Diligence Makes Up for Dullness Su Xinghe

Zhou Martial Sage Dynasty.

Outside Lu Family Wharf in Lin County.

Under the scorching sun, a team of carriages fully laden with goods rumbled over the scorching blue flagstone road, driving slowly out of the city.

There was not a shred of coolness in the air.

Even the flags on the carriages drooped, as though sucked dry of all their strength. Only the slow, heavy sound of horse hooves beat against the heavy, deathly stillness of the summer afternoon.

"Beard Bro..."

Inside the pitch-black, stuffy, narrow space, a muffled voice suddenly rang out.

"Quiet!"

Another voice, laced with extreme anger yet forcefully lowered, rebuked him.

"But I need to pee, I can't hold it much lo..."

Before he could finish this time, the angry man immediately cut him off:

"Blackie, tie a knot in his!"

Su Xinghe: "???"

"Lightly! I told you to handle it lightly!"

"These are goods being sent to Qingzhou Academy. If they get damaged, ten heads between us wouldn't be enough to chop off..."

After a bout of violent shaking, low, melodious water chants rang out outside the large wooden crate.

Oars stirred the water, and the hull trembled slightly.

Amidst the numb or greedy gazes of pedestrians on the shore, this small merchant fleet was guarded by over a dozen men in black robes, fully laden with goods as they rode the wind and waves away.

The river flowed leisurely, and the merchant ship bobbed up and down with the swells.

Inside the large wooden crate, a low voice with a crying tone sounded again:

"Beard Bro, my stomach hurts, can we—"

"Lu Kui, you damn fatty, if you dare to fart, I'll throw you into Clearwater River to feed the turtles!"

In the darkness, the angry man said through gritted teeth.

Su Xinghe felt like he might be carsick.

No, right now it might be seasickness.

Anyone crammed into a sealed wooden box on a scorching hot day, and moreover trapped with seven other slovenly men who hadn't washed in days, smelling all sorts of sweat, foot odor, and bad breath, would feel dizzy, nauseous, and want to throw up.

Plop~

Inside the wooden box, a sound that filled everyone with despair suddenly rang out.

"Ugh..."

This time he could no longer hold it in.

Right at that moment,

Crack!

Blinding sunlight tore through the darkness. Accompanying it was the fresh air everyone had been longing for.

"All of you, hurry out!"

Someone shouted outside the box door.

"Don't run around, go get your gear first!"

Soon, the guard detail of over a dozen men formed a dense, dark mass.

Zhang-long spears were wrapped with slightly prickly hemp rope.

Clutching them in hand felt a bit unstable.

Su Xinghe knew it was not because the quality of the spears in his hand was poor, but rather that his palms were sweating.

Although this was not his first time, he still felt a little inexplicably nervous. Their young gang leader had wild ways, and he hoped they wouldn't run into any Grade Martial Artists or firearms on this trip.

To ease the tension in his heart, he narrowed his eyes slightly and focused on a translucent panel within his mind.

"Su Xinghe: Great River Gang (Temporary Worker)"

"Martial Dao: Uninitiated"

"Destiny: Diligence Makes Up for Dullness"

"Trait 1: Water-Tight, Unyielding"

"Trait 2: Many Grains Make a Tower, Success Follows Naturally"

This was the very first thing he saw when he opened his eyes after transmigrating, though at the very beginning the label after his name had been "Lu Family Tenant Farmer".

He figured the heavens must have pitied him, so they gave him the Diligence Makes Up for Dullness trait as a transmigration bonus cheat.

Through more than half a year of exploration, he truly benefited immensely.

The first trait, Water-Tight, allowed him to completely digest and absorb the nutrients in his food without wasting a single bit. Meanwhile, Unyielding could accelerate fatigue recovery and physical damage repair.

The second trait, Many Grains Make a Tower and Success Follows Naturally, was even more miraculous. In just a few short months, he had completely mastered all the Jianghu killing techniques that other disciples needed years of bitter training to polish.

Lowering his gaze, rows of martial arts techniques stood out clearly before him.

Army-Breaking Spear (Consummate)

Raging Wave Saber (Consummate)

Eight Trigrams Palm (Consummate)

Gale Step (Consummate)

Ascending Dragon Stance (Hall-Entering) 566/1000

Incomplete Red Lotus Treasure Vase Qi 0/10000

Leaving aside the incomplete Red Lotus Treasure Vase Qi left behind by his original body, the rest were worldly Jianghu martial arts he had scavenged through various channels over the past half-year, and they were also his foundation for establishing himself in the Great River Gang.

It was a pity, however, that this was a martial world possessing extraordinary power.

Even if the four mundane martial arts were practiced to perfection, they could only ensure self-preservation in ordinary gang fights.

If he got surrounded and beaten in a brawl, he still had to run.

Especially now that he ran with a dark gang, if not for the formidable physical trait of Unyielding that granted him combat endurance far exceeding ordinary people, his mere one or two hundred catties of strength would have seen him eliminated by wave after wave of slaughter, just like the other cannon-fodder gang members.

As for the Hall-Entering level Ascending Dragon Stance—this martial arts cultivation method had cost him the most silver and carried his highest hopes, as he had originally thought it was a supreme true manual capable of breaking through to become a martial artist.

Thinking about it now, he wanted to slap himself twice.

Because the sole target demographic for this cultivation method turned out to be those middle-aged men with wives and concubines who suffered from impotence.

And he was only twenty-two this year.

Still a single dog.

Cultivation proficiency is divided into:

1. First Glimpse of the Path, 100 proficiency. (Martial arts entrance level, can unleash 30% of its power.)

2. Hall-Entering, 1000 proficiency. (Martial arts minor accomplishment level, can unleash 50% of its power.)

3. Perfect Mastery, 10000 proficiency. (Martial arts proficiency, unleashes 100% of its power.)

4. Transcendent Mastery, 100,000 proficiency. (Martial arts major accomplishment, can unusually unleash 150% of its power.)

5. Peak Perfection, 1,000,000 proficiency. (Reaches the limit of this martial arts grade, power can reach 200%.)

"The fish are coming, perk up!"

"Spear squad forward, saber-and-shield fighters get ready..."

A series of low shouts interrupted his deep contemplation. Opening his eyes, he saw several crude bamboo rafts rushing out from the reed marshes by the river. On top of the rafts stood a group of bare-chested, dancing thugs wielding gleaming sabers.

The opponents had no firearms, and Su Xinghe breathed an inward sigh of relief.

After all, their side didn't either.

He had suffered a loss from being careless last time. Taking a bullet to the belly was sheer misery. Later, having no other choice, he spent three taels of silver at Huichun Hall to get the bullet extracted.

Before the merchant ship even drew close, five masked figures suddenly leaped from the bamboo rafts. Wielding sharp swords, they stepped through the void and vaulted three zhang high.

"Martial artists!"

Someone among the merchant ship cried out in alarm.

Just as these three were about to board the ship, a piercing rush of air suddenly exploded behind Su Xinghe. Several dark figures flashed past overhead from above.

"Kill!"

At that moment, the head enforcer's voice rang out.

As a gang newcomer and part of the front-line spear squad, Su Xinghe was shoved forward onto the deck by the saber-and-shield fighters behind him.

In an instant, the screaming sounds of chaotic slaughter echoed by his ears.

At this moment, he had no way out.

Life and death are up to fate, wealth and honor are up to heaven!

His eyes held only the water bandits lunging toward him and the various trajectories traced by the blade light.

Within his mind, the spear techniques he usually practiced were unleashed with all his might.

In the bottom of his heart, there was only a single conviction:

Kill the enemy, and go back alive.

(Right, there's also looting corpses for money.)

The blazing sun slanted westward, and red clouds drifted into view.

As cooking smoke rose throughout the city, Lu Family Wharf gradually quieted down.

Amid rolling waves, a gust of foul wind blew in from the river.

On the merchant ship, Su Xinghe put down the long spear in his hand and stretched his stiff, numb legs. Instantly, his robes pulled against his newly scabbed wounds, and an agonizing, tearing pain struck him hard.

"Hss..."

He bared his teeth and sucked in a sharp breath.

Yet before he could catch his breath, a greasy, oversized hand heavily patted his shoulder.

"Blackie, you moved pretty fast just now!"

"Why don't we head over to Two-Chi Alley later to relax a bit!"

Mixed with the stench of sweat and bad breath, a muffled, deep voice sounded right beside his ear.