Becoming a martial arts saint starting with Black Tiger Fist

The Great Wei Dynasty was founded on military strength, and even in a small county like Heishui County, there were numerous martial arts schools.

The martial arts school Chen Yuan visited before was called the Spirit Serpent Martial Arts School. Its owner, Lin Mo, was quite famous among the martial arts families in the inner city. However, the eunuch who had betrayed him was still in the school and held a high position. Therefore, this martial arts school was not among the options.

Xu Qing replied, "I didn't go to the big martial arts school in the inner city, but studied at a martial arts academy in the outer city. The apprenticeship fee is five taels of silver, not including food and lodging, but if you go early every day, the academy will provide breakfast."

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up. Five taels of silver, which was much lower than the price charged by the Spirit Serpent Martial Arts School.

Now that I have a skill proficiency panel, I can improve my fishing ability. Perhaps it won't be long before I can save up enough money by fishing.

His mind started working, and he asked Xu Qing, "What are the instructors at the martial arts academy like? Are they skilled enough?"

Since you've made up your mind to go, you need to understand the details clearly.

If you find a craftsman who's all show and no substance, your money will be wasted.

Xu Qing laughed heartily and said, "My master's name is Jiang Cheng. He was originally the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Fucheng Escort Agency, but he retired a few years ago due to injury."

"He built a large three-courtyard house near the inner city and opened a martial arts academy there. Because the fees were cheap, many of the children who went there to learn martial arts were from poor families like ours."

As Xu Qing spoke, a hint of anticipation flashed across his face: "A Yuan, you want to go too?"

"Yes, I want to learn martial arts." Chen Yuan nodded firmly.

"But the apprenticeship fee..." Xu Qing pulled out a cloth bag from his pocket and emptied out all the money inside. "I only have a few dozen copper coins left. The rest of the money is with my father."

Seeing his actions, Chen Yuan was both amused and exasperated: "How can I borrow your money again for martial arts training? There's no rush. I can catch fish to save up."

......

After Xu Qing left, the riverbank returned to silence, with only the rustling of the reeds in the cold wind.

Exhausted, Song lay down fully clothed in the low boat awning and quickly fell into a deep sleep, her brow still furrowed, occasionally letting out a few painful murmurs.

Chen Yuan carefully put away the piece of silver, sat at the bow of the boat, looked at the turbid and surging river water, and focused his gaze on the almost transparent panel in his field of vision.

My fishing skill is only 6 points away from being upgraded.

Just as he was pondering, a series of noisy footsteps and rude shouts broke the tranquility of the riverbank as they approached.

Chen Yuan's heart tightened, and he looked up.

Three or four men dressed in coarse cloth shorts swaggered over.

The leader was a tall, muscular man with a face full of scars, and a scar running from his eyebrow to the corner of his mouth. He was the big boss of the Green Snake Gang in charge of this area, known as "Brother Biao".

And following behind Brother Biao, the burly man with a round face, a buzz cut, and a ferocious green snake tattooed on his chest, who else could it be but Wang Meng?

Wang Meng also saw Chen Yuan, paused for a moment, then grinned, revealing a playful smile.

As soon as the Green Snake Gang arrived, the scattered fishermen from the nearby fishing boats and the shacks on the shore gathered in fear, each clutching some copper coins or carrying a few fresh fish they had just caught that day.

Brother Biao casually sat down on a large rock, and immediately one of his underlings handed him an account book.

He squinted and scanned the area, then said in a loud voice, "Same old rules, water rent is calculated per bow, three hundred coins per household! If you pay, I guarantee you safety on the water this month! If you can't pay..."

He paused, then sneered, "Then let's see if the Dragon King of the River will take you in!"

A commotion arose in the crowd, and a tense atmosphere spread.

For most fishermen who could barely make ends meet, three hundred coins was nothing short of a death sentence.

"Brother Biao, it's been cold this month, and we haven't caught much fish. Could you... give us a few more days, or... less?"

An elderly fisherman with gray hair, hunched over, pleaded tremblingly, holding two crucian carp no bigger than the palm of his hand.

"Grace period?" Before Brother Biao could speak, Wang Meng stepped forward, snatched the fish from the old fisherman's hand, weighed it in his hand, and said, "Old man, these two little fish of yours don't even weigh a pound together, they're not worth two coins, are you trying to fob me off?!"

As he spoke, Wang Meng kicked him to the ground, and after a flurry of punches and kicks, he raised one foot and stomped on the old fisherman's head, pressing him hard to the ground.

The old man had a bruised and swollen face, his eyes filled with unbearable humiliation. He was powerless to resist and dared not resist.

Seeing this, the others became even more hesitant and could only reluctantly hand over their already meager savings.

Those who didn't have enough money could only offer their catch for the day, which the Green Snake Gang would then offer as payment in copper coins at a price far below market value. Any dissatisfaction would result in beatings and kicks.

Soon, it was Chen Yuan's turn.

Wang Meng's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he walked straight up to Chen Yuan, looking down at him condescendingly: "Kid, not bad luck, someone actually managed to get you out of trouble. So, have you prepared the money?"

He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and the surrounding fishermen instinctively took a few steps back, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Suppressing his surging anger, Chen Yuanqiang took out the piece of silver from his pocket.

Wang Meng glanced at Chen Yuan in surprise, took the silver coins, weighed them in his hand, and nodded to Brother Biao.

Brother Biao then looked at Chen Yuan, the scar on his face twitching with his smile: "Ah Yuan is the most sensible one. My Green Snake Gang is all about rules. Since you've paid the money, I'll protect your boat this month. As long as you don't leave this river, I guarantee you'll be fine."

Brother Biao stood up, dusted himself off, and glanced at the trembling fishermen: "Alright, all the money's collected. Let's go, next area!"

The Green Snake Gang members all followed Brother Biao away.

The riverbank fell silent again. Several fishermen, whose catch had been snatched away at low prices, squatted on the ground, silently cleaning up the mess. Some of them began to sob softly.

Chen Yuan clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms. Watching the Green Snake Gang members' departing figures, a flame rose in his chest.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and went back to the boat. Mrs. Song had already been awakened and was sitting in the awning, her face pale.

"Ah Yuan, they didn't give you any trouble, did they?"

"It's alright, Mom, the money's already been paid," Chen Yuan comforted her. "You rest a bit more, I'll go out into the water and see if I can catch some fish."

After saying that, he deftly untied the rope, picked up the oar, and pushed the small fishing boat away from the riverbank.

A cold wind carrying moisture rushed towards him as Chen Yuan rowed the boat, heading towards several river bends that the original owner of the body often frequented, as he remembered them.

His movements were a little clumsy at first, but soon, the physical memories and skills accumulated by the original owner over the years came flooding back, and his proficiency in [driving the boat] began to slowly increase.

【Boat Sailing: Beginner (93/100)】

He chose a relatively calm bend in the water to look for fish, and then kept casting and hauling in his net...

Fishing: Beginner (96/100)

[Fishing: Beginner (97/100)]...

Each time he casts his net, each time he senses the movement of the water and the fish, he improves his skill level.

Finally, as he was hauling in the net again, Chen Yuan felt it sink. When he pulled it up, he found four or five palm-sized crucian carp and a grass carp weighing over two pounds jumping around inside!

【Fishing: Proficient (1/200)】

A clearer and deeper understanding of fishing techniques and experience than before flooded my mind.

How to determine the location of fish schools based on the season, weather, and water flow; how to cast and retrieve nets more efficiently; and how to process different types of catches…

He knew every detail perfectly.

Seeing the changes on the panel in front of him, Chen Yuan felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

With enough experience, one will surely break through the bottleneck and reach a higher level. Fishing skills are one thing, but if one were to embark on the path of martial arts, one would surely walk a path to the heavens!