The next morning.
Just as dawn was breaking, Chen Ming got up. As he was leaving, he heard the sound of childish reading from his elder brother's courtyard—it was his little nephew doing his morning studies.
It sounded like a basic text such as "Thousand Character Classic."
These days he heard that his elder brother and sister-in-law were planning to have their son study literature.
Poor in literature, rich in martial arts.
They were probably frightened by the expenses of learning martial arts. The first item is tuition—three hundred taels a year, and then on holidays, tributes to the master, adding dozens more taels.
Martial artists consume a lot, needing to eat meat daily. The money he spends on food alone exceeds that of the whole family.
Then there's the monthly herbal baths and Qi Replenishing Pills that can't be left out.
All things considered, at least five hundred taels are spent every year.
Previously, his father gritted his teeth and endured it, investing his lifelong savings in the hope that his youngest son would succeed in martial arts and bring glory to the family.
Who would've thought the son would be so disappointing? He trained for four years with no achievement worth mentioning and the money flowed away like water.
After his parents died, the pharmacy's business inevitably suffered. Now, probably only earning a little over a hundred taels a year. Indeed, it's hard to afford this nephew's martial arts training.
In truth, his parents left a sum of money. But to help him this time, it was probably all spent.
The fortune accumulated by the Chen Family for generations had been squandered completely by the original owner.
Who knows how many people are mocking him behind his back.
Even so, Chen Rui was still willing to acknowledge him as a brother, not blaming him. This kind of brotherly love is truly precious.
Chen Ming kept all this in mind.
And there are those from Jin Yuansheng who calculated against him, framed him, and those who swindled his brother's money—he remembered them too.
This debt will be settled slowly in the future.
...
By the time Chen Ming arrived at Huo Mansion, it was already fully bright.
The gatekeeper had already been instructed in advance and let him in directly.
He had trained here for four years and was very familiar with the place. He headed straight to the martial arts training ground.
"Chen Ming?"
Suddenly, someone called his name from behind.
He turned to look and saw a young man in a blue brocade robe. He quickly bowed, "Greetings, Seventh Senior Brother."
This person was Wen Zehao, the youngest disciple of Huo Chengkun, who came to learn martial arts in the same period as him.
But, fate is not the same for everyone.
Wen Zehao showed extraordinary talent, advancing rapidly; in less than half a year, he broke through the second level of the "Iron Horse Stance."
In just four years, the "Iron Horse Stance" had already broken through to the fifth level. He became a martial artist of distinction and was accepted into Huo Chengkun's inner circle as the seventh disciple.
Looking at this confident and spirited peer, Chen Ming's heart was filled with indescribable emotions.
Without a doubt, the original owner was jealous of Wen Zehao. He also fantasized about someday coming into a sudden realization, advancing greatly, and astonishing everyone.
But the reality was harsh; he trained for seven years but couldn't break through the second level of "Iron Horse Stance," not even matching half a year's progress of others.
In front of the dazzling Wen Zehao, the original owner could only feel deep self-abasement in his heart.
Wen Zehao was quite happy to see an old acquaintance, "Are you here to see the master too?"
Chen Ming quickly suppressed his unusual feelings, thinking jealousy belonged to the original owner and had nothing to do with him.
He said, "I've come for a job, to be a training assistant for the new students."
"A training assistant? Didn't you have a job?"
"Not anymore."
Wen Zehao wanted to ask more but suddenly caught sight of a graceful figure, hurriedly saying, "I'll find you for a drink next time, I need to see the master now."
Chen Ming also saw the graceful figure and recognized her as Huo Chengkun's granddaughter.
In his memory, she used to be an eleven or twelve-year-old little girl, but now she had grown into a graceful beauty.
...
Soon, Chen Ming arrived at the martial arts training ground.
He saw the field was divided into several groups, each led by a man in a black martial arts outfit.
This place resembled a martial arts school more, categorized by different progress levels, taught by different instructors.
Huo Chengkun was the principal and didn't need to personally instruct the students often.
Chen Ming approached the junior class, which was the largest and had the youngest average age.
"Fifth Senior Brother."
The person responsible for teaching these newcomers is the fifth disciple, Hong Mingquan, a man who is very short with large, coarse hands and feet, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
Don't be fooled by his slightly comical appearance; he is a bona fide Martial Artist. He can handle ten opponents without any problem.
Chen Ming's attitude was very respectful because he knew this fifth senior brother had a strong sense of self-esteem; even a slight disrespect from the trainees would lead to punishment from him.
As expected, Hong Mingquan was quite satisfied to see him being so respectful and his demeanor softened. "Chen Ming, you're here. Master has already told me. From now on, you'll assist me in properly training these little fellows."
"Please take care of me, Fifth Senior Brother."
Hong Mingquan patted his shoulder. "We're all family here. As long as you do your job well, I'll treat you right. Come on, let's meet those little brats."
He led Chen Ming to the group of sweaty young trainees practicing the Iron Horse Stance and introduced him, "His name is Chen Ming, and he will be your sparring partner from now on. Anyone who wants to practice with him can come after finishing the stance."
The half-grown boys all widened their eyes, looking at Chen Ming with either curiosity or confusion, not knowing if they understood or not.
"Alright, continue with your stance practice."
Hong Mingquan took Chen Ming to a pavilion on the side and said, "They have to keep practicing the stance for another half an hour. We can drink tea while we wait."
"Yes, Fifth Senior Brother."
This fifth senior brother had a good trait: as long as you showed him enough respect, he was easy to talk to. Among Huo Chengkun's disciples, he was considered the easiest to get along with.
...
In the following half hour, Chen Ming used his conversational skills to constantly create topics, prompting Hong Mingquan to talk about his glory days.
He flattered him from time to time, always hitting the right spot, making Hong Mingquan talk more and more excitedly, spittle flying.
"Senior Brother's experiences are truly legendary. Coming out of the mountains and starting as a laborer at the docks, achieving today's success is really incredible."
Hearing this, Hong Mingquan felt as if his bones had become lighter, grinning from ear to ear. At first, he thought about holding back, but eventually, he couldn't suppress the smile at all.
The more he looked at Chen Ming, the more pleasing he found him. He wished he could drag him to a tavern and have a good drink together; it would be delightful.
At this moment, Chen Ming suddenly reminded, "Senior Brother, I think half an hour is up. Shouldn't their stance practice be over?"
Hong Mingquan then remembered the task at hand, glanced at the Sun Dial in the distance and realized the time had indeed passed. He shouted to the trainees, "You can stop now."
Immediately, the group of boys, who were already at their limits, all collapsed, unable to stand.
"They need to rest for a while. Junior Brother, let's continue drinking tea. Back in the day, I..."
...
The two chatted for another half hour, and the trainees were almost rested.
Chen Ming seized the opportunity to steer the conversation toward the trainees.
Although Hong Mingquan was a bit reluctant to stop, he knew the task was important, so he stood up and said, "Let's go, Junior Brother. You try out these kids' skills."
"Alright, Senior Brother."
The two walked over to the boys resting under the tree shade. Before Hong Mingquan could speak, they all stood up straight consciously.
He spoke, "Now it's sparring time, who wants to go first?"
None of the dozen or so boys spoke up.
No one wanted to be the first.
Since that was the case, Hong Mingquan directly named someone, "Li He, you come."
The boy whose name was called walked out nervously, his body a bit stiff, even walked awkwardly, which immediately caused a burst of laughter.
The laughter made Li He even more nervous, his face turning red, not knowing where to place his hands.
Hong Mingquan shouted, "Quiet!"
Once he spoke, the boys dared not make a fuss, and it quieted down immediately.
Chen Ming looked at the boy and spoke gently, "Li He, don't be nervous, just perform the moves as you usually do in practice, don't worry about hurting me."
"Yes."
Li He finally wasn't as nervous, took his stance, and executed the first move of the Three Talents Fist, White Rainbow Piercing the Sun, striking directly at Chen Ming's chest.
It was obvious that he didn't have much experience as this move was greatly distorted, making Hong Mingquan very annoyed. He decided to have this kid practice the Three Talents Fist ten more times today.
Chen Ming only defended without attacking, giving the other party enough space to perform.
Halfway through, Li He's fear began to fade, thinking this adult wasn't so tough after all, and suddenly he became confident. His moves became more fluent.
As he executed the Thirty-sixth Form of the Three Talents Fist reaching the final move, Chen Ming suddenly tapped him on the chest, sending him staggering backward.
Li He was a bit dissatisfied, wanting to step forward again. Hong Mingquan stopped him, "That's enough, you lost."
[You defeated an LV1 enemy, gaining 2 Experience Points.]
Here it comes!
Seeing the prompt appear before him, Chen Ming was excited.
Fifteen boys were present, sparring with each one meant thirty points in total.
All the flattery he gave wasn't in vain.