Buying Medicine, Bullying the New

"Good stuff, but what a pity it was only issued once every seven days. There couldn't be more."

Three days later, Zhou You peeled off the plaster backing. It was spotless—the medicinal paste had already been completely absorbed.

This Tiger Bone Paste had not only raised all three of his attributes by +1, but had also raised Imperial Strike Hand and Square Step to lv4, adding +60 attributes.

His Experience Points had now broken past the 100 mark, reaching an unprecedented level of abundance.

Yet the paste had also been absorbed completely, thoroughly used up.

Not enough. It was nowhere near enough!

Zhou You only needed one more patch of Tiger Bone Paste to push his strength, speed, and defense past 7 points.

Though the paste's effects dropped drastically after the first application, no one would complain about free benefits.

"Right. Fang Guiqi sold his medicinal paste under the table. Selling it to anyone was still selling it—he might as well let me have it cheap."

Zhou You recalled Song Fugui mentioning this before.

He still had 25 taels of silver. After next month's tuition was deducted, he would have 5 taels left—enough to buy a patch of Tiger Bone Paste.

Five taels of silver was the going price for medicinal paste sold by outer courtyard apprentices.

He returned from the training grounds to the dormitory. He had just reached the door when he heard a fierce argument inside.

"Fang Guiqi, you're an outsider, so don't fail to appreciate kindness."

"Everyone knows you secretly sell Tiger Bone Paste. We've kindly kept it under wraps for you. If Senior Disciple Brother finds out, he'll definitely deal with you according to the martial hall's rules and throw you out."

"I'm discussing this with you nicely. I'm offering a high price for your Tiger Bone Paste—3 taels of silver isn't little."

That voice belonged to Zhang Shu, the one who worked hardest at currying favor with Li Hao.

His tone was severe, full of threats and coercion.

Fang Guiqi's voice sounded next. "Not selling. Get out."

No matter how the other party threatened him, he refused to budge, remaining extremely taciturn.

Zhou You didn't know much about this roommate. He only knew that Fang Guiqi's entire family had died while fleeing from Su City, leaving him with a blood-deep vendetta. His personality was rather solitary, and he rarely interacted even with his other three roommates.

In the martial hall's outer courtyard, he was practically invisible, with hardly any friends.

Zhang Shu had come to buy Tiger Bone Paste from him because he was picking the soft persimmon to squeeze.

"Don't get smug. When the three months are up and you fail to train any inner force, then get kicked out of the martial hall, I've got plenty of ways to deal with you."

Fang Guiqi went around and around, but his old answer remained the same: not selling.

Bang! The door was violently slammed shut, and Zhang Shu stormed out.

After their heated quarrel, the two parted on bad terms.

When Zhang Shu came out and saw Zhou You, his eyes lit up. "Zhou You, you're back just in time. I've got something to discuss with you."

Zhou You thought, This definitely isn't anything good.

A moment later...

"What? You want to buy my next patch of Tiger Bone Paste?"

Facing Zhou You's questioning, Zhang Shu nodded seriously. "That's right."

"Three taels of silver for one patch of your Tiger Bone Paste. That's generous enough, isn't it?"

Generous my ass. Did he think I didn't know the market price?

"I'm a little tight on cash lately and can't come up with the silver right now. How about this—you give me the Tiger Bone Paste first, and I'll pay you when I'm better off."

Zhou You folded his arms and sneered repeatedly. Trying to catch a white wolf barehanded—what nerve.

He flatly refused. "Sorry, I need the Tiger Bone Paste too. Not selling."

Zhang Shu's expression immediately darkened. "Zhou You, with your talent, you won't accomplish anything in three months."

"Do you know how many people I know in the outer courtyard? I've got connections in the inner courtyard too. Even Senior Disciple Brother has to nod when he sees me."

"You really don't want to live anymore after offending me?"

When begging failed, he was switching to outright robbery.

Zhou You raised his hands and rubbed them together. "Zhang Shu, you really think you're something special, huh?"

This guy bullied the weak and feared the strong. He was a complete petty villain.

If Zhou You didn't teach him a thorough lesson, he would keep coming back to harass him.

Forget Tiger Bone Paste—he wouldn't give him so much as a fart.

"Fine, fine. I'll let you, a newcomer, see the power of the Tiger Subduing Fist."

Zhang Shu was brimming with confidence. He had been in the outer courtyard for two months already, and his Tiger Subduing Fist had gained some measure of mastery.

Dealing with a novice would be effortless, like taking candy from a baby.

"Your Sparring Partner, Song Fugui, is nothing but trash. What could you possibly learn by following him?"

"Today, I'll let you know how formidable I am!"

Zhang Shu bent his lower body into the posture of a starving tiger pouncing on prey. Both hands blasted out to the left and right, kicking up wind and dust from level ground.

The Tiger Subduing Fist was overwhelmingly imposing. The instant it was unleashed, it targeted vital points, fierce beyond compare.

Intent on teaching Zhou You a lesson, he showed no restraint and struck directly at Zhou You's throat.

The throat was one of the human body's weak points. If struck, even if one didn't die, it could still cause fainting, loss of voice, and other symptoms.

"Haha, I forgot to tell you—sparring between martial hall apprentices allows casualties."

"If I cripple you today, even Senior Disciple Brother won't be able to punish me."

A cruel look surfaced on Zhang Shu's face. With a swing of his fists, he was about to strike Zhou You's throat.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and the target vanished.

Zhang Shu looked as if he had seen a ghost. That footwork just now seemed to be... Square Step.

That was right. The evasive footwork Zhou You used was precisely the lv4 skill, Square Step.

Dust trailed beneath his feet as he slipped away from the fierce attack like a wisp of smoke.

"Got you."

Zhou You flashed behind Zhang Shu and immediately unleashed Imperial Strike Hand, striking squarely into his opponent's lower back.

Six points of strength gathered over the surface of his fist without leaking out in the slightest, all of it blasting into Zhang Shu's body.

Zhang Shu collapsed face-first onto the ground, his kidneys aching as though they were about to shatter. Before he could even cry out in pain, he felt a suffocating pressure on his chest.

Zhou You had stepped on his chest, then raised his hand and gave him three slaps, back and forth.

"Bullying a newcomer, are you? You piece of trash think you're worthy?"

The bigger his mouth, the worse his defeat. Zhang Shu's face swelled from the slaps, two streams of blood spurting from his nose as he cut a miserable figure.

He still wanted to spit threats and deliberately shout to draw the other apprentices over, but Zhou You grabbed him by the neck.

All he could do was grunt and whimper, unable to squeeze out even half a word.

Zhou You reached into his clothes and felt several hard objects, confirming that they were silver.

"You said you had no money! Then this silver definitely isn't yours. I'll gladly take it."

After pulling out the silver, the scattered pieces added up to more than 10 taels.

He had money but refused to spend it, still wanting to freeload. His character was that of a textbook petty villain—he deserved to be taught a lesson.

"Get lost. Don't let me see you again."

Zhou You flung Zhang Shu away. Zhang Shu slammed into the wall, then slowly slid down and fell to the ground.

His plan to buy Tiger Bone Paste had fallen through.

Fang Guiqi's attitude was resolute. There was no room for negotiation regarding the Tiger Bone Paste.

It seemed the rumors were definitely inaccurate. His Tiger Bone Paste situation was far more than simple private sales.

But it wasn't as if Zhou You had gained nothing.

After teaching Zhang Shu a lesson, he had extorted quite a bit of silver. He now had 40 taels on him, exactly enough for two months of tuition.

Now that tuition was no longer a concern, all that remained was practicing martial arts and entering the discipline as soon as possible.

"If it really comes down to it, I can spend Experience Points to add attributes, though the loss ratio is 10:1."

The further the Tiger Subduing Fist progressed, the higher its requirements for attributes like strength became. A mere 1 or 2 points would not be enough.

One could imagine that if he wanted to raise it to lv9 or lv10, he would need at least hundreds of Experience Points.

At that point, the Experience Points gained through diligent daily training would no longer be enough.