In a street-facing hall on the third floor, a white-haired old man with a vigorous spirit sat cross-legged atop a redwood couch as lavish as a grand bed.
Tea boiled on a low table beside him, and wisps of fragrance filled the air.
"Report, the man has been brought."
"Let him in!"
The old man poured tea without even raising his head as he gave the order.
At Zhou Chun's meaningful glance, Su Xinghe went around the partition and entered a spacious, brightly lit hall.
Besides the old man who had just spoken, there were unexpectedly nine others standing inside—four adults and five children.
He recognized one of the young men. He was a Great River Gang disciple who followed another minor leader, about Su Xinghe's age and likewise a newcomer who had joined this year.
Su Xinghe did not recognize the rest, but judging by their attire, they were probably from the Brokerage Guild.
Su Xinghe consciously walked over and stood shoulder to shoulder with them.
The white-haired elder leisurely finished brewing his tea before rising to his feet in satisfaction.
He was extremely tall. Standing upon the couch platform, he nearly reached the ceiling.
From there, he looked down at everyone below.
"In the battle the day before yesterday, our Great River Gang lost sixteen disciples. Including those gravely wounded and crippled, our losses could be called immense."
The old man seemed to be recalling something, but his tone gradually rose.
By the end, he leaped down from the couch, strode up before them, and swept his sharp gaze across their faces one by one, lingering especially long on the five thirteen- and fourteen-year-old boys.
"But this world is just like this. Those who are not strong enough can be killed at any time!"
"Are you afraid?"
His voice was low, but his tone was icy.
The five boys had already gone pale, their legs trembling.
"Heh heh, you're afraid..."
"But fear is the most useless thing of all!"
With that, he turned to Su Xinghe and the other young man.
"Xiaojun said that the two of you had practiced your spear techniques well. I would also like to have a look."
The instant he finished speaking, the old man raised his left hand. His fingers came together like a sword, and he pointed at the pair from afar.
In that instant, several thoughts flashed through Su Xinghe's mind.
A powerhouse taking disciples?
A test before becoming official?
But that finger strike came too swiftly and too suddenly.
The very moment those thoughts arose, a force that split the air came crashing down on him with an incomparably tyrannical aura.
So powerful... Is this the strength of an Eighth Rank Dark Force martial artist?
That was the last thought in his mind.
In a daze.
Su Xinghe felt as if he had been cast onto a battlefield, surrounded and drowned by tide-like waves of enemies.
Warning bells blared in his heart. Icy killing intent prickled over his entire body. Never before had he felt pressure in battle like he did at this moment.
It was as though what came at him was not a finger, but arrows blotting out the sky and covering the earth.
Instinctively, he wanted to raise his spear to block it.
But as soon as he assumed the stance, he realized his hands were empty.
In his haste, he used his fist in place of a spear. One arm crossed horizontally and the other stood upright as he executed a cross-shaped lifting strike.
Thud!
It was the hollow impact of a fist striking a chest.
Yet that seemingly overwhelming blow was not as heavy as he had imagined. Su Xinghe only felt two forces, one shaking and one swaying, at his wrist, each weighing less than a hundred jin.
One of those tremors scattered his fist stance, while the other made his attack rebound and strike his own chest instead.
It was an extraordinarily ingenious method of exerting force. He seemed to have learned something from it.
"You may go back."
The old man's voice rang out before him again.
Su Xinghe was startled, thinking the words were meant for him.
He swiftly emerged from his analysis of the move and followed the direction of the old man's gaze.
The focus was not on him after all.
The young Great River Gang disciple who had stood alongside them earlier was now hiding behind Su Xinghe, red-faced and red-eared.
Seeing the elder's calm expression, the disciple's lips quivered as though he wanted to say something. In the end, however, he dejectedly lowered his head and withdrew.
Everyone lowered their heads, not daring even to breathe loudly.
"Su Xinghe, registered residence: Oil Seller Alley, Middle Street, Tongzi Ward, Lin County. Father: Su Cheng. Mother: Second Branch Madam Chen of Qiaotou Village. One younger brother, Su Haitao. Former long-term laborer at the Lu Family Farmstead south of the city..."
Holding a pale yellow paper card, the white-haired elder slowly read out the words written on it. Apart from the Peaceful Heaven Sect matter, everything else was entirely correct.
Su Xinghe was startled.
His nickname within the Great River Gang was Blackie, and he supposedly lived beside the Central River west of the city.
Yet his face remained neither sorrowful nor joyful.
His secrecy work had still not been thorough enough. Even his entire background had now been uncovered.
But there was nothing he could do.
The other party was a martial artist. They stood on entirely different levels.
He immediately calmed his chaotic thoughts, because this grand display before him ought to be a good thing.
Having struggled through society for more than ten years in his previous life, how could he fail to read the flavor of a scene like this?
He was about to become official. This was a background check.
And an Eighth Rank martial artist was personally interviewing and signing him!
Then did that mean he was about to become a martial artist too?
He only hoped the "contract" to come would not be too harsh. He still wanted to live with at least a little dignity.
If they were going to force him to sign one of those deeds of sale...
A "contract" like that was probably something not even a dog would sign.
But if a dog would not sign it, he would.
Everything was for martial arts, for living with greater dignity in the future. Once he had strength, any deed of sale would obediently make way for him.
Su Xinghe gave himself a mental pep talk.
Over more than half a year since transmigrating, he had endured humiliation and heavy burdens while secretly making arrangements on many fronts. He had also spent vast sums bribing pawns to relay information everywhere.
He worked diligently and plotted with every ounce of his strength.
Yet the road of martial arts had remained shrouded in clouds and mist, lofty and unreachable.
Who would have thought—
That today, he would suddenly discover that the path of martial arts had long been beneath his feet.
Things did not develop according to Su Xinghe's guesses. Once the elder finished reading, he began practicing a fist technique Su Xinghe had never seen before.
As he punched, he chanted a verse formula. The transitions and connections between the two fit together perfectly.
So generous? Does he not need me to sell myself?
Such breadth of vision—worthy of the Veteran's Trade House inheritance!
Su Xinghe froze, but immediately reined in his surging emotions. Knowing the opportunity was rare, he cast aside all distractions and focused wholeheartedly on memorizing it.
In a daze.
He seemed to see a mighty giant ape battling wild beasts, its fierce and powerful bearing fully revealed. At times it spread its arms and pounced, burrowing into the earth; at other times it twisted its body and charged in all directions.
When still, it stood as steady as Mount Tai, with strength capable of uprooting mountains.
When moving, it was swift as the wind, its tracks impossible to follow.
Faintly, it also concealed an indescribable artistic realm.
This was true skill.
It could stimulate blood and qi into Force Infusion, temper sinews, bones, skin, and membranes, then open blood acupoints until force arose naturally.
After three repetitions of the form.
Zhou Tianxiong expressionlessly withdrew from the stance.
"Alright. Ponder it slowly later. If there is anything you do not understand, you can ask Zhou Chun."
"Now, sign this contract first."
In truth, Zhou Tianxiong's heart was nowhere near as calm as he appeared.
Their Zhou Family possessed an inheritance, and they had once been one of the Zhou Martial Sage Dynasty's super-first-rate powers. It was only that they had secluded themselves in this corner for the past century, their talent pool withering away until they no longer had the means to return.
He was already advanced in years, and the family had finally produced a Zhou Hao. But if he and his old brothers were to pass on, who would be able to protect the family then?
Their early cultivation of new recruits this time was also born from the hope that they might uncover a few promising seedlings.
Now, it seemed that this disciple named Su Xinghe possessed decent temperament and talent. It would depend on whether he could pass the assessment within the stipulated time and whether he was worth cultivating with all their strength.
The only regret was that he was somewhat too old.
Zhou Tianxiong intended to observe him for a while first.
A faintly impatient voice pulled Su Xinghe back to reality.
He hurriedly came to his senses.
He shifted his gaze away from the translucent panel in his mind and focused again on the old gang leader before him.
The other man had switched to a larger paper card and handed it over.
There was no such thing as a free lunch. He still could not escape the hurdle of selling himself. But after reading it carefully, he relaxed inwardly.
The first party to the "contract" was the old gang leader, Zhou Tianxiong, who was also the owner of the Veteran's Trade House. The second party was naturally Su Xinghe, though his status remained that of a Great River Gang disciple.
The contract was divided into two parts.
"Condition One: From the moment he receives the transmission of the true martial arts skill, Golden Ape Fist, should Su Xinghe fail to break through to Inner Tempering within three months, he must work for the Great River Gang for twenty years.
"During those twenty years, once he breaks through to Inner Tempering, he will automatically be promoted to minor leader and supported by the Great River Gang, with a monthly stipend of three taels of silver. Battle merit will be calculated separately.
"During those twenty years, should he break through to become a martial artist, he will be directly promoted to major leader and supported by the Great River Gang, with a monthly stipend of thirty taels of silver. Battle merit will be calculated separately."
This condition was actually rather harsh.
After all, thirty taels of silver a month could not hire a martial artist.
"Condition Two: From the moment he receives the transmission of the true martial arts skill, Golden Ape Fist, should he break through to Inner Tempering within three months, he will automatically be promoted to manager of the Veteran's Trade House, with a monthly stipend of ten taels of silver.
"Should he break through to become a martial artist within one year, he will automatically be promoted to guest elder of the Veteran's Trade House, with a monthly stipend of one hundred taels of silver and a small courtyard south of the city. He may freely choose which Trade House assignments to accept."
This second condition was far better, and was roughly the standard guaranteed pay for a martial artist.
Su Xinghe could see that the next three months to one year would be crucial. They would not only determine his future income, but also determine the matter of his personal freedom.
If he failed to break through to Inner Tempering within three months, he would have to lose at least twenty years of freedom to repay the debt.
Still, compared with his current situation, signing this contract was much better.
Ordinary disciples like him had originally had no fixed income beyond looting corpses and receiving reward silver. Even Lu Kui, a "veteran" disciple who had joined two or three years ago, still had to mooch food and drink in his daily life.
In truth, Su Xinghe was simply too used to being cautious.
He was merely an Inner Tempering apprentice. Three months would not be a problem at all. As for where his confidence came from, one only had to look at the rows of combat martial techniques at mastery level on the panel.
After carefully reading the contract, he immediately picked up the brush and signed his name.
Zhou Tianxiong nodded in satisfaction, took the contract, and turned to leave.
At that moment, Manager Zhou Chun appeared before the group holding a red scroll, his face solemn.
He warned them in a stern tone:
"Those who demonstrate it in public shall receive one hundred cane strokes!"
"Those who secretly pass it on to others shall have their entire clan exterminated!"
"Those who lay hands on it shall be executed!"
The severity of those three prohibitions was enough to make one's hair stand on end.
Yet at that moment, no one dared to object.
Before you continue