By now, he had moved into the Inner City, and with a single word, he could become the honored guest of a business.
What if he became a Skin Grinding Realm martial artist one day?
Though he had already vastly overestimated the status of martial artists, judging from yesterday's events, he had still underestimated it.
His plans needed a few small adjustments, too.
"Let's go in together! We'll split it fifty-fifty!"
As soon as Jiang Shu finished speaking, Zhou Yang eagerly jumped in. If it had been an ordinary person, Zhou Family Restaurant would have forced them to reveal how to make the salt and MSG.
With an ordinary martial artist, Zhou Family Restaurant would have proposed a partnership, taking nine shares to their one. After all, running a restaurant came with plenty of costs. The waiters, the head chef, the meat, the fruits and vegetables—every one of them cost money.
But with Jiang Shu, they had to split it fifty-fifty.
If they didn't split it fifty-fifty, how could they show their sincerity? Jiang Shu had confidence in the salt and MSG, and Zhou Yang had even more!
With these salt and MSG, the dishes at Zhou Family Restaurant could easily go up in price by several tenths!
They wouldn't lose customers. They'd gain them!
Anyone who could afford to eat at a restaurant wasn't going to worry about a little extra money.
Wasn't the whole point of eating out to enjoy flavors you couldn't get at home?
"Fifty-fifty is too little. Let's split it three-seven. Your restaurant gets three."
"Brother Jiang... This... Three-seven?"
The wine in the cup in Zhou Yang's hand nearly sloshed out. His little chubby face twisted into a knot.
He could still make the call on a fifty-fifty split. He could talk to his father and wear him down, and they could probably make it work. But a three-seven split? His father wouldn't agree even if Jiang Shu were a Skin Grinding Realm martial artist, let alone now, when he had only reached Full Body Vital Energy Circulation.
That was just too...
"Do you think I'm asking for the lion's share? You write up the contract. Five shares go to my master, three to the restaurant, and two to me." Seeing Zhou Yang's expression, Jiang Shu knew what he was thinking.
Since becoming an official disciple, he had come to understand the Inner City better than before.
Skin Grinding Realm, Bone Forging Realm, Viscera Refining Realm.
Every powerful household had a Bone Forging Realm expert in the middle or late stages.
With the County Magistrate in the County Office absent, a late-stage Bone Forging Realm martial artist was the sky over Pingling County.
In martial arts, each realm was like a whole new heaven.
The gap between Bone Forging Realm and Skin Grinding Realm was even greater than the gap between Skin Grinding Realm and Full Body Vital Energy Circulation.
If the salt and MSG were just a small venture, bringing the restaurant only one or two tenths more profit, then that would be one thing.
But was that likely?
"If Zhou Family Restaurant's business takes off because of the salt and MSG, what do you think the powerful households in the county will do? Think about Luo Family Pharmacy."
Jiang Shu lowered his voice and said,
"The contract will say three-seven, but in practice, we'll split it four-six. Your restaurant gets four, my master gets five, and I take just one."
"My master might not even take all five shares. He may give some to other martial arts schools or powerful households. But your Zhou Family doesn't need to worry about that. You just need to make the dishes well."
After taking care of everything, he handed the contract with Zhou Family Restaurant to his master, Elder Qiu.
In the small courtyard, Jiang Shu took a deep breath. With a single thought, he returned to Mystic Star.
Qingjiang Garden.
Room.
Looking at the familiar layout, Jiang Shu finally relaxed.
He hadn't had a moment's rest lately. In martial arts, he had mastered all three methods of training, nurturing, and fighting at Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School, earned the status of an official disciple, and obtained Roaring Tiger Mountain Strength, the cultivation method for the Skin Grinding Realm.
Financially, he had partnered with Zhou Family Restaurant. Though he would only get one share, with time, Zhou Family Restaurant would surely become a hen that laid golden eggs.
And as an official disciple, he now had the right to deal in gold in Pingling County. Trading between the Two Worlds could also bring in a great deal of money, as long as he paid a little attention to exchanging gold in the Inner City.
Now, all he had to do was practice Horse Stance until he perfected it, and he'd be able to enter an academy without taking the entrance exam before the college entrance tests.
Jiang Shu thought to himself.
He had already weighed the question of which academy to enter several times.
Shengjing Academy was in the political center, where many high-ranking officials and nobles lived. As Xia Kingdom's top academy, it unquestionably ranked first in martial arts instructors and resources. But there, politics would surely take precedence over martial arts.
No regime could allow individual martial strength to surpass politics.
Donghai Academy was in Xia Kingdom's most prosperous financial city. No other region could compare with it economically. It might lack some of the very best martial arts resources, but it would certainly have ample supplies of the basic ones.
Tianshu Academy had originally been Tianshu Military Academy, and countless generals had graduated from it. Even now, it was still known as a cradle for military officers. Competition was fierce but fair, and with his abilities, he wouldn't have much trouble standing out.
As for Jiangnan Academy, the one closest to home, it produced many scholars and writers. Some of its professors had even won the World Literature Prize. In literary circles, Jiangnan Academy was a truly brilliant pearl.
But from the perspective of martial arts, Jiangnan Academy had no advantages over the other three academies.
"I should ask Mom and Dad what they think."
"It's practically settled already. I can tell them about my strength, too. I just don't know how they'll feel when they find out their son is all but guaranteed a place at an academy."
He couldn't help smiling at the thought. Remembering how his parents had been leaving earlier and coming home later, working themselves harder and harder, Jiang Shu pushed open the door.
His parents had raised him for nearly eighteen years.
The years ahead were his turn.
Today, I asked my editor, and my read-through numbers are a little low. Brothers who are saving chapters, please remember to turn to the last page every day. Many thanks!!!
He tucked his phone into his pants pocket.
Ji City.
May.
The weather was growing hot, and the streets were filling with plenty of lovely sights. Now and then, Jiang Shu's eyes caught a glimpse of a bewitching figure.
His father, Jiang Yongyi, had picked up a big job, driving a customer to the neighboring city. He wouldn't be back anytime soon.
His younger sister, Jiang Yanyue, was out shopping with her best friend.
Jiang Shu strolled through the city and headed straight for his mother's clothing store.
"Sister Xu, did your rent go up too?"
"It did. Everything's going up now, except wages. Fewer and fewer people are buying clothes, too. Anyway, it is what it is. These days, I can sit in the shop and stay out of the wind, sun, and rain. That's pretty good. I don't earn much, but as long as it's enough for the family."
"Ah, it's the same for everyone. Ever since online shopping took off, nobody comes to my shop to buy clothes anymore. By the way, I heard your son is taking the college entrance exams this year. What university is he planning to apply to...?"
"Oh, his father and I really don't care about that. As long as he's happy, he can go wherever he wants. Kids these days aren't like we were. They all have their own ideas. As long as he's happy, that's what matters."
"You can't quite put it that way. If he goes to a good university, won't you have an easier life later? My son did pretty well on his mock exams this time. They say he even has a chance at getting into a top-tier university! But I think he's just bragging. He's usually only in the top ten of his class. How could he get into a top-tier university? He'll probably only get into an ordinary first-tier one."
"An ordinary first-tier university is already plenty. I'd be thrilled if my daughter got into one. I told her before that she should take it easy with her studies. Jicheng University would be just fine. It's close to home, and she could come back and sleep whenever she wanted. But look at her—without a word, she skipped the high school entrance exam and got an early admission spot at Jicheng First High School. Now she might get into a top-tier university, and she'll have to go to another city for college. Sigh..."
Hearing his mother's boastful comeback, Jiang Shu couldn't help laughing before he even stepped into the clothing store.
There was no denying that his younger sister, Jiang Yanyue, gave their parents plenty to brag about.
Ever since she was little, whenever someone tried to boast about their children's grades in front of his parents, a few words about Jiang Yanyue were enough to shut them down.
She had earned early admission to Jicheng First High School.
With her academic ability, as long as she didn't sabotage herself in high school, getting into a top-tier university was all but certain.
And then there was him... He hadn't given his parents anything to boast about.
But that was in the past. Things would be different from now on.
Sure enough, after his mother spoke, all that came from the other woman was an awkward laugh.
"Mom."
Jiang Shu stepped inside and called out to Xu Lizhi.
"Sister Guo, let's chat another time. My son's here."
When Xu Lizhi saw Jiang Shu, her face lit up. She said a quick word to the middle-aged woman beside her, then immediately walked over to him.
"Who was that just now?" Jiang Shu glanced over the racks packed with clothes and chatted casually with his mother. After the middle-aged woman left, he asked.
"She's the new tenant next door. She sells children's clothes. Business is bad for everyone, so we just sit around and chat to pass the time. Xiao Shu, why aren't you practicing martial arts today?"
"I got tired from training, so I came to see you. Business isn't good anyway. Why don't you let your son take you out for a bit? You've worked hard for so long. Take a break."
Xu Lizhi paused, then nodded. "All right."
Business was important.
But there was no end to business.
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