Yi Xing City's Number One

Chapter 41

That old bastard—dare show up and catch two hard punches from him.

The sense of crisis that had weighed on Liang Qu's heart for so long finally dissipated, and his spirits brightened.

His purse bulged with silver, loose pieces clinking together. That made him feel even better, and faced with such a bustling Ping Yang Town, he could not help wanting to buy a few things.

They happened to pass a cloth shop, so Liang Qu asked his two senior brothers to wait a moment while he went inside to buy two sets of ready-made cotton clothes.

Cotton alone cost three hundred copper coins per jin these days. A long robe for someone his height took three jin of cotton, and two outer garments plus an undershirt cost Liang Qu a little over three taels.

The clothes his senior brothers had given him were too nice; he could hardly bear to wear them. He sweated heavily while training every day, so it was better to pick up two cheap sets that he could change into easily.

Liang Qu took out his money pouch to pay. After accepting the change, he pulled a small silver ingot from the pouch.

"Shopkeeper, could you exchange this small silver ingot for two taels of loose silver?"

The shopkeeper picked up the silver ingot and weighed it, blew on it to listen to its ring, then bit it. Once he confirmed there was no problem, he took out two pieces of loose silver and weighed them before Liang Qu.

"Young master, your silver is of fine quality. I'll add fifty copper coins for you." The shopkeeper took another fifty copper coins from the drawer and handed them to Liang Qu.

"Thank you."

Liang Qu accepted the loose silver and copper coins, then took out another small silver ingot along with one tael of loose silver and returned them to Senior Brother Xiang.

Xiang ChangSong accepted them in surprise. "Junior Brother, wasn't it only three taels? If you hadn't mentioned it, I would've forgotten."

Liang Qu shook his head. "A loan is a loan. If you borrowed money, then you have to repay it."

The robe Xiang ChangSong had given him was clearly worth a great deal, but a gift was a gift, and borrowed money was borrowed money. No matter how many gifts someone gave, it did not mean the money they had lent no longer needed to be repaid.

"Ah."

Xiang ChangSong helplessly accepted the silver. He truly did not care about three taels of silver, but Liang Qu's manner somehow made him feel rather pleased.

A little farther ahead after buying clothes was Wu Fang Zhai, the best pastry shop in Ping Yang Town.

Liang Qu had bought his Apprentice Ceremony gift there. He spent another qian to buy two boxes of pastries, planning to give one box to Li and Chen, and the other to Uncle Chen's family.

Hu Qi smiled. "Junior Brother Liang really is in a good mood. I just wonder whether those two boxes have a share for us?"

Liang Qu scratched his head in embarrassment. He had actually forgotten to bring something for his senior brothers. Though he was not as wealthy as they were, he ought to show some consideration. Just as he was about to take out money to buy several more boxes, Hu Qi stopped him.

"Hey, I was joking. Master gave you a total of ten taels of silver, and you've already spent nearly seven. If you buy some for us too, wouldn't Master have given you that money for nothing? If Junior Brother truly means it, just treat us to a meal after you start earning money."

Liang Qu nodded and quietly committed the matter to heart.

As Master Yang's Personal Disciple, even if he caught two hundred copper coins' worth of fish a day, no one would doubt him. The fishermen would only think it fitting that Master Yang's Personal Disciple looked so dashing even while fishing.

He could even exaggerate it further and show that he caught one Treasure Fish a month; then his monthly income could reach nearly ten taels of silver, and he could easily earn a hundred taels a year—equal to ten farmers.

Of course, that was the simplest and crudest method. Liang Qu now had more than fishing as a way to make money. Take Xiang ChangSong and Hu Qi at the martial arts school: one handled people and affairs, while the other was responsible for teaching. They were not working for free. Master Yang paid them wages, and the treatment was quite generous, with several dozen taels of silver each month.

If Liang Qu ran short of money, he could work there for a while too. Even if his realm was not high enough for him to teach, he could follow Xiang ChangSong and handle miscellaneous tasks. Once he had learned to read, he could even help register information.

As they spoke, the three arrived at the martial arts school.

On the Martial Arts Field, the bloodstains left from last night had been covered with a layer of Yellow Earth. Who knew what method had been used, but not the slightest scent of blood remained.

Today, there were still those fifty-odd "familiar faces."

Oh, no. Liang Qu swept his gaze over them and realized that, after excluding Lu Tingcai's group of seven, only forty-odd remained.

The martial arts school had many apprentices. Master Yang came over during the last five days of every month, and today was only the second day.

His guidance included not just correcting their movements, but also key points of the Fighting Method, guidance for their qi and blood, choosing the pace of cultivation, combining and taking medicinal herbs, and all manner of other precautions. Everyone treasured the opportunity and would not miss it lightly.

Yet Lu Shaohui was absent from the crowd. Thinking about it, Liang Qu had not seen him after yesterday, and he still had not appeared today.

Did he not dare come back?

Liang Qu thought that unlikely. A proper Martial Artist like Lu Shaohui no longer came to the martial arts school merely to learn things. What he sought was the atmosphere and environment. Cultivating alone behind closed doors at home could never compare to sparring and discussing matters with everyone else.

Besides, Lu Shaohui was nominally filling in. Even if he neglected his duties, no one could truly blame him; at most, he would be scolded a couple of times.

The winter wind swept up fallen leaves, sending them spinning over the Yellow Earth.

Liang Qu was looking at everyone, and everyone was looking at him.

A black beast-hide cloak draped over his shoulders; beneath it, he wore a narrow-sleeved, narrow-waisted Gold-Trimmed Robe. A broad leather belt circled his waist, with a Waist Token and jade pendant hanging at either side. As his sleeves swayed, metal Arm Guards could faintly be seen beneath the cuffs.

He was not especially tall because of his age, and his skin was somewhat dark, but his posture was straight and upright, giving him a natural air of poise and martial valor.

Was this that youth who had stepped in dog shit and gotten lucky last night?!

Involuntarily, everyone recalled the Liang Qu from last night, dressed in loose yellowish-brown hemp clothes that did not even fit properly, poverty written all over him from head to toe.

He looked like a completely different person!

They found it impossible to believe, yet had no choice but to believe.

Xiang ChangSong had always been kind to others and possessed the greatest patience.

Martial Master Hu Qi did not speak much, but he treated everyone equally and fulfilled his duties conscientiously. His own realm was also profound.

Yet they had never displayed such a warm, harmonious atmosphere when speaking with anyone before! Between them and Master Yang's Personal Disciple seemed to stand a thick, pitiful barrier.

Zhao Xueyuan suddenly moved from within the crowd. Everyone watched as he stepped forward, bowed, and greeted them. "Greetings, Senior Brother Hu. Greetings, Senior Brother Xiang. Greetings, Senior Brother Liang."

With someone taking the lead, the rest came forward in twos and threes.

"Senior Brother."

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

One after another, they came forward to bow and greet him. No matter how early they had entered the school, as long as they were not Personal Disciples, they had to address him as Senior Brother.

So this was what "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river" felt like? Liang Qu suddenly understood.

Last night, every one of them had watched with mocking eyes, standing by to enjoy the show. Now, they had no choice but to bow and greet him.

"A Shui looks so imposing!"

"A true man should be like this!"

Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang, standing in a corner by the flower bed, saw Liang Qu's imposing bearing and were so excited they could barely contain themselves.

The two forcibly suppressed their joy and waited until the end to come forward and greet him.

But after greeting him, as they looked at Liang Qu's splendid clothes and Waist Token, the Two People, who had originally had a bellyful of things to say, suddenly choked up. It was as if something had blocked their throats.

Xiang ChangSong's eyes shifted as he said, "You two talk first. Senior Brother Hu and I will go see how the apprentices are doing. Come over later, and Senior Brother Hu will teach you how to break through the Breaking Skin Realm."

After the two left, Liang Qu took out a wooden box and gave it a shake. "Want some?"

Li LiBo saw the words on the box. He could not read, but he recognized the three characters for Wu Fang Zhai.

It was the best pastry shop in Ping Yang Town. Whenever he passed by, he always heard people nearby talking about it. Over time, Li LiBo had come to recognize those three characters, but he had never once gone inside to buy anything.

Its threshold was set high. An old woman could clearly step over it, yet to him it was like an insurmountable high wall. He hesitated. "Wu Fang Zhai?"

"Mm. I brought these especially for you two, to celebrate my becoming Master Yang's disciple."

"They weren't cheap, were they?" Chen Jiechang clearly knew the value of what was in the box and felt too embarrassed to reach out.

"Take it."

"This..."

"Take it!"

The exact same conversation as last night played out again. A dazed feeling rose in the Two People's hearts, as though they had once more seen that unmoving figure beneath the moonlight, blood streaming all over his body.

That figure who had ground his teeth, his face twisted in ferocity, and knocked down every person who tried to crawl back up! When they came back to themselves, their hands had already unconsciously begun unwrapping the package.

Liang Qu laughed at them. "Hahaha, what's there to be embarrassed about? Look at you two, like frightened bears. Li LiBo, you weren't embarrassed the last time you wolfed down meat."

The hazy barrier between them melted like ice and snow amid the laughter, and Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang began laughing as well.

Li LiBo's eyes reddened. He stuffed an entire sweet crisp cake into his mouth. "Mmph, it's so good. I used to want to know what the pastries from Wu Fang Zhai tasted like, but I never had the chance. Mmph, so good."

Chen Jiechang took out a piece and tasted it in small bites, speaking slowly. "In the future, when people speak of our Yi Xing City, Liang Qu, you'll be the first name they mention—a famous big shot."

"From now on, A Shui will be Water Bro, Master Liang. Maybe someday you'll even buy a grand residence and keep little maidservants?"

"Look at your pathetic ambition. He'll definitely become an official and take the martial examinations!"

"You're deliberately picking a fight with me, aren't you?"

"If you ask me, A Shui earned all this fair and square through his own ability. He deserves it!"