A deafening CRASH, like metal striking metal, shattered the silence of the water.
Su Yu's strength, honed by his training, was considerable. Fueled by a surge of adrenaline, he thrust with all his might—a blow that should have instantly pierced flesh.
But the sensation was all wrong. It was like striking a piece of pig iron wrapped in a wet cloth—hard, slick, and cold. The impact sent a jarring shock through his arm, numbing his hand.
Fortunately, while the Fish Spear hadn't pierced it, the immense force of the blow knocked the strange black hand back.
"Go!"
Su Hong had recovered his wits, and the oar in his hands became a blur, churning the water like a windmill.
Like a startled fish, the small boat shot forward, carving a white wake as it raced for the shallows.
Just then, the last sliver of the setting sun was devoured by darkness.
A few shrill barks echoed from the distant village, adding a sinister note to the deathly quiet night.
Not daring to look back, they abandoned the boat, leaped ashore, and ran for their lives toward the sound of the barking. Only after they had run a couple of miles and the dim, yellow lights of the village came into view did their frantic hearts begin to settle back into their chests.
...
The Su Family compound, main hall.
Under the dim yellow light of an oil lamp, Su Manjiang puffed away on his pipe. The swirling smoke made the air in the room thick and hazy.
"COUGH, COUGH..."
Su Can, his head buried in his rice bowl, choked on the smoke.
"Father-in-law! Can'Er is trying to eat! Can't you smoke later?" Mrs. Chen's eyebrows shot up. She slammed her chopsticks on the table, her tone sharp.
Su Manjiang's old face stiffened, the wrinkles on his forehead bunching up in embarrassment. He sheepishly tapped the embers out of his pipe on the sole of his shoe. His cloudy eyes turned to Su Can, his expression instantly changing to a smile.
"No more smoking, no more smoking. Can'Er, eat up. Grandpa specially prepared this venison for you. I hear it's excellent for nourishing one's Qi and Blood."
Su Can nodded, shoveling heaps of fine rice into his mouth. His bowl was piled high with glistening, tempting venison, and grease dribbled from the corners of his mouth as he ate with gusto.
Sitting to one side, Su Yu watched the plate of venison, a thought stirring in his mind.
'I wonder how effective it is for increasing Qi and Blood. If it's good, I should get some for myself.'
'After all, I just earned six taels of silver. After paying for next month's Herbal Decoction, I'll still have two taels left over to improve my diet.'
He reached out with his chopsticks for one of the last two pieces of meat on the plate.
"SMACK!"
Before his chopsticks could touch the meat, Mrs. Chen's shot out to block them. "Yu!" she shrieked. "Your younger brother is at a crucial point in his growth and training! He's not full yet!"
Su Yu ignored her. With a flick of his wrist, he deftly snatched the piece of venison and popped it into his mouth.
'The venison is fragrant and has a good, chewy texture. Not bad.' But after swallowing, he felt no discernible effect.
'Unlike the Herbal Decoction, which has a significant effect. Looks like this isn't worth the investment.'
"You—!" Seeing Su Yu's completely unfazed expression, Mrs. Chen's eyebrows shot up in fury, and she glared at him. Then, her eyes darted, and she suddenly adopted a gloating tone.
"Oh, Yu, your brother Can'Er is about to attempt his first breakthrough! Do you even know what a first breakthrough is?"
Su Yu continued to shovel rice into his mouth, unbothered. 'Hearing her sharp voice is actually a familiar comfort,' he thought.
'After the horror at the Black Water River, I was almost scared to death.'
'But Su Can is already attempting his first breakthrough? He's been training for a month at most, and he's already at this stage?'
'I'd be lucky to do it in three months. Is the gap between us really that wide?'
"Third Brother is attempting a breakthrough? His high-level aptitude is truly impressive!" Su Hong's face lit up with genuine joy, but his expression quickly turned serious. "Third Brother, attempting a breakthrough is no small matter. If you're not confident, the surging Qi and Blood can easily cause injury. You must be absolutely certain before you try."
Su Can swallowed his last mouthful of rice, set down his bowl, and said with a touch of arrogance, "Don't worry, Eldest Brother. The grandmaster himself is overseeing my progress. He said my Qi and Blood reserves are more than sufficient; all I need is the right moment!"
"Did you hear that? The grandmaster said so himself!" Mrs. Chen pressed her advantage, her gaze sweeping over everyone at the table before finally landing on Su Hong.
"Ah, Hong... even though Can'Er is a genius, the cost of martial arts training... you know how it is. That Herbal Decoction costs one tael of silver for just two doses! It's like drinking silver!"
She paused, her tone growing plaintive. "For this month's decoction money, Father-in-law had to dip into his own funeral savings just to scrape together four taels. But for next month..."
The atmosphere at the table instantly froze.
First Aunt's chopsticks trembled in her hand. She kept her head down, not daring to look at Mrs. Chen.
In this day and age, ordinary families counted every last copper plate to survive. To speak so easily of silver taels... this wasn't martial arts training, it was gnawing the family down to the bone!
A flicker of hesitation crossed Su Manjiang's cloudy eyes, but he still spoke slowly. "Su Can is the Su Family's hope for a better future. Once he becomes a Martial Artist and secures a position, our entire family can move to the Inner City and enjoy a comfortable life. First Son, Second Son... you all need to pitch in more."
"Father! The family truly has no more money!" First Aunt finally burst into tears. "Those five taels we lent you last time completely cleaned us out! The money Su Hong earns in the city... he risks his life for it!"
"Oh, First Sister-in-law! We're all family! Can'Er will remember your kindness in the future!" Mrs. Chen pressed on relentlessly. "If Can'Er has to stop taking his Herbal Decoction now, it will delay his progress. That would be destroying the very foundation of the Su Family! Just look at the Water Snake Gang, bullying us every day! Isn't that just because our family doesn't have a Martial Artist?"
First Aunt continued to cry and complain, and the two women, she and Mrs. Chen, argued back and forth across the dinner table. Mrs. Chen even started dredging up decade-old accounts of mending a quilt for First Aunt's family...
They were the two women of the house, and elders at that. With the old patriarch remaining silent, no one could stop them.
As for Su Yu, his two cousins, and his third uncle, they all remained silent.
Finally, Su Hong gritted his teeth and spoke. "Third Aunt, please stop. I... I'll find a way to get another four taels."
"My son!" First Aunt cried, her eyes bloodshot as she sobbed. "Where would we get more money!"
Su Hong quickly patted his mother's hand, reassuring her that he would handle it.
Su Yu felt Mrs. Chen's gaze shift to him. He was hit with a vivid sense of déjà vu, remembering a nearly identical scene of them asking for money.
This time, however, Su Yu was far more confident. He cut her off before she could even speak. "I'm training at the White Ape Martial Arts Hall. The tuition is ten taels, and I have to pay for my own Herbal Decoction. I'm flat broke. I can't even afford to buy the decoction for myself."
"What?!"
Mrs. Chen shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "You're training in martial arts too? Where did you get the money? The money from selling that Golden-Threaded White-Scaled Fish... that's not nearly enough!"
"You damn bastard!"
A furious roar cut Mrs. Chen off.
Su Manjiang slammed his hand on the table, his body trembling with rage. He pointed a shaking finger at Su Yu's face and roared, "Who gave you permission?! Huh? I told you before, without the right aptitude, martial arts is a bottomless pit! It's squandering the family's fortune! Look around this table! We can barely afford to support one person with talent, so what right do you, someone with no talent, have to get involved?!"
The old man's face was beet-red with fury. He raised his pipe, ready to bring it down on Su Yu.
In his eyes, Su Yu was defying his fate! He was jumping headfirst into a bottomless pit! He was going to drag their teetering family into ruin!
A family could save for decades just to pay for one person to become an apprentice, and that was only the beginning.
Once you start training, everyone else uses Herbal Decoctions. Do you use them or not?
If you don't, your progress falls behind. It becomes even harder to break through each bottleneck. Forget becoming a Martial Artist—you'll be weeded out by the hall before you can even pass the first three trials.
And then everything will have been for nothing!
Utter ruin!
That's why without the proper aptitude, you just can't practice martial arts!
Quick as a flash, Su Hong grabbed the old man's arm. "Grandpa! It's a good thing that Second Brother wants to improve himself. Please, don't be angry!"
Su Yu looked at his enraged grandfather and his stunned third aunt, his heart a block of ice.
If not for his cousin, Su Hong, he would have cut ties with them last time this happened.
'The survival logic of these old families is just that cruel: concentrate all resources on a single 'hope' and treat everyone else as fuel for the fire.'
'He didn't care to judge whether it was right or wrong; he just refused to be fuel.'
'Never mind the fact that he possessed a peerless talent to back him up; even if he didn't, he would never place his hopes in someone else. He had to learn martial arts and forge his own path!'
'Besides, when it came to his cousin Su Can, his conscience was clear. He had already lent them five taels!'
"Third Uncle, forgive me, but I can't help my cousin this time." After saying his piece, he turned and walked away without a backward glance.
Third Uncle, Su Da Wen, shot to his feet. Holding back Mrs. Chen, who looked ready to cause a scene, he hurried to the doorway.
The old man's roars and coughs still echoed from the courtyard.
"Yu!"
Third Uncle called out, stopping Su Yu. His honest face was filled with guilt. "I can't do anything about your grandfather, but as for your third aunt... don't listen to her nonsense. You already helped Can'Er once. I remember your kindness! It's your money; you decide what to do with it. As for your training... be careful."
...
The moonlight, like liquid silver, bathed the alley in a deathly pale light.
Su Yu walked quietly down the alley, a feeling of helplessness weighing on him.
'This world is descending into chaos. Family turns on family over silver, strange things in the river devour people, gangs bleed you dry...'
'Any one of these things could kill a man!'
'The only thing I can trust is the strength in my own hands!'