Advance to Attack, Retreat to Defend

The Golden Goose Skill primarily trained the muscles, tendons, and bones of the legs.

This cultivation method was exceedingly difficult and demanded great talent and comprehension.

With the foundation laid by the Wild Bull Fist, Lin Zheyu's muscles, flesh, and skin were full and strong. Having already reached the Bone Forging Realm, he found it fairly easy to get started.

The Golden Goose Skill had eight levels in total. Upon perfecting the third level, one's strength could reach Peak Viscera Refining.

Upon reaching the fourth level, one would enter the Qi and Blood Realm.

After that, with every level advanced, the Qi and blood throughout one's body would undergo a Qi and Blood Transformation.

If one could cultivate the Golden Goose Skill to the perfection of the eighth level, one could reach the stage of Qi and Blood Four Transformations within the Qi and Blood Realm.

Few martial artists were proficient in leg techniques.

Especially leg techniques capable of reaching Qi and Blood Four Transformations—they were incomparably precious.

Though it was merely a mid-tier second-rate martial art, in terms of value, it was already comparable to top-tier second-rate martial arts.

When leg techniques were cultivated to profound depths, one could advance to attack and retreat to defend, come and go like the wind, and naturally stand undefeated.

In the courtyard.

Liang Song had drawn dozens of circles, large and small, across the ground.

More than ten wooden stakes, each around twenty centimeters in diameter, had been set on the ground. Lin Zheyu stood atop them, moving swiftly between them.

From time to time, he leaped down from the stakes, weaving back and forth through the circles with strange footwork.

This was the Golden Goose Skill's unique footwork.

To master the Golden Goose Skill, one first had to learn its distinctive steps.

Under Liang Song's guidance, Lin Zheyu spent more than three full hours before firmly memorizing every movement.

But he was still somewhat awkward when using them and needed to spend a great deal of time training diligently.

"Take a break. Haste makes waste."

"Martial arts cannot be rushed; it is all about balancing tension and relaxation."

"Rest for a while, then go back and prepare for your storytelling. Come again tonight, and we'll continue our practical sparring." Liang Song called a halt to Lin Zheyu's training.

Lin Zheyu stopped, panting.

He looked over the data in his consciousness. The Golden Goose Skill's progress was not bad.

Heaven Rewards Diligence

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 6

Skills:

Wild Bull Fist (Proficient 3%)

Golden Goose Skill (Not Initiated 68%)

After training for an entire morning, the Golden Goose Skill needed only thirty-two more points of progress to be initiated.

With a little more effort that night, it would be initiated.

With the experience he had gained from cultivating the Wild Bull Fist, Lin Zheyu could no longer be considered a complete novice in martial arts. He picked up the Golden Goose Skill extremely quickly.

But this was only the beginning.

The Golden Goose Skill was far more difficult to cultivate than the Wild Bull Fist. Once he reached the second level, his progress would slow.

He would need to spend a great deal of time training the flexibility of his legs until they were as nimble as his arms.

"The Wild Bull Fist isn't urgent. I should raise the Golden Goose Skill's level first."

Lin Zheyu pondered in secret.

As a cultivation method centered on leg techniques, the Golden Goose Skill allowed one to advance to attack and retreat to defend. If he encountered a powerful opponent, he could at least escape with his life.

More than ten days had passed since his last improvement.

Lin Zheyu had now saved up twelve taels of silver.

What constrained the speed of his growth was not the amount of Source Power he possessed, but his lack of silver.

Without enough silver to buy medicinal herbs, after using Source Power to improve, he would need to spend a great deal of time replenishing his Qi and blood and strengthening his physique again.

"I need to find a way to broaden my sources of income."

Lin Zheyu thought to himself as he headed home.

He needed to change his appearance before heading to Bi Dan Teahouse to tell stories.

By the time he arrived at Bi Dan Teahouse, the place was already packed.

Lin Zheyu noticed quite a few unfamiliar faces, and one group in particular drew his attention.

"Steward Wu, who is that Middle-aged Man?"

Lin Zheyu pointed to the man seated at the central table.

He was a somewhat refined-looking Middle-aged Man, accompanied by several beautiful women, while several burly men stood around him.

One of them was Jia Yanyong, whom Lin Zheyu had seen yesterday.

Jia Yanyong's eyes were bloodshot, and his large tiger eyes had narrowed into slits. His vision had not yet fully recovered.

"That is Xu Jingwu, the Flying Rainbow Gang's leader," Steward Wu said.

At those words, Lin Zheyu revealed an expression of knowing it.

He had beaten Jia Yanyong yesterday, and today, the other side had come looking for him.

Fortunately, Bi Dan Teahouse was Lin Zheyu's home ground, so he was not particularly afraid.

After all, Liang Song was here too.

Lin Zheyu looked toward Liang Song by the window. Master Liang was staring blankly out the window.

"Is he very strong?" Lin Zheyu asked.

"You didn't provoke him, did you?"

Steward Wu looked at Lin Zheyu nervously.

If Lin Zheyu had only provoked Jia Yanyong, Steward Wu would not have feared it at all.

Back then, he had merely worried that Lin Zheyu, all alone, might be bullied, which was why he had suggested that Lin Zheyu temporarily stay in Wu Family Village.

But provoking the Flying Rainbow Gang's leader was another matter entirely.

The Flying Rainbow Gang had many members, and its leader had powerful backing. If Lin Zheyu had truly offended Xu Jingwu, it would be troublesome.

"I suppose it doesn't count as provoking him?" Lin Zheyu said.

"That's good." Steward Wu breathed a sigh of relief. "How did you get involved with Gang Leader Xu?"

"Yesterday, after I finished telling stories and headed back, I ran into Jia Yanyong on the road."

"Jia Yanyong informed me that Gang Leader Xu thought my stories were good and invited me to the Flying Rainbow Gang this morning to tell him stories."

"I was certainly happy to hear that. After all, someone wanted to hire me to tell stories, so I could earn quite a bit of money, right?"

"But when I asked how much he would pay, Jia Yanyong actually said there would be no payment. He said that telling stories for Gang Leader Xu was an honor for me, so why would there be any money?"

"I figured that if he wanted me to tell stories without paying, how could that possibly work? So I refused."

Lin Zheyu spoke innocently.

Steward Wu: "..."

Listening to Lin Zheyu's account, he opened his mouth, then suddenly had no idea what to say.

"Ah, I truly don't know what to say about you."

"What kind of person is Gang Leader Xu? Even if he did not pay, plenty of storytellers would be eager to tell stories for him."

"If you made Gang Leader Xu happy and won his favor, you would have nothing to worry about in the future."

Steward Wu said regretfully.

He glanced in Xu Jingwu's direction and quietly advised, "You must tell your story well today. If you do well and win Gang Leader Xu's favor, your opportunity will come."

Steward Wu was truly a good man. Though he feared losing Lin Zheyu, his great weapon for drawing customers, he was still sincerely considering Lin Zheyu's future.

That was also why Lin Zheyu had insisted on staying at Bi Dan Teahouse in the first place.

Steward Wu treated him sincerely, and Lin Zheyu repaid him with equal sincerity.

"By the way, apart from this, there isn't any other grudge between you, right?"

"Oh, Jia Yanyong wanted to beat me up and forcibly tie me up to take me away, so I could only defend myself."

"During the defense, I threw a handful of Chili Powder into his eyes. I don't know whether he went blind."

Lin Zheyu said this as he looked at Jia Yanyong, who was squinting. The man's eyes still appeared somewhat red and swollen.

Steward Wu: "..."

He did not know what to say.

Refusing to go was one thing, but he had even beaten the man. That was rather like slapping them in the face.

When one wandered the world, fights were sometimes about nothing more than saving face and venting one's anger.

Steward Wu sighed. Young people were truly reckless; when faced with such matters, force was not the way to handle them.

He patted Lin Zheyu on the shoulder and told him to focus on telling his stories.

If the matter got out of control, he could only ask the owner to step forward and mediate. It should be resolvable.

But afterward, they might have to pay quite a bit of silver.

"Don't worry. Master Liang came too, so it won't be much of a problem." Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

Steward Wu glanced at Liang Song and shook his head slightly to himself.

He knew Liang Song was skilled, but no matter how skilled he was, there were limits.

In his understanding, Liang Song would be impressive if he could fight ten men alone. Faced with the Flying Rainbow Gang's members and their formidable leader, what could Liang Song possibly do?