However, not long after, the heroic spirit that had just begun to swell within Ji Xiu was plunged into an icy abyss.
...
"Teaching Martial Arts privately, without registering it, is a capital crime."
Qin Biao grimaced as a gulp of cheap, fiery liquor went down.
Across from him, Ji Xiu sat on a small stool.
He stared down at the spread he had splurged on: a plate of sliced boiled chicken, pork knuckle with garlic paste, smashed cucumbers, a dish of fava beans, and several dense-looking flatbreads.
The hunger that had been stirring within him was quietly extinguished by the thoughtless words of the gulping Qin Biao.
His mood plummeted.
"Only those Martial Artists who have registered on the Government Office's 'Military Registry' and successfully reached Entry Grade are qualified to open a hall, take on students, and write about Martial Arts. Anyone else who circulates them will be beheaded."
"Where do you think you're going to find some cheap, common manuals for you to just pick up and practice on your own?"
"You... you should give up on that idea right now."
The air was chilly.
Along the old, dilapidated street, ancient locust trees swayed gently in the morning breeze.
He had finally managed to treat himself to a meat dish in this new life, but this news had completely robbed Ji Xiu of any appetite to enjoy it.
"Is there... is there no other way?"
Ji Xiu asked, still unwilling to give up.
'He'd clearly received a great fortune, he had some silver coins, and the chance to change his destiny was right in front of him. Could a few casual words... really make him throw it all away?!'
Of course not!
Qin Biao seemed to notice the determination in Ji Xiu's eyes, and the way his hands gripped the worn, smooth corners of the wooden table so tightly it seemed he might scrape his fingers raw.
Qin Biao stopped eating, his expression calm. He knew exactly what the boy was thinking.
But thoughts were just thoughts.
If daydreaming could turn someone into a 'Qi Cultivation Grandmaster' capable of Qi Manipulation and Separation from the Body and walking on water, or even a 'Martial Arts Mythology' who could sever rivers and fly through the heavens...
...then Martial Artists would be a dime a dozen.
Casually pulling up a sleeve to wipe his mouth, Qin Biao said:
"It's an iron law."
"At least here in Anning County, even if there are some shady, illegal Black Markets or gray markets... you basically won't find this kind of stuff."
"This is more likely to get your head chopped off than selling private salt!"
"To practice the blade or the fist, you have to cultivate a bit of ferocity."
"Once they have some skill, but they're not good enough for the top and not bad enough for the bottom, with no good trade to fall back on, do you think these half-baked Martial Artists would be content stoking fires at a kiln, mining, or being a stall-hand at the Chai Market?"
"What dirt-poor commoner hasn't dreamed of turning their life around?"
"But if Martial Arts became common as dirt and everyone learned a few moves, the prefectural manors might be fine, but wouldn't the County Yamens and villages below fall into chaos? People would draw blades at the slightest disagreement. The constables would be overwhelmed."
"However..."
Qin Biao suddenly sighed.
"If you insist,"
"as long as you have enough silver coins, some of the small Martial Arts Halls and the lower-class, unorthodox sects can teach you Martial Arts, but..."
"I've been there, kid. Take my advice: even if you learn it, what good will it do?"
"It won't change your destiny."
"Hmph."
As he spoke, the fierce aura emanating from his thick eyebrows, which resembled sleeping silkworms, was suddenly replaced by a look of defeat and self-mockery.
"Not everyone can master Martial Arts, knock open the door to the 'Entry Grade,' and become a true Martial Artist."
"Do you have any idea how hard that is?"
"And even if you have a Secret Manual, what damn good is it? A master gives you a few pointers, you don't understand, you go home and practice blindly, and if you manage to grasp the basics after a few years, that's already considered amazing."
"Look at me. I was unwilling to accept my lot back then, practiced for so long, and what did I become? Just some hack with farmer's moves, only good enough to be a household guard."
He had drunk too much this morning, and a look of intoxication and resentment surfaced on his face.
But more than that, there was resignation:
"Anning County is huge. If you're not picky and avoid the few famous Martial Arts Halls, you can find smaller Boxing Halls that will teach you ordinary Martial Arts for a dozen or so taels of Silver a month."
"But what can you really learn there? Most of them are just scams to cheat poor folk like us."
"Unless you offer up tens, even hundreds of taels of Silver, formally serve tea, and pledge yourself to a master, who's going to teach you their True Inheritance or an Entry Grade Secret Martial Art for no reason?"
"Besides, you're training horses all day. With so little free time and no one to guide you, you can only fumble around on your own."
"You'll never make it."
"With that kind of money, take my advice: just find a servant girl in the residence, make do, and settle down. A wife, kids, and a warm bed—that's better than anything. It's certainly better than..."
He seemed to want to say more, but stopped himself, leaving the thought unfinished.
'A dozen or so taels of Silver for one month of lessons.'
'Tens, even hundreds of taels, to learn the True Inheritance...'
Ji Xiu's finger scraped against the wooden tabletop. His face darkened, and he barely resisted the urge to curse.
Learning Martial Arts was even more demanding than he had imagined.
He had sold himself into service, branded with the label of the 'Anning Lin Residence,' just to make a living—and all for a settling-in fee of a mere three taels of Silver!
After that, he earned three or four hundred large coins each month through hard work. Compared to the miserable toil in the Chai Market or the Fire Kilns, or the back-breaking labor of a sedan-chair carrier, his job was already considered 'cushy'.
Even so, without some kind of windfall, he would have to save for several years just to scrape together enough money to take a gamble on learning Martial Arts.
It sounded manageable, on the surface.
But as the old saying goes, "Poverty for scholars, wealth for warriors." And that's not even considering what you could possibly accomplish with just one month of Fist and Foot training.
The sheer cost of conditioning and nourishment required for practicing Martial Arts and wielding a blade was more than an ordinary person could bear.
If not for the need to pry some information out of Qin Biao, Ji Xiu never would have indulged in such a lavish table full of food.
Between the two of them, they had eaten fifty or sixty large coins' worth of food—enough to buy several pounds of pork at the market, or even more pounds of coarse rice and flour!
The biscuits he had been gnawing on before, so hard they hurt his teeth and mixed with wood shavings, cost only one large coin each.
'What kind of family could afford to eat like this for every meal?'
No wonder the kiln workers tended fires all year long and the sedan carriers worked until their backs broke.
No wonder the woodchoppers, fishermen, and butchers of the city's markets and streets—reeking of sawdust, fish, and blood—came from families that had done the same work for three generations with little change.
He'd never heard of any boy from such a family undergoing a complete Transformation after joining a Martial Arts Hall, becoming a disciple of a great sect, and soaring to success.
At most,
there were a rare few who learned some Fist and Foot, joined a gang, or became a constable. And that was already considered making it.
If he hadn't received his great fortune,
he would most likely have ended up the same way.
Ji Xiu had originally thought that with the five taels of Silver from Lin Ruyue, if things went smoothly, he could get his hands on a couple of Martial Arts Secret Manuals, get a head start, and from there, he would soar to success and dominate the world.
But now it seemed...
The dynasties, the Jianghu, the Noble Clans, the great powers of this world!
Their control over 'Scriptures'... was staggeringly absolute!
Layer after layer of restrictions were locked in place. It wasn't a world where you could turn your life around just by saying you wanted to!
"Brother, I know you mean well."
"But..."
"I still want to try."
Ji Xiu gritted his teeth and took out a small piece of broken Silver from his robes.
Based on current prices, it was worth a full 'one thousand large coins.' To a Groom like him, or even a guard like Qin Biao, this was a huge sum.
"I'm new to the Lin Residence and don't know my way around, so I've relied on your care these past few days. I was only able to receive Miss Lin's reward because you gave me that tip; otherwise, it might not have come to me."
"As for today, whether this venture succeeds or not..."
"Take this Silver."
"Just point me in the right direction."
Ji Xiu stood, cupped his fist, and his gaze burned with intensity.
Qin Biao had just grabbed a flatbread, scraping bits of pork knuckle and garlic cucumber onto it. As he stuffed the roll into his mouth, his eyes fell on the piece of broken Silver—nearly a whole tael—and he choked.
He looked at the spread on the table, then back at the small piece of Silver. His eyes brightened, and some of his drunkenness seemed to fade.
"You really won't give up, will you."
Qin Biao put down his chopsticks and raised a hand.
But after a moment's hesitation, he didn't take the money.
"Take the Silver back. If you offered any more, I'd actually take it."
"But first, I can't teach you the personal Martial Arts I learned from someone else. And second, I've already freeloaded a meal off you. It wouldn't be right to take your money on top of that."
"However, if you're really set on this..."
"...there is a path with a lower barrier to entry for learning Martial Arts."
"Anning County is a big place. Many of the 'Martial Artists' who roamed the Jianghu in their youth and saw the world have returned home in their old age."
"Some of them never grasped the mysteries of True Martial Arts in their entire lives, so their skills aren't that solid."
"And before one becomes a 'Qi Cultivation Grandmaster,' they can't lock in their Qi and Blood. They're still subject to the principle that 'the fist fears the young and strong.' If they opened a Martial Arts Hall but couldn't keep order, they'd just be giving away money for free, ruining their own reputation, and losing their dignity in old age."
"So,"
"if you seek out one of these old Boxers or Martial Artists—the ones who have some skill but can't really establish themselves in the County—and offer to serve them tea..."
"...you might be able to learn the ropes for a few taels of Silver."
"But you get what you pay for. The cheap options are rarely any good."
"I've practiced External Skills for over a decade myself, so I've got half a foot in the door. I can perform Breaking Stone and Monument with a weapon, and though I can't yet project 'Force' with my bare hands, if you really compare, those old, frail masters might not be much stronger than me."
"Hmm..."
Qin Biao pondered for a moment, then, emboldened by the liquor, slammed his fist down.
"But there is one exception."
"I've heard that over by the 'Fire Kiln' at the east end of the county, there's an Armless Martial Artist with the surname Duan. He came to Anning from the outside a few years back, served as a Captain for two years before stepping down, and has lived as a recluse ever since. They say he has real skill."
"Rumor has it, he's no weaker than the average Boxing Master of a Martial Arts Hall!"
"However..."
"The man has a strange temper. He's set up a 'Dragon Gate Array' in his own courtyard and isn't the type to be swayed by money."
"It's said that only those who pass his test are deemed to have the potential for Martial Arts and earn the right to pay for lessons."
"If you can't pass, he won't take you, no matter how much Silver you offer."
"If you really want to learn some genuine skills, you could give it a try."
"Even if you fail, you'll save yourself from wasting your money."
Qin Biao had just finished speaking, his words tinged with drunkenness.
But Ji Xiu had already committed his every word...
...to memory.
'The east side of town... Captain Duan...'
He clenched his fists.
In that moment, he made his decision.