Chapter 31: The More She Endured, the Angrier She Became; The More She Thought, the More Infuriated She Was!
In the blink of an eye, half a year had already passed...
Because the rivers froze over in the coldest months of winter, impeding water transport, the docks were never too busy during this season. For the porters, the two or three months before and after the New Year were the most leisurely time of year.
Other porters took pleasure in this respite, but Liu Shen remained as busy as ever. Only, it was not dock work that occupied him now, but daily cultivation of his internal energy and relentless training with the blade.
Over these six months, he guided his vital energy through the six meridians of the twelve principal channels: the Hand Taiyin, Hand Yangming, Foot Yangming, Foot Taiyin, Hand Shaoyin, and Hand Taiyang.
This amounted to the fourth level of the first realm in martial cultivation.
In the first realm of martial arts, the fourth level was still little different from an ordinary person—a mere dabbler—but if he could penetrate the remaining six meridians of the twelve principal channels, he would step into the second realm.
The second realm was where the body’s skin and flesh were tempered, and where the energy within could flow through the entire body, transforming into internal power—an absolute, qualitative change compared to the first realm.
This was why only upon reaching the second realm could one truly be said to have embarked upon the path of cultivation.
Liu Shen had already cleared more than half of his Eight Extraordinary Vessels and Twelve Principal Meridians. The second realm was within reach, and with the docks so quiet, he naturally seized the opportunity to double down on his training, hoping to join the ranks of the second realm soon.
Aside from his daily regimen, he often made time to visit Tongda Hall, checking in on Yuan Xiaofei and the siblings Yu Hong and Yu Hong’s younger brother, while also quietly nurturing a pure friendship with the young mistress.
During these six months...
Yu Hong’s legs had fully healed.
Though still a young girl, she was exceptionally sensible and endearing. Pei Xueyan had taken a liking to her, keeping her by her side as a personal maid.
Yuan Xiaofei, who had once been a thief, was nimble with his hands and quick-witted. Diligent and eager to learn, he had caught the eye of Doctor Zhang, who kept him close and began to teach him.
From the stern way Old Doctor Zhang treated him, it was clear he intended to take Yuan Xiaofei as a disciple and pass on his legacy.
Pei Xueyan’s situation had also become much livelier over this half year.
After Liu Shen’s last visit to the Song family to see Old Master Song, by some twist of fate, she actually believed Liu Shen’s claim that he had gone to propose marriage on her behalf.
In these months, the young mistress of the Song family had smiled far more often, her attitude toward Liu Shen growing subtly, inexplicably more intimate.
Yet, since Old Master Song’s health was failing, some concerns lingered in her heart, so she kept their relationship poised delicately above friendship but just short of romance.
It was all very delicate...
Liu Shen, aware that a woman’s heart is as unfathomable as the ocean—especially since Pei Xueyan was a widow of the Song family—didn’t hurry things, but patiently cultivated the relationship.
After all, the martial art he practiced, "The Art of the Pure Youth," demanded that he not lose his vital essence before the fourth realm, so haste was pointless.
Once they were on familiar terms, Liu Shen asked Pei Xueyan and Old Master Song to inquire about the eminent monk who had given the Song family their Bodhisattva statue.
But unfortunately, all Pei Xueyan had learned was that the monk’s Dharma name was Xuanzhi, a wandering ascetic, and nothing more.
So aside from the mystery of the third eye on his brow, everything else in his life seemed to be moving in a good direction...
At the docks...
Liu Shen crouched in a horse stance, knees bent, eyes half-closed, his chest quietly rising and falling as he practiced his breathing. To avoid suspicion, he had even placed a small wooden stool beneath him.
To others, he merely looked like someone basking in the sun with his eyes closed, sitting a little oddly on the stool.
Not far away, Shen Hu seemed to notice something amiss and dragged his own stool over to Liu Shen’s side.
“Brother Shen, look—”
“Hm?” Liu Shen came out of his meditation and followed Shen Hu’s gaze, spotting a man carrying a burlap sack over his shoulder toward the hall by the docks. The sack was still moving, clearly containing something alive.
“That bastard Zhang Shichen is at it again…” Shen Hu, clearly knowing what was in the bag, spat indignantly and cursed in a low voice, “That bastard’s only been coming to the docks for half a year, and already look at all the wickedness he’s done.”
Liu Shen’s heart sank at the sight of the wriggling bag, and he cursed along, “That beast is worse than an animal!”
He knew the sack held a person, a young woman at that, most likely tricked or abducted from a decent family...
Shen Hu himself had been flogged by Zhang Shichen once, bedridden for several days, and harbored deep hatred for him.
“That bastard only gets away with it because of his father…”
He grunted, muttering with disgust, “If it weren’t for his old man cleaning up after him, that dog would have died a dozen times over by now.”
Liu Shen watched the figure carrying the sack disappear into the hall, shaking his head with a sigh, “What can you do? Half the docks belong to his family…”
Just in the past half year, Zhang Shichen’s henchmen had lured or snatched over a dozen respectable young women for his amusement!
Most were just girls, and nearly a score had died miserably at his hands because of his twisted tastes.
To call him utterly devoid of conscience would not be an exaggeration.
And Zhang Shichen made no effort to hide his crimes. Whenever someone died, he would casually order a few porters to dispose of the body, and never once had the authorities come to inquire...
He dared to act so brazenly because his father was a man with powerful connections in Heyang County.
The Chishui Gang’s leader, Zhang Wannian, was a fourth realm martial artist, once famous in the underworld as the “Skull-Crusher.”
In a small place like Heyang County, even the local officials had to show him respect.
His son ran rampant at the docks, and not a single official dared intervene. Liu Shen was nothing but a lowly porter—what right did he have to interfere!?
He recalled having once been mocked by Zhang Shichen in the mess hall as a “useless glutton” and “lowborn trash.”
Now, he could only watch as this bastard devastated good families, powerless to do anything...
It was as if Liu Shen had swallowed a fly; his thoughts grew more and more unsettled, his temples throbbing with barely contained anger...
They say patience brings peace, that yielding widens one’s world, but the more he endured, the more enraged he became, longing to butcher that wretch here and now!
“I must redeem my indenture and restore my status as a free man first!”
Resolving himself, Liu Shen decided to borrow some silver from the wealthy widow tomorrow, redeem his indenture, and then find a way to exact the vengeance festering in his chest!
Shen Hu saw Liu Shen’s dark expression but said nothing, only sighing with a sense of helplessness. “Brother Shen, tell me... for people like us, what’s there to look forward to in life?”
Liu Shen pondered for a moment, then replied solemnly, “To one day say the things we now dare not say, and do the things we now dare not do.”
“We don’t have to wait for the future!” Shen Hu seemed to mull this over, then spat in the direction of the Chishui Gang’s hall and shouted, “Zhang Shichen, to hell with you and your mother!”
Liu Shen couldn’t help but laugh, the gloom in his heart lightened somewhat...
Seeing this, Shen Hu grinned broadly and asked, “Brother Shen, is there something you want to say now but don’t dare? I’ll say it for you.”
“You just said it for me.”
“Heh, and what about something you want to do but don’t dare?”
Liu Shen glanced toward the Chishui Gang’s hall, lowered his eyes, and murmured, “That I can’t say—if I speak it, it won’t come true...”