My Entry In Troubled Times Is Infinitely Synthesized

Chapter 9: Joining the Martial Arts School

"What's this?" Li Yun took the cloth bag with some confusion. "Xiao Rou, didn't I ask you to help me save money? Why are you giving it back to me?"

"Open it and see," Xiao Rou smiled.

"Alright."

Li Yun glanced at her and, although he felt a strange tightness in his heart, he still shook the cloth bag in his palm.

With a shake, five pieces of broken silver coins fell out.

And they were not small, about the same size as Li Yun's one or two pieces of broken silver. In other words, he had about five or six taels of broken silver in his hand.

"How did you get so much money?" Li Yun looked at Xiao Rou in astonishment.

Xiao Rou was satisfied with Li Yun's surprised expression and proudly puffed out her chest. "Hmph, I earned all this money by begging and selling miscellaneous trinkets. I've been saving for over five years. Impressive, right?"

"Five years..." Li Yun was shocked and looked at Xiao Rou's dirty face. For some reason, a feeling of pity rose in his heart.

To save four taels of silver in five years, how tiring and difficult it must have been...

At his age, he still knew nothing and was just a little kid who watched Ultraman cartoons.

But Xiao Rou had been wandering outside since she was so young, who knows how much hardship she had endured to save so much silver.

The silver in his hand felt hot to Li Yun.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Li Yun said, "Xiao Rou, I can't accept this silver."

"Why not? Uncle, don't you want to become someone important? With this money, you can join the martial arts school and learn martial arts," Xiao Rou couldn't understand.

Li Yun smiled bitterly, "I am already an adult, and I have my own abilities. I can slowly earn money. Sooner or later, I will enter the martial arts school. This silver is what you have saved up after so many years of hard work. It's not appropriate for me to take it."

"Why is it not appropriate?" Xiao Rou pouted. "As long as Uncle doesn't use it for gambling and uses it for the right path, and didn't you say it yourself? We are family, and family doesn't keep secrets from each other. What's mine is yours."

"My adoptive grandmother, who took care of me before, said that being family means trusting each other. That way, we can overcome any difficulties. Uncle, don't you consider me as family?"

"Uncle," Xiao Rou stood up and patted Li Yun's shoulder, saying seriously, "When you become a martial arts master in the future, you must not forget about me. You have to pay me back this money. I want to buy lots and lots of candy."

Silence for a few seconds.

Looking up at Xiao Rou's serious face, Li Yun tightly held onto the silver and smiled, "Alright, I'll buy you lots of candy in the future. But if you eat too much, your teeth will rot."

"I'm not afraid!"

"Haha, then no one will want you when that happens."

"As long as Uncle wants me, it's fine, hehe."

"Alright, I want you."

At noon, Li Yun personally went to the kitchen, sliced about twenty pieces of cured meat, stir-fried some cabbage, and cooked bamboo shoot soup, adding three slices of cured meat to the soup as seasoning.

The taste was not bad. Li Yun ate two bowls of rice, feeling full and satisfied. Under Xiao Rou's encouraging gaze, he slung his longbow on his back, took the warm cloth bag, and left the small wooden house.

Learning martial arts was inevitable.

Although the Great Yuan Dynasty had always emphasized civil governance, it also encouraged the development of the Martial Dao.

To scholars, everything else was low-grade except for studying. To martial artists, the only way to rise was through martial arts.

In short, mastering martial arts meant not being afraid no matter where one went. With this ability, one could at least protect oneself in this world. If one learned even better, it was not impossible to improve one's status and class.

Li Yun didn't want to learn all those miscellaneous ancient texts. It was unrealistic for him to start learning those things at his age, and it was not practical either. So, there was only one path in front of him, learning martial arts.

Not learning martial arts, wouldn't that be a waste of his potential?

I wonder how amazing the Martial Dao in this world is, whether it can grant immortality, whether it can break mountains with a single punch.

With inexplicable anticipation, Li Yun found himself standing at the entrance of the martial arts academy.

Large flakes of white snow were falling, the gates of the academy were wide open, and there was no snow in front of the gate. A plaque hung high, with four large characters written on it - Langchao Boxing Academy!

Taking a deep breath, Li Yun walked into the academy.

Behind the gate sat a young apprentice, idle and wearing a gray practice uniform. When he saw a man wearing tattered clothes and carrying a long bow, his face full of curiosity, the young apprentice immediately stopped him.

"Hey, stop! Who are you? This is a boxing academy, you can't just enter casually."

"I'm here to learn martial arts," Li Yun said calmly.

"Learn martial arts?" The apprentice looked Li Yun up and down, somewhat surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright," the young apprentice said, no longer saying much. He continued, "You're quite something, coming to learn martial arts in the middle of winter. Come, I'll take you to record your name and collect the tuition."

Li Yun remained silent and followed the apprentice.

Inside the academy was a large courtyard, spacious and filled with about twenty muscular men practicing boxing, creating a vigorous scene.

Most of these men couldn't help but take a few more glances at Li Yun when they saw a stranger walking in.

Li Yun kept his gaze straight ahead and was finally led into the main house by the young apprentice.

Inside the house, it was warm and cozy. There was a dedicated maid tending to the fire. In the center, a meticulous old man in his fifties with white hair neatly combed lay on a chair. Beside him was a small table filled with exquisite snacks.

Behind him was a decent-looking maid massaging his shoulders, very comfortable.

"Master, someone has come to learn martial arts," the apprentice called out softly to the old man who was nurturing his spirit with closed eyes.

After two breaths, the old man slowly looked at Li Yun and casually asked, "What's your name?"

"Mu Zi Li, Yun from Baiyun."

"Seeing that you carry a bow, what profession are you in?"

"A hunter."

"Oh," the old man's eyes, without any ripples, curiously scanned Li Yun a few times. "A hunter, and you've come to learn martial arts in the middle of winter?"

"Because I've always wanted to learn martial arts, and now that I have the money, I've come to learn from you," Li Yun said respectfully.

"Oh, so you have a strong desire to learn martial arts. How old are you? Have you broken through the Primordial Yang?"

"Twenty, I haven't broken through yet."

"Not bad, although you're quite old, at least you haven't broken through the Primordial Yang," the old man nodded and opened his hand. "Pay up, four taels of silver."

"Four taels?" Li Yun exclaimed in surprise. "Wasn't it three taels?"

The old man glanced at Li Yun and explained in a flat tone, "The past is the past, the present is the present. The skin of a disciple of my Langchao Boxing Academy is enough to handle some small troubles. So, are you going to learn or not?"

Although the old man's tone was flat, his gaze seemed to see through Li Yun.

Without hesitation, Li Yun gritted his teeth and handed over four taels of silver. "I'll learn!"

There is one more chapter, but I don't have time to finish it. I need to make some revisions. Ah! I've been so busy lately, sorry.

(End of this chapter)