The Martial Arts Hall was named Golden Bull Martial Arts Hall.
In its own little corner of Lin County, it was a force to be reckoned with.
The Hall Master was named Xu Jun—a Martial Artist who had reached Refining Skin Perfection—and he was backed by a group of instructors at the mid and advanced levels of Refining Skin.
Although Gu Qingfeng's strength wasn't particularly high, he had stepped into the mid-level of Refining Skin, which met the requirements to join the Golden Bull Martial Arts Hall.
Therefore,
after he demonstrated his own strength, it was only natural for him to become an instructor.
"A regular instructor earns five taels of silver per month. Instructor Gu shouldn't have any problems with that, right?"
Xu Jun chuckled.
Gu Qingfeng nodded, "No problem at all!"
Five taels of silver were not a small amount.
In Lin County, for an ordinary family of three to spend frugally, five taels of silver was more than sufficient for a year's expenses.
This was the difference between Martial Artists and ordinary people.
Even just at the mid-level of Refining Skin, the compensation they received was beyond what ordinary people could match.
Very soon,
both parties signed the contract.
Gu Qingfeng became a regular instructor at the Golden Bull Martial Arts Hall, earning a salary of five taels of silver every month, but he needed to conduct at least four hours of cultivation guidance for the disciples for a fixed twenty days every month.
If he failed to meet this requirement, the Golden Bull Martial Arts Hall had the right to deduct from his monthly salary.
To this,
Gu Qingfeng naturally had no objections.
Five taels of silver were more than enough to raise a child, and even hiring a wet nurse wouldn't be a problem.
Yet considering his current financial distress, Gu Qingfeng decided to request his salary for one month in advance, which Xu Jun did not refuse.
With the silver in hand,
Gu Qingfeng immediately found a wet nurse who had recently given birth and had ample milk to feed a child, at a price of one tael of silver per month.
She was a woman in her thirties, still with some charm, though her complexion was slightly pallid, which suggested a diet deficient in nutrients; however, upon hearing the offer of one tael of silver, a healthy color flushed her cheeks.
Once everything was arranged,
Gu Qingfeng's life got back on track.
He practiced Martial Arts every day,
and then he would wait for Gu Yang to grow up to see if there would be opportunities to trigger more rewards.
Originally,
Gu Qingfeng had thoughts of remarrying and having more children, but for the time being, the cost of taking a wife was not low, and if he wanted to provide for several more children, he would want but not have the means.
Furthermore,
in terms of taking a wife,
Gu Qingfeng also hoped to find someone he was fated to be with.
Otherwise, becoming a mere puppet for procreation was not what he desired in his heart.
At least for now, Gu Qingfeng had no such inclination.
...
Time flew by,
and in the blink of an eye,
seven years passed.
Seven years had made Gu Qingfeng more mature, and he was now twenty-nine, just one step away from the established age of thirty.
Two years ago,
Gu Qingfeng had mastered the Mountain Shattering Fist to Great Success, and his Cultivation had broken through to the late stages of Refining Skin.
Not because his talents had grown stronger, but because he had assimilated the Qi Blood Pill and used his monthly salary to purchase plenty of resources for cultivation, only then was he able to achieve breakthrough success.
When his realm broke through to the late stages of Refining Skin, Gu Qingfeng's status in the Golden Bull Martial Arts Hall also rose significantly, and he was promoted directly from a regular instructor to a senior instructor.
In terms of salary,
it went from five taels of silver per month to ten taels of silver.
"Just focus on this monthly salary for a few years, and the silver you'll have saved up will be entirely enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably in their old age."
Unfortunately,
As a martial artist, Gu Qingfeng earned money quickly, but he also spent it like water.
Over the years, he hadn't managed to save much money.
However,
Gu Qingfeng did buy the courtyard he had been renting several years ago in one go, establishing it as his real foundation in Lin County.
After completing a set of fist skills, Gu Qingfeng stopped moving, letting his seething qi and blood gradually calm down. It was then that a half-grown child walked back in from outside.
The child had a delicate and pretty appearance, with eyes clear and bright, and his brows bore a striking resemblance to Gu Qingfeng.
"Dad!"
"The classes ended so early today?"
"The instructor had some matters to handle, so he dismissed us early!" Gu Yang said with a chuckle.
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng nodded slightly, then looked at his son in front of him. Just seven years old and well-nourished from a young age, he was much sturdier than the average child.
Seeing this,
Gu Qingfeng spoke, "You've come at the right time. You're now seven years old, which is the stage to build your foundation. Today, your father will teach you martial arts to see if you have a talent for it."
"Really?"
Gu Yang's eyes suddenly lit up. From a young age, he had always watched Gu Qingfeng practice martial arts, and he knew that his father was a senior instructor at the Golden Bull Martial Arts Hall, a renowned expert in Lin County.
In the past, Gu Yang had also expressed a desire to learn martial arts but was always refused by Gu Qingfeng because he was too young.
Now that Gu Qingfeng mentioned it himself, Gu Yang was naturally overjoyed.
——
Teaching Gu Yang to practice fists was not difficult for Gu Qingfeng.
Having taught apprentices in the martial arts hall for several years and himself having cultivated the Mountain Shattering Fist to great success, guiding a seven-year-old child was an easy task.
He had expected Gu Yang, due to his young age, to find fist practicing exhausting and unable to persist for very long. Gu Qingfeng was even prepared to enforce discipline with a stick if necessary.
Unexpectedly,
Though young, the child was not lacking in perseverance.
Even if fist training was arduous, Gu Yang always managed to endure it with sheer determination.
Moreover,
In terms of talent for martial arts, Gu Qingfeng discovered that Gu Yang was much better than himself.
He had struggled for years to attain just a beginner level in Mountain Shattering Fist, but it took Gu Yang less than three months to reach the beginner stage and achieve a breakthrough to the Initial Stage of the Refining Skin Realm.
And at the moment of Gu Yang's breakthrough, Gu Qingfeng's attribute panel, which had been quiet for a long time, finally had new messages appear.
"Your offspring 'Gu Yang' has achieved a breakthrough to the Initial Stage of the Refining Skin Realm!"
"Reward Upgrade Points*1!"
"Reward Qi Blood Pills*20!"
"Reward low-grade martial arts 'Iron Body Skills'!"
This time the rewards were
much more generous than the last.
Setting aside the upgrade points for now, the Qi Blood Pills were double the amount of last time, and this time there was an additional reward of low-grade martial arts Iron Body Skills.
So-called low-grade martial arts are beginner martial arts.
Like the Mountain Shattering Fist that Gu Qingfeng was currently practicing, it is one kind of low-grade martial arts.
But even low-grade martial arts are extremely precious to many people and are not easily obtained.
Only by joining the martial arts hall and giving a large amount of silver could one have the opportunity to be taught low-grade martial arts.
Now,
Receiving a low-grade martial arts as a reward was indeed satisfying for Gu Qingfeng.
Moreover, through this occasion,
Gu Qingfeng had completely figured out how to trigger his attribute panel.
When his offspring made a breakthrough in cultivation, he would benefit accordingly.
Now that Gu Yang had broken through to the Initial Stage of the Refining Skin Realm, he'd received such rich rewards. If he made a breakthrough to even higher realms later, the rewards would be even better.