Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Xu the Second had aged considerably. A middle-aged man supporting a family, he was exhausted every single day.

’I wonder how that rebellious son of mine ever managed to endure it.’

Having worked in the mines for two years, he now understood their horrors. It wasn’t just the exhaustion; it was the constant risk of being buried alive in the tunnels.

That was the most terrifying part.

He had witnessed several mining disasters, which scared him so much his legs gave out. He’d tried to run away a few times, but with no money to his name, he’d had no choice but to grit his teeth and return.

It was only then that he recalled the hardships his son, Xu Yang, had endured at such a young age—not only having to support his younger sister, but also being extorted by his own father from time to time.

After collecting his wages for the month, he dragged his weary body into the courtyard.

Zhang Cuiting was sitting in the courtyard, cracking melon seeds. Seeing Xu the Second return, she hurried over and asked, "How much did you get paid?"

While Xu the Second had aged considerably, she, on the other hand, was supported by him and didn’t have to work. In two years, she hadn’t aged much, though her complexion had grown rather sallow. She had also long since moved on from the death of her son, Yang Jun.

"I’m hungry. Is dinner ready?"

Seeing that Zhang Cuiting’s first concern was his wages, not whether he was tired, Xu the Second couldn’t help but feel a wave of despair.

"I asked you how much you got paid!" Zhang Cuiting snapped impatiently. "These hands of mine aren’t meant for cooking."

She had spent all the money her late husband left behind to fund Yang Jun’s martial arts training. As a result, her standard of living had plummeted over the past two years, and it was only when Xu the Second got paid that she could afford to eat meat.

Every month, she counted on Xu the Second’s payday to improve her lot.

Xu the Second retorted angrily, "You’re just lazing around at home all day, and you can’t even make one meal? I work myself to the bone and come home, only to have to cook for myself?"

Zhang Cuiting’s eyes grew red. "You heartless bastard! Didn’t you used to say it would be a waste for hands like mine to cook? Now that I’m broke, you expect me to become some haggard housewife and wait on you? Dream on! Hand over the money."

As she spoke, she strode forward and snatched the money pouch from Xu the Second’s waist.

"Useless! You can’t even earn three hundred wen a month. Back in the day, that little bastard Xu Yang could dig up nearly four hundred wen a month."

Zhang Cuiting counted the money in the pouch. Finding it was even less than last month—not even three hundred wen—she erupted in a stream of curses.

This much money wasn’t enough to buy meat. If they did, they’d go hungry for the rest of the month.

"You..."

Xu the Second trembled with rage. There had been several cave-ins at the mine this month. He had almost been buried alive in one of them and had been too scared to return for a few days, which was why, naturally, his pay was short.

"’You’ what? If you can’t support me, then you can crawl back to being a lonely bachelor! With my looks, there are plenty of men who would be willing to take care of me," Zhang Cuiting fumed.

She had no money of her own now, and she certainly wasn’t with Xu the Second for his looks anymore. Besides, he was middle-aged and exhausted from mining day in and day out; he just didn’t have the stamina he used to.

Without her, Xu the Second would just be a lonely bachelor. Without him, she would live a better life. This knowledge made her completely fearless.

After all, she was the widow of one Martial Artist and the mother of another. There were plenty of lecherous old men who coveted her for that status.

Xu the Second was seething with uncontrollable rage. Just as he was about to step forward and snatch the money pouch back, he sensed a presence behind him.

"Ah Lan, what are you doing here?"

Turning around, he saw it was his older brother’s daughter, Xu Lan, and an embarrassed look appeared on his face.

’He had abandoned his own two children to shack up with the widow Zhang Cuiting, waiting hand and foot on her son, only to end up living like this.’

Even for someone as thick-skinned as Xu the Second, his face burned with shame.

Xu Lan said softly, "Second Uncle, I came to tell you that Xiaqing participated in the Martial Arts Examination. She achieved Dragon Ascension, too!"

’What? Xu Qing achieved Dragon Ascension, too?’

Xu the Second’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’How could that good-for-nothing crybaby have achieved Dragon Ascension?’

For a moment, his heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife.

’He had fathered two children who achieved Dragon Ascension, but he had abandoned them both, and now they wanted nothing to do with him.’

’If he had just treated his children well, everyone in Qingyuan County would be calling him Master Xu by now. He could have married several women younger and more beautiful than Zhang Cuiting, no problem. He wouldn’t be suffering like this, working himself to death every day only to be despised as a useless bum.’

"Impossible! How could that little bitch achieve Dragon Ascension!"

Zhang Cuiting shrieked, completely incensed.

’Her own son had failed, so what right did that little bitch Xu Qing have to achieve Dragon Ascension? How could the heavens be so unjust?’

Hearing this, Xu Lan’s expression turned icy. "My sister Xiaqing is now a Martial Scholar, a Dragon Ascending Genius. How dare you call her a ’little bitch’? Believe me, I can report you to the authorities and have you caned and thrown in prison."

Zhang Cuiting’s face fell, her expression twisting into one of terror. If this matter were pursued, Xu Lan wasn’t just making an idle threat; she could really be convicted of a crime.

Only then did it dawn on her that Xu Qing was no longer the little girl she could berate at will, but this year’s new Martial Scholar, a Dragon Ascending Genius.

For someone like that, crushing her would be no harder than crushing an ant.

"Spare me, Ah Lan! It’s my fault, I have a foul mouth."

Zhang Cuiting hurriedly begged for mercy, slapping her own face a few times with loud SMACKS.

"Ah Lan, did Xu Qing really achieve Dragon Ascension?"

"Is that girl Xu Qing really that successful?"

...

At the same time, neighbors from the surrounding area also swarmed over, gathering around Xu Lan and peppering her with questions.

Xu Lan announced proudly, "Of course it’s true. You’ll all see when the official results are posted in a few days. My sister Xiaqing’s Dragon Ascension is a done deal. She’s celebrating at a grand restaurant in the city right now. In fact, she just sent a carriage to pick up my father for the feast. How could it possibly be fake?"

Hearing that a carriage had been sent to take Brother Xu to a feast at a grand restaurant in the city, the crowd immediately erupted, and many people were overcome with envy.

"Incredible! Two Martial Scholars from a single family, and both achieved Dragon Ascension." Uncle Gao from next door said in shock, "Even among the great clans in the city, it’s rare to see the grand spectacle of two Dragon Ascensions in one family."