The Martial Saint of the Defiled World

Jiang Shaosheng woke up when it was still pitch black.

In the past, he might have stayed in bed a little longer, but things are different now. The version of himself that could stay in bed and squander tomorrow is long gone in another world.

This situation perfectly illustrates the saying: "Yesterday, she was still a guest in the spring boudoir's dream; today, she has become dust under the knife in a chaotic world."

He threw off the thin blanket, sat up, and quickly put on his coat.

Then I went downstairs, scooped up half a ladle of cold water, and splashed it on my face. The lingering sleepiness immediately vanished.

After warming up his hands and feet a few times, Jiang Shaosheng set up his stance in the cramped hall.

Sink your waist and sit on your hips, let your fist follow your body. Start your move like a taut bow, unleash your power like a thunderclap.

When a beginner performs Bajiquan, although it is far from the level of "power like a taut bow and explosive like thunder", the movements already show the beginnings of the opening and closing of the muscles and bones.

But this is far from enough for him.

Because the calculation of proficiency on the panel is almost harsh.

It's not enough to just move; each practice session must be as close as possible to the correct movements.

The essential principles of "lifting, embracing, carrying, lifting, carrying, and wrapping" should be truly integrated into the core of the movements.

If you lose your composure even slightly, your structure crumbles, or your mind is not at peace, then all your hard work may be for nothing.

After finishing one round of punches, he didn't stop. He simply adjusted his breathing slightly, wiped the sweat that was about to drip into his eyes, and then started again, the second time, the third time...

He didn't stop his stance until dawn.

At this moment, his whole body was steaming hot, as if he had just come out of a steamer.

He didn't care at all, and instead looked at the panel.

The proficiency level has increased from (1/100) yesterday to (3/100).

Although he only added two points, he was already satisfied. A boxer may be strong in his youth, but he is even more afraid of a lack of hard work and dedication.

There are no shortcuts to martial arts training, especially for someone like him who has no background in the streets. Every bit of progress he makes has to be earned through hard work and focus.

Jiang Shaosheng was never one to be afraid of hardship.

Whether in his past life or this one, now that he has come to this world, he naturally understands the principle that "no effort, no reward."

Moreover, martial arts training strengthens one's body and provides the foundation for survival in this chaotic world.

No matter how much sweat you shed or how sore your muscles and bones are, it's still better than being powerless to even kill a chicken when the time comes.

After resting for a while, he opened the door and went out.

Guanlanli just woke up at this time.

Smoke from several houses was already rising, blending into the morning mist and becoming indistinguishable from one another.

His neighbor, who was up early for work, rubbed his hands together, hunched his neck, and nodded to him as he passed by.

Jiang Shaosheng had only taken a few steps out of his own house when a door diagonally opposite him creaked open.

A sweet, cloying scent of osmanthus-scented hair oil wafted out first, followed by the sight of a tall, voluptuous figure leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey, little brother, why are you in such a hurry?"

Jiang Shaosheng paused, inwardly thinking, "This is bad."

The woman who called him was Aunt Xue, who lived a few houses away. Everyone in the neighborhood called her that, but few people knew her real name.

She was in her early thirties, with an eye-catchingly slender waist. She swayed as she walked, a striking sight in the alleyway that made people hesitant to look at her too much.

I heard she sings in a dance hall in the concession area, lives alone, and is a fierce and formidable character.

Aunt Xue was wearing a light red satin robe today, with two loose buttons at the collar, revealing a section of her fair neck. Her hair was loosely tied up, held in place by a hairpin, with a few strands hanging down beside her cheeks.

She crossed her arms and leisurely sized up Jiang Shaosheng, her gaze sweeping from his delicate features to his strong physique.

Good morning, Aunt Xue.

Jiang Shaosheng forced a greeting, but tried to quicken his pace.

"What's the rush?"

Aunt Xue chuckled, her eyes sparkling.

"You act like you've seen a tiger when you see your aunt. But your aunt won't eat you."

That's hard to say.

Aunt Xue took a graceful half-step forward, and the fragrance became even stronger.

"Tsk tsk, look at that face, that physique, and all that sweat. You've been hiding inside practicing your moves again? Young man, it's good to have a lot of energy, but you need to find the right place to vent, right?"

Her words were loaded with meaning, and every smile and frown exuded a captivating charm.

Jiang Shaosheng quickly changed the subject, asking seriously, "Aunt Xue, did you hear anything unusual in the alley last night?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue raised her meticulously drawn eyebrows and said casually, "Muffled noise? Oh, I got back close to midnight, I'm so tired I feel like my bones are about to fall apart, I don't have the mind to eavesdrop."

"I went straight to sleep as soon as I got back. If I hadn't made an appointment with a tailor to alter my clothes this morning, I would still be dreaming right now."

As she spoke, she gave Jiang Shaosheng a meaningful look.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid to sleep alone? How about I come over to your room tonight when I'm back, to give you some courage?"

Jiang Shaosheng was taken aback by her blunt words and quickly waved his hand, "No! No! I was just asking casually. I have to rush to the training ground to find work, Aunt Xue, I'm leaving now."

After saying that, he quickly turned out of the alley, and behind him came Aunt Xue's silvery laughter.

"Why are you running away! Finding work is so hard. Do you want me to take care of you? My bed—no, my door—is always ready for you!"

Jiang Shaosheng quickened his pace, only letting out a sigh of relief when the laughter was cut off by the alley. He secretly sighed that this woman was truly irresistible.

As the saying goes, "Thirty and above is like ginger that's fully ripe."

Women of this age are no longer as naive and innocent as young girls of sixteen or seventeen. They have also shed the shyness and restraint of a new bride. They are now experienced, charming, and quick-witted.

A young man as impetuous and inexperienced as him was like a fledgling animal that had strayed into the hunter's sights in front of Aunt Xue, completely overwhelmed.

What other option is there but to flee in a panic?

Jiang Shaosheng shook his head, walked through the winding alleys, and headed towards the small training ground.

The Xiaoxiaochang Market is located in the Yong'anli commercial area. It was originally a military training ground for the old government, but it was abandoned after the old government was destroyed.

It gradually turned into an open-air labor market.

Before dawn, the market was already bustling with activity.

In the open space near the market, donkey carts and handcarts were parked haphazardly, and the drivers, with their hands behind their backs and their feet stamping, were shouting loudly to attract customers.

Men in shorts, women with headscarves, and boys of about half-grown age were all crammed together, some looking for work and others recruiting odd jobs.

"Unloading at the dock! Eighty-one days! One meal provided! Cash payment! We need ten, strong and healthy men!"

"When Master Li from Jishan Village builds his house, he needs three laborers to mix the mud!"

"It was ninety yesterday! How come it changed today?"

"Not enough? Look how many mouths are waiting! Take it or leave it!"

"Let's get to work! How could we not? We were just laughing and joking, hehe."

Jiang Shaosheng squeezed into the crowd, paying close attention to his work, when suddenly someone patted him on the shoulder from behind.

Since the fate effect was not triggered, the person who came should not have any malicious intent.

"Hey! Shaosheng! I knew you'd be here!"

The voice was quite loud, with a slightly boisterous quality, and stood out prominently amidst the cacophony of bargaining.

Without even thinking, I knew who was speaking.

As soon as Jiang Shaosheng turned around, Hong Pu's round face was right in front of him.

Today's Hong Pu has a rather unique image.

He wore an old baseball cap askew on his head, and his gray cloth jacket was not only wrinkled, but also had one button fastened incorrectly, causing the hem to be uneven.

"What are you doing here?"

Jiang Shaosheng was somewhat surprised. Yongshoutang had just disbanded, and he thought that, given Hong Pu's personality, he would most likely go home for a few days first.

Hong Pu pushed his baseball cap back, revealing his bare forehead, and said:

"When I told my dad yesterday that the shopkeeper had passed away, he almost fainted. It wasn't that he felt sorry for the shopkeeper, but he felt sorry that I would have to find a way to make a living now."

"I thought to myself, instead of staying at home listening to him sigh and complain, I might as well go out and try my luck myself. So, I came here first thing this morning."

As he spoke, his eyes kept darting around, sizing up the people recruiting, and his mouth was never idle.

"How's it going for you? Have you found a way? I just saw they're hiring people to haul mud from ponds outside the city. The pay is decent, but it's really far, and you have to bring your own food."

"Hey, look at that guy in the silk jacket, isn't he a foreman? He looks pretty well-off."

Jiang Shaosheng looked at his haphazard and disjointed manner, feeling both amused and exasperated.

That's Hong Pu for you. He's thick-skinned enough to run a horse. If the sky were to fall, his first thought would probably be whether he could hold it up for a while.

Yesterday, he looked miserable in the back alley of Yongshou Hall, saying, "I have to find a way to make a living again." Today, he's wearing a crooked hat and is squeezing into the market with great spirit.

"We haven't found a suitable one yet, and we're considering whether to unload the cargo at the dock."

Jiang Shaosheng replied.

"Unloading the ship? That's not an option!"

Hong Pu shook his head vigorously, almost throwing his baseball cap off, before hurriedly catching it.

"My dad said he did it for two days when he was young, and when he came back his shoulder was swollen like a bun, and he couldn't lift his arm for three days. I think we should find something easier."

"Hey, what do you say, how about we go to a teahouse and have a storyteller perform? I've heard storytellers retell 'The Legend of the Heroes of Canglang,' and I can practically recite several sections from memory!"

Jiang Shaosheng: "..."

To tell stories at a teahouse?

Given Hong Pu's incoherent and rambling manner, he'd probably be booed off the stage by the tea drinkers throwing melon seed shells at him before he could finish a sentence.

Stop overthinking. Let's look at the facts first.

Jiang Shaosheng said helplessly.

"Yes, yes."

Hong Pu readily accepted the suggestion and immediately changed his target.

"Shall we go over there and ask? I see a few places that look like they're hiring apprentices."

He pulled Jiang Shaosheng and tried to squeeze to the other side, almost bumping into an old man carrying a load on his shoulders, which drew a chorus of curses.

Hong Pu wasn't annoyed. He chuckled and apologized, but didn't stop walking.

The two jostled through the crowd, and Hongpu's mouth barely stopped moving.

One moment they'd comment on the foreman's mean face, the next they'd speculate, because the person recruiting workers was wearing a dark long gown and had a serious expression, whether the shop recruiting apprentices was a coffin shop.

Jiang Shaosheng was a little overwhelmed by the leaps in her train of thought.

However, with Hong Pu making such a fuss around, my mood, which was originally somewhat depressed due to the pressure of making a living, was inexplicably relieved.

Hong Pu is like a splash of color in this drab city, carefree yet possessing a tenacious vitality.

"Hey, Shaosheng, look over there!"

Hong Pu suddenly tugged at Jiang Shaosheng's sleeve and gestured towards a corner.

Jiang Shaosheng followed his gaze.

Several men dressed in black tight-fitting clothes stood there, with a middle-aged man in the middle wearing a silk-faced mandarin jacket, who was still twirling two iron walnuts in his hands.

They didn't shout loudly; they just erected a simple wooden sign with the words "Seeking Guards" written on it in ink.

"A bodyguard?"

Jiang Shaosheng's heart skipped a beat.

This is a job that might involve physical combat, and it's relatively respectable. Although it usually involves guarding the homes of wealthy families, which inevitably leads to trouble, the wages should be higher than simply doing manual labor.

Hong Pu's eyes lit up, looking eager to try.

"A bodyguard! That's great! No need to carry things in the wind and sun! Come on, let's go ask! Maybe we can team up again!"

As he spoke, he couldn't wait to pull Jiang Shaosheng towards the crowd, his baseball cap tilted at an angle, bouncing conspicuously in the throng.

Jiang Shaosheng, being pulled along by him, looked at Hong Pu's excited yet somewhat reckless back, shook his head, and couldn't help but slightly curve the corners of his mouth.

In this hazy morning, amidst the sea of ​​people struggling for a meal, having such a carefree old friend as a companion doesn't seem so bad.

The two pushed through the crowd and headed in that direction.