I Am Actually a Genius

Clap!

The sound of the gavel echoed through Bidan Tea House.

Lin Zheyu said slowly, "To find out what happens next, please tune in for the next installment."

"Bravo!"

"Tell us a bit more, Mr. Lin!"

"Yeah, yeah, we haven't heard enough."

Cheers and pleas for him to stay came from the audience below.

Facing the audience's requests, Lin Zheyu smiled, cupped his hands in a salute, and stepped off the stage.

After finishing the storytelling and changing his environment, his emotions had been diluted significantly.

He hadn't done anything wrong; the one at fault was this world!

"Steward Wu, care for a drink?" Lin Zheyu said.

In Songyi City, he only knew two people well: Wu Yinghe and Master Liang, Liang Song.

Lin Zheyu really wanted to exchange thoughts on killing with Master Liang, but unfortunately, Master Liang was not around.

When he went to his house in the morning, he knocked for a long time with no answer, and he hadn't appeared during the afternoon storytelling session either.

At that moment, Lin Zheyu knew that Liang Song had disappeared somewhere again.

Every so often, Master Liang would vanish for a few days, and he didn't know how long he would be gone this time.

Fortunately, Liang Song had already taught him the cultivation method for the Bone Forging realm, as well as the Internal Breathing Method for the Bull Fist, which was enough for Lin Zheyu to practice for a while.

"Sure, but you're paying this time!"

"I've seen you getting quite a few tips lately; you're much richer than me now," Steward Wu said with a smile.

"Let's go, let's go to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to have some fun after we finish our drinks."

Lin Zheyu said with a smile; he needed to vent, to let out the complex emotions in his heart so he could feel better.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Lin Zheyu had quietly visited the Baishan District, where the disappearance of Gao Yu and the others had finally caught the attention of their families.

Although they had often disappeared for periods of time in the past, this time they had been gone for a bit too long.

After some searching, they found the bodies of the men in a remote, desolate area.

Three days had passed, and the bodies had been gnawed beyond recognition by wild beasts.

After reporting it to the authorities, the constables from the prefectural office went through the motions, took a look, told them to wait for news, and then there was never any follow-up.

Their families could only hold simple funeral rites and bury them hastily.

The heart that Lin Zheyu had been holding in his chest finally settled.

He felt a bit more deeply how life was as cheap as grass.

"Master Liang still hasn't returned. What on earth is he doing?"

Lin Zheyu passed by Liang Song's house and knocked for a while, but no one answered from inside.

Liang Song hadn't been there yesterday, and even today, there was no sign of him.

Four more days passed.

Inside Bidan Tea House.

Lin Zheyu and Steward Wu were sitting in the backyard of the tea house, chatting.

"I heard the rebel army has taken another city, and there are many more refugees outside the city walls."

Steward Wu said, a hint of worry in his expression.

Songyi City was a relatively peripheral city of the Great Wei; if the rebel army advanced in their direction, they would reach here very soon.

"Don't worry, haven't you noticed that the wealthy people in Songyi City haven't fled yet?"

Lin Zheyu comforted him.

Back when Jiunan City was taken, the wealthy people who got wind of the news were the first to run.

"How do you know they haven't fled?"

"As far as I know, those families have already started having their clan descendants take some of their kin toward Bafang City."

Steward Wu said.

It was precisely because he knew this that he was so incredibly worried.

His roots were in Songyi City; if he left, it wouldn't be easy to find another good job.

"Don't think so much about it; if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

"Besides, the Great Wei has strong soldiers and sturdy horses. The rebel army is merely showing off for a moment; maintaining their current momentum won't be easy."

Lin Zheyu said.

In this era, information was scarce. He didn't know the true situation on the front lines, so he could only comfort himself.

"Alright, it's time for storytelling. I'm heading up."

Lin Zheyu said.

He walked onto the storytelling stage and scanned the audience below.

"Huh, Master Liang is back!"

By the window, Lin Zheyu spotted a familiar figure.

Liang Song sat by the window, staring blankly at the scenery outside.

After disappearing for six or seven days, he had appeared once again.

After finishing the storytelling.

Lin Zheyu walked over and sat down across from Liang Song.

He naturally refilled his master's cup with wine, then poured one for himself.

"Master, this cup is to honor you, consider it a welcome-back drink." Lin Zheyu said, raising his cup.

"You're thoughtful."

Liang Song smiled, clinked his cup against Lin Zheyu's, and joked, "Using my own wine to welcome me back, you really are something."

"It's all the same, all the same. This kid spent all his silver on martial arts training and is quite poor, so the sentiment is what counts."

Lin Zheyu said with a grin. He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and continued, "Master, you were away for a while before. I'll come by your place over the next few days and tell you what I covered during that time."

"No need, just let me see the scripts from those days." Liang Song said.

The two chatted about this and that.

Liang Song didn't mention where he had been these past few days, and Lin Zheyu didn't ask; the two shared a tacit understanding.

If his master wanted to talk, he would naturally say so.

If he didn't want to speak, Lin Zheyu wouldn't pry. Everyone had secrets they didn't want to share with others.

Lin Zheyu was the same.

"For the next few days, come to my place every morning. I'll focus on guiding you for a while." Liang Song said.

Since he began teaching Lin Zheyu martial arts, his actual teaching time hadn't even reached two full days; it had all relied on Lin Zheyu's self-study.

Yet, even so, Lin Zheyu's progress in martial arts still exceeded his imagination.

It was impossibly fast.

Such comprehension and talent could be called one in ten thousand.

Liang Song intended to start teaching Lin Zheyu seriously; perhaps he could cultivate a powerful martial artist in the future.

"Thank you, Master!"

Lin Zheyu's eyes lit up.

He happened to have quite a few questions he wanted to ask Master Liang.

Some were about Bone Forging, some about Organ Refining, and others about actual combat.

Originally, Lin Zheyu had planned to return tonight and use Source Power to improve his strength. Several days had passed, and he had saved up quite a bit of silver.

Now, he dismissed that thought; he would wait a while longer.

In such a short time, reaching proficiency in Bull Fist and advancing to the Bone Forging realm was already shocking enough.

If he continued to improve and Master Liang discovered his true strength, Lin Zheyu didn't know what his master would think; he feared he might be suspected of harboring some great treasure.

Human nature could not withstand such tests.

Early morning.

As the sky was just beginning to brighten, Lin Zheyu arrived at Liang Song's courtyard.

"Good morning, Master Liang."

Lin Zheyu offered a humble greeting and handed over the prepared scripts.

These scripts contained the content of the stories Lin Zheyu had told during the days Liang Song was away.

Liang Song gestured for Lin Zheyu to close the door, then turned and sat back down on the stone chair in the corner of the courtyard.

"Perform the Bull Fist for me. Let's see if you've been slacking off lately." Liang Song said.

"Understood, Master."

Lin Zheyu replied.

He took off his long coat, revealing a lean and muscular torso.

The weather had turned chilly recently, and the early morning air felt quite cold.

Lin Zheyu assumed his stance.

His chest rose and fell in a specific rhythm, his breathing becoming exceptionally long and steady.

After this period of grueling training, he had finally grown accustomed to the unique breathing technique of the Bull Fist.

From the initial discomfort to integrating it into his daily life, and finally to being able to coordinate it perfectly with the Bull Fist, it had taken him a total of ten-plus days.

Even Lin Zheyu felt amazed.

So, I'm actually a genius!