"The Government Office is short-staffed right now and recruiting everywhere. They've even formed a night Patrol Team and need people skilled in martial arts to join. As long as you've trained and have some real strength, you can get paid one tael of silver a day."
Yu Chen said, "If you're a Ming Jin master, you can get ten taels of silver a day."
"What about An Jin?"
Xu Qing asked.
"An Jin?"
Yu Chen shot Xu Qing a look and said, "An Jin masters aren't that easy to hire. If there really was an An Jin master, they'd definitely get several dozen taels of silver a day."
"Mm."
Xu Qing nodded slightly.
"But you have to register with your real name,"
Yu Chen added.
"Anything else?"
Xu Qing asked.
"That's it."
Yu Chen shrugged. "The other jobs are basically with families, merchant guilds, or gangs. They're all hiring guards, but they only pay ten taels of silver a month. With your appetite, I'm afraid you'd look down on that."
"I understand."
Xu Qing nodded. After a moment of thought, he said, "In that case, Yu Chen, I'll have to ask you for another favor."
"What favor?"
Yu Chen asked.
"Find me a mask."
Xu Qing said. "I'm going to fight Fan Yanbin tomorrow."
"What?"
Yu Chen's eyes went wide with disbelief, his voice filled with astonishment. "You... You're going to fight Fan Yanbin? Hiss... Fan Yanbin is a true master who has perfected Ming Jin. Are you going there tomorrow to get yourself killed?!"
"You don't need to worry about that."
Xu Qing waved his hand dismissively. "You'll see tomorrow. Also, I need you to keep this a secret. Don't even let Senior Brother Huo Yi know."
"Alright."
Yu Chen's eyes flickered. 'A possibility crossed his mind: Xu Qing had joined the Cangying Martial Arts Hall five days ago and had already mastered their Training Technique. He must have achieved Ming Jin and become a Ming Jin master.'
'That must be why Xu Qing dares to fight Fan Yanbin tomorrow.'
'At this thought,'
Yu Chen's breathing grew rapid.
'If that's really the case,'
'for Xu Qing to master a Training Technique in about six days, consolidate his Ming Jin, and become a Ming Jin master... he must be a true Martial Arts prodigy.'
Involuntarily,
Yu Chen clutched the IOU he was carrying.
'If Xu Qing is really a true Martial Arts prodigy, then this IOU in my hand is worth far more than just one hundred taels of silver.'
'This is a favor from a true Martial Arts prodigy.'
'As the saying goes,'
'a debt is easily repaid, but a favor is not.'
'Of course,'
'this all hinges on Xu Qing being a man of honor and loyalty.'
"Alright."
Yu Chen nodded solemnly. "Xu Qing, don't worry, I'll keep it a secret. And I'll get you the mask you want."
Although he hadn't known Xu Qing for long, Yu Chen trusted his own judgment of character. Xu Qing didn't seem like a heartless or disloyal person.
Time flew by.
「The next day.」
「In the morning.」
Yu Chen brought Xu Qing an Evil Ghost Mask with a ferocious expression. Xu Qing put the mask on, then donned a gray cloak to conceal his identity.
The underground fighting ring.
「On the fighting platform.」
At this moment,
Xu Qing stepped onto the platform once more, but his mindset had undergone a seismic shift. He took in the feeling of all eyes upon him, the bloody, brutal, and wild atmosphere of the entire underground ring.
Involuntarily,
Xu Qing felt a bit infected by it all, and a savage grin spread across his face.
"So you're my opponent today?"
Across from Xu Qing,
Fan Yanbin stood with his arms crossed. His expression was calm, but a hint of disdain colored his features. In a flat tone, he said, "I have no idea where that fatso Yu Chen found you. You don't even dare to show your real face, coming out here wearing a mask."
"Heh."
Fan Yanbin sneered. "Is it because you're too ugly to show your face? If so, you're truly pathetic."
There was a time...
...when Xu Qing had no power to choose or refuse in the underground fighting ring. Faced with their arrangements, he could only obey.
He couldn't refuse, wasn't allowed to refuse; his only option was to submit.
For the sake of the underground ring's reputation, Fan Yanbin had been ready to send Xu Qing to his death. If Xu Qing hadn't mastered Baji Fist and grasped Ming Jin, he would have likely been beaten to death by Pang De.
Therefore,
Xu Qing didn't have a very good impression of Fan Yanbin.
In fact, he found him somewhat repulsive.
"Is talking all you're good for?"
Xu Qing lowered his voice, making it sound rough and weathered.
CLANG!!!
The bell for the match rang out.
All around,
the crowd erupted into cheers and shouts, waving their betting slips in the air. Their eyes were bloodshot, crazed, bloodthirsty, and wild...
It was exactly the same as before.
"I'll show you just how hard my fists are."
BOOM!
The moment the words left his mouth,
Fan Yanbin let out a short cry and took the initiative, lunging toward Xu Qing. He executed his fighting style, rapidly closing the distance.
"You're too slow."
Xu Qing shook his head. To his eyes, Fan Yanbin's movements seemed to be slowed down several times over, allowing him to effortlessly dodge the attack.
Clearly,
Xu Qing was no longer the man he used to be. He was no longer that scrawny little beggar, but a true master of An Jin.
"!!!"
Fan Yanbin's pupils contracted. "You..."
The next moment,
his vision blurred.
Xu Qing had already raised his hand, and as it swiftly fell, Fan Yanbin couldn't even see it clearly. He only perceived a Black Shadow flashing before his eyes.
"AHH!!"
A blood-curdling scream rang out.
Fan Yanbin spat out a mouthful of blood, staggering backward. With each step he took, he left a deep crater in the ground, spiderweb cracks spreading out from the impact.
He was just an inch away...
...from falling off the platform.
"Cough, cough..."
After steadying himself,
Fan Yanbin coughed up several more mouthfuls of blood.
One could see that
there was a faint Palm Seal on Fan Yanbin's chest. His clothes were intact, as was his skin, but his internal organs had been injured by a surge of Power.
This was the terrifying aspect of An Jin.
It penetrated external defenses, sending Power deep into the body to injure the internal organs. This was why Mingjin Martial Artists typically couldn't even withstand a single blow from Anjing Martial Artists.
This time,
the entire arena fell silent once again.
You could hear a pin drop.
"Sen... Senior... This junior admits defeat! I admit defeat..."
Fan Yanbin dropped to his knees.
In that brief exchange,
if Xu Qing had intended to kill him, Fan Yanbin's heart would have ruptured, killing him instantly. As it was, only his internal organs were injured; he would recover after a period of rest.
Therefore,
Xu Qing had held back.
"Huu..."
Xu Qing slowly exhaled, his emotions calming. A sense of fulfilling clarity washed over him. Looking at the kneeling Fan Yanbin, he felt quite good.
Afterward,
Xu Qing left the underground fighting platform.
Behind him,
the crowd in the underground fighting ring's stands erupted into an uproar once more.
Evidently,
the result left them shocked, stunned, and utterly incredulous. They could never have imagined that Fan Yanbin, one of the three managers of the underground fighting ring, would lose to a mysterious newcomer wearing an Evil Ghost Mask.
With this match over,
it was highly unlikely that Xu Qing would ever return to the underground fighting ring, or fight there again.
「That evening.」
「In Yu Chen's room.」
"Xu... Xu Qing..."
Yu Chen's voice was tense. He had personally witnessed Xu Qing subdue Fan Yanbin with a single palm strike, and he was still so shocked he hadn't fully recovered.
In fact,
'Yu Chen was already wondering, 'Is Xu Qing really just a Mingjin Martial Artist?'
However,
Yu Chen didn't dare to dwell on it.
Because,
some things were better left unknown.
"Here is your payment."
Yu Chen handed a money pouch full of silver to Xu Qing.
"No need to be so formal."
Xu Qing shook his head. He took the pouch from Yu Chen, opened it, and glanced inside. To his surprise, it contained a full one hundred and twenty-eight taels.
"So much."
Xu Qing was still a little surprised.
"From the betting on this fight, our underground ring made over three thousand taels of silver. After deducting all the expenses and the initial capital, we had a net profit of two thousand in silver."
Yu Chen said, "Your cut is one hundred and twenty-eight taels, that's the calculated amount. To be honest, the real lion's share goes to Lord Huo Yi. Of the two thousand taels of silver, Lord Huo Yi takes more than half."
"Tsk, tsk."
Xu Qing clicked his tongue. "Sounds like Senior Brother Huo Yi is loaded!"
"Of course."
Yu Chen nodded. "Lord Huo Yi is the Senior Brother of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. But his daily training expenses are also enormous."
"Actually,"
"there are many businesses under the Cangying Martial Arts Hall's banner. They can only operate in the Outer City because they have the Martial Arts Hall's support and protection."
"All these businesses have to pay protection fees to the Cangying Martial Arts Hall."
"I see."
Xu Qing nodded.
"Oh, right."
Xu Qing said, "About the Government Office's recruitment, I plan to sign up. One tael of silver a day is still money. Even though I just made one hundred and twenty-eight taels, I can't just sit around and burn through my savings."
"You can."
Yu Chen nodded. "I know a constable. I can put you in touch."
"Then let's arrange to meet tomorrow at noon,"
Xu Qing said.
"Mm."
Yu Chen nodded again. "Let's meet at Kaiyuan Tower. It'll be my treat."
"Alright."
Xu Qing cupped his hands. "Thanks a lot."
"You're saying this to me now?"
Yu Chen pursed his lips.
"Hahaha..."
Xu Qing laughed heartily.
"If you really want to thank me, my son is almost an adult. If you've truly mastered Baji Fist, you could teach him a thing or two when you have time."
Yu Chen said, "Of course, I'll pay you a tuition fee."
"You have a son?"
Xu Qing said in surprise.
"Is that so strange?"
Yu Chen shot back.
"Sure."
Xu Qing shrugged. "As for the tuition, I won't be waiving it. I'm short on cash right now. I'm even risking joining the Patrol Team just to make money."
"I won't short you a single coin."
Yu Chen felt like Xu Qing was even more of a money-grubbing merchant than he was. "And you still owe me a hundred taels."