Becoming a Saint Starting with the Chasing Wind Leg Technique

Chapter 101 Wang Shi's Regret, Wang Hu's Praise, Loyal and Righteous

An ordinary residence in the western part of the outer city of Tianshui.

Wang was sitting at the old wooden table in the main room, mending her husband Song Yi's faded coarse cloth jacket by the dim light of an oil lamp.

The needle and thread moved deftly between her rough fingers, but her brows bore a lingering sorrow and weariness.

Since Song Yi went to the Chasing Wind Martial Arts School with Fatty Chen and the others that day, he has never returned.

At first, she thought she was just going to do some temporary work, or that something had gotten in the way.

But as time went by, the rumors about Zhuifeng Martial Arts School and Song Jing grew louder and louder, and she began to feel uneasy.

"Have you heard? Song Jing from the Chasing Wind Martial Arts School defeated Senior Brother Li Wei!"

"Absolutely! Everyone in the teahouse talks about it every day! They say it's about a young hero who suddenly appeared out of nowhere!"

"I also heard that he not only defeated Li Wei, but also gave up the position of headmaster to his second senior brother, and then brought several poor relatives and childhood friends into the martial arts school! One of them, I think, is surnamed Song, and is a middle-aged man—"

"Yes, yes, yes! I heard about it too! His name is Song Yi! He lives around here! He's incredibly lucky!"

"Who can argue with that! It's a meteoric rise! Entering the martial arts school is like a carp leaping over the dragon gate; we'll never have to live this kind of miserable life again!"

"If you ask me, the luckiest one is Song Yi's wife! They used to struggle to make ends meet, but now her husband is in the martial arts school, so she has no worries about food and clothing, and she can learn martial arts. Who knows, she might even amount to something in the future!"

"Tsk tsk, it's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy—"

Wang had heard these discussions on and off the streets quite a bit.

Each time she heard it, her heart trembled, and she became increasingly uneasy.

Song Yi—did he really enter the Chasing Wind Martial Arts School? That Song Jing—is he really my brother-in-law, Song Jing? He—he really defeated Li Wei and became a remarkable figure in the outer city?

She recalled that a few days ago, Song Jing had come to visit, wanting to take her elder brother, Song Yi, to the martial arts school. What had she said at the time?

"Martial arts school? Him? Jing-ge, it's not that your sister-in-law is criticizing you, but your older brother is already this old, what kind of martial arts can he learn? Don't cause you trouble, and don't waste that money."

"Although we're not well-off, we can manage. Your older brother works at the docks, and I stay home doing sewing and laundry. We manage to get by."

"It's good that you're successful, but you shouldn't be too ambitious. Martial arts schools are a dangerous place; for ordinary people like us, it's better to live a peaceful and stable life."

Every word and phrase still echoes in my ears.

At that time, she thought Song Jing was just a young man who had gotten a bit too lucky and was getting a little cocky. She thought he wanted to help his older brother out, which was well-intentioned but unrealistic.

She was afraid that if Song Yi went to the martial arts school, he would not only fail to learn anything but also get into trouble or become a burden to Song Jing. She was even more afraid that he would offend the big shots in the martial arts school and bring disaster upon her family.

So, she openly and subtly said many lukewarm things, even words tinged with resentment and obstruction. She felt that she was doing it for the good of the family and for Song Yi's good.

But now————

Wang's hand holding the needle trembled slightly. The needle tip accidentally pricked her finger, drawing a bead of bright red blood, but she didn't even notice.

"I—I was so—blind—" she murmured to herself, her voice dry and filled with endless regret and bitterness.

She recalled Song Jing's calm yet resolute eyes, and his calm, even apologetic expression when faced with her barbed words.

He was not unaware that he had some dissatisfaction with him, but he never held it against him. On the contrary, he still cared about his elder brother and tried every means to find a better way out for him.

"He—he is no longer the quiet, taciturn child who needed his elder brother's help—he is a young hero who can defeat Li Wei and is famous throughout the outer city—" Wang's heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, and she felt waves of pain.

"And I—I treated him like an immature young man, using those petty calculations and worries to speculate about him and hinder him—I almost—almost pushed him further away, and almost ruined Song Yi, no, our family's only chance to turn things around!"

Wang covered her face, tears slipping through her fingers. Only now did she understand that Song Jing's growth to where he was today was no accident.

His temperament, perseverance, and talent far surpass those of ordinary people.

More importantly, he is loyal and devoted to his friends!

After becoming successful, he did not forget his relatives from when he was poor, nor did he hold a grudge against his sister-in-law's meanness and shortsightedness. He still thought of helping his elder brother out.

"If it weren't for his brotherly affection and consideration for Song Yi's feelings—based on my words and attitude back then—he could easily make me and my family have no place to stand in this outer city now, right?" The more Wang thought about it, the more frightened and ashamed she became.

"I was so blind!"

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and a sturdy boy of about seventeen or eighteen, with a somewhat mischievous look in his eyes, walked in. It was Wang's younger brother, Wang Hu. He also worked at the docks and was acquainted with Song Yi and Fatty Chen.

"Sis! Did you hear? Brother Song Yi really got into the martial arts school! It was arranged by Brother Song Jing himself! Even Master Zhuo of the martial arts school gave his approval!" Wang Hu was excited, his eyes full of admiration. "Brother Song Jing is really amazing! He's now the most powerful person in our outer city!" He gave a thumbs up.

Wang wiped away her tears and forced a smile, saying, "I...I heard—it's good news, it's good news."

Wang Hu plopped down on a stool, poured himself a bowl of cold water, and gulped it down. His excitement hadn't faded, but it was tinged with a complex mix of emotions and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep feelings): "Sister, you don't know, when I think back to that day at the dock, the way Brother Song Jing came to see Brother Song Yi—sigh, I knew then that Brother Song Jing was different from us. He had a light in his eyes, a certain drive in him, he was someone who could achieve great things. I just never imagined he could soar to a height we can't even see so quickly."

He sighed, his tone somewhat dejected: "Back then, I thought that although he was amazing, I could probably catch up to him if I worked hard. Looking back now, it's laughable. From that day on, the gap between us was the smallest. After that, it only got bigger and bigger, until I couldn't even see his back clearly anymore."

"How long has it been? He defeated Li Wei head-on! That's the senior disciple of the Chasing Wind Martial Arts Academy, a master at the peak of the Copper Skin Realm! I heard his strength is comparable to our senior disciple Duan Tianying of the Broken Mountain Martial Arts Academy!" Wang Hu's eyes lit up again, filled with pride. "Song Jing will definitely participate in this year's martial arts competition, and he'll definitely achieve a very good ranking! Maybe he'll even be noticed by some big shots in the inner city and directly selected for an inner city martial arts academy, or even the Pingtian Gate!"

"Inner City—Pingtian Gate—" Wang murmured repeatedly. These names, which were once out of reach for her, now seemed within reach because of her brother-in-law.

She felt even worse. If she hadn't stopped him back then, hadn't said those hurtful things, wouldn't she—wouldn't she also be able to benefit from it and have a better life? Wouldn't her younger brother, Wang Hu, have a better future?

"Sis, what's wrong? Your eyes are all red?" Wang Hu noticed his sister's unusual behavior.

"No, it's nothing, I just got some sand in my eyes." Madam Wang quickly covered up and changed the subject, "It's a good thing that your brother Song Yi has joined the martial arts school. From now on—from now on we must treat Jing-ge'er with even more respect and not be negligent in the slightest."

It is an immense blessing that he has accepted us as relatives.

"Of course!" Wang Hu nodded emphatically. "Brother Song Jing is a loyal and righteous person. He's good to Brother Song Yi, and also to Fatty Chen and Monkey. As long as we behave ourselves and don't cause him any trouble, he definitely won't treat us unfairly. Sister, don't worry, I will never mention that Brother Song Jing is my brother-in-law's brother at the docks in the future, so as not to cause him any trouble."

Looking at her sensible younger brother, Wang felt an even greater pang of sorrow. Yes, all they could do now was to be dutiful and not cause trouble. As for anything else—she dared not ask for more.

As night deepened, the oil lamp flickered dimly.

Sitting under the lamp, Wang lost all will to sew. Regret, shame, fear, and a faint glimmer of hope intertwined in her heart.

She finally understood that some people, once they encounter a turning point in life, become extraordinary.

She almost closed the door to a new world with her own hands because of her shortsightedness and cowardice.

Fortunately, that person was broad-minded and deeply sentimental, and did not hold it against him.

She will remember this good fortune for the rest of her life.

Just as the people of the city were celebrating the destruction of the Zhang family, Song Jing quietly arrived at the heavily guarded outer city government office located on the edge of the inner city.

After showing the token given by Lu Beichen, the guards dared not delay and immediately went in to report.