Duel

Peace City was an ancient city near the coastline of Chen State, with a history stretching back a thousand years.

The Nanpu River ran from west to east, joining the Eastern Sea at the estuary in the eastern part of the city and cutting through the entire metropolis.

Since ancient times,

This had been a prosperous commercial city, home to Chen State's greatest number of trading ports.

Then, two hundred years ago, the Mijialun Kingdom joined forces with the Aofei Duchy and five other Western powers, forming an allied army of six nations that crossed the distant ocean.

With their terrifying warships and cannons, they forcibly blasted open the gates of Chen State's isolation.

Back then, the Western Allied Forces landed in Nanwan Prefecture of Chen State, smashed through the armies of Tuo and Qing Prefectures one after another, and pointed straight at the Dragon Vein of the Imperial Capital. The Son of Heaven of that time was so terrified that he fled north in panic and escaped west three times.

Because the excuse for the six nations' war was that Chen State's special mineral, "Blackstone," was not exported abroad, it was also known in history as the "Blackstone Incident" and the "Blackstone War."

After that battle, Chen State, once in the full bloom of its strength, had its spine broken outright and had no choice but to cede land for peace.

Thus began Chen State's two hundred years of humiliation.

Peace City was also one of the first places in Chen State to fall into concession territory. After opening its port, it rapidly rose into an international metropolis where ten thousand merchants gathered and every kind of goods stood in forest-like rows.

Now, the vast majority of its districts were firmly controlled by foreigners, divided into several urban sectors such as the Gallon Concession and the Aofei Concession.

The entire city governed nineteen districts, three counties, and two townships. Of those, aside from two districts, two counties, and two townships still in Chen State's hands, all the rest belonged to the Western powers.

Miqiao District lay at the southernmost edge of Peace City. It was extremely remote and one of the few districts still governed by Chen State.

The buildings in this area were all in Chen State style. There were no skyscrapers or luxurious hotels, not even streetcars.

There were few old-fashioned automobiles on the roads, barely any in sight. The main means of transportation were still horse-drawn carriages and rickshaws.

The patrols on the streets were no longer foreign constables, but local military police. Their attire and manner were exceedingly casual, and they loosely carried single-shot rifled guns.

Even with Jiang Jingnian's leg strength, it took him nearly two hours to pass through five or six districts before he reached the remote Miqiao District.

"This place really is out of the way. I've never driven my rickshaw over here before."

Jiang Jingnian normally only worked the few prosperous districts, where there were plenty of customers and no shortage of business.

Any farther or more remote than that, and both time costs and customer-acquisition costs surged sharply. It simply was not worth it.

He dragged his rickshaw along and picked up a passenger going the same way midway through, earning a few silver coins.

After arriving in Miqiao District, he asked several passersby for directions before finding the Tongda Escort Agency.

The escort agency was exceedingly old-fashioned.

A square courtyard was enclosed by imposing high walls.

Its layout and architectural structure were more or less the same as the Chinese style from his previous life.

The vermilion elmwood gates now stood wide open. Only two burly men with sabers guarded the entrance, while people passed the inspection of the two guards and entered one after another.

"Big brothers, I saw that the escort agency was recruiting, so I came to apply. May I ask what the process is?"

Jiang Jingnian parked his rickshaw near the gate, stepped forward, and asked with an ingratiating smile.

"Did you bring your documents? Identification such as a work permit?"

The escort agency guard sized Jiang Jingnian up and down. Seeing his sturdy build, he nodded slightly.

"Yes, yes."

Jiang Jingnian took the documents from his clothes and handed them over.

"A rickshaw puller? Everyone who's come to apply these past few days has been a young master from some wealthy household. I really haven't seen a laborer before."

After glancing over the documents, the guard smacked his lips and returned them. "Still, you look pretty strong, unlike those skinny laborers. Go in and try. Someone inside will guide you."

These days,

Rickshaw pullers were much like construction workers and dockside porters. They looked as though they could make a little money, but in truth, they were worked half to death, trading their lives for cash.

They did a great deal of work, expended enormous energy, yet ate little. Their bodies were severely overdrawn, and they aged quickly. Even without illness or injury, their average lifespan was only around forty.

Though an escort agency could not compare to martial arts schools,

As long as it had anything to do with martial artists, it counted as a mid-tier force in Peace City.

Most children of aristocratic families looked down on escort agencies, but quite a few youths from poor families and wealthy households still came to try. This was the fallback option for those unable to enter martial arts schools.

For laborers to come and apply,

That was exceedingly rare.

Because even if one or two came occasionally to try their luck, they generally could not pass the test. They could not even receive a single punch from an escort agency master.

"Thank you, big brothers."

Jiang Jingnian took out two fifty-cent silver coins and slipped one into each guard's hand. With an honest, simple smile, he said, "Please help keep an eye on my rickshaw. It's rented from the rickshaw company, so I can't afford even the slightest mishap."

The guards weighed the fifty-cent coins in their hands. "Fine, fine. Get inside."

It was not much money, but it was enough to have them watch the rickshaw parked at the entrance.

Once he entered the escort agency gates,

The first thing he saw was a spacious training ground. At its center was a simply constructed fighting ring, where escort masters were testing applicants.

More than a dozen people were already waiting near the ring.

They all looked very young, only fifteen or sixteen years old. Their clothes were not flashy, but they were very presentable. Most were young men, with only three young women among them.

When Jiang Jingnian entered,

The dozen or so people merely cast a casual glance at the newcomer. Seeing Jiang Jingnian's rolled-up trouser legs and his patched, dust-covered short jacket, the attire of a laborer, they all secretly shook their heads, though none said anything aloud.

No matter the time,

There would always be lowly laborers who refused to accept reality and wanted to try their luck. Yet they did not know that even the escort agency's entry examination would most likely leave them injured.

It would not be fatal,

But for laborers who survived by selling their strength, needing to recuperate at home for ten days or half a month, or being left with some hidden injury, might become the reason they starved to death on the streets later.

To put it simply, compared with children from poor families or wealthy households, laborers had no ability to withstand risks. They had no foundation or savings that would allow them to go half a month or a month without working.

Not working meant starving to death, let alone the enormous cost of treating illnesses and injuries.

Bang—

At that moment, a sturdily built youth rolled off the fighting ring, letting out a pained muffled groan.

"You couldn't even last five breaths. Unqualified! Next!"

The escort master on the ring wore a black short shirt and spoke coldly.

After he finished speaking, a plump, bloated young woman climbed onto the ring with great difficulty, preparing to undergo the escort master's test.

At that moment,

An attendant came over with paper and a pen and explained the test rules to Jiang Jingnian. "Little brother, the rules are simple. As long as you can last ten breaths in the hands of an escort master, you can become an apprentice."

"Those who perform exceptionally well may directly become runners of the escort agency. Once you become a runner, not only can you escort shipments with the agency and receive a monthly salary, you can also receive the agency's martial arts instruction."

"However, even if the escort master suppresses his strength, injuries are unavoidable in a ring examination like this. You need to sign this waiver. You can read some words, right?"

Although Jiang Jingnian did not recognize every character, he was no longer an illiterate who had just crossed over. There were only three simple sentences on it, and he could understand the general meaning. Only after confirming there was nothing like a "contract of sale" or "long-term employment" did he sign it.

He wrote the three crooked characters for "Jiang Jingnian," then pressed his seal.

Two more new applicants arrived afterward. Under the attendant's guidance, they also signed the waiver and pressed their fingerprints.

Only then did Jiang Jingnian, who had been observing in secret, completely set his mind at ease and resolve to work even harder at learning to read and write.

More than a dozen people lined up to wait for their tests.

The entire process was orderly. Perhaps because several escort masters stood nearby to keep everyone in check, there was no scrambling or arguing.

Most of them were eliminated.

Only two became apprentices.

There was also a young man from a poor family whose blood and qi were much more vigorous than the others'. He even knew a unique leg technique. He exchanged more than a dozen moves with the escort master before being knocked off the ring.

He directly obtained a runner's spot.

Soon, it was Jiang Jingnian's turn.

[Name: Jiang Jingnian]

[Trait: Taotie]

[Art: Taiji Vajra Art (Beginner)]

[Archetype: Martial Master (Blood Tempering 6%)]

Jiang Jingnian looked over his status panel and estimated the level of the bald escort master before him based on his observations of the earlier duels.

"Though this escort master has suppressed his strength, he is absolutely a genuine martial artist. I just don't know how much stronger he is than a wild-path martial artist like me."

Jiang Jingnian climbed onto the ring and thought silently.

However, the man standing not far away did not give him that terrifying instinctive sense of oppression. He still felt fairly relaxed. The man should also be a Blood Tempering martial master of the same stage, not someone at the profound levels of Bone Tempering or Marrow Tempering.

Still, that was only a preliminary guess. He would not know the truth until they exchanged blows.

"Here I come!"

The escort master watched Jiang Jingnian steady himself on the ring. His eyes flashed as he strode forward several steps and threw a Cannon Fist with his right hand.

In the air,

It sounded as though a string of firecrackers had been lit, crackling and popping.

This was blood and qi like molten mercury, a punch exploding like a cannon blast.

"The speed isn't too fast. I can keep up."

Jiang Jingnian did not dare be careless, but neither did he use his Blood Core. Relying only on his powerful blood and qi, he raised his left hand to block while throwing a hook with his right hand straight at the man's chin.

"Good!"

Seeing that this laborer youth did not dodge but instead chose to trade punches with him, the escort master's eyes flashed. Rather than retreating, he advanced.

His blood and qi surged throughout his body. With a short step and a twist of his hips, he united waist and stance, turned his shoulder sideways, and used skillful force to knock aside the youth's incoming hook.

Then he changed his fist into a palm, withdrew some of his strength, and shifted downward, slipping around the block of the other man's arm.

He prepared to strike directly at the youth's abdomen.

From their first move, to breaking each other's techniques, to the escort master changing moves, it seemed slow, yet it had all happened within one or two breaths.

"If he fights like that, he won't even last two breaths—and that's with the escort master holding back."

Whether they were applicants waiting below the ring or escort masters and runners watching from the side, their eyes flickered. They found the youth's foolish recklessness somewhat helpless.

An escort master of an escort agency was a martial master no matter what.

Even if he suppressed his strength, against this group of boys and girls who did not even count as martial masters, he would still crush them.

The only difference was whether they fell after one or two exchanges, or after more than a dozen.

Under normal circumstances, one should prioritize circling and dodging, enduring the ten-breath examination time instead of meeting force with force. If they did, then even if they did not die, they would be severely injured.

This time,

If that palm strike landed solidly, even with the escort master holding back enough not to kill him on the spot, the youth would likely be bedridden for three to five months. With worse luck, he might be crippled outright and lose the ability to work.

This was a martial artist's ring.

It was not hosting guests for dinner, nor was it writing essays. One could not be refined and courteous, gentle and yielding.

It was real fighting, fist after fist landing on flesh.

Using martial arts to meet martial arts.

And this was only an examination.

On a true fighting ring, one fought to determine superiority and decide life or death. There was not the slightest room for luck.

A somewhat sturdy laborer in ragged clothes, facing an escort master's ferocious head-on clash, would probably roll off the ring like a torn sack.

The young women present had already turned their heads slightly away and could not bear to watch further.