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

The door to the private room was opened from the inside.

In that instant, a warm breeze carrying the scents of wine, perfume, and fine sandalwood wafted over Xu Qing, like a soft hand gently caressing him.

The private room was enormous, so large it didn't resemble a room in a restaurant, but rather a master's study. A thick woven carpet covered the floor. Calligraphy and paintings hung on the four walls, and a rosewood screen stood in the corner, its carvings of landscapes and pavilions lifelike.

In the center was a large round table with a snow-white tablecloth, as white as freshly fallen snow. The bowls and plates were made of fine porcelain with gold trim, and the gold threads shimmered delicately in the candlelight, causing Xu Qing to lower his head.

Seven or eight people, men and women, sat around the table, dressed in fine silks and brocades, adorned with gold and jade jewelry. Each of them exuded an air of elegance and chatted amiably.

A young gentleman dressed in a moon-white robe sat in the main seat. He had handsome features and a composed demeanor. He was holding a cup of tea and sipping it lightly.

Xu Qing stood at the door, feeling like a rat that had broken into someone else's ancestral hall, with no part of him feeling comfortable.

He kept his head down, not daring to look at those people, unsure where to put his hands or whether he should take a step forward. The threshold was right under his feet, but his legs felt weak.

A servant standing by the door came out, frowned, glanced at him, and said in a cool tone, "Which household are you from? You've come to the wrong house. This is Young Master Su's private room."

"No...I didn't go to the wrong place..." Xu Qing's face flushed red, his voice barely audible, "I...I am...Xu Qing from the Zhao Family Martial Arts School...Young Master Su invited me here..."

"Xu Qing?" The attendant paused for a moment, then turned to look at Su Changhe in the main seat, his eyes filled with uncertainty.

Su Changhe put down his teacup, his gaze falling on Xu Qing. His brows furrowed slightly, but only for a moment before relaxing as quickly as if nothing had happened.

He stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and wore a polite smile: "So it's Young Master Xu, my apologies for not recognizing you earlier. Thank you so much for saving my cousin outside the city yesterday. I've prepared a small feast to express my gratitude. Please sit down, please sit down."

Upon hearing that he was the one who "saved his cousin," the young men and women at the table all put on smiling faces. Some nodded, some raised their glasses, and some curiously sized up Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was caught off guard by this scene, his mind was buzzing, and he didn't even hear what Su Changhe said. He blurted out, "Young Master Su... you're too kind. It's nothing, not worth mentioning..."

But he suddenly froze halfway through his sentence.

What?! He rescued his cousin Su outside the city yesterday? He had a fight with his mother at his second uncle's house yesterday; he didn't leave the city, nor did he rescue anyone!

"Young Master Su... no... no," he tried to explain, but his tongue felt like it was tied in a knot, twisted in his mouth, and he couldn't straighten it no matter what he did.

At this moment, a young girl emerged from behind the screen. She wore a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a few orchids embroidered on the hem, which swayed slightly as she walked. Her hair was styled in an exquisite bun, with a jade hairpin tucked into her temple. Her eyebrows and eyes were delicate, and her skin was fair, as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Xu Qing was stunned.

His mouth was open, and he forgot to close it; his eyes were wide open like saucers.

The girl walked step by step to Xu Qing and looked at him carefully. Her gaze fell on his face, from his eyebrows to his chin, and from his chin to his collar. Her brows furrowed more and more, and a thin vertical line appeared between them.

"You're not the one who saved me yesterday." Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the private room could hear her clearly.

Xu Qing's face turned deathly pale, as white as the sheet of rice paper hanging on the wall, devoid of any color. He stammered, "I...I...I was just about to say...Young Master Su...you've misunderstood. I didn't leave the city yesterday. I stayed home the whole time and didn't go anywhere..."

The private room fell silent.

All eyes were on Xu Qing, like countless needles pricking him from all directions, making him itchy all over and restless.

Su Changhe's expression changed slightly.

He set down his wine glass, placing it on the table with a soft thud. Looking at the attendant, his voice deepened: "What's going on? You managed to invite the wrong person?"

The attendant turned pale with fright, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He bowed deeply and stammered, "Young master, I did indeed go to the Zhao family martial arts school to invite Xu Qing..."

"Does the Zhao Family Martial Arts School have anyone named Xu Qing?" Su Changhe's voice was neither warm nor cold, but his tone already carried dissatisfaction.

Beside Su Changhe, a young man dressed in a royal blue robe suddenly spoke up.

He was fair-skinned, with a touch of languor in his eyes, and an air of nonchalant nobility about him.

He is Wu Mingyu, the eldest son of the Wu family, and Wu Mingyuan, the illegitimate son of the Zhao family martial arts school, is his fourth brother.

"Brother Su, I just remembered something." Wu Mingyu's eyes flickered. "My good-for-nothing fourth brother, Wu Mingyuan, also practices boxing at the Zhao family martial arts school. He mentioned it when he came back a while ago, saying that there was a guy named Xu Qing at the school whose physique was compatible with the Five Elements Fist and who was progressing very quickly, breaking through to the Ming Jin level in just over twenty days."

"I asked him if it was true, and he got upset, his face was as long as a donkey's, saying that the person's aptitude was below average, and his internal strength had reached its limit. However..." He paused, glanced at Xin Ling'er, and a slight smile appeared on his lips, "Xu Qing, Xu Qing, these two names do sound somewhat similar. Could it be that Miss Xin misheard?"

Xin Ling'er is the young lady that Xu Qing rescued yesterday.

The Xin family were the relatives of the second son of the county magistrate, and were wealthy households in Baishuibao.

Xin Ling'er was unhappy with the marriage arranged by her parents, so she secretly ran away to the county town to find her aunt, but unexpectedly encountered villains on the way.

Xin Ling'er was also confused. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she twisted her handkerchief between her fingers. She tried hard to recall what had happened yesterday. The person had given their name, but the wind had carried away the sound, and she only heard "Zhao Family Martial Arts School" and a vague syllable. Was it Xu Qing or Xu Qing? She really couldn't tell.

Su Changhe's expression softened. He glanced at Xu Qing, his previous politeness gone, and said indifferently, "Young Master Xu, it seems we made a mistake. We're sorry to inconvenience you today, so we won't keep you any longer."

He waved his hand lightly, as if brushing away a speck of dust from a table. His attendant immediately stepped forward and gestured for him to enter.

Xu Qing's legs trembled, so weak he could barely stand. His face was as red as a boiled shrimp, burning from the base of his neck to the tips of his ears, hot enough to fry an egg.

He dared not look at anyone, his head down, his back bent, like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, tucking its tail between its legs, inching its way towards the stairwell.

He tripped and stepped on the hem of his own robe, almost falling over. He managed to steady himself by grabbing the door frame.

He heard a soft laugh behind him, but he didn't know who it came from. The laugh was very soft, but it felt like a knife to his ears, cutting into his heart piece by piece.

His face turned even redder, then a deep purple, then a dark purple, as if he wanted to bury his head in the wall. He didn't know how he got downstairs or out of Furui Building.

The night wind blew on his face, cool and refreshing. He stood on the street, his mind blank.

He wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, to go underground, to a place where no one could see him, to a place where the name "Xu Qing" was nowhere to be found.

In the private room, Su Changhe sat down again, and the chair made a slight creak.

He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and stared at the closed door for a moment before looking away at the attendant.

His voice wasn't loud, but his attendant's ears perked up like rabbits: "Go to the Zhao family martial arts school again. This time, find out for sure if it's really Xu Qing. If you can't get him there, don't bother coming back."

The attendant wiped the sweat from his brow, nodded repeatedly in a hurried and rapid voice, and then quickly went out the door.

Wu Mingyu put down his wine glass, smiled, and said with a hint of amusement, "Brother Su, I'm quite curious about this Xu Qing. He broke through to the Ming Jin realm in just over twenty days, and even my arrogant half-brother is incredibly envious. He must have some skill."

Su Changhe didn't reply, but simply picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and stared at the candlelight, lost in thought.

Xin Ling'er sat to the side, head down, the handkerchief in her hand crumpled from twisting. She muttered softly, "Cousin, if we can't find anyone, then forget it..."

Su Changhe glanced at her, smiled, and said with an older brother's certainty, "Ling'er, don't worry, I will definitely find the person. We can't leave without even saying thank you for saving my life."

.......

Zhao Family Martial Arts School.

Moonlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting a shimmering, silvery glow on the blue brick floor of the inner courtyard.

Xu Qing was practicing his boxing. With each punch, his muscles and bones resonated, and ten layers of force were stacked on top of each other, making the air crackle.

His shadow was stretched long by the moonlight, cast on the wall, stretching and contracting with his movements, like a beast pacing in a cage.

He had been fighting for half an hour, his body drenched in sweat, which streamed down his back, soaking his gray-blue cloth robe into a dark color that clung to his body. Yet his breathing remained steady, each breath rising and falling like the tides, neither hurried nor agitated. His steps remained firm, each step on the blue bricks feeling as if rooted to the ground.

Zhao Yan sat in the pavilion watching. He held a teacup in one hand and stroked his beard with the other, nodding occasionally with a contented smile on his face.

Ning Yun stood to the side, his face gentle, his gaze following Xu Qing's figure as if he were watching a tree growing taller and taller, changing every day, and he could never get enough of looking at it.

Chen Wang hurried into the inner courtyard, his footsteps quick and heavy, the soles of his boots clattering on the blue bricks. He stopped by the pavilion and bowed, saying, "Master, Young Master Su from the County Magistrate's Office has sent someone again."

Zhao Yan put down his teacup and glanced at him.

Chen Wang continued, "They said they invited the wrong person. They didn't want to invite Junior Brother Xu Qing, but Junior Brother Xu Qing to a banquet at Fu Rui Lou. The messenger said that Junior Brother Xu Qing saved Young Master Su's cousin outside the city yesterday and wanted to express his gratitude in person."

Zhao Yan didn't rush to speak. He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and his gaze fell on the figure practicing boxing.

That morning, when Chen Wang reported that the Su family had invited Xu Qing to a banquet, he found it suspicious. He knew Xu Qing well; his martial arts skills were mediocre, and his character was even more questionable. Why would the Su family's young master invite him?

Now he understands.

The Su family wants to invite Xu Qing, not Xu Qing.

The names are similar, I misheard.

Zhao Yan was silent for a moment. He stood up, walked to the pavilion, and called out, "Aqing."

Xu Qing withdrew his fist, turned around, his forehead covered in sweat, and his breathing not yet fully calmed: "Master."

"Change your clothes and go to Fu Rui Lou." Zhao Yan's voice was unhurried. "The second young master of the Su family has invited you, and you can't refuse. His father, Magistrate Su, has some connections with me, and your senior brother Su Mingkong in the inner courtyard is a member of the Su family. Go and have a seat, have a drink, and don't be impolite."

Xu Qing was stunned for a moment.

He stood in the moonlight, sweat streaming down his face. He raised his hand to wipe it, revealing a wet patch on the back of his hand.

He wanted to say no, but looking at his master's expression, he realized it wasn't an order or a demand, but a gentle yet undeniable "You should go."

He swallowed his words, nodded, and turned to go back into the house.

He washed away his sweat, tied his hair back up, changed into a light gray cloth robe, and then left the hospital, following the attendant who was waiting at the door.

Under the moonlight, the two people disappeared one after the other at the alley entrance.