From Martial Arts Dungeon to Master of Martial Arts

The three men left only after everyone had finished reciting the scriptures.

Mingliu then spoke up, saying, "That female Daoist is another deacon of Zhenyuan Temple, Daoist Yiyu, and the one in the middle is our abbot, Qu Yuanheng."

"I heard that he, like us, came from a branch temple in another city, and later established a new branch temple here."

"Is that so?" Mu Sheng nodded thoughtfully.

"Have you decided whether to take a temporary post or seek refuge with the scions of those powerful families?" Mingliu asked.

Mu Sheng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I'll stick to the temporary post, but I'd like to go to the clinic. I wonder if you, senior brother, can find someone there?"

Mingliu's bitterness faded slightly; Mu Sheng was now considered one of his own and wouldn't join someone else's ranks.

"The clinic is easy to find, but you'll need to stay there most of the day and can only come back after it closes. Have you thought this through?"

Mu Sheng nodded and said, "I've thought it through."

While listening to everyone chanting the Pure Land Sutra, an idea suddenly popped into his head: could medical skills be copied?

Even if he couldn't, he still wanted to give it a try. The main reason was that he had heard in his previous life that medicine and martial arts were inseparable. Since he had chosen the path of martial arts, how could he not know about the path of medicine?

"I just want to learn some medical skills at the clinic. I'm wondering if I'll be breaking any taboos?" Mu Sheng asked.

"I don't know about this either. You can ask around later," Mingliu said, patting his chest. "Leave the rest to me. Just wait for news. Where are you going today?"

After thinking for a moment, Mu Sheng said, "I plan to sell my family's ancestral home and use the money to settle my brother and sister-in-law."

"If I manage to contact you today, I'll come find you tonight," Mingliu said.

Mu Sheng nodded, then suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Ming, I want to get a knife, but I don't know where I can get one?"

Mingliu hesitated for a moment before saying, "You can actually buy them from Master Jingyu inside the temple, but they're not cheap. The cheapest one costs at least ten taels of silver. The swords and knives produced by Zhenyuan Temple are of pretty good quality."

"Thank you, Senior Brother," Mu Sheng said. "Then I'll take my leave now."

"OK."

Mingliu headed towards his residence, while Musheng went directly through the main gate of the hall and out of Zhenyuan Temple.

I glanced at the other senior students who were maintaining order.

He and Mingliu are both newcomers now, and it's not time for them to take up their posts yet. If they did, they might have an income.

But this matter can't be rushed; I just don't know when I'll be able to take office.

He left Zhenyuan Temple and walked straight towards his own house.

Now that it's broad daylight, those demons won't come out.

Just before he reached his old house, he saw a little beggar sitting on the street. His eyes were lifeless, and he was holding a wooden stick. It was the same little beggar who had bumped into him last time.

He approached with great curiosity and asked, "Why are you begging here? This place is full of poor people who are struggling to make ends meet. How could they possibly give you money?"

The little beggar looked up, his eyes vacant, but Mu Sheng felt that the other person was looking at her.

Mu Sheng suppressed the strange feeling in her heart for the time being.

The little beggar's ears twitched and he said, "It's you."

"You still recognize me?" Mu Sheng smiled slightly.

The little beggar picked up a stick, pointed it at the house, and said, "Is that your house?"

Mu Sheng looked at him in surprise: "Yes, that's my house."

The little beggar, using his cane for support, stood up, turned to look at the house, and said, "People moved into that house a few days ago. What does that have to do with you?"

Mu Sheng frowned immediately: "My brother and sister-in-law have both gone into the city for the time being, there can't be anyone inside."

He looked at the little beggar suspiciously, and the little beggar nodded and said, "Then be careful, the person inside doesn't seem like a good person."

Mu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then took out a few copper coins from her pocket and placed them in his hand, saying, "Go buy some food. If you're begging, go to the inner city. If you're careful, you can always survive."

The little beggar clutched the coin tightly, looked at Mu Sheng and said, "You're a good person, be careful in everything you do."

He turned and tapped the ground with his cane as he walked forward.

Mu Sheng immediately called out, "Little beggar, what's your name?"

The little beggar replied, "Yang Xing."

Soon, the little beggar disappeared into the street.

Mu Sheng's gaze suddenly turned deep as she looked in the direction where the little beggar had disappeared: "I hope I'm overthinking it."

There was no kindness involved; in reality, he just sensed that something was off about the little beggar, Yang Xing.

He turned to look at the house, walked directly to the door, but did not push it open to go in. He just looked at the dust on the ground where the door had been opened, which showed signs of being blown away.

If this door remains closed for a long time, the dust in front of it should be relatively even.

There really are people in there.

Mu Sheng's heart sank. She looked up at the sky, then turned and left.

...

Mu Sheng entered the outer courtyard of Zhenyuan Temple through the back door and saw Jing Yu sitting in a chair, holding a wooden stick, instructing others on how to practice the Five Animals Yuan Gong.

"Make that punch a little harder..." Jing Yu finished speaking, then saw Mu Sheng walking over and said, "What brings you here?"

Mu Sheng immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Master Jingyu, I would like to buy a knife."

"The swords," Jingyu nodded, "are ten taels of silver each. They're made in the inner mountains of my Zhenyuan Temple, and they're much better than the swords and knives outside. Have you prepared the silver?"

Mu Sheng put her hand in her breast pocket, fumbled around for a bit, and finally gritted her teeth and took out the silver ingot.

Whether you want to find out who lives in the house or clear a dungeon, you need a handy knife.

Relying solely on fists and feet is somewhat lacking in lethality.

Jing Yu took the silver, weighed it in her hand, stood up, and said, "Let's go."

He walked with Mu Sheng behind his back towards the inner courtyard. As for the young martial arts practitioners, they didn't need any prompting; they would practice diligently on their own.

Jingyu was only there to instruct them on the key points of the movements.

Entering the inner courtyard and arriving at the warehouse door, Jing Yu directly took out the key and opened the door, then turned to Mu Sheng and said, "You wait here, I'll go get it for you."

It wasn't like the first time; they let him in directly.

Jing Yu went in and came out quickly, throwing a scabbarded knife to Mu Sheng.

Mu Sheng caught it immediately and felt the handguard of the hilt, on which were engraved the words "Zhenyuan Temple".

"If this knife were at a blacksmith's shop, it would cost you twenty taels of silver. You got a bargain here," Jing Yu said, changing the subject. "However, the quality of this knife depends seven-tenths on the material and three-tenths on maintenance. Maintenance is not easy and requires a lot of money, otherwise the knife will be ruined after a while."

Mu Sheng immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please teach me, Master Jingyu."

"Of course, of course, after all, I'm also a swordsman." Jing Yu said with a smile, "Now take a look at this sword and see what you think."

Mu Sheng immediately drew his sword from its sheath.

In the sunlight, the blade gleamed coldly, illuminating Mu Sheng's face.