Aftermath and Lesson

He picked up the medicinal broth that had been prepared in the courtyard.

After the broth entered his stomach, Lin Zheyu felt warmth spreading through his abdomen, though his complexion remained somewhat pale.

His stomach rumbled, and every cell in his body sent out an intense sensation of hunger.

He entered the kitchen and wolfed down five huge bowls of noodles in a row. His belly had swollen tight, yet his body still endlessly cried out with fierce hunger.

Not enough, still not enough!

His body still lacked a massive amount of energy!

"Brew another dose of medicine."

Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

He took out the last packet of qi-boosting, blood-nourishing herbs from the house and began brewing it.

This was his last packet of medicine. He had less than one tael of silver left in savings, and he would have to wait several days before he had money to buy more.

The fragrance of medicine drifted through the courtyard.

Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his consciousness. Bull Fist had finally reached the beginner level.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 2

Skill: Bull Fist (Beginner 46%)

"One unit of Source Power probably saved me more than a year of hard training."

Lin Zheyu considered his cultivation progress and worked out a rough estimate.

Master Liang had said that for an ordinary person to go from beginner to proficient required roughly two or three years of arduous training.

His comprehension was good, so he estimated that one or two years would be enough for him.

Bull Fist had no clear divisions in level. Based on one's understanding of the fist art and one's martial realm, it could be divided into beginner, proficient, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and perfection.

"Source Power truly is astonishing. At this rate, I'll soon cultivate Bull Fist to perfection."

"However, Source Power mainly works on the mind. Once the mind is enhanced, the benefits feed back into the body, but the body needs other energy to support that improvement. Otherwise, it will lead to a deficit of Blood Energy."

"Luckily, I only used one unit of Source Power just now. Otherwise, I might have turned back into skin stretched over bones."

Feeling the weakness in his body, Lin Zheyu was seized by a wave of lingering fear.

He brewed medicine until deep into the night.

He brewed both doses three times, extracting all their medicinal potency.

After drinking the medicine, Lin Zheyu fell into a deep sleep.

After breaking through his limits, his mind had already been extremely exhausted.

On top of that, using Source Power and entering that special state had consumed an enormous amount of mental energy.

Early morning.

It was still pitch-black outside, but the roosters had begun to crow.

That rooster with the voice like a broken gong crowed again, waking the bleary-eyed Lin Zheyu.

"This chicken is so annoying. Don't let me catch you, or I'll slaughter you!"

He muttered softly, covering his ears with his pillow and continuing to sleep.

After drinking two doses of medicinal broth, his condition had recovered considerably, but he still felt incomparably weak.

His entire body was limp and powerless.

Yixiang Tea House.

Compared to over a month ago, the tea house's business had become much quieter.

The customers had all been snatched away by Bidan Tea House on Baiwei Street.

Jia Yanming sat at a window-side table with someone. Across from him was a brawny young man.

"Brother, who are we going after this time?"

The young man took a bite from a lamb leg and asked through a mouthful of food.

He was Jia Yanming's younger brother, Jia Yanyong.

Jia Yanyong stood over six feet tall, broad and powerfully built, with bulging muscles all over his body. Wearing a sleeveless shirt, he exposed scars of every size across his body, making him look exceptionally fierce.

"A scholar."

"The storyteller at Bidan Tea House. His name is Lin Zheyu, and he tells stories there every afternoon."

"Find a chance to beat him up and teach him a lesson."

"Go a little easy. Don't cripple him. Just scare him."

Jia Yanming said.

"That's troublesome. I'm worried I won't be able to control my strength."

Jia Yanyong muttered quietly.

Scholars were all frail as willow branches. He was worried that one punch would break the man's bones.

"You'd better be careful. Don't cripple him. If you can't manage it, have a few of the lackeys who are always with you do it."

"That man is very clever, and the stories he tells are wonderful. If he joins us, Yixiang Tea House's business will rise to another level!"

Jia Yanming cautioned, worried that his younger brother would not know his own strength.

"Got it, got it."

"There are some matters in the gang to deal with these next few days. Once I'm done, I'll go give that storyteller... Lin Zheyu, right... a vicious beating."

Jia Yanyong said, grabbing the lamb leg from the table and gnawing on it.

When Lin Zheyu woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

He pushed open the window, and sunlight spilled in, bringing warmth to the room.

Winter had arrived. Pedestrians on the road had already put on long-sleeved shirts and trousers.

"My head is still a little foggy, and my body is limp and weak. Those two doses of medicinal broth weren't enough to make up for the Blood Energy deficit caused by the improvement."

"I need to get some money first and restore my body."

Lin Zheyu frowned. His condition had become terrible.

He changed into a green robe and headed straight for Bidan Tea House.

When Wu Yinghe saw Lin Zheyu, surprise flashed across his face. Normally, Lin Zheyu only arrived before his afternoon storytelling session.

"Mr. Lin, what happened to you? Why is your complexion so terrible?" Steward Wu asked.

"I overtrained in martial arts last night."

Steward Wu frowned and advised, "Although I don't understand martial arts, I know that one must keep tension and relaxation in balance in all things."

"You must not rush headlong into it. Don't fail to master your martial arts only to injure your body instead."

"Mm, I understand. It won't happen again." Lin Zheyu nodded and explained why he had come.

"Steward Wu, do you have any money on you? Lend me a little. My body is too weak, and I need to buy some tonics."

"You really do need to nourish yourself." Steward Wu nodded. "How much do you want to borrow?"

"Lend me five taels of silver for now. Deduct it from my daily storytelling wages. I need the tip money for everyday expenses," Lin Zheyu said.

He wanted to borrow more, but Steward Wu was only an ordinary worker himself. Borrowing too much would only put him in a difficult position.

"Five taels of silver? No problem. Come by this afternoon and I'll give it to you."

The steward agreed without hesitation.

He was not worried that Lin Zheyu would renege on the debt. With Lin Zheyu's abilities, he would soon earn back five taels of silver.

After all, his wages alone now came to three hundred copper coins a day.

"Wang Qing, bring me some paper and a brush. I'll write Steward Wu an IOU." Lin Zheyu called to the waiter some distance away.

"No need for such trouble. I trust you," Steward Wu said.

"Come on, come on. I'll treat you to a big meal. Your complexion looks awful—I'll treat you to something nourishing."

Steward Wu said warmly.

The two went to Qingsu Restaurant.

Wu Yinghe ordered a large table full of meat dishes, and Lin Zheyu did not stand on ceremony as he dug in with gusto.

Perhaps because his body's cells were desperately lacking energy, he digested food very quickly. It had not even been two hours since he ate that morning, and he was hungry again already.

"Jia Yanming came looking for me again last night, but I refused him. When he left, his eyes looked rather cold."

"Do you know Jia Yanming well? He won't resort to some underhanded methods, will he?" Lin Zheyu asked.

Jia Yanming looked shrewd and capable, every inch of him radiating the air of a formidable businessman. He gave people the sense that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

"Then you really need to be careful!"

"Jia Yanming is vicious by nature, and his methods are ruthless."

"The former steward of Yixiang Tea House was not him. I heard Jia Yanming used underhanded means and stabbed him in the dark before taking the position."

"That man will stop at nothing. If he sets his sights on you, things will not end well."

Steward Wu said with a slight furrow in his brow, concern in his voice.

"That ruthless?"

"Does he have any backing?" Lin Zheyu asked, his expression turning grave.

"Jia Yanming has a younger brother, three years his junior, named Jia Yanyong."

"As far as I know, Jia Yanyong began practicing martial arts when he was young. He has some skill and is doing quite well in the Flying Rainbow Gang."

"When they got rid of Yixiang Tea House's previous steward, Jia Yanming probably had his younger brother make the move."

Steward Wu thought for a moment before speaking.