Chapter 13: The Scripture of Tranquility
Qin Sang made multiple trips into the city to investigate and discovered that Bai Jianglan hadn’t lied to him. The Tiger Subduing Long Fist was indeed quite common; several large escort agencies in the city, including the Wuwei Escort Agency, practiced this martial art.
If he wanted to learn the fist art, he didn’t necessarily have to join an escort agency; paying for it would suffice. However, merely learning the Tiger Subduing Long Fist would cost forty to fifty taels of silver, which would significantly deplete Qin Sang’s money pouch.
Nevertheless, with the future of the Netherworld Scripture uncertain, he was determined to learn this martial art for self-defense.
Seeing that the old Daoist didn’t respond, Qin Sang found it strange and asked, "Master, do you not want Ming Yue to learn martial arts?"
"He’s been practicing with you for two months now. Have I ever stopped you?"
The old Daoist stopped, turned around, and asked in return. He sat down on a green stone by the roadside, took a sip of water, and gazed at the vast sky. Sighing, he said, "This year’s snow has come much earlier than in previous years. In these troubled times, natural disasters and man-made calamities follow one after another, and the future is unpredictable. If Ming Yue has a martial art to protect himself, it’s a good thing."
Qin Sang sat down beside him and chuckled. "What are you afraid of? The Qingyang Temple isn’t some ancestral family business. Even if the Great Sui Kingdom falls into chaos, at worst, you can pack your bags and take refuge in another country. With the skills you’ve passed on to Ming Yue, he’ll be able to make a living wherever he goes."
After mingling with a few traveling merchants, Qin Sang learned that this world was vast. South of the Great Sui Kingdom, there were a dozen or so small kingdoms like the Ning Kingdom, and beyond that lay boundless territories.
To the north of the Great Sui Kingdom was a large kingdom called the Heng Kingdom, said to have vast lands within its borders. Compared to the Heng Kingdom, the Great Sui Kingdom was merely a small nation.