For the next few days, Zhou Yan farmed and did chores by day, then slipped into the small woods behind the house to practice at night.
His days split in two. By day, he bent over in the fields pulling weeds, listened to his mother curse people out in the yard, hauled water and chopped firewood—no different from before. At night, once the snores began, he felt his way out in the dark, stood in stance, punched, and trained until his legs shook so badly he could barely stand before returning.
On the third night, his Stake Stance progress reached 7/100.
His legs still shook. By the latter half of the stance, his knees went weak and his body swayed back and forth.
But he noticed something. Shaking was one thing, yet he could hold on far longer than he had on the first day.
On the first day, he had been unable to endure after one incense stick's time. Now he could last another half an incense stick.
On the fourth night, his Stake Stance progress jumped to 10/100.
After finishing his stance, he did not rush to rest.
He opened Mountain-Breaking Fist and practiced the first form, "Stele Splitter," for another half hour.
Again and again.
[Mountain-Breaking Fist Initiate: 15/100]
He threw a punch, and his fist tore through the air with a sharp smack.
It was completely different from the dull sound before.
It actually let out a crisp crack!
Zhou Yan froze for a moment, then threw another punch.
He stood there for a while, then tried a punch on a locust tree beside him, its trunk as thick as the mouth of a bowl.
He did not dare use his full strength. His fist struck the rough bark, and the bones in his hand faintly tingled with numbness.
The bark did not break, but several dead leaves came rustling down from overhead, spinning in the moonlight.
He drew back his fist and looked at his reddened knuckles.
It worked!!!
This fist technique had truly given him something.
More importantly, working during the day no longer tired him out as much.
Before, after hoeing the fields all morning, he would be unable to straighten his back and had to lean on the hoe handle for half the day to recover.
Whatever he had gained from practicing the stance had seeped into the cracks of his bones without him realizing it.
On the morning of the fifth day, Madam Liu rummaged through the salt jar in the kitchen for quite some time.
She scraped and scraped at the bottom, but could not scrape out more than a few grains.
After cursing a few times, she pulled several copper coins from her waist and tossed them onto the stove.
"Go to the county and buy salt. Go early and come back early. Don't delay the work in the fields."
Zhou Yan closed his hand around the copper coins, and something stirred in his heart.
He had secretly hidden twenty taels of loose silver before, but he had not dared spend even a single coin in the village.
The county was different. There were many people and many eyes in the city, making it easier to fish in troubled waters.
He tucked away the copper coins and left just as dawn broke.
From Willow Village to Qingyun County town, it took more than half an hour by the official road.
The official road was dirt, crushed by cartwheels into two deep ruts.
Fields of crops stretched along both sides. The corn stalks stood half a man high, rustling loudly whenever the wind passed through them.
Now and then, mule carts passed him. The drivers flicked their whips and did not spare the pedestrians by the roadside a glance.
When the sun climbed halfway into the sky, the city walls appeared at the end of his sight.
They were built from blue bricks and stood around two zhang high.
Zhou Yan entered the city with the crowd. The county town was far livelier than the village.
Shops stood shoulder to shoulder, and the streets were packed with people.
But the first thing Zhou Yan noticed was not the shops.
It was a martial hall.
The martial hall faced the street, its gates wide open. Neat shouts of exertion rang out from within.
A bluestone stele stood at the entrance, its surface worn smooth and carved with four large characters.
White Cloud Martial Hall!
Zhou Yan slowed down, stood across the street, and looked inside.
In the courtyard, seven or eight youths in short outfits were practicing stances.
Their legs were spread apart, knees slightly bent, hands held loosely before their chests—exactly like the drawing in the manual.
A middle-aged man stood nearby in a gray cloth shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a bamboo switch pinched in his hand.
He slowly circled the youths, his gaze sharp as blades.
One youth stood crookedly.
His knees buckled inward, and his waist sagged with them.
The middle-aged man walked over and lashed the bamboo switch across his thigh with a smack.
"Knees! Bend them down!"
The youth grimaced in pain and hurriedly pushed his knees outward. The other youths scarcely dared breathe and stood even more rigidly.
Zhou Yan watched for several breaths, and the taut string in his heart loosened a little.
The posture was correct. The way he had figured out from the manual was much the same as what the martial hall taught.
No one had guided him, but at least his comprehension was decent. He had not gone down the wrong road.
He withdrew his gaze and continued onward.
After turning down two streets, he found a general store and bought the salt.
The clerk wrapped it in oiled paper, took the copper coins, and did not even raise his head.
Zhou Yan carried the salt packet out of the store without immediately heading home.
The twenty taels of loose silver in his robe still pressed against him.
As he walked along the street and passed a pharmacy, he slowed his steps.
Two wooden signs hung outside the shop.
One read: Body-Tempering Decoction, three taels per packet. The other read: Qi Gathering Pill, five taels each, limited supply.
Body-Tempering Decoction!
Zhou Yan stood at the entrance and glanced inside.
Behind the counter, a clerk was measuring out medicine for a well-dressed middle-aged man.
The man handed over a prescription. The clerk accepted it with nods and bows, then turned to retrieve several medicinal ingredients from the cabinets.
Then he took out a small porcelain bottle and carefully placed it on the counter.
"Your medicinal ingredients are packed, sir. And there are three Qi Gathering Pills. Nineteen taels altogether."
Without changing expression, the man took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and set it on the counter. He picked up the medicine packets and porcelain bottle, then turned and left.
Zhou Yan stood in the doorway, his fingers clenching and loosening inside his sleeve.
Twenty taels of loose silver. A single packet of Body-Tempering Decoction cost three taels. At that rate, he could not afford many.
But he had heard that Body-Tempering Decoction could increase the cultivation progress of martial artists who had yet to enter the Body-Tempering Realm.
He hesitated for several breaths.
Then he pushed open the pharmacy door and entered.
The clerk looked him over, and the eagerness on his face faded somewhat, though he did not drive him away.
"What would you like, sir?"
Zhou Yan pointed at the wooden sign outside. "That Body-Tempering Decoction... what is it used for?"
The clerk looked him up and down, then patiently explained, "Body Tempering is the first threshold of the martial path. It tempers the sinews, bones, skin, and flesh, refining an ordinary person's body once over. Only after Body Tempering is complete can one gather qi. Only after gathering qi can one be considered a true Martial Adept. This Body-Tempering Decoction is for bathing. Put in one packet, and every bone in your body will feel like it's burning. Training the next day will yield twice the result with half the effort."
Body Tempering was the first stage, Qi Gathering the second. Only after passing Qi Gathering could one be considered a Martial Adept.
Yet many people remained stuck at these two stages their whole lives and never became Martial Adepts.
Zhou Yan fell silent for several breaths.
He had not even touched the door to the first stage yet.
"Give me two packets."
The clerk froze, likely not expecting this poor kid in straw sandals to actually pay.
But the moment he saw the silver, his expression changed at once.
"Certainly!"
He swiftly wrapped up two packets of Body-Tempering Decoction and handed them over.
The oiled-paper packets were not large, but they had some weight in his hand. A bitter medicinal scent seeped through the paper, pungent and choking.
Zhou Yan tucked the medicine packets into his robe.
He placed six taels of loose silver on the counter, and the clerk took it with a beaming smile.
Fourteen taels remained in his robe. He turned and walked out of the pharmacy, the door curtain swaying twice behind him.
He continued onward.
He found a teahouse by the roadside to rest his feet.
Calling it a teahouse was generous. It was merely several square tables under a shed.
The roof was made of bamboo mats, yellowed by the sun.
Several wooden posts supported it, all crooked and uneven.
Teapots and coarse porcelain bowls sat on the tables, their rims chipped and nicked.
Zhou Yan ordered the cheapest bowl of cold tea for two copper coins.
He carried the bowl to a corner and sat with his back against a post.
The teahouse was noisy, filled with all sorts of people from every walk of life.
There were peddlers with shoulder poles propped against table legs, laborers in short outfits reeking of sweat as they gulped down tea, and several accountants in long robes seated at the inner tables, sipping tea at an unhurried pace.
Every table discussed its own business, voices blending into one another.
At the next table, two middle-aged men were chatting.
One was fat and one was thin. Judging by their clothes, they seemed to be small traders. Their cloth garments had been washed white, and the cuffs were worn into frayed edges.
A dish of peanuts sat on the table, already half eaten.
"Have you heard? The young leader of the Azure Cloud Gang has gone missing."
Zhou Yan's hand holding the tea bowl did not move in the slightest.
He took another sip without even lifting his eyelids.
"For days now, neither living nor dead has he been seen," the fat man said in a lowered voice, leaning forward. "Gang Leader Zhao Xiong has put up a reward of one hundred taels for clues. Anyone who provides information gets paid, no matter who they are."
"One hundred taels!" The thin man smacked his lips. "Tsk, tsk. How much land would that buy?"
"He was probably taken care of." The fat man shelled a peanut and tossed it into his mouth. "The fight over the docks has been fierce lately. The Azure Cloud Gang, Black Tiger Hall, and the Sun Family in the south of the city—those three have nearly beaten each other's brains out over the rents for those warehouses at the docks. The young leader led a shipment through outside the city some time ago. Someone intercepted them halfway, and the man vanished too."
"Black Tiger Hall? Those people really dared lay a hand on Zhao Xiong's son?"
"Who can say?" The fat man slurped his tea. "Black Tiger Hall has Clerk Liu of the county office behind them, while the Azure Cloud Gang has the county chamber of commerce backing them. As for the Sun Family, there's no need to mention them. They've been rooted in Qingyun County for three generations and keep several Qi Gathering experts in their household. Dogs biting dogs, leaving a mouthful of fur."
The thin man snorted. "Anyway, it's just dogs biting dogs. That Zhao has done plenty of wicked things these past years. How few dock laborers have been whipped by his men? If he died, he deserved it."
"Shh!"
The fat man hurriedly waved his hand and turned his head to look around. "Keep your voice down. Do you have a death wish? The Azure Cloud Gang's eyes and ears are all over the streets."
"What's there to fear? Is it illegal for us common folk to wag our tongues a little?"
Though he said that, the thin man still lowered his voice. The two men leaned their heads together, and the rest of their words could no longer be heard.
Zhou Yan drank his cold tea expressionlessly.
Azure Cloud Gang, Black Tiger Hall, Sun Family.
Someone who could carry a Stake Stance manual and martial arts technique on him.
That brocade-robed man had likely been the young leader of the Azure Cloud Gang.
In other words, he had happened to stumble upon the scene where the Azure Cloud Gang's young leader was killed.
A reward of one hundred taels was indeed a lavish sum.
But Zhou Yan had no intention of getting involved. In these chaotic times, without strength, it was best to be careful.
He finished the cold tea in his bowl, set down two copper coins, rose to his feet, and left.
By the time he emerged from the teahouse, the sun had begun to tilt westward.
On the way back, Zhou Yan did not walk quickly.
Dust on the official road was churned up by passing mule carts, drifting in the sunlight.
As he walked, countless thoughts churned through his mind.
For martial arts, Body Tempering was the first threshold, Qi Gathering was the second, and only after Qi Gathering could one be considered a true Martial Adept.
He had not even touched the door to Body Tempering yet, but with the system, he only needed to train diligently.
Still, martial arts had never been a road for the poor.
That middle-aged man in the pharmacy had paid nineteen taels of silver without blinking.
Those youths at the martial hall had masters to teach them, bamboo switches to keep watch over them, and hot medicinal baths.
He had nothing—no master, no money.
Others had their roads. He had his.
By the time he returned to the village, the sun was already slanting west.
Zhou Yan handed the salt to Madam Liu.
Madam Liu took the oiled-paper packet, opened it for a glance, then nagged him a few more times about "why he had taken so long" and "whether he had been slacking off on the road."
Zhou Yan did not explain. He picked up the water buckets and headed for the well.
That evening, they ate as usual.
The family gathered in the courtyard. Madam Liu brought up something about his second uncle's family again, and his second brother chimed in with a few words.
Zhou Yan sat in the corner with his bowl, finishing it one mouthful at a time.
He waited until deep into the night.
Snores rose from the main house like muffled thunder, followed by Madam Liu's snores.
Zhou Yan sat up, got into his straw sandals in the dark, and pulled out the oilcloth bundle and the packet of Body-Tempering Decoction from his chest.
He moved quietly, cracked the door open, and squeezed out sideways.
The moonlight in the woods was bright. When he reached the clearing, he first opened the medicine packet.
Inside the oiled paper was dark brown medicinal powder. Its smell was bitter and pungent, rushing straight up his nose, like burnt herbs mixed with chili peppers.
According to the shop clerk, it was meant for soaking in a bath.
But there was no bath barrel at home for him to take a medicinal bath in.
Forget a bath barrel—there was not even a decent wooden basin.
Zhou Yan thought for a moment, then drew half a bucket of water from the well and set it by his feet.
He poured the medicinal powder into it and stirred it evenly with a branch.
The water turned dark brown, with a thin layer of foam floating on the surface. Steam rose from it, and the pungent medicinal smell grew even stronger.
He took off his shirt, exposing his lean shoulders and sun-darkened back.
He soaked a cloth in the medicine water, pulled it out, wrung it half-dry, and wiped himself down.
His arms, shoulders, back, and thighs.
He wiped every part of his body that he used for stance training and boxing.
When the medicine water touched his skin, it was cool at first.
Then it began to heat up violently.
It felt as though countless fine needles were pricking through his pores.
His skin visibly reddened and tightened, every pore opening wide.
Zhou Yan gritted his teeth without making a sound.
He kept wiping until he had used up every drop of medicine water in the bucket, wringing the cloth again and again until not a single drop could be squeezed out.
The fiery sensation lasted for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
Then the burning heat slowly receded, turning into a warmth that seeped into his muscles and the cracks between his bones.
It was like taking a hot bath; the muscles and bones all over his body felt much more comfortable.
He stood and rolled his shoulders.
His joints cracked twice.
He began his stance training.
He spread his legs and bent his knees.
This time, his knees bent deeper than ever before.
A sour swelling surged through his thighs, but it differed from the previous stiffness.
The dull ache in his lower back also softened somewhat, as if something were helping support it.
[Basic Stance Art Beginner: 13/100]
Keep going!
His legs began to tremble. Sweat dripped from his chin, striking the fallen leaves by his feet.
[Basic Stance Art Beginner: 15/100]
His knees weakened, and his body swayed back and forth, but he still gritted his teeth and held on.
[Basic Stance Art Beginner: 18/100]
Suddenly, Zhou Yan stopped and crouched on the ground, panting heavily.
He rested for about half the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
Then he stood, opened Mountain-Breaking Fist, twisted his waist, turned his hips, and threw a punch.
His fist split the wind with a sharp crack, crisper and cleaner than it had been during the day.
Punch after punch, the knuckles of his right fist reddened again, but this time they hardly hurt.
[Mountain-Breaking Fist Beginner: 17/100]
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