The whistle of fists tearing through the air echoed one after another in the courtyard.
A young man, bare-chested, unleashed astonishing power from his seemingly slender frame.
He sank into a low horse stance, his fists shooting out like spears, making the air CRACK with a sharp report.
The wind from his punches ripped through the air, causing the green plants in the courtyard to sway relentlessly.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he slowly exhaled. The words his master, Zheng Sihai, had spoken to him three months ago couldn't help but surface in his mind.
"Shuwen, practicing Martial Arts is a matter of Talent and aptitude.
"Talent is about your muscles, bones, and skin. Some people are born with large frames and strong bodies—that is good Talent.
"Aptitude is about having a good brain. Being smart. Being able to grasp the whole from a single point. With just a little guidance, you understand how you should train.
"Your aptitude is excellent, the best among all the disciples I have ever taken.
"But you wandered and were displaced in your early years, which damaged your body's foundation. In this life, you have no hope of achieving greatness in Martial Arts.
"Let's stop here. Your Eldest Martial Brother has recommended you for a position as a Family Guard for the Zhou Family.
"The head of the Zhou Family is Zhou Feixiong, known as Half City Zhou. He possesses immense wealth. Working as a Family Guard for his family won't make you rich and powerful, but at least you won't have to worry about food and clothing."
That day, after Fang Shuwen walked out of Zheng Sihai's room, his face was fixed in a bitter smile.
'I must be the most miserable Transmigrator of them all,' he thought.
It had been a full nineteen years since he had transmigrated to this world.
Things were fine when he was just born. His parents were alive, and they were modestly well-off.
Who would have thought that on a trip back to their ancestral home to visit relatives, they would be attacked by mountain bandits, and he would be separated from his parents.
Afterward, he was found by an old beggar who used him as a tool for begging to elicit sympathy.
Thanks to this, he didn't starve to death. He grew to be five or six, sometimes hungry, sometimes full. But the old beggar grew dissatisfied and wanted to break his arms and legs, because taking him out to beg like that would earn more silver.
Unfortunately for the beggar, years of being exposed to the elements had left him weak and sickly. Overcome with excitement at the thought of his bright future, he had a seizure before he could even break Fang Shuwen's limbs.
While the old man was on the ground, unable to get up, Fang Shuwen took the crude iron knife he carried for self-defense and, under the beggar's disbelieving gaze, slit his throat.
Ever since then, he scraped and struggled to survive on the streets alone.
As a Transmigrator, he knew and understood far more than others. With this advantage, he could have lived much better than most people.
But there were some things he couldn't do, and didn't dare to do.
In this era, powerful figures were everywhere, and the Jianghu was teeming with masters. These people leaped across rooftops and scaled walls, often treating human life as worthless as weeds.
If he had revealed his extraordinary nature and used his incredible means to earn a great fortune at a young age, he would have inevitably caught the eye of someone with ulterior motives.
Without the power to protect himself, he wouldn't be able to hold onto anything, including his own life.
So he could only live like everyone else, struggling on the streets. If he was lucky, he'd get a meal. If not, going hungry for two or three days was the norm.
Not to mention he had to fight with other beggars. He was young and weak, and he couldn't count the number of beatings he took.
He had several narrow escapes from death.
It was during that time that his foundation was ruined.
He stumbled along until he was eight or nine, when he finally found a job as an errand boy at an apothecary. The Shopkeeper took pity on his youth and liked his cleverness and sweet tongue. He not only provided food and lodging but also gave him a small monthly wage.
He stayed there until he was fifteen. Having saved up enough silver, he bid farewell to the Shopkeeper and entered the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, becoming a disciple of Zheng Sihai and finally gaining the right to practice Martial Arts.
He studied for four years, only to be told, 'Stop here.'
He was unwilling to accept it. How could he possibly be willing?
He had grown up like a weed, possessing an indomitable spirit.
'I have to live well, at least better than most people. I don't dare say I'll be as rich as a nation, but I must have immense wealth.'
Martial Arts were the foundation for his survival. At this point, he didn't dare dream of vying for supremacy in the Jianghu and looking down upon the world.
'But I must become strong enough that no one dares to bully me!'
But the biggest obstacle before him at the time wasn't his inability to practice Martial Arts, but the fact that he was out of money.
For four years, he had barely managed by scrimping on food and clothing. By now, he was penniless.
Even a hero can be stumped by a lack of coin. It wasn't that he hadn't thought of searching for his birth parents.
The problem was, with his current level of Martial Arts, leaving the city alone was no different from seeking death.
So, no matter what ambitions or hopes he had, he had to set them aside for the time being.
He followed his Eldest Martial Brother's arrangement, who used his connections to introduce him to a retainer of the Zhou Family, and thus he became a Family Guard of the Zhou Family.
Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Fang Shuwen picked up his clothes from the ground.
'Master, I'm afraid you wouldn't believe it even if I told you.'
'I have already cultivated the Jade Calm Technique to the Fourth Layer.'
'The Four Seas Dragon Fist and Plum Blossom Scattering Hand are also on the verge of mastery.'
'My Cultivation, which had stagnated for so long, has advanced by leaps and bounds in just three short months.'
'I haven't... stopped here.'
'After all, who would have thought that my Transmigrator's golden finger would suddenly activate the moment I became a Family Guard for the Zhou Family?'
With a thought, a semi-transparent panel appeared before him.
[Guard System!]
[Host: Fang Shuwen]
[Current Guard Mission: Serve as a Family Guard for the Zhou Family for three months.]
[Mission Countdown: One hour.]
[First-time guard mission detected. Activating newbie reward!]
[Newbie Reward: Talent and aptitude increased by five times while serving as a Family Guard for the Zhou Family! This effect will be automatically canceled upon leaving the Zhou Family or after three months.]
'Only one hour left.'
Fang Shuwen frowned slightly. This system had appeared the very instant he became a guard for the Zhou Family.
The newbie reward was so generous that Fang Shuwen suspected the system was harboring ill intentions toward him.
Perhaps his years of hardship had made him far more cautious than the average person.
So, the moment he got the system, his first thought wasn't that he was about to take off... but that the Zhou Family was likely to face a great disaster within three months!
'If I'm a Family Guard for the Zhou Family, I might get caught up in it.'
But the thought flashed through his mind and was quickly dismissed.
It was for no other reason than that the newbie reward was just too tempting.
For someone with a damaged foundation, this was an irresistible temptation.
Besides, there was room to maneuver. If something did happen, he was willing to fulfill his duties as a Family Guard, as long as it was within his capabilities.
But if the matter exceeded his abilities, he would definitely withdraw to save himself.
Nothing in this world was more important than his own life, which he had fought tooth and nail to preserve until now.
But looking at it now, it seemed he had been overthinking things.
These three months had passed uneventfully.
After getting dressed, Fang Shuwen returned to his room, sat cross-legged, and resumed cultivating the Jade Calm Technique.
For the past three months, he had been working tirelessly. Aside from his necessary patrol duties, he ignored all other matters.
Every day was spent practicing his fists and cultivating his techniques. If not for this diligence, even with enhanced Talent and aptitude, it would have been impossible to make such great progress in such a short time.
The final hour slowly ticked away as he meditated.
Even now, he didn't want to waste a single moment of this five-fold boost to his Talent and aptitude. After all, he had no idea what kind of reward the system would give him after the three-month mission ended.
If the reward wasn't ideal, then what he had gained in these three months would be the foundation of his survival for the foreseeable future.
"I'm going to take a leak."
The voice that reached his ears belonged to Song Li.
Song Li and Fang Shuwen were partners. The Zhou Family was large and prosperous, with many Family Guards.
They were organized into pairs, with five pairs forming a squad.
To cover the entire Zhou estate with round-the-clock shifts required sixteen squads.
Fang Shuwen silently circulated his energy and paid no mind, only hearing the footsteps fade into the distance.
Not long after Song Li left, the countdown officially hit zero.
[DING! Zhou Family guard mission complete. Calculating reward!]
[DING! Reward calculation successful!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: Great Perfection of the Muscle Strengthening Scripture!]
[Claim now?]