Aftermath and Lessons

He picked up the medicinal broth prepared in advance in the courtyard.

As the broth entered his stomach, Lin Zheyu felt a warm glow spread through his abdomen, though his complexion remained somewhat pale.

His stomach rumbled, and every cell in his body sent out an intense cry of hunger.

Entering the kitchen, Lin Zheyu wolfed down five huge bowls of noodles in a row. His belly was swollen tight, yet his body continued to send out unending waves of ravenous hunger.

Not enough, still not enough!

His body still lacked a tremendous amount of energy!

"Brew another batch of medicine."

Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

He took out the last batch of Replenishing Qi and Nourishing Blood herbs from the house and began brewing them.

This was his final batch of medicinal herbs. He had less than one tael of silver left at home and would need to wait a few days before he had money to buy more.

The scent of medicine drifted through the courtyard.

Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his consciousness. Wild Bull Fist had finally reached the beginner level.

Heaven Rewards Diligence

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 2

Skill: Wild Bull Fist (Beginner 46%)

"One unit of Source Power saved me roughly more than a year of hard training."

Lin Zheyu considered his cultivation progress and worked out an approximate figure.

Master Liang had said that an ordinary person needed around two or three years of arduous practice to go from beginner to proficient.

And with his talent for comprehension, he estimated that one or two years would be enough.

Wild Bull Fist had no clear divisions of level. Based on one's understanding of the fist art and one's martial realm, it could be divided into beginner, proficient, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and perfection.

"Source Power's effect truly is astonishing. At this rate, I'll soon be able to cultivate Wild Bull Fist to perfection."

"However, Source Power mainly acts on the mind. Once the mind improves, it feeds back into the flesh, but the body needs other energy to support that improvement. Otherwise, it will create a deficit in qi and blood."

"Thankfully, I only used one unit of Source Power just now. Otherwise, I might have turned back into skin stretched over bones."

Feeling the weakness in his body, Lin Zheyu was seized by a lingering fear.

He brewed medicine until deep into the night.

He brewed both batches of herbs three times, extracting all the medicinal potency within them.

After drinking the medicine, Lin Zheyu fell into a deep sleep.

Having pushed past his limit, his mind had already been utterly exhausted.

On top of that, using Source Power to enter that special state consumed an immense amount of mental energy.

Early morning.

Outside, it was still pitch-black, but the crowing of roosters had already begun.

That rooster with the voice of a broken gong started crowing again, waking the bleary-eyed Lin Zheyu.

"This chicken is so damned annoying. Don't let me catch you, or I'll slaughter you!"

He muttered under his breath, covering his ears with his pillow and going back to sleep.

After drinking the two batches of medicinal broth, he had recovered considerably, but he still felt incomparably weak.

His whole body was limp and soft, filled with a sense of powerlessness.

Yi Xiang Teahouse.

Compared to more than a month ago, the Tea House's business had grown far quieter.

Its customers had all been snatched away by Bi Dan Teahouse on Hundred Tastes Street.

Jia Yanming sat with someone at a window-side table. Across from him was a brawny young man.

"Brother, who are we going after this time?"

The young man bit into a lamb shank and asked through a mouthful of meat.

He was Jia Yanming's younger brother, Jia Yanyong.

Jia Yanyong stood nearly six and a half feet tall, broad and powerfully built, with muscles bulging all over his body. Dressed in a sleeveless shirt, he exposed scars of every size across his body, making him look exceptionally fierce.

"A scholar."

"The Storyteller at Bi Dan Teahouse. His name is Lin Zheyu, and he tells stories there every afternoon."

"Find an opportunity to beat him up and teach him a lesson."

"Go easy. Don't cripple him—just scare him."

Jia Yanming said.

"That troublesome? I'm worried I won't be able to control my strength."

Jia Yanyong muttered.

Scholars were all weak as willow branches in the wind. He was worried that a single punch would break the man's bones.

"You'd better be careful. Don't cripple him. If you can't manage it, have a few of the underlings who are always with you do it."

"That man has an exceptionally sharp mind, and the stories he tells are wonderful. If he joins us, Yi Xiang Teahouse's business will rise to another level!"

Jia Yanming cautioned, worried that his brother would not know how to hold back.

"Got it, got it."

"There are some matters in the gang to deal with these next few days. Once I'm done, I'll go give that Storyteller... Lin Zheyu, right... a brutal beating."

Jia Yanyong said, grabbing the lamb shank from the table and gnawing on it.

When Lin Zheyu woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

He pushed open the window, and sunlight spilled in, bringing warmth into the room.

Winter had already arrived, and the pedestrians on the streets had all put on long-sleeved shirts and long trousers.

"My head is still a little foggy, and my body is limp and weak. Those two batches of medicinal broth weren't enough to make up for the deficit in qi and blood caused by the improvement."

"I need to get some money first and restore my body."

Lin Zheyu frowned. His condition had become terribly poor.

After changing into a Blue Shirt, he headed straight to Bi Dan Teahouse.

Wu Yinghe was somewhat surprised when he saw Lin Zheyu. Normally, Lin Zheyu only arrived before his afternoon storytelling session.

"Mister Lin, what happened to you? Why is your complexion so bad?" Steward Wu asked.

"I overdid my martial training last night."

Steward Wu frowned and advised, "Though I don't understand martial training, I know that one must know when to push and when to ease off."

"You must not rush things. Don't fail to master your martial arts only to injure your body instead."

"Mm, I understand. It won't happen again."

Lin Zheyu nodded and explained why he had come.

"Steward Wu, do you have any money on you? Lend me some. My body is too weak, and I need to buy some tonics."

"You really do need to replenish yourself." Steward Wu nodded. "How much do you need?"

"Lend me five taels of silver for now. Deduct it from my daily storytelling wages; I need the tips for my usual expenses."

Lin Zheyu said.

He had wanted to borrow more, but Steward Wu was only an ordinary wage earner himself. Borrowing too much would only put him in a difficult position.

"Five taels of silver, right? No problem. Come by this afternoon and I'll give it to you."

The steward agreed without hesitation.

He was not worried that Lin Zheyu would renege on the debt. With Lin Zheyu's abilities, he would soon earn back five taels of silver.

After all, his wages alone already amounted to three hundred copper coins a day.

"Wang Qing, bring over some paper and a brush. I'll write Steward Wu an IOU."

Lin Zheyu called to the waiter some distance away.

"No need to go through all that trouble. I trust you."

Steward Wu said.

"Come, come. I'll treat you to a big meal. Your complexion looks awful—I'll treat you to something nourishing."

Steward Wu said warmly.

The two went to Green Simplicity Pavilion.

Wu Yinghe ordered a whole table of meat dishes, and Lin Zheyu dug in without ceremony.

Perhaps because every cell in his body was desperately short on energy, he digested food extremely quickly now. It had not even been two hours since he ate that morning, yet he was hungry again.

"Jia Yanming came looking for me again last night. I refused him. When he left, his gaze was somewhat cold and sinister."

"Do you know much about Jia Yanming? He wouldn't resort to some underhanded tricks, would he?"

Lin Zheyu asked.

Jia Yanming appeared shrewd and capable, and every inch of him radiated the air of a powerful businessman, giving people the impression that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

"Then you'd better be careful!"

"Jia Yanming is vicious by nature, and his methods are ruthless."

"The former steward of Yi Xiang Teahouse was not him. I heard that Jia Yanming secretly used dirty tricks against him before taking his position."

"That man will stop at nothing. If he sets his sights on you, that won't be good."

Steward Wu said with a slight furrow in his brow, concern evident in his voice.

"That ruthless?"

"Does he have any backing?" Lin Zheyu asked, his expression turning serious.

"Jia Yanming has a younger brother, three years his junior, named Jia Yanyong."

"As far as I know, Jia Yanyong began training in martial arts as a child. He has some skill and is doing quite well in the Flying Rainbow Gang."

"Back when the previous steward of Yi Xiang Teahouse was brought down, Jia Yanming probably had his younger brother make the move."

Steward Wu said after giving it some thought.