Becoming a saint begins with apprenticing under the last martial arts champion.

The next day, at four o'clock in the afternoon.

At the village port, a salty sea breeze blows.

Dozens of fishing boats were moored on the shore, and the boatmen, with their bare, dark arms, were either carrying fishing nets onto the boats or squatting on the stone steps repairing fishing gear.

Lu Changqing, his neatly pressed Zhongshan suit, approached the shore.

Li Erwa, who lost to him in the competition yesterday, is waiting here dressed in shorts.

Upon seeing Lu Changqing arrive, he quickly walked a few steps forward, smiling and bowing slightly, "Brother Lu!"

"Young Master and Master Xing are both busy with important family matters and can't get away. Today, I'll arrange a job for you."

"Young Master specifically instructed us to do so, I hope you won't take offense, Brother Lu!"

Li Erwa's attitude was more respectful than yesterday, and it came from the bottom of his heart.

Because when he went back last night and reviewed the game with his brothers, they found that even if they fought hard again, they would still lose!

Therefore, he was completely convinced by Lu Changqing.

Lu Changqing said with a smile, "It must be something important at home."

Let's chat for a bit.

Li Erwa said, "Brother Lu, come with me."

Soon, the two arrived at a medium-sized fishing boat, and Li Erwa introduced it, saying, "This is our Wang family's fishing boat."

"They don't have those automatic contraptions like the Westerners do; they still use oars..."

"We mainly catch mackerel and grouper. We set sail at 4 p.m. sharp and return at 7 p.m., depending entirely on the tides and luck."

Then he introduced a middle-aged man with a buzz cut and a scar on his face who was waiting nearby: "Old Chen, a veteran on this ship."

After saying that, he said to Old Chen, "Brother Lu, Lu Changqing, the newest manager, has a good relationship with the young master."

Lu Changqing took the initiative to greet Lao Chen, "Brother Chen, please give me your guidance if there's anything you don't understand in the future."

Old Chen nodded politely, but a hint of disappointment lingered in his eyes. "Manager Lu, you're too kind. We should give you more guidance."

He had heard yesterday that a young man was coming, and because he had a good relationship with the young master, he could be appointed as the manager directly.

Although he knew the man was a trained fighter with some skill, he was still unconvinced and displeased.

After all, he had spent over ten years working on boats on the river; this position of manager should have been his...

Li Erwa gave a few more simple instructions and then turned to leave.

Old Chen then led Lu Changqing and pointed to the four busy boatmen on the boat.

"These are some of our brothers on the ship, all veterans."

Following Old Chen's gesture, Lu Changqing saw that all four boatmen on the boat had stopped what they were doing and were staring intently at him.

Their eyes held a mixture of curiosity and defiance.

Soon, with Lao Chen's introduction, they got to know all the people.

Liu Shitou is the strongest.

Lean and somewhat sinister-looking, Wednesday made no attempt to hide his resentment.

The twin brothers, Zhao Yi and Zhao Er, are more honest and down-to-earth.

Including Lao Chen and Lu Changqing themselves, these are the current owners of the fishing boat.

Lu Changqing showed no unusual emotion in the face of the different attitudes of the crowd.

A leader who is parachuted in, especially one who replaces a long-time employee who should have been in the leadership position, is bound to be disliked.

I definitely wouldn't take it orally.

This is a long-term process and cannot be rushed.

But if Wednesday and Lao Chen really cause trouble in the subsequent tasks, he wouldn't mind using some methods.

...

...

moment.

"sail!"

Old Chen gave a shout.

The boatmen each performed their duties: untying the mooring lines, punting, and hoisting the sails.

The fishing boat slowly sailed away from the dock, heading towards the deep sea.

Lu Changqing was also busy.

Or help me organize the fishing nets.

One can subtly adjust the center of gravity of the Hundred-Foot Stunning Step to gradually hone the skill.

Time flies, and three hours have passed in the blink of an eye.

As the sun sets, it dyes the sea a golden-red hue.

The fishing boat slowly returned to port, its hold already piled high with fresh mackerel and grouper, all of uniform size and excellent quality.

Liu Shitou wiped the sweat from his face, looked at the full hold of fish, and couldn't help but grin, "The tides were good, and my luck was off the charts! This is almost 30% more than the usual catch over the past few days!"

"That's enough to keep us brothers entertained for a few days!"

The others also wore smiles.

When the boat docked, waiters and carts sent by the restaurant were already waiting.

Weighing, recording, calculating.

This trip was indeed very successful. After deducting the employer's share, the remaining money was nearly 30% more than usual.

The restaurant manager handed over six silver dollars wrapped in red paper, smiling and saying, "You're in luck today, Chen."

Old Chen took it, first taking the thickest portion, then turned and handed it to Lu Changqing, forcing a smile: "Manager Lu, this is yours, two silver dollars."

"These are the others; you can decide how to divide them."

Lu Changqing's heart stirred, and he felt a slight joy.

He used to do homework for others, usually for two or three days, earning one silver dollar.

Now I'm making two coins a day!

Although today's harvest was good, we can also see how efficient it is at making money.

The progress of martial arts training will then be able to be accelerated!

Immerse yourself in the mind.

At this point, two-thirds of the white portion of the Tai Chi diagram in my mind had already passed.

I'll be able to add more points soon...

Lu Changqing then distributed the remaining five portions to Liu Shitou, Zhou San, and the Zhao brothers, one for each of them.

With the heavy silver dollar in hand, Liu Shitou and the Zhao brothers' smiles became much more genuine, and they nodded politely to Lu Changqing.

Those who do the work ultimately aim for this.

On Wednesday, clutching the silver dollar, he didn't say anything, but glanced at the noticeably thicker red paper packet in Lu Changqing's hand, and his lips twitched down almost imperceptibly.

Lu Changqing observed everyone's expressions, then chuckled and said, "Everyone worked hard today, and the harvest was good."

"I ordered a simple meal at 'Xu Ji' restaurant in the west end and got some liquor. Everyone was kind enough to join me for a couple of drinks to relax."

Liu Shitou and the Zhao brothers immediately agreed, while Lao Chen and Zhou San hesitated for a moment before nodding as well.

...

Xu's Restaurant is small, but it's clean, the liquor is strong, and the braised dishes are authentic.

After a few cups of liquor, the salty, fishy smell on the boat seemed to have been diluted somewhat.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became lively, and the food was almost gone.

Lu Changqing estimated that it was about time, got up to pay the bill, and said to the others, "Please enjoy your meal. I've already paid the bill. I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

Liu Shitou and the Zhao brothers quickly stood up to see them off, saying polite words.

Old Chen and Zhou San also quickly got up to see them off.

After Lu Changqing left.

Inside the restaurant.

Watching Lu Changqing's departing figure, Liu Shitou couldn't help but say to Old Chen, "Brother Chen, Manager Lu is a really good guy, much better than we expected!"

Zhao Yi and Zhao Er nodded in agreement.

Old Chen put down his wine glass, remained silent for a moment, and slowly said, "He's a hard worker, but I don't know if he can handle the workload."

"If we encounter river bandits later, or if we can't handle or bring back a large shipment, that's when our skills will be put to the test."

Although there was still some reservation in his tone, the previous resistance was gone.

On Wednesday, he sighed deeply, poured himself a full glass of wine, and downed it in one gulp. "Enduring the years and months is still nothing compared to their kind of connections!"

Old Chen was also a bit drunk. "Sigh, I was going to give him some eye drops..."

He looked at the remaining pork knuckle, braised beef, aged wine, and plenty of uneaten food on the table, his tone relaxing as he said, "With such lavish treatment, how can we possibly cause trouble?"

"Forget it... let's see if he can handle things later."

"If we can't handle the situation, we should at least throw away our pride and make a scene with the master."

...

...

Moon stars are rare.

A gentle evening breeze dispelled the effects of the alcohol.

Lu Changqing was walking back to the village.

He doesn't mind spending money on entertaining guests.

Being able to avoid unnecessary trouble with a small amount of money and focus your energy on martial arts training is a worthwhile deal.

Liu Shitou and the Zhao brothers were both straightforward, and a meal of wine and meat was enough to bring them closer.

Old Chen is an elderly man who values ​​face and a real sense of security. Simply bestowing favors is not enough; we also need to find opportunities to show him that being in charge is more than just distributing money.

As for that Wednesday...

They can't keep secrets, and they can't stay calm.

For this kind of character, either suppress them early, or... observe them further later, and if it doesn't work, deal with them decisively.

Suddenly, after walking a few steps, when we passed the village port wharf, we saw a large crowd gathered on the shore.

Lu Changqing stopped and, upon approaching, peered through the gaps in the crowd and saw several police officers struggling to drag something out of the water using long poles and grappling hooks.

Finally, he saw it clearly.

It was a large, tattered fishing net.

Inside was a bunch of blurry, gnawed, and incomplete... chunks of flesh...

Lu Changqing keenly noticed that there was a human hand among them!

dead...

Is it Wang Laizi and his group?

Many pedestrians returning home or fishermen who had just come down the river exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this scene.

"Is there someone inside that net?!"

"A fish demon! It must be a fish demon!"

"When we went out to sea this afternoon, we felt something hit the fishing boat; it must be a fish demon!"

"Another monster! The matter of the mountain demon was just resolved, and now a fish demon has appeared..."

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, silencing the chaos and the chatter abruptly ceased.

Then a police officer inside raised his gun and shouted angrily, "What fish demon! Shut up!"

"Someone drowned and was eaten by the fish; there were no fish demons!"

"Anyone who dares to fart will be thrown in jail!"

Instantly, no one dared to breathe loudly.

After a period of retrieval, the police left.

The onlookers, including locals and fishermen, gradually left.

Many people passed by Lu Changqing, their words filled with sighs and worries reaching his ears.

"More than one group of people said this afternoon they encountered a monster fish that collided with their ship." "Sigh! Life was hard when the previous emperor was alive, and it's been hard now that the foreigners have invaded. When will this hardship end..." "From now on, we'll have to be more careful when we go out to sea, casting and hauling in our nets..."

Lu Changqing's mind stirred slightly.

The rags from the fishing net that the police just took away... their color looks somewhat familiar.

It was Wang Laizi's corpse...

Based on what the demon fish just said...

Was it a corpse that attracted the demonic fish?

After a moment's thought, he strode towards the fortress.

Regardless of whether monsters really exist.

Practicing martial arts to become stronger is definitely the right thing to do!

He now earns three dollars a day!

All the highly nutritious foods that I was previously reluctant to eat can now be consumed!

...

...

The sky was bright and the breeze was refreshing.

In the small courtyard.

Lu Changqing bent his knees slightly and lightly tapped the ground with his toes, like the roots of an old pine tree.

With arms raised loosely, as if embracing but not quite, suspended in front of the body.

He rotated very slowly, his left side appearing empty while his right side appeared full, then his right side appeared empty while his left side appeared full.

Although seemingly motionless, the entire body's joints and fascia are actually making subtle, extreme adjustments with each breath.

As time passed, Lu Changqing felt something gently breaking open deep within his body.

A thick and solid flow of qi and blood rose from the dantian and permeated the limbs and bones!

[Tai Chi Stance (Beginner → Proficient, 0/3000, Health +1)]

Breakthrough!

Lu Changqing slowly exhaled, feeling his body become even more refined!

He clenched his fist, and the force became even greater!

He casually kicked out with both legs, creating a powerful gust of wind.

Lu Changqing felt that his strength and speed had increased by about 20%.

Judging from the changes in [Attack], the effect of [Defense] should also be around 30%.

Looking at the forearm... the muscles are more defined and the lines are more distinct.

At this moment, he was completely different from Su Hui when he first awakened!

Of course, most importantly... the surging vitality within my body!!

He could clearly perceive that his endurance and recovery ability seemed to have improved significantly.

Attack: 4 (Hundred-Foot Soaring Step +1)

[Defense: 2]

[Life: 4 (Tai Chi Stance +1)]

[Mana: 0]

All attributes have been increased by 1 point from their original values!

And [Life] receives an additional 1 point on top of that!

Just as he expected...

All techniques and stance training, once improved, will increase one's own attributes.

And because of his cheat ability, he can also gain additional benefits from his techniques!

For example, when he broke through with the Hundred-Foot Soaring Step, his attack increased from 1 to 3, which is a case in point.

Then look at the Tai Chi diagram in your mind...

The white, sunny side is almost full; we can add more points there!

The physical comfort, coupled with the positive feedback from the cheat system, brought an intense sense of pleasure to Lu Changqing's mind, causing him to grin from ear to ear.

"Not bad." Liu Bai leaned closer, his face full of approval and his words brimming with agreement. "Much faster than I expected."

He thought that it would take Lu Changqing at least ten days, half a month, or even a month to barely get the hang of practicing Tai Chi stance.

The reality was that it broke through in just one month!

This speed, while not exceptionally fast, is not slow among the martial arts professions he knows.

"It's all thanks to Young Master Liu's excellent guidance!" Lu Changqing said sincerely, clasping his hands in a fist and bowing.

During this period, Liu Bai's teaching can be described as meticulous!

Every detail, why it was done this way, and how it could be done even better... was explained clearly and in a way that was easy to understand!

Lu Changqing's leg techniques and stance training improved rapidly, and this was the reason for it.

Liu Bai smiled, not taking credit, "It's just adding to the glory, you have to live up to your own expectations."

"You've been making quite a bit of money fishing lately, and with the medicine you've been taking, you should be improving faster."

As he said this, his admiration for Lu Changqing deepened.

In just one month.

He watched as this young man transformed from a sickly boy from a family that had fallen on hard times into a skilled martial artist who could make money through various means.

This was the first time in all his years that he had personally nurtured someone...

Watching him grow stronger step by step is very satisfying, no less so than when he was training in martial arts and feeling himself gradually become stronger...

After a brief chat, Liu Bai said, "Since you have broken through in your stance training, you have truly stepped into the threshold of the [First Refinement] and the [Flesh and Skin Realm].

"Besides maintaining health and training strength, there's another thing to do: skin smoothing."

"It will be tough and tiring, and more importantly, the expenses will be higher."

"I'm letting you know in advance so you can prepare yourself mentally."

Upon hearing this, Lu Changqing immediately nodded: "I understand."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "If we're talking about skin smoothing, is the current amount of money enough?"

His fishing business has not stopped these days. He sets sail at 4 o'clock every day and returns to shore at 7 o'clock.

Revenue ranges from one to two dollars.

In addition, there's homework.

Let's say I can earn at least two dollars a day.

This income is quite good, even considering Pig Cage Alley and the entire western part of the city.

Liu Bai said, "It's barely enough, but it can't be considered the best."

"and..."

"Is your life all about martial arts practice?"

"It's already the beginning of autumn, and in a few months it will be winter. You'll need to buy some new clothes and other things..."

Lu Changqing understood.

The money is enough for now, and enough to barely cover skincare.

But over time, if one wants to maintain daily martial arts training... one will have to be frugal in life.

Unless the pace of cultivation is slowed down,... the money is still not enough.

After Liu Bai left, Lu Changqing looked at the fragrant braised pork knuckle, beef and other ingredients in the bowl, which contrasted sharply with his own faded and even torn Zhongshan suit.

He was filled with emotion...

It's true that the more money you have, the better!

Just then, there was a knock on the door, along with Cui Zhen's voice.

"Changqing, your sister has brought you good news! Open the door!"