Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1: Awakening Innate Wisdom
Da Liang, Seventh Year of Jianping.
Yun Province endured a harsh drought, with the soil reddening over thousands of miles, all crops utterly failing, and the folk struggling to survive. Rebel forces started to emerge, casting the empire into disorder.
...
Qing Province.
Gu's Manor.
Golden-orange rays of the dying sun poured over an isolated thatched cottage at the village's fringe, throwing scattered fractured glints. A gentle summer gust rustled softly, hardly chasing away the remaining swelter.
"Ugh..."
A low groan of unease shattered the quiet within the thatched dwelling.
Holding his head, Gu Sheng looked pallid, his eyes unfocused as he sifted through the final fragments of data churning in his thoughts.
"So, I've actually... transmigrated? More accurately, after my abrupt death fourteen years back, I've been reborn here. And now, my innate wisdom from before has stirred?"
In the recent days.
Gu Sheng's thoughts had been a whirlwind of confusion and haze.
Folks nearby believed he was grieving his father's death, not knowing that was just part of it. The real culprit was the torrent of data overwhelming his mind.
Blue Star, cars, mobile phones, compulsory schooling for nine years...
Odd but recognizable, captivating yet enigmatic.
For a simple village lad, it was like entering a realm of immortals, blurring the line between dream and truth.
Up until now.
Only by fully taking in the data did Gu Sheng grasp it—his prior life's innate wisdom had come alive.
That place called Blue Star was exactly the world from his earlier existence.
And the abrupt stirring of his innate wisdom...
Had been set off by the jolt of his father's demise. After collapsing and later reviving, he ended up this way, regaining sharpness just today.
"My fate in this life... is truly plagued by hardship."
Gu Sheng's gaze shadowed a touch.
The stirring of his innate wisdom had aged him in an instant, shifting him from an ignorant countryside youth to a much sharper individual. Yet these fourteen years were without doubt genuine.
Born amid the empire's turbulent times, he only knew the land was named Da Liang. The furthest he'd traveled was Canghe County, home to Gu's Manor.
While the empire held together, hints of unrest were appearing. Highwaymen and raiders prowled freely, and commoners couldn't journey ten li without suffering greatly.
He'd lost his mother young, raised depending on his father, sharing a strong connection with him.
Now that his father was gone; he remained solitary in the home. A deep wave of isolation washed over him. Still, the change in Gu Sheng kept his mind intact. Without it, he might have truly lost his reason.
That said, Gu Sheng still harbored considerable sorrow inside.
He clearly remembered his father's frequent words, "Sheng, regardless of the hardship or peril, you have to keep living. Living means there's hope!"
Gu Sheng gripped his fists hard.
"I will keep living! No matter the brutality of this age!"
If the Gu Sheng prior to awakening was a fourteen-year-old peasant youth, trying to endure alone in this realm would be almost out of reach.
But at present, merging wisdom from two lives, his chances of making it had soared.
The key point was—
A spark of brightness lit in Gu Sheng's eyes—
"The proficiency panel."
As he whispered to himself, a see-through screen materialized in front of him, seen by his eyes alone.
[Name]: Gu Sheng
[Age]: 14
[Realm]: None
[Martial Arts]: None
...
"This is the game interface I created before my unexpected end in the last life!"
Excitement swelled in Gu Sheng's chest. This was the only thing he'd carried from his former being.
"The panel's purpose is straightforward—it helps gamers in martial cultivation. When a martial skill is picked up at beginner stage, it shows on the panel. Through constant grinding of proficiency, breakthroughs come without blocks!"
Considering that, he couldn't suppress his thrill. But his high spirits soon shifted to disappointment.
"At the moment, I lack any martial skills, so the panel holds little value."
"Learning martial arts has to pause. I ought to prioritize ways to stay alive first."
In this realm, martial practitioners were real—those powerful enough to slice metal and stone, or hoist heavy loads effortlessly. Yet gaining such strength wasn't easy. The proverb "wealthy homes study, needy ones practice martial" wasn't mere chatter.
With his father's death...
Even though some funds lingered in the home, they couldn't be squandered.
He had to seek employment to support himself.
It was indeed lamentable. Before, the Gu family leased a handful of mu from the primary family. After rent and levies, it sufficed for two mouths. In good seasons, surplus remained.
However, not long ago...
An unidentified creature assaulted the plots, ravaging all the Gu family's yield and those of nearby homes.
Right before the reaping, catastrophe hit.
Gu Sheng's father, furious to the brink of breakdown, plus long-term toil, couldn't endure.
Thinking back on this...
Gu Sheng's face clouded again.
He exhaled steadily a few times, then rolled from the bed and carefully searched under the hearth, pulling out an aged oiled cloth package shortly after.
Opening it showed ten big coins, thirty-two little ones—summing to 532 wen, barely past half a tael of silver.
These represented the accumulated savings of a destitute renter farmer, gathered scrap by scrap in plentiful years.
But in drought, no grain grew.
"Trading this for millet would get over fifty jin; for bran, more than one hundred twenty jin."
"The house still has roughly thirty jin of bran. By myself, it could last around a month."
Gu Sheng was reaching the stage where lads grow swiftly.
If eating full, he'd consume two jin of bran each day.
Yet he couldn't indulge. Any surprise mishap would force reliance on savings alone.
"This cash mustn't be used recklessly. In the manor, any fifteen-year-old youth paying one tael of silver can join the instructor for martial training. That's my shot at altering destiny!"
Gu Sheng meticulously stowed the oiled cloth back beneath the hearth, piling on a few more rocks to anchor it firmly.
Lately.
Outlaws were widespread, and his abode sat at the manor's edge. Vigilance was essential.
"I'm curious how Brother Erniu fared after I sought his aid this morning."
Gu Sheng perched on the bed's edge, lost in contemplation.
During the prior days of foggy existence, he'd gone through plenty of bran. Once his mind cleared, his initial step was requesting Gu Erniu's help in lining up manor labor.
The home's leftover provisions wouldn't hold out. Without landing a job, famine loomed. At minimum, he needed to endure to the upcoming sowing time.
Else, he'd have to beg from the main family, or worse—indenture himself, forfeiting liberty forever.
In this time, just persisting demanded utmost exertion.
...
Gu Sheng stayed quietly indoors, limiting motion to save strength.
Moments later.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon's end, a rough shout rang from beyond the door.
"Asheng, get out here fast! Gu He's overseer has arrived!"
Gu Sheng's energy lifted—finally, someone was here!
He hurried ahead.
By the fence gate, two men awaited.
Up front was a burly middle-aged fellow with a somewhat well-fed look. His garments weren't top silk, but they outshone Gu Sheng's rough linen rags.
It was Gu He, a manager for Gu's Manor's chief house, handling estate matters large and small.
Trailing him was a youth in his twenties, dressed in coarse fabric mixed with bits of unidentified beast skin. His build was solid and muscular, and his manner showed straightforwardness. Gazing at Gu Sheng, his eyes revealed clear worry and care.
Gu Erniu's forebears had strong bonds with Gu Sheng's ancestors.
Those links persisted today. Since Gu Sheng's father's passing, Gu Erniu kept showing concern for his young "brother."
Gu Erniu, skilled in hunting and fair with a bow, frequently ventured to the hills for game, living a tad better than Gu Sheng.
With his very livelihood hanging, Gu Sheng avoided any slights. He advanced politely and uttered:
"Greetings, Steward Gu He, Brother Erniu. Please, both of you, enter and take a seat."
Surprise flickered across Gu Erniu's face.
Previously, Gu Sheng would just linger at the entrance with a dumb grin, never so polite with proper welcomes.
"Uncle Shun's death seems to have matured Asheng some," Gu Erniu mused inwardly.
Yet Gu He dismissed it with a wave.
He scrutinized the rundown cottage before turning to Gu Sheng, his eyebrows knitting as he said solemnly:
"Given his skinny frame, I doubt he could manage wood-chopping. Handling two hundred pieces daily might be beyond him."
Gu Sheng, with his refined looks and faint tan from chronic undernourishment, truly seemed slender and weak.
Hearing Gu He's words, Gu Sheng's spirits dropped at once.
Wood-chopping was without question grueling work.