Chapter 3

"Phew... I wasn’t discovered." Chen Biao was originally a ruffian, and if he had found the money bag with so much money, he would definitely have been tempted by the sight of it.

Wei He wandered around the city and eventually arrived at a row of bungalows near the inner city.

In one of the bungalows, a large courtyard was frequently filled with the sounds of intense training.

A plaque hung at the entrance of the courtyard, which read: "Huishan Fist School, Zheng."

Knock, knock, knock.

Wei He stepped forward and knocked on the door.

After a while, the wooden door was pulled open from the inside, revealing a man with a face full of fleshy wrinkles.

"Who is it? What do you want?"

"I’ve come to learn martial arts," Wei He said in a deep voice.

"Did you bring money?" The man looked him up and down.

"Yes."

"Come in then."

The wooden door opened wide, and Wei He walked in with large strides.

Inside the courtyard, a dozen or so men, bare-chested, were continuously practicing with stone blocks to build their strength.

Under the shade of a tree, a thin old man with a goatee was leisurely sipping tea, his demeanor relaxed.

"Little Wei? Have you finally saved enough money?" The thin old man glanced at Wei He and spoke.

"Old Master Zheng, I have enough." Wei He had visited several times before, and because of his focused and sincere attitude, he had even helped run errands a few times, which left a good impression on the thin old man.

Of course, a good impression is one thing, but learning martial arts here required money, and it couldn’t be free, so that was that.

However, now that he had enough money, the old man was willing.

"Good, the only way for the poor is to learn martial arts and leg techniques.

You can only learn these because weapons are too expensive, and palm techniques or finger techniques are not as lethal as fists." Old Master Zheng pinched his beard and said calmly.

"Learning martial arts can change your life! Master them well, and you’ll have a chance to change your fate!"

"Master is right!" A few of the men nearby quickly flattered him.

Wei He remained silent, quickly took out the money bag from his body, held it with both hands, and bowed to present it.

...

...

...

By evening.

Wei He was wearing a brand new gray martial arts jacket, gray trousers, and a pair of thousand-layer-soled cloth shoes.

A prominent "Zheng" character was embroidered on his chest.

This outfit was the exclusive training uniform for the disciples of Old Master Zheng.

The last rays of the sunset slowly disappeared at the alley entrance.

Wei He walked quickly toward home, his face calm, but he was quite worried inside.

His older sister Wei Ying was alone at home, and he was worried that something might happen to her.

Although he wasn’t the original body and didn’t have deep feelings for this family, they were still family, and he had lived with them for a long time.

He quickly passed through a street, turned a few alleys, and soon arrived at the alley entrance of his home.

At the alley entrance, three men were hunched over, smoking tobacco.

The tallest and strongest of them had a buzz cut, a face full of fleshy wrinkles, and was staring intently at Wei He’s home, as if he had been doing so for a long time.

This man was Chen Biao.

The other two were also tall and strong, clearly well-fed and not to be trifled with.

The sound of Wei He’s approaching footsteps startled the three men who had been staring.

Chen Biao turned around and, upon seeing Wei He in the Zheng family training uniform, showed a look of surprise, staring deeply at the "Zheng" character on the uniform.

He took the tobacco pipe out of his mouth, looked at Wei He, and then turned and walked away without a word.

The other two henchmen hurriedly followed.

They had also noticed the "Zheng" character on Wei He’s chest, clearly recognizing his new status.

Old Master Zheng of Huishan Fist School was not an unknown figure in the area and was a considerable force.

Wei He watched calmly as the three men left. He knew he couldn’t fight all three alone.

But now, with the "tiger skin" of the training uniform, Chen Biao and the others would likely not dare to act rashly for the time being.

However, Chen Biao had been eyeing his older sister Wei Ying for a long time, and Wei He wasn’t sure how long the "tiger skin" would keep them at bay.

And Old Master Zheng, who would take anyone who paid, wouldn’t help even if asked. This was a purely monetary relationship, and nothing else could be expected.

If his older sister didn’t return soon, Chen Biao and the others, without her to deter them, would definitely have ideas again.

"So, I still need to train hard and rely on myself."

He quickly walked to his home, took out the key, opened the door, and went inside.

Wei Ying was huddled in a corner, not daring to move.

Seeing him, she stood up with tears in her eyes and approached.

"Xiao He... I almost, almost thought I wouldn’t see you again!" She burst into tears.

"It’s okay, I’m back, everything’s fine." Wei He comforted her in a deep voice.

"Chen Biao was at the door, kicking and pounding, waiting for a long time. I didn’t dare make a sound!" Wei Ying cried, recounting the events.

Wei He remained silent, his eyes growing increasingly calm.

"I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. Starting tomorrow, you’ll go with me to Huishan Fist School. I’ve talked to the master, and he agreed to let you help with some daily chores. As for the pay..."

"I’ll go! I’ll go even without pay! I really can’t stay here anymore! When you weren’t around, Chen Biao would come several times a day, and I didn’t dare say anything... I was afraid it would affect you... I didn’t dare say anything..." Wei Ying cried, her emotions running high.

She knew that Old Master Zheng’s Huishan Fist School was well-known in the area, and if her brother could establish himself there, it would provide a strong sense of security.

"It’s settled then, we’ll go tomorrow." Wei He said seriously.

He had deeply etched Chen Biao and the others in his mind, knowing that his older sister had suffered a lot of fear and bullying in his absence.

After comforting his older sister, Wei He fetched a few buckets of water from a nearby stream to fill the water tank.

Then, together with Wei Ying, they began preparing their luggage for the trip to Huishan Fist School the next day.

The sky gradually darkened, and the moonlight rose, shining through the window.

Wei He lit an oil lamp, had his older sister finish mending the remaining clothes, and then carefully reviewed everything he had done, ensuring there were no issues before blowing out the lamp and lying down to sleep.

In the middle of the night, he was suddenly awakened by a rustling sound.

He opened his eyes, quietly got out of bed, and glanced at his older sister on the other bed, who was sleeping soundly.

He quietly walked to the window, opened it slightly, and looked outside.

In the alley, a group of ordinary-looking civilians, dressed in various clothes and with bright, somewhat frightening eyes, were marching in a line, following two tall, thin men and women in white, passing by the window.

"To the Pure Land, to the Pure Land, to the Pure Land..."

These people were muttering the same phrase, their different accents blending into a strange and unsettling sense of agitation.

Wei He quietly closed the window, not daring to look further.

He recognized many of the people passing by, including several neighbors. He hadn’t expected they had this hidden side.

The blacksmith Uncle Zhao, Aunt Feng who sold buns, and Mr. Xue from the pawnshop were all in the group, their expressions devout, as if under some kind of spell.

Wei He quietly moved away from the window, returned to bed, and remained silent.

The group slowly moved away, and the sounds gradually faded. Wei He slept fitfully for the rest of the night.

When it was almost dawn, he got up on time, woke his older sister, and they quickly packed their luggage and remaining money, heading to Huishan Fist School.

He knew he couldn’t fight Chen Biao and the others, and in this chaotic world, all kinds of troubles were rampant. This trip to learn martial arts was the best way to protect himself.

Wei He took this martial arts training very seriously.

He had the ability of the Realm-Breaking Pearl, and in this chaotic era, he knew that learning martial arts was the greatest security.

When they left, the weather was still a bit cold, and the sun hadn’t fully risen.

Wei He led his older sister on a roundabout route, taking a slightly longer path to return to the courtyard of Huishan Fist School.

Early in the morning, the courtyard was already filled with the sounds of intense training.

Wei He knocked on the door and reported his name.

"Come in." Soon, the heavy wooden door slowly opened.

A pockmarked man looked at Wei He, then glanced at Wei Ying, and his originally lazy expression quickly turned enthusiastic.

"Come, come, the master is already having tea. You must be Little Brother Wei He, nice, nice. I’m Cheng Shaojiu, the third in line here! You can call me Third Brother."

The pockmarked man introduced himself warmly, but his eyes kept drifting toward Wei Ying.

Wei He inwardly smiled, knowing that martial artists, with their abundant energy and high levels of testosterone, would often react this way to beautiful women.

He didn’t mind and led his somewhat nervous and scared older sister inside.

"Third Brother, I’ll go see the master first, and we can talk later." He said sincerely.

"Sure, sure!" Cheng Shaojiu responded with a smile.

As soon as Wei Ying entered, she immediately drew the attention of the men training in the courtyard.

Wei He led his older sister to Old Master Zheng, bowed, and said,

"Master Zheng, I’ve brought my sister. You can assign her some tasks."

Old Master Zheng looked at Wei Ying, his eyes showing no particular interest, but he found her to be honest and hardworking, so he nodded.

"Let’s get this straight, the pay is something you said you don’t want, right?"

"Yes, we said it ourselves." Wei He quickly responded.

"Alright, starting today, you’ll practice martial arts here, and your sister will handle cleaning, cooking, and laundry. Is that clear?

However, the tuition you paid is only enough for one year. You’ll need to renew it after that, understood?"

Old Master Zheng’s small eyes scanned Wei He, and he said coldly.

"I understand." Wei He nodded.

"Of course, if you show good potential and learn well, I’ll continue teaching you more. As long as it’s within this year, it’s fine."

Old Master Zheng waved his hand, and a middle-aged woman hired to help came over to show Wei Ying around and assign her tasks.

He then stood up and circled Wei He.

"Endure it."

As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Wei He’s rib under his armpit.

Ouch!

Wei He’s whole body went numb, and half of his body almost lost sensation.

"Not bad." Old Master Zheng nodded. "Your potential isn’t great, but it’s not bad. You’re a bit old, but you can still learn the basics."

"Yes." Wei He quickly responded. "I’ll follow the master’s guidance."

Old Master Zheng, seeing Wei He’s good attitude and the free labor he brought, felt better.

"Alright, since you’ve just joined, I’ll explain what martial arts are about, why we are stronger than ordinary people, and why we can fight."

Wei He immediately showed a look of eager attention.

Perhaps because Wei He could read, Old Master Zheng walked around, sat back in his chair, and sipped his tea.

A few new students also gathered, showing interest.

Old Master Zheng cleared his throat, coughed a few times, and opened his mouth.

"My mouth is a bit dry, go get me some tea and snacks."