The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

Ye Sheng's heart sank.

Just then, the burly man swept his leg straight at Ye Sheng's lower body.

Ye Sheng had no time to dodge and could only take the hit head-on. Legs collided, and he was swept half a step to the side.

But he didn't fall. The stability of his lower body brought by the "standing stance" allowed him to barely stand firm under this blow.

A hint of surprise flashed in the burly man's eyes.

Taking advantage of the momentary opening, Ye Sheng lunged forward, his knife tip aimed straight for the burly man's throat.

This is the "Thrust" technique recorded on the paper. The key to this movement is to concentrate all the strength of the body into one point.

Seeing the knife coming at him, the burly man's pupils contracted, and he tilted his head back. The next second, the tip of the knife grazed his Adam's apple, leaving a bloody mark.

Fresh blood seeped out, its red color glaringly bright in the sunlight.

The river wind picked up, making Ye Sheng's tattered clothes flutter loudly.

The burly man's face changed drastically. He clutched his neck and retreated repeatedly. Even Wang Laizi was stunned.

He never expected that the third brother would be driven to this point by a nobody.

At this moment, Ye Sheng was panting heavily, the tip of his knife pointing diagonally at the ground, his eyes fixed on Wang Laizi not far away.

"Wang Laizi." His voice was hoarse but steady as he said fiercely, "Today, either you get out, or I die."

Just then, Ye Kai's low shout came from the side.

It turned out that Ma Zi had gotten up at some point and was trying to ambush Ye Sheng from behind.

Ye Kai gritted his teeth, gripped the stick with both hands, and started smashing it randomly at Ma Zi.

He was physically weak and not very strong, but he swung the wooden stick so fast that Pockmarked Man couldn't get close to him for a while.

Ye Sheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart and his spirits lifted instantly.

His swordplay suddenly changed; he no longer fought head-on, but instead circled around the burly man, focusing his blade on attacking the man's lower joints.

The burly man walked steadily, but he was not as agile as Ye Sheng when turning around, and he was almost slashed on the ankle several times.

He snorted angrily and charged forward, trying to forcefully knock Ye Sheng aside.

Ye Sheng had been waiting for this moment. He sidestepped the charge and slammed the hilt of his knife into the burly man's lower back.

The burly man grunted, his forward momentum unabated, and crashed straight into the railing of the pier.

The railing, which had been in disrepair for years, snapped with a "crack," and the burly man leaned half his body out of the bridge, nearly falling into the river.

But just then, Ye Sheng caught a glimpse of Wang Laizi moving out of the corner of his eye, shouting, "Brother, watch out!"

Wang Laizi had been observing coldly all along, but now that he saw the third brother fail, he actually took action himself.

He ignored Ye Sheng and rushed towards Ye Kai, kicking him in the lower back.

Ye Kai cried out in pain and fell to the ground, the wooden stick slipping from his hand.

Ye Sheng's eyes widened in fury as he turned to save him, but he was too late. Wang Laizi was already upon him, and punched him in the face.

This punch was both fierce and cunning. Ye Shenggang was still entangled in a fight with the strong man, and his old strength was exhausted while new strength had not yet been generated. There was no way to avoid it.

"Bang!"

The fist slammed into Ye Sheng's cheekbone, and his vision went black as his ears rang. He staggered backward, but before he could regain his balance, Wang Laizi kicked him in the stomach with his second kick.

A sharp pain swept through his body, and Ye Sheng collapsed to his knees, dropping the machete from his hand.

Wang Laizi picked up the wood-chopping knife, weighed it in his hand, and stepped on Ye Sheng's back. His foot was heavy, like pressing down on a stone.

"Are you really that good at fighting?" He leaned closer, his voice chilling. "What good is being good at fighting? In this world, it's all about numbers and strength. Do you have that?"

Ye Sheng struggled to get up, but the foot on his back felt as heavy as a mountain. He turned his head and saw Ye Kai curled up on the ground, clutching his waist, his face pale and blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

The burly man had regained his footing and, together with Er Gou, surrounded them. Ma Zi also staggered to his feet, and the three of them blocked Ye Sheng and his brother in the middle.

"Wang Laizi..." Ye Sheng gritted his teeth, "Come at me if you dare."

Wang Laizi laughed.

He lifted his foot, but instead of letting go of Ye Sheng, he walked to Ye Kai's side and squatted down.

"Your brother's illness must be quite expensive, right?" Wang Laizi reached out and patted Ye Kai's face. "I heard from Manager Hu at the pharmacy that he needs to be nourished with ginseng rootlets?"

Ye Kai stared at him intently, without saying a word.

"What a pity." Wang Laizi stood up and winked at the burly man.

The burly man stepped forward and stomped on Ye Kai's left calf.

"Click—"

The sound of bones cracking was crisp and piercing.

Ye Kai trembled violently, but he didn't cry out. He just bit his lower lip until it bled.

Ye Sheng suddenly jumped up, but was held down firmly by Er Gou and Ma Zi.

"Wang Laizi! I'll fuck your ancestors! I'll fuck your grandpa! You bastard, come at me if you dare!" he roared, his eyes bloodshot.

Wang Laizi remained unmoved, walked up to Ye Sheng, picked up the wood-chopping knife from the ground, and patted his face.

"You injured Er Gou and Ma Zi today; their injuries need treatment."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, in a deep voice: "Three hundred coins for medical expenses. I will come to collect it within three days."

Ye Sheng glared at him, his eyes red: "I have no money, but you can take my life!"

"Heh, you won't give it to him?" Wang Laizi turned to look at Ye Kai. "Three days from now, I'll break his other leg."

He bent down and whispered in Ye Sheng's ear: "What use are your brothers' worthless lives to me? Hmph, remember, I'll come back in three days to collect my debts, or perhaps to take your legs."

He straightened up and casually tossed the machete aside.

"Your knife isn't good for cutting people; you'd better save it for chopping wood."

Wang Laizi sneered, "Remember to chop a few more baskets of firewood to sell these three days. And remember, you owe me three hundred coins. Not a single coin less."

After saying that, he turned and left with the three of them.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the pier returned to its usual tranquility, with only the sound of the river water lapping against the wooden stakes and Ye Kai's suppressed, intermittent gasps for breath remaining.

After struggling to his feet, Ye Sheng rushed to Ye Kai's side.

Ye Kai's left calf was twisted, like a broken tree branch. His ankle was swollen and shiny, with bluish-purple tinges beneath the skin. His face was covered in cold sweat, yet he still forced a smile.

"Brother... I'm fine, it doesn't hurt..."

Ye Sheng's hands were trembling. He gently touched his younger brother's leg, and Ye Kai shuddered, clenching his teeth even tighter.

"Don't move," Ye Sheng said hoarsely. "Brother will take you to see a doctor."

He tore off a piece of his shirt and carefully secured Ye Kai's legs, then carried his younger brother on his back and walked step by step toward the shed.

At this moment, the midday sun was warm and pleasant, but the brothers' tragic fate made people feel desolate.

Ye Kai, clinging to his brother's back, spoke softly, his voice broken by the river breeze: "Brother, three hundred coins...we don't have that..."

"I'll figure something out," Ye Sheng interrupted him, his voice calm. "Little brother, trust me."

Ye Kai stopped talking and buried his face in his brother's sweat-soaked shoulder.

Back in the shed, Ye Sheng settled his younger brother on a straw mat, then took the stone out of the box and turned to leave.

"Brother, where are you going?"

"I'm looking for Manager Hu." Ye Sheng didn't turn around. "You lie down first, I'll be back soon."

He walked very fast, almost running, as if a fire was burning in his chest, making his internal organs ache. But he couldn't stop, couldn't collapse, and couldn't cry.

......

Manager Hu's pharmacy had a small storefront, with drawers piled high with medicines behind the counter, and the air was filled with a complex smell of herbs.

Seeing Ye Sheng enter, Manager Hu raised his eyelids slightly, continuing to pound the medicine in the mortar: "Get the medicine?"

"My brother has broken his leg. Please go and take a look, shopkeeper."

Shopkeeper Hu put down the pestle and looked Ye Sheng up and down. Ye Sheng had injuries on his face and bloodstains on his clothes, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

"The consultation fee is twenty coins, bone setting is extra. Do you have the money?" he asked calmly.

Ye Sheng remained silent for a moment, then took out the gray stone from his pocket and spread it on the counter.

"How much is this worth?"

Shopkeeper Hu was initially nonchalant, but his gaze suddenly sharpened when it fell on the stone. He picked it up and examined it closely by the window, running his fingers over the stone's surface.

After a long pause, he looked up, his expression complex: "Where did you get that?"

"I found it."

Shopkeeper Hu stared at him, as if trying to determine whether it was true or false. The pharmacy was quiet; one could hear the sound of the river outside and the shouts of the boatmen at the ferry crossing in the distance.

After a long silence, he slowly said, "This stone looks rather unusual."

"I just want money." Ye Sheng looked directly at him and asked, "Will you take it, shopkeeper?"

Manager Hu pondered for a moment. He walked behind the counter, wiped his hands, and moved very slowly.

"I own a pharmacy; I can't accept stones." He finally shook his head. "But—"

He changed the subject: "I can treat your brother's leg first. As for the consultation and medicine fees, you can pay me back later."

Ye Sheng was taken aback.

Why?

Manager Hu lowered his head to organize the medicine drawers, putting the dried herbs back in their places one by one, and said in a calm voice, "When I was young, I owed your father a favor."

He said no more, picked up an old medicine box from the corner of the wall. The box had dark stains on it, and it was hard to tell whether they were medicine stains or bloodstains.

"lead the way."

At this moment, the sun was setting in the west, and the light inside the shed was dim.

Manager Hu asked Ye Sheng to light an oil lamp. The flame was small and flickered in the wind.

He set Ye Kai's bone, applied ointment, and fixed it with a wooden board; his movements were skilled and swift.

"The bone has been set, but it needs to heal." He washed his hands. "This ointment needs to be changed every three days, and you need to rest for three months without getting out of bed. If the bone heals crookedly, you'll be a cripple."

Ye Kai endured the pain and thanked him.

Shopkeeper Hu waved his hand and looked at Ye Sheng. The light from the oil lamp flickered on his face, making his thin face look somewhat unfathomable.

"Kid, how do you plan to raise the three hundred coins for Wang Laizi's medical expenses?"

While setting Ye Kai's bones, Manager Hu casually inquired about the day's events.

Ye Sheng remained silent.

At this moment, outside the shed, night was gradually creeping in, and the river surface turned dark gray. The Duanlong River really looked like a sleeping, ancient dragon.

"You ran into trouble with Steward Zhao at the garrison headquarters, didn't you?" Manager Hu suddenly asked.

Ye Sheng suddenly looked up, surprised.

"Liu the Cripple mentioned it to me," Manager Hu said, wiping his hands. "You can't get into the garrison without money to bribe your way in. But—"

He paused for a moment, then said, "If you want to sell that stone, I can point you in a direction; you might want to give it a try."

"Where can I buy it?" Ye Sheng asked hurriedly.

"Ghost Market!"