Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 4 Repayment
The sky is getting dark and the mountain wind is howling.

Chu Ning pushed the empty cart as fast as he could, gravel splashing beneath his feet. Every step seemed to shatter the shackles of fate. The cold wind lifted the corners of his clothes, revealing the unhealed whip marks on his back—these were the "interest" left by the Wang family's thugs.

Soon, the outline of the village emerged into the twilight. Low, dilapidated huts scattered across the landscape, and a chill permeated the muddy alleys. The villagers had long since grown accustomed to a harsh life. Poverty had left a deep mark on the village, and nearly everyone was crushed by the world, struggling to survive.

But the irony is that precisely because they know how difficult it is to survive, they are more mean to people of the same class.

If a family ran out of food, others would watch with indifference, even sneering; if a family fell into debt, neighbors would whisper among themselves, fearing they would be tainted with bad luck; and if anyone showed even the slightest improvement, they would be met with envy and ostracism. It seemed as if in this barren land, no one wanted to see others living better than themselves.

A few figures glanced hurriedly under the eaves, muttered a few words in a low voice, and then retreated into the dilapidated house, as if Chu Ning's presence was just a gust of cold wind that could not take away any warmth.

He pushed hard, and the cart slid a few feet and stopped steadily at the entrance of the village.

Chu Ning paused for a moment, exhaled a breath of hot air, then turned around and ran towards home.

There was a faint candlelight in the room, flickering through the crack in the door, as if it would go out at any moment.

"squeak--"

Chu Ning pushed the door open and saw his sister Chu Yun sitting at the table. The dim candlelight reflected on her thin and sallow face, and there was a hint of fatigue in her eyes.

"Ning'er, you're finally back."

Chu Yun looked up, a hint of relief flashed in his eyes, but also with an unconcealable worry.

Growing up, Chu Ning had always been like this, shouldering everything on his own, unwilling to let her worry. After his father passed away, he acted like an adult, shouldering the entire family by himself. Although he wasn't even eighteen, he already lived a heavier life than many adults.

Chu Yun felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She wished so much that her brother would one day stop working so hard, and stop letting the burden of life suffocate him...

"Sister, I'm just coming home a little late, there's no need to worry about me!"

Her eyes fell on Chu Ning, whose clothes were torn and stained with blood, and her face suddenly darkened.

"Why are you in such a mess?"

She knew that Chu Ning had suffered a lot outside, but he never said anything. He just smiled as always, as if he could handle anything.

"You...went into the mountains again?"

Chu Ning nodded, trying to make his tone lighter: "I was lucky. I killed a wild boar and sold it for twelve taels. I have paid off my debt."

"Really? Don't tease me." Chu Yun's eyes widened slightly, as if he couldn't believe it.

"Really." Chu Ning grinned and put the remaining silver on the table. "I also bought you medicine and winter clothes. You won't be afraid of the cold this winter."

Chu Yun stared blankly at the silver on the table, his eyes slightly red, and he lowered his head and wiped it gently.

"Ning'er, this family has caused you so much suffering..."

Her voice was a little choked, but she still felt heartbroken.

Chu Ning smiled, pulled over a stool and sat down, then broke off a piece of whole-grain bread and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound.

"Sister, we are a family. No matter how hard it is, our lives will get better and better."

He spoke confidently, with unquestionable determination.

Afterwards, he boiled some medicine for his sister, gently helped her sit down, handed the bowl of warm medicine to her, and put on her new winter clothes.

Chu Yun looked at his brother's busy figure, his eyes full of heartache, and said softly: "You spent all the money you earned on me except for paying off debts. You should be nicer to yourself."

In this world, family ties are but a slender thread, vulnerable to the wind and rain, easily severed by reality. Children from impoverished families are often sold into slavery or kidnapped by creditors, and family ties appear incredibly fragile in the face of this impoverished life.

Chu Yun would not notice that Chu Ning wanted to go to the martial arts school to learn martial arts. Chu Ning did not intend to tell his sister, as he did not want her to live in guilt.

……

At night, Chu Ning lay on the shabby wooden bed, looking at the dim roof, his thoughts surging.

He knew that relying on hunting speed would never change the status quo.

If you want to turn things around, you have to become stronger!
The cold words of the Hunyuan Divine Order emerged in his mind.

[Repayment conditions: You must squat a thousand times while carrying a 100-jin boulder to succeed. After repayment, the next advance payment effect will be unlocked!]

Chu Ning took a deep breath, sat up from the bed, and pushed the door open.

He lifted the bluestone from the courtyard, its surface mottled like divine lines. In a trance, a whisper lingered in his ears: "If you want to bear its force, you must first bear its weight."

He leaned his shoulders against the bluestone, his spine bent like a fully drawn bow. The boulder was as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on his shoulders and making his knees ache and nearly burst.

The first time, sweat broke out instantly.

The second time, the leg muscles trembled wildly.

The third time, the bones creaked faintly.

……

As he squatted, he seemed to hear the clang of bones being hammered on an anvil. Sweat pelted the ground, splashing tiny drops of blood, and his skin cracked and healed like rough stone being repeatedly sharpened.

When he squatted for the hundredth time, he suddenly remembered his father's hand clutching "Rough Stone Hard Skill" before his death. His hand was as thin as a stick, but he squeezed the pages of the book to make cracks.

"Ning'er, this technique can save your life."

Only at this moment did he understand that to save one's life, one must sharpen one's life into a knife.

Suddenly, a flame leaped in the distance, and horse hooves shattered the silence.

Several warriors, holding torches, rode through the village. The leader whipped an old beggar huddled by the roadside and sent him flying. His laughter pierced the night air: "Are you a lowly person who dares to block the road?"

He gritted his teeth and didn't stop.

In the darkness, all that could be heard was his heavy breathing and the muffled sound of the boulder rising and falling.

When the thousandth squat was completed, the moonlight suddenly turned pale.

The bluestone cracked with a "crack", and the fragments fell down, revealing the blood jade-like texture inside.

boom……

In an instant, heat swept through the whole body, the muscles seemed to be tempered by flames, and the blood was boiling, washing over the limbs and bones.

He opened his eyes, and a fire suddenly ignited in his pupils.

You can even hear the roar of blood rushing through your meridians.

"Is this... the feeling of achieving a small degree of success in 'Rough Stone Hard Skill'?"

He murmured softly and slowly loosened the huge rock on his shoulders. The originally extremely heavy weight now became as light as a feather.

He clenched his fists, feeling his skin as hard as iron, and every muscle in his body contained unprecedented explosive power.

His eyes fell on a thick wooden stake standing in the yard. He took a sudden step forward and punched out.

"boom!"

The wooden stakes exploded into pieces, wood chips flew everywhere, a crack appeared on the ground due to the force of the punch, and a strong wind swept around.

Chu Ning slowly retracted his fist, the bloodshot in his eyes still lingering.

Beneath his ragged clothes, his newly born skin shone with a cold, stone-like luster. He lifted his foot, crushing the stone chips on the ground and looking forward.

"The Wang family... my father's blood debt..."

Amidst the cries of the night owl, he grinned with his bloodstained mouth:
"I'll give you back sooner or later."

The next morning, the sky was slightly bright.

Chu Ning practically struggled to get up from the bed. Every inch of his muscle felt torn apart, like it had been crushed by a heavy hammer. Even breathing was dull and aching. After the pleasure of overdrawing, the repayment had taken a terrible toll on his body.

Yet, he didn't hesitate. To improve his hunting efficiency, he needed to be faster, more accurate, and stronger. Even if it meant enduring the same pain a second time, he wouldn't hesitate.

Gritting his teeth, he stood up and walked towards the courtyard with a firm step. The morning breeze blew by, bringing a hint of coolness, but his gaze was colder than the morning breeze.

The next moment, the Hunyuan Divine Order emerged from the void, with a faint light flowing, calm and majestic.

[Currently, the Commander attempted to rely on the horizontal training technique: "Hit the Willow Through the Hundred Steps" and successfully pre-empted "Hit the Willow Through the Hundred Steps."]

[Repayment conditions: Successfully hit 50 arrows in a row while moving. After repayment, the next advance payment effect will be activated!]

[Currently available advance skills, martial arts: zero]

(End of this chapter)