nyslfriends Chapter 13 Difficulties
Chapter 13 Difficulties
Some people may be slow learners or have a late start in their studies.
But you still persist in practicing after work every day. Although you may start slowly, you might catch up later and master this three-legged stance. I'm talking about you, Jiao Ada. Keep practicing and don't be discouraged.
Jiao Ada raised his head, his face full of gratitude.
Yang Silang thought to himself, "This Wu Tou'er speaks eloquently; he truly deserves to be the instructor of the Sanshui Society."
Jiao Ada had to train like crazy—but he also said that if he trained for a year, he wouldn't get any results, that he wasn't cut out for it, and that he should give up on the idea as soon as possible.
Wu Tou'er continued, "There's one more thing to note. Starting tomorrow, the guild will provide one dinner and one bottle of medicinal oil every three days. Since you're training intensely at the beginning, one bottle of medicinal oil will last you one day."
After that, you can use one bottle every three or four days, but you must supplement your diet yourself.
Even if you don't eat well, you can still master this exercise, but it will deplete your vital energy. You won't feel anything when you're young and strong, but when you get old, you might age faster than others, become weaker, and it will also affect your lifespan.
I want to make this clear to you all, so don't blame the association later.
Okay, that's all. Get lost!
Wu Tou'er waved his hand, put his hands behind his back, and walked away with his head held high.
Everyone followed and saw Wu Tou'er out of the courtyard. After that, Wu Tou'er would not come again until the assessment in six months.
Everyone's faces showed fearlessness.
These days, making more money is the real priority; we can worry about things when we're old.
Everyone's become a porter; life is worthless. They're not afraid of losing their lives, they're afraid of losing their money. Every single one of them thinks this way.
Having money in your old age makes life more comfortable; what does it matter if you're old, frail, and live a shorter life?
If you don't have money, even if you're as tough as Old Man Ding or Zhu, you still have to come to work every day.
Yang Silang and his fellow villagers left the courtyard. He reached into his pocket and took out a packet of copper coins.
"Daniu, Erhu, Xiongshan..."
"I've saved up all the money these days, and I've finally settled all your accounts. I'm treating you all tomorrow, so please come."
For the past two weeks, I've been getting paid for nothing every day, and I can even eat and drink for free. My younger sister also brings in a few copper coins every day, and I've actually managed to save up some money.
Yang Silang has already told his younger sister not to go to the Huang family tomorrow, since he can earn copper coins every day anyway.
Whether the rumors about the eldest son of the Huang family and his concubine are true or not, the inner quarters are certainly uneasy. When the gods fight, the servants may suffer.
I have some savings now, and I can pay off the debts I owe to some fellow villagers.
The three quickly waved their hands, saying there was no rush, but they couldn't resist Yang Silang's insistence, so they had no choice but to accept it. Once they started practicing the stances, the energy expenditure would increase exponentially, and no one dared to say that they had enough copper coins in their pockets to keep up. It was always good to have some extra money in advance.
The group agreed to go to work the next day and then went their separate ways.
After leaving the courtyard, Wu Tou'er turned around and went to another courtyard, then went inside.
Slanted-eyed Song had already prepared a table of drinks to thank the coach for his hard work these past few days.
The two sat down and began exchanging toasts.
"Boss Wu, you've really had a tough two weeks—come on, let me toast you."
"Brother Song, you're being too polite. We're all family, no need for such formalities."
One of them was in charge of generating revenue, and the other was the instructor, who provided military support and resolved minor troubles. Both were mid-level members of the organization.
After drinking until their faces were flushed and they were sweating, Song asked the porters how their half-month of training had gone, and whether there were any outstanding individuals among them with good aptitude.
Wu Tou'er then named Xiong Shan, Yang Silang, and several others, adding that someone like Jiao Ada, who was clearly incapable of mastering the skills and was considered dull-witted, was also mentioned.
In addition, the physical condition of this group of porters is actually above average, which means there are probably twice as many tough guys as usual.
Song glanced sideways and asked Yang Silang a few more questions.
"It's strange, really. This kid was sickly, but after drinking a few doses of Caozhentang's decoction, he actually got better."
"Not only did you endure such strenuous stance training, but you also lasted longer than others?"
Wu Tou'er shook his head, not taking it to heart.
"Everyone's physical condition is different. Some people are born with fast recovery and great endurance."
"As for the doctors at Caozhentang, I know them; they're just ordinary doctors. How good can their herbal medicine be?"
"Those medicines might not be that magical. I guess this kid was lucky. There must have been some exotic herbs mixed in with those herbs. The pharmacy couldn't tell the difference, so they made him some soup to replenish his damaged energy."
It turns out that among the common herbs grown in the medicinal field, occasionally one or two unusual species will grow, with medicinal effects several times or even ten times that of the common species. Some of them even have a significant benefit to martial artists.
Unfortunately, some of these unusual species grow indistinguishably from ordinary medicinal herbs, and even smell almost identical. Wu Tou'er guessed that Yang Silang had picked up such a lucky find.
Song, with a slanted eye, laughed and said that he was a lucky guy. Then he changed the subject and said that if this batch of tough guys really succeeded, the guild wouldn't need so many. They could promote a few and send them to other gangs.
The main gang behind the Sanshui Society is the Black Tiger Gang, which is also considered a second-rate gang in Gongzhou Prefecture. Wu Tou'er is a member of the gang.
Gangs are constantly fighting and killing each other, and they often lack skilled fighters. In the past, they would sometimes pick people from among the toughest members of the gang.
Wu Tou'er nodded repeatedly, saying that Xiong Shan was a good prospect, while Yang Silang was physically good but lacked the ferocity to be unrestrained and might not be able to handle the fighting and killing business.
Things haven't been peaceful lately. There were already bandits outside Gongzhou Prefecture, and with the recent floods and natural disasters, these bandits seem poised to grow stronger. I heard a few days ago that they gathered several thousand men to attack the county town.
Many wealthy people from the surrounding counties moved their families into Gongzhou Prefecture to seek refuge, and the city became much more prosperous. Gangs clashed more and more over the sake of profit, and the Blackwater Gang was indeed considering recruiting another batch of people. These tough guys were a suitable choice.
The two then chatted about interesting things related to gangs and associations, and both host and guest enjoyed themselves immensely.
A glance at Song revealed the wine in his hand, and a thought flashed through his mind.
Old Gao, don't say I didn't help you.
We made that kid carry heavy loads as a front-line soldier, and we even encouraged him to join a training program for hard-line soldiers, which he also did.
That kid was lucky; his health didn't break down, but that has nothing to do with me.
I only ate one table of drinks with you, and that's enough for me. If you want more, you'll have to pay extra...
Time flies, and several more days have passed.
The sun is setting.
In the courtyard where we used to practice stance training.
More than a dozen porters, covered in sweat and stench, staggered in after finishing their work.
Yang Silang and his fellow villagers were among them, including the porters who had practiced the stance training. Even the most slow-witted Jiao Ada did not give up.
The group set up a stake structure.
It only took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
One by one, they broke free of their stances and sat on the ground, panting. In terms of the duration of their stance training, they were even worse than when they first learned it.
Yang Silang still had energy to spare. He had carried heavy loads all day and was only slightly tired, not exhausted at all.
In addition to the inscription restoration, he also used the Rejuvenation spell, instantly restoring his health to full. However, he pretended to be tired and sat down on the ground.
Soon a servant boy carrying a food basket entered the courtyard.
This time, everyone received only three multigrain steamed buns, a bowl of offal soup with oil floating on top, and a bottle of medicinal oil.
Everyone looked disappointed; the food wouldn't normally be considered bad.
But after work, everyone still has to practice stance training, which is very tiring. This little bit of food is just enough to fill their stomachs and can't be converted into nutritional resources at all.
Everyone fell silent and wolfed down their food.
Wang Daniu suddenly sighed.
"The food supply is insufficient, and the medicated oil supply is also insufficient."
"Of all the strength in the world, nine-tenths is used to make a living during the day, and if one-tenth is used for practicing stances, that's already quite remarkable."
"Why is it so difficult to practice stance training properly?"