...
"The city is so strict about prohibiting fighting. Does the government not care about what those two brothers are doing?" Lin Zheyu asked.
"As long as they don't make a scene in public, don't kill anyone, and the victim's family doesn't cause a ruckus at the government office, the authorities usually won't intervene."
Mr. Wo smiled wryly; such is the cruelty of this world.
"So, the relatives of the previous manager didn't cause trouble?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.
In this world, clans and kin help each other out; if something happens, they all band together to stand up for one another.
"It's been settled."
"Jia Yanming compensated them with some silver taels, combined with Jia Yanrong's intimidating martial prowess, and the involvement of the Feihong Gang, they managed to calm the troublemakers."
Mr. Wo explained.
This world is quite brutal—hidden under a veil of peace are the harsh rules of the jungle.
"I see..."
A sense of caution rose within Lin Zheyu's heart, and he continued, "Do you know how strong Jia Yanrong is?"
He had just started formal martial arts training, having only done basic stances before, and worried he couldn't win in a fight.
"That, I don't know."
"I've seen him; he's quite large, about a meter ninety in height, much sturdier than I am. He has a very fierce look, with many scars on his body—likely from killing people."
Mr. Wo replied gravely.
Lin Zheyu frowned slightly.
Living in a socially primitive civilization like this is troublesome; the imperfect societal system is unfriendly to people like him trying to forge their own paths.
"Why don't you come stay at my place?"
"We have many strong men in the Wo Family Village, and we are very united—they wouldn't dare make a move there."
"You're all alone in Songyi City, without family to back you up; they'd act with even less restraint." Mr. Wo suggested.
"No need."
"If it gets unbearable, I'll come stay with you."
Lin Zheyu shook his head; he wasn't used to living in others' homes.
If worst comes to worst, he could just join the Yixiang Tea House—after all, wasn't that Jia Yanming's intention?
At that point, he could write a few good stories and have Mr. Wo hire storytellers, earning through royalties—an additional income stream.
'Hey, that might work!'
Lin Zheyu thought the more he pondered, the better it seemed.
...
The storytelling session ended after two hours, and, as expected, Lin Zheyu was met with thunderous applause.
Today quite a few young gentlemen attended, and they were exceedingly generous with their rewards, making Lin Zheyu feel delighted.
"Why is the protagonist always a scholar in these stories? It's getting dull," Liang Song complained as he tossed a peanut into his mouth.
Since Lin Zheyu started storytelling at the Bidan Tea House, he had been narrating tales from the Strange Stories series.
The tales usually revolved around intriguing and forbidden romances between Flower Demon Fox Charms and scholars, which, while captivating, left Liang Song feeling bored as a martial artist.
Why were these intriguing stories mixed with uninteresting scholar romances?
Listening to them was really irritating!
"After I finish this story, I'll switch to one about martial artists and the martial world," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.
"Yes, that's exactly what I want!"
"I'm sick of hearing about these love affairs between scholars and those Flower Demon Fox Charms." Liang Song's eyes lit up.
'Yet you still seem to enjoy listening to them every day!'
Lin Zheyu thought to himself, holding back his words.
So far, this mentor was his top supporter!
"Master, may I ask if you know anything about the Feihong Gang?" Lin Zheyu asked.
"The Feihong Gang?"
"One of the three major gangs in Songyi City. I've met their gang leader once; their strength is just so-so."
"Why, have they set their sights on you?" Liang Song asked, giving him a sideways glance.
"No, not really."
"It's just that the manager at Yixiang Tea House wants me to tell stories for them, but I didn't agree."
"I've heard the manager is vicious and often sends his brother, Jia Yanrong, to handle things covertly—Jia Yanrong is with the Feihong Gang."
Lin Zheyu explained.
"Don't worry, in the city, they wouldn't dare do anything too reckless; at most, you'd get roughed up, but it wouldn't be life-threatening."
"If anything does happen, I'll help you report it to the authorities." Liang Song squinted with a smile.
Lin Zheyu: "..."
If it were that useful to report things to the authorities, why practice martial arts at all?
"I'm not worried, just wanted to know more."
"If it really gets impossible, I'll just agree to Jia Yanming's proposition, but then, Master, I'd have to trouble you to find another place for the storytelling."
Lin Zheyu said, raising a glass to toast his master.
As they sat and chatted, the conversation turned to the Wild Bull Fist.
Lin Zheyu had just started grasping the basics of Wild Bull Fist and had many issues he wanted to ask about during his cultivation.
Through their question-and-answer exchange, Liang Song looked at Lin Zheyu with increasingly bright eyes.
This disciple, who he had casually started teaching, showed remarkable insight.
He had only learned Wild Bull Fist yesterday, yet today he grasped the fist skill with such profound understanding.
"This kid has intuition like mine!"
Liang Song couldn't help but be filled with praise.
He looked Lin Zheyu up and down, frowning slightly.
"Looking at you, your Qi Blood is severely depleted; your training is a bit too intense, you need to balance work and rest."
"Training harder doesn't necessarily mean you'll progress faster."
"If you want your body to become stronger quickly, just blindly training harder won't help—you must leave enough time for your body to recover."
"Otherwise, it could easily leave hidden injuries in your body."
"When you're young, you might suppress these hidden injuries, but they'll erupt and take a toll when you're older."
"Many martial artists from poor backgrounds only know to train desperately hard; their strength improves, but they're left with a lot of injuries."
"They might be fine when they're young, but by their early thirties, they start to decline, and by their forties, those hidden injuries could cost them their lives."
Liang Song warned.
"I'll be careful," Lin Zheyu nodded.
He borrowed five taels of silver from Mr. Wo, and with a few medicinal soups, his body would soon recover.
Then, his strength will make great strides forward.
Although his body was depleted by Source Power transformation, it also laid a foundation.
With proper nutrition and a few more medicinal soups, he would soon replenish himself.
...
On his way home, Lin Zheyu spent the five taels of silver on herbs that replenished Qi and blood.
Passing through the market, he bought two pounds of pork, feeling satisfied as he headed home.
"My physical state now isn't great; reaching my bodily limits would be quite easy—will that allow me to gain Source Power?"
Lin Zheyu pondered.
He thought and decided to give it a try.
After eating his fill and resting a while, he started training diligently in the yard.
Half an hour later…
"It hurts like hell!"
"I knew it wouldn't work."
Lin Zheyu lay on the ground, unwilling to move an inch.
Even though he pushed past his physical limit once more, gritting his teeth for a few more minutes, he didn't gain a Source Point.
"Looks like only when training to the limit in peak condition works."
"Taking a few hours' break between sessions might also do it—last time it worked this way."
As he tried multiple times, Lin Zheyu grew even more familiar with the Golden Finger.
He speculated that Source Power stems from breaking limits, where Essence, Qi, and Spirit Energy meld together and transcend into something extraordinary.
When his body pushed past its limits, Lin Zheyu would feel his Essence, Qi, and Spirit momentarily exalt, reaching a mysterious state.
In this state, he felt the Essence, Qi, and Spirit were highly concentrated, twining together to birth this strange energy.
Source Power might relate to this intensely gathered Essence, Qi, and Spirit Energy.
Just now, training to the limit in his weakened state didn't reward him with a Source Point.
Lin Zheyu speculated it was due to his body's inadequate Essence, Qi, and Spirit Energy caused by weakness, preventing sufficient generation.
...