From Beggar to Emperor: My Profession Has Its Own Characteristics

After resting for a while, my digestion has almost finished.

Sparse moonlight pierced through the clouds, casting blurry shadows on the ground of the courtyard.

Soon, Zhu Yuan began practicing walking in the small open space outside the hut.

He was barefoot, his shoes placed aside, his soles pressed firmly against the cold ground, his movements slow and focused.

He is now close to achieving a basic level of proficiency in walking. With more practice, he might achieve that level the day after tomorrow.

I haven't even practiced walking for half an hour yet.

Zhu Yuan heard a light knock on the door, followed by another sound.

"Open the door."

"Coming." Zhu Yuan responded first, stopped what he was doing, quickly put on his shoes, and then called out to the old woman in the other room, "Grandma, I'll go."

The wooden door creaked open.

Standing outside the door was the same Black Bull Gang leader I'd seen before, but this time he had four henchmen following him.

Now is not the time for the Black Bull Gang to collect money from Ping An.

Before he even spoke, Zhu Yuan already had a vague idea of ​​what it was about.

"Zhu Yuan, right?" The Black Bull Gang's underling crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over Zhu Yuan's face, then noticing the drenched sweat on his forehead, before getting straight to the point: "Those two Water Moon Gang members at the alley entrance, did you beat them up?"

"Yes." Zhu Yuan nodded in agreement without hesitation.

This is Black Bull Gang territory, not Water Moon Gang territory. There are rules between gangs.

Normally, a gang is not allowed to act on another gang's territory without the other gang's permission.

"What's going on?" the Black Bull Gang leader continued to ask, his eyes constantly observing Zhu Yuan's reaction.

"I work as a porter at the docks, and I pay my wages according to the rules every month. I haven't broken any rules," Zhu Yuan explained calmly. "They came to me because I was involved in an internal conflict within their Shuiyue Gang."

"How exactly?" the foreman pressed.

"I know a minor leader of the Shuiyue Gang," Zhu Yuan said, then paused.

As a minor leader in the Black Bull Gang, the other party was clearly well aware of the intricacies of the gang's internal workings.

"I understand." The Black Bull Gang's underling nodded, then offered his guess: "You've probably been used."

He paused, then added, "This kind of thing is not unusual."

"what?"

Zhu Yuan was taken aback at first, a look of confusion on his face, before he seemed to understand something.

There are many grudges and feuds within gangs, and perhaps similar things have happened in the Black Bull Gang as well.

"Zhu Yuan, I see you're quite skilled; you can take on two at once." The Black Bull Gang's underling looked Zhu Yuan up and down again, his tone carrying a hint of recruitment. "Interested in joining our Black Bull Gang? We guarantee your safety on our turf."

"Thank you for your kind offer." Zhu Yuan first clasped his hands in thanks, and then gave a sufficient and irrefutable reason, "I am currently practicing martial arts at the Dongyun Martial Arts Academy, and I have no plans in this regard for the time being."

He specifically mentioned the martial arts school, which was both a way of indicating his identity and a subtle way of declining.

"Oh? You have the talent to become a martial artist?" The leader raised an eyebrow, his tone becoming more serious.

"Yes," Zhu Yuan nodded.

"My apologies." The Black Bull Gang's underling's attitude was noticeably more polite. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhu Yuan and then said, "This is our Black Bull Gang's territory. I can assure you that this kind of thing will not happen again."

"Thank you." Zhu Yuan clasped his hands in thanks again.

It seems the Black Bull Gang might use this as an excuse to give a warning to Li Yinghu, the minor leader of the Water Moon Gang.

Zhu Yuan knew that there was a certain gap in strength between the Black Bull Gang and the Water Moon Gang. When faced with similar provocative situations, it was standard practice for the Black Bull Gang to warn the lower-level leaders of the other party, and they would not easily escalate the matter to the Water Moon Gang's top leader.

If it goes to the big boss, it means even bigger conflict.

"You pay your 'peace money' on time and follow the rules; that's what our Black Bull Gang should do."

As he spoke, the Black Bull Gang leader seemed quite satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations. He waved his hand, signaling to his henchmen behind him.

"Let's go."

Several followers silently followed, and the group turned around, their footsteps quickly disappearing into the darkness deep within the alley.

After they left, Zhu Yuan closed the wooden door and bolted it.

Just then, the door of the small house next door creaked open, and the old woman, leaning on an old wooden stick, came out of the house shakily, the dim moonlight shining on her wrinkled face.

Her cloudy eyes first glanced at the tightly closed wooden door before turning to Zhu Yuan, her gaze lingering on him for a moment, and she asked in a low voice:

"You got into a fight today?"

"Hmm." Zhu Yuan nodded first, then explained in a calm tone, "Mother-in-law, don't worry, it's just a small disagreement."

"Besides, the Black Bull Gang came by earlier. They'll handle it. After this, those guys shouldn't dare to come to this area so easily."

The old woman nodded slightly upon hearing this, and the wrinkles on her face seemed to smooth out a bit.

She didn't ask any more questions. In the end, she just glanced at Zhu Yuan, then slowly turned around, leaning on her wooden stick, and slowly moved back to her hut, gently closing the door behind her.

Disturbed, Zhu Yuan stood quietly in the courtyard for a while longer.

Then, barefoot again, he returned to the spot where he had been practicing walking and began practicing walking again.

Two days later.

Dongyun Martial Arts School.

With most of the morning gone, Zhu Yuan had successfully cultivated his walking technique to the minor completion stage, which put his mind at ease, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

This speed met his expectations.

At this moment, Zhou Ping was still practicing his Ming Jin stage stance training on the open ground at the edge of the training ground. His posture was steady and his breathing was long and even.

Zhu Yuan didn't go over to disturb him. Now was a good time to catch his breath and let his body, which was slightly warm from walking, recover.

After Zhou Ping slowly finished his practice, Zhu Yuan, whose body had already recovered, quickly walked over, stood before Zhou Ping, and respectfully clasped his hands in greeting, saying:

"Senior Brother Zhou, my walking technique has made some progress."

"Very good." Zhou Ping smiled approvingly, nodded to Zhu Yuan, and then instructed, "Go, call Tie Zhu over as well."

"Okay." Zhu Yuan replied and immediately turned around and walked towards Zhao Tiezhu, who was still practicing horse stance not far away.

Zhu Yuan knew that Zhou Ping would soon teach them the method of breathing.

This breathing method is also known as basic breathing.

After mastering the basic stance training, horse stance, and walking techniques, it is essential to incorporate breathing techniques to achieve twice the results with half the effort.

Before mastering these basic skills, rashly using breathing techniques will only distract you from both ends, slowing down your progress.

Being able to master basic stance training, horse stance, and walking techniques to a minor level means that you have become proficient in controlling your movements. At this point, combining these techniques with breathing exercises will not interfere with the stability of your movements.