Human Martial Saint: Starting with Bajiquan

Chapter 116 Destiny

Logically speaking, the family is already this poor.

Guo Yi should also put his mind to something.

I'll find some other work first and save up some money.

With Lei Ming, this troublemaker, around, Guo Yi dared not drag things out.

Not to mention, when the agonizing pain subsided, Guo Yi felt a surge of coolness rising in his head, a refreshing sensation that was quite pleasant.

Immediately afterwards, two lines of text appeared before Guo Yi's eyes, lines that only he could see—

[Destiny: Heaven rewards diligence; one certificate serves as eternal proof]

[Mastery of martial arts: None]

That's more like it!

"Heaven rewards diligence, and this proof is eternal. With such a destiny, I might even become a martial arts genius... Now all I lack is a specific technique!"

If learning martial arts is the only chance for the poor to turn their lives around, but the threshold is too high, then this destiny of "heaven rewards diligence" undoubtedly lowers the threshold significantly.

This is really interesting!

When I first woke up, seeing how poor the original owner of this body was, I thought that even though I had done good deeds in my past life, I wouldn't be rewarded in this one. Now, everything that was supposed to happen has finally happened, and I feel like my luck has turned around.

"Enough said. For the sake of being hung up, I have to go out and find an opportunity to learn martial arts!"

Guo Yi understood, but he couldn't share this secret with his sister.

He was covered in a cold sweat, wearing a patched coat, and staggered out of the house.

The older sister didn't come along. She blushed every few words she exchanged with Tom Cruise, not wanting her younger brother to see her embarrassing situation.

The alley was narrow and cramped, full of potholes and overflowing with sewage. Even though it was only a few dozen meters, it took Guo Yi, who was physically weak, quite a while to walk.

When he arrived at Tom Cruise's house, he knocked on the door of the neighboring house.

A short while later, the courtyard gate opened.

A girl of about twelve or thirteen years old with braided pigtails peeked out and smiled happily when she saw that it was Guo Yi.

"Brother! Brother Yi is here!"

Guo Yi was invited into the courtyard. Although it wasn't his first time there, he still habitually looked around the small courtyard.

Tom Cruise and his sister are named Tang Fan and Tang Cai, respectively. The neighbors call them Tom Cruise and Little Cai Little Sister.

Because Tang Fan was a martial artist at the first level of Qi and Blood, and a minor leader of the neighboring Golden Sand Gang, he had status and could earn money, which is why he had a precious little courtyard in the slums.

Guo Yi's family was poor, and the siblings could only live in a dilapidated shack about ten feet square. They ate, drank, and relieved themselves there, and when it was inconvenient, they could only pull up a tattered cloth curtain.

Looking at Tom Cruise's little yard now, although it's not big, the rammed earth walls that make up the yard can block out the stench from outside. There are two small stools in the yard where you can sit and bask in the sun.

When it was a child, its predecessor often sneaked over here to play.

Now that Guo Yi has awakened his memories of his past life, he understands even more the preciousness of good days, and looking at this small courtyard, he feels even more envious.

On the other side, upon hearing his sister's call, Tom Cruise strode out of the hall. He was lean and fit, wearing a gray cotton jacket that revealed his muscular arms.

"Ah Yi's here, please sit down... Are you still feeling unwell? Or do you not have enough money to see a doctor?"

Seeing that Guo Yi's complexion was still not good, Tom Cruise asked him with concern.

On the other side, Xiao Cai also went into the kitchen, took out a multigrain pancake, and stuffed it into Guo Yi's hand, afraid that he would go hungry.

This made Guo Yi's eyes well up with tears.

Since their parents passed away, their only remaining relatives, their seemingly harmonious uncle's family, not only failed to help the siblings who had fallen into poverty, but also tried to seize their only remaining shack.

In stark contrast, Tom and his sister, who were just neighbors, helped the Guo siblings quite a bit.

Guo Yi had just heard from his older sister that during the time he was injured and unconscious, Brother Tang and his sister visited him frequently, helped him find a doctor, and brought him food.

Time reveals true character, and adversity reveals true friendship.

"Thank you so much, Tom. I'm all better now and don't need to see a doctor anymore. I came today to ask about martial arts."

Guo Yi quickly explained to Brother Tang that he was facing Lei Ming's threat and had lost his previous job, and now he planned to learn martial arts.

Upon hearing this, Tom Cruise frowned deeply:

"Learning martial arts is good, but it's very expensive. I know your family's situation; you probably don't have enough money, right?"

Guo Yi could only shake his head.

"Why don't you join the Sands Gang? I'll protect you, you'll never have to worry about food or drink, and you can even earn a little extra money now and then—enough to support your sister!"

Upon hearing Tom Cruise mention his sister, Guo Yi seemed thoughtful and shook his head.

He and Xiao Cai were childhood sweethearts, and so was Tom Cruise and his older sister.

Tom Cruise, being from a poor family, found a good older brother in a gang, learned martial arts from him, and became a martial artist at the first level of Qi and Blood, thus achieving his current success.

Guo Yi's older sister, Guo Xing, was timid and always felt that Brother Tang was living a very unstable life in the gang, constantly risking his life.

Therefore, although she and Tom Cruise were deeply in love, she kept advising him to save up enough money to leave the gang and get out of there as soon as possible. Even if they were poor, they could still live a stable life.

This idea of ​​"elder sister" is common in this era, so it cannot be said that she is short-sighted; it is simply the most basic expectation of a poor woman.

Guo Yi, who had awakened his innate wisdom, did not think so.

People are living like animals, not even human beings anymore. What's the point of living a peaceful life like pigs and dogs?

Tom Cruise is doing the right thing by working so hard!

But Guo Yi also knew that gangs were not a good place. He didn't want to go in and do things that oppressed the people, and he didn't want his sister to live in fear.

So Guo Yi used his elder sister as a shield:

"Tom, you know, my sister's situation... so is there any other way?"

Tang Fan naturally knew Guo Xing's thoughts. After hearing Guo Yi's words, he thought about it and realized that his own martial arts training to break through to the second level of Qi and Blood also consumed a lot of money, so he couldn't lend Guo Yi too much.

After much thought, he came up with another explanation.

"There is a free way. Recently, the Bajiquan Academy in the county opened a branch school on Fifth Street to select promising talents from poor families. I heard that those with above-average aptitude and good comprehension can have their tuition waived and even receive lunch. However..."

Tom Cruise's expression turned somewhat serious:

"We need to sign a life-or-death contract with Bajiguan!"

Within three months, disciples who can reach the first level of Qi and Blood in the lower courtyard can be promoted to the middle courtyard in the south of the city, register as martial artists, and have access to better techniques and resources.

However, if one fails to reach the first level of Qi and Blood cultivation within three months, one will be converted to slavery and placed under the command of the Eight Extremes Hall for life, with one's life and death entirely in the hands of others!

Guo Yi felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

Becoming a slave, with one's life and death out of one's own hands, sounds terrifying.

But now that Lei Ming has his eye on you, and your family is so poor, isn't that terrifying?

Although we don't know the origin of Bajiguan or what it needs so many slaves for, it certainly doesn't support idle people; it must make the best use of everything.

Wait, no, why are people thinking the worst? I'm someone destined to be rewarded for my hard work.

Pay attention, don't lose points!

So Guo Yi asked Tom Cruise a bold question:

"Is it difficult to reach the first level of Qi and Blood cultivation in three months? Or how difficult is martial arts in general?"

Upon hearing this, Tom Cruise's initially serious expression turned into a laugh of exasperation.

"I took a sworn brotherhood in a gang and was regularly given meat to nourish myself. Even so, it took me a year to cultivate my Qi and Blood. Now three years have passed, and I still haven't reached the second level of Qi and Blood... Do you think it's difficult or not?"

"Understood, thank you, Tom! I'll head back now."

Tom Cruise is inspiring, but he didn't die. I, on the other hand, am not. I shouldn't overestimate the difficulties. I should just go for it.

Thinking of this, Guo Yi felt he should act immediately. Although it was a way of selling himself, his experience of finding an internship during summer vacation in his previous life told him that he should not be late, otherwise he might not even have the opportunity to sell himself.

He said goodbye to Tom and his sister, touching the multigrain biscuit in his hand, intending to break half of it and share it with his sister when he got back.

But after thinking about it, Guo Yi did not do that.

"I should go to the lower courtyard of Bajiguan first to see if I can get in. If I can, I can come back and tell my sister the good news."

If that doesn't work, we'll look for other opportunities.

Now that Guo Yi has at least twenty years of experience, he knows that people should be more mature and give more definite good news to relatives like his older sister, and less uncertain bad news.

Otherwise, if you tell your family members many things, they can only worry helplessly and won't be able to help, which is meaningless.

So Guo Yi leaned against the wall and slowly chewed the multigrain cake, bit by bit, and swallowed it.

He ate very slowly.

It's as if they're afraid of choking, or as if they want to fully absorb all the nutrients from this multigrain pancake to build up their strength.

We're going to the Bajiquan aquarium soon.

Eat your fill first, so you're in good shape. Don't let the martial arts instructor think you're so weak you could be blown away by a gust of wind. That way, your chances of passing will be higher.

"It's a bit much to eat it all by yourself. When you've mastered martial arts and started earning money, you can make it up to your older sister later."

The fourteen-year-old boy thought to himself.

Step by step, I walked towards the Bajiguan (Eight Extremes Hall) in the direction of Fifth Street.