Starting a Business

By the time the two returned to Ironbone Martial Hall, the night was already deep, and the martial apprentices in the front courtyard had long since dispersed.

Tie Tu sat alone beside a stone table in the inner courtyard.

Several empty wine jars lay toppled at his feet. Seeing Su Yueli and his daughter return, Tie Tu raised his head and forced out a somewhat stiff smile.

After venting his emotions, he seemed to have steadied himself somewhat. Yet his eyes were bloodshot, revealing his exhaustion.

Su Yueli stepped forward to greet him. She chatted briefly with the old man who had just lost his dearest friend, then tactfully brought Tie Ling'er back to the rear courtyard.

Lying on the brand-new, soft bed, Su Yueli could not sleep at all.

Whenever she closed her eyes, the corpses and blood that filled the village at Blackwind Ridge, along with the gruesome sight of her master's shattered skull, forced their way into her mind.

A martial artist's blood and qi were naturally vigorous. Once her thoughts fell into chaos, the rushing blood within her seemed ready to burn through her meridians.

Su Yueli simply rolled out of bed and pushed open the door, stepping into the courtyard.

The night wind was slightly cool. She assumed her stance and practiced her fists again and again.

"Whew—"

After who knew how many repetitions, Su Yueli suddenly halted her movements, her cold gaze sweeping toward the corner of the courtyard wall.

"Ling'er?"

The corner remained quiet for a moment, then half a fluffy little head peeked out.

Tie Ling'er wore only her inner clothes beneath a thin outer robe. She crept out on tiptoe, her little face slightly flushed. "Sister Yueli, did I disturb you?"

Su Yueli looked at her. "Why aren't you asleep in the middle of the night? What are you hiding there watching?"

Tie Ling'er twisted the hem of her clothes between both hands and edged closer shyly. "I... I couldn't sleep."

"Sister Yueli, you looked so beautiful practicing your fists just now, like a heroine stepping out of a painting. Could you... could you teach me?"

Su Yueli was stunned for a moment.

"Practice with me?"

She raised a brow, looking strangely at the delicate young girl before her. "Uncle Tie is a Fifth Realm Martial Awakening expert, a Martial Dao powerhouse ranked among the best in all Azure Province City. Instead of training with your father, you came in the middle of the night to learn boxing from a Third Realm martial artist like me?"

Tie Ling'er pursed her lips and muttered, "My father is too scary when he teaches boxing. He's always blowing his beard and glaring. If I stand in a stance for a little while and say I'm tired, he scolds me for being good-for-nothing. I don't want to train with him."

As she spoke, she grabbed Su Yueli's sleeve and shook it, her eyes shining. "Besides, my father's boxing style is all big and brawny. It looks awful! I want to be like Sister Yueli last night—just one look, and you scared those bad people away. That was so cool!"

Su Yueli sighed helplessly.

Ordinary young girls' longing for the Martial Dao often stopped at its surface grandeur. They had no idea how many layers of skin had to be peeled away behind it.

"You can learn if you want."

Su Yueli did not waste words. She stood up straight. "My boxing has no flashy empty forms. It places the greatest importance on one's foundation of blood and qi. I'll first teach you a breathing technique. If you can endure it, then we can talk about practicing fists."

Hearing this, Tie Ling'er nodded repeatedly in excitement.

"Three long breaths, one short breath. Sink your qi into your lower abdomen."

Su Yueli taught Tie Ling'er the breathing technique Lu Chen had once taught her, reducing its intensity somewhat.

However, Tie Ling'er was clearly no Martial Dao genius.

Not only were her movements clumsy, she could not even grasp the rhythm of basic breathing. After only two attempts, the cold air she forcibly suppressed made her cough repeatedly until tears streamed from her eyes.

Su Yueli did not find it troublesome. She patiently corrected Tie Ling'er's posture and breathing rhythm over and over again.

It was not until late at night, when Tie Ling'er truly could no longer withstand the drowsiness and aching muscles, that she yawned her way back to her room to sleep.

The next morning.

Before dawn had fully broken, the front courtyard gradually filled with the grunts and shouts of martial apprentices tempering their strength.

Su Yueli rose early.

After washing up simply in the courtyard, she left Ironbone Martial Hall and wandered through Azure Province City.

She needed to find something to do today and earn money.

Yet after walking around the city for an entire morning, Su Yueli ran into one wall after another.

Although Azure Province City was prosperous, the work available to ordinary people was sharply divided.

Either it was work that required brute strength, such as hauling goods at the docks or guarding a martial hall. Seeing that she looked like a delicate young woman, they simply waved her away.

Or it was serving dishes at restaurants or becoming an embroiderer at an embroidery workshop. But the moment Su Yueli heard that she would need to wear a long dress and smile ingratiatingly, or hold an embroidery needle and sew, she turned around and left.

More importantly, ordinary day labor paid far too little.

After a full day's work, one earned only a few dozen copper coins.

That was far too little for her.

Although she was not particularly interested in money, gathering information about Immortal Realm cultivators would cost money in the future.

Just as Su Yueli stood on the street, somewhat troubled, the corner of her eye inadvertently caught sight of the small gourd hanging from her waist.

The rich fragrance of wine from last night suddenly flashed through her mind.

Since working for others won't do, I might as well sell something myself.

Su Yueli stroked her chin thoughtfully.

Before coming here, she would occasionally drink a couple of bottles of chilled beer from roadside stalls in the summer.

This world of cultivation had wine, but most of it was strong liquor or roughly fermented rice wine.

As for beer, she had never heard of it.

Though she had never studied professional brewing, she knew the rough folk method: sprout barley, roast it, mash and boil it, add some bitter herbs in place of hops, then add yeast to ferment it.

At worst, failure would merely waste some grain. But if she succeeded, it would absolutely be a one-of-a-kind business in this world.

Having made up her mind, Su Yueli sprang into action. She took out the last of her copper coins and followed the market streets to a large grain shop in the west of the city.

"Shopkeeper, weigh out several pounds of the finest barley for me."

Su Yueli stood before the grain shop's stall, lowering her head to examine the plump grains in the bamboo baskets.

Just then, not far away at a street corner, a young man in an ice-blue brocade martial outfit stopped walking.

The young man was handsome, though his brows carried the particular arrogance of a child from a prominent family.

He had merely swept his gaze casually over the market, but his eyes froze the instant they landed upon the tall, graceful figure before the grain shop.

Her face was unadorned, her hair tied in a high ponytail. She wore a pale blue-green dress, and her cool, peerlessly beautiful face bore a tear mole at the corner of one eye.

The young man narrowed his eyes slightly.

This appearance and attire matched exactly what those two useless outer disciples of Mighty Prestige Martial Hall had described last night.

"Since when did that brute Tie Tu take in such an exceptional female disciple?"

A smile of keen interest curled at the young man's lips as he walked toward the grain shop.

"Miss, are you buying barley?"

A gentle voice sounded beside her. Su Yueli raised a brow and turned her head.

A young man stood at her side, cupping his hands toward her with elegant poise.

"My name is Zhao Xiu, the young hall master of Mighty Prestige Martial Hall."

As Zhao Xiu looked at Su Yueli's cool face so close before him, the admiration in his eyes deepened.

Yet his tone was exceedingly sincere. "Last night, two blind outer disciples from my martial hall disturbed you at the night market. Once I learned of the matter, I gave those two a severe punishment."

"By chance, I have met you here today. I came especially to offer my apologies. May I know your honored name, miss?"

Zhao Xiu's words were watertight. He not only made clear his distinguished status as the young hall master, but also assumed the posture of someone courteous to the worthy. Any ordinary young woman who heard him would likely have been flattered beyond measure.

Su Yueli merely listened quietly, showing little reaction.

Mighty Prestige Martial Hall? Young hall master?

What did that have to do with her?

Still, since they were both in Azure Province City, it would not do to be excessively discourteous if he was a reasonable person.

Su Yueli turned her head and accepted the several pounds of wrapped barley from the shopkeeper, carrying it in her hand.

Then she cupped her hands. "Su Yueli. It will be enough if Young Master Zhao keeps his own martial apprentices under control."

With that, Su Yueli walked past Zhao Xiu and melted into the crowd.

Zhao Xiu stood at the grain shop entrance, the hand he had extended to continue the conversation frozen in midair.

As the young hall master of Mighty Prestige Martial Hall, he had never before been ignored as though he were thin air within Azure Province City.

He turned around and watched Su Yueli's slender, graceful back gradually vanish into the crowd. His face alternated between green and white, but after a moment, he laughed in fury instead.

A glint of possessiveness flashed through his eyes.

"She has spirit."

"She's quite an interesting woman."