After leaving White Cloud Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Che headed west down the street.
Lin Yuan City was divided into an Inner City and an Outer City.
The Inner City was where Noble Family Members resided. Surrounded by high, imposing walls, commoners were forbidden from entering and exiting at will.
The Outer City, on the other hand, was where ordinary people made their living. It was divided into four districts: East, West, South, and North.
The East District, where White Cloud Martial Arts Hall was located, was mostly home to Escort Agencies, Martial Arts Halls, and Pharmacies. Its public order was decent.
The West District was a hub for merchants. Rice Shops, fabric stores, teahouses, and taverns lined the streets, making it much livelier than other areas.
This was precisely Jiang Che's destination for the day.
As for the South and North Districts, they were home to a large number of Gangs and were the poorest, most squalid parts of the city.
Once in the West District, Jiang Che first went to Miaoxin Studio to buy a complete set of writing supplies—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. He then visited a general store to purchase a simple table and chair. All told, he spent half a tael of silver.
He felt his pocket. There was almost nothing left.
"I hope I can at least break even..."
He sighed.
Half a tael of silver was already a considerable sum for an ordinary person.
But compared to the tonics that cost several, or even a dozen, taels of silver, it was just a drop in the bucket.
Still, you have to spend money to make money.
Carrying his supplies, table, and chair, Jiang Che made his way to West Market Street.
This was the busiest street in the West District.
The street was buzzing with voices and activity.
Both sides of the street were lined with all kinds of small stalls.
There were stalls selling straw sandals, fortune-telling services, candied hawthorns, and bolts of cloth. There was even a monkey performer.
A few women were at the cloth stall, tugging at bolts of fabric as they haggled over the price.
A group of children ran past, laughing and holding up sticks of cotton candy.
Compared to the desolate, filthy South District, this place was like another world.
Finding an empty spot on a street corner, Jiang Che set up his table and laid out his writing supplies. He then wrote a few neat characters on a sheet of paper and placed it on his desk as a sign to attract customers.
Once everything was ready, he cleared his throat and called out loudly.
"Letters written here! Five copper coins a page, a fair and honest price for all!"
He had already looked into the going rates. Five copper coins a page was the standard price, not at all expensive.
But despite his shouting for half the day, no one showed any interest.
"The first step is always the hardest..."
Jiang Che muttered to himself with a wry smile.
Suddenly, an official arrived at the notice board at the end of the street.
He first posted a notice, then struck a gong and shouted:
"This person went missing last night! Anyone who provides clues will be rewarded with one tael of silver!"
The crowd immediately gathered around.
Remembering that his own parents were also missing, Jiang Che couldn't resist squeezing into the crowd to try and gather some information.
"Another person's gone missing? They've put up over a dozen of these notices this month!"
"The poor can't even afford to put up a notice. The actual number of missing people is probably much higher..."
"You don't think they were taken by a Black Beast, do you?"
"It'd be one thing if they disappeared outside the city, but what about those who vanish right here inside? You think a Black Beast can climb over the city walls?"
Amid the murmuring, a tall, thin, scholar-like man spoke in a mysterious tone:
"I heard from my brother-in-law, who works at the Government Office, that there's something... 'unclean' in the city lately!"
Seeing everyone prick up their ears, he paused intentionally.
"Well, spit it out!"
"What kind of 'unclean' thing?"
The scholar lowered his voice:
"That thing will take on the appearance of someone you know and talk to you. If you fall for it... your soul will be snatched away!"
"That's a load of crap!"
"Who are you trying to kid?"
Seeing their disbelief, the scholar's face flushed. "Fine, don't believe me then!"
With a flick of his sleeves, he pushed his way out of the crowd.
Jiang Che returned to his stall, but his mind was in turmoil.
'A string of disappearances, one after another... It's definitely not normal... even if that story sounded a bit ridiculous.'
He recalled the strange phenomenon when his master practiced—the wind from his fists was so powerful it seemed to stir the very air.
Perhaps supernatural powers really did exist in this world.
'What if it's true...'
His heart clenched, his fingers whitening as he balled them into fists.
If it really was the work of those 'unclean' things, then his parents... he feared he would never find them!
"Forget it. I'm not thinking about it anymore."
Jiang Che shook his head fiercely, as if to cast out the distracting thoughts.
There was no use dwelling on it now. It was better to focus on the task at hand.
After a good while, Jiang Che finally got his first customer.
The man was tall and heavyset, wearing a pointed felt hat. He looked like a merchant from out of town.
He looked Jiang Che up and down. Seeing how young he was, and that his clothes were not those of a scholar, he asked with some hesitation:
"Young man, can you really write letters?"
Rather than explain, Jiang Che simply picked up his brush and wrote several large, flamboyant characters.
Although the merchant couldn't read well, he could still recognize quality. His eyes lit up.
"Not bad, not bad at all! Quick, write one for me!"
The merchant was a chatterbox. He talked about everything from his elderly mother's health to his son's studies, not even sparing the trivial details about his chickens and ducks.
Jiang Che listened and wrote, ultimately filling three entire pages.
"That will be fifteen copper coins, please."
The merchant took the letter. Seeing the neat, beautiful script without a single correction, he nodded in satisfaction. He then pulled some Copper Coins from his robes and handed them over.
Jiang Che weighed the Copper Coins in his palm, his mood lifting.
Business had finally begun.
Two more customers came after that. They were both skeptical at first, but after Jiang Che showed them his calligraphy, they didn't hesitate.
One paid for a ten-coin letter and the other for a five-coin one. Adding the merchant's fifteen, his total earnings for the day came to thirty copper coins.
'After deducting the cost of supplies, my net profit is about twenty-five copper coins...'
Jiang Che calculated.
'At this rate, I'll make back my initial investment in twenty days. Not bad at all.'
As dusk fell, he suddenly remembered the scholar's daytime talk of 'unclean' things and quickly packed up his stall to head home.
「The next morning,」 Jiang Che arrived at the Martial Arts Hall early.
Hall Master Luo Kun was in the courtyard, once again practicing his fist techniques.
This time, Jiang Che knew better and quietly took a few steps back.
He found a spot where he could clearly see the Fist Techniques without being affected by the force of the blows.
'I wonder if I'll be able to see more of the intricacies in the Heart Stream State?'
The thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Jiang Che had always been a man of action. He immediately focused his full attention on observing Hall Master Luo Kun's movements.
In an instant, his surroundings fell silent, and even the sound of the wind seemed distant.
He looked up to see Luo Kun's figure seem to magnify several times over, his movements becoming as clear as if they were in slow motion.
Compared to the previous day, he could now perceive even more subtle transformations in the movements.
The difficult aspects of the techniques that had once troubled him now seemed to resolve themselves with sudden clarity.
'It really works!'
Jiang Che was delighted.
Before long, Luo Kun completed his routine and sat on his cattail mat to meditate, just as he always did.
Jiang Che let his own focus drift, exiting the Heart Stream State to avoid over-consuming his Spirit.
After stepping forward to perform a cupped-fist salute, Jiang Che began his warm-up.
Once his limbs were loose, he focused his attention once more, entered the Heart Stream State, and began practicing the White Cloud Fist.
Replaying every one of Luo Kun's movements in his mind, Jiang Che constantly adjusted his own form.
His fist patterns grew increasingly fluid, the transitions between moves becoming more natural. There was even a faint sense of Perfection to them.
Only when he was completely exhausted did Jiang Che stop practicing and rest.
By this time, the other apprentices had arrived.
Luo Kun opened his eyes, his sharp gaze slowly sweeping over the assembled students. He radiated an authority that required no anger.
The disciples all lowered their heads, none daring to meet his gaze.
"Today, you will spar in pairs!"
Luo Kun bellowed, his voice infused with Strength, making everyone's eardrums tremble.
As was customary, everyone paired off according to their skill level.
Zhang Xiong and Gong Yulei, being the strongest, paired up together.
Jiang Che was once again paired with Zhao Xisheng.
Though his Fist Technique was proficient, his build was frail.
And while Zhao Xisheng had strength, his technique was unrefined.
The two of them had always been an even match.
After exchanging cupped-fist salutes, the two began to spar.
"Huh?"
Barely two exchanges in, Zhao Xisheng sensed that something was off.
Normally, Jiang Che's Fist Technique was orthodox but lacked force; Zhao Xisheng could usually handle it with sheer Barbaric Power.
But today, Jiang Che's strikes carried an indescribable momentum, forcing Zhao Xisheng into a flustered defense.
"ARGH!"
A moment's carelessness, and Zhao Xisheng took a fist to the shoulder, staggering before falling to the ground.
"Again!"
But after a few more moves, he took another blow to the ribs, making him double over and cry out in pain.
"OW! I give up, I give up! What's gotten into you, kid? How'd you suddenly get so good?"
"Jiang Che, I'll take you on!"
A deep, booming voice suddenly cut in.
It was Wang Dayong, a man with a full, bushy beard, striding toward them.
He was actually about the same age as them, just with a more mature-looking face.
He was born with Divine Power, and his overall skill in the Martial Arts Hall was second only to Zhang Xiong and Gong Yulei.
Usually, however, he liked to bully his fellow disciples under the guise of 'sparring'.
Because of this, the other apprentices in the courtyard weren't fond of him.
Jiang Che frowned but did not back down.
He took his stance.
"Please."
It was just as well. He also wanted to test his current abilities.