SWDnovel Chapter 14 Trouble
Chapter 14 Trouble
Wang Daniu's few complaints drew a chorus of agreement from the porters.
We're all suffering the same way.
The three-legged stance is simple, but most people aren't martial arts school apprentices who practice it full-time. They're exhausted after a day's work, so how well can they practice this stance?
Food and medicine were not even guaranteed.
I knew it wouldn't be easy to practice, but I didn't expect it to be this difficult.
Xiao Jiling coughed.
"Brothers... don't lose heart..."
"We chose this path ourselves, and we knew how tough it would be before we even started training."
"I have more good news for you..."
He was a good gossip and always knew how to build relationships with people. He said he had accurate information that the Blackwater Gang might be recruiting a group of young, tough guys to fight.
Those who are too old to start a family and career are naturally not selected. We are young and strong, and we don't have families to worry about. What's a little hardship now? Once we become strong enough, if we are selected to join a gang, we will rise to the top in one step!
The Blackwater Gang has its own small martial arts school, which is said to have a proper training method for copper-skinned martial artists. They usually follow the bosses to kill people and seize territory, eat big chunks of meat and drink big bowls of wine, and also get silver. Isn't that great?
Xiao Jiling's information was always accurate, and several people immediately showed excitement upon hearing it.
Li Erhu clashed with Xiong Shan.
"Shanzi, did you hear that?"
"Do you think our skills, once we become full-fledged fighters, will allow us to be selected to join a gang?"
Xiong Shan didn't speak, but Wang Daniu chimed in from the side.
"Erhu, why are there so few people in the gang? Isn't it because all the fighting and killing has created vacancies?"
"Don't just watch others eat meat while you also watch others get beaten!"
Li Erhu snorted.
"At least they had their moment of glory."
"Don't you think so, Fourth Brother?"
Yang Silang put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and stood up, already in a stance.
"That's not important. What's important is becoming a strong candidate first. If you can't become one, you're not qualified to be selected..."
Li Erhu was taken aback, then quickly finished his meal in a few bites, jumped up, and started practicing stances without even wiping his mouth.
One hour later.
The torches crackled and popped in the courtyard.
The porters lay sprawled on the ground, only Yang Silang was still barely standing. Everyone knew that this guy had better stamina than the others, so it wasn't surprising.
"I'm not practicing anymore..."
"They've withdrawn, they've withdrawn..."
Everyone spoke up and got up to leave.
Over the past few days, everyone has figured out that one hour is the limit, which is just the right time to balance the heavy work during the day with food and the medicinal oil.
If you practice too much, you'll get hungry easily, the medicated oil will be used up quickly, and it will also affect your work the next day.
Soon almost everyone had left.
"Fourth brother, we're leaving now..."
Wang Daniu, Li Erhu, Xiong Shan, and Yang Silang bid farewell.
Seeing that no one was in the courtyard, Yang Silang put away his stake, took out several bottles of medicinal oil from his pocket, and distributed them to the three men.
"Da Niu, Er Hu, Shan Zi."
"Please accept these. You know I'm tough and don't need this much..."
The three were both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly refused.
Once you practice standing meditation, you'll know that without this liniment, the effect is much less, and this stuff costs money, so nobody has a lot of it.
With these bottles of medicine, their cultivation will be several times faster than others.
"Fourth brother, you may not need it now, but you might need it later..." Wang Daniu shook his head.
"Yes, even if you don't use it, you can exchange it for silver at the pharmacy, and they'll still accept it." Li Erhu was calculating the buyback price.
"Brother, you're too kind, we can't accept it," Xiong Shan said succinctly.
Yang Silang pretended to be angry.
"Do you still consider us brothers?"
"Back then, I owed money to loan sharks and was in poor health. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't be where I am today."
"If you don't want me to, I'll just smash it..."
When the three saw him raise his hand as if to throw it, they hurriedly said no, then stepped forward, embarrassed, and took the medicine bottle. They thanked him profusely before leaving.
After everyone left, only Yang Silang remained in the courtyard.
He practiced for a while longer, then extinguished the torch. The courtyard was dimly lit. Yang Silang walked to the eighteen soft-legged stakes and picked up the carrying pole next to him.
The iron blocks attached to both ends of this carrying pole weigh exactly a hundred or so pounds.
Yang Silang lifted his leg and stepped onto the stake, rushing over like the wind while carrying a load, then stepping back. The stakes under his feet were uneven and not in a straight line, but he took root with his feet and walked quickly and steadily.
After three repetitions of advancing and retreating, Yang Silang finally jumped off the stake, landing silently with a slight sweat on his forehead and a little short of breath.
He put down his load and assessed himself—he was just like Wu Tou'er, except that Wu Tou'er walked on seventy-two hard stances, while he only walked on eighteen soft stances.
However, I only practiced for about twenty days before I reached this level.
According to Wu Tou'er's estimation, those with good aptitude should be able to succeed after practicing flat ground stances for a month or so, followed by soft-foot stances for a month or so.
He saved two-thirds of his time. Of course, this was due to the rune's enhancement of recovery, speed, and burst damage. The problem was that the rune was permanently equipped, which was roughly equivalent to his true strength.
With the power of rejuvenation, there is no need to worry about the medicinal oil at all.
All that's left is food for the day. Now that we can earn copper coins and get subsidies from the guild, we can at least eat our fill every day and have meat every few days.
Others practice standing meditation after starting work, leaving them exhausted.
After starting work, he practiced standing meditation, and the more he practiced, the more energetic he became. He would practice even more after returning home every night, and his progress bar showed no signs of slowing down.
There's so much to look forward to these days.
Yang Silang wiped his sweat, left the courtyard, locked the door, put the key in a hidden place, and left. This row of houses were all the warehouses of the Sanshui Association, and there were gatekeepers outside. No one would be crazy enough to go in here to steal.
Go home, wash up, borrow a water truck, and have water delivered.
Yang Silang tightened and loosened his feet, using his calves to exert force, mimicking the footwork of Wu Tou'er when jumping over stakes. Even with a rope around his neck, his waist bent, his legs slightly squatting, and pushing heavy water, he dared not relax.
The progress is there; if you don't practice, it won't improve. It also requires hard work.
Even if there were shortcuts under Yang Silang's feet, he would still walk them step by step with wet footprints. There is no such thing as getting something for nothing.
The inscription is a tremendous help, but if he himself does not move, it is just a mirage, a beautiful dream.
The light screen in his mind displayed.
Occupation: Intermediate Porter
[Base Strength: 110]
A few days ago, I mastered the soft-leg stance, and my basic strength finally exceeded 100, showing the potential for further improvement.
He was so engrossed in practicing his stance training that the scenery and passersby before him seemed to be abstracted into symbols that flashed past his eyes.
Click.
One foot is on the waterwheel, wearing thin leather boots with upturned corners, which are durable and stylish.
A powerful force came from his foot, blocking his and the waterwheel's forward momentum.
"Kid, you're pretty sly."
"I paid back the money early, and even at the shop. Didn't you say you needed a few days to consider it?"
"Are you kidding me?"
Yang Silang looked up in astonishment and saw that the person opposite him was wearing a short-sleeved shirt with tattoos on it. His face was sharp and full of ferocity. It was none other than Gao Laodao, whom he had not seen for a long time.
This scoundrel hadn't been seen for over a month. Although he was shirtless, the clothes wrapped around his waist were black, shiny, and smooth, made of the finest material. I wonder where he went to make his fortune.
Gao Laodao was followed by a hairy-legged follower, who had also changed into a new set of shorts.
The two men stared at him with unfriendly expressions.
Yang Silang secretly pushed the waterwheel with both arms, causing it to sway slightly. The person opposite him was indeed stronger, but the difference wasn't that great. Looking at their attire, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Old Gao's neck veins bulged, his face was not relaxed, and he was surprised. He glanced at Song, that old bastard, and said that this kid seemed to have some talent in practicing stance training.
This talent is more than just a little bit; it's incredibly abundant.
How can you be so strong?
Yang Silang's face immediately changed to a smile.
"Master Dao," he bowed, noticing that some passersby were looking his way, and cleared his throat, saying, "You're finally back!"
"You've misunderstood me. I just got lucky and made a small amount of money. It was useless to keep it, so I'm just paying it back!"
"If it weren't for your timely help, I'd probably be buried on my grave by now!"
"You are my benefactor, how could I dare to betray you?"