"The four great gates of martial arts..." Wu Liangchen whispered these words, a strange light gradually appearing in his eyes.
Seeing Wu Liangchen's expression, Liu Dongchuan first tilted his head back and drained the wine in his cup before asking.
"Xiaowu, looks like you want to practice martial arts, too?"
"Yes."
Wu Liangchen didn't hide it, nodding directly.
Liu Dongchuan couldn't help but let out a long sigh. "It's not strange that you have the heart for it. In fact, what man—especially a young lad your age—doesn't dream of practicing martial arts? But it's hard!"
"Let's not even talk about talent. Just the first step of joining a martial arts school is enough to stump ninety percent of people."
"Is it because of money?" Wu Liangchen asked.
"Money is only one part of it. More importantly, ordinary martial arts schools rarely accept outside students. Unless you're exceptionally talented, you'll need an influential figure to vouch for you just to get in. And even then, the spots are very limited."
"Just think, every one of those figures has a mountain of relatives and friends. How would it ever be an outsider's turn?"
After hearing Liu Dongchuan's words, Wu Liangchen fell into deep thought.
He really hadn't considered this before. He had assumed that all he needed to join a martial arts school was to pay enough tuition. Only now did he realize he had been too naive.
It wasn't surprising, really. In this world, the status of a Martial Artist was extremely high. Forget about high-level Martial Artists of the Third or Fourth Realm; even a newly accomplished one could guarantee their family a life free from worries about food and clothing.
This naturally led to white-hot competition.
Imagine the hordes of people taking civil service exams in his previous life, then multiply that by ten or even a hundred times. That's how rare the opportunity to practice martial arts was.
At the same time, Wu Liangchen once again realized just how heaven-defying his golden finger was.
Putting everything else aside, the Ten Thousand Laws Tripod's ability to deduce any Cultivation Technique was enough for Wu Liangchen to bypass this hyper-competitive rat race entirely.
Wu Liangchen's silence must have caused a misunderstanding, as Liu Dongchuan reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Xiaowu, don't be discouraged. You're still young, and being young means infinite possibilities. Maybe you'll find an opportunity to soar to success one day."
"I understand, Brother Liu!"
"Drink up, drink up!"
The drinking session continued late into the night. An entire jar of wine was finished. By the end, Liu Dongchuan was slurring his words, but Wu Liangchen barely felt a thing, feeling only slightly tipsy at most.
After Wu Mengchan helped her sister-in-law clear the table, the siblings said their goodbyes and left.
Back home, Wu Liangchen washed his face and told Wu Mengchan to hurry to bed. He then left the house and went to the city wall behind it to practice the Five Animals Fist again.
After finishing a set of the Five Animals Fist, Wu Liangchen was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and the last traces of tipsiness vanished completely.
[Five Animals Fist Proficiency +2]
Seeing this notification, Wu Liangchen wiped away his sweat in satisfaction. His Five Animals Fist proficiency was now at ninety percent. In another two days, he would break through to the "Skilled" level.
Although the Five Animals Fist wasn't a proper martial Cultivation Technique, and could at best be considered a life-nourishing exercise, after practicing it for some time, Wu Liangchen discovered it had all sorts of wonderful uses.
If nothing else, the changes in his own body were delightful enough.
And after the breakthrough, his physical fitness would surely rise to another level.
As he pondered, Wu Liangchen took out the clay-oven flatbread he had prepared beforehand and began to gnaw on it.
This had already become a habit for him. Every time he came out to practice the Five Animals Fist, he had to bring something to eat. Otherwise, he would be too hungry to even sleep.
A bowl of Old Man Bai's wontons would have been perfect right about now. But alas, Wu Liangchen didn't want to waste time on pointless emotional entanglements, nor did he want to lead the girl on. So, ever since his sister told him that Erya had been looking for her, he hadn't gone back to the wonton stall.
Climbing down from the city wall, Wu Liangchen was strolling slowly home when he suddenly saw a figure lingering in front of his house.
Wu Liangchen instantly became alert.
It was almost midnight, a time when any normal person would already be asleep. This figure was probably up to no good.
Wu Liangchen crouched down, picked up a rock from the ground, and crept over soundlessly.
But when he got closer and saw the figure clearly, he was startled and blurted out, "Erya?"
That's right.
The figure loitering in front of his door was indeed Bai Erya. Her face was a mixture of anxiety and hesitation, and it was unclear who or what she was waiting for.
When she heard Wu Liangchen's voice, she looked up in disbelief. Upon seeing that it was really him, her large eyes instantly filled with pleasant surprise. She took two quick steps forward, then abruptly stopped and called out timidly.
"Brother Xiaowu!"
"How did you find this place?" Wu Liangchen asked.
"Hehe, I've been here once before, so I knew where you live. I was just worried you were already asleep, so I waited outside," Bai Erya said with a smile.
"Er... okay. Is there something you need?" Wu Liangchen asked in a low voice.
He was afraid that if he spoke too loudly, he would wake the neighbors. If people saw him with Bai Erya in the middle of the night, it could easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
In these times, a woman's reputation was more important than her life, especially for a young, unmarried woman like Erya. One had to be careful.
"It's nothing, really. I just saw that you hadn't come for wontons in a few days and was worried you might be sick, Brother Xiaowu. So I came to check on you," Bai Erya explained naturally.
Wu Liangchen was at a loss for words, then chuckled. "I'm fine. I've just been busy the last couple of days, so I haven't been able to go."
"As long as you're okay. Here, these are the steamed lamb buns I made tonight. I didn't finish them all, so I brought a few for you. Have a taste."
As she spoke, Bai Erya offered him a small bundle, but Wu Liangchen didn't take it.
"This..."
"What 'this'? You're a grown man, why are you being more bashful than a girl like me? Hurry up and take it. I have to go back and help my dad make wontons."
Without another word, Bai Erya shoved the bundle into Wu Liangchen's arms, and then the girl cheerfully departed.
Watching her skipping figure quickly disappear into the darkness, Wu Liangchen sighed softly.
The buns in the bundle were still warm, a clear sign that the girl had been holding them close to her chest.
It made Wu Liangchen feel a heavy weight. 'This must be what they mean when they say a beauty's kindness is the hardest to repay,' he thought.
Wu Liangchen returned home, washed up hastily, and went to sleep.
The next day, Wu Liangchen ate three of the lamb buns for breakfast, leaving the rest for his sister, then set off for the Five Blessings Hall cart rental.
But when he arrived, before he even got in line, Wu Liangchen noticed that Brother Yuan Er, who was usually the first one here, hadn't shown up today.
This was extremely strange. After all, given Brother Yuan Er's personality, he would never be late unless there was an urgent matter.
'Is he sick?'
At that thought, Wu Liangchen's heart sank. He forgot all about renting a cart and left the Five Blessings Hall, heading straight for Brother Yuan Er's house.