Crossing Over

"You're standing wrong. The Horse Stance is about rising and sinking, crouching like a galloping horse; suspended in the air, crown lifted, form and spirit unfurled."

"With every rise and fall, you have to stand as though there's a horse beneath you. You need to control both the force of rising and the force of crouching. Otherwise, your body's weight will rest on your knees, and if you hold it too long, something will definitely go wrong."

"Suspended in the air, crown lifted means climbing high and gazing far, with an open field of vision. Our floor is too low, so it isn't suitable. You're a beginner, Tuanzi, so just stand on the balcony and look outside."

Jiang Shu taught her hand in hand.

Tuanzi was the new nickname he had given Jiang Yan Yue during the New Year.

At the time, their parents had been in high spirits and dug out some photos from when the siblings were little. The cutest of all were the pictures of his sister as a baby, with her plump little face, round and tender. Jiang Shu had immediately thought of a particularly popular meme from his previous life—Long Cao Yan Tuanzi.

He immediately grabbed a pen and sketched a few strokes on paper.

Yue meant reunion, after all. Yan Yue, Yan Tuan—no difference.

Jiang Yan Yue, Long Cao Yan Tuanzi—absolutely no difference!

As Jiang Shu corrected his sister's stance, his mind gradually relaxed. Over the past three months, he had truly kept himself wound too tight.

That world had not been as peaceful and beautiful as Xuanxing.

The County Government, wealthy households, gangs.

Like three mountains, they weighed heavily upon the common people of Pingling County. Not a single ordinary person could avoid them. Before a market stall was even set up, layer upon layer of exploitation had already arrived.

If one wanted to change one's fate, there was only one way... practice martial arts.

The County Government had the most martial arts manuals, but without connections, who could get in? Wealthy households and gangs also taught martial arts, but without exception, one had to sell one's life to them.

The only path that required neither connections nor selling one's life was joining a martial arts school.

Ten taels of silver for one month of instruction!

For ordinary people under layers of exploitation, who could not save even one tael of silver after a year of business, this sum was wealth they would struggle to accumulate in an entire lifetime.

Even if two generations worked bitterly and exhausted every possible means to save and hide ten taels of silver, allowing someone to enter a martial arts school—

That money was only enough for one month of training.

And after that month? Wouldn't they simply return to where they had started?

Practicing martial arts was hard—harder than ascending to the blue heavens.

Jiang Shu was fortunate that he had not been born entirely in that world.

Xuanxing also had gold and silver. Although silver was not as expensive as gold, its price remained fairly stable at around five yuan per gram.

Ten taels, five hundred grams, twenty-five hundred yuan.

As an ordinary high school senior, he naturally could not come up with that money. But didn't he have parents? Thinking of what they had promised him during the New Year, Jiang Shu could not help drifting off, while Jiang Yan Yue's bright, excited eyes gradually turned to despair.

Only after trying it did she realize that this seemingly simple Horse Stance was some kind of demonic movement.

Her brother often stood like this for an entire day. Even when eating, he would sit hovering over the chair while maintaining the Horse Stance. Was he a demon?

I, Jiang Yan Yue, am a genius at studying.

He, Jiang Shu, is a Martial Dao genius.

Was that fair?

Very fair.

She doubted herself, convinced herself, then proactively gave up.

Worthy of being a top student girl, Jiang Yan Yue adjusted her mindset at the fastest speed possible, abandoned all struggle, and collapsed onto the sofa like Ge You.

Geniuses could not be measured.

Geniuses could not be compared.

Jiang Shu could hold a stance all day because he was a Martial Dao genius. I, Jiang Yan Yue, am not!

She did not want to practice martial arts for even one more minute.

As for preserving her looks—if martial arts could do it,

then skincare products surely could too.

In the future, she could become President Jiang and spend money to have the Research Institute study it specifically.

That was far more reliable than practicing martial arts.

Yes, that was it!

Seeing Jiang Yan Yue sprawled on the sofa, Jiang Shu restrained the urge to draw her. He casually picked up the remote, chose a movie at random, and sat on the couch, preparing to rest properly for a while.

When only the last ten minutes of the movie remained,

Jiang Ba and Jiang Ma returned together. Seeing one sibling sitting and the other collapsed on the sofa, neither of the couple said anything. Carrying the groceries they had bought, they went into the kitchen to wash and cut vegetables.

Unlike some families, Xu Lizhi had opened a shop in her early years and worked from dawn to dusk. The great task of cooking at home had basically been handed over to Jiang Yongyi.

"Dad, do we have ribs? I want sweet-and-sour ribs today!"

Hearing movement from the kitchen, Jiang Yan Yue immediately perked up and said with her chin raised.

"Your brother practices martial arts. I'm making rib and radish soup—nutritious and good for digestion."

Jiang Yongyi answered swiftly. After his son had decided to practice martial arts, he had specifically looked up what people should supplement after training.

Whenever his son was home, he wanted to cook something different every day.

Something that would help with martial arts while also being something his son liked.

"Got it. You just don't love me anymore. Don't ask—if you ask, it means you once did."

"I'll make it for you later."

"Alright!"

After bustling about for nearly an hour and placing the final dish of rib and radish soup on the table, Jiang Yongyi called out.

"Coming." Jiang Yan Yue was always the first to reach the table. The sweet-and-sour ribs were right beside her. "Dad, I knew you loved me the most, most, most!"

"No. I merely loved you once."

"Peh, peh, peh, I was talking nonsense! You're the bigger person, don't hold a grudge against a little person. Hehe, I'll satisfy my craving first."

Jiang Yan Yue's hands were quick. She picked up a piece of sweet-and-sour rib, placed it in her mouth, and chewed slowly. At that moment, her bright eyes curved into slits.

"Eat slower. Lizhi, dinner's ready."

"Coming."

When Xu Lizhi came out after tidying the room, one adult and two children were already sitting at the table waiting for her. She took out her phone, transferred money to Jiang Shu through WeiXun, and said, "Mom needs money to keep the business turning over recently too, and that bank deposit hasn't matured yet. I'll send you five thousand yuan from what I have on hand first. Is that enough?"

Although her son's grades had never been particularly good, he had basically never made the two of them angry from childhood until now.

After taking up martial arts, he had become mature in a way she could not quite describe, as though he had suddenly grown up a great deal.

So when he asked for money, as his mother, she would definitely support him with all her strength.

Even though, until now, neither parent knew what he needed the money for.

Even though their son was still a high school senior.

"It's enough. Thank you, Dad and Mom."

Without even looking at his phone, he ladled each of his parents a bowl of rib soup before getting up to serve himself a heaping bowl of rice. He picked up a rib and immediately began eating.

A transfer of five thousand yuan had happened, yet the three of them acted as though nothing had occurred.

Only Jiang Yan Yue beside them was left dumbfounded.

How much?

Five thousand?

The sweet-and-sour rib in her mouth immediately no longer tasted good.

Sure enough, they had merely loved her once.

Her allowance had never exceeded fifty yuan!

Baby was suffering. Baby would not say it. Baby would eat another sweet-and-sour rib.

Jiang Yan Yue turned grief and indignation into motivation and ate two pieces in a row.

Even if they did not taste good, she would eat them!

She would eat a whole lot.

She would not leave even one piece for that bastard Jiang Shu!

He already had five thousand yuan, yet he still had the nerve to take her eight-hundred-yuan New Year's red packet.

He even deceived his own little sister!

He truly deserved to die.

"Lizhi, did you notice? Meat prices have gone up again." Jiang Yongyi took a sip of rib soup. "And I checked—some of the better white liquors on the market have also risen in price."

For ordinary people, food, clothing, housing, and transportation were forever the matters they cared about most.

"What's going on?"

"I think it has something to do with martial arts. As long as it's meat, its price has basically gone up. Chicken and duck are a little better, but pork, lamb, beef, and fish have all risen by about ten percent. So I believe Xiao Shu's judgment more and more now. Our country will definitely promote Martial Dao vigorously in the future. Martial Dao right now is a pig standing in the wind—whoever can hold steady will be the first to take flight."

Jiang Yongyi glanced at his son. Ever since his son had said he wanted to become a martial arts student and practice martial arts, he, as a father, had been paying close attention to changes in the country's Martial Dao environment.

"But Xiao Shu, don't put too much pressure on yourself either. Your dad knows that practicing martial arts requires connections and some kind of cultivation method. We have neither, so just catch a ride on the tailwind. If you can use this to get into a bachelor's program, that would be best. But if you don't perform well and end up at a junior college, that's fine too."

"Your mom and I have saved quite a bit of money over the years. Life won't be hard for you later on."

"Dad, I'll work hard."

Without mentioning that he had already achieved minor mastery in the Horse Stance, Jiang Shu served himself a large bowl of rib soup.

Success came through secrecy. Surprises had to wait until the final moment to be revealed.

As the family talked, lunch came to an end. Jiang Shu got up and voluntarily cleared the table. Wearing an apron in the kitchen as he washed dishes, Jiang Yan Yue saw their parents return to their room and crept closer. Her lowered voice carried a hint of ingratiation. "Brother."

"What is it?"

"Hehe, Mom and Dad have already given you five thousand yuan. So... when do you think you can return the eight hundred yuan to your cutest, most obedient little sister?"

She had originally planned to put on a big show before her brother—deliver charcoal in snowy weather and move him to tears.

Who would have thought her brother's composure was too strong? It would have been one thing if he simply was not moved.

But then their parents had dealt another royal bomb—five thousand yuan.

When had the three of them discussed this? How did she know nothing at all?

Now, delivering charcoal in the snow had failed, and it did not even count as adding flowers to brocade.

Jiang Shu was having a great time.

What about her?

Delicious snacks, gone.

Cute dolls, gone.

In her future life, she probably would not even bear to add toppings to a cup of milk tea.

No, wait—there would be no milk tea either!

Everything was gone!

The moment she thought of this, sorrow welled up in Jiang Yan Yue's heart. She only hoped that her brother still had a shred of conscience and would return the eight hundred yuan that did not belong to him to its rightful owner.

At that moment, hot water poured into the sink, and the grease on the dishes slowly spread apart.

Jiang Shu cast his sister a sidelong glance. "Have you ever seen a rice bucket spit something back out after swallowing it?"

"Ahhhhhh, Jiang Shu, I'll fight you!"

The day and night cycle of the Great Jing Dynasty was exactly opposite to Xuanxing's.

It was now the hour of Mao, around six in the morning. Unlike Xuanxing's clear skies, the sky in this world seemed forever dim and overcast.

Even the rising red sun looked as though it had reached the end of its Lifespan, its sunlight weakly shining upon Pingling County.

Inside a tiny room made of piled earthen blocks, no more than a dozen square meters in size, Jiang Shu's figure appeared.

Sitting on the bed, he rose and swept his gaze around the room, confirming that the strands of hair placed beneath every furnishing showed no signs of having been disturbed.

Only then did he relax. He checked the slightly long wig on his head, changed into a worn padded coat, and placed the fine silver fragments he had specially purchased from a Xuanxing gold shop into the small pockets sewn beforehand throughout the coat.

Then, he tucked three small bags of lime powder into his sleeves, slipped the Electric Baton behind his back, and pushed open the door.

This was

Crooked Snake Alley, Outer City, Pingling County.