"Brother Yuan... listen to me!"
"I always thought this was all my life would ever amount to. In the end, I'd either freeze or starve to death, or get bullied to death by those gang thugs. I never thought I'd get to live like a proper person, not even for a day!"
"I never imagined Heaven would favor me so much and give me such a wonderful surprise."
"Brother Yuan, do you know? Master didn't just take me on as his personal disciple. I also get three nourishing meals a day at Song Academy. There's fine grain and meat and vegetables, and he even promised that if I can reach a minor level of mastery in Five Animals Fist within six months and defeat Hong Lei, the personal disciple who joined before me, he'll hand Song Academy over to me!"
"I never dreamed I, Fang Chang, would see a day like this!"
Lu Yuan watched Fang Chang grow more and more excited as he spoke. He simply ate in silence and listened.
"Brother Yuan, don't worry. Once I become the master of Song Academy, I won't forget you. I'll at least make you a steward. Then you and I, brothers through thick and thin, can eat well and drink our fill. Won't that be grand?"
Fang Chang drained his cup again. Seeming a little drunk, he continued to boast with reckless abandon. "Master told me that out of everyone at Song Academy, I have the best aptitude—even better than Hong Lei's. So I'm sure to be the one who goes the furthest."
"I'm not just bragging, Fang Chang. I'm certain that in half a month at most, I'll reach a minor level of mastery in Five Animals Fist. Then I'll climb step by step to the very top. I won't just become the master of Song Academy, I'll become the master of all Qinghe County..."
Before he could finish, he slumped over the table and fell asleep.
Lu Yuan packed up all the leftover food first, then called over the waiter to settle the bill. After that, he helped Fang Chang up and headed back.
"From now on, nobody gets to raise their voice at me!"
"If anyone dares bully me again, I'll kill them!"
Hearing the drunken rambling beside him, Lu Yuan could only smile and shake his head.
If his guess was right, Master Song had taken Fang Chang on as his personal disciple because of his natural aptitude. He wanted to train an heir to his legacy, someone who could also look after him in his old age.
Of course, that was all assuming Fang Chang could reach a minor level of mastery in Five Animals Fist within six months and defeat the other personal disciple, Hong Lei.
To be honest, regardless of their natural aptitude, with his Practice Makes Perfect destiny, Lu Yuan would probably cultivate much faster than either Fang Chang or Hong Lei.
If he showed off that speed, Master Song would likely choose him as his heir.
But Lu Yuan had no intention of doing that.
He had been able to take his first steps into martial arts so quickly because Fang Chang had helped him. Otherwise, he didn't know how much longer he would have had to toil before reaching this point.
Of course, it wasn't just because he didn't want to compete with Fang Chang and risk turning them into enemies. In such a chaotic world, it was also better to play it safe.
With no strength and no backing, it was best to keep a low profile.
Cultivate in silence and grow stronger in secret. There was nothing wrong with that.
Besides, at the rate he was progressing, sooner or later he'd have everything he wanted.
"Hah! Hiyah!"
The next day, Lu Yuan came to Song Academy as usual and practiced on his own alongside Chen Pi and the others.
As for Fang Chang, Master Song had naturally called him into the Inner Courtyard again for special instruction.
After a full night's rest, Lu Yuan could finally begin his third practice session.
[Five Animals Fist: Not Yet Initiated (10/100)]
His proficiency had jumped straight to 10—five whole points higher!
At this rate, it probably wouldn't take more than a few days for Lu Yuan to reach the entry level in Five Animals Fist.
Without hesitation, he continued practicing.
"Thump!"
Just then, someone suddenly collapsed to the ground.
"He should be fine. His body probably hadn't fully recovered, and he forced himself to start practicing anyway."
Chen Pi smiled, then turned to Lu Yuan. "A-Yuan, remember this too: don't overdo anything, and know your limits. The body is the foundation of a person. If you wear yourself down too much, you won't just harm your body—you could damage your foundations as well, making it almost impossible to succeed at Blood Qi Tempering."
"Brother Chen Pi, how can I recover faster?"
Lu Yuan hurriedly asked.
The food he'd eaten yesterday hadn't been bad. He'd had rice and vegetables, even meat. Still, it had taken him the whole night to recover completely.
"It's simple. Nourishment!"
Chen Pi smiled. "Or you could just say food. The better you eat, the faster you replenish yourself, and the faster your body recovers. Ideally, you should eat your fill every meal, or even have meat every meal. If you can afford it, you can also take medicinal broth or Rejuvenation Pills!"
He paused, then continued, "But even the cheapest medicinal broth costs three taels of silver a dose. The expensive kinds can cost seven or eight taels, or even more than ten. As for Rejuvenation Pills, ordinary people can't afford them at all. Each pill probably costs twenty or thirty taels of silver."
Hearing Chen Pi's words, Lu Yuan could only let out a sigh and shake his head.
Forget Rejuvenation Pills—even medicinal broth was beyond what he could afford right now.
Even eating meat at every meal, let alone eating his fill, was still a serious problem for him.
Put simply, there was just one word for it: poor!
At all of Song Academy, probably only Brother Hong and your little brother had that kind of good fortune. They not only got three nourishing meals a day for free, but Master Song would also find a way to provide them with medicinal broth and even Rejuvenation Pills.
Chen Pi glanced enviously toward the Inner Courtyard, wishing he could take their place.
"I have to find a way to make money as soon as possible."
Lu Yuan said nothing, silently mulling it over.
He was naturally happy that Fang Chang had earned Master Song's favor, and he still had no intention of competing with him for it.
After all, even without those resources, he could still increase his strength quickly.
And even if he weren't practicing martial arts, being able to eat his fill every meal, or even have meat every meal, was a goal he had to achieve.
Besides, if he could recover faster, his progress would naturally be faster too.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Lu Yuan had barely been home for a while when a series of hurried knocks suddenly sounded at the door.
He gave Madam Yang a look, signaling for her to hide with Nannan, then rose and opened the door.
Two middle-aged men, one tall and one short, stood outside holding clubs.
On the backs of their hands, each had a small black tiger-head mark.
"The Black Tiger Gang!"
Lu Yuan's gaze sharpened. The two men were gang thugs from the Black Tiger Gang.
"Thirty coins for three heads. You paying in cash, or should we take rice instead?"
The taller man poked his head inside, then grinned at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't waste words. He simply handed over thirty coins.
That was how the world was. For ordinary people, staying alive was harder than climbing to the heavens.
The authorities imposed all kinds of taxes and levies, bleeding the people dry layer by layer.
Gangs like the Black Tiger Gang also collected a head tax, grandly calling it a protection fee.
Lu Yuan had practiced Five Animals Fist for two days and was progressing rapidly, but he still hadn't truly reached the entry level. He was still an ordinary person, not a martial artist.
So even if he wanted to fight back, he didn't have the ability yet.
As the saying went, A gentleman bears humiliation without showing it; he can wait ten years to avenge himself!
Besides, he wouldn't have to wait that long!
"How's the merchandise?"
"Not bad. We could get a few taels for her at the brothel. The little one should fetch even more. Even if some rich master doesn't take a fancy to her, we could break her hands and feet and send her out begging. As for the other one, if all else fails, we could sell her to Mother Sun's bun shop and make a bit of fragrant-meat money!"
The two hadn't even gone far before they started plotting loudly.
"Bang!"
Lu Yuan drew a deep breath, then slammed the door shut.
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