Chapter 9: Lingering Fear and Lessons Learned

He picked up the medicinal soup that had been prepared in the courtyard beforehand.

As the soup entered his stomach, Lin Zheyu felt a warmth spreading through his abdomen, though his complexion remained somewhat pale.

A rumbling sound came from his belly, and every cell in his body was sending out a signal of intense hunger.

Entering the kitchen, he downed five large bowls of noodles in succession. His stomach was distended and bulging, yet his body continued to send out a relentless, intense sense of hunger.

Not enough, still not enough!

His body was still lacking a massive amount of energy!

"Brew another batch of herbs."

Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

He took the last batch of qi-nourishing and blood-enriching herbs from the room and began to decoct them.

This was his final batch of herbs, and with less than a tael of silver in savings left in the house, he would need to wait a few days before he had the money to buy more.

The scent of medicine wafted through the courtyard.

Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his consciousness; the Savage Bull Fist had finally reached the entry level.

【Heaven Rewards Diligence】

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 2

Skill: Savage Bull Fist (Entry 46%)

"One unit of Source Power saved me about a year or more of hard training."

Lin Zheyu pondered his cultivation progress and calculated the approximate figures.

Master Liang had said that for an ordinary person, it takes about two to three years of hard training to go from entry level to proficiency.

Given his good comprehension, he estimated it would take him one or two years.

The Savage Bull Fist had no clear hierarchical divisions; based on one's understanding of the fist technique and martial arts level, it could be categorized into Entry, Proficiency, Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, and Perfection.

"The effect of Source Power is truly astonishing. At this rate, I will be able to cultivate the Savage Bull Fist to perfection very soon."

"However, Source Power mainly acts upon the spirit. Once the spirit is elevated, it feeds back into the physical body, which requires other energy to support the physical improvement; otherwise, it will cause a depletion of qi and blood."

"It's fortunate I only used one unit of Source Power just now, or I might have turned back into skin and bones by now."

Feeling the weakness in his body, a wave of lingering fear washed over him.

He spent the late night brewing medicine.

Both batches of herbs were decocted three times to extract all the medicinal potency.

After drinking the soup, Lin Zheyu fell into a deep sleep.

After breaking through his limits, his spirit was already extremely exhausted.

Coupled with the use of Source Power, entering that special state was incredibly draining on the mind.

Early morning.

It was still pitch black outside, but the crowing of a rooster had already begun.

That rooster with the raspy voice was crowing again, waking the bleary-eyed Lin Zheyu.

"This chicken is so annoying. Don't let me catch you, or I'll slaughter you!"

He muttered under his breath, covering his ears with a pillow to continue sleeping.

After drinking the two batches of medicinal soup, his condition had recovered quite a bit, but he still felt incredibly weak.

His whole body felt soft and limp, filled with a sense of powerlessness.

……

Yixiang Tea House.

Compared to over a month ago, business at the tea house was much colder.

The customers had all been snatched away by the Bidan Tea House on Baiwei Street.

Jia Yanming was sitting at a table by the window with someone; opposite him was a burly young man.

"Brother, who are we dealing with this time?"

The young man took a bite of a lamb leg and asked with his mouth full.

He was Jia Yanming's younger brother, Jia Yanyong.

Jia Yanyong was 1.9 meters tall, with a sturdy build and bulging muscles. Wearing a tank top, he revealed scars of various sizes on his body, making him look extremely fierce.

"A scholar."

"The storyteller at Bidan Tea House, named Lin Zheyu. He tells stories at Bidan Tea House every afternoon."

"Find an opportunity to beat him up and teach him a lesson."

"Go easy on him, don't cripple him; just scare him enough," Jia Yanming said.

"That's such a hassle. I'm worried I won't be able to control my strength."

Jia Yanyong muttered softly.

Scholars were all weak and frail; he was worried that one punch would break his bones.

"You be careful. Don't you dare cripple him. If you can't, just let the lackeys who usually hang around you do it."

"This guy has a great brain, and the stories he tells are wonderful. If he joins us, the business at Yixiang Tea House will reach a new level!"

Jia Yanming cautioned, worried that his brother wouldn't know his own strength.

"Got it, got it."

"There are some things to handle in the gang these days. Once I'm done, I'll go and give that storyteller... Lin Zheyu, right... a good beating."

Jia Yanyong said, grabbing the lamb leg on the table to gnaw on.

……

When Lin Zheyu woke up, the sun was already high.

He pushed open the window, and the sunlight spilled in, bringing warmth to the room.

Winter had arrived, and pedestrians on the road were already wearing long sleeves and trousers.

"My head is still a bit dizzy, and my body is soft and weak. Those two batches of medicinal soup weren't enough to replenish the qi and blood depletion caused by the breakthrough."

"I need to get some money first and recover my body."

Zheyu frowned; his condition had become quite poor.

He changed into a green robe and headed straight for Bidan Tea House.

When Wu Yinghe saw Lin Zheyu, his expression was somewhat surprised, as he usually only arrived in the afternoon before his storytelling session.

"Mr. Lin, what's wrong? Why is your complexion so poor?" Manager Wu asked.

"I overdid my martial arts training last night."

Manager Wu frowned and cautioned: "Although I don't understand martial arts, I know that one must balance work and rest."

"You must not be too hasty. Don't end up hurting your body before you've even mastered your craft."

"Yes, I understand. It won't happen again," Lin Zheyu nodded, stating his purpose for coming.

"Manager Wu, do you have any money on you? Could you lend me some? My body is too weak; I need to buy some tonics."

"You certainly do need to build yourself up," Manager Wu nodded. "How much do you want to borrow?"

"Lend me five taels of silver for now. You can deduct it from my daily storytelling wages. I need the tip money for my daily expenses," Lin Zheyu said.

He wanted to borrow more, but unfortunately, Manager Wu was just an ordinary employee, and borrowing too much would only put him in a difficult position.

"Five taels of silver, is it? Easy enough. Come by this afternoon, and I'll give it to you."

The manager agreed without hesitation.

He wasn't worried about Lin Zheyu reneging on the debt; with Lin Zheyu's skills, he would be able to earn back five taels of silver very quickly.

After all, his daily wages alone were already three hundred wen.

"Wang Qing, bring me some paper and a brush. I'll write an IOU for Manager Wu," Lin Zheyu called out to the waiter not far away.

"No need for such trouble, I trust you," Manager Wu said.

"Come, come, I'll treat you to a big meal. Your complexion is too terrible; I'll treat you to a highly nourishing meal."

Manager Wu said enthusiastically.

The two arrived at Qingsu Restaurant.

Wu Yinghe ordered a table full of meat dishes, and Lin Zheyu didn't stand on ceremony, tucking in heartily.

Perhaps because his body's cells were extremely starved of energy, his digestion was very fast. It had only been two hours since he ate in the morning, and he was already hungry again.

"Jia Yanming came to find me again last night, and I rejected him. When I saw him leave, his eyes were quite cold."

"Do you know this Jia Yanming? He wouldn't resort to any underhanded tactics, would he?" Lin Zheyu asked.

Jia Yanming appeared shrewd and capable, exuding the aura of a driven businessman, giving the impression that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

"Then you must be careful!"

"Jia Yanming is a sinister person with ruthless methods."

"He wasn't the manager of Yixiang Tea House before. I heard that Jia Yanming used underhanded means and backstabbing to get that position."

"This man is unscrupulous. If he has his eyes on you, that's not good."

Manager Wu frowned, saying with concern.

"That ruthless?"

"Does he have any background?" Lin Zheyu asked with a serious expression.

"Jia Yanming has a younger brother, three years his junior, named Jia Yanyong."

"As far as I know, Jia Yanyong has been practicing martial arts since he was a child. He has some skills and is doing quite well in the Feihong Gang."

"The previous manager of Yixiang Tea House was likely taken down by Jia Yanyong at Jia Yanming's behest," Manager Wu said after some thought.

(End of chapter)