The Hardships of Life

Name: Gu Sheng

Age: 14

Realm: None

Martial Art: Chopping Wood (Mastery 20%)

Seeing that Chopping Wood's progress had suddenly soared to 20%, Gu Sheng could not help but stare blankly.

He began recalling that miraculous slash from the night before. At the time, he had only felt that the wild wolf looked like a piece of firewood in his eyes. Not just firewood—it was as if layer upon layer of grain had appeared before him.

Following those grains, he had split it with effortless ease.

He vaguely understood the direction in which he needed to work if Chopping Wood was to break through to the Completion realm.

Mindlessly grinding for experience had never been the panel's true purpose. Only by combining diligence with thought could he make the most of it.

"At this rate, Chopping Wood may reach the Completion realm in less than twenty days!"

Gu Sheng's heart surged with excitement.

Last night, he had truly learned how powerful Mastery-level Chopping Wood was. Even with his current frail body, he had been able to kill a wild wolf.

If his body grew stronger in the future, its power would only become greater.

"I wonder if Chopping Wood at the Completion realm could rival a martial artist?"

Gu Sheng could not help recalling Gu Jingang's fierce might the night before. With a single punch, he had smashed the wild wolf's head as easily as a watermelon.

Shaking his head and casting aside that unrealistic thought, Gu Sheng began packing up.

The wound on his back was not deep. After applying ointment, it still stung a little, but he still had to go chop wood today. Even if his arms or legs were broken, he would still have to work.

If he did not work, he would have nothing to eat.

After finding a large wooden board to block the hole in the doorway, Gu Sheng headed toward the main household.

He walked with his head lowered. Faint sobbing could be heard coming from the wooden huts along the road.

The nighttime attack by dozens of wild wolves had been an utter catastrophe for ordinary villagers.

"That is... Uncle Gen's home?"

Gu Sheng froze when he saw people on the right gathering up bodies from inside a wooden hut.

Three bodies: a husband and wife, along with a young boy.

Gu Sheng wore a complicated expression as he stood there in a daze.

Uncle Gen had injured his leg years ago and could not do heavy labor. He could only make small handicrafts, while Aunt Gen took on odd jobs to barely keep the family afloat.

Then the wild wolves had attacked last night.

Even a single wild wolf was not something a family like theirs could handle.

"Ah..."

Gu Sheng lowered his head and continued onward, feeling somewhat stifled.

If he had to do it over again, he would still choose to stay at Gu Erniu's home and wait for rescue. No one else's life was more important than his own.

Still, seeing Uncle Gen's entire family wiped out left him with a sorrowful sense that the rabbit had died and the fox grieved.

"Once my body gets stronger, I'll see whether there's a way to start practicing martial arts early."

Gu Sheng let out a long breath and stepped into the north courtyard.

To his surprise, Gu He was waiting there. Upon seeing Gu Sheng, Gu He visibly relaxed.

"I heard news from the village that your area was attacked by wolves last night. It's good that you're unharmed."

Gu Sheng said gratefully,

"Thank you for your concern, Steward. I'm fortunate enough to be alive. I only suffered a minor injury, and it won't affect today's work."

Gu He waved his hand.

"Set the work aside for now. You've been injured today, so you can rest at home and recover."

Gu Sheng shook his head in refusal.

"It's fine. I can manage."

He had no choice. His daily expenses were right there. If he did not work, Gu Sheng could not save any money. The wound on his back did not affect his strength. Though it stung a little, Gu Sheng could endure it.

Seeing Gu Sheng's determination, Gu He did not try to persuade him further, though he sighed inwardly.

"Steward, how many people died last night?"

Gu Sheng suddenly asked.

Gu He fell silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

"Thirteen households. Forty-three people. There are also some who lost arms or legs or were bitten. Fortunately, Instructor Gu and the others arrived in time. Otherwise, even more would have died."

After receiving that news early in the morning, Gu He had felt a lingering grief as well. Though his status in the village was not bad, in the Great Liang Dynasty—or even just within Canghe County—he was no different from those dead villagers.

Gu Sheng's heart trembled, and he too fell silent.

Setting aside those who had died, the people who had lost limbs would face equally difficult days ahead.

Gu Sheng's voice was dry.

"Wild wolves are usually intelligent. They do not easily approach places where people gather. Why did they last night..."

Gu He stared at Gu Sheng for a moment, then shook his head and turned away. Only his voice drifted back.

"Has Gu Erniu returned yet?"

Gu Sheng was startled, then stood frozen as ripples spread through his heart.

"So it really is related to why the martial artists in the village went into the mountains?"

He had already suspected as much. The wild wolves last night had been far too unusual, as though they had been disturbed by something. But he had too little information to confirm it. Now, with Gu He's hint, he immediately understood.

"What exactly did the village gather hunters to enter the mountains for?"

Gu Sheng could not figure it out, but the one piece of good news was that, judging from Gu He's tone, Gu Erniu should not be in much danger.

He set aside his distracting thoughts and entered the woodshed to begin work.

Although the wound affected him somewhat, it was not serious.

Gu Sheng chopped wood diligently.

Every piece of firewood was hope for the future to him.

Time passed.

The sun set beyond the western hills.

Gu Sheng wiped away his sweat and finished the day's wood-chopping work. The cloth wrapped around his back had turned somewhat red. Today, he had only split eight hundred pieces of firewood.

Gu He nodded approvingly, very satisfied with the youth's perseverance.

Gu Sheng collected eight copper coins and went home.

Over the following days, the village gradually returned to peace.

The wounds caused by the wolf attack would be soothed by time—or rather, numbed by it. Those who remained alive still had to carry on.

Gu Sheng's life finally began to improve.

The injury on his back had fully healed and no longer affected his wood chopping. Gu Sheng could now split a thousand pieces of firewood a day. After paying for food, he could still save two copper coins.

However, this had essentially reached his limit. Even though the main household had many people, they did not need to consume that much firewood. Besides, there were other temporary woodcutters as well.

Ten copper coins a day was already quite good for an ordinary person.

After Gu Sheng saved money for several years, he could marry a wife and continue the family line. That was the life of an ordinary villager.

But Gu Sheng certainly did not wish to muddle through life like that.

The dozens of pounds of wolf meat from the two wild wolves let Gu Sheng feast to his heart's content. With meat in his diet, coupled with the exercise of chopping a thousand pieces of firewood every day, Gu Sheng's body visibly grew stronger.

The two wolf pelts were not very intact and were gray in color, so they only fetched two hundred copper coins. Still, it was an unexpected windfall.

Gu Sheng now possessed more than seven hundred copper coins.

Everything was developing in a better direction.

Yet Gu Sheng was not entirely satisfied. He felt that his wealth was accumulating far too slowly. If he truly wanted to practice martial arts, the tuition alone would not be enough, not to mention the costs of training.

But he had no good solution for now. Gu Sheng planned to think it over after Chopping Wood reached Completion.

Gu Erniu's home.

Gu Wan squatted in a corner talking to ants, holding a newly woven grass cricket in his hand. Ever since learning that Gu Wan liked them, Gu Sheng would occasionally weave one to amuse him.

Li Lian was washing clothes, but her face was filled with worry.

It had already been half a month since Gu Erniu entered the mountains, yet he had not returned. This had far exceeded the three to five days he had originally mentioned.

Sometimes, Li Lian even wondered whether everyone from the village who had entered the mountains had already been wiped out.

The more she thought about it, the more her heart twisted in pain, and tears slipped down her cheeks.

Afraid that Gu Wan would see, she hurriedly wiped them away without drawing attention.

"Wife!"

"Wife, I'm back!"

An urgent shout came from the distance. Li Lian's washing motions instantly stiffened, and she looked up in disbelief.

A tall, sturdy figure was hurrying toward her. It was Gu Erniu, the man she had thought of day and night.

"Erniu!"

The tears Li Lian had just forced back burst forth again. She staggered toward Gu Erniu, feeling as if she were dreaming. But when that powerful pair of arms wrapped around her, she knew it was all real.

Gu Erniu had truly returned!

"Woo... you damned Erniu! You were gone for so long, you worried me to death! You might as well have died in those mountains..."

Li Lian's tears soaked Gu Erniu's chest as she pounded him fiercely. All the unease, fear, and anxiety of the past days erupted at that moment, and she broke into loud sobs.

Gu Wan, who had been playing with the ants, did not understand what was happening. But he also burst into tears and ran over to tightly hug his father's leg.

Gu Erniu held his wife and son, his eyes full of guilt.

He had only just returned to the village when he learned that it had suffered a wild wolf attack days earlier. He had nearly gone mad and raced home as though fleeing for his life.

Now, seeing Li Lian and Gu Wan safe and sound, the enormous weight in his heart finally fell away.

"It's all my fault. It's all my fault..."

Gu Erniu comforted his wife, his own eyes reddening as well.

After quite some time, the two finally calmed down, and the family of three revealed smiling faces.

The two embraced and spoke of what had happened in recent days. When Gu Erniu heard that a wild wolf had entered their home, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Li Lian looked seriously at Gu Erniu.

"Erniu, if not for Ah Sheng, you might never have seen mother and son again. Ah Sheng risked his life to save us. We must thank him properly!"