Hearing the voice outside the courtyard, Liu Cui Ling's heart skipped a beat. Before her mother-in-law could say a word, she rushed out to greet the visitor. "Is that a letter from Jing'Er?"
"That's right. Jing'Er asked me to bring it," Yang the Third said, handing her the letter. He added with a smile, "Sister-in-law, your Jing'Er has really made something of himself. The way he just stands there... he's nothing like us common folk. You can just tell he's someone impressive."
Yang the Third had no idea that Yang Jing had already broken through to the Bright Jin stage.
In fact, this simple village peddler didn't even have a clear idea of what the "entry-level stage" really meant.
But he could sense the change in Yang Jing. Just by standing there, Yang Jing exuded an intimidating presence that made even a well-traveled peddler like Yang the Third feel a knot of fear in his gut.
Hearing Yang the Third's praise for her son, the smile on Liu Cui Ling's face deepened. "Thank you for your trouble, Yang the Third," she said graciously.
With that, Liu Cui Ling eagerly tore open the envelope. Elder Yang and Madam Qin leaned in closer as well.
The letter was filled with characters Yang Jing had written stroke by careful stroke. Though his handwriting wasn't the neatest, it was clear he had written with immense care:
"Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother: I hope this letter finds you well. Your son has broken through to the Bright Jin stage at the Martial Arts Hall and has become a formal disciple of the Hall Master. I now hold a paid position, and my monthly stipend is enough to support myself. From now on, you must not send any more money from home.
"The Ning Family visited the other day. It must be because your son is now a Martial Artist, so they wouldn't dare..."
The three of them read the letter to the very end, word by word.
"Bright Jin? A formal disciple?" Elder Yang snatched the letter, holding it close to his face to get a better look. A light began to dawn in his cloudy eyes. "Jing'Er... Jing'Er, he really did it?"
Before Yang Jing began his training, they would have had no idea what "Bright Jin" even was.
But since he started, the entire family's knowledge of the martial world had grown by leaps and bounds.
Though they weren't practitioners themselves, they now knew a thing or two about Martial Dao realms like Bright Jin and Dark Jin.
Madam Qin was so emotional she began wiping away tears. "The heavens have blessed us! My grandson has a promising future!"
Liu Cui Ling read the words over and over again, tears falling from her eyes like pearls from a broken string.
The three of them huddled together, reading the letter again and again. Their earlier anxiety dissipated like smoke in the wind.
Elder Yang gazed at the plow ox in the corner of the courtyard and suddenly burst into laughter. "Attaboy! No wonder the Ning Family had such a change of heart. It's all because our Jing'Er has made something of himself. This ox... it was sent because of him!"
Madam Qin had already breathed a sigh of relief. Patting her chest, she said, "That explains it! It wasn't some sinister plot. Our grandson is a success now! He can be our family's pillar of support."
Then, she looked at Elder Yang, nodding with a smile. "Old man, you were right all along. If you hadn't insisted on sending Jing'Er to train, we never would have dreamed of seeing a day like this."
It was Elder Yang, Yang Shouzhuo, who had made the decision for Yang Jing to study the martial arts, overriding all objections.
For generations, their family had been nothing more than humble farmers, their lives spent toiling in the dirt.
Having ventured out into the world in his youth, Elder Yang knew that if a family truly wanted to change its destiny and rise in stature, the most important thing was to produce a true Martial Artist.
The more chaotic the era, the more valuable a Martial Artist became.
After learning his grandson, Yang Jing, had the aptitude for martial arts, Elder Yang immediately decided to risk everything. He was determined to support Yang Jing's training, even if he had to sell everything they owned, and even if it meant sinking several generations of savings into the endeavor.
If he succeeded, the Yang Family would rise to prominence, escaping their fate of being farmers for generations to come.
If he failed, well, the worst-case scenario was that they would have to start over, accumulating land and toiling for a few more generations.
Madam Qin knew full well that some people in the village were just waiting to see their family fail and become a laughingstock.
The Yang Family had originally owned over twenty mu of land, making them one of the more well-off households in the village. But to pay for Yang Jing's training, their fortunes had dwindled day by day.
On top of that, a rumor had started spreading through the village that her grandson wasn't even training seriously at the Martial Arts Hall. They said he wasn't cut out for it and would never succeed on the Martial Dao path.
But look at him now! Look how he had brought honor to their name! Even the Ning Family, one of the most powerful gentry families in all of Wazi Town, had sent someone to deliver a gift.
Liu Cui Ling walked over to the plow ox and gently stroked its back. Its coat was sleek and glossy, and it was much more robust than the one they had sold previously.
They desperately needed an ox for the spring plowing. With this animal, the farm work would be so much easier, and they would no longer have to endure the humiliation of begging to borrow one from their neighbors.
As the three were talking, more people entered the courtyard.
His aunt, Madam Xue, and his cousin, Yang An, walked in one after the other.
"Is something wrong? I heard you talking from outside," Madam Xue asked as she entered.
Yang An scanned the courtyard, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw no strangers.
The entire family had been on edge ever since the Ning Family delivered the plow ox yesterday.
The Ning Family's sudden change of behavior had left them bewildered. They even worried that the Ning Family intended to trade this single ox for their two mu of prime land north of the village, without paying the promised silver.
That was why Madam Xue had been keeping a close watch on Elder Yang's home, afraid the Ning Family might come to cause trouble.
In the past, Madam Xue might not have been so concerned about Elder Yang, his wife, and Liu Cui Ling. But now that the two branches of the family had reconciled and were on good terms, they had naturally grown closer.
"Xiaohan, this is a letter from your younger brother. Read it to your mother," Liu Cui Ling said, handing the letter to Yang An. She knew that Madam Xue couldn't read.
Yang An nodded, took the letter, and began to read its contents aloud, word for word.
Yang An's eyes widened as he read.
Only one thought echoed in his mind: 'Brother Jing... he's developed internal power!'
Unlike the others in the family, Yang An was also passionate about martial arts and had gone out of his way to learn about the Martial Dao. He understood exactly what it meant to develop internal power.
It meant he was a true Entry-level Martial Artist.
In that instant, everything clicked into place for Yang An. He finally understood why the Ning Family had come bearing gifts and goodwill.
He could faintly imagine that the destiny of their family was about to change dramatically.
...
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.
As dusk fell, Yang Jing finished his training for the day. He left the Martial Arts Hall and walked along the streets of Chengping Square.
With a simple thought, the Martial Dao panel materialized before his eyes—
[Mountain-Shattering Fist: Adept (211/500)]
After more than two months of arduous training, his Mountain-Shattering Fist was nearly halfway to the next level.
He owed his rapid progress not only to his own relentless daily training, but more importantly, to his diet.
With the ten jin of bear meat provided monthly by the Liu Family, on top of his own monthly stipend of ten taels of silver, Yang Jing's diet now consisted mainly of bear meat, supplemented with horse meat.
'I still don't have enough silver,' Yang Jing thought to himself. 'If I had enough to buy the meat of ferocious beasts and eat my fill, my Mountain-Shattering Fist would progress much faster. But for now, there's no good way to earn more. I spend most of my time training. I occasionally help the Liu Family escort shipments of medicinal herbs, but I have no energy left over to earn more silver.'
Yang Jing shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside.
'Still, I'm quite satisfied with my current situation. My training speed can't compare to those geniuses with medium or even high-grade aptitude. But even though I'm slower, I don't have any bottlenecks. I'm destined to break through to the Dark Jin stage. Those disciples with better aptitude might be faster for now, but they'll inevitably get stuck at a bottleneck for a long time. Some might never take that final, crucial step.'
"Hmm?"
As he returned to Datong Square and was approaching his courtyard gate, Yang Jing's brow furrowed slightly.