I practiced my spirituality alone in Hong Kong.

Late 1970s, Sai Wan, Hong Kong Island.

The wind from the west bank of Victoria Harbour, carrying a salty, damp scent, crept into the bustling market early in the morning.

This place was originally a barren beach, but as the nearby docks became more and more prosperous, more and more fishermen and workers gathered here, and it naturally became the busiest vegetable market in Sai Wan.

Because of its proximity to the sea, most of the stalls here sell fresh fish and shrimp that have just been brought ashore, and the air is filled with the smell of the sea.

This strong, pungent smell is most attractive to rats.

At a fish stall, the owner, wearing a black rubber apron, was bending over to weigh grouper for someone. Behind him, in a bamboo basket, several lobsters that had just been caught were still waving their claws, their bright green shells still glistening with seawater.

Just then, a gray shadow suddenly darted out from the crack in the wooden planks under the stall, snatched a slightly smaller lobster in its mouth, and prepared to dart away.

The next second, the fish stall owner heard a soft "whoosh".

When he turned around, he saw a large rat with blood all over its forehead lying on the ground, twitching.

Not far away, a boy wearing faded jeans silently put away his slingshot.

"Anzai, you're here again to help everyone catch rats!"

"Thanks to Anzai, there haven't been any rats in the market these past two days. Anzai, your aim is amazing, you hit the bullseye every time!"

Among the pedestrians riding bicycles to buy groceries in the market, a familiar neighbor recognized him and gave him a thumbs up.

After greeting his neighbors, Li Chang'an walked up to the fishmonger and pointed to a lobster on the ground with one of its claws bitten off by a rat, asking:

"Boss, can you sell me this lobster at a discount? I'll come pick it up this afternoon."

The fishmonger wiped the water off his hands and glanced at the lobster on the ground and the dead rat beside him.

Without making a sound, he picked up the lobster, rinsed it haphazardly in the bucket of seawater next to him to wash away the mud and sand, and then threw it back into the bamboo basket behind him.

"Even if this lobster has lost a claw, it's still a fresh catch. If I don't tell you that it was bitten by a rat, who would know?"

When the restaurant came to collect the goods, I had already sold them for more than thirty dollars. How could I possibly sell them to you for less?

Seeing this, the vegetable vendors at the neighboring stalls huddled together and whispered among themselves.

"This fishmonger Chen is the stingiest. Last time someone helped him chase away a cat that was stealing fish, he wouldn't even give him an extra fish intestine. This lobster was gnawed by a rat, but he still wants to sell it at the original price. He's a real miser who won't part with a penny."

However, Li Chang'an was not displeased at all. He still smiled and wished the fish stall owner a prosperous business today, and then turned and left.

He was in a good mood because the rat he had just killed was the biggest gain, compared to the lobster.

[Urgent report from the martial world! Hordes of rat demons are lurking in the city, devouring the people. If they are not eliminated in time, it could lead to a great disaster!]

[Mission Progress: Hunting Rat Demons (200/200), Innate Qi +0.1]

【Young man, you have largely eradicated the menacing rat demons from this market, but the world is corrupt, and snakes and rats thrive. Countless people in other markets are still being harmed by these rat demons. Please hurry and eliminate the pestilence of rats to restore peace to the people!】

[Assign task: Hunt down other street rat demons (0/600), reward: +0.3 Innate Qi]

The storyteller-like voice from the teahouse gradually subsided, and a line of freehand ink calligraphy appeared before Li Chang'an.

[A江湖人: Li Chang'an]

Age: 18

[Qi and Blood: 0.5]

[Mental State: 0.7]

[Stamina: 0.5]

[Agility: 0.6]

[Skills: None]

Armor and weapons: None

[Jianghu Path: Not yet unlocked (requires two attributes to break through to 1.0)]

【Title: Novice in the Martial World (No special effects)】

[Allocable Primordial Qi: 0.1]

Four days ago, Li Chang'an received a rejection letter from Hong Kong University.

Li Chang'an was not surprised that he failed the exam this year.

But as he put down the notice of failure, this Jianghu person panel suddenly appeared in his mind, along with a powerful narration.

The narration, like the opening of a movie, rang in his ears:

The world is in turmoil. Foreign demons have invaded the Central Plains. Corrupt clans stand at the top, and various sects prey on the common people. The code of chivalry has almost been lost, and the martial world is in constant turmoil!

A chivalrous person cherishes benevolence, a martial artist pursues skill, but the world is bound by the shackles of fame and fortune.

Young man, you are born into humble circumstances, and in order to become a true hero, you are about to step into the fierce battles of the martial world. Never lose your chivalrous heart...

From then on, the narrator became immersed in his own world, occasionally muttering something unrelated to reality in Li Chang'an's ear.

In just four days, Li Chang'an had roughly figured out the pattern of the narration.

The narrator seems to portray this world as a martial arts world, and he is a young swordsman just entering the martial arts world.

As long as you complete the so-called tasks of eliminating harm for the people issued by the panel, or take the initiative to do some good deeds, you will have a chance to trigger the plot and obtain a reward called Primordial Qi.

In the past few days, Li Chang'an has deeply experienced the wonders of the primordial Qi.

He loved playing with slingshots and darts since he was a child, and he was very accurate at it. Even the old hunters in the village praised him for his talent in archery.

Even so, he still had difficulty shooting those clever rats until he added all the innate Qi he had acquired in the past few days to the "Mind" attribute.

Li Chang'an suddenly felt his five senses sharpen, as if a nearsighted person had finally put on glasses, and only then did he become unerring in his shooting, killing two hundred rats in the seafood market in just two or three days.

"If I could increase all my attributes a hundredfold or a thousandfold... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to become a god who can fly through the heavens and dive into the earth like in the movies."

Just as Li Chang'an's thoughts were wandering aimlessly, the narration sounded in his ear again.

Young man, a village child is about to fall off a cliff; how can you stand by and watch him die?

Falling off a cliff?

Li Chang'an was taken aback at first, then realized that there were naturally no cliffs near the market, and the narrator was probably referring to...

"Help! Help the child!"

Suddenly, a sharp cry came from ahead.

Li Chang'an looked up and saw a little boy, about five or six years old, hanging outside the window on the fourth floor of the five-story old Tang building in front of the market.

The boy's thin body swayed back and forth outside the window, his hands tightly gripping a thin red curtain that was visibly frayed. His figure looked like he was about to fall, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

"Quickly, get someone to bring a ladder!"

"The curtain is going to break! Help!"

The noise below only aroused the boy.

The little boy cried even louder, his body swayed violently, and he sank even lower, causing the red curtain's threads to stretch even tighter, on the verge of breaking.

Just then, a strong, muscular man with thick hair and a sunny disposition suddenly rushed out from the crowd, wearing a short white vest.

"Get out of the way!"

The burly man shouted, pushed off the ground, and nimbly charged towards the wall of the brothel.

He kicked off the mottled gray brick wall and scrambled up in two or three steps. Then, he used his fingers to grip the iron mesh of the first-floor window above his head and quickly climbed upwards.

The strong man moved swiftly and quickly, reaching the second-floor window in the blink of an eye.

Just as he was about to grab the third-floor windowsill,

wow-

The wall beneath my feet was slippery.

He swayed, his fingers lost their grip, and he slid down the wall, crashing heavily to the ground with a groan, unable to get up for a moment.

The strong man's defeat plunged the crowd below into panic once again.

But the next moment, another figure darted out.

[Injection of Primordial Qi, Agility → 0.7]

It's Li Chang'an!

Compared to a strong, muscular man, he appeared much thinner and more frail, but he was exceptionally agile.

Instead of climbing up like a man, Li Chang'an stepped onto the roof of a taxi next to him and used the momentum to leap into the air, his figure resembling a nimble big cat.

She easily grabbed the clothesline on the second floor, and with a gentle swing, she was airborne again.

Li Chang'an used this momentum to jump upwards, quickly landing on the third-floor windowsill, and reached out to hug the terrified boy above him.

"Don't be afraid, I'll take you down."

Li Chang'an carried the boy and waited until passersby finally brought a ladder, successfully rescuing the boy and drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.

[Young man, a child is about to fall off a cliff in an accident. In the critical moment, you bravely save him, demonstrating the spirit of chivalry and making the people cheer for you. Innate Qi +0.01]

"Make way, make way! My son!"

Before the applause had even subsided, a figure wearing a black rubber apron and reeking of fish squeezed out from the crowd.

He hugged the little boy tightly, his body trembling with fear.

The fish stall owner, holding his child, looked up at his youngest son's savior and was surprised to find it was the young man who had just wanted to buy lobsters. The owner was a little embarrassed, but he still immediately knelt down before him.

"Young man, thank you so much! Thank you so much! You saved my son! I was just putting you in a difficult position..."

"Boss, get up quickly, don't be like this." Li Chang'an quickly helped him up. "The child is also frightened, take him home to rest."

"Thank you, young man... Oh, young man, you want to buy a lobster and come pick it up this afternoon, right?"

Don't worry, I'll save the two best and biggest lobsters that came ashore today for you!

It's just a small token of my appreciation, young man, please don't mind! From now on, every time you buy fish from me, it'll be free for you!

The fish stall owner said, grabbing Li Chang'an's hand and thanking him profusely with snot and tears streaming down his face.

Unable to resist the enthusiasm, Li Chang'an agreed to come and pick up the lobsters in the afternoon, and then took the opportunity to slip away from the crowd of onlookers.

Just when Li Chang'an thought he could finally have some peace and quiet, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

"Handsome guy, your skills were amazing just now!"

"In all my years as a stuntman, I've never seen anyone as agile as you when you climb the wall, like a big cat! Have you trained specifically for this?"

Li Chang'an turned around and found that it was the same burly man with thick hair who had just fallen to the ground. He was now holding his waist and grinning, looking rather comical.

"I haven't specifically trained." He shook his head.

"So strong without any training? That must be a natural kung fu style!"

The burly man's eyes lit up, and he immediately handed him a beige business card with great enthusiasm.

"Handsome, are you interested in making a kung fu movie with me?"

Li Chang'an glanced at the business card.

Jackie Chan (formerly known as Chen Yuanlong) is an actor and martial arts choreographer.