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, flowing into the Eastern Sea at the estuary in the city's eastern district and cutting through the entire great city.

Since ancient times,

This had been a bustling commercial metropolis, home to Chen State's largest trading ports.

Then, two hundred years ago, the Mijialun Kingdom joined forces with the Aofei Duchy and four other great Western powers. The combined armies of six nations crossed the distant ocean.

With their terrifying ironclad warships and cannons, they forcibly blasted open Chen State's doors, which had long been shut tight against the world.

At the time, the Western Allied Forces landed in Nanwan Prefecture of Chen State, shattered the armies of Tuo and Qing Prefectures in succession, and pointed their spearhead directly at the Dragon Vein of the Imperial Capital. The Son of Heaven of that era was so terrified that he fled north in panic and escaped westward three times.

Because the six nations had used Chen State's refusal to export its unique mineral, "Blackstone," as their pretext for war, the conflict was also historically known as the "Blackstone Incident" and the "Blackstone War."

After that battle, Chen State, which had been in the full bloom of its prime, had its backbone snapped and was forced to cede territory in exchange 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 becoming a concession. After its ports were opened, it rapidly rose into an international metropolis where ten thousand merchants gathered and every kind of goods stood in rows.

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

The entire city governed nineteen districts, three counties, and two townships. Of those, only two districts, two counties, and two townships remained in Chen State's hands; all the rest were controlled by the Western powers.

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

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

There were few old cars on the roads, barely any to be seen. The main means of transportation were still horse-drawn carriages and human-powered rickshaws.

The patrols on the streets were no longer foreign constables, but local gendarmerie. Their uniforms and attitudes were extremely casual, and they loosely slung front-loading rifled muskets over their shoulders.

Even with Jiang Jingnian's stamina, it took him nearly two hours and passage through five or six districts to reach the remote Miqiao District.

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

Jiang Jingnian usually worked only in those few bustling districts, where there were plenty of customers and no shortage of business.

Any farther out and more remote, and both the time cost and the cost of finding passengers soared. It simply was not worth it.

He pulled his rickshaw along and picked up a passenger heading in the same direction midway, earning a few silver coins.

After reaching Miqiao District, he had to ask several passersby for directions before finding the location of the Tongda Escort Agency.

The escort agency was very old-fashioned.

Its 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 carrying 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 left his rickshaw near the gate, walked up, and asked with an ingratiating smile.

"Did you bring any 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 chest and handed them over.

"A rickshaw puller? The people who've come to apply these past few days have all been young people from wealthy households. I really haven't seen a laborer before."

After glancing over the documents a few times, the guard smacked his lips and returned them to him. "Still, you look pretty sturdy, unlike those scrawny laborers. Go in and give it a try. Someone inside the agency will guide you."

In these times,

Rickshaw pullers were much like construction workers and dock porters. They looked as though they could earn a little money, but in truth they were worked to the bone, trading their lives for cash.

They did a great deal of work, spent a great deal of strength, yet ate very little. Their bodies were drained terribly and they aged with frightening speed. Even without illness or injury, their average lifespan was only around forty.

Although escort agencies could not compare with martial arts schools,

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

Most children of Aristocratic Clans looked down on escort agencies, but quite a few young people from poor families, as well as those from wealthy households, still came to try their luck. This was a backup option for those who could not enter a martial arts school.

As for laborers coming to apply,

That was exceedingly rare.

Because even if one or two occasionally came to try their luck, they generally could not pass the assessment. They could not even withstand 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 a guileless smile, he said, "Please help keep an eye on my rickshaw. It's rented from the rickshaw company, so I can't afford for anything to go wrong."

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 outside the gate.

After entering the escort agency,

The first thing he saw was a spacious martial arts training ground. At its center stood a simply constructed arena, where escort masters were assessing the applicants.

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

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

When Jiang Jingnian entered,

The dozen or so people merely glanced at him casually. Seeing his 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 outwardly.

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 assessment carried a high chance of injury.

It would not be fatal.

But for laborers who survived by selling their strength, having to rest at home for ten days or half a month, or suffering some lingering injury, could be the reason they starved to death on the streets later.

To put it simply, compared to the children of poor families or wealthy households, laborers had no ability to bear risks. They had no savings or foundation to let them go half a month or a month without working.

Not working meant starving to death, let alone the steep costs of treatment for sickness and injuries.

Bang—

At that moment, a broad, muscular youth rolled off the arena and let out a pained groan.

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

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

After his words fell, a plump, obese young woman climbed onto the arena with great difficulty, preparing to undergo the escort master's assessment.

At this moment,

A servant approached from nearby carrying paper and a brush, then explained the rules to Jiang Jingnian. "Little brother, the rules are simple. As long as you can hold out for ten breaths in the hands of an escort master, you can become an apprentice."

"Those with exceptionally outstanding performance can directly become runners for the escort agency. Once you become a runner, not only can you escort goods with the agency and receive a monthly wage, you can also receive martial arts instruction from the agency."

"However, even though the escort master will suppress his strength, injuries are unavoidable in this sort of arena assessment. You need to sign this letter of undertaking. You can read some words, right?"

Although Jiang Jingnian did not recognize every character, he was no longer the illiterate man he had been when he first transmigrated. There were only three simple sentences on it, and he could roughly understand them. Once he confirmed there were no phrases like "contract of sale" or "long-term employment," he signed it.

He wrote the three characters of "Jiang Jingnian" in a crooked scrawl, then stamped it with his seal.

Two more new applicants arrived afterward. Under the servant's guidance, they too signed the undertaking and pressed their fingerprints onto it.

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

More than a dozen people lined up to await their assessments.

The entire process was orderly. Perhaps because several escort masters stood nearby as a deterrent, 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 far more vigorous than the others'. He even knew a unique leg technique and exchanged more than a dozen moves with the escort master before being knocked off the arena.

He directly earned a spot as a runner.

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, based on his earlier observations of the duels, estimated the level of the bald escort master before him.

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

Jiang Jingnian stepped onto the arena, silently thinking to himself.

Still, the other man stood not far away and did not give him that terrifying instinctive pressure. Jiang Jingnian felt fairly relaxed. The man should also be a Martial Master in the Blood Tempering stage, not someone at the profound levels of Bone Tempering or Marrow Tempering.

However, that was only an initial guess. What the truth was would have to wait until they exchanged blows.

"Here I come!"

The escort master's gaze flashed as he looked at Jiang Jingnian, who had already steadied himself on the arena. He took several quick steps forward and threw a Cannon Fist with his right hand.

In the air,

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

This was blood and qi like mercury slurry, fists striking like exploding cannons.

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

Jiang Jingnian did not dare underestimate him, but he did not use his Blood Core either. Relying solely on his vigorous blood and qi, he raised his left hand to block and sent a hook with his right hand straight toward the other man's chin.

"Good!"

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

His blood and qi surged throughout his body. With a short step and a twist of his hips, he fused waist and stance as one, turning his shoulder sideways and using clever 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, circling past the block of Jiang Jingnian's arm.

He prepared to press his palm directly onto the youth's abdomen.

From the moment the two began fighting, to their exchange of moves, to the escort master changing techniques, it looked slow, but in truth only one or two breaths had passed.

"At this rate, he won't last even two breaths, and that's with the escort master holding back."

Whether they were the applicants waiting below the arena, or the escort masters and runners watching from the other side, their eyes flickered. They could only feel helpless at the youth's foolishness and recklessness.

The escort masters of the agency were Martial Masters no matter what.

Even if they suppressed their strength, against this group of young men and women who did not even qualify as Martial Masters, they held an utterly crushing advantage.

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

Under normal circumstances, one should prioritize circling and dodging, enduring until the ten-breath assessment was over, rather than meeting force with force. Otherwise, even if one did not die, one 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 likely would not get out of bed for three to five months. If his luck was worse, he might be crippled outright and lose his ability to work.

This was a martial artist's arena.

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

It was real combat, fists striking flesh.

Using martial arts to meet martial arts.

And this was only an assessment.

On a true arena, victory and defeat were decided, as were life and death. There was not the slightest room for luck.

A somewhat sturdy laborer dressed in rags, facing such a fierce head-on clash from an escort master, would likely roll off the arena like a torn sack.

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