Time had reached noon, and the golden sunlight skimmed over the city walls, leaving shadows in this ancient city of Changqing County.
Though the sun was at its zenith, the spring had just begun, and the weather was not as fierce as one might expect.
On this street named Fruit Street, as usual, many peddlers and stall owners were hawking along the street. At the street corner, there were also some street performers from the rivers and lakes loudly calling for attention, attracting quite a few passersby to stop and watch.
The street, paved with bluish-gray bricks, was traversed by an enlarged and widened brown-yellow carriage, which rolled over the ground with a creaking noise.
Inside the carriage, Su Heng slowly opened his eyes.
Less than an hour had passed since he had his morning meal, yet now, sitting in the carriage and smelling the aromas of fried pancakes, fresh pastries, and various fried foods in the air, he felt a faint sense of hunger again and couldn't help swallowing saliva repeatedly.
Unconsciously, more than five years had passed since he transmigrated to this world called the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he had gradually become accustomed to life here.
When he first transmigrated, Su Heng also harbored grand ambitions.
He leveraged the knowledge in his memory to produce soap, refined salt, and high-proof alcohol, helping his family venture into new businesses and earning a hefty sum of silver. He was also eager to learn martial arts, yearning to traverse the martial world as a master...
Well,
Unfortunately,
Su Heng's dream of becoming a martial arts master lasted only a span of three months.
This world indeed had so-called martial arts, foundation training, and states of mind, but they focused more on conditioning the body rather than combat. Those so-called top masters in the jianghu could hardly defeat an armored soldier armed with a long spear with their bare hands.
After realizing that this world did not even qualify as a low-level martial arts realm, Su Heng's intense desire to become a martial arts master began to dwindle. He had strived for so long, and now, having transmigrated, he finally became a wealthy young master—shouldn't he just enjoy life?
This enjoyment of life lasted a full five years.
Until an incident three months ago, Su Heng was shocked to discover that he actually was...
"Neighhhh!"
The neighing from outside the carriage interrupted Su Heng's thoughts, and the carriage, which had been smoothly traveling down the road, slowly came to a stop.
"What's happened?" Su Heng asked through the carriage curtain.
The coachman, named Li Si, was short in stature but sharp and capable, enjoyed the deep trust of Su Heng's father, the Elder Master Su. Thus, he became Su Heng's personal bodyguard and was almost inseparable from him when outside.
Li Si stood on the carriage, looking up and observing for a while.
After a moment, Li Si's voice came, "Someone has discovered a body in a well, and the officials are investigating. Many people are gawking, which has blocked the road."
"Just go around it then," Su Heng said without giving it much thought.
"Giddy up!"
"Giddy up!"
Li Si cracked his whip, steering the carriage to bypass the street ahead.
Leaving Fruit Street, the carriage entered another slightly more desolate street lined with many large trees—Scholar Tree Street.
Amidst the neighing, the carriage once again came to a halt.
This time it was not due to an accident but because they had arrived at their destination.
Li Si dismounted and opened the curtain, and Su Heng slowly stepped out from the carriage, standing firmly on the ground. Facing him was a large courtyard's gray-white entrance, bathing in the mottled shadows of the scholar trees, with the signboard reading "Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall" in bold, flowing calligraphy.
At the entrance,
a female martial master dressed in a white practice outfit was already waiting.
The martial master, Ning Wantong, appeared to be in her late twenties. Although her looks were not amazingly stunning, her fair face was still quite pleasant to look at. Especially her curvaceous figure was well-defined, even through the loose-fitting outfit, it was apparent that her assets were abundant, exuding a mature aura.
"Disciple Brother Su." Ning Wantong was the daughter of the master of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.
Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, at one time, had its periods of glory in Changqing County, but now, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, where the overall ethos placed more emphasis on scholarship than martial arts, and practicing martial arts indeed hardly showed immediate results, the hall naturally declined over time.
In recent years, it was even hard to maintain its existence.
It was Su Heng's joining and his casual financial support that helped the hall tide over its difficulties.
Seeing her major benefactor arriving, Ning Wantong naturally had a smile full of amiability, and her attitude was very eager.
"Sister Ning." Su Heng nodded slightly in greeting.
Guided by Ning Wantong, the two passed through the gatehouse, crossed a beautifully landscaped garden, and then entered a side courtyard to the west. With Ning Wantong's assistance, Su Heng changed into clothes, also a pure white practice outfit.
The two arrived at the practice room.
The two-story practice room faced south and was spacious and bright.
Inside the practice room, with floors made of solid wood and corners filled with wooden piles, sandbags, and more for training strength. Just past noon, seven or eight young disciples were practicing their foundational work while another solemn-looking older disciple meticulously pointed out the inadequacies in their postures.
From one static movement to another static movement.
With each transition in movement, there came the rhythmic grunts. The voices of seven or eight people rose in unison, powerfully resounding.
Su Heng lingered briefly on the first floor, his gaze sweeping over these young disciples.