Transmission of True Skill, Contract of Sale

Inside a street-facing hall on the third floor, a white-haired old man with a vigorous spirit sat cross-legged atop a rosewood couch as luxurious as a grand bed.

The tea on a low table beside him was boiling, and wisps of fragrance filled the air.

"Report, they have arrived."

"Let him in!"

The old man poured tea without even raising his head as he gave the order.

At Zhou Chun's signal, Su Xinghe went around the partition and entered a spacious, brightly lit hall.

Besides the old man who had just spoken, there were unexpectedly another nine people 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. He was about Su Xinghe's age and had also joined as a newcomer this year.

Su Xinghe did not recognize the others, but judging by their attire, they were likely from the Brokerage Guild.

Su Xinghe walked over of his own accord and stood in a row beside them.

The white-haired old man finished brewing his tea at his leisure before rising to his feet in satisfaction.

He was extremely tall. Standing atop the couch platform, he nearly reached the ceiling.

From there, he looked down upon everyone.

"In the battle two days ago, our Great River Gang lost sixteen disciples. Including those severely wounded and crippled, our losses were considerable."

The old man seemed to be recalling something, but his tone gradually rose.

At the end, he leaped down from the couch, strode before the group, and swept his sharp gaze across their faces one by one, lingering especially long on the five thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boys.

"But this is the way of the world. Those who are not strong enough may 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 are afraid..."

"But fear is the most useless thing of all!"

His gaze shifted toward Su Xinghe and the other young man.

"Xiaojun said the two of you have trained your spear techniques well. I would also like to see for myself."

The instant he finished speaking, the old man raised his left hand. He gathered his fingers into a sword and pointed at them from afar.

In that instant, several thoughts flashed through Su Xinghe's mind.

Is a powerful expert taking disciples?

Is this a test to become a full member?

But that finger strike came far too quickly and suddenly.

The moment those thoughts arose, a force that split the air came crashing down upon him with an incomparably domineering presence.

So strong... Is this the power of an Eighth Rank Dark Force Martial Warrior...?

That was the last thought in his mind.

In a daze.

Su Xinghe felt as though he stood on a battlefield, surrounded and drowned by a tidal wave of enemies.

Warning bells blared in his heart. Every inch of his body felt pierced by icy blades. Never before had a battle placed him under such pressure.

It was as if what came at him was not a finger, but a sky-covering rain of arrows.

On instinct, he wanted to raise his spear and block it.

But as soon as he assumed the motion, he discovered his hands were empty.

In his haste, he used his fist in place of a spear, crossing one arm horizontally and the other vertically as he made a cross-shaped lifting strike.

Thud!

It was the hollow sound of a fist striking a chest.

Yet that seemingly mighty, heavy blow was not as weighty as he had imagined. Su Xinghe only felt two forces of less than a hundred pounds each—a shock and a sway—at his wrist.

One of those forces shattered his fist stance. The other made his strike rebound and slam into his own chest.

It was an exceptionally brilliant method of exerting force. It seemed he had learned something from it.

"You may leave now."

The old man's voice rang out before him once more.

Su Xinghe was startled, thinking he meant him.

He quickly pulled himself out of his dismantling of the move and looked where the old man's gaze pointed.

It turned out the focus was not on him.

The young Great River Gang disciple who had stood alongside them earlier was now hiding behind Su Xinghe, his face and ears red.

Seeing the old man's indifferent expression, the disciple's lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he withdrew in dejection.

Everyone lowered their heads, scarcely daring to breathe.

"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 Lu Family Farmstead south of the city..."

Holding a pale yellow paper card, the white-haired old man slowly read the words written upon it. Aside from the Peaceful Heaven Sect matter, everything was completely accurate.

Su Xinghe was startled.

Within the Great River Gang, his nickname was Blackie, and he lived by Central River in the western part of the city.

Yet his expression remained neither joyous nor sorrowful.

His secrecy had still not been thorough enough. Even his entire background had now been uncovered.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

The other party was a Martial Warrior; they stood on entirely different levels.

He immediately calmed his muddled thoughts, because this display before him should be a good thing.

Having struggled through society for more than a decade in his previous life, how could he fail to read the flavor of a scene like this?

He was about to become a full member. This was a background check.

And it was an eighth-rank martial artist personally interviewing and signing him on!

Then did that mean he was about to become a Martial Warrior 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 intended to force him to sign that kind of contract of sale...

Not even a dog would sign such a "contract."

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 possessed strength, any contract of sale would obediently make way for him.

Su Xinghe gave himself a mental pep talk.

For more than half a year since crossing over, he had endured humiliation and borne heavy burdens, secretly making plans on every front. He had even spent heavily to bribe pawns to pass information in various places.

He had worked diligently and planned until his mind was exhausted.

Yet the path of Martial Warrior had remained veiled in clouds and mist, lofty and beyond reach.

Who would have thought.

That today, he would suddenly discover that the path of martial arts had been beneath his feet all along.

Events did not unfold according to Su Xinghe's speculation. After finishing the reading, the old man began practicing a set of fist techniques Su Xinghe had never seen before.

As he punched, he chanted a mnemonic verse. The transitions 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 was stunned, but immediately gathered his turbulent mind. Knowing this opportunity was rare, he cast aside all distractions and focused wholly on memorizing it.

In a daze.

He seemed to see a giant, powerful ape battling wild beasts, its fierce and formidable aura revealed without reservation. At times it spread its arms and pounced, burrowing into the ground; at times it twisted its body and charged into slaughter in all directions.

When still, it was as steady as Mount Tai, yet possessed boundless strength.

When moving, it was swift as the wind, yet left no trace to follow.

Faintly, it also contained an indescribable artistic conception.

This was true skill.

It could stir the blood and qi into Force Infusion, temper the sinews, bones, skin, and flesh, then open the blood apertures, allowing force to arise on its own.

After three rounds of the form.

Zhou Tianxiong expressionlessly withdrew his stance.

"Enough. You can ponder it slowly later. If there is anything you do not understand, ask Xiaochun."

"Now, sign this contract first."

In truth, Zhou Tianxiong was not as calm inside as he appeared.

The Zhou Family had an inheritance, and had once been one of the Zhou Martial Sage Dynasty's top-tier powers. It was only that they had secluded themselves in this corner for the past century, and their talents had withered to the point that they lacked the strength to return.

He was already advanced in years, and Zhou Hao had finally emerged from the family. But if he and his old brothers passed on, who would be able to protect him?

This early cultivation of newcomers was also driven by the hope that they might uncover a few promising seedlings.

Now, it seemed the disciple before him, 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 vigorously.

The only regret was that he was a little too old.

Zhou Tianxiong planned to observe him for a while first.

A slightly impatient voice pulled Su Xinghe back to reality.

He hurriedly came back to himself.

He shifted his gaze away from the translucent panel in his mind and focused once more on the old gang leader before him.

The man had replaced the paper card in his hand with a larger one and handed it over.

There was no free lunch in this world. He still could not escape the hurdle of selling himself. Yet after reading it carefully, Su Xinghe 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 identity remained that of a Great River Gang disciple.

This contract was divided into two parts.

"Condition One: From the day he receives the transmission of the martial arts true skill, Golden Ape Fist, if Su Xinghe fails 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 salary of three taels of silver. Battle merits will be calculated separately.

"During those twenty years, if he breaks through to become a Martial Warrior, he will be directly promoted to major leader and supported by the Great River Gang, with a monthly salary of thirty taels of silver. Battle merits will be calculated separately."

This condition was actually somewhat harsh.

After all, thirty taels of silver a month could not hire a Martial Warrior.

"Condition Two: From the day he receives the transmission of the martial arts true skill, Golden Ape Fist, if he breaks through to Inner Tempering within three months, he will automatically be promoted to manager of the Veteran's Trade House, with a monthly salary of ten taels of silver.

"If he breaks through to become a Martial Warrior within one year, he will automatically be promoted to a guest official of the Veteran's Trade House, with a monthly salary of one hundred taels of silver and a small courtyard south of the city. He may freely choose which Brokerage Guild assignments to accept."

Condition Two was far better, and was roughly the standard guaranteed pay for a Martial Warrior.

Su Xinghe could see that the coming three months to one year would be crucial. It would not only determine his future income, but also decide the matter of his personal freedom.

If he failed to break through to Inner Tempering within three months, he would have to surrender at least twenty years of freedom to repay the debt.

But compared to his current circumstances, signing the contract would still improve things considerably.

Ordinary disciples like him 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 daily life.

In truth, Su Xinghe was simply used to being cautious.

He was merely an Inner Tempering apprentice. Three months would be no problem at all. If one asked where his confidence came from, one only needed to look at the rows of perfected killing martial techniques on the panel.

After carefully reading through 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 everyone holding a red scroll, his face solemn.

He warned them sternly:

"Anyone who demonstrates it in public shall receive one hundred strokes of the staff!"

"Anyone who privately teaches it to another shall have their entire family exterminated!"

"Anyone who lays a finger on it shall be executed!"

The severity of the three prohibitions was horrifying.

Yet at this moment, no one dared to object.