Chapter 10: The First Big Battle

The weight of the water-filled bucket strained against Zhang Ye's arms as he walked back from the well. His body screamed in protest, his shoulders burning from yesterday's training.

But he didn't stop.

Master He sat on a wooden crate, watching him with a lazy smirk. "You look like you're about to collapse."

Zhang Ye exhaled. "Not yet."

Master He chuckled. "Good. Now start swinging."

Zhang Ye planted his feet, adjusted his grip on the wooden staff, and began.

One. Two. Three.

The first swings were easy.

By fifty, his muscles throbbed.

By two hundred, his breath came in ragged gasps.

By four hundred, his arms felt like lead.

Xiao Lan watched from the side, clutching a damp cloth. "Brother, you're shaking!"

Zhang Ye ignored the pain.

Four hundred and fifty.

Four hundred and sixty.

Four hundred and seventy.

His vision blurred. His fingers barely responded.

But then something changed.

A familiar warmth stirred in his core.

Qi.

Faint. Weak. But real.

Zhang Ye focused, willing it to move.

The warmth spread slowly, sluggishly but with each swing, it flowed through his arms.

His movements became sharper. Faster. The fatigue didn't vanish, but it lessened.

Master He's smirk widened. "Hah. There it is."

Zhang Ye gritted his teeth and pushed through.

Four hundred and eighty.

Four hundred and ninety.

Five hundred.

The moment the final swing ended, Zhang Ye's legs gave out. He collapsed onto the dirt, gasping for air.

Xiao Lan rushed over, pressing the damp cloth against his forehead. "Brother! You're burning up!"

Master He stood, walking over at a leisurely pace. "You forced qi circulation through your exhausted body. That's why it feels like you're on fire."

Zhang Ye let out a weak chuckle. "So that means it worked?"

Master He grinned. "Not bad. You're starting to understand what real training feels like."

Zhang Ye sat up slowly, wiping the sweat from his brow.

And then.

A shout rang from the village square.

"Black Wolf Gang! They're back!"

Xiao Lan stiffened. "Brother!"

Zhang Ye's eyes darkened. He pushed himself up, rolling his sore shoulders.

So soon? Tch. Good.

Master He glanced toward the square, then back at Zhang Ye. "You're in no condition to fight."

Zhang Ye cracked his knuckles. "Then I'll just have to win before my body gives out."

And with that, he turned toward the village ready for his first true battle.

The village square was already in chaos by the time Zhang Ye arrived.

Villagers scattered, dragging carts and baskets out of the way as a group of ten armed thugs strode in. Unlike before, they weren't just some ragtag group this time, they came prepared.

At the front stood a tall, wiry man with a snake-like grin, his hand resting on the hilt of a curved saber. His clothes were a step above the other gang members still rough, but decorated with red patterns.

A lieutenant. A real fighter.

The scarred thug from before, his arm now bandaged and bound, limped forward with a scowl. "That's him! That's the bastard who humiliated us!"

The lieutenant's gaze flicked toward Zhang Ye, eyes cold and calculating.

"So you're the troublemaker," he said, his voice smooth but laced with hidden menace.

Zhang Ye smirked, unfazed. "Troublemaker? I just cleaned up some garbage."

The villagers gasped. The gang members bristled.

The lieutenant chuckled. "Cocky. I like that. But here's the thing" He took a step forward, unsheathing his saber with a slow, deliberate motion. The blade gleamed under the sunlight.

"When you mess with the Black Wolf Gang, you don't just walk away."

Zhang Ye rolled his shoulders. His body still ached from training, but adrenaline drowned out the pain. His qi was faint, barely there, but it existed.

Good. Time to put it to the test.

He shifted his stance, gripping his wooden staff. "You brought all these guys just for me? I'm flattered."

The lieutenant smirked. "You won't be for long."

He snapped his fingers. "Break him."

The thugs charged.

Zhang Ye moved.

The first attacker swung a club wide, reckless. Zhang Ye ducked, pivoting low, and drove his staff into the thug's ribs. CRACK! The man collapsed, gasping.

A second thug lunged with a rusty blade. Zhang Ye twisted, sidestepping the strike, and brought his elbow down on the man's wrist. The sword clattered to the ground.

Another came at him with a dagger Zhang Ye caught his wrist mid-stab, yanked him forward, and slammed his knee into the man's stomach. THUD.

Three down.

The lieutenant raised a brow. "Not bad."

Zhang Ye smirked. "I'm just warming up."

The remaining thugs hesitated.

But the lieutenant? He wasn't impressed.

He vanished.

Zhang Ye's instincts screamed but too late.

A shadow flickered behind him.

Cold steel at his throat.

The lieutenant's voice whispered by his ear. "Too slow."

Zhang Ye's eyes widened. Shit.

This guy was the real deal.

The cold steel pressed lightly against Zhang Ye's throat.

The village square fell silent.

Xiao Lan gasped. The villagers held their breath. The remaining thugs smirked, relaxing now that their leader had things under control.

The lieutenant stood right behind Zhang Ye, his curved saber positioned at a precise angle one flick, and it would slice cleanly across his neck.

"You rely too much on instinct," the lieutenant murmured. "That's good for fighting rats. Not for fighting wolves."

Zhang Ye's fingers twitched around his staff. Damn. He hadn't even seen the movement. This guy was fast.

The lieutenant smirked. "This is the part where you beg."

Zhang Ye chuckled. "Nah."

Then he moved.

Instead of pulling away he lunged forward.

The saber barely grazed his skin as he ducked, twisted, and slammed his elbow into the lieutenant's ribs.

CRACK!

The sudden impact made the lieutenant stagger. Zhang Ye spun, raising his staff and bringing it down.

The lieutenant blocked.

His saber clashed against the staff, sparks flying from the impact.

For a split second, their eyes met.

And the lieutenant grinned.

He's enjoying this.

Zhang Ye clicked his tongue. Annoying bastard.

The lieutenant shifted his grip his saber flickered. A quick, sharp cut aimed for Zhang Ye's leg.

Zhang Ye barely dodged, stepping back just as the blade sliced through air.

The crowd gasped.

The lieutenant chuckled. "You've got guts, I'll give you that."

Zhang Ye smirked, but his mind was racing.

He's stronger than me. Faster. More experienced.

If I fight him head-on, I'll lose.

His grip tightened on the staff. Fine. If I can't win with power…

I'll win with my brain.

The lieutenant rushed in again.

Zhang Ye let him.

His plan was already in motion.

The lieutenant lunged, saber flashing in the sunlight.

But this time, Zhang Ye didn't dodge outright.

Instead he baited him.

He shifted just enough so the blade barely missed his ribs, pretending to be slow. The lieutenant smirked, thinking he had Zhang Ye cornered.

Perfect.

The moment the saber passed, Zhang Ye struck.

His wooden staff snapped upward, slamming into the lieutenant's wrist. CRACK!

The saber wobbled. Just for a second.

Zhang Ye twisted his body, stepping into the attack. His left hand grabbed the lieutenant's forearm his right hand drove the staff forward, aiming for the ribs.

The lieutenant's eyes widened. He tried to pull back too late.

THUD!

The impact sent him stumbling backward. His grip faltered his saber fell to the dirt.

Gasps rang through the village square.

A Black Wolf Gang lieutenant disarmed.

Zhang Ye grinned. "That looked painful."

The lieutenant steadied himself, eyes sharp and calculating. He flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulder. "Huh. So you're not just some lucky street rat."

Zhang Ye twirled his staff. "You're figuring that out just now?"

The thugs looked uneasy.

Their leader was struggling against a no-name village boy.

The lieutenant's smirk returned. "You're good. But…" He took a step forward, rolling his neck.

"You're not a real martial artist yet."

His foot slammed down.

The ground cracked.

A burst of dust shot up as the lieutenant moved twice as fast as before.

Zhang Ye barely had time to react before a fist drove into his gut.

THUD!

His breath vanished. The world spun as his body was sent flying back, crashing into the dirt.

Xiao Lan screamed. "Brother!"

Zhang Ye gasped for air, clutching his stomach.

What… the hell was that?

The lieutenant cracked his knuckles. "You've got technique. But you still don't understand the gap between us."

Zhang Ye gritted his teeth.

That was qi-enhanced strength. The lieutenant wasn't just fast he was using cultivation.

Zhang Ye tried to push himself up, his muscles screaming in protest.

Damn it. He could fight instinct vs. instinct. He could win against bandits and street thugs.

But against a real martial artist?

He was still too weak.

The lieutenant walked forward, shaking his head. "This is over."

He raised his foot.

Aiming for Zhang Ye's head.

Shit. Move. MOVE!

His body wouldn't respond.

Then.

A sharp whistle tore through the air.

CRACK!

An iron hammer slammed into the ground right between them.

The lieutenant's foot stopped. Barely an inch from Zhang Ye's face.

Zhang Ye's eyes widened.

That hammer.

It belonged to Master He.

A deep, gravelly voice rumbled through the square.

"That's enough."

Zhang Ye turned his head.

And saw Master He standing at the edge of the crowd.

Expression cold. Unreadable.

But his next words sent a shockwave through the village.

"If you want to kill that brat, you'll have to go through me first."

The village square fell silent.

The Black Wolf Gang members stiffened as Master He stepped forward, his heavy boots crunching against the dirt. His broad shoulders cast a long shadow, and the massive iron hammer he had thrown was still embedded in the ground, cracks forming around it.

The lieutenant's smirk faltered.

"Master He…?" One of the thugs whispered in fear.

Zhang Ye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, forcing himself to sit up. The way they reacted this wasn't just an ordinary blacksmith.

The lieutenant's eyes narrowed. "So the rumors were true."

Master He rolled his shoulders, his expression unreadable. "I don't care much for rumors. But I do care when bastards like you come into my village and throw their weight around."

The lieutenant chuckled, though there was a hint of caution in his voice now. "Interesting. I always wondered why Qinghe Village never got swallowed up by bigger forces."

He cracked his knuckles. "I see now. It was never the village chief protecting this place it was you."

Master He said nothing.

Zhang Ye's mind raced. Who the hell was this guy before he became a blacksmith?

The lieutenant took a step back, reevaluating. "We didn't come here for a war, old man. Just to handle a brat who didn't know his place."

Master He tilted his head. "And now?"

The lieutenant's smirk returned, but it was tense. "Now, I think this little dispute isn't worth it."

He turned, waving a hand. "We're leaving."

The gang members hesitated but at a single glare from Master He, they scrambled to follow.

The scarred thug from before spat on the ground, glaring at Zhang Ye. "This isn't over."

Zhang Ye smirked, wiping more blood from his lip. "Good. I'd hate for it to be that easy."

The thug gritted his teeth but didn't dare stay.

In less than a minute, the Black Wolf Gang was gone.

The tension snapped.

Villagers whispered. Some stared at Master He with newfound respect. Others looked at Zhang Ye, eyes filled with disbelief.

Xiao Lan rushed to his side. "Brother! Are you okay?"

Zhang Ye let out a breath, his body still aching. "I've been worse."

Master He walked up to him, arms crossed. "You're reckless."

Zhang Ye grinned. "You knew that when you took me in."

Master He snorted. "True."

He offered a calloused hand. Zhang Ye grabbed it.

The blacksmith pulled him up with ease.

Master He studied him for a long moment. Then he said something that sent a shock through Zhang Ye's chest.

"It's time you learned how to fight for real."

Zhang Ye's eyes sharpened.

"Tomorrow," Master He said. "We start true martial arts training."

Zhang Ye smirked. Finally.

His journey had truly begun.