Becoming a martial arts saint starting with Black Tiger Fist

Her voice carried a hint of hope that even she herself didn't quite believe.

Chen Yuan remained silent.

The original owner's memories told him that going to find that biased grandfather would most likely be a waste of time.

But looking at Song's haggard face and the seemingly unsolvable predicament before him, he gritted his teeth.

"Okay, let's give it a try."

The mother and son composed themselves, left the cold riverbank, and headed towards the Chen family ancestral home in the outer city, a place they remembered from their memories.

It was a courtyard that was slightly more orderly than the surrounding houses. Although it was still low, it was at least a brick and stone structure, and the thatch on the roof was thick.

The courtyard gate was ajar, and muffled thuds and shouts from inside could be faintly heard.

Chen Yuan pushed open the door and saw a boy in an indigo-blue training uniform practicing his boxing techniques in the courtyard.

His movements were slightly awkward, but his posture was impressive, and his shouts were full of energy. It was his cousin, Chen Ming.

My second uncle, Chen Lin, is a carpenter. He was sitting on a low stool under the eaves, using a plane to polish a piece of boat plank.

Upon seeing the mother and child enter the courtyard, he merely raised his eyelids lazily before lowering his head to continue his work.

On the threshold of the main room sat an elderly man with gray hair, holding a pipe in his hand and puffing away.

It was Chen Yuan's grandfather, Chen Shouye.

When he saw Song Shi and Chen Yuan, his brows furrowed instinctively. His cloudy old eyes showed no joy at his grandson's release from prison, only a hint of scrutiny and impatience.

"Father," Song called out timidly, tugging at Chen Yuan's sleeve.

"Grandpa," Chen Yuan called out, his voice hoarse.

Chen Shouye exhaled two puffs of smoke from his nostrils, did not respond, and glanced at Chen Yuan with a hint of barely perceptible disgust.

At this moment, Chen Ming, who was practicing his boxing, also stopped, panting, and looked over curiously.

His face showed curiosity, and there was even a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth.

He clearly knew why Chen Yuan was imprisoned.

Madam Song wrung her hands nervously and spoke with difficulty, "Father, A-Yuan... he just came out, we..."

"You're out here, why aren't you at home? What are you doing here?"

Chen Shouye interrupted her, his voice cold, "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?"

Chen Yuan's heart sank.

Song's eyes instantly reddened again, and her voice was pleading:

"Father, A-Yuan has been framed! I have no other choice; we mortgaged our house to the fish farm to ransom him!"

"We don't even have a place to stay right now, and the Green Snake Gang's water rent is due tomorrow, three hundred coins... We really can't afford it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shouye frowned deeply and remained silent for a long time, only continuing to smoke his pipe.

Seeing that the old man seemed somewhat hesitant, Aunt Wang looked at Chen Yuan and his mother, her voice sharp and tinged with reproach:

"Ah Yuan, I'm not trying to be mean, but at your age, can't you be a little more responsible? You're causing your mother so much worry!"

"Look at Ming'er! He's only been at the martial arts school for a few days, and he's already mastered the basics of stance training! The instructor says Ming'er has great potential and will achieve great things in the future!"

"But practicing martial arts is incredibly expensive. The apprenticeship fee, the cost of food and medicine—each one drains a fortune! Even if we used up all our savings, it wouldn't be enough!"

"I'm so worried I can't sleep, and you, as the eldest brother, not only can't help at all, but you've also committed such a serious offense, causing your mother to mortgage the house, and you still have the nerve to come and borrow money?"

Uncle Chen Lin also put down his work at this moment and slowly interjected:

"Sister-in-law, I'm not trying to be mean, but A-Yuan couldn't control his eyes and ended up in jail for peeping at the young lady while she was taking a bath. He brought it on himself. Why should the family have to clean up his mess? Ming'er's future can't be ruined by him."

Wang raised her chin slightly. "Our Chen family is counting on Ming'er to turn our lives around! When he becomes successful, won't you and your son benefit too?"

Chen Ming watched coldly from the side, his eyes filled with a sense of superiority, as if he had already divided himself and the mother and child in front of him into two different worlds.

Hearing what the second son and his wife said, a resolute look appeared in Chen Shouye's cloudy old eyes. He took a deep drag on his cigarette and said in a deep voice:

"My Chen family has toiled for generations by the Blackwater River. We finally have a prodigy like Ming'er. His future cannot be delayed no matter what."

"Anyway, the catch of fish isn't worth much money now, so you two shouldn't keep struggling on the water. Go to the city and find some other work."

Chen Yuan felt his heart sink to the bottom as he watched this scene.

He pulled back his mother, who was still pleading, and looked directly at his grandfather:

"Grandpa, when my father was alive, most of the money he earned from fishing was given to the clan. Now that he's gone, my mother and I are in trouble. We don't ask for much, we just ask to borrow a few hundred coins to get through this difficult time. Is that not enough?"

Before Chen Shouye could even speak, his second aunt quickly interjected:

"Ah Yuan, what are you saying? As the eldest son in the family, the money your father gives to the clan is simply his responsibility! How can you use that to blackmail the old man!"

Chen Shouye fell silent again, and after a long while, he sighed deeply: "I said, Ming'er is the future hope of the Chen family. No matter what, we cannot hinder his future!"

"Father! How could you..." Song's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Go back! Go to the city and find another job. As long as you're not lazy, you can always make a living." Chen Shouye waved his hand.

Seeing the old man's attitude, Chen Ming turned around and went back to practicing his boxing, as if the argument had nothing to do with him anymore.

Chen Yuan stood quietly in place, his gaze sweeping over the indifferent faces of the group. His lips moved slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.

Then, he grabbed his mother's trembling arm, his voice eerily calm: "Mother, let's go."

He helped his mother, who was almost unsteady on her feet, step by step out of the suffocating house.

Walking in the cold, gloomy alley, Song's eyes were red as she sobbed softly.

Chen Yuan didn't say anything, but simply supported her, his back ramrod straight.

His gaze turned toward the Blackwater River, where there was only an old fishing boat.

Unable to pay the water rent, I can no longer rely on fishing to earn money for martial arts training; I need to find another way.

Chen Yuan helped his mother back to the riverbank, where they saw a burly figure waiting beside their fishing boat.

When the man saw Chen Yuan return, he rushed to greet him, his expression joyful: "Ah Yuan, you're finally back."

The visitor was Xu Qing, Chen Yuan's childhood friend and the son of a fisherman from the neighborhood.

"Aqing, what are you doing here?" Chen Yuan asked, forcing a smile.

"I heard that your mother sold the house to redeem you."

Xu Qing pulled Chen Yuan's hand over, took out a piece of silver and pressed it into his palm.

"I was thinking that the water rent is due tomorrow, and your savings should be almost gone, so I came to see if I could help."

A cold wind swept across the river, creating shimmering ripples.

Chen Yuan looked at the small piece of silver in his palm, his heart warmed, and without any pretense, he looked at Xu Qing earnestly and said, "Ah Qing, thank you."

Xu Qing's father had a stroke of good luck a few days ago, catching a precious fish in the middle of the river and selling it for ten taels of silver. After discussing it, the family immediately sent him to learn martial arts.

Only two months have passed, and his physique has changed dramatically. He is not only much more robust, but he also looks much more confident.

Chen Yuan patted him on the shoulder, "You're doing well, what level have you reached?"

Xu Qing, who had thick eyebrows, immediately became interested upon hearing Chen Yuan's question. He raised an eyebrow and said:

"I have already mastered the basics of boxing, and my strength is completely different from before I started practicing martial arts."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly.

Given his current situation, only by learning martial arts can he maximize the effectiveness of his cheat ability.

His expression shifted, and he asked, "Where did you learn martial arts, and how much silver did you pay as an apprentice?"