Martial Arts: Starting from a Seemingly Real System

In the evening, by the main entrance wall of Yunlai Inn, three smelly beggars finished their day's work, stood up and staggered towards the south of the city, dragging their hunched figures all the way south. The further they went, the more remote and dirty the place became. There were smelly ditches mixed with feces and dead rats everywhere, and the muddy road full of sewage. There were piles of garbage dumped together in a mess dug up by rats and wild dogs. The three beggars didn't care about it at all, and walked into a dilapidated courtyard with familiarity.

There are several vegetable plots in the yard, where various vegetables are planted. There are faint sounds of livestock groaning in the backyard. If it weren't for the various beggars who come back from outside one after another, this place would look like an ordinary farmyard.

There are more than ten shabby side rooms on both sides of the yard, and a main house in the middle, which is quite clean and intact. There are four doors in the main house, and a plaque is hung above the gate with three large characters "Zhengqitang" inscribed on it. The writing is dignified and majestic, but it seems out of place when compared with the half-naked and skinny beggar in the yard.

There was an octagonal table in the main room, and a big man was sitting in front of the table, eating a table full of delicacies with grease dripping from his mouth.

Behind the big man stood a few more spirited disciples of the Beggar Gang with two or three bags. Next to him was a skinny middle-aged man dressed as a scholar, with three cloth bags sewn on his tattered blue shirt, which looked a bit out of place.

A down-and-out middle-aged scholar was writing and drawing on the account book with a brush in his hand. A large cloth bag was placed on the ground in front of him. Beggars lined up and came one by one to pay the silver and money they earned for the day in proportion.

The beggars in line were of all kinds. There were those who had their limbs chopped off and were carried in baskets. They were the ones who were trying to gain sympathy. There were little girls holding clapboards and leading a blind old beggar who carried an erhu on his back. They were the ones who were trying to please people and sing for money. There were those who were smart, quick-eyed and swift-handed and were responsible for stealing. There were also those who were dull and stupid and begged for nothing. There were even young women who were sleepy, lazy and gluttonous. They were beggar prostitutes. They were responsible for collecting the three to five hundred copper coins that the male beggars had saved up and put them back into the pocket of the hall master.

The beggars who had paid their offerings looked at the chicken, duck, fish and meat that the hall master was eating with envy, but they did not dare to stay any longer and quickly ran to the back kitchen where their meals were, a bowl of pickled vegetable porridge per person. They were beggars of the lowest class and slept in a large bunk bed with dozens of people. They were not considered disciples of the Beggars' Gang.

Only strong young beggars can become disciples of the Beggars' Gang, eat dry rice with vegetables, sleep in a large room with six people, and practice martial arts;

The second generation disciples are those with better martial arts aptitude. They occasionally eat meat and live in a room with four people. They can practice simple breathing and internal skills.

The third-rate disciples who have opened up at least four meridians or have special talents to contribute are called three-bag disciples. Two people live in one room and can eat meat frequently.

The second-rate disciples who have opened up at least half of the twelve meridians are called fourth-generation disciples in the early stage. They begin to enter the management level and can compete for the position of hall master. They eat chicken, duck and fish every day and live in a single room. The second-rate disciples who have opened up more than ten meridians are called five-bag disciples in the late stage. Most hall masters are five-bag disciples.

A Beggar Gang member with six bags is called a Deacon. He needs to open up all twelve main meridians. After entering the first-rate level, he starts to open up other meridians. Then he can compete for the position of Altar Master and be in charge of a group of Beggar Gang disciples. A Deacon with seven bags is called a first-rate mid-to-late stage master who has opened up half of the other meridians. Most Altar Masters are at this level.

Eight bags start to be called elders, and only top masters can take this position, and at least the first one or two of the eight extraordinary meridians must be opened. They can assist the gang leader in managing various gang affairs, and have great authority. They can also compete for the position of helmsman, and manage the disciples of the Beggar Gang in a province;

Elder Jiubao is a peerless master who only lacks the Ren and Du meridians to open, but he is rare; the leader of the Beggar Gang is not only determined by martial arts skills, but also needs to be selected by all the Beggars Gang.

In the Zhengqi Hall of the Longxing Branch of the Beggars' Gang in Jiangyou, the favorite thing of the hall master "Thunder Fist" Tan Xin is to eat heartily with his head down while asking the accountant Lao Li to help him collect offerings. Listening to the clattering sounds made by the low-class beggars throwing copper coins into their bags, his appetite would be whetted.

"Who are you? Why haven't I seen you?"

Suddenly, the sickly voice of the accountant, Old Li, a middle-aged scholar, was heard. Tan Xin looked up in surprise, only to see that all the beggars who had lined up to pay tribute in front of Old Li had paid and left. The last person was a young man in a moon-white thin shirt, who was looking at him with a playful expression.

Tan Xin's face darkened and he shouted, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Following Tan Xin's low shout, several Beggar Gang disciples behind him quickly surrounded him.

The person who came here was Qiao Rui. He followed the three beggars who were lying dead beside his inn and came here. He found it interesting that a group of beggars were offering sacrifices, so he lined up at the end. When he saw the big man staring at him, he smiled and said, "I am the owner of Yunlai Inn. I have something to discuss with the person in charge here!"

Tan Xin frowned and shouted, "Catch him for me!"

Qiao Rui's smile disappeared, knowing that if he didn't show his skills, these people might not be so easy to deal with, so he used his lightness skills, turned his feet, and slapped the Beggar Gang disciples who surrounded him and were about to attack him with both palms.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Several Beggar Gang disciples were knocked out together. The big man's eyes fixed, and he quickly stood up and kicked the Eight Immortals Table away, causing bowls and plates to splash everywhere.

Qiao Rui dodged the splattering vegetable juice and soup residue, took a step forward, and burst out with 80% of the power of the Vajra Palm in his hand.

Tan Xin's eyes were wide open with anger, his arms were tense with muscles bulging, and his Thunder Fist, with a faint thundering sound, met Qiao Rui's attacking palms.

There was a loud bang and strong energy overflowed. Tan Xin retreated seven or eight steps. His face turned blue and white. It took him a long time to suppress the surging energy and blood in his body.

At this moment, noise was heard from outside, and more than a dozen Beggar Gang disciples with two or three bags of cash rushed in.

Qiao Rui didn't care. He looked at the big man and smiled, "Now, can we talk?"

Tan Xin's expression was uncertain, but he finally suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "How dare you become an enemy of the Beggars' Sect?"

"I may not be able to afford to offend the entire Beggars' Sect, but you... hehe!" Qiao Rui took two steps forward, turned his head to look at the Beggars' Sect disciples who were a little commotion as he moved, and said to the big man calmly: "You may ask the Beggars' Sect masters to take charge. I can't kill you, but do these disciples want to go out? Do those low-level beggars who support you want to go out to earn money? I want to deal with them, you don't think I can't do it, right?"

"You dare!" Tan Xin shouted angrily, veins bulging and blood vessels dilating on his neck.

“What is there to be afraid of? I am all alone with my only property, the Yunlai Inn. You are forcing me to close my inn, so I might as well close it down and deal with you specifically in the future. Then, hey…” Qiao Rui sneered, paused, and continued, “Wait until I kill all your men. You will have no soldiers and no money, so let’s see how you will survive in the Beggars’ Sect. I’m sure there are many people in your gang who are eyeing your position!” In any organization, any position with a little power and benefit will definitely have a lot of people eyeing it. It has been like this since ancient times. Qiao Rui didn’t believe that this big man didn’t understand.

Tan Xin frowned, narrowed his eyes, and his expression changed. He weighed the pros and cons for a long time before he said with difficulty: "I accepted fifty taels of silver from someone else..."

"Lu family, right? If you quit, I will give you the compensation!" Qiao Rui interrupted him.

"Okay!" Tan Xin gritted his teeth and agreed, veins on his forehead throbbing, thinking that sooner or later he would teach him a lesson.

"Okay then. From now on, don't send anyone to harass me near my inn. Bye!" Qiao Rui took out a five-liang gold ingot and hit the pillar next to the big man, then turned and left.

"Ten"

The gold ingots were embedded into the pillars of the house, three inches deep into the wood!!!