Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 2 Chopping Wood

Before Gu Sheng had a chance to utter a word, Gu Erniu jumped in ahead of him:

"Steward Gu He, even though Asheng appears small and skinny, he handles tough jobs well. Chopping two hundred pieces of wood every day poses no issue for him. It surely won't hinder your duties."

He went on, "Asheng's father has just died, and wild animals destroyed the crops in the field. Please show some kindness, sir. Without this work, he won't make it through the winter."

Gu Sheng pressed his lips together and stayed quiet—it was wiser not to chime in right then.

Gu He's deeply creased forehead eased a bit, as though compassion had touched him. At last, he let out a sigh and declared:

"Fine, we'll hire him for the job. But I must warn you: he needs to chop exactly two hundred pieces of wood daily, not one more or less. Each hundred pieces earns one coin. If he doesn't meet the quota, I'll replace him with someone else."

Gu Erniu beamed with delight and thanked him over and over, thumping his chest to guarantee it.

"You're so generous, sir. Don't worry, if I spot any good items in the mountains, I'll bring them straight to you."

"Bring him to the north courtyard of the main house tomorrow morning to start chopping wood."

With that said, Gu He shook his head and strolled off, hands clasped behind his back.

Two coins per day—hardly sufficient to purchase a single pound of rice bran—how much longer could this young lad endure?

Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu's grateful calls trailed after Gu He's retreating form:

"Thanks, Steward Gu He!"

A spark of happiness lit up in Gu Sheng's eyes—finally, he had a means to make some money. Even if it was only two coins daily, it served as a short-term fix. Once he got the hang of it, maybe he could hack away at more wood each day.

The key point was, he had zero alternatives.

Landing even this kind of position probably took a lot of pushing from Gu Erniu.

Gu Sheng gazed at Gu Erniu with real appreciation and voiced:

"Erniu, thanks a lot!"

Gu Erniu flashed a broad smile, looking all the more straightforward and trustworthy.

"You fool, your dad asked me on his dying bed to watch over you. No need for all that politeness. Just seeing you get back on your feet eases my mind already."

"Above all, keeping alive is the main thing."

"Tomorrow, when you reach the main house, watch what you say and do. Wood-chopping is grueling labor, but if you perform it right, those two coins a day, combined with what Uncle Shun saved for you, will carry you through. Better days are ahead."

Gu Erniu clapped Gu Sheng on the shoulder—the difference in their sizes stood out clearly, as Gu Erniu loomed much larger.

At his peak strength, Gu Erniu excelled in archery and had robust power; eating meat often kept his face flushed with health.

By contrast, Gu Sheng...

A bit past fourteen, underfed and scrawny.

"Erniu, eaten anything today? Come inside and share my meal?"

Gu Sheng offered.

Gu Erniu chuckled and shook his head. "My wife's got dinner ready back home. Once I wrap up your matter, I'm thinking of resting a few days before going into the mountains. Help out your sister-in-law in the meantime."

Gu Sheng nodded fast.

"Erniu, stay safe. Those field-raiding beasts are still out there somewhere. The mountains feel extra perilous these days. Why not hold off a bit longer?"

"The expert hunters from the manor scoured the area for days and found nada. I can't hold out any longer. Without heading to the mountains soon to bag more game, getting through winter will be brutal."

Gu Erniu let out a sigh and tossed a few more warnings to Gu Sheng before spinning around and trudging homeward.

His dwelling sat just about a hundred meters from Gu Sheng's.

Gu Sheng eyed Gu Erniu's departing figure with a touch of longing.

Being skilled at archery and familiar with the terrain allowed one to hunt in the hills and enjoy a much freer existence than typical farmhands.

"Yet it's a perilous line of work. Crossing paths with a tiger or bear might cost your life."

Gu Sheng wagged his head.

Nevertheless, if offered the option, he'd still choose to be a hunter.

The great dangers brought great gains—snaring prized game could bring in serious riches.

Sticking to farming forever left no path to improvement.

Take his father, for instance, who never managed to hoard even one tael of silver in his whole life.

"Sadly, abilities like archery are nearly impossible to pick up without a father teaching his son."

Despite his close bond with Erniu, Gu Sheng didn't anticipate Erniu sharing his archery secrets.

That was Erniu's means of support—nothing he'd hand out freely.

"Right now, survival comes first, then scraping together money fast to afford my initial tael of silver. If not by fifteen, then by sixteen for sure!"

Gu Sheng's stare burned with resolve.

"I have to master martial arts! Only martial arts can pull me free from being trampled at society's lowest rung!"

He stepped into the house and started preparing food.

The supper consisted of rice bran—rough and tough to get down. The accompaniment was roots from wild plants, flavored merely with a dash of gritty, bitter salt—hardly tasty.

Still, Gu Sheng shoveled it in steadily.

Without eating, he couldn't go on living.

…

The following morning, at dawn.

After his morning meal, Gu Sheng secured the door, grabbed a handful of rice bran cakes, and made his way to the north courtyard of the main house.

Gu's Manor sheltered more than a thousand folks, with families spreading out from the central main house.

The nearer a home to the main house, the richer its residents.

Gu Sheng kept his eyes lowered and moved briskly without looking about.

Before long, he arrived at a yard topped with green stone tiles on the walls. Peach tree limbs extended outward, a far cry from the thatched roof and stockade of his own place. He rapped on the gate, and a servant glanced through.

"Steward Gu He assigned me to chop wood," Gu Sheng announced his reason.

The servant eyed Gu Sheng's slender build with faint scorn but held his tongue.

He merely guided Gu Sheng within.

No words passed between them. The servant weaved through the walkways, eventually halting at the rear yard by the woodshed. Stacks of round timber lay heaped up there.

The servant instructed, "Chop wood right here. Stay away from other areas. Come evening, Steward Gu He will inspect your work and hand over your wages."

Then the servant departed without a backward glance.

Gu Sheng paid it no heed.

He scanned the yard quickly before turning his attention to the wood piles.

By rough guess, each stack held around fifty logs, every log as long as a forearm and as thick as a bowl.

His duty involved cleaving these logs in two, then quartering them further.

Two hundred logs—a formidable undertaking, exactly as Gu He warned.

Wasting no moment, Gu Sheng set aside the rice bran cakes and water he'd carried, then selected an axe from a close stand.

The tool weighed considerably but shone fresh, its edge keen.

Gu Sheng gauged its heft, positioned a log standing on the chopping block, and clasped the axe firmly with both hands.

His expression grew focused as he drew breath. He hoisted his arms up and brought the axe crashing down with power.

Thunk!

The blade dug into the log. Gu Sheng hoisted the combined log and axe upward, lifted it once more, and slammed it down solidly.

Crack!

The log broke apart unevenly into halves, tumbling to the sides of the block. The split wasn't perfect, but it sufficed. The axe kept going, burying almost halfway into the stump.

A jarring vibration surged through the stump, making Gu Sheng's arms tingle and hurt.

His cheeks paled a little.

"This wood-chopping isn't simple at all. Since the axe's so sharp, I need to save my energy. At this rate, forget two hundred logs—even one hundred would wear me out completely."

Gu Sheng knew his own boundaries. He seemed okay presently because he hadn't pushed hard yet. Soon, he might falter on even one log without breaks.

"Continue on and wrap up this log at least!"

He picked up the split pieces and stood them up. Several more axe strokes quartered them fully.

One log completed.

Gu Sheng took a deep breath, his arms throbbing softly.

Just one log had tired him out—his frame truly lacked vigor. Yet he had no option except to tackle the strenuous chore.

He stacked the cut wood aside and paused for a short while.

Next, Gu Sheng placed the second log on the block.

Thunk!

Crack!

Crack!

…

From within the woodshed, the intermittent chopping noises rang out, but their rhythm grew slower and slower over time.

Fifteen minutes passed.

Gu Sheng completed his tenth log, panting roughly, sweat dripping from his brow and drenching his back.

He saw that he'd misjudged how tough wood-chopping really was.

"Earning two coins sure takes effort."

Gu Sheng breathed a heavy sigh, halting briefly. All at once, an odd idea struck him. Without thinking, he pulled up the proficiency panel.

To his shock, the Martial Arts category had shifted:

[Martial Arts]: Chopping Wood (entry-level 1%).