Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 51 Introduction to Stone Kung Fu

"Name."

"Chen Ye!"

"identity."

"Refugees".

"Why did you come here to answer the call of laborers?"

"For the purpose of learning martial arts."

Upon hearing this, the officer in charge of registration looked up at Chen Ye, seemingly surprised by his frankness.

Chen Ye looked calm and composed, his imposing figure standing out in the crowd.

The officer nodded slightly, then patted Chen Ye on the shoulder, "What a fine man! He'd be good enough to be a soldier."

Then, with a flourish of his pen, he wrote Chen Ye's name directly on the roster and gave him a wooden plaque.

"Take the sign and go report over there."

"Yes!"

Having a good physique is the primary requirement for making a living in the military.

Chen Ye was tall and strong, and his presence exuded a fierce aura. As a result, the captain in charge of managing the laborers was very satisfied with him and directly recruited him into the team. He was also given the minor position of squad leader, in charge of four people.

Because the conscription was not yet complete, these newly enlisted laborers were temporarily placed in a camp to receive various training.

That's right, even the laborers transporting grain had to undergo training.

Otherwise, if an emergency occurs during the grain transport and they can't even understand the most basic commands, it will be troublesome.

The entire training process was tedious and arduous, but Chen Ye enjoyed it immensely.

Because he had successfully learned the military's body-building techniques.

This technique is very crude and doesn't even have a formal name. It's just that when practiced to a high level, the muscles, bones, skin, and flesh become as hard as stone, making them difficult to injure with ordinary swords and knives. So the laborers privately call it the Stone Technique.

Nevertheless, Chen Ye cherished the opportunity and practiced voraciously every day.

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

As the sweltering heat arrived, the blazing sun cast a fiery glow, and waves of heat rose from the official road, making even the air seem distorted by the heat.

The laborers in the group were all sunburnt and their steps became very unsteady as they pushed the carts. Only Chen Ye remained calm and composed, and he didn't even break a sweat.

His bandit profession comes with a fierce physique, which gives him a strength and endurance far beyond that of ordinary people.

His performance naturally caught the eye of the team leader in charge of managing the laborers.

That evening, Captain Bai Xuan called Chen Ye over and said with great appreciation, "Kid, you've done a good job. From today onwards, you will be in charge of twenty men, and your daily rations will be doubled."

Bai Xuan's appreciation naturally elevated Chen Ye's status among the laborers, but it also attracted many envious glances.

Those seasoned veterans, especially those with more experience than him, looked at him with particularly hostile eyes.

That day, at mealtime...

Chen Ye was holding a ceramic bowl and was shoveling mouthfuls of the vegetable porridge mixed with a few pieces of meat when a burly man with a fierce face came over and plopped down opposite him.

"Hey, isn't this our Boss Chen? He's really young and promising. He's only been here a few days and he's already climbed up to us."

The man's name was Li Gui. He was a veteran in the group and always liked to form cliques. At this moment, he was accompanied by several people who chimed in, all of whom looked at Chen Ye with mocking eyes.

Chen Ye didn't even lift his eyelids and continued eating.

Seeing that Chen Ye ignored him, Li Gui felt embarrassed and raised his voice a few decibels.

"What's wrong, Chen? Now that you're an official, you're too lazy to even talk to us roughnecks?"

"Exactly, what a piece of trash. He just got lucky and the captain took a liking to him!" someone chimed in sarcastically.

The military had strict rules, which also applied to civilians. Private fights were strictly prohibited, and violators were severely punished.

Li Gui and the others wanted to provoke Chen Ye. If he dared to make a move, even just a shove, they could use it as an excuse to complain to the team leader.

But Chen Ye wouldn't fall for it. From beginning to end, he remained oblivious, focusing solely on the rice in his bowl. His calm demeanor made it seem as if everything around him was irrelevant.

Li Gui felt a lump in his throat, his face flushed red, and he was about to lose his temper.

Just then, Chen Ye put down his chopsticks.

He has already finished eating.

All eyes were on them, and the air seemed to freeze.

Chen Ye picked up the ceramic bowl, tapped it lightly on the table, and with a crisp sound, the bowl shattered into several pieces.

Then, under the astonished and uncertain gazes of Li Gui and the others, Chen Ye suddenly clenched his five fingers.

“Crack…Crack…”

With a sickening cracking sound, the ceramic bowl shattered inch by inch in Chen Ye's hand, then turned into a pile of fine powder that slipped through his fingers.

The surrounding noise suddenly stopped.

Everyone was stunned, staring in disbelief.

Crushing a ceramic bowl with bare hands?!
This... this is the beginning of Stone Kung Fu?
Li Gui's face turned ashen, his eyes filled with terror.

He had been in this team for two years, and after practicing the Stone Kung Fu countless times, he had barely managed to get a grasp of it. But this kid in front of him had only been here for a little over three months!
He mastered the basics of stone kung fu in just three months!

Is this still a fucking human being?
"What's all the noise about? Don't you want to eat?"

A loud shout rang out, and the team leader, Bai Xuan, appeared behind the group without anyone noticing, his face displeased.

Li Gui and the others trembled with fright and immediately lowered their heads, not daring to utter a single word.

Bai Xuan's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Chen Ye and the table full of broken porcelain powder, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"You broke it?"

"Yes!" Chen Ye nodded.

"There's a fixed number of items in the army. If you break a bowl, I'll deduct ten coins from your pay. No objections?"

"No," Chen Ye replied calmly.

Everyone was smart enough to see that the team leader was openly punishing while secretly protecting the team.

Then Bai Xuan gave Li Gui a cold glance and said, "Since you like causing trouble so much, you'll be on night duty starting today."

Night shifts are hard work, but Li Gui didn't dare to complain and could only agree with a bitter face.

This incident eventually came to an end.

From then on, no one dared to cause trouble for Chen Ye, and the twenty laborers under his command treated him with great respect.

night.

The sky is filled with stars.

After a long day's work, Chen Ye returned to his tent.

He now has his own single room, which, although small, at least provides him with a private space.

The tent was unbearably hot, so Chen Ye simply took off his shirt, revealing his muscular upper body, and went to a small river not far behind the camp.

Finding a secluded corner, Chen Ye plunged inside.

The icy river water instantly enveloped my entire body, taking away the day's heat and fatigue.

A moment later, Chen Ye surfaced and lay on his back like a piece of driftwood, letting his body sway gently with the waves.

Chen Ye found that his swimming skills were getting better and better. Not only that, but he also felt that he was getting twice the results with half the effort, whether he was practicing the Wind-Splitting Saber Technique or cultivating the Stone Skill.

It seems that even if one cannot bring in other professions, this instinct that has been deeply ingrained in one's soul can still provide great help.

With a thought, the system panel immediately appeared before my eyes.

(End of this chapter)