SWDnovel Chapter 14 Power!
Chapter 14 Power!
A deafening roar, like the clash of metal, exploded on the still water.
Su Yu's strength after practicing martial arts is definitely not bad. At this moment, his adrenaline is surging. He thrusts out with all his might, and the harpoon can definitely pierce through flesh instantly.
However, he felt that the texture was completely wrong, as if he had stabbed a piece of cast iron wrapped in a wet cloth. It was hard, slippery, and cold, which made his hand go numb.
Fortunately, although it failed to pierce through, the immense force still managed to repel the eerie black hand.
"Walk!"
Su Hong had recovered by this time, and the oars in his hands danced wildly like a windmill.
Like a startled fish, the small boat, propelled by the reaction force, left a white trail on the water's surface and instantly rushed onto the shallow shore.
At that moment, the last rays of the setting sun were swallowed by darkness.
A few shrill barks echoed from a distant village, adding a touch of eeriness to the deathly silence of the night.
The two dared not look back, abandoned the boat and jumped ashore, fleeing for their lives in the direction of the barking dogs. Only after running for several miles and seeing a few dim lights in the village did their wildly beating hearts finally settle back into their chests.
……
The main hall of the Su family compound.
Under the dim light of an oil lamp, Su Manjiang puffed on his pipe, the smoke swirling around him and making the air in the room somewhat stuffy.
"Cough cough..."
Su Can, who was engrossed in eating, was choked by the smell of smoke.
"Old man! Can't you smoke for a while while Can't you eat?" Aunt Chen's eyebrows furrowed, and she slammed her chopsticks on the table, her tone sharp.
Su Manjiang's old face stiffened, the wrinkles on his forehead creased awkwardly. He sheepishly stubbed out his pipe with the sole of his shoe, his cloudy eyes looking at Su Can, instantly replacing the previous expression with a smile:
"I'm not smoking anymore, I'm not smoking anymore. Can'er, eat more. Grandpa specially prepared venison for you. I heard it's good for replenishing qi and blood."
Su Can nodded and shoveled mouthfuls of rice into his bowl. His bowl was piled high with tempting, bright red venison, oil dripping from the corners of his mouth as he ate.
Sitting to the side, Su Yu looked at the plate of venison and felt a slight stirring in his heart.
I don't know how effective it is for improving blood circulation; if it is, I should get some for myself.
After all, they had just received six taels of silver. After deducting the cost of next month's medicine, they would still have two taels left, which could be used to improve their diet.
He reached out with his chopsticks and picked up the two remaining pieces of meat on the plate.
"Snapped!"
Before he could even touch the meat, Chen's chopsticks were already slashing across the table, her voice shrill: "Xiaoyu! Your little brother is at the age where he's growing and practicing martial arts; he hasn't eaten enough yet!"
Su Yu ignored her, flipped his wrist, and directly picked up the piece of venison and put it in his mouth.
The venison was fragrant, chewy, and tasted pretty good, but there wasn't anything particularly noticeable after eating it.
Unlike the previous herbal medicine, which had significant effects, this doesn't seem like a worthwhile investment.
"You!" Seeing Su Yu's unyielding attitude, Madam Chen was so angry that her eyebrows shot up, and she glared at him fiercely. Then, her eyes darted around, and she suddenly switched to a boastful tone:
"Xiaoyu, your younger brother Can'er is about to attempt a breakthrough! Do you know what a breakthrough is?"
Su Yu continued to shovel rice into her mouth without a care in the world. Hearing her sarcastic voice now, she felt a sense of familiar comfort.
After all, we had just experienced the eeriness of the Blackwater River, which almost scared us to death.
But Su Can is actually going to attempt to pass a level? He's been learning martial arts for no more than a month, and he's already about to pass a level?
I'd be lucky if I could pass the test within three months. Is the gap really that big?
"Third brother is about to break through the barrier? His above-average aptitude is truly impressive!" Upon hearing this, Su Hong's face showed a genuine joy, but he immediately became serious and said, "Third brother, breaking through the barrier is no child's play. If you are not confident when your qi and blood are surging, you can easily injure yourself. You must be absolutely sure before you try."
Su Can swallowed the last bite of rice, put down his chopsticks, and said with a hint of arrogance, "Don't worry, brother. The head chef personally oversaw my progress and said my qi and blood accumulation is sufficient; all that's needed is the right catalyst!"
"Did you hear that? The head chef said it himself!" Chen pressed her advantage, her gaze sweeping over the people at the table before finally settling on Su Hong.
"Xiao Hong, although Can'er is a genius, you know how expensive martial arts training is. Two doses of herbal medicine cost one tael of silver—it's practically drinking silver!"
She paused, her tone turning mournful: "This month's medicine money, even with the old man's savings for his funeral, we only managed to scrape together four taels. And next month's..."
The atmosphere at the dinner table froze instantly.
The eldest aunt's chopsticks trembled slightly as she lowered her head, not daring to look at Chen.
These days, ordinary families live on a shoestring budget. To talk about money in the form of taels of silver is hardly martial arts training; it's just chewing up the bones in one's own home!
A hint of hesitation flashed in Su Manjiang's cloudy eyes, but he still spoke slowly, "Su Can is our Su family's hope for a turnaround. Once he becomes a martial artist and takes up a position, our whole family can go to the inner city to enjoy a life of luxury. Eldest son, second son... you two should help him out a bit more."
"Dad! We're really out of money!" Aunt finally broke down in tears. "The five taels we borrowed last time have already emptied our pockets! Xiao Hong earns money in the city by risking his life..."
"Oh, sister-in-law! We're all family, Can'er will always remember your kindness!" Madam Chen persisted. "If Can'er stops taking her medicine now and her martial arts training is delayed, that would be the foundation of the Su family! Look at that Water Snake Gang, they bully us every day, just because our family doesn't have any martial artists, right?"
The eldest aunt continued to cry and complain, arguing back and forth with the third aunt, Chen, at the dinner table. Chen even started bringing up old grievances from ten years ago when she helped the eldest aunt's family sew quilts...
There were only two women in the family, and they were elders. The old man didn't speak, and no one could call them back.
As for Su Yu and his two brothers and their third uncle, they all remained silent.
Finally, Su Hong gritted his teeth and spoke up: "Third Aunt, stop talking. I... I'll try to scrape together another four taels."
"My son!" Aunt cried, her eyes bloodshot, unable to speak. "Where is there any money left in the family!"
Su Hong quickly patted his mother's hand to comfort her, indicating that he would handle it himself.
Su Yu felt Chen's gaze and vaguely recalled a similar scene of borrowing money before, as if it were still vivid in his mind.
This time, however, Su Yu was much more confident and directly shut her down: "I study martial arts at the White Ape Martial Arts School, and my tuition is ten taels of silver, but I have to pay for my own medicine. I'm penniless now, and I can't even afford to buy my own medicine."
"What?!"
Chen shrieked, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, "You went to learn martial arts too? Where did you get the money? The money you made selling golden-lined white-scaled fish... it's not enough!"
"You bastard!"
A loud shout interrupted Chen.
Su Manjiang slammed his hand on the table, trembling with rage. Pointing at Su Yu's nose, he yelled, "Who told you to go?! Huh? I told you last time, without talent, learning martial arts is a bottomless pit! It's a waste of money! Look at all these people at this table, they're barely surviving to support one talented person, and you, with no talent, what are you doing getting involved?!"
The old man was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. He raised the pipe in his hand, ready to smash it over.
In his view, Su Yu was defying fate! He was jumping into a bottomless pit! He was going to completely ruin this already crumbling family!
A family saved up money for decades to support one person to become an apprentice; this was just the beginning.
When you start learning martial arts, everyone else uses herbal medicine. Do you use it too?
If you don't keep up with the pace, it will be even harder to break through the bottlenecks. Forget about being a martial artist, you'll be eliminated by the martial arts school after failing the first three times.
Everything will be for nothing then!
Bankrupt!
Therefore, without innate talent, one cannot learn martial arts!
Su Hong reacted quickly, stopping the old man: "Grandpa! It's a good thing that my second brother wants to improve himself, please don't get angry!"
Su Yu looked at his enraged grandfather and his astonished aunt, feeling only indifference.
If it weren't for his cousin Su Hong, he would have cut ties with them long ago.
The survival logic of feudal families was so cruel: all resources were concentrated on supporting one hope, and everyone else was just fuel.
He didn't want to judge right or wrong; he just didn't want to be fuel forever.
Even if he didn't have unparalleled talent as his foundation, he wouldn't place his hopes on others; he would have to learn martial arts and fight for it himself!
Moreover, he had a clear conscience regarding his cousin Su Can, having already lent him five taels!
"Third Uncle, I'm sorry I can't help my brother this time." With that, he turned and left without a second thought.
Uncle Su Dawen suddenly stood up, grabbed Chen Shi who was about to throw a tantrum, and quickly chased after her to the door.
In the courtyard, the old man's roars and coughs still echoed.
"Xiaoyu!"
Uncle San stopped Su Yu, his honest face full of guilt. "I can't control your grandfather, but don't listen to your aunt's nonsense. You've already helped Can'er once, and Uncle San remembers your kindness! You can decide what to do with your money. As for martial arts... take care of your health."
……
The moonlight, like water, cast a pale white glow over the alley.
Su Yu walked quietly in the alley, her mood still tinged with a sense of helplessness.
The world is getting more and more chaotic. Relatives will turn against each other over money, there are monsters in the river that eat people, and gangs will suck the marrow from bones...
None of these things make life difficult!
The only thing I can trust is the power in my own hands!