Chapter 47

The sky had just brightened.

Wei He turned over and sat up from the bed.

His face was weary, his forehead drenched in sweat, and the veins at his temples were pulsing.

"It's been a long time since I had a dream... I didn't expect to dream about things from the past."

He recalled many things from his previous life, but now they seemed distant, like flowers in a mist or the moon in water, indistinct.

In contrast, the scenes of his current life were vivid, like a recorded tape, easily recalled at any moment.

He didn't know if this was due to his vigorous qi and blood, allowing him to remember more details, or for some other reason.

He lifted the quilt, got out of bed, and quickly fetched water from the water jar to wash himself with the cool water. Then he changed into a new set of clothes.

Wei Ying was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

At Wei He's strong insistence, the two of them had established a routine of eating breakfast every day.

It was worth noting that most families couldn't afford breakfast; in this world, it was already good if people could get enough to eat.

Eating two meals a day was common, let alone three.

Fortunately, Wei He often managed to get some game from hunting. The forest was peculiar; despite the prolonged drought, it remained half-alive, with yellowish-green grass and trees standing firm.

Animals and prey also scattered and hid within it.

Wei He didn't know the reason, but because of this, he occasionally got some game, so he didn't think much about it.

"Today, there's a lecture by Daoist Mingxian. Many people plan to go, and I want to go too. Can I?" Wei Ying held a coarse grain bun she had made, looking at Wei He with anticipation.

"Is it like the last lecture? The one with a lot of people?" Wei He asked, grabbing a piece of meat and putting it in his mouth.

"Yes, but... last time there were many people, now, there might not be as many." Wei Ying answered with a touch of nostalgia.

"Can you understand it? I couldn't understand what that Daoist was talking about." Wei He asked.

"No, but they give out food." Wei Ying widened her eyes in response.

"......Then don't go for the sake of a little food. We don't lack that much at home." Wei He refused.

"Okay... I guess so."

After breakfast, as Wei Ying was clearing the dishes, she mentioned something.

"By the way, Xiao He, I heard from Master Zheng yesterday that someone in Hongshi Town has done something strange recently."

"Strange?"

"Yes, apparently, this person placed a large piece of iron ore on top of a pile of dried meat, saying that whoever could lift the stone could take the meat." Wei Ying said in a casual tone, finding it interesting.

Wei He was taken aback.

"Then what happened?"

"Then, many people tried, but couldn't move it.

Finally, a man named Xu Ran stepped forward, lifted the stone with ease, and took the meat."

Wei Ying marveled, then added, "The person who put the meat out invited Xu Ran to his home for a big meal. The next day, he came back and placed an even heavier stone on the meat, saying that whoever could lift it could take the meat. Do you want to try, Xiao He?"

In Wei Ying's mind, her younger brother, who had been practicing martial arts, was already very strong. Lifting a stone shouldn't be a problem, right?

Wei He felt differently.

He was not like ordinary people; his perspective and experience were different. Upon hearing this, he understood immediately.

Someone was building his reputation and fame!

What was the purpose of building fame? To draw attention.

Whose attention?

The Seven Family Alliance, Hong Family Fort, and the attention of many ordinary people.

Only with fame could one have the chance to call out and gather a large following, to showcase one's talents and be invited and valued by those in power.

This method was called self-recommendation.

Of course, there was another possibility: it was a way for major forces to screen for talent in the populace.

But if a major force were involved, it wouldn't be so crude.

Wei He suddenly felt a surge of interest. He spent his days either practicing martial arts or hunting and killing, with almost no other entertainment.

Now, hearing his sister's words, he suddenly wanted to see how she spent her time.

Although the nearby Huishan Boxing Hall helped look after her, it was still better to carefully check for any potential dangers.

With this in mind, he quickly returned to his room, carefully put on his equipment, and asked Wei Ying in detail about her usual routes.

Finally, he left the house and walked away.

Leaving the house, he didn't head towards the Huishan Boxing Hall but instead walked towards the market in the opposite direction.

The market in Shiqiao Town was only open for one hour in the morning. If you didn't go early, the goods would be quickly snatched up.

Wei He followed the street towards the market.

Along the way, he saw more and more people of various attire, carrying all sorts of containers, hurrying towards the market.

Some were ragged, some were relatively clean, but none were dressed in fine clothes.

The best were just clean with a few patches.

Wei He's clean and tidy outfit made him stand out in the crowd.

However, he didn't mind. Along the way, he realized that these seemingly quiet and dilapidated houses could actually produce so many people.

He had almost thought the outskirts were deserted.

But now, the thin, malnourished people emerging made him feel the unique desolation of this era.

Soon, he passed a small area of gray houses, and in front of them stood some stone steles with the two large characters "Market" written in black.

The steles formed a barrier, blocking the large open space behind them.

There was only a small entrance left for people to enter and exit.

At the entrance, a group of black-clad, muscular men stood guard, holding short knives, looking quite intimidating.

"Line up, one by one, no pushing!" shouts could be heard repeatedly.

Wei He approached, standing outside the steles, watching the crowd slowly enter and then start trading at the vegetable and meat stalls in the open space.

"Who are these black-clad men?" he asked a thin young man.

The man glanced at Wei He, about to get angry, but seeing his physique and aura, he had to suppress his anger and said in a low voice,

"They are the heroes of Tongcheng Gang. You can enter for free, but when you leave, you have to give them one-tenth of whatever you buy or trade. This is the rule of this market."

"One-tenth?" Wei He understood.

He released the man and didn't enter, instead heading to the next place.

Every day, Wei Ying would first come here to buy vegetables, then go to the oil shop to buy oil, occasionally visit the fabric store, and finally return home to filter water, cook, wash clothes, and clean.

Wei He followed the street, left the market, and soon arrived at the oil shop.

The oil shop had only two rooms, with a long queue outside. The shop had only a small door less than a meter wide, allowing only one person to enter or exit at a time.

The people buying oil here were better dressed and in better spirits than those at the market.

There were fewer patches on their clothes.

Wei He walked around, and wherever he went, people bowed their heads, not daring to look at him.

He was 1.85 meters tall, muscular, and had killed many people and game, making him look intimidating.

So no one even dared to look at him for long.

After a quick look, he headed towards the fabric store.

Leaving the short street where the oil shop was located, the houses on both sides of the road gradually became cleaner.

It was clear that they were often cleaned.

Occasionally, he could see burned incense sticks stuck in the soil by the roadside.

Some doors had new door god and fortune general pictures, and some even had couplets they had written themselves.

The street from the oil shop to the fabric store was not long, but there were quite a few shops.

It was market time, and all the shops were open.

Wei He had never seen such a bustling scene before. He usually spent this time practicing at the Huishan Boxing Hall, so he had never seen such a lively scene.

The last time he saw such a lively scene was before he started practicing martial arts.

Curious, Wei He looked around, observing the shops that were now open.

Although there were only about ten shops open, they were scattered, making it seem like more.

But with so many people, it looked lively. From jewelry to bamboo weaving, chairs to herbs, and farming tools, everything was available.

After a quick look, Wei He noticed that these shops were selling miscellaneous items.

It seemed they were buying these items cheaply from various households.

Many items still had traces of daily use.

He was intrigued and started looking around.

Next to the shops, some people were setting up stalls, selling items from their homes.

Each stall was covered with large mats, on which were placed pots, bowls, spoons, chairs, stools, pillows, quilts, combs, hairpins, and more.

Wei He stopped at a stall, squatted down, and gently picked up a small wine cup.

The wine cup was made of white porcelain, clean, and had a red plum blossom painted on it.

"A set of twelve wine cups for one pound of coarse grain flour," the stall owner said weakly.

Wei He put down the wine cup and scanned the stall.

Soon, his attention was drawn to a pile of messy books.

The books were badly damaged, as if gnawed by rats.

He picked one up and flipped through it, finding it to be a set of rules and guidelines for martial arts exams.

"These books are my father's treasures. A stack of fifteen books, though incomplete, but ten pounds of coarse grain flour, how about that?" The stall owner saw Wei He touching the books and felt hopeful.

These books were his most valuable items. If not for dire circumstances, he wouldn't have sold them.

But now, his family needed food, and if he kept them, they would be of no use to anyone.

Wei He flipped through the books. Although they didn't contain any martial arts techniques, they mentioned some related knowledge.

He haggled and traded four small pieces of dried meat for a bag of books.

The four pieces of dried meat were his daily rations to supplement his nutrition, not his main food. They weighed less than half a pound.

Given the tough times, he had to be frugal. Even so, the stall owner was quite satisfied.

These dried pieces of meat, when taken home and cut into small pieces and mixed into porridge, could last for a long time.

Eating coarse grains alone didn't satisfy hunger.