Hui Barbarians

You'll get your share!

Fang Yu took out a string of coins from his pocket, counted out six hundred coins, gave them to the scholar, and instructed, "It must be exactly the same; it has to be drawn today!"

Scholar Zhang counted the copper coins with a delighted expression and said, "Don't worry, once I've seen a painting, it won't be a single detail off. I'll definitely finish it for you before dark!"

Fang Yu casually handed the remaining four hundred coins to Zhou Daqing, saying, "Daqing, go and get some good tea. Don't keep the brothers waiting."

"Alright!" Zhou Daqing took the money, then called a few people and went off happily. After a while, they came back carrying a bucket of tea.

The group found a shady corner near the scholar's stall, sat down against the wall, and continued to chat and boast while drinking tea.

Fang Yu stood by Scholar Zhang's table, watching as the other man's brush moved swiftly and skillfully, quickly copying a painting. Although it was much simpler than the original, the features of the figures were not diminished at all; on the contrary, they were made more prominent and easily recognizable.

Fang Yu picked up the painting, gently blew on the ink to dry it, and exclaimed, "Scholar Zhang's painting skills are truly divine!"

Upon hearing this, Scholar Zhang immediately replied, "That's right! My skills in both Zhang Sheng and painting aren't for nothing. Not to mention Bei'an City, there aren't many in Long City who are better than me!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Fang Yu casually echoed, taking Zhang Sheng's self-praise for granted.

This man came to Bei'an City five years ago and set up a stall here. He claimed to be a master of both calligraphy and painting, and made a living by writing and reading letters, writing invitations, legal documents, and drawing portraits for others.

The local hooligans and ruffians naturally wouldn't let such outsiders get away with it.

Upon first contact, the scholar received a sound beating. Only then did he reveal his identity as a student of the Imperial Academy and file a complaint with the county government. As a result, the gang of hooligans who had assaulted him spent six months in jail eating rotten food before being released.

From then on, the thugs on the street would avoid Scholar Zhang's book stall from a distance, afraid that he would lie down on the ground and accuse them of beating him.

Xu Qing was relatively lucky at that time; he didn't seek trouble immediately, thus escaping a disaster.

"Daqing!" Fang Yu handed the painting to Zhou Daqing. "Tell the brothers to take a good look, and give each of them a copy. I have some things to do, I'll come back later!"

Now that he is a "Robe Agent," he naturally has to do his job well when assigned by his superiors. Whether he can succeed or not is another matter, but at least he can express this attitude. In this way, even if he fails in the future and his superiors blame him, they cannot say that he did not do his job well.

Of course, no matter how important the task above is, it's not as important as one's own martial arts.

He's almost finished the two ounces of meat his younger sister gave him these past few days, so it's time to buy some more.

After leaving Scholar Zhang's stall, Fang Yu walked along North Peace Avenue and came to a grain store with a sign that read "Hu".

The three-bay grain store was piled high with grain sacks. Rice, wheat, sorghum, soybeans and other grains were stacked high in the grain bins. Several shop assistants were busy greeting customers who came in to buy grain, while the shopkeeper sat behind the counter doing abacus work.

Fang Yu went straight to the counter and explained his purpose, "Shopkeeper Hu, I am Xu Ying's brother, Xu Fang. I've come to buy some venison from you!"

Shopkeeper Hu glanced up at Fang Yu, then lowered his head to continue calculating the bill. "Ten taels of silver per tael, how much do you want?"

Fang Yu took out five one-hundred-tael silver notes and placed them on the counter. "Five catties!"

"Yang Sheng!" the shopkeeper called out loudly, and the small door leading to the backyard was quickly pushed open, and a burly man entered.

Five catties of venison!

Following the shopkeeper's words, the man took the silver note, turned and went into the backyard. After walking a short distance, he returned carrying a cloth bag, which he placed on the counter. "Five catties!"

Fang Yu opened the cloth bag and glanced inside. It was indeed dried venison. He picked up the bag, turned around, and left the grain sack.

Having connections within the Grain Gang makes things convenient; you can buy it with money, and the price is relatively cheap—much cheaper and safer than buying it on the black market.

Fang Yu carried the meat around the alley, and after passing a corner, the bag disappeared from his hand, having been directly put into the ' Mirror-Breaking Pearl '.

This is one of the few remaining Divine Ability he possesses.

After casually wandering around North Peace Avenue for a while, Fang Yu returned to Scholar Zhang's stall. By then, Zhang had already drawn more than ten sketches, and almost every one of the hangers-on present had one.

"So, can you remember this person?"

Fang Yu asked casually, and Zhou Daqing replied, "These Hui Barbarian all look pretty much the same; it's really hard to remember them all in a short time!"

"You have to remember it whether you can or not!" Fang Yu glanced at everyone. "Don't blame me for not warning you, these three are extremely dangerous individuals. If you compare them with the painting and startle them, you'll most likely be killed to silence them."

"Wow! That's fierce!"

"Oh dear! Master Fang, don't scare us!"

"Exactly! We brothers were all scared as kids!"

"Don't worry, Brother Fang, this isn't our first time doing this kind of thing, we definitely won't be surprised!"

"..."

Everyone started chatting amongst themselves, completely ignoring Fang Yu's reminder.

Fang Yu knew that it was pointless to say anything more to these hooligans; if it were useful, they wouldn't be hooligans.

Scholar Zhang's painting skills were as impressive as he boasted; he had already finished sixty paintings by the time it got dark.

Each of the idlers received a copy, and the rest were put into Fang Yu's personal document pouch.

"Let's go, guys, to the Golden Branch Pavilion!"

At Fang Yu's words, the hooligans became excited and marched in a large group toward the Golden Branch Pavilion.

The western end of the Hualiú Alley where Golden Branch Pavilion is located connects to North Peace Avenue, and in a short while, the group arrived in front of the tower.

Lanterns were already hanging in front of the building, and several mothers inside were greeting guests on the roadside. As Fang Yu and his group arrived, one of the mothers came forward to greet them.

"Hey! Isn't this Brother Fang? What brings you here today?"

Fang Yu stuffed the silver he had prepared into the madam's hand and said, "We've come here today specifically to see ' Exquisite Jade,' so please, Madam Liu, help us find a good spot."

"Oh dear! You've come at the worst time. All the good spots have already been reserved. Now there are only a few spots a little further away left, but you're sure to still be able to see Exquisite Jade."

Madam Liu glanced at Fang Yu and the others while tossing the silver in her hand Fang Yu, and said with a smile.

"A little distance is fine, as long as I can see it!"

Fang Yu naturally couldn't pay any more money. The tea fee alone was one tael of silver per person, and with more than ten people, they had already spent more than ten taels. He had already spent almost all the silver he had extorted from Second Master Zhao, so he naturally couldn't spend any more.

"Please, gentlemen!" Madam Liu said with some disappointment. After taking the money, she led the group into the building and sat them down at two tables in a corner.

Then a large teapot was brought up on a tray with tea, snacks, and fruit.