"Boss, twelve meat buns, three shumai, and two cups of soy milk, please."
"The vehicle is starting. Please hold on tight. Passengers who have just boarded, please move to the rear..."
Ji City's Fifth Middle School was located in the north of Ji City—a relatively remote area. Most of its students were boarders, so every day off, Jiang Shu had to compete with a group of classmates to get on the bus.
But today, the bus was unusually empty.
Jiang Shu glanced back at the school through the bus window.
The cultural and technological development level of Xuanxing was similar to his previous life, strikingly akin to another parallel world of Earth.
Jiang Shu became increasingly convinced that this world was not as calm and simple as it appeared on the surface.
What was the truth behind it all?
Perhaps he would only find out once he had fully stepped into the Martial Arts Realm and his social status had elevated to a certain tier.
Jiang Shu maintained a horse stance, sitting virtually on the seat as he digested the meat buns, shumai, and soy milk he had eaten, his mind empty.
Perhaps because it was still the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, there weren't many cars on the streets.
The bus didn't encounter much traffic and reached the terminal in about forty or fifty minutes. Jiang Shu transferred buses and, after another hour of meditation, arrived at the stop closest to his home.
The journey, which used to feel long and agonizing, now seemed to pass quickly as he quietly practiced martial arts.
He disembarked, carrying his luggage, and looked up at the familiar surroundings.
Beneath a sky as clear and vast as a giant piece of blue-green jade, several villages were scattered in an orderly fashion, and a four-lane road stretched endlessly.
Ahead lay an ancient mountain village, developed into a tourist attraction.
Behind him was the bustling downtown of Ji City, a hive of activity with its constant stream of vehicles.
This area was in the southern part of Ji City, encircled by the Bi River and surrounded by Green Mountain. It was a populous place, with many newcomers and elderly residents.
He reached Qingjiang Garden, an old resettlement complex built in the early 2000s where the spacing between buildings was extremely tight. Beneath the apartment blocks, several long-unwashed private cars were crammed into every available parking spot.
He climbed the stairs to apartment 301. Jiang Shu took out his key, opened the door, and a wave of warm air greeted him.
"According to our station's report, the First Leader recently inspected Shengjing Academy and delivered an important speech, stating: 'Contemporary students need a fresh outlook.'"
The living room wasn't large. On a sofa over two meters long, Jiang Yanyue was sprawled out with her legs propped up, basking in the warm air from the air conditioner, crunching loudly on potato chips with absolutely no decorum.
In front of the sofa, a sixty-five-inch LCD television was playing a rerun of yesterday's news.
"Why aren't you watching your food channel today?"
"What choice do I have? My dear brother is planning to become a Martial Arts Student. As his little sister, of course, I need to get properly informed, right?"
Hearing Jiang Shu return, Jiang Yanyue stretched languidly, a red envelope in her hand, and naturally rose and turned around.
She was one meter sixty-eight tall. Standing in plush cotton slippers, her round, straight legs were clad in pure white cotton pants.
Unlike her thoroughly ordinary brother, Jiang Yanyue had, since childhood, always been what you'd call 'the model child'—the kind other parents compared theirs to.
In elementary school, she participated in essay and Math Olympiad competitions, winning several Ji City district-level awards. In middle school, her academic performance never fell out of the top three in her grade. At the end of last semester, she was even admitted early to Ji City First High School, so she didn't have to worry about the high school entrance exams like ordinary students.
"I thought you were going to stay at school and catch up with your classmates, not coming home until tonight."
Seeing her brother approach, she handed him the red envelope she had prepared.
"Here, this is the lucky money I painstakingly saved—a whole eight hundred! You know the saying, 'Poverty for scholars, riches for warriors.' This eight hundred is your little sister's biggest show of support!"
"And HEY, if you can learn martial arts, great. If you decide you don't want to, then when your little sis here starts her own company, you can be my bodyguard! As long as CEO Jiang has spare ribs to eat, Jiang Shu will at least get some broth to drink!"
"You're nuts!"
Swatting Jiang Yanyue's hand away, Jiang Shu unceremoniously tapped his sister on the head.
Unexpectedly, what his fingers met wasn't her scalp, but the soft rind of a pomelo.
"HA! See? I told you I could learn useful stuff online! This topknot, padded with pomelo rind, is so high and full! Not only does my whole head smell like special pomelo, but it can also prevent sneak attacks!"
Jiang Yanyue quickly stepped back and tilted her head proudly. Then, suddenly, she eyed Jiang Shu with a puzzled look, stepped forward again, and leveled her hand from the top of her own head to just above Jiang Shu's nose.
"AAAHHH! Jiang Shu! Have you been secretly growing taller again?! Last time I measured, you were only a teensy bit taller than me!"
"So childish! And you call yourself a top student? Don't you even know the simple principle that practicing martial arts can make you taller?"
"TCH! With my perfect height, why would I need martial arts? I'm not sure if it makes you taller, but it definitely increases your appetite. One bottomless pit in the family is enough!"
"Aren't you one?"
Jiang Shu glanced at the trash can beside the sofa, which was overflowing with all sorts of empty snack bags.
"HUMPH! I'm a gourmand! A connoisseur of fine foods! Totally different from a glutton like you who can wolf down five bowls of rice with just a few pieces of meat!" Jiang Yanyue gritted her teeth. "But why don't you ever get fat no matter how much you eat? I'm so jealous! Ugh, WOOO WOOO WOOO."
"You could practice martial arts too. Did Mom and Dad say when they'd be back?"
"Wake up before five a.m. to practice stances like you? Please! If I could get up at five, I'd just do some casual reading, and I would've skipped grades to become your senior two years ago, you know that!"
"I believe you."
Jiang Shu nodded. He never doubted his sister's intelligence. Even though they played together when they were little, their academic performances were worlds apart—one in heaven, the other on earth.
"Mom said she's getting a new shipment of goods today and will come back once it arrives. Dad's not so sure, but he said he'll definitely be back before ten."
Jiang Shu's mother, Xu Lizhi, had first worked in a garment factory. After the factory went bankrupt, she took a leap of faith, using the family's savings to open a clothing store. It had now been operating for over a decade and was quite well-established.
In the beginning, she worked from dawn till dusk and earned some money. However, with the difficult economic climate in recent years, business had slumped. So now, whenever the children were home, she would choose to close the store early to come back and spend time with them.
Jiang Shu's father, Jiang Yongyi, had lost his job in middle age. He then traded in the family's old gasoline car for an electric one to drive for a ride-hailing service like Didi. He didn't earn a lot, but he enjoyed the freedom and didn't have to endure much workplace stress.
"Jiang Shu, I think times might really be changing. I made a point to watch the news replay today, and I noticed that for the past two months, almost every single day, the news has mentioned martial arts practice. What good is practicing martial arts, really? In this day and age, no matter how skilled you become, can you stop a bullet?" Jiang Yanyue couldn't help but ask.
Despite her high IQ, she was still young and hadn't ventured far beyond school. The knowledge she'd acquired was often absolute, leading her to see things in stark black and white.
Thus, she was prone to falling into cognitive biases, making it hard for her to grasp the wondrous aspects of Martial Arts.
"It can preserve one's youth."
Jiang Shu's reply was concise. He knew exactly what to say to whom.
Telling his sister that practicing martial arts could strengthen one's vitality, help break through human limitations, or extend one's lifespan would be pointless.
Even if he told her that high-level martial artists could dodge bullets, she'd probably think, So what?
Sure, you can dodge bullets, but can you dodge missiles?
But preserving one's youth…
Those three words were a critical hit!
And sure enough, the moment Jiang Shu finished speaking,
Jiang Yanyue froze. Beneath her long, fluttering eyelashes, her bright eyes widened with disbelief. But when she saw Jiang Shu nod affirmatively again, she suddenly leaped to her feet.
"Brother! Teach me the Horse Stance!"