The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

"Kid."

Suddenly, Liu the Cripple behind him spoke up, "Who taught you that punch you just threw?"

Ye Sheng remained silent for a moment.

"I practiced it myself."

Liu the Cripple stared at him for a long time before finally sighing.

"Never mind, I won't ask anymore."

He walked back, leaning on his cane. "Anyway, if you really can't pay me back in three months..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Ye Sheng understood what he meant.

If he cannot repay the money in three months, he will face utter ruin.

When we returned to the shed, it was nearly dusk.

Ye Sheng pushed open the door and saw Ye Kai dozing off against the corner of the wall.

Ye Kai's eyes lit up when he saw his elder brother return.

"Brother, what's happening with the boatmen..."

"It's done."

Ye Sheng took out the peach wood plaque and waved it in front of Ye Kai.

The wooden plaque gleamed with a warm luster in the dim light, and the four characters "Longmen Biyou" (meaning "Blessing of Longmen") on the front were carved in a vigorous and powerful style.

Ye Kai took the sign, looked at it carefully, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Great! With this, Wang Laizi and his gang won't dare cause trouble! Even if they want to act recklessly, they'll have to think twice about their own capabilities!"

Ye Sheng didn't say anything, but walked to the window, tied the wooden sign with a red rope, and hung it under the eaves of the shed.

The wooden sign swayed gently in the river breeze, making a soft clinking sound.

"Brother," Ye Kai suddenly spoke, his voice hesitant, "we haven't raised enough money for the charity donation, so why did the boatmen give us the wooden plaque?"

Ye Sheng's face turned pale, and he said in a deep voice, "I talked to Old Chen, who is in charge of accounting for the boatmen, and paid a down payment of one hundred coins. With Master Liu intervening, he agreed to temporarily keep the sign up for three months, and the money will be paid later."

"Three months?" Ye Kai bit his lip. "Then after three months..."

"I will try to raise the remaining money in the next three months."

Ye Sheng sat down next to his younger brother, his voice calm.

"Brother, don't worry, just focus on recovering."

Ye Kai lowered his head, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.

He knew his brother had done his best. And all he could do now was not to cause his brother any more trouble.

Night was falling.

Ye Sheng sat by the fire and took out the three pieces of cinnabar paper.

[Standing Posture] He has been practicing for several days and his progress is "29/100". He has not yet entered the door, but his lower body has indeed become much more stable.

[Basic Knife Skills] I just unlocked it two days ago, and my progress is "7/100", which means I haven't even started yet.

[Herbal Identification] Unlocked yesterday while searching for snake tongue grass by the river, currently progress is only "3/100".

These three skills are still in their most basic stages. But Ye Sheng understands that these three things are the only strength he can rely on at present.

Especially the stance training and basic knife techniques.

If he can quickly improve these two skills to the beginner level, his strength will be able to reach another level.

At that time, even if we face Wang Laizi, we might still have a fighting chance.

Thinking of this, Ye Sheng stood up and walked outside the shed.

The night wind was cold, making his clothes flutter loudly.

He found a relatively flat open space by the pier, assumed the stance of "standing meditation," closed his eyes, and focused intently on feeling the flow of qi and blood within his body.

The feeling is subtle, like a warm current slowly flowing through your meridians. Every time it flows through a spot, the muscles there feel slightly warm and then become stronger.

Time passed slowly. Ye Sheng's legs began to ache and tremble, and his back felt stiff.

After an unknown amount of time, the panel in front of me suddenly started flashing.

[Standing Posture: 29/100 → 30/100]

Ye Sheng opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The progress has increased slightly. Although it's only a tiny bit, it's better than no progress at all.

He stopped his stance, stretched his stiff limbs, and then resumed his stance.

This time, he practiced the basic sword techniques.

He held the rusty woodcutter's knife in his hand, its blade gleaming darkly in the moonlight.

Crack! The blade slashed down diagonally, creating a whooshing sound.

Slash! With a twist of his waist and hips, the blade swept horizontally.

Swoosh! The tip of the knife traced an arc from bottom to top.

Thrust! All the strength in his body was gathered at one point, and the tip of the knife pierced straight forward.

Once, twice, three times...

My clothes were soaked with sweat, and my arms were so sore that I could barely lift them.

But Ye Sheng didn't stop. In his mind, the image of the man in brocade robes in the ghost market being killed on the spot, instantly turning to ashes; and Wang Laizi's arrogant face when his brother's leg was broken...

These images whipped him like a lash, keeping him from stopping. He had to become stronger, or he would be nothing more than prey in the face of danger.

Another hour passed, and the panel in front of me started flashing again.

[Basic knife skills: 7/100 → 10/100]

Ye Sheng stopped what he was doing and gasped for breath.

The progress has increased by three points. Although I'm still far from being a beginner, at least I'm making progress.

He put away his machete, turned around, and went back to the shed. Ye Kai was already asleep, his breathing steady.

Ye Sheng tucked the blanket around his younger brother, then sat down by the fire, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.

Tomorrow, Wang Laizi will come again. But this time, he'll have the protection of the boatmen's gang. If Wang Laizi dares to make a move, the boatmen's gang will definitely not stand idly by. In that case, he himself will probably be the one with a broken leg.

Thinking of this, Ye Sheng felt a little calmer.

The next morning, Ye Sheng got up very early. He first went to the river to fetch water, washed Ye Kai's face, and then the two of them ate a bowl of steamed buns.

Then, Ye Sheng stood at the door of the shed, holding a wood-chopping knife in his right hand, waiting for Wang Laizi to come.

Around noon, footsteps came from the other side of the pier.

Ye Sheng looked up and saw Wang Laizi swaggering towards him with three men: Er Gou, Ma Zi, and the burly third man.

The four stopped ten steps in front of the shed. Wang Laizi, still chewing on a blade of grass, squinted at Ye Sheng, his gaze lingering on the wood-chopping knife in Ye Sheng's hand.

"Hey kid, what's this? You dare to try and stab me with a knife today?"

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Do you want to end up like your brother, losing a leg?"

Ye Sheng didn't speak, he just stared at him coldly.

Wang Laizi felt uncomfortable under that gaze. He spat and said in a deep voice, "Kid, enough nonsense, hand over three hundred coins for medical expenses!"

"no."

Ye Sheng uttered two words.

Wang Laizi's face darkened.

"No? You're asking for trouble, aren't you?"

With a wave of his hand, three men immediately surrounded him. Er Gou and Ma Zi still had bruises on their faces from the previous beating, and their eyes were filled with resentment.

The burly third man crossed his arms and stared coldly at Ye Sheng.

"Wang Laizi".

Ye Sheng suddenly spoke up, pointing to the eaves of the shed: "Take a look at this."

Wang Laizi was taken aback and subconsciously looked up.

Then he saw the peach wood plaque hanging there.

The four characters "Longmen Blessing" were particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

Wang Laizi's pupils shrank suddenly, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"This is... a ship... a peach wood plaque from the ship's guild?"

His voice even changed tone.

Ye Sheng didn't speak, he just stared at him coldly.

Wang Laizi swallowed hard, examined the wooden sign carefully again, and after confirming that he hadn't misread it, his face turned pale and then flushed.

"When...when did you put up the sign?"

"yesterday."

Ye Sheng said calmly.

"From yesterday onwards, I've been the protector of the boatmen's gang. Wang Laizi, if you dare to touch our brothers again..."

He paused, his eyes growing even colder.

"The boatmen will never stand idly by."

Wang Laizi trembled all over.

Having spent over a decade in Shuilongdu, he was well aware of the strength of the boatmen's gang.

"You...you fucking dared to frame me!"

Enraged, Wang Laizi pointed at Ye Sheng and began to hurl insults.

"I only asked for three hundred coins for medical expenses, but you fucking went and spent five hundred coins to hang up a sign for the shipping guild! You're clearly trying to avoid paying!"

"I really don't want to give it."

Ye Sheng coldly replied, "Three hundred coins? Do you think I'm a sucker? You're the one who had my brother's leg broken; you should be the one paying for his medical expenses."

"Fuck you!"

Wang Laizi was trembling with anger, but he dared not make a move.

The boatmen's peach wood plaque hangs there; if he dares to touch Ye Sheng, he won't be able to leave Shuilongdu today.

"Good! You little rascal!"

Wang Laizi gritted his teeth and said, enunciating each word clearly, "But don't think you're safe just because you've got the gang's name on you. Let me tell you, we'll see!"

He gave a sinister smile, then turned and left.

Er Gou and Ma Zi exchanged a glance and quickly followed. Before leaving, the burly third brother gave Ye Sheng a deep look, his eyes full of apprehension.

The four quickly disappeared at the end of the pier.