Becoming a martial arts god starting from the mortician.

The sun was setting, and twilight was descending.

In the Shen family courtyard, Shen Qi was squatting in front of the earthen stove, fanning the fire intermittently with a palm-leaf fan.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

Three slow, deliberate knocks on the door interrupted Shen Qi's thoughts.

Shen Qi put down his palm-leaf fan, casually dusted off the coarse cloth hem, and turned to walk towards the courtyard gate.

The bolt was pulled open.

Zhou Wenyuan tucked his hands into his sleeves, a polite smile on his face.

"Master Shen, I apologize for disturbing you," Zhou Wenyuan said gently, stepping into the courtyard on his own.

His gaze naturally fell on Shen Qi.

Zhou Wenyuan was stunned.

During the day, he saw Shen Qi's back from afar on the second floor of the teahouse and only noticed that the boy had vigorous blood and energy and was beginning to show signs of martial arts.

He had initially thought that this kid was just a promising talent with a few more advantages than the average person.

But now the two are only three feet apart, and Zhou Wenyuan can sense them more clearly.

Shen Qi stood there, wearing a loose, coarse cotton robe, but beneath that thin skin, his blood and energy were surprisingly robust.

In just a few days, without the guidance of a renowned teacher, without consuming potent medicines, and without practicing body-strengthening methods, he was able to achieve his goal.

The body's energy and blood, nourished solely by the newly revealed martial veins, are comparable to those of a martial artist who has practiced martial arts for a month with medication.

Zhou Wenyuan was secretly surprised.

Such a martial lineage is truly rare. Even among martial arts families that have been passed down for thousands of years, it is extremely difficult to find someone with such talent.

If we bring this kid back and refine him a little, not to mention surpassing his current level, it wouldn't be impossible for him to reach the flawless realm of the sixth level of martial arts in the future!

Zhou Wenyuan felt that his previous plan had been too hasty.

This unparalleled gem must not be ruined in this run-down town.

He suppressed the shock in his eyes, cleared his throat, and stared intently at Shen Qi.

"Master Shen, you've lived in Qingping Town for so many years, are you familiar with the concept of 'martial artist'?" Zhou Wenyuan asked with a smile.

Alarm bells rang in Shen Qi's mind.

He feigned confusion: "Mr. Zhou, are you making fun of me? Aren't all the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) who come and go in town, and the yamen runners with swords, really skilled in martial arts?"

Zhou Wenyuan chuckled upon hearing this and shook his head repeatedly.

"What kind of martial arts practitioners are they? They're just brutes who've learned some rudimentary techniques. They're far from the true path of martial arts."

Zhou Wenyuan took a step forward, his voice suddenly rising in pitch.

"True martial arts are far beyond your imagination."

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Wenyuan no longer tried to hide his true feelings.

He slowly raised his right hand.

Shen Qi's gaze involuntarily followed that hand.

Suddenly, a faint golden light appeared on Zhou Wenyuan's palm.

Zhou Wenyuan did not make any move to exert force; he simply waved his hand casually at a heavy bluestone in the corner of the courtyard from a distance of about ten feet.

"Bang!"

The stone slab shattered into pieces upon impact, turning into a pile of dust at its center. Several sharp fragments flew out, grazing Shen Qi's clothes, the force of the wind stinging his cheeks.

The courtyard was completely silent.

Only broken stone chips fell from the sky, hitting the withered leaves and making a soft rustling sound.

Shen Qi's face was pale, his eyes were wide, and he staggered back half a step, perfectly demonstrating the shock and fear that an ordinary person would feel when they see such inhuman power.

Deep down, he was genuinely horrified, but his fear was consumed by another, more intense and frantic emotion.

He stared intently at the pile of rubble, his heart pounding like a drum. Is this the way of martial arts?

With a casual wave of his hand, he split the stone tablet and shattered the rock. Such power made Shen Qi clench his fists.

He wanted that power.

Zhou Wenyuan slowly withdrew his hand, the golden light in his palm fading away, seemingly very satisfied with Shen Qi's reaction. His tone softened again: "This is my current realm, the fourth realm of martial arts, the Golden Body Realm. Just now, I didn't even use one-tenth of my strength."

Shen Qi swallowed hard, lowered his head, and dared not speak.

"I have come to your door because I saw you in the market during the day."

Zhou Wenyuan stood with his hands behind his back and made his point clear.

"I observe that your qi and blood are extraordinary, making you a martial arts prodigy, one in a hundred years. According to the rules of the court, you must accompany me to the prefecture or state to verify your aptitude so that you can learn orthodox martial arts in the future. Given time, your achievements will surely surpass mine. Even entering the court as an official and being ennobled as a marquis or general is not out of the question, saving you from spending your whole life confined to this cold and gloomy mortuary, keeping company with the dead."

Shen Qi lowered his head cautiously and asked carefully, "Since you have granted me such immense wealth and honor, what is there for me to do?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Wenyuan's eyes, followed by admiration.

This composure and temperament are even more precious than talent.

"You're a smart man, so I won't beat around the bush." ​​Zhou Wenyuan pulled over a worn-out wooden chair in the yard, sat down calmly, and said solemnly, "Do you know who Wang Laosan, the man you went to collect from his body that day, really was?"

Shen Qi shook his head silently.

"His original name was Wang Shou, and he was my fellow disciple." Zhou Wenyuan stared into Shen Qi's eyes and slowly spoke, "Logically speaking, it is not in accordance with the rules to tell you all this now, but I do have other requests. Please listen to me slowly."

"Wang Shou was originally a third-class Vein Searcher in the Observatory of the Dayan Dynasty. His duty was to search for geniuses with martial veins in remote rural areas and register them in the 'Vein Search Record.' Every autumn, we 'Sound Transmission Envoys' would collect the lists and submit them to the first and second-class Vein Searchers of the prefectures and counties."

Zhou Wenyuan's tone carried a hint of indifference and helplessness towards the world: "The Dayan Dynasty strictly follows the late Emperor Taizu's instructions and has extremely strict control over the inheritance of martial arts. For thousands of years, talented people from all over the country have been screened out by the court generation after generation and concentrated in major cities. Martial veins are mostly inherited through bloodlines. Therefore, after generations of screening, the probability of a person with a natural martial vein appearing in a rural place like Qingping Town is extremely low. Even if one does appear, it is mostly an inferior martial vein. Apart from being stronger, they are no different from ordinary people."

Hearing this, Shen Qi suddenly felt enlightened.

No wonder the life threads of the thousands upon thousands of people in the town are all uniformly gray and white!

It turns out that the lucky ones have all been chosen.

Zhou Wenyuan's face was grim, his eyes revealing a hint of sorrow: "It's precisely because it's increasingly difficult for martial arts masters to emerge from remote areas that the imperial court has been continuously reducing the number of personnel sent out in recent years. This has left my junior brother isolated and helpless, without even anyone to look after him. That's how that thief practicing evil arts was able to take advantage of the situation!"

Zhou Wenyuan gritted his teeth, each word filled with hatred: "That villain tortured my junior brother to death, using cruel and evil techniques to forcibly seize his martial meridians!"

Upon hearing the words "seize the martial meridians," Shen Qi's heart tightened.

A million thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant.

No! Absolutely not!

If the murderer stole Wang Laosan's martial meridians, then why did the crimson "life thread" remain intact on Wang Laosan's body after his death, and why was it eventually seized by him with his divine eye?

Shen Qi felt a cold sweat seep down his back.

Are the Martial Vein and the Life Thread the same thing? If the murderer stole the Martial Vein, then what is this crimson Life Thread that I absorbed?

If the two are different entities, then I not only possess Wang Laosan's life essence, but also gained a powerful physique through assimilation. What is the reason for this?

Shen Qi bit her tongue, using the pain to suppress her thoughts and force herself to keep her face calm.

He took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked directly into Zhou Wenyuan's eyes: "Sir, you've said so much... what exactly do you need me to do?"

Zhou Wenyuan suppressed his anger, stood up, and looked down at Shen Qi.

He didn't want to risk taking this peerless jade out, but time was of the essence, and the evil man was still lurking in the shadows, ready to escape at any moment. He had no other choice.

Zhou Wenyuan's gaze was cold and hard as he slowly uttered two words:

"As bait."