Chapter 9: Windfall
After awakening the memories of his past life and gaining a basic understanding of this new world, Zhang Yuan's greatest desire was to become powerful—a strong person capable of controlling his own destiny.
And he had put in his utmost effort toward that goal.
But progress had always been extremely difficult, even laughable at times.
More than three years ago, Zhang Yuan had spent all his savings to buy a martial arts manual from a street vendor in the county town.
At the time, he thought he had made a great find. He bought the Tiger Subduing Fist manual for two hundred wen and excitedly brought it to Mr. Chen, the village scholar, for guidance—some of the content was difficult to understand.
The old scholar found it hilarious.
Though Mr. Chen wasn't a martial artist, he was very knowledgeable and experienced. He immediately pointed out that these street stall manuals were cheaply made and full of nonsense—total scams.
True martial arts knowledge was never passed on lightly. There was no way something real could be sold for just a few hundred wen.
Even genuine manuals often left out the key incantations, which could only be taught in person by a master.
This taught Zhang Yuan that martial arts knowledge in this world was tightly guarded and seriously transmitted.
As a poor village boy with no background, Zhang Yuan had little chance of learning anything authentic.
He lacked connections—and couldn't afford the cost!
His failure with the hunter Gao was proof enough of that.
But the unexpected discovery of the Rock-Steady Stance Technique gave him a glimmer of hope to become a martial artist.
The original owner of this manual had taken great care to protect it, sealing it in a leather pouch.
Zhang Yuan opened the pages and read it carefully under the oil lamp.
The manual had more than thirty pages, made of tough paper, and included both text and illustrations detailing a foundational martial technique known as the Rock-Steady Stance.
The contents were highly detailed and well-annotated.
The final page even had a prescription for a medicinal broth!
Zhang Yuan read it over and over. He felt as though a grand gate into the martial world was slowly opening before him.
He was overwhelmed with excitement and couldn't calm his heart.
The Rock-Steady Stance Technique was a foundational skill for entering the Strength Stage—meant to temper the body, toughen the muscles and bones, and generate internal strength.
The Strength Stage itself was divided into three levels: Bright Strength, Hidden Strength, and Transcendent Strength.
The guard Zhang Yuan had killed earlier from the Chen family had clearly been a first-stage Bright Strength martial artist.
Though this Rock-Steady Stance Technique was basic, it was clearly extraordinary. Its previous owner had kept it close and protected it well, which proved its worth.
The impact it had on Zhang Yuan was immense.
After reading it dozens of times, he suddenly realized that the back cover of the manual was unusually thick.
It was three or four times thicker than the front cover!
He had a hunch and immediately moved the oil lamp closer to inspect it.
To his astonishment, he found something hidden inside.
Using his skinning knife, he carefully sliced open the cover and pulled out three banknotes.
One note was for fifty taels, and the other two were ten taels each—a total of seventy taels of silver!
Zhang Yuan was speechless at first, then overwhelmed with joy.
He had been worried for days about the five taels needed for labor tax—going so far as to risk hunting in the dangerous Qianfeng Mountains.
And he had even encountered the supernatural.
Now he had stumbled upon seventy taels without effort!
Seventy taels was no small amount—it was enough to buy a home in the county town.
Zhang Yuan figured this must've been the private stash of that guard Sun, now conveniently fallen into his hands.
The heavy weight on his heart finally lifted.
Cock-a-doodle-doo—
Suddenly, a rooster's crow snapped Zhang Yuan back to reality.
He was startled to find that dawn had already broken outside.
He had stayed up the whole night!
At the same time, he heard his mother getting up in the next room.
Thinking quickly, he put the fifty-tael note and one ten-tael note back into the manual's back cover.
Then he placed the Rock-Steady Stance Technique back in its leather pouch and hid it under the stone slab beneath his bed.
He blew out the oil lamp and left his room to wash up.
After breakfast, under his mother's anxious gaze, Zhang Yuan slung his bamboo basket over his back and left home.
Since the strange encounter yesterday, the atmosphere in Chenjia Village was tense.
This time, Zhang Yuan didn't head into the mountains.
Instead, he followed a small path toward the county town.
"Yuan-wa'er,"
He was stopped by a village woman on the road, who curiously asked, "Where are you going?"
Zhang Yuan paused and replied, "Auntie, my mother gave me her last piece of jewelry to exchange for money in town so I can pay the labor tax. Today's the deadline."
The silver notes he had found had to remain secret, so he needed a believable excuse.
He had already coordinated this story with his mother earlier.
The woman knew his family had been assigned labor this year, and even had five extra taels added. She felt sorry for them.
But there wasn't much she could do. "Be careful on the road," she said.
"I will."
Zhang Yuan picked up his pace and hurried toward the county town.
So far, the furthest he had ever traveled in this life was to this nearby Linhe County.
The county was nestled between mountains and rivers, surrounded by fertile farmland, and had a prosperous economy.
The town was bustling with tens of thousands of people, and transport by land and water was easy.
Once there, Zhang Yuan didn't immediately head to the bank to cash the silver note.
Instead, he first bought a set of well-fitting clothes from a fabric shop.
Though they were only coarse cloth garments, they were brand-new and made him look much more presentable.
Next, he bought a bamboo hat and a pair of boots from other shops.
In one go, he spent almost all of the loose silver coins he had taken from guard Sun's pouch.
After this makeover, he finally went to the county's only money exchange—Fuji Bank.
This was Zhang Yuan's first time handling business at a money exchange.
The moment he stepped inside, he felt a sharp gaze land on him.
He tensed up.
Clearly, there were experts guarding the place.
But Zhang Yuan showed no signs of guilt. Calmly, he walked up to the counter and placed a ten-tael silver note on it, rasping, "Manager, please exchange five taels in small silver and five strings of copper coins."
The bank manager gave him a glance, then carefully examined the note.
The silver note was indeed issued by Fuji Bank, bearing special markings and seals.
After confirming it was authentic, the manager instructed a clerk to give Zhang Yuan the requested exchange.
The process went smoothly.
It was only natural—ten taels meant nothing to a bank like Fuji.
Zhang Yuan had simply been cautious to ensure everything went off without a hitch.
Better safe than sorry.
With the money in hand, he quickly made a few more purchases in the county—buying medicinal herbs, rice, oil, salt, and soy sauce.
Then, he hurried back to Chenjia Village!
(End of Chapter)
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