A Man Cannot Grow Rich Without Windfall

"I've heard that name too."

"There have been quite a few outsiders lately. The city's full of people, and everyone has their own story. I heard it from a group of outsiders a while back, but I didn't pay much attention at the time."

"Now that you mention it, I feel like this rebellion has a lot to do with this so-called Heavenly Sovereign." Xie Jiang pondered for a moment.

"Are you saying the rebels might have been plotting and laying the groundwork for more than ten years?" Jia Yanyong asked.

"Isn't that obvious? Who'd have the confidence to rebel without ten or twenty years of planning?" Xie Jiang said with a dismissive curl of his lips. Great Wei was an incredibly powerful state.

The contempt in his words made Jia Yanyong want to roll up his sleeves and pick a fight.

Xie Jiang never held back with his words. He especially loved provoking Jia Yanyong, and the two of them would inevitably get into a fight every so often.

Afterward, they'd go right back to hanging out together, cut from the same cloth.

"If the city lord hadn't taken action and wiped out those two lineages, wouldn't Songyi City have been in terrible danger?" Ning Hui said, still shaken.

"If the city lord really did it, then his strength must be terrifying beyond measure, right?"

Jia Yanyong said, his eyes full of shock.

As a mere Bone Forging Realm martial artist, he couldn't begin to understand what kind of divine power it would take to silently wipe out two lineages with Blood Energy Realm experts in a single night.

"Killing people doesn't depend on martial force alone. You can use poison, too."

"Blood Energy Realm martial artists are still human. Plenty of poisons can kill them with ease. Maybe the city lord used some deadly poison to kill them back then."

Xie Jiang reasoned, though he didn't quite believe the city lord had personally killed them.

Unfortunately, more than ten years had passed. No records remained, and there were no bodies to examine. Much of the truth had vanished into the river of time.

If Ning Hui hadn't told them, they would still have thought some terrible epidemic had killed everyone in the two lineages overnight.

After all, more than a thousand ordinary people had died as well.

Panic had gripped the city at the time. Everyone had feared the epidemic would spread.

Later, the disease was brought under control. A few hundred more people died over time, then things settled down. There were no reports of another large-scale death toll.

Looking back now, they realized that many things had been hidden beneath the turmoil of that year.

"Let's not talk about this. If word gets out, we might get dragged off and beheaded."

"Drink, drink. Let's talk about women."

"Times are hard, and lots of people have been selling their daughters to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. They're all virgins. Any of you interested in buying one to bring home as a maid?" Xie Jiang said with a cheeky grin.

The conversation veered off in who knew what direction.

After chatting idly with them for a while, Lin Zheyu left.

Those fellows could talk for ages. They could go from the girls at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to the pretty widow next door and keep it up for a whole day and night.

He wandered around the city.

The market had grown much quieter, but it was still filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

The excitement of Little New Year belonged to the people of Songyi City. It had nothing to do with Lin Zheyu.

Senior Brother Han Mo was away suppressing bandits and hadn't returned.

Master Liang's whereabouts were unknown, too.

The only people he knew well were Jia Yanyong and the others, along with Steward Wu, but they all had families to spend time with.

With nothing else to do, Lin Zheyu stayed in the courtyard and practiced his punches, pondering the intent of the Bull Fist. When he grew tired of training, he went out for a stroll, listened to music, ate some delicious food, or shot the breeze with Jia Yanyong and the others. All in all, life was comfortable enough.

"Hmm?"

Lin Zheyu was walking along Baiwei Street when he frowned.

After reaching the Blood Energy Realm—and especially after advancing the Turtle Breathing Technique to the third layer—his senses had improved considerably.

His perception was far sharper than that of other Blood Energy Realm martial artists. He could vaguely sense unfriendly stares.

As he walked along, Lin Zheyu noticed several fellows glancing his way as though by chance, their gazes tinged with ill intent.

One or two people would have been normal, but over the past dozen days, he'd repeatedly noticed people watching him.

That was suspicious.

"Did Xing Jinglong arrange them?" Lin Zheyu guessed.

The only people he'd had a grudge against in Songyi City were Xing Jinglong and Xing Penghai.

This time, he didn't pretend not to notice. Instead, he walked straight toward the man. A flicker of panic crossed the man's face, and he tried to run.

Lin Zheyu moved in a flash, crossing the distance in an instant.

He reached out with his right hand, grabbed the man by the collar, and lifted him off the ground.

"Kid, what are you running for?" Lin Zheyu said coldly.

"Spare me, sir! I haven't done anything. I haven't stolen or robbed anyone. I was just standing here daydreaming." The man begged for mercy.

He could feel that the young man before him was incredibly strong. The grip on his collar was so tight that he could barely breathe.

"Hmph!"

"Zhou Dali, come here."

Lin Zheyu didn't bother with him. Instead, he beckoned to a Flying Rainbow Gang member nearby.

Baiwei Street was Flying Rainbow Gang territory. Its members patrolled every day to keep order.

"Brother Yu, did you need me?" Zhou Dali jogged over and asked respectfully.

He was as big as Jia Yanyong, but he'd never trained in martial arts. He only knew a few farming moves and relied on brute strength.

"Take this fellow back and find out which lineage or faction he belongs to, and what he's doing here," Lin Zheyu said.

"Brother Yu, I know this guy. He's with the Wuding Gang. I've forgotten his name, but if you want to know, I can call Zhou Tuo over. He knows the Wuding Gang pretty well," Zhou Dali said.

"The Wuding Gang?"

At the mention of the Wuding Gang, Lin Zheyu immediately knew who was watching him. The only person connected to the Wuding Gang who held a grudge against him was Xing Jinglong.

"Did Xing Jinglong tell you to keep an eye on me?" Lin Zheyu asked.

"Sir, I just came here to shop. I haven't done anything. I'm innocent!"

"Brother Long didn't tell me to do anything. I really am just walking around. Sure, this place belongs to the Flying Rainbow Gang, but there's no rule against people from other gangs coming here to buy things, is there?"

The man explained, looking as if he'd been wronged and was nursing a grievance.

"Brother Yu, should I take him back and question him?" Zhou Dali asked.

"No need."

Lin Zheyu shook his head, then tossed the man aside. "Get lost, and stop acting so shifty-eyed."

"Yes, yes. I'll mend my ways when I get back."

The man nodded hurriedly, got to his feet, and quickly walked away.

"Go back to work and patrol properly."

"Yes, sir!" Zhou Dali said excitedly, then turned and resumed his stroll—or rather, his patrol.

Watching the man leave, Lin Zheyu thought, I need to find a way to get rid of that fellow. It's no good having someone constantly keeping tabs on me.

After wandering around Baiwei Street, he bought some food and headed back.

Bang, bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The courtyard echoed with the repeated thud of fists.

There was no sun today. The sky was overcast, and the cold wind howled.

Lin Zheyu was bare-chested, drenched in sweat, his Blood Energy surging.

Under his control, dense Blood Energy flowed into his arms. As his fists struck the wooden post, the energy rippled, tempering the muscles, flesh, skin, and bones of his arms.

After reaching the Blood Energy Realm, his entire physique—his muscles, bones, and skin—had grown stronger.

But his legs had received most of the strengthening. The other parts of his body had changed very little.

Perhaps once he advanced further and his Blood Energy underwent its fifth or sixth transformation, round after round of strengthening would bring the rest of his body to the same iron-hard state as his bones.

For now, though, only the bones in his legs were as hard as iron. The rest of his bones were merely a little stronger than those of an ordinary martial artist.

Bang, bang, bang!

Lin Zheyu kept punching, his presence a little more imposing than before.

After several days of hard practice, he had gained considerable insight into the Bull Fist.

When he practiced, he imagined himself as a savage bull, a fighting bull in the arena. Enraged, it gathered every ounce of strength and charged its opponent.

Bull Charge! Lin Zheyu used the move, coordinating it with the Bull Fist breathing method. A sound like a bull's bellow seemed to come from him.

Bang, bang, bang!

His fists lashed at the wooden post like a violent rainstorm, the impacts ringing without end.

Lin Zheyu fell into the frenzy of an enraged bull, and a faint red glimmer appeared in his eyes. He had immersed himself so deeply in the fist's momentum that he was being swept along by it.

Only after two hours, when he had unleashed all his strength and broken through his limits once more, did he finally collapse to the ground, gasping for breath.

"I actually let the fist's momentum affect me just now. I lost a little of my reason."

Lin Zheyu murmured, his mind in a daze.

To better grasp the Bull Fist's momentum, he had hypnotized himself, imagining he was a savage bull. It had worked extremely well.

In just a few days, he had made great strides in understanding the fist's momentum.

But because he had immersed himself too deeply, he had lost himself in it.

"My approach was wrong. If the fist's momentum makes a person lose control, then what good is it if the technique becomes more powerful? You'd still just be a mindless brute—no better than Jia Yanyong."

"Savage can mean bold, but boldness isn't recklessness or madness. It's courage guided by reason, a conviction that none can stand against you..."

"..."

Lin Zheyu lay on the ground, murmuring. The light in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.

That was right.

Savage could mean bold, but not reckless. It was an unshakable conviction that none could stand against him—the will of a strong man who knew that one punch from him would leave his opponent dead!

The light in Lin Zheyu's eyes grew brighter and brighter. The mental exhaustion from breaking through his limits just moments ago did nothing to dim it.

He struggled to get back up, eager to test his idea and practice the Bull Fist again.

Understanding the fist's momentum wasn't enough to possess it. He had to believe in his conviction as he trained, infuse his will into the fist technique, and forge a momentum uniquely his own!

But Lin Zheyu couldn't get up.

When he had fallen into that frenzy, he'd spent all his strength and broken through his physical limits once more. Now every part of his body ached, and he had no strength left.

"Never mind. There's no need to rush."

Lin Zheyu muttered and stayed where he was, resting on the cold ground.

Under the strain he had put it through, Blood Energy steamed out of his blood and flowed through his body, restoring his exhausted body as it circulated.

Lying on the ground, Lin Zheyu panted heavily.

He looked at the data in his consciousness. After breaking through his limits just now, his Source Power had increased by one unit.

After several days of training, his Six Harmonies Saber Technique and Bull Fist had both improved considerably.

After reaching the Blood Energy Realm, his Golden Goose Technique had progressed much more slowly. It would take long-term training to refine and accumulate Blood Energy until it reached its limit.

If he relied on his own efforts, it would take several years.

Heaven Rewards Diligence

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 3

Skills:

Bull Fist (Proficient 68%)

Golden Goose Technique (Fourth Layer 67%)

Turtle Breathing Technique (Third Layer 1%)

Six Harmonies Saber Technique (Proficient 35%)

"I've accumulated three units of Source Power again. Too bad I'm out of money, or I could advance the Golden Goose Technique to the fifth layer."

On average, he could accumulate one unit of Source Power every four days. But advancing the Golden Goose Technique with one unit required about three batches of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup to provide enough energy.

He needed at least three more units of Source Power to advance the Golden Goose Technique to the fifth layer.

In other words, he needed nine batches of medicinal ingredients for the soup as an energy source. At current prices, nine batches would cost more than a hundred taels of silver—a considerable sum.

"I'll rest a bit, then advance the Bull Fist first."

"Now that I've reached the Blood Energy Realm, advancing the Bull Fist shouldn't take much Source Power or energy," Lin Zheyu thought.

Two days ago, he'd collected his five-tael monthly wages from the Flying Rainbow Gang. With the silver the other storytellers had given him, he now had savings of a little over twenty taels.

For ordinary people, twenty-odd taels of silver could support a family for two or three years if they lived frugally.

But Lin Zheyu had spent it all on two batches of medicinal ingredients for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup.

Making any progress in martial arts truly cost money like water.

It was a shame his story-copyright plan had fallen through before it could get off the ground. Otherwise, he could probably have earned two taels of silver a day.

"There doesn't seem to be any good way to increase my income right now. After advancing the Bull Fist, I'll find a time to leave the city and take a look."

"I'll see how things are outside the city these days," Lin Zheyu thought.

He had wanted to leave the city for a long time.

He wanted to see just how rampant the bandits outside had become.

He wanted to see the City Guard's true combat strength.

He wanted to find out whether an army formation of a hundred elite soldiers could easily match a Blood Energy Realm martial artist.

He wanted to see whether demons really existed in the deep mountains and old forests.

And so on.

Lin Zheyu was curious about all of it.

But his strength had been insufficient before, so he'd kept his head down, stayed hidden, and quietly built himself up.

Now, his strength ranked among the very best in Songyi City. If he could still face mortal danger out there, then ordinary people might as well give up living.

The most important thing was that the countryside teemed with bandits.

A man didn't grow rich without a windfall, and a horse didn't grow fat without nighttime fodder.

If bandits could rob other people, why couldn't he rob the bandits?

He who robbed others would be robbed in turn!

"If those brothers, Xing Jinglong and Xing Penghai, dare to follow me this time, I'll finish them off outside the city."

A vicious glint flashed in Lin Zheyu's eyes.

If the rules weren't so strict in Songyi City, making it hard to kill people at will, he would have already dealt with them in secret.

He had no idea what was wrong with those two. Why had they set their sights on a nobody like him?

Even if his talent for martial arts was somewhat exceptional, the strength Lin Zheyu had shown so far amounted to nothing more than the Bone Forging Realm.

In Songyi City, someone at the Bone Forging Realm was still a nobody. He couldn't understand why Xing Jinglong was so fixated on him.