Starting from a peasant family, he mastered the profound art of martial arts.

Chapter 11 Entering the Industry

Clutching Li Xiangsheng's letter of recommendation, Meng Chen left the county government office.

Meng Chen didn't go directly to the martial arts school recommended by Li Xiangsheng, but planned to visit other schools first and ask around.

It wasn't that Meng Chen didn't trust Li Xiangsheng; he could tell that Li Xiangsheng was a kind and honest man. It was just that a man fears choosing the wrong profession, and since he had finally come all this way, he should at least take a closer look.

After finding out the location of the Zhengxin Boxing School where Yan Long had studied, Meng Chen hurried there.

This Zhengxin Boxing School was the lucky place where Yan Long made his fortune, but upon inquiry, it was discovered that the school had borrowed Yan Long's name and charged extremely high fees, amounting to fifteen taels a month.

Helpless, Meng Chen went to ask three other martial arts schools, but they all asked for ten taels of silver, and there was no room for negotiation.

After running his shoes almost to pieces, Meng Chen finally realized that these martial arts schools had already colluded, and the minimum price was ten taels!

I'm afraid even the martial arts school that Li Xiangsheng recommended would cost ten taels of silver!

Meng Chen was very poor. Old Chen gave him twenty taels of silver when he went out this time. As for the ten taels he had taken from Yan Bao, he didn't bring them with him at all, because he was afraid that if he was questioned, the money wouldn't match.

Therefore, he only carried twenty taels with him this time, which was only enough for two months' expenses!

Keep in mind that a family of five in the city would only spend six or seven taels of silver a year, or even less. And in the countryside, it was even worse; Meng Chen could wear out his hoe and still not earn ten taels of silver a year!

Meng Chendan knew that learning martial arts was expensive, but he didn't expect it to be this expensive—it was practically a money pit!

Since he was already here, Meng Chen was determined to try his luck. He had already visited four or five martial arts schools, so he might as well ask the Nine Absolutes Sect.

The Nine Absolutes Sect did not set up a martial arts school in Qingshui County. They looked down on the money and felt it was beneath them. However, the Nine Absolutes Sect did own a restaurant in the county town.

As evening approached, the restaurant was busiest. Meng Chen went up to ask, but the owner, seeing his shabby clothes and naive appearance, simply wouldn't let him in.

Meng Chen could only ask around, but he found out that if he wanted to learn martial arts at Jiujue Mountain, he didn't need to spend at least two hundred taels of silver to get started.

"I wonder if Yan Long was as confused and helpless as I was back then." Unconsciously, Meng Chen also mentioned Yan Long.

As darkness approached, Meng Chen ate the pancakes made from bluefish as he hurried westward into the city.

There are six martial arts schools in Qingshui County, mostly located in the west of the city, not far from each other.

When Meng Chen arrived at the entrance of the martial arts school run by Li Xiangsheng's uncle, he discovered that the so-called martial arts school was just a courtyard along the street, a family-run establishment.

A sign for the Du Family Martial Arts School stood in front of the gate, which was tightly closed, but shouts could be heard coming from inside.

Meng Chen stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a while, the door opened, revealing a young man in his early twenties.

This person was wearing loose training clothes, was not tall, and did not have a particularly handsome appearance, but he looked like a clever person.

Lacking any martial arts demeanor, he leaned against the door, glanced at Meng Chen, and asked with a smile, "A farmer's son? Where are you from?"

Meng Chen's attire made it quite ordinary for people to see through his origins, so he immediately said, "I am from Niujia Village, Daze Township."

"Dazexiang?" The man laughed even harder, then asked, "Do you know Yan Long of the Yan family?"

Meng Chen felt that everyone in Qingshui County knew Yan Long, and everyone talked about Yan Long, including himself!

"Our two villages are next to each other, and many of our children used to glean wheat with Yan Long when they were kids," Meng Chen answered honestly.

"I heard that Master Yan was so angry he couldn't breathe and was about to die?" the man said.

"No, it's just that I got caught in the rain, and in my grief, I developed a serious illness and couldn't get out of bed for a while," Meng Chen said.

The man chuckled, clearly gloating, and then asked, "You've come here to become my apprentice, haven't you?"

Without waiting for Meng Chen's reply, he said, "As the saying goes, the Way is not easily passed on. However, my father is kind-hearted and teaches without discrimination. Of course, learning martial arts requires money, so you brought some, right?"

"I brought it." Meng Chen quickly asked, "I'm sixteen this year. Isn't it too late to start learning martial arts at this age?"

The man laughed upon hearing this and said, "Young brother, martial arts is also a path. Let me ask you, is there a difference between early and late in seeking the path? Don't think that just because you're sixteen, you can't learn it even if you're seventy-six or eighty-six!"

At this point, the man changed the subject and said with a smile, "As long as you pay enough."

"As for whether you can learn it, that's another matter," Meng Chen replied helplessly.

"Exactly!" the man exclaimed, then added, "Young brother, you must remember, the master leads you through the door, but the cultivation is up to you. Let me be frank: if you spend your nights drinking and your nights frequenting brothels, don't blame anyone if you don't succeed. Of course, if you practice diligently and still fail, you can only blame your own lack of talent and destiny! Yan Long went through the same thing; learning martial arts is about accepting the consequences!"

The man spread his hands and said, "You can't expect my father to train you into a swordsman who can cleave the heavens with a single strike just by paying ten taels of silver a month, can you?"

It really was ten taels!

Meng Chen had already guessed it, but still feigned surprise, "What? Ten taels a month? I remember it used to be five or six taels?"

"That's all ancient history! After Yan Long came along, so many people went bankrupt learning martial arts, which drove up the prices, didn't it? It's just like when there was flooding a couple of years ago, grain prices skyrocketed, but the shady businesses in the south of the city could get you in for a meal!" The man chuckled, and seeing Meng Chen's pained expression, he added, "My martial arts school just opened, and our pills and baths are made with better ingredients than others. Besides, isn't it more affordable than going to Feiyun Tower?"

Feiyun Tower is the restaurant of the Nine Absolutes Sect; Meng Chen has already inquired about it.

"So, young man, would you like to come to my house, or would you like to go somewhere else?" the man asked with a smile.

"I was recommended by Brother Li; no one else even glanced at my letter of recommendation," Meng Chen said shamelessly, pulling out Li Xiangsheng's letter of recommendation.

The man took the letter, opened it, glanced at it, and then muttered, "What a convenient way to do favors!"

He looked at Meng Chen and said, "Since it's because of Brother Li's influence, I'll give you seven taels a month. Let's pay for two months first, how about that?"

"How could I disobey?" Seeing how much face Li Xiang Sheng had, Meng Chen immediately agreed.

"From now on, we're fellow disciples. Come in." The man pulled Meng Chen through the door.

"I haven't yet asked for your name, senior brother," Meng Chen asked.

"Du Ren. The 'Ren' in 'benevolence and righteousness'!" The man chuckled and continued, "My Du family acts with benevolence and righteousness. To be honest, running a martial arts school won't make you much money. We provide food and lodging here; we have three meals a day, all you can eat. There's meat at lunch, but not much. If you want to eat or stay out, that's fine with you."

This is a rule that all martial arts schools have, and Meng Chen has already inquired about it.

Du Ren kept talking, "We have a lot of people here, but not many rules. Let me be clear from the start: you can practice diligently or slack off, we'll teach you everything we're supposed to. Whether you learn it or not depends entirely on yourself."

The two entered the courtyard and saw two lanterns hanging inside. The courtyard was quite spacious. Although there were no weapon racks, there were many plum blossom stakes, wooden dummy stakes, stone locks, and stone rollers.

It was late, just in time for dinner.

Whether it was because Li Xiangsheng had too much influence or because Du Ren was simply a decent person, he didn't mention the tuition fee. Instead, he said it was dinnertime and took Meng Chen out for dinner first.

Dinner wasn't lavish; each disciple received three white flour steamed buns, while there was plenty of multigrain pancakes.

There were also vegetables and soup, though no meat was visible, there was a rich, oily taste. The meal wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't bad either; it was better than what most people would eat, and there was plenty to go around.

Meng Chen ate and drank heartily, while Du Ren seemed to have little appetite, casually munching on a steamed bun. Suddenly, he asked, "Junior Brother, how did you meet Brother Li?"

This was a preliminary investigation, and Meng Chen didn't hide anything, saying it was related to Old Chen.

When Du Ren heard that Meng Chen and Li Xiang Sheng had no relation, he didn't change his expression. Instead, he smiled and said, "Brother Li is kind and benevolent, a filial son, and he respects virtuous elders the most."