Zhenhao looked strangely at his son.
"I am at the peak of Skin Tempering Realm, and I reached it after decades of hard work."
His gaze towards Li Hao was one of suspicion. "How can it be possible that you became a martial artist overnight?"
"Maybe, I possess one of those famed physiques from the legend."
Pfft!
"There is no possibility, you are my own blood!"
Damn!
"Come on, father, have some confidence in your own bloodline. Who knows, maybe some of our ancestors were important figures in history!"
Hearing Li Hao's words, the bandit leader shook his head.
"Our ancestors were mere villagers and woodcutters."
Li Hao was speechless. 'My background is truly that of a peasant!'
Just then, something clicked inside his head. 'Oh right, how can I forget about the predecessor's mother!'
Coming to think of it, ever since his transmigration, he had never even seen his mother once. He never bothered to ask, since he was not the original, and the issue of transmigration itself had shaken him to the core at that time.
There must be a good reason as to why he cannot see his mother. Either she was killed or has disappeared because of her hidden background.
So, he looked deeply at his father. His eyes contained a never-before-seen seriousness.
Even Zhenhao was a bit shocked, wondering why his son had suddenly become like this.
"Father, I wish to know more about my mother. Where is she?"
Hearing him mention his mother, Zhenhao's face became grim. He closed his eyes.
"Hao, it is better that you do not concern yourself with her. She will never come back."
There it is! A deep background!
"No! Today, I must know about her! Father, please enlighten me!"
Haa…
Zhenhao sighed. His closed eyes opened.
"Alright! It is time that you know about her. Today, I shall enlighten you."
"Your mother is a courtesan I hired in the past for personal work. Who knew she would leave you behind for me?"
'You are the courtesan! Your whole family is a courtesan!.... Wait, am I insulting myself?…'
Cough! Cough!
"What do you mean, Father? Where is Mother right now?"
Although Li Hao had already lost interest, he still had to know where she worked. Perhaps he could help her free herself from a courtesan status in the future. After all, she gave birth to him and was his mother in this life.
The question about her location seemed to further sadden Zhenhao as his back bent lower.
"Your mother should be within Qingfeng county, working as a courtesan in the House of Thousand Dreams."
'House of Thousand Dreams' Li Hao remembered the name.
"Enough about her! Your situation requires more attention! How did you become a martial artist without ever training a muscle in your life?!"
Li Hao started having a headache. 'How do I explain?'
"Father! As I told you, I don't know! There can only be one plausible explanation: I have a physique from the legends."
Zhenhao was still having doubts. "What kind of physique is so unreasonable? Becoming a martial artist overnight is not some joke; it is a serious matter."
Li Hao could not explain more, so he remained silent.
Upon seeing that no understanding could be reached, Zhenhao sighed yet again and decided to set aside the matter for now. Anyway, it was a good thing that his own son had become a martial artist.
"Whatever, since you have become one, do you have anything you wish to know? Of course, except for your mother."
Li Hao smiled helplessly at first, but after some deliberations, he finally asked.
"I am unclear about the world and martial arts hierarchy. Please enlighten me, Father."
The bandit leader (Zhenhao) showed a thoughtful expression.
"It is good that you are curious. Before walking on the path of martial arts, I was but a young villager, working as a woodcutter for the rich to make ends meet."
"One day, I ventured deep into the forest searching for an opportunity and stumbled upon a small cave. Inside, I found a corpse and two books. One was this martial arts book, and the other contained numerous information about the world."
After saying this, he handed the two books to Li Hao. "You should keep them now. Make sure that you never show it to others." Zhenhao reminded with a serious look on his face.
Li Hao, too, gave a serious look and nodded his head, showing understanding.
"You may go now. Read the books and your knowledge gap will fill itself."
"Sure, Dad. Take care!"
"...Wait, what did you call me?"
Ahem!
"Do take care of yourself, father."
"..."
…
Inside Li Hao's personal room. He was reading the other book containing information about the world. As for that martial arts book, it was tossed aside.
Bull Strength Technique was the name of the martial arts book. It was kept aside because no matter what he did, the panel was not registering it, so he focused on gaining some knowledge.
"There are numerous techniques, but the essence of martial arts remains the same, which is strengthening the body from the outside to the inside. It begins with strengthening the body to reach a state where the body is extremely suitable for practicing martial arts. Such a state is known as the Body Strengthening realm."
After that, there is the Skin Hardening Realm. It is to temper the skin as much as possible so as to reach a state where normal cold weapons cannot penetrate the skin. Li Hao's father, Zhenhao, was at the peak of this realm, just one step away from the higher Bone Tempering Realm.
The two realms below Bone tempering focus on the external body, and a martial artist begins training the internal only after surpassing these two realms.
There is little information about the realms after Bone Tempering, only mentioning the name Organ Refinement without providing any detailed information, like the previous three realms.
The martial art book titled 'Bull Strength Technique' also only had content till the third realm.
After reviewing this information, Li Hao scratched his head. "It should be enough for now. The immediate need for me currently is to know more about this world."
"The Qing dynasty, unlike my earlier expectations, is not actually ruling over the world."
It was also not the only dynasty. There was a Xia Dynasty, a Dao Dynasty, a Qin Dynasty, and a Deng Dynasty. These five dynasties made up the whole of the East Region.
The whole world was divided into three regions: East, West, and South. The rest of the lands had already been occupied and divided by the powerhouses of each of these three regions.
Martial arts thrived in the Eastern region, with legendary figures emerging from each corner of its territory.
This was all the information that Li Hao acquired from the book. Turning the pages to the end, no new information could be gained. Hence, he closed the book and fell into deep thought.
'This world…It's so large!'
The Qing Dynasty was not powerful enough to rule over the world. In fact, it had occupied only a part of the whole eastern region. And, even here, Li Hao was living in a tiny corner, or one could say a backward place. There is a vast world outside yet to be explored.
Sigh…
But before that, he has to find a way to deal with that ghostly family.
'I must use this simulation system to quickly improve my strength!'
While thinking so, a transparent panel appeared near his vision.
[Name: Li Hao
Age: 17 (Life Span: 90)
Physique: Mortal (Body Strengthened)
Balance: 0 Taels of silver (Money Detected! Wanna add? Yes/No)
Life simulation: 0 (Requires 50 taels of silver) [Use? Yes/No] (Warning! Insufficient balance!)
Points: 0]
After becoming a martial artist, the panel increased the price for life simulation from ten taels to fifty taels.
'What better ways to deal with the problem than to increase strength? Add all the money!'
The moment he said that. The money bag that was on the table became extremely light. It seems physical touch is not required, as long as the money is in his possession, the panel would consider it.
The balance tab reflecting zero increased to seventy-three taels! In this world, one gold ingot equaled twenty taels of silver.
[Name: Li Hao
Age: 17 (Life Span: 90)
Physique: Mortal (Body Strengthened)
Balance: 73 Taels of silver
Life simulation: 1 (Requires 50 taels of silver) [Use? Yes/No]
Points: 0]
'Begin the simulation!'
[Life Simulation Starts!]
[Age 17: You have become a body-strengthening Realm martial artist, bringing joy to your father and yourself. This made you more confident and bold in your actions.
[The next morning, you went ahead to challenge some of the bandits in the same realm and bested all without much effort. You learned that the enhancement brought by the simulation is top-notch, making one invincible in the same realm. This made you even more confident.]
[The same day, your father gathered everyone and informed them that emissaries from a formidable gang from a faraway land would arrive in a few days, seeking cooperation on certain matters. He also stated his intentions for hiding away to avoid any dangers that might arise from their recent loot.]
[He asked for all your opinions. All the bandits, including you, put your trust in Zhenhao's decision.]
Although confident, you still have certain worries because you are aware of the future developments, hence prioritizing safety and extra survival time is at the top of your mind. You are also aware that in this life, you have to do something significant.]
[The Golden Eagle Brotherhood disbanded temporarily, and most of you went into hiding. You and your father, with some important members disguised as vagabonds and infiltrated Clear Spring Village.]