Gao Wuming: From Dockworker to Physical Achievement

The midday sun was so bright it made people dizzy.

pier.

Large ships were moored on the side, unloading their cargo.

A shady spot a little further away.

Chen Yi was wearing a laborer's short jacket, his pants rolled up to his knees, and his skin was dark.

In front of him stood a short, thin man in a suit.

His uncle, Chen Ruian.

Chen Yi looked at him and said, "Uncle, I'm doing quite well here. I have food and sleep, so you don't need to worry about me."

"Look how tanned you are! You're living a good life. Come back to the concession with me. Anything there is better than staying here," Chen Ruian said, grabbing Chen Yi's rough arm.

Chen Yi laughed and said, "Uncle, you need a place to stay to do things in the concession. Do you expect me to live in your house? My aunt would never agree, and my sister would definitely make a fuss."

Upon hearing Chen Yi mention his wife and daughter, Chen Ruian fell silent. His nephew had actually been living at home from the beginning, but the mother and daughter had been arguing so much that Chen Yi had to take his leave.

"Your aunt used to raise children alone, so she had to be strong-willed. Don't blame her."

Chen Ruian sighed and suddenly handed a booklet to Chen Yi.

"Uncle, what's this?"

Chen Yi glanced down.

The booklet cover has only three simple characters: Returning Mountain Fist.

But it made his heart skip a beat.

This is a book on boxing techniques.

It is also the cornerstone for gaining a foothold on the dock.

Here at the docks, if you have nothing, you can only sell your labor and work as a laborer.

But if one could practice martial arts and become a martial arts master, one could immediately become a foreman and earn dozens of silver dollars a day from his commission.

It can be said that at this dock, martial arts are the foundation for survival.

The moment Chen Yi saw the fist technique, a line of text appeared before his eyes.

Martial Arts: Returning Mountain Fist.

Level: Not yet learned.

Proficiency: 0/100.

"My proficiency panel is finally working."

Upon seeing the text, Chen Yi was thrilled, and his face lit up with joy.

He was actually a time traveler, and the proficiency panel he acquired after the time travel had been with him ever since.

He simply didn't have any usable martial arts skills, so he could only make a living as a dockworker.

Now, we finally have martial arts skills, and we can practice them using the proficiency panel.

Once you become a martial arts master, your status at this dock will immediately become extraordinary.

"Uncle, this 'Returning Mountain Fist' manual must have cost you a lot of money, right?"

Chen Yi held the booklet and looked at Chen Ruian.

Chen Ruian said, "It was wrong of me to let you make a living here. You asked me to get you a boxing manual, and I will definitely do it."

Don't overthink it. This stuff isn't expensive. The real expense is the martial arts instructors and the medicated plasters from the martial arts school.

However, I must remind you, martial arts are something that, without a master's guidance and the aid of remedies, you simply cannot learn any skill; you will only injure yourself.

Chen Ruian gave Chen Yi a heartfelt reminder.

Chen Yi shook his head and said, "There's nothing I can do, Uncle. I can't join a martial arts school. This is the only way I can practice martial arts."

His initial idea was to join a martial arts school and practice martial arts using the proficiency panel.

Unfortunately, he couldn't even get past the threshold, so he had to ask Chen Ruian to find him a martial arts manual.

"Don't worry, Uncle, I know what's important and I won't practice recklessly," Chen Yi assured him, patting his chest with an honest and simple expression.

"Sigh, that's all I can do. I have something to do later, so I'll be leaving now. If you encounter any problems, be sure to contact me." Chen Ruian took out two more silver dollars and stuffed them into Chen Yi's hand.

He patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Chen Yi watched Chen Ruian's retreating figure, then looked at the fist technique, and carefully placed it into his arms.

My uncle is a good uncle, it's a pity he married a woman with a child. I just hope he can live a good life.

Chen Yi walked toward the cargo ship moored at the dock.

Today is the last day of manual labor. After finishing today's work, I'll collect my wages for this month, and tomorrow I'll start practicing martial arts.

He mingled with the other laborers and began moving goods.

The sun sank below the horizon, and the sky grew dark.

A day has passed.

On the cargo ship, Chen Yi's clothes were soaked through, and he looked as if he had been pulled out of the water.

Then the foreman called out, "Time to go home."

He finally breathed a sigh of relief, got off the boat, and collected his wages from the foreman.

Four silver dollars and fifty copper coins—that was his hard-earned money for a month.

With his wages in his pocket, Chen Yi stood on the dock's paving stones and looked ahead.

Not far away was the foreign concession, where well-dressed gentlemen were seen with their arms around ladies in cheongsams.

The city is brightly lit and bustling with activity.

However, it's something you can only see but not touch.

Chen Yi recalled the situation here.

He had been in the world for two months and had been away from his uncle's house for a month, and he had roughly figured out the situation.

This place is like the Republic of China era, but it is the Great Xuan Dynasty, unlike the Great Qing Dynasty in his memory.

However, the concessions, the foreigners, and the powerful ships and cannons were exactly the same as I remembered.

For example, in one corner of the dock, there stood an inspector with yellow hair and thick hair on his exposed arms; he was a foreign police officer.

Here, unless you're a big businessman or a foreigner, the way ordinary people live is to be low-level laborers.

Chen Yi lived in the dirtiest and most chaotic shantytown, and was heading towards it at that moment.

On the way, I could hear fellow workers complaining from time to time as they were also heading home from work.

"The commission has increased again."

Laborers need to give a cut to the foreman to make a living at the docks, because the foreman is the one who gets the work; this is the rule at the docks.

However, recently the foreman's cut has been getting higher and higher, and half of the hard-earned money has to be handed over, which is very distressing.

Chen Yi listened to their complaints with a smile.

In this era, if you have no connections or skills, you can only work as a laborer and earn money by physical labor.

It can be said that manual laborers were the lowest tier of workers.

They are exploited and leeched, yet they have no choice but to accept it willingly.

He had no other choice before, but now he finally had a way to escape.

After stepping over the uneven ground, Chen Yi arrived at the shantytown.

There are many people lying on the ground, skin and bones, their bodies rotting.

These are all white smokers; they look pitiful, but they'll trade anything for white smoke.

Laborers are at the bottom of the social hierarchy, while white smokers are no longer considered human.

Chen Yi didn't linger on them, but walked straight back to his residence.

A dilapidated shed, drafty on three sides, with weeds covering the ground.

This is where he lives.

Upon entering the shed and closing the door, Chen Yi's honest and simple smile vanished instantly, replaced by a calm and emotionless expression.

His so-called honesty and simplicity were merely an imitation of his predecessor's personality, just a mask.

He held the Returning Mountain Fist manual in one hand and began to practice the movements in the manual.

As he practiced, the number of characters he could read and write with proficiency gradually increased.

Martial Arts: Returning Mountain Fist.

Level: Not yet learned.

Proficiency: 1/100.

In fact, whether it's studying or training, what tests a person's willpower the most is not seeing any results for a long time.

As Chen Yi practiced his boxing, he could see his proficiency increase every moment. Even when his body was tired, he felt increasingly refreshed and addicted to the practice.

He practiced until late at night before finally lying down to sleep in the haystack, his whole body aching.

The next day.

Chen Yi woke up feeling intensely hungry.

However, his first priority wasn't to find food, but to check his proficiency level.

Returning Mountain Fist.

Level: Not yet learned.

Proficiency: 50/100.

"If we practice one more day, we'll be fully trained."

Chen Yi was in a state of high excitement, and the pain in his body was completely ignored in this state of excitement.

But for now, let's go out and find something to eat.

He pushed open the door and walked out.

Between the shantytown and the dock, there is a street full of open-air vendors.

It was known as the dock market.

They have everything: household items, groceries, clothing repair, food.

Chen Yi walked out of the shantytown and onto this street. Various hawking cries and the sound of tram bells mingled together and reached his ears.

The newspaper boy waved his newspapers around and called out as he passed Chen Yi, "Sir, would you like to buy one? It'll only cost one copper coin."

Chen Yi glanced at the newspaper.

Newspapers sometimes contain current events reports, and sometimes gossip and anecdotes.

These are things that ordinary people cannot access, but through newspapers one can get a glimpse of their prosperity.

"You sell manual labor too? They can't read." Some of the older newsboys ran by laughing.

Chen Yi was wearing a short jacket and tattered pants rolled up to his knees, making him instantly recognizable to anyone who saw him.

"Sir, I can read it to you," the child said.

"No."

Just as the child showed disappointment.

Chen Yi tossed a copper coin into his hand: "Take one."

The child quickly handed the newspaper to Chen Yi, looking up with a smile and saying, "Sir, I wish you a pleasant life."

Chen Yi smiled, took the newspaper, and read it as he walked.

—The Iron Body Martial Arts School was successfully challenged by foreigners, losing all face, and the school owner announced that he would no longer accept students.

—New developments in the war in Southeast Asia: The imperial court has expressed its willingness to negotiate peace and cede another piece of land.

—The son of the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce makes an appearance at the Xianledu Dance Hall, promoting newcomer Su Manqing, which may threaten Tang Weila's status as a popular dancer.

Chen Yi watched with great interest until he reached the breakfast stall.

Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, pan-fried dumplings, wontons, glass noodles—all sorts of food are available.

"Give me three big meat patties," Chen Yi said.

To practice martial arts, you need to eat well and be full; you can't do without meat.

Laborers used to be able to save on food when they were working, but they can't anymore.

Fortunately, he received a month's wages, plus the silver dollars his uncle gave him, which was enough to last him until he mastered the Returning Mountain Fist.

"Twelve copper coins," the stall owner said. "Can I pay first?"

Chen Yi's laborer-like attire makes him seem like someone who would be willing to eat meat pies.

The stall owner was afraid he would take it and run away.

Chen Yi nodded in understanding and counted out twelve copper coins to give to him.

Before long, the large meat pie was ready. Chen Yi took the meat pie and ate it as he walked, while also reading the newspaper.

Until the smell of the sea reached my nose.

Chen Yi looked up and realized that he had unknowingly walked to the dock.

"Brother Chen, you're eating so well today, you must be rich! And you're even reading the newspaper, can you even read?"

A laborer walking by joked.

Chen Yi has been working at the docks for so long that everyone knows him.

"I picked up the newspaper by the roadside. Didn't I get paid yesterday? I'll treat myself to something good for the next couple of days," Chen Yi said with a smile.

"They were young and wanted to eat well. They only realize they need to save money to get married when they get older," the laborers chuckled.

Chen Yi smiled and shook his head.

He didn't plan to work anymore and was ready to go back once he reached the dock.

Suddenly, a quarrel broke out inside the dock, causing him to stop in his tracks.

My gaze fell upon that direction.

Several people surrounded the foreman, seemingly arguing. When their faces turned red, they even seemed about to come to blows.

"No fighting allowed!" Upon seeing this, the foreign inspector in the distance immediately blew his whistle, drew his pistol, and rushed over.

The group immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

"Fine, then don't do it. I have plenty of men here. Thirteen copper coins a day for moving goods. Anyone interested?" the foreman shouted.

The laborers who were watching nearby stirred slightly upon hearing this and gathered around.

"What's going on?" Chen Yi asked his coworker.

"That bastard Wang Bapi has increased his cut again; he's only giving out thirteen copper coins instead of fifteen."

The coworker spat on the ground, but his feet didn't stop; he kept walking towards Wang Bapi's location.

Wang Bapi's real name was Wang Hu, and he was the foreman in charge of the work in this area.

However, he was not a martial arts master, but merely a martial arts master's subordinate.

Martial arts instructors only collect money and generally don't come to the docks.

Even with the added commission, the laborers' hatred was focused solely on Wang Hu, and they didn't take it out on the martial artists.