Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Mayfly
The oil lamp flickered. Lady Ning sat by its light, mending old clothes. Liang Cheng lay on the bed, a dull ache throbbing at his temple, yet his eyes shone with a bright light.
He was not a native soul of this world. In his previous life, he had struggled for half a lifetime, only to go bankrupt in a single day. Then, he’d been in a car accident while delivering food on a rainy night.
When he opened his eyes again, he had become a young laborer in this seaside town, utterly destitute.
’At least I’m young and have a strong body.’
He was even a little relieved. After integrating the memories, he learned that in this world, Martial Artists could shatter mountains and sever rivers. The difference between immortals and mortals was like that of the heavens and the earth. The common folk at the bottom were no more than ants in a rigid, hierarchical society.
’I have to learn martial arts,’ Liang Cheng thought. ’It’s the only way to change my fate.’
But to learn martial arts, one first needed money.
The body’s original owner had been beaten bloody for protesting the Sea Snake Gang’s increased "peace coins" tax, which was how he had ended up taking over.
The night grew deep.
"My son, does your head still hurt?" Lady Ning asked softly, having finished her sewing.
"It doesn’t hurt. Mother, you should get some rest," Liang Cheng replied.
Lady Ning blew out the lamp. As she lay down, she couldn’t help but murmur, "Don’t go sticking your neck out again. We can’t afford to provoke the Sea Snake Gang. And don’t blame the neighbors, either."
Liang Cheng didn’t answer. He didn’t blame his mother for her timidity. A widow raising a child on her own—what could she do but endure?
He simply closed his eyes.
Deep within his consciousness, a Mayfly Mark floated silently.
A mayfly lives but a day, yet with its last breath, it still dances toward the light.
Though your body is but dust, your will can pierce the clouds. Through ceaseless striving, you shall surely achieve greatness.
The Mayfly Life Chart. This was the source of Liang Cheng’s confidence, his key to learning martial arts!
...
Early the next morning, the door was pushed open, and Big Head, Er Gou, and San Ya poked their heads inside.
"Brother Cheng, are you feeling any better?" Big Head asked, handing him several dried, salted fish. "Don’t be mad about the harsh things my parents said yesterday."
"That’s thoughtful of you." Liang Cheng sat up.
The three of them froze. Given Liang Cheng’s old temper, he should have already cursed them out for being spineless cowards.
"Brother Cheng," Er Gou said, wringing his hands and avoiding eye contact, "over at the docks... the ’weighing fee’ went up again. Steward Wang also said that since you were injured and missed work, they’re docking half your pay for the month."
Liang Cheng showed little reaction. "I know."
After a few moments of small talk, the three took their leave.
The room grew quiet. Liang Cheng gazed out the door at the murky horizon where the sea met the sky.
’A man’s fate must be held in his own hands.’
...
For the next few days, Liang Cheng kept a low profile. He helped his mother with her chores and occasionally went for a walk, but he made sure to stay far away from the foreman’s shack at the docks.
Lady Ning began to relax. ’He took a beating, but at least he’s finally learned his lesson.’
Only Liang Cheng knew what he was really looking for.
He was observing "Black Fish," the Sea Snake Gang’s local enforcer for their street—a man with a brutish, fleshy face and a hopeless addiction to alcohol.
He was also watching Black Fish’s two lackeys: "Small Shrimp," a gambling addict, and "Stone Pillar," a lecher.
In the memories of the body’s previous owner, Black Fish had once gotten drunk and harassed Lady Ning. The original Liang Cheng had been forced to grab a carrying pole and fight desperately to scare him away.
’In that case, I’ll settle all our scores, new and old, at the same time.’
Liang Cheng had made his decision.
He watched carefully for several days, learning Black Fish’s route home after a night of drinking. The fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth of each month were his collection days, as it often took multiple visits to get money from everyone.
But anyone who still couldn’t pay their peace coins by the twenty-fifth wouldn’t be living here anymore.
On the twenty-fifth, Black Fish arrived with his men.
"Lady Ning, are this month’s peace coins ready?" Black Fish drawled, blocking the entrance to the noodle shop and glancing inside.
"Yes, yes, they’re ready." Lady Ning forced a smile and handed over the copper coins.
Black Fish weighed the coins in his palm, then shot a sideways glance at Liang Cheng, who was wiping a table. "Hey, kid. Your head doesn’t hurt anymore?"
Liang Cheng lowered his head. "It doesn’t hurt anymore. Thank you for your concern, Master Black Fish."
"Hmph. Wimp." Black Fish spat on the ground and swaggered away, money pouch in hand.
That evening, Liang Cheng went to bed early. He waited until his mother’s breathing was steady and even, then rose silently.
The night was ink-black, moonless and starless.
He changed into dark, old clothes, pocketed a packet of quicklime and a short cudgel, and slipped out the back window.
In a dead-end alley near the sea, Liang Cheng stretched a water-soaked ship’s rope across the path, then concealed himself beneath a pile of rotting fishing nets.
An unknown amount of time passed before the sound of staggering footsteps and off-key humming drew near. Black Fish, liquor flask in hand, turned into the alley.
"Oof!" He tripped hard on the rope, and his liquor flask shattered on the ground. "What the hell...?"
He hadn’t even finished speaking when a great cloud of quicklime powder was flung into his face!
"Agh! My eyes!" Black Fish shrieked like a slaughtered pig, clawing wildly at his face. Liang Cheng burst from the shadows, bringing the cudgel down with all his might against the back of Black Fish’s head!
THUD! THUD! THUD!
After a series of dull thuds, Black Fish collapsed to the ground and fell silent.
Liang Cheng gasped for breath, his stomach churning violently. It was his first time killing someone, and his hands trembled slightly.
But deep within his consciousness, the Mayfly Mark flickered with a faint light. An icy sensation spread through him, suppressing all his fear and panic.
He quickly crouched down, pulling a money pouch and some broken silver from inside Black Fish’s robes. He then drew a dagger from the man’s boot.
Then, using the same rope, he bound the corpse, tied a heavy stone to it, dragged it to the edge of the reef, and pushed it into the water.
SPLASH.
The sound of the waves swallowed everything.
After cleaning up any traces, Liang Cheng slipped back to the noodle shop like a ghost. He stuffed the blood-stained clothes and the cudgel into the stove’s firebox, hid the money and the dagger, and only then did he lie back down on his bed.
He lay in the darkness, his eyes wide open.
The money pouch was heavy. He estimated it held more than ten taels of silver—enough to enroll in a Martial Arts Hall.
’This is my seed money,’ he thought, ’and I’m taking it with a clear conscience.’
With that silent thought, he closed his eyes.
The next day, men from the Sea Snake Gang came searching the streets for any sign of Black Fish. When they showed up at the noodle shop, Liang Cheng was helping his mother light the stove.
"Have you seen Black Fish?"
Scarface’s tone was aggressive.
"Master Black Fish collected the money yesterday, then headed toward West Street with Small Shrimp and the others," Liang Cheng said, keeping his head down, his voice deliberately fawning. "I didn’t see them after that."
Scarface sized him up for a moment, then left, cursing under his breath. For the next two days, the town was in an uproar. It was as if Black Fish had vanished into thin air.
Some said he’d run off with the money; others said he’d gotten drunk and fallen into the sea. The neighbors gossiped in private, most of them gloating over his misfortune.
Small Shrimp and Stone Pillar met a grim fate as well. For losing the peace coins, the gang broke their arms and legs and threw them out onto the street to fend for themselves.
Liang Cheng observed all of this with cold detachment, completely unmoved.
He waited nearly ten more days, until the commotion had died down completely. Only then did he retrieve the hidden oilcloth bundle. Inside was a mix of broken silver and copper coins, adding up to fifteen taels.
He took out two taels of broken silver and three hundred copper coins, then re-hid the rest. After that, he went to the Deserted Reef Beach on the east side of town. He returned with his pant cuffs caked in mud, carrying a few large seashells.
That evening, he placed the small pouch of money in front of Lady Ning.
"Mother, look."
Lady Ning opened it, and her hand trembled at the sight. "Where did you get this?"
"I found it in a crevice between some rocks while I was gathering seashells," Liang Cheng said, his voice full of forced excitement. "It must have belonged to a shipwrecked passenger! The tide must have washed it ashore!"
Lady Ning was skeptical, but after examining the money again and again, her expression finally turned to one of joy. She quickly lowered her voice. "Quick, hide it! Don’t let anyone see!"
"Mother," Liang Cheng said, placing a hand on hers. His voice grew serious. "I want to use this money to enroll in a Martial Arts Hall."
Lady Ning’s face fell. "Absolutely not. Learning martial arts is a money pit! What good will this little bit of silver do? Listen to your mother, we’ll save it. I can arrange a marriage for you later..."
"Mother!" Liang Cheng cut her off, pointing to the lingering scab on his forehead. "How did I get this wound? We swallow our pride and endure, and what do we get for it? They just become more vicious. What if that day, they hadn’t come for me? What if they had come for you?"
The rims of Lady Ning’s eyes turned red.
"I’ve already made inquiries at the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall," Liang Cheng said, his tone softening but growing even more resolute. "The master, Yang Wei, is a man of principle. I’m not trying to become some top expert. I just want to learn real skills so that no one at the docks will dare to cheat me out of my wages, and no one on this street will dare to kick down our door!"
He looked into his mother’s eyes. "In this world, if you have no strength of your own, then even if you find a mountain of gold, you’re just guarding it for someone else. Mother, please, let me try. If I haven’t made any progress after a month, I’ll never bring it up again. I’ll do whatever you say."
Lady Ning was silent for a long time. Finally, she wiped her face with her rough hands.
"Alright. Your mother will listen to you."
She turned, reached under the bed for a small clay pot, and poured out the three hundred-odd copper coins she had saved inside, adding them to Liang Cheng’s pouch of silver.
"Take it all."
"Mother, I can’t take this much..."
"Be a good son. Your money came from luck. This money comes from your mother’s heart."
