The Limits of Dignity (6.6k)

The morning mist had yet to lift from the mountain, and the woods lay shrouded in haze.

Yu Tunzhou called Dingguang over after his morning lessons to tend the fire and cook a pot of salted-fish congee.

The salted-fish congee bubbled in the pot, the grains cooked until soft. At the end, he picked a few leaves of fresh greens from the back courtyard and tossed them in. Their green floated on the surface, adding a touch of color, and the aroma filled the air.

After two bowls, Yu Tunzhou held his stomach, still wanting more. His belly still felt empty, so he took a salted fish from under the eaves and boiled it, washing away all the salt on its surface before eating it to fill his stomach.

Only after the whole dragon fish was in his belly did he let out a satisfied belch that smelled of salt and fish. Even he was quite shocked.

He didn't know what kind of dragon fish it was, but its meat kept hunger at bay remarkably well. Given where he was, it might even have true dragon blood.

In the past, one salted fish had been enough to feed him and Dingguang for three or four days, which was how so many had accumulated under the eaves.

Yet today, he had eaten a whole one in a single sitting!

Clutching his rough porcelain rice bowl, Dingguang stared in astonishment. "Senior brother, does everyone turn into a rice bucket after practicing martial arts? Then when you poop in the future, won't you..."

Yu Tunzhou's face darkened. Without hesitation, he flicked the little monk on the head.

The little monk held his head and looked at his senior brother, sighing like a miniature adult.

Unfortunately, Master always said senior brother had no affinity with Buddhism. Even if he wished to guide him across, it would be hard for him to enter the monastic order.

As daylight brightened, Yu Tunzhou followed his usual habit and practiced a round of Taijiquan in the courtyard.

This time, unlike before, he wasn't merely practicing the forms. As his fists rose and fell, he pondered the mystery of entering tranquility while trying to weave his breathing into the movements.

Deep in his Dantian, that wisp of Qi flowed warmly through his meridians and into his limbs. Even his ordinary punches and kicks carried more force, and his feet landed more solidly than usual.

Besides that, whether because of his inner Qi or his progress in entering tranquility, his control over his body had also risen several levels while he practiced.

When his feet moved and his center of gravity shifted, the slightest changes in his leg muscles, waist and hips, spine, and other places were all captured by his "eyes" and reflected in his mind.

Yu Tunzhou felt dazed, as if he no longer recognized his own body.

A single movement, a single opening stance, contained so many changes. It opened his eyes, and he felt that all his years of practice had never reached the true intention, only its surface.

He soon became absorbed in it, and only when the sun was high did he wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Unfortunately, he still couldn't reproduce the mysterious state he had entered during meditation the night before.

Then he suddenly noticed that the threadlike inner Qi in his Dantian had grown visibly thicker by nearly half, and was noticeably more active than when he had finished cultivating that morning.

It was like a flame fed with oil, sizzling as it leaped higher.

The dragon fish?!

Yu Tunzhou abruptly thought of the dragon fish he had wolfed down not long ago. The firm texture of its flesh still lingered between his teeth.

No wonder those old fellows who never paid me any attention couldn't resist opening their "golden" mouths yesterday. They just wanted to squeeze another two dragon fish out of me.

He could clearly feel his inner Qi continuing to form and grow, with no sign of stopping.

Clearly, the benefits of one dragon fish went far beyond this.

After getting ready, Yu Tunzhou prepared to head down the mountain and continue searching the old residence for treasures.

The Qi Ingestion Method couldn't be practiced without pause. The Method Formula recorded that doing so would damage one's source Qi.

He planned to save his Qi Ingestion Method cultivation for the dead of night, using it in place of sleep. It would also make entering tranquility easier.

After telling Dingguang to start cooking lunch early, Yu Tunzhou checked the vegetable garden. Several beds of greens were growing well, and the other vegetables and fruits were also thriving. Once he had made sure nothing was amiss, he headed down the mountain alone.

He descended the mountain.

From a long way off, Yu Tunzhou saw a young man and woman standing by the river at the mountain's foot. Both wore splendid silk robes, utterly out of place in this little town among the hills, like two precious flowering trees transplanted there.

He had no intention of paying them any mind and walked straight toward town.

Unexpectedly, they came straight toward him and stopped firmly in front of him, blocking his path completely.

"Are you Yu Tunzhou?"

The youth in front had an arrogant cast to his features. Clad in a brocade robe with a jade belt, he carried the refined air of someone raised in luxury. His eyes, however, were especially calm as they examined Yu Tunzhou from head to toe.

The young woman stood more than a meter behind him. Her phoenix eyes were alluring without being seductive, and her manner was dignified and demure. Only her gaze drifted toward the river, as though her mind were elsewhere.

"I'm Zhang Qinghe, and her name is Cao Jianjia. We've come to find you about the dragon fish in your hands."

Zhang Qinghe got straight to the point, his expression calm. "Name your price. We can exchange a Lower Vehicle Qi Ingestion Method for them."

Yu Tunzhou shook his head. "You're too late. Chen Xuanye of Northern Chen has already traded me a Qi Ingestion Method for the dragon fish, including the share for the next month."

"Chen Xuanye?" Zhang Qinghe frowned. "That deposed crown prince from Northern Chen? What Qi Ingestion Method did he trade you?"

"That man was far more generous than you. A Higher Vehicle Qi Ingestion Method," Yu Tunzhou said earnestly.

"A Higher Vehicle Qi Ingestion Method?" Zhang Qinghe's pupils contracted sharply.

Yu Tunzhou started to walk around the two tigers blocking his path.

Zhang Qinghe suddenly reached out to stop him and sneered:

"Today, I, Zhang Qinghe, am determined to get those dragon fish!"

"You don't seem to know much about the town's rules. Elders are forbidden from taking action here, but those rules can't stop us immortal seed candidates!"

"If you won't give me the dragon fish today, I'll beat you until you do!"

Yu Tunzhou couldn't help staring at him.

So blunt and brutal?

Beat me until I give them to him?

He had expected something like this. After all, all thirty-nine households in town regarded him as a whetstone, but Yu Tunzhou hadn't expected the day to come so soon.

He began to look squarely at the young man and woman before him.

Though Zhang Qinghe looked arrogant, his gaze was calm, plainly that of someone who had set his sights on prey. He already regarded Yu Tunzhou as a meal on his plate. The girl named Cao Jianjia, meanwhile, was clearly distracted, her mind elsewhere.

It's not two against one. I can fight this...

The thought had barely arisen when Yu Tunzhou suddenly looked behind them, terror in his eyes.

Zhang Qinghe instinctively turned to look.

His acting was so-so, but it was just right for this.

Yu Tunzhou abruptly kicked out, the warmth of the inner Qi in his Dantian blazing and adding several degrees to his strength out of nowhere.

Because it had rained just yesterday, the mountain soil was wet, so what flew up was not dust or sand, but a skyful of mud.

Mud came pelting down over their heads and faces. Zhang Qinghe, who had turned back around, went pale with shock, while the previously distracted Cao Jianjia's lovely face lost all color.

One step behind, every step behind.

While the two retreated awkwardly to dodge, Yu Tunzhou rushed in without a word. The inner Qi in his Dantian erupted, turning into streams of warmth that coursed through his body and greatly increased his strength and speed.

He caught Zhang Qinghe off guard with a kick to the groin!

Mindful of their high-born family backgrounds and afraid they might possess martial skills and exceptional physiques, Yu Tunzhou didn't hold back with his kick.

Show no mercy when kicking the crotch, and the pain will turn his legs to jelly.

The next moment, Cao Jianjia, her face pale, saw the shocked and furious Zhang Qinghe double over, his face instantly turning the color of pig liver.

A hysterical howl, barely human, rang out. The girl came back to her senses, her heart turning cold with fear, and was at a loss.

Both of them had been taught martial arts in their families and had long since mastered the basic arts of killing. They had never imagined that Yu Tunzhou would be so despicable, throwing them into disarray with one kick of mud.

And that kick in particular...

In their families, who would ever use such low, underhanded street-thug fighting tactics?!

Despicable country bumpkin!

With his kick successful, Yu Tunzhou took advantage of Zhang Qinghe's instinctive move to cover his crotch and thrust two fingers at his face.

In his previous life at the orphanage, he had gotten into plenty of fights and knew well the principle that striking first gave one the advantage, among many others.

For a child with no backing, who would stand up for you if you didn't fight for your own life?

But at the last moment, Yu Tunzhou still exercised restraint. He curled his fingers into a fist and aimed for the nose instead of the eyes.

He worried that if he struck too hard, someone might disregard the rules. Even if Old Mo intervened, what if he failed to stop them?

Yu Tunzhou threw a punch, the sinews and bones throughout his body naturally twisting together like a single rope. His fist suddenly accelerated and slammed hard into the youth's nose.

A punch to the bridge of the nose sent an aching numbness through the skull.

The sudden acceleration of the punch meant Cao Jianjia, who had been about to help, couldn't reach him in time.

At that moment,

Zhang Qinghe's vision went dark, and tears and snot poured out at once. He could guard his upper half or his lower half, but not both; attending to one meant neglecting the other.

Like a fish drained of strength, he slumped sideways to the ground, his whole body twitching uncontrollably. He didn't even have the strength to curse.

In town, someone snorted and, without the slightest regard for his neighbor's feelings, burst out laughing on the spot and commented:

"What a fine display of wild fists beating an old master to death."

"Hao'er, if the talented youths from the thirty-eight households this time are all like the one from the Yuhe Zhang Household, you won't have to worry."

In the neighboring mansion, a burly man stood with his hands behind his back and gave an angry snort. He was furious at his family's youth for being so useless, and even angrier that Yu Tunzhou dared offend his betters!

Another neighbor smiled and nodded in approval, praising him as a fine whetstone.

An old man secretly watching the scene frowned, surprised by the physique Yu Tunzhou had displayed.

Even if an ordinary person struck a vital point with all their strength, they couldn't have immediately stripped the Zhang boy of his ability to resist.

It seemed the dragon fish over the past three years had nourished this country boy into a fine physique. In the end, it had given him some measure of fortune.

Sure enough, this boy absolutely must not be allowed to step onto the path of cultivation, or he would only add another uncertainty.

Before Zhang Qinghe hit the ground, Yu Tunzhou had already zeroed in on his next target and charged at Cao Jianjia.

The girl's face tightened. Yu Tunzhou's movements and fighting style followed no pattern at all; they were nothing but underhanded tricks. As long as she...

A fierce wind rushed at her face. Yu Tunzhou came at her like a vicious tiger descending a mountain, his speed and strength far exceeding her expectations!

There was no obvious gap between the two in speed or strength, but for the moment Cao Jianjia could only struggle to fend him off.

Against a woman, Yu Tunzhou didn't use his crotch-kicking tactic. Instead, he aimed every blow at her face.

His fists and palms whipped through the air, each slap drawing blood.

It wasn't that Cao Jianjia hadn't found openings between Yu Tunzhou's attacks to counter. But when she discovered that the rascal had somehow grabbed a handful of mud and was sending it whistling toward her face, while his straw sandals had sunk deep into the ground and become coated in mud, she could only retreat in alarm.

After a few exchanges, Cao Jianjia dodged the flying splatters of mud and turned to flee without hesitation.

With a single leap, her figure moved like a cloud, as though she possessed a lightness skill. She quickly left Yu Tunzhou behind, abandoning her temporary accomplice Zhang Qinghe as well.

Behind her, Yu Tunzhou couldn't hope to catch up. His expression turned grave.

What a fast movement method!

From their brief exchange, she did indeed possess martial skills passed down in her family. She merely lacked actual combat experience and still retained the delicacy of a child from a great family, fleeing in panic after being driven back by a handful of mud.

This time he had seized the initiative, but next time he might not.

Besides, he was somewhat worried that he would become the target of everyone in town.

People like Xie Linchuan, who were willing to associate with him, were a minority after all. There were more people like Zhang Qinghe.

During this fight, the burst of inner Qi had surprised him somewhat, and its effects had been remarkably pronounced.

For example, the second punch he had aimed at Zhang Qinghe had suddenly surged in speed. If it had been a step slower and Cao Jianjia had blocked it, the situation would have been hard to predict once Zhang Qinghe caught his breath.

He had to deduce the Qi Ingestion Method as soon as possible and strengthen his inner Qi and physique. Even if he couldn't win a fight, he at least had to be able to outrun his opponents.

Moreover, since he had already seized the initiative this time, he had to make the result as "pretty" as possible, so the others wouldn't think they could handle him at will.

As he reflected and summed things up, Yu Tunzhou had already crouched beside Zhang Qinghe and reached into his robes to see whether anything would "drop."

Zhang Qinghe was still racked with pain, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Unable to speak of it, he could only watch as Yu Tunzhou reached into his robes, powerless to resist.

Soon, Yu Tunzhou found an inheritance memory jade pendant.

Zhang Qinghe could no longer contain himself. Enduring the agony, he said through gritted teeth:

"Don't you know the rules at all? You dare take something involving a family's secret inheritance? Will you live long enough to use it?"

Yu Tunzhou remained expressionless as he wiped the mud from his hands onto Zhang Qinghe's brocade robes.

The fabric felt smooth and fine, presumably something an ordinary family couldn't afford to wear in several lifetimes.

He paid it no mind, casually smearing some mud on Zhang Qinghe's face as well.

The spots of mud landed on his fair cheeks like ink splashed onto fine xuan paper, painfully conspicuous.

The veins at Zhang Qinghe's temples throbbed.

Yu Tunzhou suddenly said, "Tell me, if I suddenly struck now and broke your throat bone, would your family's elder have time to intervene?"

Zhang Qinghe said through gritted teeth, "You can try!"

"Don't make threats after losing. Only the winner has the right to make threats."

Yu Tunzhou offered the friendly reminder while looking Zhang Qinghe straight in the eyes. His gaze was calm and unruffled, yet held a chilling seriousness.

"I don't have a distinguished background, and I don't have the chance to join one of the prominent schools of our age, but you have both. Since you were born above others, why don't you value your life? Why come here and trade it for mine?"

Zhang Qinghe's Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't utter a word, because Yu Tunzhou had already clasped a hand around his throat.

His fingertips were rough with dirt, and it seemed that with just a little pressure, he could crush Zhang Qinghe's throat bone on the spot.

Yu Tunzhou could feel the rapid bobbing of his Adam's apple against his palm, and the warmth of his skin. It left him looking somewhat dazed.

In his previous life at the orphanage, there had been a period when, because he was small and frail, a boy several years older often bullied him, snatching his food, tearing his books, shoving him into the mud, and laughing all the while.

He went to the teachers and the director, but everyone said it was just children playing around.

Only little Tunzhou, the one being bullied, didn't see it that way.

One night, with no other choice, he stole a fork, crept to the older boy's bedside in the middle of the night, and pressed it against his throat.

The boy woke to the fork's cold touch, terror in his eyes, but he didn't dare shout, because the fork had already pierced his skin.

That night, his grip on the fork loosened and tightened again and again, and each time it seemed to go deeper than before.

Yu Tunzhou wasn't deliberately trying to frighten him, of course. He was simply hesitating and afraid.

An eight-year-old child had gathered his courage to fight back against a bully, but in the end he still didn't dare drive the fork in. He was afraid the police would take him away, as on television, and also afraid of becoming another bad person.

Until he heard sobbing beside him.

At some point, the older boy who usually bullied him had begun shaking like a sieve. His eyes full of pleading, he sobbed:

"Yu Tunzhou, I'm sorry. I'll never dare bully you again."

Just like now.

Feeling the rough palm rubbing lightly against his throat, Zhang Qinghe could no longer hide the terror in his eyes.

Now he, too, was uncertain whether that elder would be able to save him in time under these circumstances.

And Yu Tunzhou's gaze was so calm that he had no choice but to face a cruel reality-this fellow seemed truly capable of trading his life for his, and truly dared to do it.

Yu Tunzhou came back to his senses and looked down at Zhang Qinghe, seeing the terror he had wanted to see.

What had touched him most about that old incident years ago wasn't the other boy's apology, nor the sight of him crying and begging for mercy. It was simply the red staining the tip of the fork.

So there had never been any dignity that didn't require bloodshed.

If you wanted dignity, you had to make others bleed.

"All things are equal; none is higher or lower." He muttered to himself, slowly increasing the pressure in his fingertips.

He wanted to see whether anyone in the town was watching this place.

Sure enough.

A burly man built like an iron tower suddenly stepped between them, standing before Yu Tunzhou with the steady, immense presence of a mountain.

His face dark, he bent down and picked Zhang Qinghe up from the ground. Yu Tunzhou had not even managed to react.

"Sooner or later, you'll have your chance to fight to the death to your heart's content." The burly man glanced at Yu Tunzhou and snorted. "But not now!"

Yu Tunzhou took a deep breath. "What exactly are the rules in this town? Can anyone come looking for trouble with me, only for an elder to come barging in once I've beaten them down?"

"You dare speak to me like that?" The burly man flew into a rage.

In an instant, an invisible pressure rushed at Yu Tunzhou, growing heavier and heavier until he could barely breathe. It was as though a mountain were slowly pressing down on his back, threatening to crush him.

Yet Yu Tunzhou advanced instead of retreating. Only one thought filled his mind: he must never retreat even half a step when he should not retreat!

He gritted his teeth against the crushing pressure and said, word by word, "Senior, are you so furious because I was wrong, or because I was right?"

From the direction of the town, someone suddenly burst out laughing without the slightest restraint and called out, "What a sharp-tongued brat! But this time, of course, you were absolutely right!"

The burly man, Zhang Pu, looked even more grim, but this time he did not turn his ire on Yu Tunzhou. He only looked coldly toward the town.

"What kind of ability is it to fan the flames? If you've got the guts, come outside and fight me!"

But the oppressive presence bearing down on Yu Tunzhou's shoulders did not dissipate. Instead, it continued to grow slowly, as though testing Yu Tunzhou's limits.

"Hold it, hold it! What's with all the drawn swords and bent bows?"

A man in a bamboo hat barged in and threw an arm around Yu Tunzhou, pulling him into his embrace. Grinning, he put the hat on the boy's head and pressed it down, and the immense pressure abruptly vanished.

The newcomer was naturally Old Mo. He glared at the burly man and shouted:

"Zhang, bullying a child? You're a grown man. Have you no shame?"

Zhang Pu's breath caught. Given his status and strength, bearing down on a country boy with no backing was indeed rather against the rules. Even he would be ashamed if word got out.

At the thought, he glared bitterly at Zhang Qinghe in his hand, intending to deal with this fool whose ambitions were higher than the heavens once they returned. Then he snorted.

"Mo, what are you glaring at me for? If you're not convinced, leave the grotto-heaven too and come outside to cross arms with me!"

Old Mo's eyes widened further. "Then what if I beat you to death and your wife comes pestering me?"

Zhang Pu could not be bothered to exchange pointless nonsense with this shameless fellow. "Enough, cut the crap," he said impatiently. "Tell me, how are we settling this? The Yuhe Zhang Household admits defeat this time."

Old Mo draped an arm over Yu Tunzhou's shoulders and laughed. "How about a visualization diagram, and we'll call it even?"

Zhang Pu's face was impassive, and he did not respond at all.

Old Mo narrowed his eyes and smiled. "What's wrong, Old Zhang? Worried that our Tunzhou knocked one of your household's disciples flat in two punches before he's even started cultivating? If he did start cultivating, wouldn't he knock him down in one?"

Zhang Pu suddenly said, "You should know how important a visualization diagram is. Unless he has a chance to marry into my Yuhe Zhang Household, there's not the slightest possibility."

Old Mo sucked in a breath and whispered to Yu Tunzhou, "Tunzhou, that old fellow who'd die for the sake of face has taken a liking to you. He wants to recruit you as a live-in son-in-law."

Zhang Pu's face twitched. "Mo, have some shame."

Old Mo sighed, wearing an expression that said, "Fine, fine, I'll let you have the better end of the bargain," and said:

"Your household's boy started this fight, and Yu Tunzhou accepted. In the end, your household lost, and according to the rules, you have to forfeit something."

"Fine, then. Your Zhang Household will teach Yu Tunzhou 'Refining the True.'"

Yu Tunzhou did not interrupt. He trusted Old Mo.

Zhang Pu frowned and hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed.

"Fine."

Zhang Qinghe, dangling from his hand, seemed about to say something, but Zhang Pu merely gave him a shake. Zhang Qinghe instantly fainted, his expression peaceful. He looked unhurt.

Zhang Pu raised a hand and pointed at Yu Tunzhou. His hand was as big as a palm-leaf fan; rather than pointing, it was more like he pressed a finger over the spot between Yu Tunzhou's brows.

A Method Formula was instantly transmitted into Yu Tunzhou's mind.

[Refining the True].

In that instant, before Yu Tunzhou could comprehend it, the golden text swarmed over it, as though it finally had work again.

Cao Jianjia returned to the grand residence assigned to her sect. At the thought of what had just happened, her modestly developed chest heaved violently.

That fool Zhang Qinghe had come to her full of assurances, only to be knocked down in two moves!

The town was not large, and nothing escaped the eyes of the various families' elders. They had truly made fools of themselves this time!

Cao Jianjia had just stepped through the main gate and entered the front courtyard garden when she suddenly stopped, her entire body going rigid.

A Daoist nun had long been waiting in the courtyard. She was expressionless, but an icy sword intent "nailed" Cao Jianjia to the spot, making even breathing feel labored.

Looking at the disciple before her who had practically fled without a fight, the Daoist nun, whose Daoist name was Qingzhi, grew angrier the more she thought about it.

A sword cultivator retreating at the sight of mud?

What an enormous joke!

This was the excellent sword seedling her senior brother, the sect master, had spoken of?

No wonder he had made a point of adding, "Do as you please with her," at the end!

Today, if she had not long since ceased to partake of mortal food, leaving her latrine empty for who knew how many years, she would have liked nothing better than to throw Cao Jianjia into the cesspit right now.

Eating shit today was better than dying without knowing why someday.

The struggle for the Dao at Luofu-did she really think it was playtime at home?!

Daoist Qingzhi spoke in a flat voice. "Starting today, those attendants of yours can leave Luofu. From now on, you will be responsible for your own food, clothing, lodging, and transportation. Your chamber pot in particular-you will scrub it clean every day after using it."

The chamber pot?!

Cao Jianjia's pretty face went pale. How could she deal with such a filthy thing...

The girl steeled herself and said, "Martial Aunt Qingzhi, I am about to begin Qi Ingestion and open my meridians. According to the rules, I should practice Grain Avoidance and take Grain Avoidance Pills. I should have no need for a chamber pot."

"Avoid what grain?" Daoist Qingzhi said coolly. "You came here to seize the martial path's fortune and forge your immortal foundation. The turbid Qi from meat and blood won't affect you."

"I will have vegetables and grains delivered. From now on, you will take care of them yourself."

"Besides that, I cleared a plot in the rear courtyard and planted some vegetables and fruit. They haven't been growing particularly well lately. Once you finish your daily lessons, go make compost."

Cao Jianjia's head was already swimming. She felt she had come to the wrong place. This was completely different from the struggle for the Dao she had imagined.

"Make compost?" the girl repeated, bewildered.

"You don't understand?" Daoist Qingzhi sneered. "I'll teach you. Save all the shit and urine in your chamber pot every day, then take a ladle and mix it evenly into the soil, one ladleful at a time. That is the way to make compost."

Cao Jianjia trembled all over. Merely imagining the scene made her scalp tingle, and she wanted to scream.

Daoist Qingzhi said, word by word, "If the vegetables in my plot don't grow well, I'll make you sleep holding your chamber pot, smelling its 'fragrance' every night!"