Chapter 55

After this incident, Zhao Jin became extremely cautious. He knew he wasn't much smarter than the people of this era, and as a ten-year-old child, adults would take some of his words seriously, but most of the time, they still treated him like a child.

Everything that followed was quite normal. Life wasn't as exciting as one might think; it was rather dull and monotonous, with the same routine repeated every day.

Practicing diligently for one or two months, and exercising for several dozen days, didn't show much noticeable improvement. However, if he persisted for six months or a year, the results would become evident.

Due to the increased physical activity, his appetite also grew, and Zhao Jin's height increased rapidly. After a year, he would need a new set of clothes, as the old ones were too small. This often led to complaints from He Cuihua, who said that practicing martial arts made him eat and wear more, which was a significant burden on the family.

Correspondingly, his strength and speed improved. Zhao Xing was often surprised, saying that Zhao Jin's progress in a year was equivalent to what others might achieve in a year and a half or even longer.

Although the daily training routines varied, they remained monotonous. Simple horse stances, thrusting, and strength training evolved into thrusting and routines, and even sparring with Zhao Xing.

The routines were simple combinations of techniques, such as thrusting, drawing back, and slashing. In addition to these, Zhao Xing often taught techniques unrelated to the spear, such as how to draw a short weapon when in close combat, and how to kill with a short weapon when the spear was not in hand. At such times, the Japanese short sword hanging on the wall came in handy.

It was already difficult for a martial artist to master one skill, let alone be proficient in everything. The short weapon techniques Zhao Xing taught were simple, but Zhao Jin found them very practical, useful both in martial competitions and in real combat.

After using a wooden pole for a year, Zhao Jin started practicing with a regular spear. Although he had grown taller, the regular spear was still too long for his body, and it wasn't until he was fifteen that it felt right.

Besides improving his body and martial skills, Zhao Jin became increasingly familiar with this era and gained a deeper understanding of his surroundings.

The more he understood this era, the more he recalled his past life. By cross-referencing the two, he recorded everything he needed to. Although paper and ink were hard to come by, with Wang Zhaojing around, it became much easier. Wang Zhaojing was surprised by Zhao Jin's need for paper and ink, but the recorded materials were still stored in the semi-abandoned shop.

Mu Shulan stayed at Zhao Jin's home until the second year, February. Her father's prolonged absence caused everyone to worry.

The once carefree and always smiling little girl began to secretly shed tears. He Cuihua, who was usually carefree, said it was fine for her to stay for life, but in private, Zhao Jin overheard He Cuihua and Zhao Zhentang discussing how to marry the little girl into the family and give her a proper name.

On February 15th, Mu Shulan's father came to take her back, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Jin also noticed a flash of disappointment on his mother's face.

However, from that point on, the Mu family seemed to undergo some changes. The person who came to pick up and drop off Mu Shulan was no longer Mr. Mu but two middle-aged men in their forties. These men had a steady demeanor and clearly had martial arts skills.

From then on, Mu Shulan came to the warehouse less frequently, appearing only about once every two days. However, she often found time to watch Zhao Jin practice and eat at the Zhao family's home.

Originally dressed in simple clothes, Mu Shulan gradually began to wear silk and brocade, and she often wore gold, silver, and jade jewelry. Her family's financial situation seemed to improve rapidly.

As Mu Shulan grew older, she changed, becoming more beautiful and charming. She had a unique aura that was sometimes gentle and alluring, and at other times, pure and cold.

However, these changes were mostly unintentional, and most of the time, she remained the same. But she had already captivated the hearts of the young men at the warehouse, and even Wang Zhaojing couldn't help but recite, "A graceful lady, a gentleman's ideal mate."

Although Mu Shulan mostly remained the same around Zhao Jin, he noticed that she had changed. It seemed as if she had undergone some specialized training, and her posture, speech, and behavior had all changed. Despite being charming, Zhao Jin felt that it was somewhat artificial.

Moreover, as the boys turned fifteen and Mu Shulan turned twelve, the boys were still fine, but the girls were at an age where they should stay at home and not go out. However, the little girl continued to behave as usual.

Occasionally, Zhao Jin would see Mr. Mu on the street. Mr. Mu, who already stood out, became even more special. The once solitary middle-aged man was now surrounded by people, with a grand presence. Some of the wealthy families in Xuzhou greeted him respectfully, and Zhao Jin noticed that at least five of the people surrounding Mr. Mu were guards.

The grandeur was impressive, and Zhao Jin traced the changes back to the period from the twelfth month of Wanli 38 to the second month of the following year, when Mr. Mu had disappeared. Something must have happened during that time.

He Cuihua remained热情 towards Mu Shulan, often praising her beauty, but she no longer mentioned the idea of making her a daughter-in-law.

Another strange thing was that despite the Mu family's apparent prosperity, Mu Shulan still frequently came to the Zhao family for meals.

Chen Sheng, who started practicing martial arts early and came from a wealthy family, was always taller and stronger than his peers. Zhao Jin had to train diligently to catch up, but Sun Dalei, who was also a peer, was even larger than Chen Sheng, which was a rare exception.

As they interacted more, they understood each other better. Zhao Jin knew that Chen Sheng practiced martial arts for as long as he did, which gave him a sense of urgency.

Strangely, despite practicing so much every day, Chen Sheng didn't lose any weight, which affected his agility and speed.

Chen Sheng's weapon changed to a real wooden knife in the third year and to a real knife when he was fourteen. Zhao Jin then realized that the single knife was not a Japanese sword but was named for its resemblance to a seedling.

Perhaps due to his focus on martial arts, Chen Sheng became increasingly steady and had a natural air of dignity.

According to Wang Zhaojing, someone like Chen Sheng would stand out even in the capital. Zhao Jin also knew that Chen Sheng's family had plans for him. Chen Sheng's grandfather hoped he would take the imperial examinations to become a martial scholar and then a martial candidate, while his father wanted him to inherit a position in the government. After careful consideration, they decided he would stay in the Xuzhou government and wait to inherit the position of constable.

As for Chen Sheng's younger brother, Chen Hong, perhaps due to his experience in judging competitions and distributing prizes, he was now learning accounting and bookkeeping from the family's accountant and manager, preparing to take over the family's charcoal business.

The brothers proudly told the other young men that their family used to think their martial arts competitions were a waste of money and not a proper pursuit, but now they said it was thanks to these competitions that they learned many valuable skills.

Over the years, the people of Xuzhou became more familiar with the Wang family, and Zhao Jin learned more and more. Combining the two, he finally understood why Wang Zhaojing's father had returned from the capital.

The reason was indeed the least likely one: giving up an official position. Wang You Shan achieved success in the imperial examinations at a young age and had a smooth career. Born in Xuzhou, where martial arts were prevalent but literature was weak, he lacked the flaws of literati and had a robust and open-minded character.

With such a mindset and character, he often dealt with issues rationally and truthfully, which was not practical in the officialdom, especially in the court where the Donglin, Zhe, and Chu factions were in constant conflict.

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**Note:** The last sentence was cut off in the original text, so it has been completed based on context.