Physical immortality begins with Bajiquan

Chapter 1 A Chaotic World

On the vast expanse of the Canglan River, a lone boat cuts through the shimmering water, slowly heading west.

Under the boat's canopy, two young men were talking quietly around a low table.

At the stern, a young boy was rowing vigorously, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but a bright smile always on his face.

"Heng-ge, your cooking skills are amazing! After recovering from your illness, you've become more and more efficient at everything you do. It's like you're a completely different person!"

Zhou An picked up a thinly sliced ​​fish with his chopsticks, wrapped it with perilla leaves, ginger shreds, and garlic slices, dipped it in a little rice vinegar and coarse salt, and put it in his mouth, praising it as he ate.

"Yes, it's a different person."

Qin Heng gave a wry smile, picked up a piece of snow-white sea bass with his chopsticks, and took a bite with the few condiments on it.

After chewing a few times, he frowned slightly, swallowed with difficulty, glanced at Zhou An, put down his chopsticks, and gently shook his head.

"There's not even any oil in it, so it's better not to eat this raw fish."

Zhou An was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then chuckled:

"Brother Heng, you're being too picky! We're already better off than most people in Fishing Fire Bay just because we can eat fresh fish. How dare we dream of eating oil? That's a rare treat only the gentry can afford!"

"And there's also the martial arts master."

At this moment, the boy at the stern walked into the boat's awning at some point. He dragged a fishing net and stopped beside Qin Heng, adding in a low voice.

Seeing the young man walk in, Zhou An was about to say something, but was stopped by the other party raising his hand.

Shh—there's a fish.

Upon hearing this, Qin Heng followed Han Qing's gaze and indeed saw a dense cluster of bubbles rising from the bottom of the water, creating ripples on the surface.

Without time to say more, Qin Heng quickly took the fishing net, paused slightly to steady himself, and then suddenly threw the net over his head towards the area of ​​bubbles.

With a "whoosh!" the fishing net entered the water and tightened, causing a sudden churning underwater.

"I'll help you!"

Seeing that the fishing net had caught a large school of fish, Han Qing couldn't contain his excitement and offered to help pull in the net.

"No need, I can manage on my own. Ah Qing, after we get ashore and sell the fish, you have to give me a bigger share of the money, okay?"

Qin Heng refused Han Qing's help, let out a low shout, tensed his arms and twisted his wrists, managing to drag the heavy fishing net from the river onto the boat all by himself.

The white fish in the net thrashed about, splashing up large amounts of river water.

As the fishing nets were all pulled back onto the boat, Han Qing and Zhou An were dumbfounded.

"Heng-ge! You're amazing! How did you become so strong?"

Han Qing exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Qin Heng shook his head, put down the fishing net in his hand, and let the net full of fat fish jump and struggle for survival on the deck.

He couldn't answer that question. As he finished casting the net, a golden light flashed in his mind:

[Destiny: Diligence is rewarded by Heaven; success is inevitable]

【Casting a Net (Da Cheng 701/1000)】

This destiny has been hanging there ever since I transmigrated here a month ago.

Regardless of the skill—whether it's chopping wood, cooking, or casting nets and fishing—there are no qualification barriers or career advancement bottlenecks for him in any skill he can access.

You will be rewarded if you put in the effort!

Even so, life didn't get any better; the money they worked so hard to earn always mysteriously disappeared.

The government's taxes were like a mountain, weighing down on all the people of Heyang County, and the local gangs added another layer of pressure on them.

After squeezing out all the oil and water, a little bit would still leak out from between the fingers, enough to feed most people until they were half full and not starving.

In this world, if you want to live, you can indeed survive by any means necessary.

But to live like a human being, to stand tall and hold one's head high, is as difficult as climbing to heaven!

Even if one only wants to survive, one must pay a heavy price.

Qin's parents both passed away early in life, leaving only his older sister Qin Ting and younger brother Qin Heng to depend on each other.

Fortunately, the Qin family still has a breakfast shop, which has barely kept the siblings alive until today.

Running a breakfast stall is extremely hard work, and the money earned is only a meager amount of hard-earned money. After paying taxes to the government, you also have to give a portion to the Black Wave Gang in Fishing Fire Bay.

The siblings worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, struggling to make ends meet, but over the years they haven't been able to save much money.

An illness in her previous life almost depleted the family's meager savings.

Perhaps just one more accident would be enough to completely crush the siblings and plunge them into an abyss of no return.

At that time, being sold to a good home would be the greatest hope.

"Why!"

Qin Heng sighed inwardly.

In this world, what's the best thing to do?

Since one can succeed at anything, what should one learn to maximize the potential of this destiny?

Seeing Qin Heng staring intently at the blue river again, Han Qing and Zhou An exchanged a knowing smile, unsurprised by it.

He's been like this ever since he woke up. At first, Sister Qin thought it was a lingering illness, but when she consulted a doctor, he couldn't find anything wrong.

Ignoring him, Han Qing squatted down and began picking up the fish.

The fishing boat belonged to the Han family. Qin Heng and Zhou An were just there to help. Although they would give them some money after selling the fish, it would not be much. Since it was their own boat, Han Qing naturally had to do more work.

Zhou An glanced at Han Qing, who was picking up fish, and then at Qin Heng before joining in.

He's doing the least work on the ship right now. If he doesn't do more, Han Qing won't be able to give him much money when they get ashore.

But just after Zhou An picked up a fish, his gaze inadvertently swept across the shore, and he pointed at the shore and exclaimed in surprise.

"Look! It's the martial arts examinee! What a grand procession!"

Zhou An's shout not only made Han Qing look up, but also startled Qin Heng, who was thinking about how to find a legitimate way to make a living.

"A martial arts graduate!"

Han Qing's gaze was intense as he stared intently at the person seated atop a tall, chestnut-red horse.

Zhou An also glanced longingly at the man on horseback, his gaze sweeping over the group of followers before suddenly landing on a slender young woman, staring intently at her, unwilling to look away even a fraction.

"Wow, the martial arts graduate is really impressive! He puts on such a grand show just to go fishing. What's the point of even trying to catch the fish? We might as well learn martial arts too!"

Han Qing looked at the martial arts graduate who was led by the Black Wave Gang members, surrounded by a group of strong servants, and followed by a pretty maid. He couldn't help but sigh.

Zhou An, standing to the side, nodded repeatedly:

"Ah Qing, if you're going to learn martial arts, then I'm not going to study anymore! I'll tell my family and just learn martial arts like my brother!"

He paused, then added with absolute certainty:

"These days, might makes right! Haven't you heard the saying, 'Magists come and go, but the garrison commander remains'?"

"Yes, yes! We all practice martial arts!"

Han Qing excitedly patted Zhou An on the shoulder, then turned to Qin Heng and asked:

"Heng-ge, what about you?"

Qin Heng's expression turned serious, and he said clearly, "Practice martial arts!"

"Pfft—hahahaha!"

Han Qing and Zhou An were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"Heng-ge, you're taking this way way too seriously! I almost believed it myself."

Han Qing laughed so hard his stomach hurt that he squatted down.

Zhou An was also laughing non-stop, ignoring even the pretty maidservant, and hugged Qin Heng's arm, patting his shoulder repeatedly to tease him.

But Qin Heng was not annoyed when he saw the two laughing at him.

But when he looked at the martial arts graduate who was surrounded by the crowd, a glimmer of light quietly appeared in his eyes.

Qin Heng saw the state of the world clearly.

Those who wield pens ultimately lack the strength of those who wield knives.

Learning a trade to earn money will not allow a person to transcend social class and completely turn their life around from poverty.

Ordinary people who make money may be targeted, and at best they will be beaten up, at worst they will lose their lives for no reason.

Only by learning martial arts can one protect oneself from humiliation, participate in martial arts examinations, strive for fame and success, and rise above others.

However, it is not so easy for ordinary people to learn martial arts.

......

About half an hour later, Qin Heng and the other two finally reached the shore by boat.

After accepting the two large coins from Han Qing, Qin Heng quickly walked towards his shop.

He crossed most of the street, greeted some familiar neighbors, and was almost home when he bumped into a figure that terrified his predecessor.

The man was walking out of his own shop, followed by Uncle Zhou from the neighboring shop, who looked very wary.

"Liu Bao!"

Qin Heng couldn't help but blurt out the person's name.

Why is this person coming to my house again?

They just paid the "peace money" fee, so is this another one targeting the older sister?

Liu Bao was a burly man, dressed in a short cloth jacket and a black belt. He was in charge of collecting "peace money" from various shops in Yuhuo Bay, as well as "ship insurance fees" from fishermen.

Even those who don't own fishing boats or run shops have to pay "protection money," and no one has ever dared not to.

It should be noted that the outer city of Heyang County was a mixed bag of people, and the so-called security was maintained by gangs of all sizes. Only in the inner city could one see constables patrolling the streets.

The people of Yuhuo Bay both hate and fear them. Once they lose the "protection" of the Black Wave Gang, many "accidents" will happen.

At that time, losing money is a minor matter; the real fear is losing one's hands and feet or even one's head. Although the government will send people to investigate, whether the case can be solved is another matter entirely.

"Oh my! Isn't this my future brother-in-law?"

Liu Bao caught sight of Qin Heng at a glance, and his pace quickened immediately. He approached with a grin, "How's it going, Heng? Aren't you going to try and persuade your sister? She works so hard every day, up early and down late, running this run-down shop. What's the point?"

He reached out and patted Qin Heng on the shoulder, adopting a persuasive tone: "Why don't you follow me, Brother Leopard? I've got this Fishing Fire Bay under my protection. If you follow me, I guarantee no outsider will dare to bully you and your sister!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Heng felt a chill run down his spine, but he remained outwardly calm. "Brother Leopard, you jest. My brother and I would never dare to presume to be on your level."

Seeing that Qin Heng still wouldn't budge, Liu Bao's smile vanished instantly. "Fine, little Heng, still as stubborn as ever, huh?"

His hawk-like gaze swept over Qin Heng. "I'll give you two siblings a few days to think it over. Once you've made up your mind, I'll come back to you."

"Remember, in Fishing Fire Bay, you, Brother Leopard, call the shots. I want the people, and I want this shop too!"

......