CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: MUTUAL INVOLVEMENT

Late in the afternoon, as the sun was about to set, a golden hue shrouded the shops of Baojiao County. In the dining hall of Medicine King Hall, there were tables, and some people were eating at them, but many workers were accustomed to squatting on the ground to eat.

"Even in long robes, they can’t change the habit of squatting to eat; this bunch really shouldn’t even dream of becoming apprentices," said Nian Jiao, an apprentice eating at a table, glancing disdainfully at Chen Ku, Zhang Erniu, and other workers squatting nearby, watching them eat messily without concealing his contempt.

"Brother Nian, why bother with those country bumpkins? Better to think about this year’s martial exam. Once we pass, even within the hall, we’ll be treated just like the masters," said Peng Hanbing, sitting next to Nian Jiao.

They all came from prominent families in the county and were accustomed to eating etiquette and cleanliness from a young age. It wasn’t personal bias; it was just scorn within their social circle.

Chen Ku didn’t feel targeted by their disdain and therefore didn’t notice. He simply squatted on the ground, holding a big bowl of stew, and quickly finished it with two buns in no time. Soon after, he went for another bowl and watched as the old man serving dishes trembled noticeably, dropping several slices of meat before serving him a bowl.

Now possessing a strength of six hundred jin without activating the Skinny Dog Transformation, he needed to eat two bowls of such stew and four buns a day if he hadn’t exerted any force.

Recalling the server’s trembling hands earlier, he couldn’t help but grumble while squatting, The other day, Nong Baosen said my Ghost-Faced Lotus was overpriced and after joining, they’d compensate me. From what I see now, it seems I haven’t received anything. Has someone been skimming off the top, or did he simply forget?

After eating, Chen Ku had no particular tasks for the day, so he went around the city, secretly buying himself some supplements and scouting out mountains suitable for gathering herbs.

When he returned, he saw Zhang Erniu in the courtyard, practicing a set of fist stances. He watched for a while. This must be the Spirit Ape Great Strength Skill that will be taught in the courtyard tomorrow. Just by postures alone, I couldn’t learn much; I have to see tomorrow’s demonstration.

With that, Chen Ku went inside to sleep, not planning to show off the Ten-Section Brocade. Having joined Medicine King Hall, it was best to practice the martial arts of the hall. However, in the middle of the night, when he went outside to relieve himself, he saw Zhang Erniu and other workers from different rooms still practicing fist stances.

Their foreheads glistened with sweat, yet their eyes held a resolute look. As they moved through the stances, they seemed to be silently contending with some invisible foe. Chen Ku could understand their mindset. Coming from humble beginnings, they could only rely on quietly pushing themselves. After all, whether they could stay after a year entirely depended on their accomplishments. So, when others secretly practiced extra at night, it made it hard for anyone else to sleep peacefully. His face turning grim, he felt compelled to join in this mutual struggle.

In some ways, me secretly gathering herbs is me silently pushing myself too... I’m pushing with others now so that later, I can afford not to! Chen Ku silently vowed.

With that, Chen Ku had a good night’s sleep, not getting involved in this "nighttime martial training" struggle.

「Until the next morning.」

The master in charge of teaching martial arts arrived and introduced himself, making Chen Ku’s heart skip a beat.

"I am Huang Gun. Today it’s my turn to teach you. We are only going over some stances and stick techniques. Fight with me..."

The speaker, a man with a handsome face and a robust masculinity, wore an embroidered robe. Chen Ku recalled what Zhang Erniu said: the robe, like that of the apprentices and disciples, was ordinary, but this embroidered type was typically for masters, with just one robe costing seven or eight taels of silver, worth tens of thousands in his previous life.

But what surprised Chen Ku the most was... This man is Huang Ba’s distant relative, Huang Gun? What is his cultivation level?

Chen Ku watched as Huang Gun stepped forward, facing a group of workers in the courtyard, and said, "Spirit Ape Great Strength Skill, derived from our Medicine King Hall’s Five Beasts Great Strength Technique, is a superior martial art consisting of stances and combat techniques. ’Spirit Ape Stance’ for stances, and ’Spirit Ape Knocking Mountain Stick’ for combat, embodying both practice and fighting, a testament to superior martial arts. Now, as usual, we’ll start with the stances the previous masters taught, and then move on to stick training!"

With that, Huang Gun moved, and suddenly, a one-zhang-long iron stick appeared in his hand. Holding the end of the stick, he began to move around the courtyard, teaching as he walked.

"Lifting a stick is like lifting a cauldron; this way of holding it is the best for building strength, along with stance practice... Remember, keep your footing steady! Have you seen how a monkey grabs the ground with its toes? All ten toes gripping the earth, do you understand?! Keep training like this. I’ve demonstrated all eighteen stance skills. When you feel your ’bones rise and flesh falls,’ that’s when you achieve Thousand Jin Force! Next, I’ll demonstrate the Spirit Ape Knocking Mountain Stick technique! This stick technique comprises nine moves! But the essence of it, ’Spirit Ape Knocking the Mountain,’ is a Secret Fighting Technique under Force Transforming Martial Arts. For now, I can only demonstrate it. Only apprentices will be taught the intricacies. Just watch closely for now!"

Huang Gun, dressed in a robe, with a square face, finished speaking and struck diagonally with a stick in one hand!

BANG!

The iron stick whistled through the air and landed in midair, compressing the air beneath it into a ball before violently exploding! A burst of forceful wind swept around in all directions!

It was just a demonstration, yet he didn’t teach how to generate and transform force. It was meant to motivate the workers to cultivate diligently, striving to be promoted and to eventually learn this powerful move.

Chen Ku was shocked by the power of the stick. This stick can produce a piercing sound wave and visibly spin and explode the airflow! Is this what Force Power is? Force Transforming Martial Arts? Taught only to apprentices? With such speed, combined with strength, a strike from this stick would probably turn me into pulp! A severe threat loomed in his mind—if Huang Gun discovered that he possessed the letter about Huang’s embezzlement at Medicine King Hall... But at least, I’ve seen a glimpse of ’Force Transforming Martial Arts.’ Becoming an apprentice will allow me to learn it.

After Huang Gun was done training, he looked at everyone and said, "Now practice on your own for half an hour. After that, it’s time for work as soon as dawn breaks."

He walked away with his hands behind his back.

Like the others, Chen Ku picked up a four-meter-long white pole and began trying the Spirit Ape Stance and ’Lifting the Big Pole’...

Half an hour later, a realization struck him. The stance techniques in the Spirit Ape Great Strength Skill are more intricate than the Ten-Section Brocade. The same six hundred jin of strength trained here at Medicine King Hall develops more muscles.

Although Huang Gun had left the courtyard, he could clearly observe from a distance the stick technique and posture of dozens of people. It was evident who trained well and who had good Root Bone structure. He inevitably focused more attention on Chen Ku. He has trained in martial arts...

Half an hour later, Chen Ku was assigned his tasks for the day, which were merely to sun-dry medicinal herbs, clean, and fetch tea and water. There was no specific job; he just did what was assigned.

After a busy day, the other two men in his room also returned. That evening, with the stars and the moon high in the sky, Chen Ku watched as Zhang Erniu continued to practice extra at night, while Che Ping didn’t participate at all. But Chen Ku joined in because, during the night, he benefited from the enhancement of the Moon-Eating Dog bloodline.

Two or three days passed like this.

Chen Ku, just by helping with the daily drying and processing of medicinal herbs, had already become familiar with the scents of several hundred different herbs. He had also processed several Treasure Herbs. With this information, combined with his understanding of which mountain in the county was suitable for nighttime herb gathering—specifically the Medicine Mountain behind the Firewood Iron Shop, which had business dealings with Medicine King Hall, located in the southern outskirts of Baojiao County, about twenty li away. However, the cost of entering this mountain to gather herbs was exceedingly high. A common person looking to enter would need to pay Eight Hundred Wen.

But for me, this is a business venture that’s bound not to lose money. So, while others at Medicine King Hall practiced extra in the evenings, he also began his own unique, unconventional method of pushing himself.

Could a hundred days of extra practice at night compare to the rapid progress brought by a single Treasure Herb?