From Martial Arts Dungeon to Master of Martial Arts

"Learn martial arts? What kind of martial arts?!" Zhou Fanhua immediately ran out of the bedroom and said, "Don't you know what our family's situation is? Now that the Little Knife Gang wants to increase the settlement fee by 30%, and you want to learn martial arts, how are we going to survive?"

"Bang!" Mu Yun slammed her hand on the table and glared angrily at Zhou Fanhua: "I'm talking to my brother, what are you doing interrupting?"

"We can't open this door. The three of us are already barely making ends meet," Zhou Fanhua said.

Mu Sheng didn't reply; the household expenses were all earned by him and Mu Yun together.

"Mu Sheng is helping the family, what do you mean by 'our family's money'?" Mu Yun glared angrily at Zhou Fanhua.

"You only dare to act tough with me? If you're so capable, go and show off to someone outside!" Zhou Fanhua retorted angrily. "We barely make ends meet with the money you and your brother earn. If he wants to learn martial arts, it'll cost at least ten taels of silver. Where am I supposed to get that money? Should I steal or rob?!"

Take Mu Sheng for example. Even without eating or drinking, not counting taxes and gang protection fees, it would still take him four or five years.

Mu Yun's face instantly darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table with a loud "bang," saying, "I'm the head of the family, so listen to me. Don't we still have some savings?"

Zhou Fanhua immediately yelled at Mu Yun, "There's only five taels of silver in our savings. If we take it all out, how can we live together? I shouldn't have married someone as incompetent as you!!"

Mu Yun roared, "Am I starving you or dressing you?! My brother and I are out working, and you're at home doing housework. What? You think we're not doing well?!"

The two immediately started arguing.

Mu Sheng immediately pulled out half a land deed from her pocket and slammed it on the table. The two people stopped and looked at Mu Sheng.

Mu Sheng sighed deeply and said, "Sister-in-law, my parents died at the hands of demons while they were merchants. Since then, my brother and I have depended on each other for survival. My parents had previously divided the land deed between my brother and me. Now I'm giving you this land deed in exchange for ten taels of silver. How about that?"

Mu Yun slammed his fist on the table and roared, "What are you doing?! This is yours! It's yours for life!!"

He glared at Zhou Fanhua and said angrily, "Look what you've done to my brother!!"

Zhou Fanhua stared intently at the land deed, her eyes suddenly brightening.

If they were to sell their house, it would be worth at least forty or fifty taels of silver, which is why Wolf Four of the Little Knife Gang was interested in it.

Mu Sheng immediately raised her voice and said, "Brother, it's not that sister-in-law forced us, it's just that Wolf Four has his eye on our ancestral home, we have to find a way to survive, and I'm giving you this land deed to put your mind at ease."

Zhou Fanhua stepped forward to take the land deed, but Mu Yun slapped her hand away and said to Mu Sheng, "Take it back."

"elder brother."

"If you still consider me your brother, then take it back. She's short-sighted and doesn't understand anything, but what's rightfully yours is still yours." Mu Yun's tone turned somber, indicating that he was angry.

Mu Sheng had no choice but to put away the other half of the land deed.

"You heartless bastard!! You're afraid I'll covet your family's wealth, and at a time like this!! You still act like the head of the household!!" Zhou Fanhua wailed, sitting down on the ground: "If you keep doing this, I don't want to live anymore!!"

Mu Yun immediately shouted angrily, "Get up! If you continue like this, I'll divorce you!"

Zhou Fanhua's eyes widened immediately, and she quickly covered her face with her hands, sobbing softly, no longer daring to speak.

Mu Yun handed the land deed directly to Mu Sheng and said, "I'll figure out the money. First, tell me why you want to learn martial arts. I know you're smart, unlike me who can only work hard. You must have thought of a solution."

Mu Sheng took a deep breath and said, "Brother, the Little Knife Gang has raised prices by 30%. I don't think it's just targeting our family. My restaurant is also closed. According to the manager, the Little Knife Gang has also raised their prices, and the government has also raised taxes. I'm afraid something big is about to happen."

"Even if we sell the house now, we might not be able to get into the inner city. The outer city is already chaotic. If we want to get out of this chaos, our family needs to produce a martial artist. You know how respected martial artists are these days. As long as I can enter the martial arts sect, we can move to the inner city. Even if we don't move, the Little Knife Gang might not dare to make things difficult for us anymore. If something really happens, we'll have the confidence to protect ourselves. If things continue like this, I'm afraid we won't be able to survive."

Mu Yun sat down and began to think: "I've been moving goods here recently, and quite a few people have been going from the outer city to the inner city. I think something must have happened."

"That sounds nice." Zhou Fanhua wiped away her tears and stood up, saying, "Let's not even talk about how our family is poor. Just look at those martial arts schools. They all have strict conditions and spend money like water. What kind of family do we have? How can we afford to support you? Besides, if you don't make it, our family will fall apart completely."

Many families have gone bankrupt trying to support a martial artist, only to end up worse off.

"I can do it." Mu Sheng said with unwavering determination, "Brother, believe me. As long as our family can survive for a month, I will definitely be able to join the True Yuan Sect."

"One month." Mu Yun repeated the time, took a deep breath, and immediately decided, "I'll find a way for you."

"Master!!" Zhou Fanhua cried out immediately.

"What are you shouting for!" Mu Yun shouted angrily, "I'm the one in charge of this house!!"

He immediately said to Mu Sheng, "You wait patiently, I'll find a way to get you ten taels of silver. Let's eat first."

Zhou Fanhua sat in a chair and began to sob softly. Mu Yun also sat in a chair with a sullen face. Mu Sheng hurriedly ate a couple of bites and then returned to her own house.

I lay down in the bedroom, and because of the hot weather, I could hear the cicadas chirping outside the window.

From afar, Zhou Fanhua's occasional sharp cries could be heard: "I don't want to live anymore, I don't want to live anymore."

Mu Sheng looked up at the ceiling.

If it weren't for Wolf Four's coercion, he might have thought of other ways, but now, this is the only way out for his family.

If we don't send out any martial artists, we'll just be waiting to be completely devoured by the Little Knife Gang.

If he were to become a martial artist, perhaps he could still fight for a chance of survival.

"It's really hard to live these days." He looked at the panel of the martial arts instance in front of him.

"I can only count on you."

In his sleep, he seemed to hear shouts of killing.

...

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Mu Sheng left home, mainly to find some odd jobs.

He passed by the restaurant where he used to work. He had closed the door last night, and it should have been open by now to prepare for business, but the door was tightly shut and there was no sign of it being opened.

As he walked along the street, he noticed that many shops were closed, and pedestrians were hurrying by, most of them like him, looking for work.

But finding a job as a waiter in a restaurant like that is extremely difficult. Nowadays, restaurants that can still operate are only in the inner city, and the restaurant he originally worked for was the last one in the outer city.

"These days, finding a job is really not easy."

Mu Sheng sat in a corner, surrounded by many other people who were squatting and watching the hurried pace of people on the street.

The people next to them were also chatting enthusiastically.

"Who says otherwise? I heard that the Fierce Tiger Gang from the south of the city was driven here and is fighting fiercely with the Little Knife Gang. That night, there were rows of corpses lying around."

"How come I didn't know? I did hear some commotion last night, but the streets are clean, and it doesn't look like there was any knife going on."

"I live not far from there. They'll naturally have to clean up after they've finished fighting. If the adults in the inner city see this, they won't get away with it."

"They just bully us."

No one really cares which of the two teams wins, because neither of them will be happy if they do.

"Gurgle." Mu Sheng's stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten breakfast, so he sighed and could only continue looking for work to do.

It's safe during the day, but those gangs only operate at night. They've been walking at night a lot, so hopefully they'll run into demons.

...

At night.

Mu Sheng dragged her exhausted body home, but Mu Yun was not there when she arrived.

Zhou Fanhua glared at her, but still prepared some pickled vegetables and cooked brown rice with pebbles in it.

He just didn't talk to Mu Sheng, and when he put down his chopsticks, he made a "clanging" sound.

Mu Sheng and Zhou Fanhua remained silent until Mu Yun returned, carrying a package and limping in.

"What's wrong with you, sir?!" Zhou Fanhua immediately stepped forward to answer.

"It's alright." Mu Yun, supported by Zhou Fanhua, sat down in a chair, placed the package in her hand on the table, and said, "I brought you the money."

He immediately opened the package, and inside was a silver ingot.

Zhou Fanhua reached out to take it, then asked, "Where did you get this money?"

Mu Yun slapped his hand away and pushed the silver towards Mu Sheng, asking, "Is this enough?"

"Brother, where did you earn your money?!" Mu Sheng looked at Mu Yun's legs, realizing that this money wasn't easy to come by.

"Don't worry about that," Mu Yun said in a deep voice. "Anyway, use this money to learn martial arts tomorrow."

"That won't do..."

"Say one more word and I'll divorce you!" Mu Yun said angrily to Zhou Fanhua.

Zhou Fanhua immediately fell silent, staring longingly at the silver and glaring fiercely at Mu Sheng.

Mu Sheng ignored her, stepped forward, picked up the silver, put it in her inner pocket, and said, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely become a martial artist."

"Our family is all counting on you. I have a leg injury and can't go to work. Our savings will only last for another month."

"Waaah!" Zhou Fanhua burst into tears. Mu Yun had said it twice yesterday and today, and she knew that Mu Yun was serious, so she didn't dare to make a sound.

But the ten taels of silver went straight into her brother-in-law's pocket, and she didn't feel good about it.

Mu Sheng reached into her pocket and looked at Mu Yun's leg, where there were bloodstains, as if he had been shot by something and was bleeding.

His hands, which were touching the silver, turned pale and even showed prominent veins.

"Warrior."