Nothing Beats Free

Nothing Beats Free

As they passed through the corridor, the light grew brighter.

Liang Qu looked around and found the surroundings quite nice.

The environment was tranquil, with potted plants lining the path. It was laid out like a siheyuan courtyard, with a small open space paved in blue-gray stone bricks at the center. Small rooms stood side by side to the east, west, south, and north. Some of their doors were open, revealing dormitory-like bunk beds inside.

Xiang ChangSong and Hu Qi did not take the three of them to stay there. Instead, they passed through a passage beside the southeastern rooms and arrived at another large courtyard.

This courtyard was even better than the last, with a large building on each of its four sides.

Xiang ChangSong took out a key and opened the door. There was no musty smell inside; it was very clean, and the quilts had been folded neatly, clearly tended by someone specifically assigned to the task.

There were neither bunk beds nor communal sleeping platforms in the room. Instead, it was arranged like a hotel from Liang Qu's previous life, with double beds—except there were four beds, each separated by a simple screen.

So this was an ancient version of a hotel? Not bad at all, Liang Qu thought.

Li LiBo looked around in every direction, clearly seeing such a place for the first time. "Good heavens, this can't be the lodging included in the ten-tael package, can it?"

Hu Qi explained, "The place in front is the lodging for the ten-tael package. A single courtyard can house nearly thirty people. This courtyard costs extra—lodging alone is eight taels a month."

"Eight taels!"

The three country bumpkins from Yi Xing City were all stunned. Lodging alone cost more than their tuition! Hu Qi turned to Xiang ChangSong. "Junior Brother Xiang, I'll go move the things. Take the three junior brothers around and help them get familiar with the place."

"Alright."

After Hu Qi left, Xiang ChangSong said, "No one is staying in this room. You can discuss among yourselves which beds you want. Someone cleans every day, so everything is clean."

"Then I want the one farthest inside!" Liang Qu pointed to the bed against the wall at the very back. He liked beds against the wall; they gave him a greater Sense of Security.

Chen Jiechang pointed beside Liang Qu. "Then I'll take this one."

Li LiBo scratched his head. "I snore when I sleep, so I'll take the first bed. It'll be farther from you two."

"The room doesn't provide basic necessities, such as toothbrushes, tooth powder, and long cloths, so you'll still need to bring your own. As for laundry, there are servant women every day. Just give your clothes to them."

Li LiBo said carelessly, "No need, Senior Brother Xiang. It's only one night anyway. We're all rough men—skipping one wash doesn't matter."

Xiang ChangSong asked with a smile, "You don't plan to stay here in the future?"

"How could we afford it? Eight taels a month would be the death of me!"

Liang Qu and Chen Jiechang nodded.

"It's one thing for the two junior brothers to nod, but Junior Brother Liang, why are you nodding too?" Xiang ChangSong burst into laughter. "You don't need to worry. For the next two-plus months, not only Junior Brother Liang, but Junior Brother Li and Junior Brother Chen can stay here as well, free of charge."

"You won't charge us? *2"

Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang spoke in unison, unable to believe it.

"Of course. Didn't you hear? Master Yang just expelled Lu Tingcai and the others."

"What does that have to do with us?"

"Of course it has something to do with you. They were expelled, but the silver they paid naturally won't be returned. Of course, Master Yang Would Not accept such money without earning it, nor would he stoop to taking it.

"So when people make ordinary mistakes, that money is used to buy rice and vegetables for charity porridge. But when the mistake is like today's, their money is given to those they bullied. It has been a rule for a long time.

"Although most of those seven were in the ten-tael package, Xue Dingyi was in the fifty-tael package. Junior Brother Liang is now a Personal Disciple and has no need for this money, so it will naturally be divided among you. After deducting the expenses they used up over the past month, each of you should receive around thirty-six taels.

"You two can't reach the fifty-tael package, but the twenty-tael package is possible. Take out the food and lodging from the twenty-tael package, add the remaining sixteen taels, and it will be enough for you to stay here until you leave. There may even be some left over.

"Oh, if you don't want to upgrade your package, you can exchange it for cash instead. It all counts as compensation."

Thirty-six taels in compensation! Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang exchanged a glance and both swallowed hard.

If they brought thirty-six taels home, their families' standard of living could rise several levels! But then the two of them remembered Xiang ChangSong's earlier words about methods and medicine.

If they did not encounter an opportunity, they most likely would not be able to break through within three months. Xiang ChangSong and Liang Qu did not disturb them as they made their decision.

After what seemed like a difficult internal struggle, Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang still decided to stay.

"Thirty-six taels Was Already unexpected wealth. The two of us want to take a gamble. If we succeed, we'll naturally earn even more money later. If we fail, we won't have any regrets. We'll just treat it as though we never got it."

"Good! A martial artist must have the heart to press forward without looking back!"

Hu Qi spoke from the doorway. He was alone, carrying three large wooden barrels stacked atop one another, each nearly four chi tall!

Several people followed behind him, carrying large basins filled with hot water. Steam billowed in the cold wind.

Once Hu Qi set down the large wooden barrels, everyone discovered that they contained three sets of clothes and three small buckets filled with medicinal liquid, all giving off rolling clouds of heat.

The Several People who had followed Hu Qi inside began Mixing With the medicinal liquid and hot water, pouring them into the three large bath barrels Hu Qi had brought over.

The three watched curiously. "This is a Medicinal Bath?"

Hu Qi nodded. "Yes, but it isn't a medicinal bath for strengthening your Qi and blood. It's for treating your injuries. It can invigorate the blood and disperse stasis. Take two baths, and today's injuries will heal in two or three days.

"There are also changes of clothes. They may not fit perfectly, so just make do with them. Consider it my personal compensation. You suffered this because of me. If I had been there, they would never have dared act so outrageously."

"Senior Brother Hu, don't say that. We've always remembered your kindness."

Liang Qu and the other two were deeply moved.

But Li LiBo noticed something strange. "Senior Brother Xiang, you just said that Xue Dingyi was in the fifty-tael package?"

"That's right. His family are wealthy merchants, so naturally they can afford it. Why?"

"Lu Tingcai and the others were in the ten-tael package, so their families probably aren't very well-off. It's understandable that they came to extort us, but why did Xue Dingyi come too? If he can pay fifty taels, surely his family doesn't care about those two taels?"

For a moment, no one could figure it out.

"Maybe... some people are simply born rotten to the core?"

After agonizing over it for a while, that was the only conclusion they could reach.

"Alright, it's getting late. The weather is cold now, and it won't feel good once the water cools. You could easily catch a chill. I'll have someone bring more hot water. After you three finish the medicinal bath, go to sleep early. Just dry yourselves off; there's no need to rinse yourselves clean."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Hu, Senior Brother Xiang!"

The two senior brothers left, and the room quickly fell quiet.

The three looked at each other, at a loss for words.

Then hearty laughter suddenly erupted throughout the room, nearly shaking the tiles from the roof.

They laughed until they could hardly breathe, until their wounds hurt, before finally stopping. Without a word, they stripped naked and jumped into the wooden barrels.

Water splashed and sloshed.

The hot water irritated their wounds, bringing sharper pain, but the suffering was quickly swept away by the comfort of soaking in warm water.

The three soaked in the water, heads resting against the rims of their barrels. Comfort traveled from their tailbones to the cartilage in their throats, making them Tremble with sound.

"Whew~~~~"