Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Jianghuai Yang Family
Yang Shen’s home wasn’t too far from school, within walking distance.
He was off from his part-time job at the bubble tea shop today. Or rather, there was no work available. The shop didn’t need that many people, otherwise he would have gladly worked seven days a week.
He had something on his mind, so his pace was slow. On the billboard at the bus stop, a dazzling array of ads played.
"The Nine-needle Point Reading Pen~ A great assistant for your child’s Martial Arts cultivation! It clears acupoints with a single touch—wherever it’s blocked, just point and touch!"
"Good news! In the latest exploration of the Exotic Realm, Yanhua Country has acquired valuable biotechnology that will greatly advance the frontiers of Martial Arts..."
"The day before yesterday, renowned expert Qi Zhanzhi caused controversy by calling the ’Cyan Blue Civilization’ a predatory civilization..."
"Weixun College Entrance Exam Loans, annual interest rates as low as 23%! Just link your ID. College Entrance Exam Loans! A loan to help you soar!"
Yang Shen stopped in front of the "College Entrance Exam Loan" ad. On it, a model around his own age wore a traditional blue and white school uniform, holding a huge bag of money with a beaming smile.
Before today, he had actually been planning to take out a small loan...
The situation at home was just too severe; they simply couldn’t make ends meet.
His Uncle’s job as a sailor wasn’t exactly low-paying, but there wasn’t much left over. After all, with five mouths to feed and only one person earning, the family only had about fifty thousand in savings.
After his Uncle passed away, the funeral arrangements cost a lot. They still hadn’t bought a burial plot, and the urn was being stored at a repository. He estimated their savings were probably down to just ten or twenty thousand now.
When you’re poor, even death is a burden.
His aunt had no choice but to start looking for a job. But having been out of the workforce raising kids for over a decade, her Martial Arts level had regressed from the initial-stage Marrow Refining she’d had upon graduating from Martial Arts College to the same mid-stage Skin Refining as Yang Shen. She could only find odd jobs.
Without a Martial Certificate, finding a job was next to impossible.
Especially for a housewife.
Yang Shen even suspected his aunt was on the verge of taking out loans herself.
Those in debt have their own brand of hardship.
Honestly, when Yang Shen received Xu Bamboo’s "Initial Realm Passage Essence Elixir," the thought had even crossed his mind to keep it and sell it. It wouldn’t fetch the original price, but he could at least get a few hundred for it, far more than his weekly earnings from his part-time job.
But in the end, he felt it wasn’t the right thing to do.
He was carrying too much on his shoulders and in his heart, but at least his bones weren’t broken yet, and there was still a spark of defiance left in him.
The spirit of youth.
Yang Shen took a deep breath. That confounding "Immortal Race" system was his only lifeline.
No matter how difficult, no matter how abstract, he had to give it a try!
Returning to his family’s home in the old, run-down residential complex, he was not greeted by warmth and liveliness. The atmosphere at home had been oppressive ever since his Uncle’s death. In truth, Yang Shen wasn’t the only one shouldering the pressure.
Yang Mo and Yang Man, his two cousins who used to be so boisterous, were now quietly doing homework in a corner. While other students were already attending after-school classes to get a head start on their Martial Arts cultivation, his two little sisters could only do worksheets and math problems.
Although their math was always very good, and they were even starting to self-study middle school curriculum...
But everyone on Cyan Blue knew there was no future in that. They would just end up at the bottom of society.
Yang Shen patted his two cousins’ heads. Although he was only six years older, he had truly watched them grow up, and the bond between them was strong.
In the past, they probably would have jumped up with a laugh to hug Yang Shen, but now...
They probably felt they shouldn’t laugh, that they didn’t have the right to.
Some say losing a loved one is a pain like the scorching sun searing your heart.
But in reality, it’s a lifelong dampness, an Infection that seeps into and weighs down every part of life.
His aunt, Tao Ying, placed two dishes on the table and hurriedly untied her apron, saying, "Momo, you do the dishes today. I have a lot of work on the night shift and won’t be back until dawn. Make sure you all go to bed on time."
She currently worked at a processing plant. Because she had majored in the "Precision Department" at Martial Arts College, she was barely qualified to operate the production equipment developed specifically for Martial Arts practitioners.
But as a temp worker, she could only get the night shift. Plus, she was paid by the piece. Hearing there was a lot of work today, she was in a great hurry.
Seeing his aunt’s busy and exhausted appearance, especially the dark circles under her eyes, Yang Shen felt a pang in his heart. He took Tao Ying’s arm and said, "Auntie... No matter how rushed you are, it’s not worth skipping a meal. Eat before you go."
Tao Ying stroked Yang Shen’s head. After all these years, she had long since come to see him as her own son.
She glanced at the two dishes on the table...
It probably wouldn’t be enough for the three of them. Besides, Yang Shen was in his final push of senior year; without Supplements, he couldn’t afford to lack nutrition in his daily meals, or it would ruin his body.
She hadn’t even cooked a portion for herself today. She planned to eat the extra meal at the factory—small, tasteless buns, but they were free. That’s why Yang Shen couldn’t convince her to stay.
"No, I already ate while I was cooking. You watch over your sisters tonight and make sure they go to sleep. And don’t you practice your fist techniques too late, either."
With that, she changed her shoes and headed out.
Yang Shen suddenly called out, "Auntie."
Tao Ying turned back. "Hm?"
"Things will get better for us, I promise!"
Tao Ying smiled. "I think so too! Your uncle used to say, the Yang Family has no cowards, and there’s no obstacle we can’t overcome."
Yang Shen nodded solemnly. "That’s right. The Jianghuai Yang Family has no cowards."
Tao Ying covered her mouth with a small laugh. "The Jianghuai Yang Family? That’s an interesting way to put it. I’m off. Momo, Manman! Don’t pester your brother at bedtime; go to sleep on your own."
"Okay~" came two voices in unison.
For a moment, the only sound in the living room was that of them eating in silence as the news played on the TV.
"Recently, unexplained micro-earthquakes have been detected in several locations across the Pacific Ocean. Deep Sea Sea Beasts are gradually migrating towards shallower waters. The coast guard has issued a fishing advisory."
When Yang Shen heard the words "Sea Beast," he frowned. Just as he expected, Yang Mo and Yang Man lowered their eyes, trembling slightly.
He decisively changed the channel.
His uncle had died because of an unprecedented migration of Sea Beasts. He hadn’t expected it to still be going on...
————
The next day was just another unremarkable day of high school.
And another four-hour-long gym class in the afternoon.
This time, it was the literature teacher who was sick.
Yang Shen spent the entire day thinking about how to complete the system’s mission...
The main quest was to increase the number of family members. The simplest way would probably be to "accept a disciple" or "recruit a retainer."
Of course, that was only simple relative to "having a child." In reality, for a high school student—especially a struggling one—it was still incredibly difficult.
Yang Shen even considered asking Liu Wei, the student ranked dead last in their class.
After all, he himself was second to last. ’Perhaps there’s something I can learn from Liu Wei,’ he mused. ’It wouldn’t be a loss to become his disciple, would it?’
Additionally, Yang Shen was also very curious about his classmates’ Life Charts. ’Although it’ll be hard to recruit a classmate as a disciple, if any of them are particularly amazing, maybe they could become "family connections" in the future, right?’
Unconsciously, Yang Shen was gradually stepping into the role of "Clan Leader" and starting to plan for his family’s future...
In the end, however, Yang Shen restrained himself. He only had one chance per day to "inspect an outsider’s Life Chart," which was actually quite precious.
If Xu Bamboo had shown up, he would have used it on her without hesitation. But unfortunately, Xu Bamboo didn’t come to school today; she had taken the day off.
Word was that she’d been injured due to a problem with her Body Refining. Yang Shen sent her a message to check in but was unable to glimpse the genius girl’s Life Chart.
Before school let out, after gym class ended, Yang Shen was panting for breath.
He was so exhausted, he felt like he’d been scraped raw.
But Teacher Liu kept Yang Shen behind and called him over to a corner.
Teacher Liu was an Innate Expert, his Cultivation second only to the principal and the dean. He followed the path of Horizontal Training, stood over two meters tall, and when he crossed his arms, he was as broad as a door.
"Yang Shen, your progress in gym has been very slow lately."
He knew each student’s situation like the back of his hand.
Teacher Liu sighed. "In your first year, you were about average in the class. Now, in your third year, you’re right at the bottom. If this continues, the college entrance exam is going to be a problem."
Yang Shen could only nod. ’What can I do about it...’ he thought.
Because of the unique nature of the college entrance exam, most schools crammed all the academic subjects into the first two years, leaving the entire third year dedicated to honing Body Refining.
So before the third year, when everyone hadn’t picked up the pace, Yang Shen could barely keep up. Once the third year started and things accelerated, everyone was getting shot after shot in the waist, their backs looking like showerheads, while he had to rely on goji berry-infused water.
Others were grinding so hard in cram schools they wouldn’t recognize their own mothers, while Yang Shen was at the bubble tea shop every day saying, "Welcome."
How could he possibly compete?
Although Teacher Liu was conscientious and responsible, he didn’t know every student’s family situation, so he was unaware of the tragedy that had befallen Yang Shen’s family.
"Yang Shen, if you still want to get into a Martial Arts College, based on this year’s projected cutoff scores, you’ll need to be at mid-stage Bone Training at the very least. There are less than three months left, so time is tight. You need to work hard. If you have any questions about the ’Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist,’ feel free to come to me anytime."
"Actually, the Sixth Set was improved in recent years and is much gentler. I learned the Fourth Set back in my day. It’s more suited for guys, more aggressive. If you’re willing to put in the effort, you can learn it from me. It’s not exactly by the book, but I think for a third-year student, it’s a chance worth taking a gamble on."
A flicker of gratitude appeared in Yang Shen’s eyes. Teacher Liu was a good teacher.
’To think he’d take a risk and offer me private lessons...’
"Teacher, thank you..."
Teacher Liu laughed heartily. "It’s nothing. Who doesn’t need extra practice to get good results? I occasionally teach your classmate, Xu Bamboo, a few things as well. You’re all my students, so I can’t play favorites."
"Remember, the path of Martial Arts is like rowing a boat upstream. Before you train the body, you must train the mind, young man! It’s not time to give up yet! Heaven rewards the diligent!"
The broad palm patted Yang Shen’s back gently, and Yang Shen truly felt a surge of new strength.
When a teacher was willing to teach more, a student who hadn’t given up yet would naturally be moved.
Yang Shen believed in Gratitude. ’If I really make it big with the "Immortal Race System," I’ll definitely repay Teacher Liu,’ he thought.
Thinking of the system, Yang Shen suddenly became curious about Teacher Liu’s Life Chart.
In a place like Jinshui District—which was called a "district" but was more like a "county town"—having someone at the Innate level was already very rare. Perhaps Teacher Liu would let him see a Life Chart other than a "Life of Labor and Struggle."
’I only get one chance a day. Using it on Teacher Liu wouldn’t be a waste. What if he’s a hidden master?’
And so, Yang Shen used his one-a-day Life Chart Inspection chance on this gentle, magnanimous teacher.
Then, he froze.
"Liu Yuankui: Third Layer of Qi Cultivation."
"Life Chart: Cultist, Hypocrite."
Yang Shen: Huh?
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