Breaking Limits in Martial Arts: Grinding Your Way to Becoming a Martial Saint in a Chaotic Era

At lunchtime, my second aunt heated up the steamed buns that my aunt's family had brought, stir-fried two dishes, and boiled an egg.

The family sat together, Xiu'er chattering away, while Xu Qing recounted events at the martial arts school: Xiu'er had mastered the basics of stance training, and the Five Elements Fist had achieved some proficiency; the school had even added meat and medicinal soup to their meals...

"Meat every day? That's wonderful!" Auntie was both surprised and delighted. Her chopsticks hovered in mid-air, and she didn't pick up any food for a long time, just staring at Xu Qing.

As Xu Erniu listened from the side, his smile gradually grew wider.

He had been worried about not being able to earn enough money for Xu Qing's meat. These past few days, lying in bed, this was the thing that weighed heavily on his mind. Now that he heard the martial arts school had added meat to the meal, the weight on his heart finally eased a bit.

"Okay, okay." Xu Erniu nodded repeatedly, his voice a little weak but with a rare lightness. "The martial arts school treats you well, so you should train hard and not let them down."

Xu Qing nodded: "Don't worry, Second Uncle, I know."

After dinner, Xiu'er pestered Xu Qing to talk about the martial arts school for a long time, and then asked him to demonstrate two moves of the Five Elements Fist.

The little girl's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands, shouting, "Brother is so amazing! Brother is a great hero!"

Xu Qing was amused by her and gently pinched her nose: "Go on, go play, I have some things to do."

Xiuer exclaimed "Hey!" and skipped away.

After finishing his meal, my second uncle was helped into the house by my second aunt and lay down.

My second aunt moved a small stool to sit in the yard, holding a hemp rope and a shuttle in her hand, and began to mend the net.

The autumn sun shone on her, making her gray hair shine, and the shuttle in her hands flew up and down.

Xu Qing moved a stool and sat down next to her second aunt. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "Second Aunt, what exactly is wrong with Second Uncle's illness?"

My aunt's hand jerked violently, and she almost pricked herself.

The shuttle stopped, and she remained silent for a long time. So long that Xu Qing thought she wouldn't say anything.

"It was Liu San." Auntie's voice was very low, as if she was afraid of being overheard. "The night you left, he came with some men to borrow money. Your second uncle said he didn't have any, so he... kicked your second uncle. The money was lost, and your second uncle was also injured..."

Her voice trembled: "That kick landed right on my chest. Your second uncle has been in pain these past few days, tossing and turning at night, unable to sleep. I suggested we get some medicine, but he wouldn't allow it, saying he'd get better with rest and that the money should be saved for you..."

Auntie's eyes reddened, and she lowered her head, wiping away tears with the back of her hand: "But he's been recuperating for seven days, and his chest is still covered in bruises... He's breathless when he walks... He needs help to get into bed... He hasn't been able to go fishing on the boat for seven days..."

Xu Qing remained silent.

He sat on the stool, motionless, like a piece of wood.

But the fire in my heart reignited.

The fire burned so fiercely and intensely that his heart pounded as if it were about to burst out of his chest, and his breathing became labored, as if something was blocking his chest, making it hard to breathe.

He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

"Second Aunt, Second Uncle's injury can't be delayed." His voice was very calm, almost unnaturally so. "I'll go to the street to fetch a doctor."

Auntie looked up, opened her mouth, wanting to say that the family had no money, and that Uncle wouldn't allow her to invite him. But looking into Xu Qing's eyes, all those words stuck in her throat, and she couldn't utter a single word.

......

Xu Qing went to the street and invited a doctor.

The old doctor, surnamed Zhou, was the only physician in the area of ​​Blackwater Bay who was willing to treat the poor. He carried a medicine box, had a white beard, and examined Xu Erniu's wrist for a while before lifting his clothes to look at the bruises on his chest.

"The Qi gate has been damaged." Doctor Zhou shook his head, his tone neither too strong nor too weak. "The Qi and blood have suddenly stagnated between the skin, flesh, and fascia, causing pain due to Qi stagnation and swelling due to blood stasis. Fortunately, it is still in the meridians and has not yet entered the internal organs. If it is delayed for a few more days, it may lead to a chronic illness."

He wrote a prescription and got three days' worth of medicine. The consultation fee and medicine cost a total of one tael of silver.

When Xu Qing took out the silver from his pocket to pay, his second aunt moved her lips but didn't stop him. She just turned away and secretly wiped her eyes with her apron.

The medicine was ready. My second uncle drank it and was helped into the house by my second aunt to lie down.

Xu Qing stood in the courtyard, watching the sun gradually set in the west, pondering in his mind.

He had planned to return to the martial arts school that same day before going home, but now he's not in a hurry to leave.

He used to endure things because he was incompetent, weak, and couldn't stand up straight, so he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.

You have to endure being robbed of your money, you have to endure being beaten, you have to endure being trampled on. Because if you don't endure, you will suffer even greater losses, and your family will suffer as well.

It's different now.

He'd practiced martial arts, which had sharpened his eyesight; he could see everything clearly. Liu San and his gang were nothing but charlatans. They relied on their ferocity to intimidate others; in a real fight, any novice disciple in the martial arts school could easily take them down.

His mind raced through his training progress over the past few days—

【Five Elements Fist (Minor Success): 69/200】

【Three Talents Stance (Beginner): 30/100】

He's got the skills.

No need to endure it anymore.

It's time to settle both old and new scores.

......

That night, Xu Qing did not return to the martial arts school.

He waited until his second uncle and aunt were fast asleep, until Xiu'er's even breathing came from the inner room, and until only the sound of the wind and the occasional sound of water from the distant river bend remained in the courtyard, before he quietly got up.

The moonlight was faint, mostly obscured by clouds, leaving only a dim, sparse light on the ground.

Using the dim light, he made his way to the storeroom and found a fish-killing knife behind the door. The blade wasn't long, but it was sharpened to a fine point; it had killed hundreds and thousands of fish in Blackwater Bay, and its edge gleamed coldly.

He tucked the knife into his waistband, pushed open the courtyard gate, slipped out, and then gently closed the door behind him.

The night wind rushed towards me, carrying the fishy smell of the river and the chill of late autumn.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, and the fire in his chest calmed down, becoming cold and heavy. It stopped burning, stopped throbbing, and felt like quenched iron, hard and heavy.

Xu Qing walked briskly along the path beside the dock, her steps as light as a cat's, not even making a sound on the pebbles on the ground.

Liu San's hideout was at the east end of the dock, which he had known for a long time. Every time he passed by that place, he would lower his head and bend over, not daring to even glance at it.

He easily made his way around to the back of the house, squatted down by the wall, and listened for a while.

There were snores coming from inside, one heavy, like a bellows; another high-pitched, like something stuck in its throat; and a third intermittent, picking up again occasionally as the person turned over.

All three people were present.

Xu Qing walked around to the door and pushed it open—

The door opened.

The door latch wasn't on. Blackie got up to urinate in the middle of the night and forgot to latch it when he came back.

He slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

The room was pitch black, filled with the stench of alcohol, sweat, and feet, making one feel dizzy.

Xu Qing's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.

He saw a wooden bed against the wall, where Liu San was lying sprawled out, snoring loudly.

Two tattered quilts were laid on the ground, and two henchmen were curled up on them.

One head was tilted to one side, its mouth half-open, drool dripping from its mouth. Another, as black as an eel, was curled up in a ball, the blanket kicked to one side, revealing two thin, dark legs.

Bamboo poles and black leather.

Xu Qing slowly pulled out the fish-killing knife.

The blade flashed briefly in the darkness, then disappeared again. Like a fish flipping over on the surface of the water, it was silent and unnoticed.

He had expected it to take some effort. He would have to subdue this one first, then deal with that one, and there would inevitably be a fight.

But when he actually stood in front of these three people, he suddenly felt—

It's so easy.

They slept like logs, not even turning over.

Xu Qing walked up to the bamboo pole and looked down at its thin, wrinkled face.

This man followed Liu San in bullying men and women, and did many bad things.

It's not a pity to die.

He crouched down, covered the bamboo pole's mouth with his left hand, and plunged a knife into his heart with his right.

The sound of the blade entering flesh was muffled, like piercing a thick layer of cloth.

Bamboo pole's body suddenly stiffened, its eyes widened, and a muffled "ho" came out of its throat, which was firmly blocked in its mouth by Xu Qing's palm.

He struggled a couple of times, kicking his arms and legs wildly, and then stopped moving.

Blood gushed from the wound, flowing down the hilt of the knife onto Xu Qing's hand; it was warm and sticky.

Xu Qing pulled out the knife, wiped it on the bamboo pole's clothes, and stood up.

Blackie lay sleeping beside the bamboo pole, no more than three feet away.

The bamboo pole's struggles woke him up.

He groggily rolled over, muttering, "Bamboo pole... why the hell did you kick me...?"

He opened his eyes halfway through his sentence.

In the darkness, he saw a dark figure crouching beside him, holding something shiny in its hand.

"who--"

Before he could even cry out, Xu Qing plunged a knife into his throat.

The knife was swift and precise, piercing right into the throat.

Blackie's voice was stuck in his throat, turning into a series of gurgling sounds of blood bubbles.

He covered his neck with both hands, his body thrashed about like a fish thrown ashore, kicked his legs a couple of times, and then stopped moving.

Xu Qing drew his sword and stood up.

Liu San was finally awakened.

He had practiced boxing for a few days, so his reaction was faster than the other two. Hearing the noise, he suddenly opened his eyes, rolled off the bed, staggered back two steps, and knocked over a stool in the corner.

"Who?! Who the hell is it—"

His voice trembled, tinged with fear and a hint of grogginess from just waking up.

He groped around on the wall, trying to find something.

Xu Qing did not answer, but simply took a step forward.

Liu San's eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, and with the faint light coming in from the window, he could see the person in front of him clearly.

That young, angular face, those cold, emotionless eyes.

"Xu...Xu Qing?!"

His voice changed tone, as if he had seen a ghost.

"You...you're insane?!" Liu San took a step back, his back against the wall, his voice shrill and hoarse. "I'm a member of the Giant Whale Gang! If you dare touch me, the gang won't let you get away with it! Your second uncle, your second aunt, your sister! None of them will escape!"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed slightly.

He remembered his second uncle's sallow face, his second aunt's red eyes, and Xiu'er's small figure squatting at the door drawing tree branches.

He didn't give Liu San a chance to speak again.

He stepped forward, grabbed Liu San by the collar with his left hand, and pressed him firmly against the wall.

Liu San struggled desperately, kicking and thrashing about, but in Xu Qing's hands, he was like a chicken with its neck being choked, flapping its wings a few times, but to no avail.

Xu Qing's hands gripped his neck like iron clamps, pinning him firmly to the wall.

Xu Qing gripped the knife in his right hand and plunged it into Liu San's abdomen.

"Ugh—!"

Liu San's eyes suddenly bulged out, his mouth opened wide, and he let out a muffled groan.

Blood gushed from the wound, trickling down his trouser leg and dripping onto the ground.

Xu Qing pulled out his knife and stabbed him again.

The knife pierced his chest, the blade scraping against his ribs with a "crunch," like snapping a dry twig.

Liu San's body convulsed violently, a "hoarse" sound came from his throat, and his eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out.

Xu Qingsong opened her hand.

Liu San slid slowly down the wall, collapsed on the ground, blood foam gushing from his mouth, his body twitching.

He stared at Xu Qing with wide eyes, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but only blood and foam oozed from the corner of his mouth.

After a few breaths, he stopped moving.

The room was deathly silent.

Xu Qing stood between the three corpses, looking down at his blood-stained hands.

The fish-killing knife was covered in blood, which dripped down the blade, one drop, two drops, onto the ground and seeped into the soil.

His hands were steady. His heart was steady too.

There was not a trace of panic or discomfort after killing; only an indescribable sense of exhilaration. It was like finally exhaling a breath that had been held in for a long time. It was like finally removing a stone that had been pressing on my chest.

He searched Liu San's body and pulled out a heavy money bag.

Upon opening it, I found over five taels of silver and several dozen copper coins.

This is what Liu San won at the gambling den tonight; he hasn't had time to spend it yet.

He searched the bamboo pole and the black leather body again, finding only a few dozen copper coins, which he kept.

Xu Qing wiped the knife repeatedly on Liu San's clothes before tucking it back into his waistband.

One last look at the three corpses on the ground.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the three pale faces and the bloodstains on the ground.

Then, he turned around, pushed open the door, and disappeared into the night.