Chinese Martial Arts: My Super Beast Clone

"Want to learn martial arts?"

Zhang Yuanshan's gaze fell on Lin Hai.

Lin Hai nodded heavily without hesitation.

Zhang Yuanshan suddenly let out a long sigh. In that sigh, there was melancholy, reminiscence, and a hint of...disheartening.

He picked up the newspaper with a picture of Long Zhenhai in a dragon robe, his fingers unconsciously stroking the words "Martial Saint".

"Learn martial arts... what can you do with martial arts?" He seemed to be asking Lin Hai, but also to himself. "Once you've mastered it, will you become a lackey for warlords, aiding and abetting their evil deeds? Or will you become a mountain king, oppressing the local people? Or perhaps, like Long Zhenhai, become a martial saint, then turn around and sit on the dragon throne, trampling these millions of compatriots under your feet?"

His words carried a strong sense of sarcasm and self-deprecation.

Lin Hai listened in silence, knowing that Uncle Zhang was holding back his anger.

Zhang Yuanshan took another sip of coarse tea, which had long since gone cold. He put down the teacup, his voice becoming deep and somber.

"Fine, if you want to know, I'll tell you."

"In this foreign city, besides the Iron Cross Society of the Westerners and the Black Dragon Society of the Japanese, there are three martial arts schools that we Chinese can name."

He took back the newspaper, folded it haphazardly, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"The Fuhu Martial Arts School you mentioned is located in the eastern district of the outer city. It's the oldest martial arts school in Yangcheng. The headmaster is Chen Fuhu, an old master who has practiced external martial arts for over forty years. He has reached the peak of Mingjin (vital energy) and his Fuhu Fist is fierce and domineering. He is very famous in the martial arts world of Yangcheng. He only teaches martial arts and doesn't care about students' backgrounds. He doesn't get involved in outside affairs and is a pure martial artist."

"The tuition is twelve silver dollars a month, which only teaches you stance training and methods for building strength. If you want to learn the true essence of Ming Jin, it depends on your talent and whether you can catch Chen Fuhu's eye."

Zhang Yuanshan paused, his expression becoming somewhat complicated.

"The second one is called Zhenhua Martial Arts Club. It's located at the border of the inner city and the concession. The head of the club has quite a background; it's said that he's backed by a major warlord in the north. They don't call it a martial arts school, they call it a martial arts club. They teach a variety of things, including traditional boxing, Western combat, and even firearms lessons."

"They recruit people to train talent for the army. The tuition is not high, and you must have a clean background and 'correct' thinking. Once you get in there, it's like binding yourself to the warlord's war chariot. I don't recommend you take this path."

Lin Hai listened quietly, making sure he remembered everything.

"The last one... is called the Jingwu Association." Zhang Yuanshan's voice was noticeably lower when he said the name. "It's located in the western district of our outer city, not far away. They advocate for a strong nation and a strong race, and they teach a wide variety of martial arts, including all kinds of styles, from southern to northern. Their tuition is the cheapest; sometimes, if they find a promising student from a poor family, they don't even charge a penny."

"That sounds best," Lin Hai said instinctively.

"most?"

Zhang Yuanshan let out a sneer that was hard to decipher.

"They have a blood feud with the Japanese, and they clash with Japanese ronin in the concession every few days. They fight underground boxing matches, using lethal force, and several people die every year. In the police station's case files, many murder cases are related to them."

"A few years ago, the head instructor of the Jingwu Association, a master of the Dark Force stage, was forced to commit suicide on the banks of the Huangpu River because he killed the son of a powerful figure from Japan. Since then, the Jingwu Association has never recovered."

Zhang Yuanshan looked up at Lin Hai, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"In my opinion, it was a member of the Jingwu Association who killed that Japanese ronin yesterday!"

"Why do you want to learn martial arts? To save your life? Or to prove someone wrong?"

"If you join the Tiger-Taming Martial Arts School, you'll learn skills to make a living. If you join the Jingwu Association, you'll learn methods to kill and escape. The choice is yours."

Lin Hai fell silent.

In this world, making a living and settling down is no easy task.

"I understand, Uncle Zhang," Lin Hai said in a low voice.

Zhang Yuanshan looked at him without saying anything more, but finished the remaining cold tea in the bowl, got up and threw down a few copper coins.

……

The patrol ended close to noon.

Lin Hai asked Zhang Yuanshan for leave and walked alone on the streets of the concession.

His gaze fell upon the sewers that stretched throughout the entire concession, like a dense spider web.

He walked slowly along the most bustling street in the concession.

Foreign firms, banks, upscale restaurants, clubs... this is a place where foreigners and wealthy Chinese businessmen indulge in extravagance and debauchery.

Lin Hai walked to a secluded back alley, where the back doors of several restaurants were located, and the air was filled with the aroma of food and the sour smell of swill.

After looking around and making sure no one was around, Lin Hai slowly squatted down next to a sewer entrance covered by an iron fence.

From inside the sleeve, the skink, which had been lying dormant, poked its little head out. Its scales gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the dim light.

"Go."

Lin Hai said in a low voice.

The skink easily slipped inside.

Lin Hai's consciousness instantly sank into a dark world.

He controlled the skink, guiding it along the slippery wall. Unlike the sewer from yesterday, this space was much larger, and the current was much stronger. All sorts of filthy garbage and filth floated slowly by.

The skink's claws gripped the gaps in the brickwork, allowing it to steady itself.

Lin Hai searched patiently.

He controlled the skink, using his claws and mouth to turn over the piles of silt and garbage.

One.

A thought struck him, and a silver dollar covered in black mud was pulled out from under a pile of rotten vegetable leaves.

Continue the search.

Soon, he found two more coins in a discarded, tattered wallet about half a meter away.

His heart was pounding violently in his chest.

It went even more smoothly than he had imagined!

In these bustling places, some guests are drunk, some are careless, and some inevitably leave their belongings behind. And once these things fall into the sewers, no one will ever look for them again.

This place is simply a forgotten treasure trove!

As usual, the skink used its claws to stack the silver coins it found, one by one.

There are three in total.

The skink opened its mouth and swallowed the three stacked silver dollars in one gulp.

It skillfully climbed out of the sewer and spat the filthy ocean into Lin Hai's palm.

heavy.

Adding the four coins I already had in my pocket, I have a total of seven.

Lin Haiqiang suppressed his overwhelming joy. He didn't stop, pretending to stroll casually.

He soon stopped at the gate of another underground sewer.

Once the passersby had walked past and no one was paying attention, the skink had already climbed down from his trouser leg.

This time the harvest was less, only two.

Lin Hai wandered slowly along the street all afternoon. After walking the entire length of the bustling street, he couldn't help but rummage through his pockets.

The money jingled in my pocket.

Eighteen silver dollars.

In just one day, he had already acquired enough credentials to knock on the door of the martial arts school.