A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

1. Xuan Ge'er

Early morning, Dyeing and Weaving Street.

"Sister Zhou, want to dye cloth? You can just come to my place to get your cloth dyed." The manager of Tonghe Dyehouse stopped a woman who was passing by and wanted to get her cloth dyed.

"I'm going to Wu's Dyehouse! The fabrics dyed by Wu's Dyehouse are brightly colored and don't fade! Xuan-ge even delivers them to my house..." After saying that, Aunt Zhou went into Wu's Dyehouse across the street without looking back.

At this moment, inside the Wu family dyehouse, a handsome young man dressed as a servant, wearing a six-cornered hat, was skillfully handling a steady stream of customers at the counter.

"Xuan-ge, help me dye this cloth dark blue!" Aunt Zhou said with a smile.

"Alright! Aunt Zhou!" Chu Xuan took the cloth and put it away. Instead of leaving immediately, he took out a pair of tiger-head shoes from under the counter. "Auntie, I heard you had a big, healthy grandson? These are tiger-head shoes my mother made..."

"Wow, these shoes are so beautiful! How much did they cost?"

"Why would you want money? It's a gift!"

"This... I'm so sorry..."

"Of course, my mother said we should thank you properly, Auntie, for always supporting my business!"

"Oh, sister-in-law, you're too kind! How about this, give me another ten feet of Yi Jiu Lan, oh no, two feet..."

"Alright! Auntie, you don't need to make another trip for the cloth you dyed. I'll deliver it to your house once it's finished. I'll also apply a layer of starch! Even if you wash it to pieces, the color won't fade!"

"Then I'll wait at home!"

……

"Sister Liu, this is the most popular light blue color this year. Would you like some? The color is bright and won't fade."

"What do you mean, 'older sister'? I'm old enough to be your aunt! This fabric... isn't it a bit too bright?"

"Sister Liu, you look so young! If we stood on the street, people would probably mistake us for my sister! In my opinion, this color suits you perfectly..."

"Brother Xuan, you have such a sweet tongue! Alright, give me a ten-foot length..."

"Sister Wang, here's your cloth. This is a headscarf my mother made; it's not worth much. Please take it home and use it..."

"Aunt Sun, you have trouble walking, so if you ever need me to run errands for you, just let me know..."

……

Throughout the morning, the cloth shop was bustling with customers, and Chu Xuan was spinning like a top, never stopping.

It wasn't until noon, when the market closed, that no customers came into the shop.

After seeing off the last group of guests, Chu Xuan finally had time to rest.

Shopkeeper Wu, carrying a purple clay teapot in one hand, patted Chu Xuan on the shoulder with a smile: "Good lad, you're really something! How about it, want to work here long-term? We'll discuss wages and everything, you won't be treated unfairly!"

He really liked this kid; not only was he good-looking, but he was also good at getting things done!

In the few months since Chu Xuan came to promote his products, he has sold more fabric each month than he ever sold in a whole quarter before!

Chu Xuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and politely declined with a smile, "Shopkeeper, you know my..."

"What, still dreaming of becoming a martial artist?" Manager Wu interrupted impatiently. "Learning martial arts is an expensive profession! You're seventeen this year, aren't you? Once you're over eighteen, martial arts schools won't accept you anymore!"

"If you ask me, it's time for you to settle down. Come work hard at the shop for a few years, and I might as well hand over the management job to you."

Chu Xuan simply smiled and didn't reply.

Seeing this, Manager Wu could only wave his hand helplessly: "Forget it, you're just stubborn! Go eat in the back!"

This wasn't the first time he'd invited her; the answer was always the same.

After saying that, he took a package from the shop assistant and handed it to Chu Xuan: "These are the leftover fabric scraps in the shop. I've packed them all up for you."

"Thank you, shopkeeper!"

Chu Xuan took the package, thanked him again, and then took his leave and went to the back.

"Boss, this kid is so ungrateful. You're doing him a favor by hiring him as a waiter..." the shop assistant complained. "He's just a bit sweet-talking and knows how to offer small favors, right? I've seen him learn his skills in a few days..."

He had long been dissatisfied with Chu Xuan.

A guy like him, if you just provide lunch, there are plenty of people eager to work for him!

During the Chinese New Year, if I bring a piece of cloth home, my mother will be so happy that she'll show it off to the whole village!

As for wages...

What kind of wages are they paying?!

That would be so wonderful for him!

But Chu Xuan, this temporary worker, actually received real wages, and even received a share of the wages. Chu Xuan's income for just one day was comparable to that of a skilled dyeing master in the dye shop.

"You know nothing!"

Manager Wu sternly rebuked, pointing outside, "There are at least seventeen or eighteen dye houses of all sizes on this dyeing and weaving street! Now, which dye house hasn't learned from us? But why do people still stick with us?"

"Do you think this is just a small favor? What Brother Xuan is offering is... is..."

The waiter quickly added, "Emotional value?"

"Ah, right!" Manager Wu slammed his hand on the table, his face full of agreement. "Just like Xuan-ge said, they provide emotional value!"

"Shopkeeper, what is emotional value?" the waiter asked curiously.

"Emotional value is..." Manager Wu wanted to show off a bit, but he stopped halfway through his sentence, then waved his hand impatiently, "Go away, you wouldn't understand anyway, go play with your eggs!"

"And another thing, if you dare to gossip about Xuan-ge'er, I'll castrate you!"

……

Inside the dyehouse behind the shop, Chu Xuan and several dyehouse workers were gathered around a table. In the center of the table was a whole basket of steaming cornbread.

Although cornbread is made from coarse grains, its advantage is that it's filling. Of course, it's only for eating, not for taking out.

Chu Xuan held a cornbread bun in one hand and a soup bowl in the other, with a few drops of oil floating in the soup. Before him appeared a control panel that only he could see.

[Energy Value: 8]

It's just this one column, nothing else.

Six months ago, he fell seriously ill and was in a coma for seven days. When he woke up, he inexplicably awakened his past life's wisdom. Along with it came the martial arts panel in front of him.

This is one of the reasons why he insisted on learning martial arts.

Essence is the sum of vital energy and spirit.

As for how to use the essence points, this panel will probably only be displayed after you come into contact with martial arts.

He has yet to have the opportunity to learn martial arts. He had watched others demonstrate moves before and tried to imitate them a few times, but unfortunately, the system didn't respond at all.

Chu Xuan has only figured out one way to increase his essence value so far: nourishing the body! When the body is stronger, the essence value will increase.

When he first awakened his innate wisdom, his essence value was only 5. It was only after he started selling cloth at the dye shop and was able to have a full meal that his essence value slowly increased to 8.

After the meal, as soon as Chu Xuan stepped out of the Wu family dye shop, he felt several unfriendly gazes.

The owners of several dye houses were standing at their respective doorways, staring at him with sinister expressions!

Chu Xuan lowered his head, remained silent, and walked out of the dyeing and weaving street.

These days, if you don't have a powerful background and yet act arrogantly, you won't last long.

Just last month, Chu Xuan witnessed someone being robbed as soon as they left the inner city for showing off their salary. Because they struggled even slightly, half their hand was severed.

This is nothing new in Qingshan City.

Living in a chaotic world, he did consider being cautious and prudent.

But reality doesn't allow it.

He's seventeen now, and in another year his bones will be fully developed, meaning he won't be able to enter a martial arts school. If he wants to protect himself in this chaotic world, without any connections, becoming a martial artist is the only way!

His decision to help out at the Wu family dyehouse wasn't random.

Fortunately, Manager Wu was kind enough to keep Chu Xuan a secret, always claiming he was a shop assistant and even jokingly saying he wanted to take Chu Xuan as his godson, which made these people a little wary. In addition, Chu Xuan was usually careful and never walked at night, so he was relatively safe.

After leaving the dyeing and weaving street and passing through several alleys, you will arrive at the outer city.

The once relatively clean streets have gradually changed.

The muddy road became full of potholes, with tire tracks of all sizes scattered throughout the puddles, and a pungent smell of excrement and urine emanated from it.

Starving vagrants and beggars were everywhere. Their eyes were vacant, and they were so thin they were unrecognizable. Some were even gnawing on dry elm stumps, and when thirsty, they would lie down in the ruts and drink the muddy water.

Just a few dozen steps outside the inner city, two people rushed out and blocked Chu Xuan's path.

The two men's clothes were so tattered they were unrecognizable, and they were both emaciated, their hair matted together. It was impossible to tell their gender from their appearance. They stared at Chu Xuan's bundle like wolves.

Chu Xuan was not surprised.

He has encountered this situation at least ten times.

"Hey kid, what's inside? Open it and let's see!" One of them held a rusty half of a pair of scissors in his hand, his reddened eyes filled with the most primal desire for food.

"We just want food, we don't want to kill anyone! Put down your things and we'll let you go!"

Another person spoke up, but it was a woman's voice.

"I'm a worker at the Wu family's dye shop! It's just some scraps of cloth inside, you won't use them if I give them to you!" Chu Xuan said unhurriedly, and then prepared to open the package to show them.

"Get out of here! Get out of here!"

Before he could even open the package, a loud reprimand came from the front of him.

A powerful horse charged towards Chu Xuan's direction at top speed. The rider was a burly man, as strong as a bear, who was brandishing his whip and shouting.

A dozen or so strong servants carried the carcass of a prey that looked like a deer, running behind them.

Chu Xuan quickly moved aside.

The two people blocking the way were slow to react because they turned around and were too weak from hunger.

Slap slap!

The sound of a whip cracked.

Before the two could react, they were sent flying with screams and crashed into a puddle by the roadside.

The person with the half-scissors had half their face slashed; the other person fared slightly better, being slashed on the back, but still suffering a deep, bone-revealing wound.

With such severe injuries, if there is money for treatment, there might be a chance to save one's life.

These two men were clearly refugees fleeing from war; it wouldn't be long before their wounds became infected, turning them into two rotting, stinking corpses in a roadside ditch.

The man on the sturdy horse acted as if he had just brushed aside not two people, but two flies. Without pausing, he cracked his whip and charged headlong into the inner city.

The vendors along the way were overturned, and countless pedestrians fell and tumbled in fright, but no one scolded or blamed them, nor did anyone curse or yell. Everyone was used to it; instead, a few envious voices rose from the crowd.

"Is that Cheng Wuju? He looks so imposing!"

"That's right! Seventeenth place in the martial arts examination two years ago..."

"That's how a true man should be!"

Chu Xuan heard the voice beside him and watched the figure rush into the inner city and disappear. He clenched his fists and his desire grew stronger!

Learn martial arts!

You must learn martial arts!

Even if you don't pass the martial arts examination, you can still have the means to make a living as a bodyguard or镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in this chaotic world!

……

The further you go, the more dilapidated the scene becomes, with collapsed houses and haphazardly erected sheds everywhere.

After passing through several dirty and messy alleys, Chu Xuan arrived at his home in this life.

Behind the dilapidated wooden door was a small courtyard filled with miscellaneous items. There was a well in the courtyard, and further in were two low-lying houses.

His mother and sister shared a room, while Chu Xuan lived in the woodshed next door.

Just as Chu Xuan was about to push open the wooden door, several figures flashed past at the entrance of the alley, causing him to freeze in his tracks and his expression to turn somewhat gloomy.

Those people hadn't intended to hide anyway, and when they saw Chu Xuan looking over, they strolled over as well.

The leader was a dark-skinned, thin man in his thirties with a cunning face, but a fierce glint would occasionally flash in his eyes.

Chu Xuan recognized the man as Xie Hui, a hoodlum from the outer city. He'd heard Xie Hui had joined the Three Heroes Gang and become a minor leader! The four men behind him were Xie Hui's former hangouts, now his henchmen.

A month ago, Xie Hui saw his younger sister Chu He and started loitering around his house from time to time, and recently it has become more and more frequent.

"Oh, it's Xuan-ge'er back." Xie Hui said with a forced smile. "I heard you found a good job in the inner city, making quite a bit of money, right?"

Chu Xuan laughed as well, "What kind of situation do you think the workers at the dye shop are? They're lucky if they get a meal, they don't pay any wages! But, thanks to you, Manager Wu of the dye shop is planning to take me in as his godson. After I become his godfather in a few days, I'll treat you to a drink."

At this point, a direct confrontation is out of the question!

He could only rely on Manager Wu's reputation, since Xie Hui wouldn't go to Manager Wu to verify anything anyway.

"Manager Wu?"

Xie Hui's expression was somewhat uncertain.

He found out about the same thing: Chu Xuan was working as a shop assistant at the Wu family dye shop in the inner city. Manager Wu did indeed treat Chu Xuan differently, and he was treated much better than the other shop assistants.

To be able to open a dye shop in the inner city, one must have some powerful connections; otherwise, they would have been swallowed up long ago!

Regardless of size, none of them were people he, a minor gang leader from the outer city, could afford to mess with!

"Hehe~, no problem..."

Xie Huiqian chuckled twice, waved his hand, and left with a few followers.