The villain played dirty, deploying a citywide net to welcome the new chosen one [Bonus 2]

Ma Liu looked at Liu Laosan.

Liu Laosan said, "Three coins."

Ma Liu was taken aback.

Liu Laosan added, "Charge him three coins, so no one will complain about the porridge being too hot and losing face."

Shuhe called softly, "Young Master..."

Ye Qingyun took out three copper coins from his sleeve and placed them on the table.

The coins clinked softly against the table.

" Shuhe, drink."

Shuhe picked up the bowl, lowered his head, and took a sip.

As the porridge slid down his throat, the tip of his nose turned red first.

"There really is minced meat."

Ma Liu laughed and scolded, "Nonsense, what kind of meat porridge is it without minced meat? It's just rice soup."

Shuhe quickly lowered his head and took another big gulp, not even leaving a drop of oil on the edge of the bowl.

Ye Qingyun pressed his hand down on the bamboo tube again.

Seeing this, Liu Laosan slammed the wooden stick into the ground.

" Ma Liu, take Xiaoshui to a match."

Ma Liu raised an eyebrow. "Me, hit him? Third brother, you want him to crawl back home tonight?"

Liu Laosan said, "Thirty percent of my strength."

Ma Liu clicked his tongue, walked to the center of the courtyard, and waved to the boy carrying water.

"Come, let the passing scholar see how the porter got beaten up."

The boy carrying water swallowed hard.

"Coach, can I at least save face a little more?"

Ma Liu: "Too late. You're already halfway to losing face by standing here."

Someone in the courtyard laughed.

The boy carrying water blushed, but still stepped forward.

The sounds of punches and kicks were short but powerful.

Gu Moran sat in the back room of the teahouse diagonally opposite, with a corner of the window paper lifted.

Uncle Fu stood by the door, speaking in a low voice.

"Meat porridge only costs three coins, that's a solid cut."

Gu Moran smiled.

Ye Qingyun isn't afraid of being poor; he's afraid of people labeling him as poor.

Boss Zhao stuffed the melon seeds back into his sleeve.

Will he come in?

Gu Moran looked at Ye Qingyun.

"Just one more breath."

In the courtyard, the boy carrying water was punched three times.

He took two steps back after the first punch.

With the second punch, his shoulder swayed, and his heel almost left the ground.

With his third punch, he gritted his teeth, lowered his waist, and stubbornly kept his foot in place.

Ma Liu, stop.

"Hey, the meat porridge wasn't wasted."

The boy carrying water, panting, grinned foolishly.

"Instructor, I've stopped."

Liu Laosan nodded.

"Tomorrow we'll learn the second move and have two bowls of porridge."

The boy carrying water's eyes lit up.

"Really two bowls?"

Ma Liu: "If you're lying on the ground tomorrow, I'll smash a bowl over your head."

Laughter broke out in the courtyard again.

Ye Qingyun didn't laugh.

He looked down at the boy's feet.

That step was very rough.

You can land steadily.

He practiced the bamboo slip technique alone, his qi flowed quickly, and his punches were heavy, but there was always a force pushing upwards from his feet that he couldn't suppress.

This standing posture perfectly compensates for the shortcomings.

Holding the empty bowl, Shuhe whispered, "Young Master, they are truly skilled teachers."

Ye Qingyun turned to look at him.

Shuhe immediately shut up, her fingers digging into the rim of the bowl.

Liu Laosan picked up the wooden stick and handed it to Ye Qingyun.

"I've already seen it while passing by, how about giving it a try?"

Ye Qingyun did not answer.

"I won't challenge them."

Liu Laosan said, "Nobody said you challenged them."

Ma Liu chimed in from the side, "How about we try it out for three coins?"

Liu Laosan glared at him.

"Shut up."

Ma Liu shrugged and took a half-step back.

Ye Qingyun looked at the wooden stick.

Accepting the invitation is tantamount to admitting that you're interested.

I won't answer. Tonight, when I return to my Shun'an Courtyard, I'll still be facing the same old blue bricks and wooden stakes.

Wooden stakes won't break your punches, and blue bricks won't tell you where your feet are weak.

The heat from the bamboo slips crept up his palm, making his chest feel tight.

Ye Qingyun raised his hand, then stopped.

We'll talk about it tomorrow.

Liu Laosan put the wooden stick away.

"Okay, remember to get a number tomorrow."

Ye Qingyun turned and left.

Shuhe placed the bowl back on the table and bowed to Ma Liu.

"The porridge is delicious."

Ma Liu waved his hand.

"Bring your bowls tomorrow, so we don't have to wash them."

Shuhe caught up with Ye Qingyun.

As the two walked out of the alley, the bamboo scroll in Ye Qingyun's sleeve became even hotter, so hot that he paused for a moment.

At the same moment, a red border appeared before Gu Moran's eyes.

[System Warning: Ye Qingyun's Martial Arts Fame Node is now searching for a suitable environment.]

[The bamboo slip technique's response has been enhanced.]

[The activity level of Heavenly Dao Correction Force has increased.]

Gu Moran stared at the line of words, her fingertips pressing against the window frame.

Boss Zhao is still waiting for instructions.

Your Highness?

Gu Moran lowered the window paper.

"Return to the residence."

Uncle Fu asked, "What about Dragon Abyss?"

Gu Moran walked out.

"Tomorrow, add meat to the porridge, and also a bucket of bone broth."

Boss Zhao was stunned.

"Add more?"

Gu Moran kept walking.

"The less he drinks, the more he remembers the aroma."

Boss Zhao took two steps forward.

"Then I'll go to the grain shop in the south of the city first to order the meat and bones for tomorrow morning, and then arrange for someone to keep an eye on Shun'an Courtyard."

Gu Moran turned her head to look at him.

Don't get too close.

Boss Zhao clasped his hands in greeting, then turned and disappeared into the alley.

When Gu Moran returned to the study, his cuffs still smelled of cooking oil from the south of the city, and the medicinal wine fumes were trapped in the fabric, making him look rather unrefined.

Uncle Fu closed the door.

"Your Highness, would you like to change your clothes first?"

Gu Moran took off his outer robe, sat down behind his desk, and brought up the system panel.

Pour a pot of tea.

[ Ye Qingyun's current martial arts level: Upper Rank 7]

[Bamboo Slip Technique: Third Level, Later Section]

[Physical condition: Qi and blood are rising, no internal injuries reported.]

He stared at the words "no internal injuries for the time being," and the bitter taste of tea on the tip of his tongue returned.

Uncle Fu brought in tea and observed his expression.

"What is Your Highness pondering now?"

Gu Moran closed the panel.

" Ye Qingyun is practicing smoothly now, improving rapidly, and has no health problems."

"I'm planning to build him another platform."

After midnight, there was a knock at the door, two short and one long.

Uncle Fu went over to open the door.

When Boss Zhao came in, he smelled of the butcher shop.

He was about to bow when Gu Moran her hand to stop him.

"No need. Just say it."

Boss Zhao said, "The porters are saying that Dragon Abyss really did give out porridge, and the instructor really did beat people."

Gu Moran, "Why does the second half of the sentence sound like it doesn't have a good reputation?"

Boss Zhao grinned.

"People from the south of the city fall for that kind of thing. They say you have to really hit someone to teach them a lesson; the harsher the verbal abuse, the less restraint they show in their physical punishment."

Uncle Fu took over the conversation.

"What about Ye Qingyun?"

Boss Zhao said, "After returning to Shun'an, I didn't go out. The sound of fists whistling in the courtyard didn't stop until midnight."

Gu Moran asked, "Where is Shuhe?"

Boss Zhao said, "I bought two steamed buns tonight, but no meat."

Gu Moran's fingers stopped.

My wallet is empty.

Boss Zhao nodded.

"I estimate we can't hold out for more than a few days. What should we do next?"

Gu Moran pushed a piece of paper over.

"Post a notice tomorrow morning."

Boss Zhao took it and glanced at the first line.

"A seven-day mini-competition?"

"Right."

Boss Zhao continued reading.

"Anyone who enters the school may try their hand at stances, boxing, and weapons. After seven days, the winner of the small competition will receive two sets of coarse cloth training clothes and three meals of meat porridge as an extra meal."

Uncle Fu looked up at him.

"Your Highness, this is a practical benefit for poor apprentices."

"Right."

Boss Zhao then looked at the next line.

"Bystanders may register, but must take turns measuring the stakes."

He paused.

"This is a threshold for Ye Qingyun."

Gu Moran, "Write the notice bigger; if Ye Qingyun can't see it, he's blind."

Boss Zhao said, "If he really wants to use our competition to make a name for himself, then Your Highness is helping him."

Gu Moran retorted, "If he doesn't use this channel, can't he find another one?"

"Rather than letting him gain momentum in a place beyond our control, we should set the stage right in front of us."

Uncle Fu said, "But the Crown Prince and the Second Prince will have their eyes on the south of the city."

" Ye Qingyun is there; they'll be keeping an eye on him anyway."

Gu Moran pushed the ledger to Boss Zhao.

"Practicing martial arts requires wearing coarse cloth, and purchasing supplies involves paying the escort agency's accounts."

"The meat porridge will be paid for through the grain shop in the south of the city. The owner of the grain shop has no official dealings with you."

"The instructor's monthly salary is split into wages for hired workers, and doesn't go through the martial arts school's main accounts."

Boss Zhao remembered it very quickly.

"Understood. I'll take care of it immediately."

Gu Moran glanced at the mud on the edge of his shoes.

Are you going again tonight?

Boss Zhao said, "The notice needs to be written by the coffin shop owner. It needs to be hung up tomorrow morning. I'll go now and get it done before dawn."

As the door opened, a night breeze swept in, causing the candlelight to flicker.

The panel in front of Gu Moran's eyes flickered.

[ Heavenly Dao Correction Force: Above Average]

[Pre-event hype for Ye Qingyun's rise to fame in martial arts is underway.]

[A new Chosen One Chu Tianxing, has been detected with a slight deviation in his trajectory and is rapidly heading towards the capital.]

Gu Moran's hand stopped beside the teacup.

Uncle Fu saw that he didn't move.

Your Highness?

Gu Moran didn't answer, her gaze falling on the dark red notification.

You Heavenly Dao bastard, you're really a scoundrel!

Just as Ye Qingyun was about to suffer internal injuries, you sent in the divine doctor.

Okay!

Chu Tianxing, you tool of Heavenly Dao, welcome to the stage for pursuing your dreams.

Gu Moran took out a piece of paper and wrote the three characters " Chu Tianxing ".

" Uncle Fu."

"This old servant is here."

"Send people to keep a close watch on all the entrances to Beijing."

Uncle Fu asked, "Who are you watching?"

"The young man carrying a medicine box."

Gu Moran raised her head.

"Leave him a bit of excitement at every entrance to Beijing."

Uncle Fu paused for a moment.

What's all the commotion about?

Gu Moran beckoned him to come closer.

"You can arrange... an inn... a teahouse..."

Uncle Fu was stunned.

(··?)

[Thank you so much, everyone, for your love and support! Thank you so much for Dengyu's milk tea, Cute Mouse's inspiration capsules, Chen the Liar's razor blade (scary!), Fluoride's two likes, and Gengar's love letter.]

[Thank you so much for all the book reviews, my darlings! The book is now rated! 6.1, just passing, but higher than I expected! (≧∇≦)ﾉ Two extra chapters to thank you!]

(╥ω╥) I saw your suggestion, I'll work hard to make you all happy!