In the evening breeze at sunset, workers walked out of the Zhang Clan's mine. Today was payday, and tomorrow they had a day off. Blissful smiles bloomed on every face, making a month's hard work feel worthwhile in this single moment.
"I got five hundred copper coins. I'm eating meat tonight!"
As he spoke, a blissful look appeared on Zhang Daniu's sweaty face. He gave the coin pouch at his waist a hearty slap, already fantasizing about the feast to come.
"You really are an ox, Zhang Daniu, to have mined so much. I only made less than four hundred."
A flicker of barely perceptible jealousy crossed He the Third's eyes. He had mined his heart out too but still ended up with less than four hundred copper coins.
"Ah Yang, how much did you make?" he suddenly asked, turning to the silent Xu Yang beside him.
"About the same as you," Xu Yang replied, a faint smile touching his weary face.
In truth, his wages were even higher than Zhang Daniu's—over six hundred copper coins. But he didn't want to draw attention to himself; letting others know he earned more was not a good thing.
Just last month, a man who'd been boasting about his high wages was robbed and killed in the streets that very night.
Having been transmigrated into this chaotic world for half a year, he had learned to be cautious, always keeping a low profile and never seeking the spotlight.
The main reason was that he had no one to back him up!
His mother in this life had died young. And though he had a father, the man had gotten involved with a widow and moved into her home, abandoning him completely. Now, he and his younger sister only had each other.
In times like these, with only a half-grown boy in the house, anyone and everyone could come and walk all over you.
For the past six months, he had been struggling in secret, hoping to change his circumstances.
'Soon,' he thought. 'I just have to hold on for one more year at most.'
Xu Yang glanced at the Martial Arts Longevity Panel that had come with him from his past life:
[Comprehension: 21]
[Root Bone: 22]
[Cultivation: None]
[Cultivation Technique: None]
[Skills: Mining Level 3 (283/400)]
[Remaining Lifespan: 57]
[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 1]
His confidence in being able to change his fate naturally stemmed from this "Martial Arts Longevity" panel that had crossed over with him.
The panel was miraculous. As long as his actions were beneficial to the path of Martial Arts Longevity, he would be rewarded with points. These points could be used to increase his lifespan, Root Bone, Comprehension, and even his Cultivation Techniques and Skills.
When he first arrived, his Comprehension and Root Bone were a dismal 2 and 3, respectively. After six months of hard work, both had broken past twenty.
It was also because the panel had improved his Mining skill that his wages now surpassed most others.
After fumbling his way through the last six months, he'd discovered that only by practicing martial arts could he truly utilize the panel. Mining was a stepping stone toward his goal of Martial Arts Longevity, but the points it awarded were far too few.
Even without the panel, practicing martial arts was the only way to get ahead in this world.
Success in martial arts opened doors. At best, one could participate in the Martial Arts examinations to win fame and rank. At worst, one could work as a household guard and earn a stable income.
Most importantly, in these chaotic times, personal strength was the only thing that truly mattered.
However, the money he had managed to save was still a long way from what he needed to begin his martial arts training.
As they walked out of the mine, Zhang Daniu suddenly spoke up. "I won't be coming to the mine anymore. My dad found me a trade in the city. I'm going to be a blacksmith's apprentice."
As he spoke, his face was full of pride. No matter the era, a skilled craftsman would never starve.
"You two should think about your futures too. You can't be a miner for your whole life," he advised his two companions.
The mines were dangerous, with cave-ins happening from time to time. A few men died every month. Unless your family was on the brink of starvation, no one would willingly risk their life here.
The two of them had already worked in the mine for quite a while; there was no need to keep risking their lives there.
He the Third laughed. "You know my situation. I'm just here to earn money for a bride price, and I've just about got enough. Once I'm married, I'll probably go back to managing the family's land."
His family's fortunes had declined, but they still owned a lot of land. He wouldn't starve even if he quit mining.
"Sounds like you're getting married soon. Congratulations!"
Zhang Daniu and He the Third smiled and turned to Xu Yang. "What about you, Ah Yang?"
Both of them had their futures planned out. Their parents were still around, and with the elders' support, life was hard but they had something to strive for. Xu Yang's situation was the most difficult.
His father, though alive, was as good as dead to him and offered not a shred of support.
"I want to practice martial arts!" Xu Yang said.
The other two were stunned for a moment. Zhang Daniu chuckled, "Don't joke around. That was just a game we played as kids..."
The three of them had grown up together and had once promised each other they would learn martial arts and make a name for themselves when they were older.
But as he grew older and saw more of the world, he had long since abandoned that dream.
He had assumed Xu Yang was joking, but seeing the serious expression on his face, the word died on his lips.
"Ah Yang, are you crazy? Have you forgotten what happened to my older brother?" He the Third's eyes went wide, as if he'd heard something utterly unbelievable.
Xu Yang shook his head. "I haven't."
He the Third had an older brother who, years ago, had been just as ambitious. He'd been determined to practice martial arts to get ahead in life, and their father had sold everything he owned to support him.
But after pouring all their family's savings into it, there wasn't even a ripple to show for it.
No, that's not right. It did make a splash—a huge one.
Although He the Third's older brother had spent dozens of taels of the family's silver without becoming a Martial Artist, he thought his training made him tough and ran off to join a gang. He was cut down in the street less than a week later. From that day on, the He Family's fortunes went into decline.
After that, the incident became a cautionary tale for the entire region. Whenever anyone even thought about practicing martial arts, his story would be brought up.
"And you *still* want to practice martial arts?" He the Third shook his head. "Listen to me, brother. You'd be better off spending that money in a brothel than throwing it away at some Martial Arts Hall."
He knew all too well what it took.
The tuition fees, the special diet, the medicinal supplements, not to mention having to quit work to train full-time... Xu Yang couldn't afford a single one of those things.
Most importantly, you needed talent. His older brother was the type who had none, which was why pouring dozens of taels of silver into his training had been useless.
Xu Yang shook his head. "Don't try to talk me out of it. Even if I wanted to, I don't have the money."
Hearing this, the two remembered that Xu Yang was struggling just to put food on the table. He had no money at all.
"That's right. You don't even have the chance," He the Third said with a laugh. "The best age to start training is between fifteen and eighteen. You're already seventeen. By the time you save up enough money, you'll have missed the window. Even if you have the money then, no master at a Martial Arts Hall will take you."
The three of them didn't mention martial arts again after that. However, Xu Yang keenly noticed that He the Third and Zhang Daniu had started to grow distant, seemingly because of his desire to train.
Practicing martial arts burned through money. Back when He the Third's older brother was training, he'd borrowed from who knows how many friends and relatives, and it had taken the family years to slowly pay it all back.
When it was time to part ways, the two of them just gave him a simple farewell and left, unlike before, when they would have made plans to meet up the next day.
Xu Yang shook his head to himself and quickened his pace toward home.
"Xu Yang!"
Just as he was about to reach his front door, a voice from behind suddenly called out to him.
He turned to see Li Hu of the Sanhe Gang sauntering over with two thuggish-looking youths in tow.
The Sanhe Gang was the local syndicate. Everyone living in the area had to pay them a monthly "residence fee." Anyone who dared refuse would find their home burgled or on fire a couple of days later.
If you still refused, you'd find yourself set upon by violent thugs on the street, who would rob and kill you.
"Ah, it's Master Hu. What brings you here?" Xu Yang forced a humble smile, lowering his head slightly.
"What else? It's the locals, always making things difficult. We sent out the notice ages ago that the Gang Leader's mother is celebrating her birthday this month and that everyone should prepare their 'gift money.' But the month is almost over, and many people still haven't paid."
Li Hu swaggered closer. "Your family hasn't paid either. The mine paid out wages today, so it's time to pay up. Twenty copper coins for you and your sister."
Even though he had spent the last six months in this world kowtowing and playing the coward, his acting skills honed to perfection, Xu Yang was finding it hard to maintain his composure.
'If I remember correctly,' he thought, 'the Sanhe Gang Leader's mother already had a big birthday celebration at the beginning of the year.'
"Twenty copper coins? That's too much this time, Master Hu. Could you please put in a good word and ask for a little less? Of course, we should present a gift for the Old Matriarch's birthday, but I have my sister to feed. If I give you twenty coins, we won't have enough to eat next month."
'Even if I could spare twenty copper coins, I can't just hand them over without a fuss. If I let these black-hearted animals know I have money, they'll just be back tomorrow with a new excuse to demand more.'
"Cut the crap. This is the amount the gang set. I don't have the authority to negotiate. If you're so worried about starving, there's a simple solution. Your sister's grown up now. Sell her to the gang. Not only would you be rid of a burden, but you'd get at least ten taels of silver for her."
Li Hu clapped a heavy hand on Xu Yang's shoulder, a smirk on his face.
Xu Yang struggled to keep the smile on his face, but alarm bells were screaming in his mind. 'My sister is fourteen this year and has started to blossom. I'm afraid the Sanhe Gang has taken notice of her.'
"You're joking, Master Hu. My father is still alive; I wouldn't dare sell my sister even if I starved to death..." he said, shaking his head repeatedly.
Li Hu knew he couldn't convince Xu Yang all at once; this kind of thing had to be handled slowly. His expression darkened. "Then hurry up and pay!"
"Yes, yes... One moment, Master Hu!"
With a pained expression, Xu Yang fished a small pouch from his clothes and reluctantly pulled out two strings of copper coins.
This was a pouch he had prepared beforehand, containing only a portion of his wages.
Li Hu glanced at the pouch, estimating there were less than two hundred copper coins left inside. Figuring Xu Yang hadn't been lying about his finances, he snatched the two strings of coins and, with a cold snort, moved on to the next house.
Xu Yang kept the smile plastered on his face as he watched Li Hu leave, only turning to go home after he was gone.