Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Bang!Bang!Bang!

Chen Yu was suddenly awakened by a knock on the door.

"Time to work, time to work!"

The servants' quarters were filled with the shouts of Steward Liu.

At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the sky gradually brightened.

Chen Yu didn't dare to delay. He quickly dressed, got out of bed, grabbed the axe from under the bed, and ran towards the yard.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the backyard was filled with a large group of people, standing in neat rows and completely silent.

Manager Liu, holding a leather whip and with a serious expression, began calling out names.

"Kuai Danniu."

"arrive!"

"Chen Yu".

"arrive."

"Zhuang Fangyuan."

"arrive!"

……

"Great, everyone's here."

After the roll call was completed, Steward Liu cracked his whip on each person, giving them two lashes each.

This is a rule of the Song family's servants' quarters, called the "Forgiveness Whip," which reminds all the servants to remember the hardships and appreciate the present, and that without Master Song's kindness, they would not have the good life they have today.

"If it weren't for our master's kindness, where would you lowly people get food and clothes?"

"If it weren't for the master taking you in, you would have long since starved to death on the streets!"

"These two lashes are to help you, not to harm you. They are to teach you to be a good person, not to forget the master's kindness, to repay the master's kindness by working diligently!"

Chen Yu remained expressionless as he listened to these familiar phrases, shaking his head and smiling bitterly to himself.

Seven days ago, he was a working man in modern society. While working overtime late into the night, he suddenly felt dizzy and then everything went black before he lost consciousness.

At the moment he lost consciousness, Chen Yu's only wish was to be free and unrestrained in his next life, so that he would no longer be a beast of burden, toiling away with no reward.

When he woke up again, he was surprised to find that he had traveled to this ancient world and become a low-level servant in the Song family.

Unfortunately, his last wish could not be fulfilled. He was a beast of burden in his past life, and he is still not free in this life.

With this in mind, Chen Yu secretly resolved to make a difference and change the status quo.

After Manager Liu finished drawing lots, everyone started working again.

Sweeping, chopping wood, carrying water, shoveling manure, feeding horses, weeding—everyone did their part, and the courtyard began to bustle with activity.

Chen Yu's daily chore was chopping wood.

Inside the woodshed courtyard, there were piles of wooden stakes of various shapes.

This is "Qingtiemu" from Haizhou, which is cut from a special plant called "Qingtieshu".

This firewood is exceptionally hard, burns vigorously and sustainably, and has a pleasant aroma.

The master of the Song family, Song Jianglong, was obsessed with alchemy and was extremely particular about the timing of the fire used to make the elixir. He insisted on using "green ironwood" as fuel, as no other wood could be used to start a fire.

Chen Yu gripped his iron axe, aimed at a half-person-high wooden stake, concentrated his strength, and swung the axe down with a mighty chop.

"drink!"

With one swing of the axe, wood chips flew everywhere, leaving only a shallow mark.

The violent tremor caused a tingling sensation in the mouth of his hand.

Given the hardness of "Qing Tie Mu" (a type of wood), even an ordinary person who has never practiced martial arts could only manage to chop it to this extent.

Chen Yu gritted his teeth, swung his arms, and prepared to swing his axe again.

Just then, a transparent panel appeared in Chen Yu's mind.

On the left side of the panel, several box icons are arranged from top to bottom:

[Technique Section]

[Weapon Slots]

[Talent Panel]

……

Further down, there are several grayed-out icons waiting to be unlocked, the contents of which are currently unknown.

Is this the equipment slot in the game?

As a game enthusiast, Chen Yu was not unfamiliar with this interface; on the contrary, he felt a strong sense of familiarity with it.

But how do you use this thing?

Of the three unlocked icons, only the [Weapon Bar] icon has a faint glow.

Chen Yu's mind stirred, and he focused his thoughts on the [Weapon Panel]. The panel slowly unfolded, revealing rows of clear and neat ink-wash characters arranged before his eyes.

[Weapon Slot (Tier 1 0%)]

Number: 1 grid

[Weapon]: Wood-chopping axe

[Quality]: Unacceptable

[Status]: Not equipped

[Equipment Requirements]: Strength not less than five jin

[Equipment Effect]: Strength +10%, Sharpness +15%, Stamina Recovery Speed ​​+20%

Chen Yu's eyes lit up, and his breathing became slightly rapid.

This equipment effect is extremely useful for woodcutters and other menial workers.

Every day, he had to split these "green ironwood" into firewood for the alchemy furnace, each piece about the size of a child's arm, and the number had to be no less than 360 pieces.

It takes a lot of effort and exhaustion to deliver the job on time, which is extremely difficult.

With this equipment now available, I wonder how much effort and fatigue it will save.

Without hesitation, Chen Yu equipped the wood-chopping axe into his weapon inventory.

In an instant, a surge of power welled up from deep within his body, flowing to every part of his body, and his previously tired body suddenly became full of energy.

The effects of the equipment are immediate!

Chen Yu swung the axe in his hand, feeling as if it had become much lighter.

He took a deep breath and chopped at the ironwood stake again.

"Snap!"

The wooden stake snapped in two.

This time, the chopping was easier and more effective.

Previously, it took a lot of effort to split firewood, but now it only takes one time.

Wang Xiaoliu, standing to the side, stared in disbelief.

"My brother, how come you have so much energy today?"

The two worked together in the woodshed, and after a few days together, Wang Xiaoliu originally thought that Chen Yu's physical strength was not as good as his own.

Often, Chen Yu would be completely exhausted, while I would still have energy left, and I would finish my work earlier each day.

Today, Chen Yu chops wood effortlessly, far more easily than I could.

Before he could think any further, the courtyard suddenly erupted in a cacophony of voices.

It was 12:45 noon, lunchtime.

The two rushed to the canteen to collect their food.

Two steamed buns and a ladle of cold water for each person—that was their lunch.

The cornbread was dark and hard, mixed with a lot of bran, but everyone ate it ravenously.

There was no other way; the menial laborers only had two meals a day, and only lunch was a reliable option.

Only those who work quickly and efficiently can eat dinner; those who work slowly and arrive late don't even get a sip of leftover soup.

After lunch, we continued working.

With the help of the equipment slots, Chen Yu was already quite adept at chopping wood, and he didn't feel particularly tired even after continuous chopping.

The day's tasks were completed before sunset.

After the steward verified that everything was correct, Chen Yu said goodbye and left the woodshed, heading towards the dining hall.

"It's finished, I'll be going now."

Wang Xiaoliu, who was still far short of the required amount, looked on with envy.

As Chen Yu stepped into the dining hall, he noticed that an elderly man had arrived even earlier.

There were no chairs in the canteen, and an old man was squatting in the corner drinking soup.

After receiving two steamed buns and a bowl of wild vegetable soup, Chen Yu went straight to the old man's side, squatted down, and began to exchange pleasantries.

"May I ask your honorable name, sir, and where you are on duty?"

The old man, Zhang Sijian, replied calmly, "I dare not accept the title of 'old sir.' I work as a handyman in the latrine; just call me Old Zhang."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu was surprised. Looking at Zhang Sijian in front of him, he realized that Zhang was at least sixty years old. How many years must he have worked as a handyman?

"Old Zhang, at your age, finishes work earlier than me; he must still be quite skilled!"

Zhang Sijian chuckled and said self-deprecatingly, "Young man, you're quite the talker, but we lowly servants, though old, are hardly worthy of being called precious swords."

"The reason I arrived earlier than you is simply because I have sixty more years of experience and know the ropes well."

Hearing this, Chen Yu couldn't help but ask, "Old Zhang, you've worked as a handyman here for sixty years, haven't you ever thought about finding another way to make a living?"

"Easier said than done," Zhang Sijian shook his head. "In the Song family, servants only have three career paths."

"The lowest class is those who work hard all their lives as menial laborers, who are poorly clothed and never have enough to eat. When they get old, sick, or useless, they are left to die in the wilderness."

"The middle way out is to save up the reward money, pay the deposit and rent, change the indenture to a land lease, and become a tenant farmer in the Song family. Every year, you only need to pay the rent and grain. If it is a good year, you can also have a lot of grain left over."

At this point, Zhang Sijian paused and said, "The best path is to master martial arts and rise to the positions of steward, guard, servant, or even personal bodyguard!"

"We menial laborers only get two meals a day, and they're all coarse food, while the foremen get three meals a day, and they eat white flour buns and white rice."

"I have seen Manager Liu's breakfast with my own eyes: savory tofu pudding with wood ear mushrooms and daylily, and cornbread."

"And those guards who practice martial arts are even more amazing. They can have wine and meat at every meal. They don't even bother with meat buns that we can't even afford during the New Year and other festivals."

"Does Elder Zhang mean that we handymen also have a chance to become guards?" Chen Yu asked.

"This is a rare opportunity," Zhang Sijian said. "There are two main types of guards in wealthy families. One type is a well-known martial arts master who is directly hired. These people may be highly skilled, but they are not necessarily completely reliable. The other type is trained within the family. There are not many of them, but they are more trusted by the master and are all his confidants."

Chen Yu nodded, as if he had understood something.

In this world, ordinary people cannot afford to practice martial arts. Martial arts masters who reach a certain level must come from relatively well-off families. Since they have a way out, they may not be willing to risk their lives for the Song family in a critical moment.

Moreover, most powerful martial arts masters have intricate networks of relationships, involving both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds. If left unchecked, they might collude with outsiders and turn the tables on the martial arts masters.

The servants were all from poor backgrounds and had no connections. Only by being loyal to the Song family could they have a chance to rise in the ranks.

Chen Yu understood and asked the most crucial question: "Then how does one become a bodyguard?"

"Rumor has it that on the second day of next month, a martial arts master will come to the servants' quarters to teach martial arts techniques. It's estimated that there are some vacancies in the guards' quarters, and they want to train a group of servants to fill the gaps, but it's not certain what's going on yet."

Zhang Sijian finished the wild vegetable soup in his bowl in one gulp and said, "Young brother, I see that you are quick-witted and agile. If you have a talent for martial arts, you must seize this opportunity."

"If you don't have talent, don't force yourself. Take an old man like me, useless as I am, working hard every day, finding joy in hardship, and I've made it through decades!"

After saying this, Zhang Sijian got up and left the dining hall.

Before long, another five or six people arrived at the canteen.

After finishing his meal, Chen Yu stepped out of the dining hall.

As dusk fell, a few stars appeared and disappeared, barely visible.

Back in the dormitory, after fetching water and washing up briefly, Chen Yu lay down on the bed and began to ponder.

The equipment slots he awakened today have transformed his desire to change his fate into a clearly visible path.

The weapon slots have already provided many benefits; I wonder what other wonderful uses the skill and talent slots might have?

As Zhang the old handyman said, there will be a martial arts master passing on his skills on the second day of next month.

Today is April 28th, and there are four days left until May 2nd.