Preparing to Make Money!

"Ha ha ha, Junior Brother Hu, from now on I'll treat you like my own little brother."

Zhang Xu wore a reserved yet proper smile, deliberately letting warmth and esteem show through his words.

Every so often, he reached out and patted Hu Tian's somewhat thin shoulder twice, speaking gently of things like, "Train diligently," and "Come find me if anything comes up."

Every light pat and every word of advice made Hu Tian nod again and again in flattered surprise, his face blooming with an utterly unguarded smile, almost tearfully grateful.

He had plainly already regarded this newly arrived junior brother with "superior bone structure" as something in his pocket—a newly acquired "little brother."

The scene fell into the eyes of the other disciples arriving one after another, immediately stirring whispers and complicated looks.

Some envied Hu Tian for latching onto an Inner Courtyard core disciple so quickly; some disdained such shameless climbing; others quietly guessed at Zhang Xu's intentions.

Su Yan, who was about to enter the martial hall, naturally saw the rather "lively" scene before the gates as well.

She did not slow her steps. Her beautiful eyes merely shifted, her gaze lightly sweeping between the excited Hu Tian and the composed Zhang Xu.

A trace of pity, so fleeting it was nearly impossible to catch, flashed through those eyes that were usually bright with laughter.

Has Zhang Xu already got him in his grasp? Then there's no need to make contact with him.

She sighed inwardly. The slight interest she had felt in approaching and observing him because of his superior bone structure instantly cooled and dissipated.

Someone so quickly won over by Zhang Xu's "favor" and "esteem" already had his will controlled. He had lost his independent value and was no longer worth the Su Family's additional attention or resources.

She did not look again, as though it were merely an unimportant bit of scenery. She passed several Outer Courtyard disciples who were murmuring among themselves, gave Jiang Ye by the gate a slight nod, and revealed her usual faint smile.

"Good morning, Old Man Jiang."

Her voice was crisp, her manners impeccable.

After greeting him, she turned lightly toward the Inner Courtyard. Her lotus-green robes soon vanished behind the screen wall, and she did not linger even a moment for the commotion at the gates.

Zhang Xu's arrogant gaze swept over Su Yan's graceful yet resolutely departing back. The corner of his mouth curled into undisguised smugness and mockery.

"Hmph, you wanted to compete with me for people?"

Zhang Xu sneered inwardly.

He withdrew his gaze and turned back to Hu Tian beside him, whose face was glowing from having received such "esteem." The smile on Zhang Xu's face deepened, becoming even more controlling.

A potentially promising "loyal hound" had already been successfully fitted with a collar. He was immensely satisfied.

Jiang Ye by the gate merely nodded in response when Su Yan greeted him.

His seemingly aged eyes appeared to gaze in the direction Su Yan had left, yet they also seemed to be staring blankly into empty space.

He saw both Su Yan's decisive abandonment and Zhang Xu's complacent satisfaction, yet no ripples stirred in his heart.

The attachments of youths and the recruitment efforts of aristocratic family disciples were, to him, merely another stroke of varying shade upon the everyday canvas of the Martial Academy.

In his world, only the power hidden deep within his marrow—slowly circulating alongside the Tiger Form True Intent and growing ever more vast—was real and true.

"Junior Brother Hu! You're finally here! I've been waiting for you forever. Let's practice our punches together!"

The moment Hu Tian stepped into the Outer Courtyard, Lin Xiaohe's delighted, intimate voice rang out like a chirping bird.

She hurried over with light steps, her face wearing a perfectly bright smile.

"Sure, Senior Sister Xiaohe."

Hu Tian agreed readily, smiling. There was none of the shy awkwardness he had displayed yesterday.

After Zhang Xu's so-called "eye-opening experience" the night before, after seeing the "prosperity" of the county town at night and Senior Brother Zhang's "lavishness," Hu Tian's mindset had undergone a subtle yet rapid transformation.

He no longer blushed and fumbled whenever the girl drew close. Instead, he displayed a deliberately imitated ease, tinged with a hint of frivolity.

During breaks between practicing side by side and correcting each other's movements, his fingers "inadvertently" brushed her arm, while their shoulders "accidentally" bumped lightly together.

When she demonstrated a turning motion, he even took the opportunity to make a show of supporting her by the waist.

These touches were more direct and bolder than yesterday's, carrying a probing intent.

This behavior caught Lin Xiaohe, who had originally taken the initiative to approach him, somewhat off guard.

She had not expected that in a single night, this country boy would seem to have shed his mortal frame and exchanged his bones, becoming so... slippery.

Without revealing anything, she withdrew her delicate hand from his grasp after he had "accidentally" held it for a moment, her fingertips curling slightly.

"Junior Brother Hu... it seems you've grown a great deal all at once."

Lin Xiaohe looked up at him. Her smile remained sweet, but a trace of scrutiny and vigilance flashed through her eyes.

She vaguely sensed that Hu Tian, after a night of "baptism," no longer seemed as easy to fool and control as the honest, simple Shi Lei had been.

"Wasn't it Senior Sister who taught me that yesterday?"

Hu Tian grinned. Rather than feeling embarrassed by her withdrawing her hand, he went a step further, naturally draping an arm over Lin Xiaohe's delicate shoulder and lightly patting it as he said,

"Senior Sister said there was no need for fellow disciples to be shy with each other. We should look after one another. I'm just listening to Senior Sister."

His words carried several shades of roguish teasing, while his intimate gesture had already crossed the boundaries of ordinary fellow disciples.

"R-right... Senior Sister did say that."

Faced with Hu Tian's increasingly bold familiarity, even carrying a touch of a spoiled young master's manner, Lin Xiaohe felt a jumble of emotions.

She was pleased that her relationship with this "genius" junior brother seemed to have rapidly drawn closer in another way, increasing her chances of tying herself to this "great ship" with a promising future.

Yet she was troubled as well. Hu Tian looked immature, but he was not as honest and easily manipulated as Shi Lei.

If this continued, once his wings grew fuller and his horizons broadened, all her careful flattery might not bring the returns she expected. She might even... be cast aside without a thought once she lost her usefulness.

The smile on her face did not change, but her body stiffened almost imperceptibly for an instant. Then she forced herself to relax, allowing that hand carrying a youth's warmth to rest on her shoulder while her thoughts spun swiftly.

Afternoon.

Jiang Ye slowly drank the final drop of brown soup from his bowl.

The familiar warmth spread through his chest and abdomen, nourishing his muscles, bones, blood, and qi. Yet...

He frowned almost imperceptibly.

As his strength steadily rose, he discovered that the nourishing effect of the Blood Strengthening Soup was declining.

He silently calculated.

To support more than two hours of continuous deep cultivation every day at his current level, accompanied by the efficient conversion of "extraordinary comprehension," while maintaining steady growth in his blood and qi without damaging his foundation...

"At least three bowls of Blood Strengthening Soup."

The conclusion made his heart sink slightly.

What was he supposed to do now?

Huang Xiyu had already had plenty to say when he drank just one bowl of Blood Strengthening Soup.

If he asked to drink three bowls, wouldn't she fight him to the death?

Liu Qingshi might agree out of consideration for old ties.

But for a seventy-year-old gatekeeper to suddenly require such immense medicinal nourishment was itself highly unreasonable and would easily arouse suspicion.

The Ascension Stairway was his greatest reliance, and also a trump card that absolutely could not be shown to anyone.

Before he possessed sufficient strength to protect himself, every abnormality had to be carefully concealed.

Buy tonics with his own money?

The thought had barely arisen before Jiang Ye laughed bitterly inwardly.

"Ah, if I'd known, I wouldn't have refused that wage back then."

After Liu Qingshi had gained a foothold in Anxi County, he had once insisted on paying the old gatekeeper a wage, as thanks and support.

But Jiang Ye at the time had been disheartened. He had felt that a meal at the martial hall and a roof over his head were enough. What use did a lonely old man like him have for money? So he had declined again and again.

Looking back now, that had been shortsighted.

In this world, without silver paving the way, one could not take even a single step.

"Looks like I'll have to find a way to make some money."

Jiang Ye lowered his eyes slightly, his calculations growing colder.

In this troubled age, if one wanted to rise above others, suffering hardship was not enough. One had to eat people.

Making money was the same. Hard work definitely would not earn enough to buy medicinal tonics. He would have to... eat people!

Murder and arson earned golden belts; building bridges and repairing roads left no corpses behind.

It had always been so since ancient times.

"Who should I take my first bite from...?"

Just as Jiang Ye was pondering this.

A set of somewhat dragging, unsteady footsteps, yet carrying a stubborn viciousness, approached from afar and stopped outside the Martial Academy's gates.

Jiang Ye raised his eyes and looked over.

The newcomer was unexpectedly Shi Lei, who had been missing for two days!

But the youth's appearance at this moment was truly miserable.

Fresh and old bruises overlapped on his face. The corner of one eye was swollen until it was nearly a slit, his lips were split, and a streak of dried blood crusted his chin.