Martial Arts Sainthood Begins with the Tiger-Taming Fist

The biting wind swept through the furnace room, wrinkling the boy's tattered hemp clothes.

The boy's name was Chen Mo, and the land beneath his feet was a place that devoured people without spitting out their bones.

"Alas, we can't afford to pay this month's tribute again."

Another boy, a head taller than Chen Mo, sighed and patted Chen Mo's thin shoulder from behind. "I wonder if we can even make it through this winter."

The so-called tribute grain was not food, but copper coins stained with the blood and sweat of the poor.

The powerful Black Tiger Gang came from house to house to collect their goods. The honest and law-abiding people handed them over voluntarily, while the unruly ones were crippled and made to behave.

"Ah Cai, didn't your dad recently find a job as a waiter? Your sister can earn money with her embroidery, right?" Chen Mo asked.

"These are all jobs that are barely enough to make a living. A waiter only gets three coins a day. As for my sister's embroidered handkerchief, there are people who want it, but we dare not make a fuss about it. After all, she is still young, and we are afraid that the Black Tiger Gang might find out..."

Chen Mo nodded slightly. "That's true."

The two fell into a brief silence.

Black smoke seeped from the cracks in the furnace window behind them, scorching their skin until it was dry and cracked, and it was also very choking.

The two were low-level laborers at the iron furnace in Heihe Town, working hard and sweating profusely, earning only two blood-stained copper coins a day.

"I heard that Brother Wu was sacrificed alive yesterday..." As Zhang Cai said this, the last bit of light in his eyes dimmed even further.

It was simply because these laborers saw no hope whatsoever.

Although the iron furnace was under the jurisdiction of the prefecture and county, it was actually controlled by the Black Tiger Hall.

The swords, halberds, and armor forged by the laborers with their lives were sold to prefectures and counties by the Black Tiger Hall through "middlemen." The middlemen took a "contact fee," while the Black Tiger Hall earned "hard-earned money."

But everyone knows who is truly suffering!

The assassins in the hall are all butchers. If a family doesn't pay enough money, they will be sacrificed in the furnace. It is said that the swords and halberds forged after the human sacrifice possess spiritual energy and are the glory of the family.

Zhang Cai suddenly looked at Chen Mo, somewhat flustered, "Amo, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up. I forgot your father was also..."

"I'm fine... It's been half a year since my father was sacrificed alive by them."

Chen Mo once learned from Master Wu in the furnace that the human sacrifice that took place half a year ago was actually Chen Mo's turn, but Chen Ying sacrificed himself in the furnace to save his son's life...

Chen Mo's eyes dimmed, and his rough fingers unconsciously rubbed the hem of his clothes.

He did not belong to this world; he came here by chance three years ago. Therefore, he felt unworthy of the life-saving grace that Chen Ying had shown him.

"Amo, do you think this will ever end?" Zhang Cai asked hesitantly.

Chen Mo snapped out of his reverie, pondered seriously, and after a moment spoke: "Only by becoming strong can one avoid being bullied, and the only way to become strong is through martial arts."

In today's world, all injustices stem from unequal power.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cai was somewhat taken aback. "Martial arts training is something we can't even dream of! Last year, only two children from Heihe Town became martial artists, and that was after paying a hefty price. We have neither money nor connections, and we can't even escape our lowly status, so how can we even think about learning martial arts?"

Chen Mo listened without replying.

The bellows inside the furnace room sounded like a drowsy beast, emitting a deep, muffled roar.

Zhang Cai rubbed his nose, which was red from the cold, and continued, "Moreover, martial arts training requires aptitude. I heard Master Wu say that martial artists are one in a hundred, and those with good talent are one in a thousand. And that's just the most basic requirement."

Martial artists value innate talent and physical constitution, while ordinary people are inherently excluded from the path of martial arts.

But a glimmer of light returned to Chen Mo's eyes. He felt that he might be able to give it a try, because he had awakened a martial arts talent yesterday.

He then focused his mind slightly, and several passages of text appeared in his mind.

[Refined through countless trials, nurtured by mountains and rivers]

The ultimate refinement of the essence of mountains and waters can unleash the inherent potential of materials and transform it into your understanding of cultivation techniques.

It needs to be used in conjunction with specific cultivation techniques to be effective. Different techniques require different spiritual materials from heaven and earth to refine them.

Chen Mo pondered, wondering what the "mountain spirits and water spirits" referred to. Did the iron ore forged in the furnace count? If so, he did have some knowledge of iron forging.

As long as he can improve his comprehension, the threshold of martial arts becomes meaningless to him.

The only thing missing now is... the cultivation technique!

Seeing that Chen Mo remained silent, Zhang Cai patted him on the shoulder again. "Amo, martial artists are too far removed from us. Don't think about such things. Instead, think about how to gather this month's tribute. Don't you have an uncle? Why don't you go ask him for some?"

Chen Mo suddenly realized.

He remembered that his grandfather had two sons, the elder Chen Ying and the younger Chen Bao. Now, the old man and Chen Bao lived in the alley in the west of the town.

Chen Bao has a son named Chen Hang. Two years ago, it was discovered that he had some talent for martial arts. So Chen Bao poured money into Chen Hang and sent him to a martial arts school, hoping that Chen Mo's cousin could lead their family to prosperity.

The old man had always favored Chen Bao, and when the family divided the property, he didn't give Chen Ying's family many copper coins; the majority went to Chen Bao.

Now that Chen Ying has passed away, and given that Chen Hang has a chance to learn martial arts, the old man is even less likely to provide Chen Mo with much financial assistance.

Chen Mo was certainly aware of this.

He just wanted to ask Chen Hang for a martial arts manual, even a rudimentary martial arts picture book. He wouldn't say he was asking for it, but rather that he was borrowing it, to see if they would still have any kinship left.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo immediately resigned from Zhang Cai's job and went home.

Zhang Cai instructed, "Be swift on the road, lest you run into the Black Tiger Gang thugs patrolling the streets."

"Yeah, you be careful too."

Chen Mo's father died as a human sacrifice, and her mother also passed away three years ago after a serious illness. Only the two siblings in the family depend on each other for survival.

His older sister, Chen Lan, was four years older than him. She was the matriarch of the family and its pillar.

Heihe Town was small, and Chen Mo soon arrived at the door of a dilapidated house.

But people often run into the things they least want to encounter.

"Oh, Chen's kid's back. I was just giving your sister a lecture, so you can learn a thing or two too."

The speaker was named Yellow Crocodile, and he grinned with large yellow teeth.

This man was a thug from the Black Tiger Gang. He braced himself against the door with one hand and suddenly exerted force, causing the door to shake violently and dust to fall.

Although Huang E was only a half-baked martial artist, he could easily snap Chen Mo's neck.

Chen Lan gave Chen Mo a wink, signaling him not to chime in.

Chen Mo stood next to Chen Lan, and Chen Lan leaned slightly to the side to shield him from view.

The crocodile bared its two rows of yellow teeth. "I'll say it again, one hundred and fifty coins every month, not a single one less! If one is missing, there will be one more ghost of someone surnamed Chen in the furnace!"

As he said this, a sinister smile appeared on his face, and his gaze fell on Chen Mo.

Chen Lan nodded quickly, "Don't worry, Mr. Huang, don't worry, Mr. Huang, the money will definitely be paid in full, but can the deadline be..."

Before he could finish speaking, Huang E interrupted, "Don't even think about it! Not a single day can be delayed. I'll come for the money in ten days."

The yellow crocodile swaggered away and went to the next store.

Chen Lan pulled Chen Mo into the house and closed the door tightly.

The howling, cold wind made the door panel tremble incessantly.

Chen Mo lit a candle, and in the candlelight, he noticed several small scabs on his sister's wrist. They weren't from Huang E, but rather looked like needle marks from embroidery.

Chen Mo knew that his sister had been doing odd jobs day and night to prevent him from being sacrificed, including washing clothes, embroidery, farming, and even heavy lifting.

But she had never been exposed to needle and thread since she was a child, so how could she know how to embroider!

It would be a lie to say that Chen Mo was not moved, but what could he do?

The two of them earned 150 or 160 copper coins a month, but had to pay 150 coins as tribute. They had pawned everything they could at home, unless they stopped eating and drinking altogether.

Chen Mo pondered to himself.

To break this deadlock, the only way is to rely on the eight words "refinement through countless trials and tribulations, nurturing one's skills amidst mountains and rivers," and step into the threshold of martial arts, where there is a glimmer of hope!

"Sis, shall we go to Uncle's house?"

Chen Lan looked surprised, her mouth slightly agape, and asked, "What are you going there for?"

"I'll go...borrow something."

Chen Lan smoothed her hair and pondered for a moment, "Our family and my second uncle's family are becoming more and more... estranged, they probably won't lend us money."

Chen Mo confessed, "Sister, I'm not borrowing money, but rather I want to borrow a martial arts manual from Chen Hang to practice."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lan's eyes widened like copper bells.

Although she was a woman, she had heard the strong and powerful guards say that even those with a talent for martial arts would only achieve minor success in three to five years.

At this critical juncture, the deadline for paying tribute is in ten days. Failure to do so would mean certain death. To practice martial arts now would be tantamount to suicide.

But instead of revealing all her thoughts at once, she asked, "What made you decide to learn martial arts?"

Chen Mo's mind raced, and finally he came up with a relatively suitable reason: "Although learning martial arts may not guarantee success, it can more or less improve one's health. I won't take up too much time; I just want to... increase my strength and have some self-defense capabilities."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lan did not refuse, "Okay, let's go now."