyard.

It was simply much quieter now that the old man and Xu Qing's parents were gone.

His second aunt and cousin Xu Xiu were not home. As arranged, they had gone to her family home to borrow money.

"A-Qing, we made three taels selling fish today. Once your aunt returns with the borrowed money and we gather enough for your apprenticeship fee, we won't have to go asking your little aunt for it."

After hanging up the fishing nets, Xu Erniu slipped into the kitchen and carefully hid the money from today's fish sale in a clay jar beneath the firewood pile.

After hiding the money, he turned to stare at the rice jar for a while.

At last, he pulled out an empty rice sack and, with a hardened heart, scooped two ladles of coarse rice into it. His hand paused as he remembered Chen Laosi's broken leg. He sighed, then gritted his teeth and scooped out one more ladle.

The rice jar was nearly empty. The scraping sound from its bottom was enough to make one's heart clench.

"A-Qing." Xu Erniu came out clutching the far-from-bulging sack of rice, his voice hoarse. "Uncle... will go take another look at Laosi's place. This rice... let's give it to them first, to tide them over."

Xu Qing said nothing and followed him.

When the two arrived at Chen Laosi's house again, the sight before them was even more suffocating.

Old Wu, the wandering doctor from the bay, had just smeared a handful of plant ash over Chen Laosi's wound and wrapped it up.

He was shaking his head as he told Chen Laosi's wife, "Laosi's leg... the bone is badly broken. My little bit of skill cannot handle it. He must be sent to a medical hall in the county town right away, to find a proper doctor to set the bone and apply medicine. It absolutely cannot be delayed. If it is delayed any longer, this leg will truly be ruined."

Before he had even finished speaking, a shrill voice cut in. "You heard what Old Wu said, didn't you? Delay any longer, and Laosi will become a cripple!"

The human trafficker Ma Liu sprayed spittle as he spoke. "Master Han is kind-hearted. He sees that your Er Niu is clever and is willing to offer five taels of snowflake silver!"

"Five taels! How long can that feed and support your whole family? Once Er Niu enters Han Manor, she will have fallen into a nest of fortune—fine food and drink, silks and satins. Sell her, and you will get life-saving money while your family has one less mouth competing for food. The best of both worlds, isn't it?"

Before Ma Liu had finished, someone else entered the mud house. He had come on behalf of another Master Zheng from the county, seeking to buy Chen Laosi's twelve-year-old son as a servant boy. His offer was also five taels.

Someone from the Fish Pens came as well, asking sinisterly whether the Chen family wished to borrow an "Autumn Wind Loan," with the interest "open to discussion."

Chen Laosi had barely made it home before one bone-devouring monster after another came sniffing out the scent.

In the end, amid his wife's heart-rending cries and Chen Laosi's despairing silence, eight-year-old Er Niu was led away by Ma Liu.

The few scraps of silver exchanged for her own flesh and blood were clenched tightly in Chen Laosi's wife's hand, cold enough to pierce the bone.