Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

At 3:45 PM, in a side hall of the Chen residence.

The steward took out a stack of contracts and slammed them on the table: "Those who can read can read them themselves, and those who can't listen to me. These are binding contracts. Once you sign them, you'll be a member of the Chen family."

"Follow the rules and you'll get meat to eat; break the rules and you'll be punished by family law. If anything happens to you, the manor will give you ten taels of silver for burial."

"Ten taels!"

Li Da gasped, his eyes widening in shock.

He had never seen ten taels of silver in his life; in his eyes, it was a deal worth risking his life for.

Without saying a word, he grabbed the inkpad and pressed it onto the paper, afraid that the Chen family would change their minds.

Xu Hao stared at the thin piece of paper; the words "death contract" were glaringly obvious.

This is what it means to be sold into servitude. From then on, one's fate is no longer in one's own hands; life and death are in the hands of others.

But he didn't hesitate. He calmly dipped his finger in the ink and pressed his bright red handprint onto the paper.

In this chaotic world, freedom can't put food on the table. If you want to survive or learn martial arts, you always have to pay a price.

After signing the contract, everyone was taken to the bathhouse used by the guards.

A row of steaming wooden tubs were laid out, and Xu Hao soaked himself in the hot water, so comfortable that he almost groaned out loud.

Holding a loofah sponge in his hand, he vigorously rubbed his skin.

The dark gray grime was rubbed off like noodles, and a layer of oil quickly floated to the surface of the water.

This wash is not just about cleansing the body, it's like shedding your skin.

He shed the lowly chores of carrying bags and sweeping floors at the docks and donned the skin of a Chen family guard.

Half an hour later, Xu Hao changed into the uniform gray cloth outfit that was distributed to him, tightened his belt, and put on black cloth boots.

He stood in front of the bronze mirror, looking at the person in it.

With a straight back, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist, her originally messy hair was tied back, revealing a smooth forehead.

The face in the mirror was still the same, but the energy and spirit had completely changed, exuding a sharp and capable air.

Xu Hao twitched the corners of his mouth in front of the mirror, gradually concealing the sharpness in his eyes, and finally put on an honest and timid expression.

The manager led Xu Hao and the other two to the door of room number two in the Ding building, gave them a few instructions, and then turned and left.

The room had bunk beds on both sides, and three people were already occupying the side by the window.

Sitting on the outermost edge was a shirtless man, his muscles gleaming with oil, wiping the sweat from his chest with a rag, his eyes scanning over like he was looking at livestock.

The man in the middle was sharpening a short dagger, its blade gleaming coldly in the dim light.

The one furthest inside had a face full of fat and was picking his teeth with his legs crossed.

"Oh, so these are the three who were just there to make up the numbers?" The man wiping his sweat sneered, tossing the tattered cloth onto the headboard. "Why do they smell so poor?"

Li Da shrank back and instinctively hid behind Xu Hao.

Luo Bao didn't dare to utter a sound.

Xu Hao lowered his eyelids, his face bearing his signature simple and honest expression. He placed his bedding roll on the empty bunk to the right, bent down, and clasped his hands in a fist and fist salute to the man who had spoken: "Greetings, brothers. I am Xu Hao. Please take care of me in the future."

"care?"

The man grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "My name is Tieshan, and I'm the boss of this place. If you want my help, you'll be the ones sweeping the floor and cleaning the house from now on, understand?"

"I understand, I understand." Xu Hao nodded and bowed, and casually pulled Luo Bao, who was about to glare at him.

Tieshan snorted and pointed at the man sharpening knives: "That's Liu Dao." He then pointed to the man picking his teeth, "That's Jiang Hu. Be more careful in the future, don't mess with the wrong people."

Liu Dao didn't even look up, still focused on sharpening his dagger.

Jiang Hu spat and smiled sinisterly: "You climbed up from the menial labor station? Hopefully you can take a beating, or you'll be crying to go home in a couple of days."

Xu Hao nodded obsequiously and quickly made the bed.

He chose the spot closest to the door, the coldest place in winter, the place with the most mosquitoes in summer, and the most easily overlooked corner.

Seeing this, Li Da and Luo Bao had no choice but to swallow their anger and start cleaning up. The atmosphere inside the room was oppressive; the three men over there clearly didn't regard these three "peasants" as human beings.

This is understandable. Of the twelve guards recruited this time, apart from the three of them who were selected from the general laborers, the other nine were all skilled fighters recruited from outside, carrying a murderous aura that had seen blood.

This natural hierarchy of contempt, under this small roof, is thicker than the city walls outside.

"Clang—clang—clang—"

At dusk, the night watchman rang the drum.

The sound of the night watchman's drum instantly broke the silence inside the room.

Tieshan leaped to his feet, shouting, "It's lunchtime!"

"Let's go, let's go to the canteen."

The people inside put on their shoes and left one after another.

The dining hall in the Chen residence was spacious and bright, with dozens of long tables arranged in a row. Xu Hao was given a large bowl filled with brown rice, topped with a thick layer of braised pork and cabbage.

The meat chunks were cut to the size of mahjong tiles, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and their glistening, dark brown color shone enticingly under the light.

Xu Hao held the bowl, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

How long has it been since I've seen such substantial profits?

Li Da, who was standing next to him, didn't care about the heat. He grabbed a piece of fatty meat and stuffed it into his mouth. He was so hot that he kept gasping for breath, but he couldn't bear to spit it out. Tears were almost streaming down his face.

Luo Bao buried his face in the bowl and made snoring noises like a pig rooting for food.

A few mocking laughs came from the surrounding area; it was the other guards watching the spectacle.

Xu Hao ignored the stares. He found a long table in a corner, picked up his chopsticks, and put a trembling piece of fatty meat into his mouth.

Teeth cut through the soft, mushy skin, and the scalding hot oil exploded in the mouth, sliding down the tongue and into the throat.

He ate his rice quickly but without making much noise.

After finishing a bowl of rice, the deep-seated weakness finally dissipated.

Li Da, his face glistening with oil, chuckled and said, "Brother Xu, this isn't working, this is enjoying life!"

Xu Hao smiled and responded to the man next to him who was eating meat heartily, but he knew in his heart that this good fortune was earned with his life.

It was late at night, and the snoring in room number two of room number T was deafening.

Xu Hao lay on the bed, the listening talisman on his chest slightly warm.

He closed his eyes, and the chaotic snoring gradually faded away, while the whispers from room number one in the next room became clear.

Six other newly recruited nurses moved in next door.

"...Jiang Hu has been assigned to the next room." A low, slightly hoarse voice sounded. "I ran into him in the outhouse just now. He said there were three new people in his room, and none of them were named Lai San."

Xu Hao's heart skipped a beat, but his breathing remained steady and long.

"No?" another shrill voice asked doubtfully. "Didn't Master Sun say that Lai Sanshi was almost certain to win? He even gave him money to buy the medicine."

"I heard he's done for." A hoarse voice scoffed. "He was crippled by a kid named Xu Hao. He broke two ribs and who knows where he's lying dead now."

"Xu Hao? That weak-looking kid who looks like a chicken?"

"Don't underestimate him. The fact that he could cripple Lai San means he's a tough guy. But it's good, though. A fool like Lai San would only be a hindrance if he came in. Master Sun said there's no rush this time."

"This Xu Hao..."

"Hold on and don't move. Jiang Hu is in the same room as him, let him keep an eye on things, let him find out first. Our most important thing right now is to stand firm, not attract attention, and wait for Master Sun's signal."

The sound gradually faded, followed by the sound of someone turning over.

Xu Hao slowly opened his eyes, staring at the dark roof, his gaze clear.

It turned out to be the case.

It was "Master Sun" again. Not only did he plant Lai San in the servants' shop, but this time he also had his men in the guardhouse.

Jiang Hu, the roommate with a fierce face, was also one of Master Sun's men.

Luckily, I kept pretending to be a coward.

Xu Hao turned over, his back to everyone.

Since Grandpa Sun wants to hammer nails here, we'll have to figure out where those nails are sooner or later, so we don't end up getting pricked.

But for now, he needs to use the flesh of the Chen family to make his body stronger.

He patted his stomach, the feeling of fullness from eating meat making him feel more at ease than ever before.

In this world, what gives us more confidence than having enough to eat?