Chaotic World of Martial Arts: I Have a Spirit Pearl of Desire

"I was lucky today. I found a wild deer that had fallen to its death in the mountains. Here, take this deer head." Chen You smiled, casually untied the burlap sack on his shoulder, picked out a huge deer head, and handed it to Sun Chang.

"Wow, this is a good thing!" Sun Chang's eyes lit up. He took it and examined it, then peered into the sack. "Where are the antlers? Those are treasures."

"I'll keep the antlers. I plan to sell them to the town's pharmacy later to get some money," Chen You replied.

"How about this, you just sell it to me!" Sun Chang said with a smile, leaning closer. "I just joined the martial arts school and I'm worried about not having a decent gift to ingratiate myself with the senior students. These fresh deer antlers are perfect!"

Chen You readily nodded.

For him, it doesn't matter who he sells to.

Moreover, if his childhood friend really makes a name for himself in the future, it will be a valuable connection for him.

Chen You was originally a medical student and knew the value of medicinal herbs very well. After a quick calculation, he gave a reasonable price: eight taels of silver in total.

Seeing Sun Chang unhesitatingly pull out eight taels of silver from his pocket and hand it over, Chen You couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This butcher's family was indeed well-off; this kid was really rich.

Sun Changxi happily took the deer antler, touched its rough texture, and said mysteriously, "This deer antler is of excellent quality. It might even be used to improve one's blood and qi."

"Qi and blood?" Chen You keenly caught the word and asked aloud.

"Yes," Sun Chang rarely showed off, patiently explaining, "The senior brothers at the martial arts school said that our martial arts training, in essence, is about tempering our own qi and blood. The stronger our qi and blood, the greater our strength, and the stronger we become!"

Chen You secretly kept these words in mind.

Then, Sun Chang enthusiastically pulled him aside and revealed a lot of inside information about the martial arts school and the martial artists.

What is a first-grade martial artist, also known as a mortal martial artist?

Second-rank martial artists possess Ming Jin (manifest strength), while third-rank martial artists possess An Jin (hidden strength).

Reaching the fourth rank signifies mastery of transformative power.

However, it is said that there are no more than ten martial artists in the entire Qing Shi Town.

"I see." Chen You's eyes were opened, and he yearned for martial arts even more.

"What, you want to learn martial arts too?" Sun Chang smiled.

"Yes, it's a pity we don't have enough money," Chen You sighed.

"Then you can join some powerful families! I heard that some families in town recruit young people to learn martial arts for free."

"Oh? What price do I have to pay?" Chen You asked.

"You'll be sold into servitude for at least fifteen years, and if you don't make a name for yourself, you'll only be able to do odd jobs..." Sun Chang sighed. "This path is also very difficult. If you don't make a name for yourself, it's like being a slave for life, with no freedom at all."

"Fifteen years?" Chen You nodded. "We'll see. You'll be living in the city from now on?"

"Yes, I'll come back to see you when I have time."

The two chatted for a few more minutes before Sun Chang left.

"Sigh, the village has lost another young man."

In this world, the imperial court imposes heavy taxes, and landlords, gangs, thugs, and other forces exploit the people at every level.

Ordinary families have no way to make a living by farming.

Therefore, any young person who has a chance to succeed will go out and try their luck.

Chen You carried the heavy sacks back to her doorstep and saw the low fence gate open in the distance.

The rare warm winter sun shone down, and a petite figure sat at the gate of the courtyard, basking in the sun with her eyes slightly closed. It was Xu Yue.

She seemed to be in much better spirits, and her face had regained some color.

"Hey, Brother Chen You is back!" Xu Yue spotted him first and exclaimed excitedly.

Hearing her sister's call, Xu Qiuxue, who was busy by the well, also looked up.

She was now struggling to turn the well pulley, her round buttocks sticking out as she huffed and puffed as she drew water from the well.

"Chen You, why are you back so soon?" Xu Qiuxue straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and looked at him with some surprise.

Seeing that Chen You had returned so early, Xu Qiuxue thought to herself that he had probably come back empty-handed.

After all, when it comes to fishing for treasure fish, it's common to come back empty-handed.

She even had words of comfort in her mind, like, "The first time is always like this..."

However, Xu Qiuxue's gaze was soon drawn to the sacks that Chen You was carrying on his shoulder and in his hands.

Large patches of dark red stains seeped through the rough linen surface, clearly still bearing fresh blood!

"Hey, Brother Chen You, what's in your bag? It looks so heavy!" Xu Yue stood up from her chair and asked with a look of surprise.

"I was lucky today. I found a wild deer that had fallen to its death in the mountains. Its body was still warm when I found it, so I cleaned it up and brought it back. Come on, let's go inside and talk."

Chen You carried the sack into the house, untied the rope, and emptied the contents.

In an instant, a strong, pungent smell of blood filled the room.

However, neither of the Xu sisters were delicate young ladies, so why would they be afraid of this?

Instead, they all looked at the pieces of red and white venison with delight.

"Brother Chen You, this is venison! You're amazing!" Xu Yue clapped her hands with joy, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Yes, I'll make braised venison today to help you recover properly," Chen You said with a smile, looking at the little girl's recovered appearance.

"Oh! We can have braised pork today!"

Seeing her younger sister laughing heartily, a long-lost look of doting affection flashed in Xu Qiuxue's eyes.

She turned to look at Chen You and said softly, "Chen You, you've been busy all morning, you must be exhausted. Go and rest for a bit, I'll cook the rest."

"Master's wife, you go ahead with your work. I'll put away the rest of the venison and then go bury Master," Chen You said solemnly.

Today marks the third day since my master passed away.

According to local custom, today is the day for burial.

Hearing her deceased husband mentioned, Xu Qiuxue's eyes dimmed, and she sighed, saying, "Yes, thank you for your hard work."

Looking at Chen You's broad shoulders, she couldn't help but feel a little fortunate.

In these chaotic times of war, it was fortunate that Chen You was there to help him.

Otherwise, with only her and her sister as two weak women, they would probably have to grit their teeth and spend a sum of money to hire someone to bury their husbands.

After preparing the venison to be sold the next day, Chen You took a shovel and went to a piece of land on the mountain behind the house that belonged to his master.

While digging, Chen You checked the desire points he had just harvested.

[Desire: Hoping Chen You will return safely. (Completed, gained 30 Desire Points.)]

[Desire: Craving braised pork. (Completed, gained 10 Desire Points.)]

Now, I've gained another 40 desire points.

The master had no relatives or friends in this town and rarely interacted with others.

Therefore, after his death, apart from the neighbors coming over to help him out of courtesy for the first two days, no one came to his door after that.

There was no funeral music or elaborate rituals; everything was kept simple.

Chen You carried the coffin, dug the pit, and erected the monument all by himself.

By the time they finished all this and laid their master to rest, night had already fallen, and the night sky was as black as ink.

As soon as I opened the door, a rich, sticky aroma of meat wafted over, instantly whetting my appetite.

Inside the room, the dim yellow oil lamp emitted a warm light.

The three of them sat down, and soon Xu Yue was holding a bowl, eating with her mouth full of oil.

Her originally pale face turned rosy from the steam, making her look exceptionally lively.

After finishing her meal, Xu Yue watched Chen You tidying up the remaining venison. Swallowing the meat in her mouth, Xu Yue asked curiously, "Brother Chen You, how much silver can we sell this leftover venison for?"

"I'm not entirely sure how much we can sell for," Chen You replied with a smile as he neatly arranged the meat. "However, we've kept enough to eat, so the rest should fetch at least five taels of silver."

Although wild deer are nutritious, they are still just ordinary wild animals.

Ordinary beast meat is not as valuable as the meat of those legendary beasts that are said to contain vital energy and blood.

Most of the buyers were either wealthy locals or restaurants; selling the property for this price was already considered a decent income.

As they were talking, Chen You noticed that the rosary beads were spinning, reflecting Xu Qiuxue's desires once again.

Seeing her desire, Chen You was slightly taken aback.

What's there to be embarrassed about? Just say it!