In a quiet fishing village somewhere in Yuezhou, within the Great Qi nation, a lavishly decorated carriage, adorned with luxurious silks and brocades, came to a halt and waited silently. Around the carriage stood several black-clad riders, sabers in hand, and no small number of villagers, men and women, crowded around, their faces alight with excitement as they gathered in small groups, whispering and discussing.
“Is it really the Jin family? Is that mansion in the city truly the Jin family’s?”
“It must be them. Look at the golden insignia embroidered on their clothes. Aside from the Jin family of Fengcheng, there’s no other household in this entire Kaiyuan Prefecture that could afford such a display.”
“Tsk, tsk, who would’ve thought! Shi Ting left his wife and child ten years ago, disappearing without a trace. Everyone thought he’d met his end in a foreign land, but who’d have imagined he’d not only join the Jin family but also send people back to fetch Shi Mu? It’s a pity Shi Mu’s mother fell ill and died many years ago. Otherwise, the two of them could have enjoyed incomparable wealth and glory from now on.”
“Wealth and glory? That’s not so certain. Didn’t you hear what the Jin family elder said just now? Shi Ting has long been a son-in-law of the Jin family. If Shi Mu’s mother were still alive, Shi Ting probably wouldn’t dare send anyone to bring Shi Mu back at all.”
“No matter what, Shi Mu’s suffering is over from today. Yesterday he was an orphan, today he’s suddenly become the young master of the Jin family.” . .
“My father is gravely ill and bedridden, and I have a younger sibling?” Shi Mu stared at the old man in blue before him, asking slowly.
Shi Mu was only fourteen, but having been exposed to the sea winds year-round, his skin was slightly dark and tanned. He had large eyes and thick brows, and his physique was half a head taller than his peers. The tattered tunic he wore vaguely revealed the strong muscles on his body, giving off an air of rebellious defiance.
“Indeed, the master’s illness this time is very severe, and it’s highly likely he won’t recover. That’s why the madam sent this old servant here to bring Young Master Shi to see the master one last time.” The old man in blue smiled and replied.
“Madam? If he abandoned my mother for so many years, why does he need to acknowledge this son now? Go back. I won’t go to the Jin family with you.” The youth’s face darkened, and he refused without hesitation.
“Ahem! I’m afraid Young Master Shi has misunderstood the master. In truth, the master didn’t return to the village all these years because he had his own difficulties. As long as you meet him, all misunderstandings can be cleared up.” The old man heard this, coughed lightly, and continued.
“Hmph, no matter how much you talk, it won’t change the fact that he abandoned his wife and child. Don’t waste your breath!” The youth snorted coldly and replied without politeness.
Hearing this, the old man in blue furrowed his brows. He scrutinized the youth, then suddenly seemed to make a decision and spoke:
“In the town these past few years, hasn’t Young Master found it incredibly easy to acquire medicinal herbs? Furthermore, hasn’t Instructor Li, who manages the town’s martial arts academy, charged you significantly less for martial arts training than other disciples? And also, after Young Master Shi goes fishing and brings his catch to town, isn’t it always quickly bought up, with very few people haggling over the price?”
“Are you saying all those things were arranged by him?” Finally, the youth’s expression changed, and he asked coldly.
“Whether Old Master arranged it or not, I’m not entirely sure, but everything I’ve mentioned was personally instructed by Madam herself for this old servant to carry out.” The old man in green robes replied with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the young man’s expression was troubled for a moment, before finally revealing a hint of hesitation.
“Oh, that’s right, Young Master Shi, haven’t you always practiced body-refining techniques? It seems you truly wish to become a genuine martial artist. Before I came here, Madam specifically instructed this old servant that as long as Young Master agrees to meet Old Master, Madam will find a way to secure Young Master a spot in the Kaiyuan Martial Academy entrance examination. However, whether you pass or not will depend entirely on Young Master Shi’s own abilities.” The old man in green robes finally played his trump card for this trip.
After a long silence, the young man replied indifferently:
“Come back in three days. By then, I will give you a satisfactory answer.”
“Very well, this old man will return in three days for your answer.” Seeing that his mind was made up, the old man in green robes offered no further persuasion, immediately bowed slightly, and bid farewell.
…
“Steward Cheng, are we really just going back like this? Why don’t we just use force and drag him along? Why waste so much time?” Among the group of horsemen riding around the carriage that had just left the fishing village, a burly man couldn’t help but ask.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Although Young Master Shi does not bear the Jin surname, he is Old Master’s biological son. Our purpose here is simply to bring him back smoothly and properly. We absolutely cannot show any disrespect or negligence. Otherwise, given the affection Old Master and Madam have for him, we would have no way to answer for it.” The old man in green robes’ face darkened upon hearing this.
“This humble one was foolish.” The burly knight immediately showed a look of fear upon hearing this.
Just then, a figure suddenly flickered into view by the roadside, and a knight also dressed in black abruptly appeared, stepping forward to the old man, bowing, and hastily reporting:
“Steward Cheng, our brothers nearby have discovered Old Master Wu’s men, the Biao brothers. How do you think we should handle them?”
“Hmph, it seems that Old Master Wu hasn’t abandoned his original scheme. The Biao brothers are both Early Post-Heaven martial artists; only I can deal with them. Since that’s the case, you all wait here. You, lead the way. I will go myself and settle them once and for all.” The old man in green robes said decisively after a moment of frowning in thought.
“Yes, sir!”
The newly arrived knight moved slightly, then immediately turned and glided swiftly back towards where he had appeared from. With a ‘whoosh,’ the old man in green robes leaped from his horse and shot after the knight. His body floated lightly and indescribably, giving one a vague sensation of weightlessness.
The burly knight and the others remained steadfastly around the carriage, waiting patiently.
…
That night, on an unnamed mound about a mile from the fishing village, beneath the faint moonlight, Shi Mu knelt alone before a rather crude grave, merely a raised mound of earth. In front of the grave stood a pale yellow stone tablet, on which was suddenly written in large black characters:
“Tomb of Madam Wang, daughter-in-law of the Shi family.”
“Mother, you could never have imagined, not in a million years, that Father not only didn’t die, but actually married someone else outside. But rest assured, what I promised you before, I will definitely accomplish. Before, Father used his dream of becoming a martial artist as an excuse to abandon you. But Mu’er will absolutely become a true martial artist, and furthermore, the strongest martial artist in the world, so you can rest in peace in the Yellow Springs!”
After muttering these words before the grave, the young man stood up, stretched his limbs, and began practicing his fist techniques before the tombstone. With the crackle of his joints, his movements transformed from slow to fast, his body like a tiger’s. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a blur of fists continuously moved around him, simultaneously kicking up the surrounding dust and sand to form a swirling yellow cloud that enveloped the young man’s figure.
“Whoosh!”
From within that dust cloud, a figure shot out and simultaneously delivered a powerful punch, leaving a fist mark the size of a bowl on the tree trunk. “Boom!” A loud sound echoed, and the large tree shook violently, countless branches and leaves scattering down. At the same time, a fist mark about half an inch deep suddenly appeared on the trunk.
Shi Mu stared at the fist mark on the tree trunk, then furrowed his brows. This set of fist techniques was the only one he had learned from the martial arts school in town, and it was also the most widely circulated body tempering martial art. According to the martial arts instructor, with the depth of the fist mark he left on the tree, he should have reached the seventh level of Body Tempering, only two levels away from the grand completion recorded in the texts.
These seven levels had taken him a full four years!
One must understand, the saying “poor in scholarly pursuits, rich in martial arts” was not without reason. The day he decided to begin martial arts training, he immediately paid the martial arts school three *liang* of silver as basic tuition, enough for five or six months of study. This cost was actually much lower than the contributions required from other disciples, due to various reasons.
However, ever since he began body tempering, the expenses for medicinal baths had consumed all of Shi Mu’s income from fishing, often leaving him penniless, his home sparse and utterly destitute.
Despite this, Shi Mu’s performance had astonished everyone in the martial arts school. The instructors, in particular, found it strange and praised him endlessly, even believing he possessed superior innate talent, a body naturally born for martial arts cultivation.
Thinking back, even though he had repeatedly asked pharmacists to concoct medicinal liquids for his body tempering during his time at the martial arts school, how could his meager funds truly afford genuine spirit herbs in that town? Most of what he used were just common herbs, offering extremely low body tempering efficacy.
At this thought, Shi Mu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Although he had managed to reach the seventh level of Body Tempering in a relatively short time, he knew deep down that his innate talent was probably quite ordinary. The reason for his achievements was an unexpected fortuitous encounter he had two years ago.
This was also part of the reason why he hadn’t immediately accepted the old man in green robes’ invitation to the Kim family during the day. Pondering this, he looked up briefly at the faint moon in the sky, then turned and sprinted down the mountain.
A moment later, Thạch Mục appeared at an unnamed reef near the coast. After taking two deep breaths, he plunged into the sea, then, like a large fish, thrashed his way deep downwards. Very quickly, he had descended to a depth of dozens of feet.
Suddenly, an astonishing scene appeared.
The seawater, which had been dark and murky as ink, now showed a faint light. Moreover, it grew steadily brighter, clearly illuminating a small area of the sea around it.
Thạch Mục showed no surprise at this sight. He simply focused on holding his breath while propelling himself deeper downwards. A few more meters, and his feet suddenly touched the sandy bottom, which was precisely the spot he wanted to reach.
Only now could he clearly see that what was emitting the faint light was clearly a dozen or so hand-sized seashells clinging to a gigantic rock formation about seventy or eighty feet tall, and they were continuously flickering.