"Mr. Qin, you have chosen the advanced package for 688 yuan. Our shop accepts cash and card payments."
Qin Shi changed back into his original clothes and stepped out of the room feeling refreshed.
But upon hearing the receptionist's words, his good mood instantly vanished.
With a gloomy face, he turned to look at Mr. Liang, who had already downed two pots of chrysanthemum tea and kept getting free refills.
"What are you looking at me for? Pay up. After enjoying the service, don't think you can skip the bill. Dine-and-dashers get beaten up!"
Old Liang acted as if it was none of his business, thoroughly enjoying the show.
"Fine, I guess there's a reason for the high price. Let's consider it as body nourishment!"
With a pained expression, Qin Shi gritted his teeth and paid the money.
Nearly seven hundred yuan, which could buy him and his younger sibling nutritious meals in the school cafeteria for a long time!
And here, it only got him a basic back scrub, with no additional services at all!
The receptionist smiled:
"Sir, since you are a new customer, our shop is giving you a voucher worth 188 yuan. We look forward to your next visit."
Just this once!
If I ever come back, I'm a dog!
With tears in his eyes, Qin Shi took the voucher and stuffed it into his pocket.
He thought about reselling it to his buddy Zhou Ning to recoup some money.
"Look at you, being so stingy. Since ancient times, developing life force has never been cheap. The Old Era had a saying: 'Poor in literature, rich in martial arts,' and it holds true.
As I told you before, the path of a Martial Artist involves both training methods and techniques.
The most important step in the former is nourishing the body."
Old Liang limped slowly down from the second floor, speaking casually:
"Stretching tendons, pulling the back, eight segments and nine sections, qi circulation... all these methods are ways to extract your body's potential. If a car isn't strong and sturdy, pushing the gas pedal hard will only ruin it faster!
No matter how resilient your physique is, you can't avoid issues like joint injuries or muscle and bone damage from training.
Being frugal is a good habit, but you need to know what money should be spent and where not to skimp. Use good steel to make sharp blades!"
Qin Shi understood Mr. Liang's intentions. The effects of Deep Sleep were indeed phenomenal for relieving physical fatigue.
But the muscle and bone damage from daily intense training can't be repaired just by sleeping!
Over time, as he grows older, his physical condition will decline, and eventually, problems will erupt!
The top coaches at the gym always said the human body is like a precise and complex machine; without proper maintenance, it will become stiff and rusty, turning into a pile of scrap iron.
"Mr. Liang, you're right. But the 688 yuan package is beyond my means. I can't afford it."
Qin Shi shook his head. Recently, he was still thinking of working hard to save up the registration fee.
By diligently studying and training, he hoped to enhance his life force.
But now, it all seemed overly naive!
Even before formally starting, just the expenses for nutritional paste and massages were enough to drain his savings!
The large sum his big sister gave him seemed like plenty.
But if spent freely, it wouldn't last half a month.
"Mr. Liang, I'm so broke now that when I walk down the street and see empty soda bottles, I'm tempted to pick them up and sell them as recyclables!"
Qin Shi joked wryly.
"I understand your difficulties. But expecting returns without any investment is nothing more than a daytime fantasy."
Old Liang spoke bluntly:
"In this era, as long as your life force level is high enough, there are countless ways to gain wealth.
Do you know that those young prodigies who get ranked and become full-time Martial Artists?
They are called what by big corporations? Walking mines!
It means discovering one of them is like uncovering a vein of never-ending gold and status!"
But I don't have the same advantages as those rich kids from the Imperial Capital or Hai Province!
Qin Shi muttered to himself.
Immediately, he glanced at the limping Old Liang again.
This PE teacher had gray hair, a weathered face, and skin dark like a laborer's.
His lips moved slightly, as if wanting to ask something, but he remained silent.
He silently swallowed back his untimely curiosity.
"I know what you want to ask."
Old Liang seemed to sense it, turning to look at Qin Shi, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he exhaled a long puff:
"I'm old, and I'm crippled. That's why I'm worthless, only able to hole up at school as a poor teacher.
Kid, before I became a cripple, I was quite something.
At my peak, I was just a step away from people like Stone Buddha He Lanchan and Furious Vajra Kou Yunchao..."
Old Liang gestured with his hand, a different kind of brightness flashing in his eyes.
In the dim and narrow alleyway, with the garish lights of red and green billboards, dense, criss-crossing residential buildings in the background, and the occasional sounds of arguments and dog barks,
a middle-aged man, down and out, talked about his past.
For some reason, it felt legendary.
Could Old Liang be one of those hidden masters in Old Era martial arts novels, lurking in the city?
Qin Shi wondered.
Stone Buddha He Lanchan, Furious Vajra Kou Yunchao...
These were all the prestigious first-generation Scorching Suns!
Moreover, achieving the highest honors in the Dongxia Martial Arts Association, the ultimate title pursued by countless Martial Artists—the origin of the "Top Ten in the World"!
Not to mention standing alongside them.
Even being remotely connected with them would be extraordinary.
Like in a competitive game, being a high-ranking player among pros, a top player with unique skills.
Easily standing above ninety percent of the players!
"The journey of a Martial Artist is all about breaking the shackles of the mortal body, undergoing endless limit-breaking and rebirth!
It transforms you, turning your insignificant self into the most dazzling star in the universe!
But the prerequisite is to face countless challenges, just like coal being burned and compressed under the earth, crystallizing and turning into diamonds over long years."
Old Liang spoke from the heart, his long shadow under the streetlight appearing slightly hunched from his years of limping.
"The Star Sea is vast, with magnificent and grand cosmic sights, majestic battle groups with Divine Machines, and divine beings wandering the universe...
When you were young, if you could leave Old Factory Street, I hope you wouldn't stop easily, nor take Tai'an Metropolitan Area or Heng Province Central City as your end goal."
Qin Shi nodded silently, without making any lofty declarations typical of young men.
Aiming high but staying grounded was his requirement for himself.
As Old Liang said, the Star Sea is vast, and even the top Martial Artists in Dongxia might not be able to measure it with their footsteps.
Step by step, solidifying the foundation is good enough.
Every young dreamer who dreams of roaming the world with a sword will eventually cancel their plans due to financial constraints.
Those who can travel freely on a whim are mostly rich kids born in Rome, not poor souls struggling to make a living.
"I've talked too much after drinking. Come earlier tomorrow. In the morning, we'll stretch tendons and pull the back, capture qi sensitivity and get familiar with the training method. In the afternoon, we'll practice some martial arts techniques. The Old Martial may not be as comprehensive as the New Martial, but it never loses in a fight."
Old Liang waved his hand, having discovered a good seedling today, his long-dormant passion suddenly rekindled, causing him to lose his composure.
"Got it, Mr. Liang."
Qin Shi felt a bit regretful. Since he was now training under Old Liang to enhance his physical fitness and learn Old Martial arts,
he wouldn't be able to continue his work at Silver Horse Gym.
A loss of 1,200 yuan!
But he could still keep working at the Youth Palace,
going once a week as an assistant, cleaning up.
Not only earning two daily wages but also getting to have the cafeteria's synthetic fast food.
"Life seems to be back on track now."
Saying goodbye to Old Liang, Qin Shi happily walked home.
He didn't know if it was Yan Shuang's amazing massage techniques at Jinscolor Impressions,
or some other reason.
But he felt light and free, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
His whole body felt relaxed!
"Maybe this is the meaning of life, striving towards a goal without drifting aimlessly."
Qin Shi, hands in pockets, walked through the alley towards home.
The light was on inside, and Qin Lan, upon hearing footsteps, called out:
"Second brother, is that you?"
"Yeah, have you had dinner? I brought you some grilled chicken bones."
Qin Shi raised the bag in his hand.
"Eating a late-night snack feels so guilty, brother!"
Qin Lan, smelling the tempting aroma, wanted to refuse, but her body couldn't resist the temptation.
"Then I'll eat it for you, so you won't be guilty."
Qin Shi teased her.
"No way, since you brought it, I can't let your good intentions go to waste!"
Qin Lan, always a foodie, couldn't resist in the end and grabbed the chicken bones to start munching.
While enjoying the food, she promised Qin Shi:
"Bro, I'll handle all the dishes and laundry these days! I won't let you do any chores!"
Qin Shi didn't take it seriously. He went into his room and changed out of his sweaty T-shirt and long pants.
He threw them into the wooden basin outside, preparing to wash them.
"Alright, save those hands for typing; the dirty work is for your brother."
As he was rummaging through his pockets, something fell out.
Qin Lan, squatting nearby and gnawing on the chicken bones, picked it up and froze:
"Bro... when did you get into that line of work?"
The youngest Qin Lan clutched the 188 yuan voucher for Jinscolor Impressions.
In the blink of an eye, she had already imagined a complex series of events leading her second brother Qin Shi to sink into desperation, becoming a tool to earn extra money to relieve their eldest sister's burden!
"Can't I just be a customer?!"
Qin Shi retorted angrily.
"Don't worry, bro, I won't tell anyone!"
Qin Lan, chewing on the chicken bones, seemed to appreciate even more the value of the food.
She couldn't believe that her stingy brother would spend money on a massage.
"If you're really going down this road, little sis can introduce you to 'clients'!
Bro, there are several rich girls in my class who love the tragic strong type... ah, don't pinch my cheek!"
The siblings playfully fought, their happiness carried away by the summer night's breeze.
Like a stone dropped into the ocean, creating ripples that soon vanished.
After washing the clothes, Qin Shi returned to his room.
Text messages flashed and refreshed on his retina.
[Body has received sufficient nutrition…]
[Training intensity is adequate…]
[Growth +100]
The meat embryo inside the black frame seemed to wriggle, gaining a slight increase.
Qin Shi glanced at the Basic Level achievement of [Muscle Memory], his eyes stopping on the twenty sets of exhausting training.
"Today, pulled by Old Liang to eat and get a massage, didn't meet the standard; tomorrow I can't slack off."