Liao's Boxing Gym

The opening of the martial arts school went smoothly, and the "Standing Stake" female master bowed and saluted in all directions, shouting,

"I am the owner of the Liao Family Fist School—Liao Ya! The Liao Family Fist has a long heritage, and we have our unique expertise in medicine. You are all welcome to patronize!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd reacted as if it were to be expected. Since ancient times, medicine and martial arts have been inseparable; martial artists train in the ways of the body and master the nourishment of medicinal herbs.

Lu Yao also heard these words and desperately tried to approach the school, seizing a glimmer of hope. But the excruciating pain that gnawed at his bones made his body unresponsive.

"You can do it! Hold on! Keep going!" He was drenched in cold sweat, his clothes soaked through, as he used his will to crawl forward bit by bit.

But willpower has its limits, and his battered body simply couldn't move.

Just when all seemed hopeless, a pair of embroidered boots appeared before his face. Looking up, he saw a pretty young girl dressed in an onion-green jacket and skirt.

The girl was delicate and beautiful, with creamy skin and jet-black braids shining brightly. Her almond eyes curiously surveyed Lu Yao, who was only in his pyjamas.

She squatted down with a smile and asked in a sweet voice, "Young master, are you here to seek medical treatment?"

Lu Yao nodded hurriedly. Before he could react, the girl scooped him up and ran towards the martial arts school like the wind!

Arriving quickly at the back hall, the girl shouted, "Sister, sister, come quick, there's a big business opportunity!"

"Liao Qe! Settle down! Don't be so hasty!" The woman who came to meet her was none other than the "Standing Stake" master from earlier; it turned out the two were sisters.

Although not old, the female master had a mature face with a hint of youthfulness. But her figure was enchantingly attractive, her clothes taut across her chest.

The young girl named Liao Qe gently placed Lu Yao on a chair and whispered to her sister,

"Soft and delicate skin, without a trace of labor marks, strangely dressed but the material of his clothes is of high quality—one look and you know he's a young master from a wealthy family! The key point is—he's critically ill! This is definitely a huge business opportunity—we just happen to need money..."

In any world, medical care is highly profitable, especially for the wealthy who do not want to die.

The female master first glared at her sister, then bowed to Lu Yao and said, "I am Liao Ya from the Liao Family Fist; I will take your pulse first, young master."

Her voice was very gentle, nothing like the fierce woman who had just demonstrated the Standing Stake.

As her fair and slender fingers touched his wrist, Lu Yao felt a warm current flow through his body from the wrist.

After a while, Liao Ya withdrew her fingers apologetically, "Young master, it is said that 'a doctor cannot heal those who are already dying', you must understand your condition, I am powerless to help!"

As soon as she said this, her sister Liao Qe became anxious, "Sister, what are you saying! How do you know you're powerless if you don't try!"

This is a wealthy client, after all. Start by prescribing him a course of expensive herbs!

Lu Yao's mood fluctuated wildly, and even more intense pain struck, leaving him unable to speak.

Seeing this, Liao Ya quickly took out a set of needles and, in the blink of an eye, inserted them at several key aperture points, stimulating the body's vitality.

Lu Yao visibly relaxed and took a deep breath, "Thank you, Master Liao! I haven't felt this comfortable in a long time."

Lu Yao's current state was like having a severe cold with a 39-degree fever, not particularly comfortable.

But to him, it was an unprecedented level of relief, enough to move about on his own!

He couldn't help but look at the several ordinary-looking thin needles and marveled, "Just a few simple needles can have such an instantly noticeable effect, truly masterful! Please continue the treatment."

More and more certain— in a world where extraordinary powers exist, his illness could surely be cured!

Liao Ya put away the needles and shook her head gently, "Young master, this is only a temporary relief. I have merely suppressed the intense pain in your body."

Her medical skills were not bad, especially the family's unique golden needle technique was quite special. But for late-stage cancer, she was truly helpless.

But her sister Liao Qe jumped in and boldly assured, "Young master, rest assured, my sister has both integrity and skill, she won't let you down! You can stay at the martial arts school, which will make it easier for ongoing treatment."

The little money-lover, while talking, kept making eyes at her sister, signaling not to let the cash cow escape.

Lu Yao was more than willing, and bowed, "Then I'm in your debt!"

"No problem at all! But, Young Master Lu, my sister's consultation fee... won't be cheap!" Liao Qe's eyes glittered as she fixed her gaze on Lu Yao.

Lu Yao waved his hand grandly, "I have plenty of money, the medical fee will not be shorted!"

The impressive and robust aura of someone with deep pockets made Liao Qe, the little money-grubber, smile crookedly in delight.

In reality, he didn't have a penny to his name...

Liao Ya didn't say much more, thinking it would be nice for the young master to leave a bit more comfortably.

~~~~~~~~

The time that followed was precious.

While the pain was kept at bay by acupuncture, and he was able to move on his own, Lu Yao gathered all items with writing on them from the martial arts school, especially—the newspapers, and read them carefully to understand the world he was in.

This place was "Yunzhou," under the rule of the "Shun" Dynasty, very much like the Qing Dynasty on Blue Star.

The history of the two worlds was almost identical, but here the timeline had diverged—the Manchu Qing didn't win at the end of Ming Dynasty, but rather it was Li Zicheng, the King of Chuang, and the Shun Dynasty ensued.

At this time, the Great Shun Dynasty had just suffered a defeat, signed a treaty that ceded land and paid reparations, but the Empress Dowager still wanted to renovate her gardens, so taxes were increased.

The all-too-familiar backdrop of schemes and troubles led to uprisings all over the place. With frequent wars and a weakened Imperial Court, it was a scene of utter chaos.

Thus, the people of Great Shun started to internalize the struggle, enrolling to learn various lethal skills to boost their competitiveness. Martial arts schools sprang up everywhere like mushrooms after rain.

~~~~~~~~

"I'm in luck, for now, I have a place to stay. Because I appeared affluent, the little money-grubber even prepared a private room for me, offering generous treatment. However..."

Lu Yao put down a newspaper with a puzzled look:

"Everything else is fine, but the silver in this world isn't right! The Shun Empire's reparation payments... only ten thousand taels of silver!? Such a small sum has brought the people to the brink of survival and caused widespread conflict."

He distinctly remembered from history class that the last feudal dynasty on his side had reparations amounting to tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of taels of silver.

After perusing a few more newspapers, not even skipping the ads, especially paying close attention to anything with a price, he finally confirmed—the price of silver here was outrageously high!

"The currency of the Shun Dynasty is called copper yuan, and the annual tuition fee for a martial arts school is only 100 copper yuan. Yet 1 tael of silver can actually be exchanged for 10,000 copper yuan;"

"On Blue Star, 1 tael of silver... is only 250 yuan! All I need to do is bring a bit of silver over, and I could go from a faux-rich to genuinely wealthy!"

"This way, there's no need to worry about medical expenses."

As Lu Yao continued to calculate, suddenly, waves of intense pain surged through him.

"As expected, it's just a temporary solution, not a cure, the pain has started again!"

~~~~~~~~

He got up and went to the back hall of the boxing school, where the two sisters were.

The two girls looked very similar, even their hairstyles were the same double braids, their fair skin underneath glowed with a healthy flush, their eyes brimming with youthful beauty.

Liao Ya skillfully administered the acupuncture, and as Lu Yao gazed at the girl's graceful and lovely face, along with the effects of the acupuncture, his body began to relax.

Seeing the treatment was over, Liao Qe, the little money-grubber, ran up excitedly and said sweetly, "Young Master Lu, that... your treatment took a lot of effort... perhaps you could pay a deposit?"

Lu Yao was penniless, not even wearing underwear, but his demeanor was still imperious as he declared, "I have no money!"

The little money-grubber's expression changed, but Lu Yao quickly added, "I'm a wealthy overseas tycoon, what I certainly don't lack is money. Just tell me, how much is the total medical fee in silver?"

The little money-grubber finally settled down, coyly took a moment, and then tentatively said:

"Young master, these are troubled times, and the price of grain is rising threefold each day, so how about we charge you 5,000 copper yuan?"

The annual tuition fee for a disciple at the boxing school was only 100 copper yuan, so this amount was equivalent to fifty years of tuition—a huge sum!

But to Lu Yao, after doing the math, it was just half a tael of silver, equivalent to 125 yuan on Blue Star. Such a modest amount wouldn't even cover a few meals of takeout. It was incredibly cheap!

So he quickly agreed, "No problem, I'll go back and get the money right away."

"Young Master Lu is so generous!" the little money-grubber exclaimed in delight. She had asked for an exorbitant amount without expectation, and he had agreed immediately—he truly must be from a wealthy family!