The night grew deeper.
The River Patrol Officers shouted their goodbyes and dispersed. Some went home, while others made plans to go out drinking and carousing.
Chen Qing walked home, a faint chill carried on the early autumn evening wind.
When he reached Mute Bay, he saw fishermen gathered in twos and threes at Auntie Cuihua's door, shaking their heads and sighing, their faces grim.
Chen Qing walked over. "Uncle Da Chun, what happened?"
Uncle Da Chun sighed heavily. "The Liu Family went to Dew City early this morning to sell their salted fish. On their way back, they were ambushed. Not only was all the money for the fish stolen, but they broke his legs. He still hasn't woken up."
"There are too many of these damned club-wielding thugs around lately. You be careful too!"
'Who knew how many pairs of greedy eyes lurked in this Outer City.'
Among them were gangs of thieves and plenty of desperados.
Hearing this, Chen Qing frowned slightly. Without another word, he turned and headed for his family's black-canopied boat.
From the reeds by the shore, a few water birds took flight with a flutter of wings, disappearing into the deep night.
"Mother, I'm home."
Lifting the canvas flap, Chen Qing peeled off his sweat-soaked tunic.
Ms. Han was mending a fishing net by the light of an oil lamp, her rough fingers weaving deftly through the mesh.
"There's some fish soup in the pot."
Ms. Han said without looking up.
Chen Qing ladled out a bowl of broth so clear you could see the bottom. A few small, miscellaneous fish floated listlessly inside.
He took a sip and said, "We have enough fishing nets at home. You should get some rest, Mother."
"They may not sell now, but one day they will."
Ms. Han sighed, pressing her knuckles to her temples. "This time of year is usually the peak fishing season. The docks should be crowded with merchants buying fish. But this year... it's like the Dragon King has collected a tax on the river's fish. They're so sparse."
"The fishermen can barely eat now, so of course, no one is buying nets."
As she said this, a trace of worry clouded her features.
Outside, the sound of waves lapping gently against the hull made the boat rock slightly.
Chen Qing put down his bowl, his expression grave. "Mother, you heard what happened to the Liu Family, right? You need to be careful too."
'If they had any connections at all, who wouldn't want to move into the Inner City for some peace and safety?'
But the housing prices in Gaolin County were steep. Even an ordinary courtyard home in the Outer City cost anywhere from fifty to a few hundred taels of snowflake silver.
As for a residence in the Inner City, that was a symbol of status far beyond the reach of any commoner.
Even that seemingly ordinary shelter in the Outer City would cost half a lifetime's savings—a sum most might never attain in their entire lives.
'In the end, it all came down to being too poor.'
...
「The next day.」
After his usual patrol, Chen Qing stepped into the Zhou Institute.
The moment he entered the gates, he sensed a strange atmosphere.
A few glances swept over him, faint and indirect. The disciples were gathered in small groups, and their hushed whispers suddenly died down as he approached.
'Strange,' Chen Qing thought, but his face remained placid as he walked toward his usual training spot.
That's when he noticed He Yan, who was normally so diligent, sitting alone on a stone block in the corner. His face was ashen, drained of blood, and his unfocused eyes stared at the ground.
"Brother He."
Chen Qing walked over and called out softly.
He Yan slowly raised his head. His lips twisted into a strained curve, and his voice was dry and hoarse. "Junior Brother Chen, I failed my breakthrough."
Chen Qing's heart sank, but he forced a smile. "If your qi and blood have scattered, you can just build them up again. You have a strong foundation, Brother..."
Failing to break through a barrier meant that most of the qi and blood he had accumulated was now gone. He would have to start all over again.
"I damaged my foundation this time."
He Yan shook his head. "I might never get another chance."
A lump formed in Chen Qing's throat, and the words of comfort stuck in his chest.
Manifest Force, Dark Force, and Transmutation Force—the three great Realms of Martial Arts. Each one was a massive hurdle, and some people could never cross them in their entire lifetime.
For a disciple like He Yan, with an average Root Bone and a modest family background, breaking through to the Manifest Force Realm was already extremely rare. Taking the next step into the Dark Force Realm was incredibly difficult.
Within the Zhou Institute, Manifest Force disciples were considered Named Disciples, but only those at the Dark Force Realm were part of the core.
For the next few days, He Yan continued to show up at the Zhou Institute.
He became abnormally quiet, no longer the same He Yan who rose at dawn and rested only late at night.
Most of the time, he just sat under the Old Locust Tree in the corner of the courtyard, staring blankly at the gray sky, his eyes frighteningly hollow.
Many of their martial brothers in the courtyard would see him and shake their heads with a sigh. But even more people would just numbly look away. Such scenes were not uncommon at the Zhou Institute.
"How naive!"
Elsewhere, Qin Lie took in the scene and sneered. "If 'Heaven Rewards Diligence' were actually true, the Zhou Institute would be filled with Dark Force masters by now."
The implication was clear: he, Qin Lie, was different from 'them.'
Luo Qian nodded in deep agreement. "I've seen too many disciples like that over the years. In the end, Martial Arts is all about talent."
Sun Shun opened his mouth, but in the end, all that escaped was a heavy sigh. He didn't say a word.
That evening, Chen Qing had just finished two rounds of his fist forms and was sitting on a long bench, catching his breath.
Just then, He Yan walked over with a bundle on his back.
Chen Qing froze for a moment. "You're leaving?"
He Yan nodded slightly, his voice a bit raspy. "Yeah. Staying here... it's meaningless now."
Chen Qing was quiet for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Brother He, are you sure about this?"
"I'm sure," He Yan answered calmly.
His tone was light, as if he were recounting some trivial matter, but inside, a storm raged like a tempestuous sea.
Chen Qing said nothing more.
He Yan let out a soft breath, his gaze fixed on the distance. "For the past two years, I always believed that Heaven Rewards Diligence. I believed I could change my fate through the Martial Arts Examination. So, I trained desperately. I didn't care if people looked down on me; in fact, I used it as motivation."
He smiled, but only he knew the bitterness behind it.
Chen Qing looked into He Yan's eyes and saw the glint of tears he was desperately trying to hold back, but couldn't quite conceal.
"These past few years..."
He Yan's voice was hoarse. "I kept telling myself everything would get better. But what's the reality? Not only did things not get better, they got worse..."
He could no longer hold it in. He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly. "My dream is shattered... completely shattered. After working so hard for so long, I still have nothing. Junior Brother Chen, do you know what that's like? To wake up every day and see no hope at all? To look up and see only darkness, without a single speck of light... That pressure, that despair... I can't breathe."
The nearby disciples noticed the commotion and cast glances their way.
"Brother He..." Chen Qing reached out and gently patted He Yan's shoulder.
'How many people in this world weren't the same? They arrived full of dreams, only to leave in sorrow.'
"Even now, I don't understand what I was so obsessed with..."
He Yan wiped the corner of his eye. "Did I really want to practice Martial Arts, or did I just want to prove myself?"
He gave a bitter laugh. "Thinking about it now... it's not that Martial Arts is useless. It's that *I'm* useless."
He took a deep breath, stood up, and clapped Chen Qing on the shoulder. "I'm leaving. I can't train with you anymore. But you have to keep going. You must never give up."
"Junior Brother Chen, I've seen your diligence and hard work this whole time. Before you showed up, I never believed anyone in this world could work harder than me. Then you came along—from a poor family, surviving on nothing but coarse grains and beans every day, yet you never slacked off, day after day. I admire you from the bottom of my heart."
"I often think, if the heavens truly have eyes, they would never let down someone like you. As for me, your brother, I'm not a success—you could even call me a failure. But I sincerely hope you can make a name for yourself. You deserve it."
"Brother He..." Chen Qing's throat tightened.
"You have to remember my words," He Yan said finally.
"Which ones?"
"Any of them!"
With that, he adjusted the bundle on his back and turned toward the rear gate of the Zhou Institute.
His back looked especially frail in the twilight, like a falling leaf drifting silently into the distance.
The Twenty-Eighth Year of Emperor Shizong, the third day of the sixth month. The sky was clear that day, but in Chen Qing's heart, a heavy rain fell.
...
...