The Great Zhou Martial Country.
The Southern Domain Border.
Qingbei Town.
A li outside of town stood a mountain named White Dwarf Mountain, and at its peak was a dilapidated, abandoned Mountain God Temple.
It was morning. The weather was clear, the sun was bright, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
Xu Qing's clothes were ragged and his hair was long. He hadn't washed in a long time and gave off a sour stench, clearly looking the part of a young beggar.
He could only find an empty plot near the Mountain God Temple to bury his grandfather, Nine Fingers. The body was wrapped in nothing more than a worn-out straw mat. He erected a wooden headstone, upon which he had carved letters with a rock.
Tomb of Grandfather Nine Fingers.
"Grandfather."
Xu Qing stood up and gazed at the headstone, a hint of sadness on his face, but he quickly steeled himself. "I have to go now. I'll come back to see you. Next time, I'll get you a coffin made of Golden Rattan Wood."
His voice trailed off.
Xu Qing faced the morning sun. The sunlight cascaded down, stretching his shadow long behind him and casting a faint golden sheen on his hair.
Xu Qing descended the mountain.
The li-long journey wasn't far, and he soon arrived at the gates of Qingbei Town. About twenty to thirty yards from the entrance, Miss Jiang the Elder of the Jiang Family, Jiang Feiying, was distributing congee.
"Miss Jiang the Elder is such a good person!"
"She really is!"
"She's been distributing congee here for three days. I can't imagine how many refugees and beggars have survived because of her kindness."
...
Xu Qing overheard the crowd's discussion and looked up. He did indeed see a beautiful and graceful young lady wiping sweat from her face as she ladled out congee for the beggars.
For all of his sixteen years, Xu Qing had followed his grandfather, Nine Fingers, living a transient life. They wandered from place to place, rarely staying in one spot for more than a year.
Born mentally handicapped, he had been cruelly abandoned by his parents. Fortunately, his grandfather, Nine Fingers, found him and raised him. It wasn't until his grandfather passed away from illness yesterday that Xu Qing suddenly awakened his past-life memories.
「In his previous life.」
Xu Qing had been a self-made billionaire on Earth, but his later years were plagued by a painful illness. He passed away in a hospital bed, lamenting how short a mortal life was—a hundred years at best, and then it was over.
He never expected to be reincarnated into this world with his memories intact.
Just as Xu Qing awakened his past-life memories, a special silver codex appeared in his mind. It looked like a silver token, with the two words 'All Things' carved on the front and the single word 'Encyclopedia' on the back.
Its name: the Encyclopedia of All Things.
It could absorb all things in the world to upgrade and strengthen them.
As for how to operate it, Xu Qing wasn't yet sure.
He had tried to study it, but it hadn't responded. 'Maybe the time isn't right?'
「At this moment.」
Xu Qing had already reached the gates of Qingbei Town and was waiting in line to enter the city.
「Three months ago.」
Xu Qing had followed his grandfather, Nine Fingers, to Qingbei Town. They took up residence in the dilapidated and abandoned Mountain God Temple, and over time, he had come to learn a bit about the town.
The Jiang Family.
They were one of the Three Great Families of Qingbei Town. They mainly controlled the town's leather and textile trade, having started as simple cloth merchants and gradually built their way up to their current position.
The other two great families were the He Family and the Nangong Family.
The He Family primarily managed the rice and meat business in Qingbei Town, while the Nangong Family had an even more significant background. They seemed to have connections with the Government Office and were the town's sole salt merchants.
You could say the Three Great Families were the three pillars supporting Qingbei Town.
And finally, there was the Town Mayor and the Government Office.
All the other powers, large and small, survived by clinging to these pillars.
"Halt."
At the city gate, it was finally Xu Qing's turn.
According to the rules, bandits and rebels were forbidden from entering. Beggars and refugees had to pay an entrance fee and were not allowed to remain in the city after dark unless they had lodging.
"A beggar, are you? Pay up."
The guard sized up the ragged, disheveled, and foul-smelling Xu Qing, then gestured to a wooden box nearby. "Three copper coins for a beggar to enter the city."
"Alright."
Xu Qing nodded. He took three copper coins from his robes and placed them in the wooden box. Only then did the guard hand Xu Qing a Wooden Token.
"This is your entrance token. Hold on to it and don't lose it. It will be checked when you leave the city. If it's gone, you'll have to pay another three copper coins."
The guard reminded him, a rare bit of kindness.
"Thank you, sir."
Xu Qing kept his head down.
"Go on in."
The guard waved his hand.
...
Head still bowed, Xu Qing entered the city.
"Next."
The guard's voice called out from behind him.
「Inside the city.」
The city was mainly divided into the Outer City and the Inner City.
The Inner City was primarily home to high officials, wealthy merchants, and Martial Artists. After entering, Xu Qing could only move about in the Outer City; he had no right to enter the Inner City.
The Outer City, naturally, was where ordinary merchants, various gangs, Martial Arts Halls, and the majority of common folk lived.
This time, Xu Qing's purpose for entering the city was simple.
First,
Xu Qing wanted to make money.
Second,
Xu Qing wanted to join a Martial Arts Hall.
In these chaotic times, if you wanted to live well, to rise above others, to be respected—in this world, the only path for a common person was to 'practice martial arts'.
As long as you mastered martial arts, you had a chance to become one of the elite.
As for 'studying'?
That was even harder than practicing martial arts. Studying was a privilege reserved for the rich and powerful. For ordinary people in these chaotic times, education was an unimaginable luxury.
'There are quite a few Martial Arts Halls in the Outer City, but only three are well-known: Yinghong Martial Arts Hall, Broken Stone Martial Arts Hall, and Cangying Martial Arts Hall.'
'Yinghong Martial Arts Hall generally only accepts female students, and the martial arts they teach are more suited for women. Broken Stone Martial Arts Hall has certain requirements for background and talent.'
'Only Cangying Martial Arts Hall is different. They don't ask about your background or origins. As long as you pay, you can enter and learn martial arts there.'
'It's just the price...'
Lost in thought, Xu Qing arrived at the entrance of Cangying Martial Arts Hall.
"Where did this beggar come from? How dare you come begging at our Cangying Martial Arts Hall."
At the entrance, two burly young men stood ramrod straight, exuding a fierce aura. Upon seeing Xu Qing, they immediately scowled, looking as if they were about to strike.
CREAK!
Just then, the main gate of Cangying Martial Arts Hall was pushed open, and a young man with a square-shaped face walked out. He moved with the gait of a dragon and the stride of a tiger, his bearing truly extraordinary.
"First Senior Brother."
"Greetings, First Senior Brother."
The two burly young men immediately smoothed their expressions and bowed respectfully to the square-faced young man, their tone deferential.
"Mm."
The square-faced young man merely gave a slight nod, his gaze involuntarily falling upon Xu Qing.
"Where did this beggar come from?" the square-faced First Senior Brother asked unhurriedly.
"Ah! First Senior Brother! I'll chase him away right now!"
One of the burly young men jolted.
"No need."
But the square-faced First Senior Brother raised a hand to stop the burly young man, instead sizing Xu Qing up with interest. "What are you doing here at our Cangying Martial Arts Hall?"
"I want to join Cangying Martial Arts Hall," Xu Qing said. "How much silver does it cost?"
"Hahaha..."
Unable to help himself, the other burly young man burst out laughing, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's hilarious! A beggar like you actually dares to say you want to join our Cangying Martial Arts Hall."
"Pfft..."
The other burly young man couldn't hold back his laughter either.
"Shut up."
The square-faced First Senior Brother snorted coldly. "While Cangying Martial Arts Hall doesn't have any strict requirements—even if you're missing an arm or a leg—as long as you can afford the tuition, you can join."
"However,"
"our Cangying Martial Arts Hall charges ten taels of silver a month. We don't guarantee you'll actually learn anything, either. What you ultimately achieve is up to you."
"So,"
"do you have ten taels of silver?"
"N... No..."
Xu Qing lowered his head.
...
The two burly young men were still trying to stifle their laughter.
A penniless little beggar fantasizing about joining Cangying Martial Arts Hall was utterly absurd. It was the biggest joke they had heard all year.
"You can't get into Cangying Martial Arts Hall without money."
The square-faced First Senior Brother smiled. "However, I can recommend a place for you. There, you might have a chance to earn ten taels of silver in a very short time."
"Where?" Xu Qing asked.
"The underground fighting pits."
The square-faced First Senior Brother said, "In this world, if you want to make money, you have to risk your life. And some people don't even get the chance to do that."
"So, are you going or not?" the square-faced First Senior Brother asked.
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Qing gave a solemn nod. "I'll go."
"Then follow me."
The square-faced First Senior Brother walked straight past Xu Qing, who quickly hurried to follow him.
"Wh..."
And so, only the two Cangying Martial Arts Hall students were left behind, staring at each other in bewilderment.
Along the way, the square-faced First Senior Brother spoke up. "You must be wondering why I'm helping you, right?"
"Respected sir, for you to help me is the honor of a lifetime," Xu Qing said, keeping his head low.
"Hahaha..."
The square-faced First Senior Brother laughed out loud. "You have an interesting way of speaking. Not like an ordinary little beggar at all."
...
Xu Qing remained silent.
"I wouldn't exactly say I'm helping you."
The square-faced First Senior Brother said, "You look a bit like my deceased younger brother. If he were still alive, he'd be about your age."
"I'm the one who runs that underground fighting pit. Something happened a while back that caused a lot of my fighters to die, so I'm in need of fresh blood."
"And your condition is... serviceable."
"So, do you understand?"
"Thank you for this opportunity, sir. To be noticed by you is my good fortune," Xu Qing said.
"Interesting."
The square-faced First Senior Brother laughed again. "Now I'm actually hoping you don't get beaten to death. By the way, my name is Huo Yi."
"Xu Qing pays his respects to Lord Huo Yi."
Xu Qing bowed again.
"I hope you'll get the chance to call me First Senior Brother," Huo Yi said.
"I will certainly not disappoint you," Xu Qing replied.