Clues in Sweet Well District

Several days passed quickly, and it was time to distribute the Tiger Bone Paste again.

After receiving the Tiger Bone Paste from the Senior Disciple Brother, the apprentices eagerly began to use it.

But there were exceptions...

Fang Guiqi folded the Tiger Bone Paste in half, put it in his embrace, and then disappeared into his room.

The other apprentices were used to this, knowing he wouldn't use it. Instead, he would sell it privately to exchange for silver.

In fact, the apprentices looked down on his actions, seeing it as throwing away a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.

How much could a piece of Tiger Bone Paste fetch? It was better to use it on oneself and break through to the Internal Force realm sooner, which would allow them to earn much more.

In Gongliang City, martial artists who had cultivated Internal Force had a minimum monthly salary of 30 taels of fine silver, and good jobs were easy to find.

Zhou You had seen this more than once and was no longer surprised.

Zhou You applied the Tiger Bone Paste to his chest, feeling the thread-like medicinal power penetrate his body, his skin warming slightly.

He felt a bit regretful; the effect of one piece of Tiger Bone Paste was becoming weaker and weaker.

To achieve an immediate effect, at least three pieces of Tiger Bone Paste would need to be used together.

However, the Tiger Bone Paste distributed by the outer court was fixed, and no one was an exception.

"I still need to find a way to get secret medicine."

Zhou You kept thinking about this until he fell asleep.

As night fell, Fang Guiqi, who shared the room, was absent, and the room felt empty.

Every day after the Tiger Bone Paste was distributed, Fang Guiqi would make an excuse to go out and disappear for a while.

The other new apprentices all said he went to the black market to sell the Tiger Bone Paste privately for profit.

Zhou You had paid attention several times and noticed his mysterious movements, hiding during the day and coming out at night, as if afraid of being discovered by others.

The black market also required connections to enter; otherwise, you couldn't get in even if you were across the street.

Fang Guiqi, being an outsider, had found the black market before Zhou You, who had grown up in the city. This guy must have many secrets.

"Well, he's definitely not coming back tonight."

Zhou You looked at the empty bed and yawned before falling asleep.

The next evening, Fang Guiqi returned to the outer court, quickly changed his shoes and socks, and went out to practice again.

Zhou You remained calm and, as Fang Guiqi walked by, he discreetly wiped the ground. His fingertips felt smooth and slippery.

"As expected, it's still the Little Red Clay from Sweet Well District."

A thin layer of red clay adhered to his fingertips, still fresh and sticky.

Looking at the shoes Fang Guiqi had changed out of, their soles were covered in a layer of brown-red mud. There was only one place in the city with this type of soil.

Sweet Well District!

Every time Fang Guiqi received the Tiger Bone Paste, he went to Sweet Well District to make transactions.

After all, he was an outsider. How could his familiarity with the city's terrain compare to Zhou You, who was born and raised here?

Sweet Well District was an abandoned area in the city, named after a square well.

The water from the square well was clear and sweet, even more suitable for brewing tea than mountain spring water, and was highly favored by upper-class families.

Later, the well dried up, and the area was completely abandoned, becoming a den for rats and mice.

"What's the point of acting mysterious? I found out anyway!"

Several times, Fang Guiqi's soles had the distinctive Little Red Clay from Sweet Well District.

Every time he received the Tiger Bone Paste, he would disappear for a period, and upon his return, he would have this red clay on him.

The answer was becoming clear.

Within Sweet Well District, there was a channel for private Tiger Bone Paste transactions.

Furthermore, there might even be ways to trade other secret medicines there. As long as you had money, you could buy anything!

Zhou You's heart grew warm. This was great news; he was already worried about not having enough Tiger Bone Paste.

Now that a channel was emerging, the only thing left was... money.

The next day, Zhou You requested leave to go home to raise funds for his plan.

After paying his tuition fees, he only had 5 or 6 taels of silver left, which was far from enough to purchase secret medicine.

He had no choice but to shamelessly ask his father for pocket money.

Because of the Martial Arts School's wooden plaque, his father's salary had just increased last month, and the family had become much wealthier.

"Oil seller, slick and shiny, married a wife to honor parents."

"Oil seller..."

A few playful children walked closer from a distance, singing a nursery rhyme.

Zhou You looked up and saw a familiar face. Song Fugui was walking over, carrying an oil yoke.

"Zhou You, what a coincidence."

Song Fugui, whom Zhou You hadn't seen in days, had many new scratches on his face, but his spirits seemed good.

He pulled Zhou You to sit by the roadside, bought two bowls of tea for three large coins, and they talked while drinking.

"I heard from my parents when I got home. Thank you for the low-priced oil."

Song Fugui chuckled, "It's nothing. Once I'm in charge, I'll give it to your parents for free."

"You're my friend, how could you not get free good oil?"

Upon hearing about Zhang Shu, Song Fugui's expression turned agitated, "That dog Zhang Shu dared to slander you. He deserves to be crippled."

"Let's not talk about him, it's bad luck."

As the two were chatting, a passerby wrapped in a white robe walked up to them, speaking with a foreign accent.

"Oil seller, would you like to offer some sesame oil to the God of Release?"

The white-robed man's hands were empty, carrying only a porcelain bowl. It was obvious he intended to get it for free.

Zhou You frowned and got up, about to chase the person away.

"Forget it, forget it. It's just a bowl of oil."

Song Fugui stopped Zhou You, then stood up and took out his oil gourd, pouring a bowl of sesame oil for the man.

The white-robed man took the sesame oil and bowed to Song Fugui, "Thank you for your generosity. The God of Release will bless you."

Zhou You watched him leave and noticed the white-robed man merging into a crowd of people also dressed in white robes.

"Don't look, that's the God of Release Cult that spread from overseas. It was originally only in Sucheng City, but now it's followed the refugees to our Gongliang City."

Song Fugui explained, "These people are quite strange. Although they ask for things for free, they don't force you if you don't give."

"Even if you give them sesame oil, they are polite and respectful."

"As someone doing business out there, I wouldn't dare offend these superstitious people."

Small businesses have to grease palms everywhere. The authorities, gangs, even temple donation boxes, none of them can be shortchanged.

After Song Fugui left the outer courtyard, it was very difficult at first. There were petty thieves and pickpockets everywhere.

Some people bought oil and didn't pay, others bought on credit and never repaid, and some would even sneakily use steel needles to poke holes in oil gourds to steal oil. There were all sorts of people.

After all, without the protection of the Martial Arts School's wooden plaque, even stray dogs on the street would want to pounce and tear off a piece of flesh.

However, Song Fugui gritted his teeth and fought five or six brawls a day, not complaining even when he bled.

His ferocity scared away those petty thieves and scoundrels, and now his business is much less troublesome.

Of course, there are still some people he can't afford to offend.

"Zhou You, you need money for the Martial Arts School, right?"

"My old man is very stingy. He says he's saving up for my dowry and doesn't let me have a chance to save money."

"But who am I? I can still make small moves right under his nose."

Song Fugui took out a packet of silver from his chest, "Here's 20 taels. Take it to use first."

"If I can't cultivate Internal Force, I won't be able to pay back this much silver!"

Zhou You weighed the packet of silver and said playfully.

"I have faith in you. You'll definitely cultivate Internal Force and become a formal disciple of the Martial Arts School."

Song Fugui said decisively.

Zhou You didn't stand on ceremony and tucked the silver into his chest, "Good brother, come to my place for a meal when you have time."

At this moment, he truly accepted him as a brother.