Holding His Head High

Outside Huang Sihai's study, Li Xiuwen knocked on the door and stepped inside. "I'm practicing," Huang Sihai's voice called out from within. "Then I'll come back to see you later, Master," Li Xiuwen replied. He walked over to the dining table and ordered a large bowl of rice, along with three duck legs, a portion of fried fish balls, and a bowl of pig's trotters. To the lower rungs of the Walled City, a spread like this was a feast of delicacies. Normally, he could never bring himself to splurge like this. "Eating this well—giving up on tomorrow?!" Big Silly Qiang had felt lately that Ah Wen was showing signs of abandoning himself to despair. Li Xiuwen gnawed on a duck leg, his face gleaming with grease as he smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I just broke through to Purple Membrane, so I'm treating myself to a little celebration." He had no intention of hiding it. The fight against Night Heron Martial Arts Hall was looming, and he had to display his potential to Huang Sihai if he wanted attention and resources. "For real? You entered a month after me, and you're at Purple Membrane at the same time as me?" Ah Zhen's chopsticks froze midair. Stunned, the duck leg in her bowl suddenly lost its flavor. In terms of resources and talent, she had the upper hand in every way. Even if she wasn't as diligent as Ah Wen, there was no reason she should have been overtaken like this. Li Xiuwen rolled up his sleeves and grinned. "Take a look, everyone. This ought to be Purple Membrane, right?" Beneath his loose robe lay well-proportioned, robust flesh glowing like purple bronze, radiating a heavy, steady metallic sheen. "It really is Purple Membrane... Good grief, didn't Master say Ah Wen was only average among those of middling aptitude?" Big Silly Qiang exclaimed in shock. "Damn it, even Ah Wen reached Purple Membrane? I have middling aptitude too, and after three months I still haven't reached Purple Membrane. What's going on?" someone grumbled in frustration. "Ah Wen's only been here forty days, hasn't he? That's too fast—it's not far behind Senior Brother Liu Chun!" Someone glanced toward the silent Liu Chun. Liu Chun was somewhat baffled as well. Even if Li Xiuwen had eaten two fish balls, logically he shouldn't have been able to reach Purple Membrane in forty days. Could his inward bone structure really be that good? As the group turned their attention toward him, many wore teasing looks. After all, just a week ago, Liu Chun had talked about how "diligence is useless," dealing a harsh blow to Ah Wen and the rest of the less-talented students. Liu Chun forced a smile. "It seems Master's fish balls truly are remarkably effective. If any of you have the coin, you might as well give them a try. Ah Wen must have trained with them to get here." With that, whistling somewhat uncomfortably, he walked away from the dining table. Once Liu Chun was out of earshot, people began whispering among themselves. "If we work as hard as Ah Wen, could we reach Purple Membrane in forty days too?" "Wasn't Liu Da just as hardworking as Ah Wen? Forget Purple Membrane—he couldn't even manage entry after two months." At that moment, Li Xiuwen became the envy of the entire room. *** Having eaten and drunk his fill, Li Xiuwen was soon joined by Huang Sihai, who had rushed over the moment he heard the news. "Ah Wen, let me see." Huang Sihai pulled aside Li Xiuwen's clothing. Seeing the unmistakable Purple Membrane, his face remained expressionless. *Are my fish balls really that potent? Potent enough to let someone of inferior aptitude reach Purple Membrane in forty days?* Huang Sihai was inwardly astounded. Only he knew that Li Xiuwen didn't have middling aptitude at all. He had inferior aptitude, no different from Liu Da. Yet the reality was that Li Xiuwen's progress was nearly rivaling Liu Chun's. Even with the aid of fish balls, the results shouldn't have been this spectacular. If they were, experts would be running rampant all over the Walled City by now. As for diligence? There were plenty of people in the Walled City far more diligent than Li Xiuwen. How many with inferior aptitude could reach Purple Membrane in forty days? Practically none! There was only one explanation: Li Xiuwen possessed a favorable inward bone structure. He appeared to have inferior aptitude on the surface, but in truth, he was close to middling aptitude. Factoring in fish balls and diligence, forty days to reach Purple Membrane became plausible. Huang Sihai's eyes shifted thoughtfully. He patted Li Xiuwen on the shoulder and gave a faint smile. "Not bad. I said long ago that your bone structure was reserved and your comprehension was sharp. It seems my judgment is as accurate as ever." "Yes, Master has a discerning eye!" "The fourth candidate is decided! You, Ah Zhen, Big Silly Qiang, and Liu Chun!" "Thank you, Master!" "The four of you will undergo ten days of special training under me. Your cultivation levels are decent, but aside from Liu Chun, not one of you has achieved minor success in fighting techniques. That won't do." On this day, forty days after embarking on martial arts, Li Xiuwen finally held his head high. He could clearly feel the shift in Huang Sihai's inner attitude toward him. In this world, being cautious and keeping a low profile was certainly right—after all, the tree that stands above the forest is the first to be destroyed by the wind. Yet appropriately demonstrating talent to secure favorable resources was equally important. Balancing the two was an art in itself. *** Over the next three days, Li Xiuwen and the other three began special training in Flipping Sand Palm under Huang Sihai's direct instruction. Personal guidance from an expert was worlds apart from fumbling through it on one's own. His proficiency in Flipping Sand Palm shot up rapidly. Moreover, Huang Sihai would occasionally drop new insights, enriching his theoretical foundation. His basic martial arts general knowledge rose steadily as well. Compared to stake training and fighting techniques, Li Xiuwen was far more curious about what benefits a breakthrough in this unique skill might bring. All in all, everything was progressing steadily in a positive direction. *** On this day, Inside Chen's Noodle Factory, Uncle and Aunt waited with bated breath. Today was the deadline Brother Ji had set to collect ten years of protection money. Brother Ji had claimed he was offering a generous discount, but it still came to ten thousand dollars. Given their current financial situation, unless they liquidated everything they owned, there was no way they could produce such a sum. They had already made up their minds: if it was money he wanted, they had none; if he wanted their lives, he could take them. If Brother Ji insisted, he could simply haul away the machinery. Still, having not seen Brother Ji for days, they harbored a faint glimmer of hope that he might already be dead. Day turned to night, and Brother Ji never appeared. Under the lamplight, Li Xiuwen's figure emerged, gradually easing Aunt's anxious heart. "Ah Wen, Brother Ji might really be dead," Aunt said worriedly. Li Xiuwen replied, "Most likely. Otherwise, he would have come demanding money long ago. Still, we can't let our guard down. If anything happens, contact me right away." Aunt said, "Oh, right. I took a phone call today. That fellow townsman of yours, Zhao Dalong, said everyone's been contacted. The gathering is tomorrow at Hongyun Restaurant." "Oh, Zhao Dalong..." Busy with martial arts, Li Xiuwen had almost forgotten about the townsmen gathering. "Are you going?" Uncle asked. "I'll go. Here in Xianghai, making more friends means opening up more paths," Li Xiuwen said with a smile. *** In the dead of night, Deep within the murky sewers known as the Dragon Palace, The tall, gaunt martial artist Viper waded through the water onto the platform and said, "Third Master, I think I know how Brother Ji died." Third Master asked, "Who was it? Can we afford to cross them?" Viper said in a deep voice, "Third Master, it's not certain yet. In our line of work, making enemies is inevitable. I tracked down five suspects, all of whom came out of Longjin Road and learned martial arts. Three of them gave up halfway without mastering anything and are old now; it's unlikely they killed Brother Ji. Another actually succeeded, but he's long since become a Second Gate expert, serving as a Straw Sandal in a major gang. He could be the killer, but I doubt Lanming Ji would have had the nerve to provoke an expert of that level. If he really had, our Thirteen Taibao would have been wiped out long ago. Besides, he left the Walled City years ago and has been thriving in outside gangs, so it probably wasn't him." Third Master nodded. "Makes sense. What about the last one?" Viper said, "Ah Wen from Chen's Noodle Factory. He's been secretly learning martial arts too." "Chen's Noodle Factory? I remember... But does that Ah Wen know martial arts? Isn't he famous on Longjin Road for being a spineless shrimp?" Third Master frowned.