Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

Chapter 68 Turmoil (Please subscribe!!! Striving for 10,000 words a day!!!)

In the following days, Yilin County appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging beneath.

The gold-embossed invitation from the Yilin Chamber of Commerce was delivered to martial arts schools and families throughout the county on time three days after the martial arts competition.

The wording was humble and the etiquette was impeccable. The seal also bore the emblems of the Qinglong, Zhao, and Zhou families.

But everyone understands what this post represents.

Rivers and streams.

Su Derong walked out of the main hall, his left arm still wrapped in bandages. His complexion was better than a few days ago, but his face was full of worry.

"Third Senior Brother," Chen Jianghe said, ending his stance, "how are your injuries?"

"I won't die." Su Derong forced a smile, a bitter look in his eyes. "It's just that this arm will take a while to heal."

He sat down on the stone bench, took out an account book from his pocket, and opened it.

The pages were rustling, the ink still fresh, but the notes were all bad news.

"After the Chamber of Commerce was established, the only short-distance business the escort agency had was completely taken over by the Zhao family under the pretext of 'unified dispatch by the Chamber of Commerce.' Now, the thirty-odd brothers in the escort agency practice their boxing in the courtyard every day, but no matter how diligently they practice, there's no work, no money... their morale will inevitably crumble sooner or later."

Chen Jianghe looked out of the courtyard.

Through the crack in the door, he could see several young martial arts school disciples sweeping the courtyard, their movements somewhat weak.

Most of these disciples came from ordinary families in the outer city. They entered the martial arts school hoping that after completing their training, they could find a job in a security escort agency, a guard post, or some industry in the inner city to earn a living and support their families.

But now?

"The martial arts school over here..." Chen Jianghe asked.

"It's even worse." Su Derong closed the ledger. "The Yilin Chamber of Commerce has issued a notice to all martial arts schools: all members of the Chamber of Commerce and their disciples can have priority in obtaining positions in various industries within the Chamber of Commerce, with generous monthly allowances, and even the opportunity to participate in the hunting of exotic beasts and share in the profits."

He paused, then added, "But the prerequisite is that the martial arts school must join the Chamber of Commerce and accept unified allocation."

"Those who didn't join?" Chen Jianghe asked.

"Those who haven't joined..." Su Derong smiled bitterly, "Disciples can't find any official positions outside. All businesses under the Chamber of Commerce, including restaurants, inns, carriage shops, and pharmacies, do not accept disciples from martial arts schools that are not members of the Chamber of Commerce. Even some small families that were originally on good terms with us don't dare to hire people privately now, for fear of offending the Chamber of Commerce."

Chen Jianghe remained silent.

This is a monopoly.

Using the name of "Chamber of Commerce" to carry out the actual takeover.

If you don't join, you'll lose all your livelihood and the future of your disciples.

How do martial arts schools survive? They rely on tuition fees paid by their students, the support they receive after graduation, and cooperation with various forces.

Now, all three roads are blocked.

"What about Yufeng and Guangde?" Chen Jianghe asked.

"The head of Yufeng Martial Arts School went to the headquarters of the Qinglong Gang yesterday with two of his personal disciples," Su Derong said. "The head of Guangde Martial Arts School... is still holding on, but nearly half of the disciples have left. Some have joined other martial arts schools that have joined the Chamber of Commerce, while others have simply left Yilin County to make a living elsewhere."

He paused, then looked at Chen Jianghe: "The Qian, Sun, and Li families aren't having an easy time either. The Zhao family and the Green Dragon Gang control all of the Chamber of Commerce's procurement channels for medicinal herbs, cloth, and grain in the inner city. If the three families want to get goods, they either have to buy them from the Chamber of Commerce at high prices, or... go out of the city to find sources themselves."

The Chamber of Commerce's move is intended to completely drive non-cooperative forces to a dead end.

In the afternoon, Chen Jianghe changed into an inconspicuous set of coarse cloth clothes and left the martial arts school alone.

Not far along, I saw a group of people gathered at the entrance of the alley.

As they got closer, they could see that it was a group of young men dressed in different martial arts school uniforms, surrounding a man who was squatting in the corner.

The man was about thirty years old, wearing a short jacket from the Guangde Martial Arts School. He was squatting on the ground, his hands covering his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Senior Brother Liu, please don't be like this—" a young disciple whispered, "The Master said he'll find a way—"

"Think of a way?" The man called Senior Brother Liu looked up, his eyes red-rimmed. "Think of what way? All the positions at the martial arts school have been taken by the Chamber of Commerce. Escort agencies, bodyguards, herb-gathering teams—not a single spot left! My mother is sick and needs money for medicine, my wife just gave birth and can't even get a bowl of porridge! I—I've practiced boxing for eight years, I've even reached the basics of internal strength, and now I can't even find a job!"

His voice was hoarse and filled with despair: "The owner told me to wait—wait? I can wait, but my family can't!"

Several young disciples around him lowered their heads, and one of them secretly wiped his eyes.

Chen Jianghe paused in his steps.

Senior Brother Liu seemed to notice someone looking over, raised his head, and met Chen Jianghe's gaze.

He was taken aback at first, then recognized Chen Jianghe. A complex expression flashed across his face—awe, envy, and a hint of unspeakable bitterness.

He lowered his head silently and said nothing more.

Chen Jianghe remained silent for a moment, then turned and walked towards another street.

He saw similar scenes more than once along the way.

Two disciples were squatting on a street corner selling their long swords. The swords were good, but very few people asked about the price.

He even saw a young man dressed in Yufeng Martial Arts School attire kneeling in front of a pawnshop, holding an ancestral jade pendant, his voice choked with emotion as he bargained with the shopkeeper.

Chen Jianghe kept walking, but his heart sank.

He went to the herbal medicine shop in the outer city.

The shopkeeper was an elderly man in his fifties, and he always greeted me with a smile when I saw him.

Today, however, he looked gloomy. When he saw Chen Jianghe enter, he forced a smile and said, "Young Master Chen, you've arrived?"

"Shopkeeper," Chen Jianghe nodded, "prepare three doses of medicine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis."

The shopkeeper responded and turned to fetch the medicine, but his movements were much slower than usual.

Chen Jianghe noticed that several commonly used medicinal herbs in the medicine cabinet were empty.

"Manager Wu," he asked, "where are the white peony root and Sichuan lovage root?"

The shopkeeper sighed, and while preparing the medicine, he said in a low voice, "Young Master Chen, you may not know this, but since yesterday, the Chamber of Commerce has issued an order that all medicinal herbs must be procured through their unified allocation. My shop is lucky; some smaller shops have been completely cut off from their supplies and have had to go out of business."

Chen Jianghe remained silent.

The shopkeeper handed over the wrapped medicine, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "Young Master Chen, if I may be so bold, you are now a master of internal energy, with a bright future ahead. But Yilin County—it seems the situation is about to change. You—should make plans as soon as possible."

Chen Jianghe took the medicine packet and nodded: "Thank you for the reminder, shopkeeper."

When I returned to the martial arts school, it was almost dusk.

Li Chengyue remained reclining in the chair, covered with the thin blanket, resting with his eyes closed.

But Chen Jianghe could tell that his master was not asleep.

Those eyes, always hazy with intoxication, were now slightly moving beneath their eyelids.

"Master." Chen Jianghe approached.

Li Chengyue slowly opened his eyes and looked at him: "You saw it?"

Chen Jianghe nodded.

"What are your thoughts?" Li Chengyue asked.

"The Chamber of Commerce's move is a desperate measure to cut off the source of the problem," Chen Jianghe said slowly. "It cuts off the livelihood of martial arts schools, cuts off the disciples' way out, and forces all forces to either submit or... perish on their own."

Li Chengyue smirked: "Xiao Qing has always used the same methods. Back when the Azure Dragon Gang rose to power, it relied on the same tactics: first, monopolizing the hunting rights of Black Wind Ridge, then using resources as bait to win over some and suppress others, ultimately becoming the dominant force."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Now that he has joined forces with the Zhao and Zhou families to establish a chamber of commerce, he is simply bringing the methods he used outside the city to the city. His goals are bigger, and his ambitions are even greater."

Chen Jianghe was silent for a moment, then asked, "Master, what... should we do?"

Li Chengyue did not answer immediately.

He looked up at the last rays of the setting sun on the horizon and gazed at them for a long time.

Then, he spoke slowly, his voice low but each word clear: "Jiang He, remember this."

"There is no true cooperation in this world." So-called chambers of commerce and alliances are nothing more than a fig leaf for the strong to swallow the weak. What Xiao Qing wants is not cooperation, but the entire Yilin County.

"What he wants is for all martial arts schools to obey his orders, all families to be subservient to him, and all resources to fall into his hands. What he wants is for Yilin County to have only one voice from now on."

Chen Jianghe was startled.

Li Chengyue continued, "Today he cuts off your livelihood and forces your disciple, seemingly just a matter of business exclusion. Tomorrow, he will use the pretext of 'protecting the interests of the Chamber of Commerce' to take action against you. The day after tomorrow, he will use 'violating the rules of the Chamber of Commerce' as an excuse to completely eliminate you."