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

The Laba Festival, also known as the Golden Scale Festival, is held once a year and is the most lively day in Qinghe County.

However, the excitement was mainly for the city's elites, and had little to do with ordinary people.

The common people only knew that there was a big event at the government office today, but they couldn't even get through the main gate. They could only stand next to the pair of stone lions at the entrance, craning their necks to look inside, hearing faint voices coming from within, but seeing nothing at all.

The martial arts school disciples sparred in the training ground in the backyard of the county government office.

The courtyard was a large, square one, twice the size of the main hall in front. The ground was paved with blue bricks, as smooth as a mirror, with fine sand filling the gaps between the bricks. The snow had been swept clean, leaving not a trace even at the corners of the walls.

The venue was enormous; even with a hundred or so people standing there, it wouldn't feel crowded. It was more than enough for disciples from six martial arts schools plus guests who came to watch the spectacle.

There is a side gate on the east side of the training ground, leading to a two-story building in the backyard.

Standing on the upper floor, you can see half of the county town. The building is exquisitely constructed, with upturned eaves and carved windows. Under the eaves hangs a plaque with the three characters "Tingfenglou" (Listening to the Wind Pavilion), written in a vigorous and powerful style. It is said that the plaque was personally inscribed by the county magistrate, Lin Hanshan.

The snow in front of the building was swept clean, and a red carpet was laid on the steps, stretching from the building entrance all the way to the edge of the drill ground.

Today's banquet will be held on the second floor of Tingfeng Tower.

......

Before long, the Zhao Family Martial Arts School's carriage stopped in front of the county government office.

As soon as Zhao Yan got out of the car, he was led to Tingfeng Tower.

Ning Yun and Xu Qing arrived at the training ground together.

Xu Qing was on temporary assignment in the yamen and was very familiar with the martial arts training ground.

But today, things are a little different at the training ground.

In the center of the arena stood a high platform, nearly ten feet high and thirty feet wide, constructed of fine pine wood, its surface covered with thick wooden planks without a single gap. The benches and weapon racks along the sides of the arena had also been removed, leaving the area neat, tidy, and bright.

The training ground was already quite crowded. People were gathered in twos and threes, some talking in hushed tones, some looking around, and some resting with their eyes closed.

Xu Qing followed Ning Yun, and as soon as they entered the training ground, someone noticed them.

A burly young man stepped out from the crowd, clasped his hands in a fist salute from afar, and said in a loud voice, "Senior Brother Ning! Long time no see!"

Ning Yun smiled slightly and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Junior Brother Cao, how have you been?"

The visitor was Cao Sheng, a master of internal strength from the Shi Family Martial Arts School, and the school's prized disciple.

The Shi family martial arts school and the Zhao family martial arts school are both located in the western part of the city. The masters of the two families are familiar with each other, and their disciples are also close. More importantly, both families are close to the Su family, the county magistrate.

Besides those two families, the Jingtao Martial Arts School in Dongcheng also has close ties with the Su family.

Before Ning Yun and Cao Sheng could exchange more than a few words, people from the Jingtao Martial Arts School came over and greeted them with smiles.

No sooner had Cao Sheng and the people from Jingtao Martial Arts School left than others gathered around.

This time it was a tall, thin man dressed in a black outfit. He walked up to Ning Yun with a half-smile: "Oh, Senior Brother Ning is here? Zhao Family Martial Arts School sent you out again this year to save face? Is your school short of people, or is your master unwilling to let someone else embarrass themselves?"

Ning Yun glanced at him, her expression unchanged, and said calmly, "Junior Brother Li still doesn't know how to speak properly. Is the rule of the Benlei Martial Arts School that they only teach fist techniques and not manners?"

The tall, thin man's smile froze for a moment, then he snorted and turned to leave.

"Li Yunhe of Benlei Martial Arts School has mastered the hidden strength," Ning Yun said calmly, turning his gaze away from the departing figure. "The eldest son of the Li family, and also Yu Tai's prized disciple. He was once defeated by me, and he always makes sarcastic remarks whenever we meet. Just ignore him."

Xu Qing nodded and made a note of the name.

Before long, several groups of people arrived. Some had beaming smiles, some had cold faces, some wanted to see Ning Yun make a fool of himself, and some felt sorry for Ning Yun.

Ning Yun remained calm and composed in the face of everything.

Ning Yun was introducing the backgrounds of the previous group of people to Xu Qing when a gentle voice came from the side.

"Senior Brother Ning."

Xu Qing turned her head and saw a young man of about eighteen or nineteen years old walking towards them.

He wore a dark blue brocade robe, had a handsome face, and a scholarly air about him. He walked with a steady, unhurried pace.

Behind him was a man of similar age, more robust in build, with more defined features, but who didn't seem to have any ill intentions.

When Ning Yun saw the person who had arrived, his expression changed slightly. It wasn't wariness, nor indifference, but rather a complex mix of emotions. It was like someone finding an old item from many years ago in a box of belongings; they clearly remembered it, but seeing it in person still stirred up a wave of feelings within them.

He paused for a moment before clasping his hands in greeting and saying, "Junior Brother Shen, it's been a long time."

The newcomer was Shen Zhao, the second young master of the Shen family. The more robust man behind him was his cousin, Shen Kang.

Shen Zhao walked up to Ning Yun, his gaze lingering on Ning Yun's face for a moment. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only sighed softly and said in a low voice, "Your matter... is something my Shen family has wronged you with. My father also had his difficulties..."

Ning Yun was silent for a moment, a moment so brief it was like the blink of an eye, then smiled faintly, like the thin sunlight in winter—not much warmth, but not cold either: "Junior Brother Shen, there's no need for that. There's no need to bring up the past."

A hint of guilt flashed in Shen Zhao's eyes. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but after looking at the people coming and going around him, he ultimately didn't say anything more.

He simply patted Ning Yun's arm, whispered "I'll treat you to drinks another day," and then left with Shen Kang.

Xu Qing watched Shen Zhao's retreating figure, then glanced at Ning Yun's profile. Ning Yun's face was expressionless, but Xu Qing vaguely sensed that something was amiss, though she didn't ask.

Ning Yun didn't bother to explain. She simply turned around and continued walking forward, her tone returning to its usual calm: "Let's go, I'll show you around and introduce you to some people."

It was said that he was showing them around to recognize people, but in reality, he was only talking to Xu Qing. Wu Mingyuan was a given, and Chen Wang's home was also in the city, so he had seen almost everyone at the martial arts training ground.

They walked to the west side of the training ground, where the view was better, offering a panoramic view of the entire area without being crowded by the crowd.

Ning Yun stopped, his gaze sweeping over the small groups of people in the crowd, and began to point out the wrong people to Xu Qing.

After observing the people in the arena, Ning Yun turned his gaze to the Listening Wind Pavilion in the backyard.

"Look over there, those people behind the railing on the second floor."

Xu Qing followed his gaze. Behind the second-floor railing, a group of people sat indistinctly, some drinking tea, some talking in hushed tones, and some casually watching the crowd below. Their postures varied, yet they all exuded a sense of composure. That composure was something only those standing at a high place possessed.

"The one in the very center, wearing a crimson robe, is the magistrate's eldest son, Lin Zhuo." Ning Yun's voice was soft, almost like whispering in Xu Qing's ear. "The one next to him, wearing a moon-white brocade robe, is his younger brother, Lin Mu."

Xu Qing's gaze lingered on Lin Mu.

Lin Mu was in his early twenties, with fair skin and a somewhat effeminate air about him. He was holding a glass of wine, looking down at the people in the martial arts arena, a faint smile playing on his lips, as if he were watching a group of fighting cocks.

Xu Qing's gaze remained unchanged, but something inside him suddenly tightened. It felt as if a hand had reached into his chest, gripped his heart, and twisted it repeatedly.

This is the man who gave the order to have the ship rammed into them. In his eyes, his own parents' lives were worth less than a fish. Fish can be sold for money, but human lives are worthless.

Unaware of Xu Qing's change in mind, Ning Yun continued, "The Lin family is the pillar of Qinghe County, involved in salt, iron, tea, silk, pawnshops, and money exchanges. More than 20% of the businesses in the county are owned by the Lin family."

Xu Qing remained silent. His gaze shifted from Lin Mu. He saw Su Changhe and another person smiling and nodding in his direction.

Su Changhe, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, stood out in the crowd. The person beside him was a few inches taller, with a similar face, but with a more composed demeanor.

Xu Qing and Ning Yun responded with smiles.

"You've met Changhe. The person next to him is his elder brother, also known as Senior Brother Su Mingkong, whom you haven't met before. Junior Brother Su went to the prefectural city for the past few days and only returned yesterday."

Ning Yun lowered his voice, so low that only Xu Qing could hear him: "The Su family is another powerful force in Qinghe County. Twenty percent of the businesses in the county town belong to the Su family. The Su family and the Lin family appear to be on good terms, but in reality, they have been fighting for decades."

Xu Qing nodded.

He had heard Constable Qi mention these things before, but hearing Ning Yun say them now felt different. Those names were no longer just words on paper, but living, breathing people.

These people sat behind the railing of Tingfeng Tower, drinking wine, sipping tea, and talking, watching the disciples practicing martial arts downstairs as if they were watching a group of monkeys.

They sit in high positions and can decide the fate of countless people in this county with the slightest movement of their fingers.