Chapter 7: The Theory of Demons and Monsters

……

The feeling of muscle cramps faded, and Lin Zheyu intended to continue his martial arts training.

He was close to breaking his limit; with one more push, another unit of Source Power would be his.

"What are you doing?"

"Your body is nearing its limit. If you keep training, don't even think about doing anything else this afternoon."

Seeing Lin Zheyu walk to the center of the courtyard and take a stance, Liang Song spoke up to warn him.

"It's fine. I'll tell Manager Wu this afternoon that I won't be storytelling today; I'll go tomorrow instead," Lin Zheyu said.

Reaching his limit was exactly what he wanted. That was the goal—how else could he obtain Source Power if he didn't push to his limit?

"Nonsense!"

"How can you just skip something as important as storytelling?"

"If you don't go, what am I supposed to listen to?"

"Martial arts training requires a balance of tension and relaxation; mindless, relentless training is useless. Go back and rest, and focus on preparing your content for this afternoon."

Liang Song said.

He was joking—he was enjoying the stories too much to let Lin Zheyu skip them just for the sake of training.

*Huh?*

Lin Zheyu was left between laughter and tears upon hearing this. No wonder Master Liang was so concerned about his health; it turned out he just didn't want his afternoon storytelling to be delayed by overexertion!

"Yes, Master."

Lin Zheyu replied helplessly.

It seemed he would have to wait until he got home tonight to try and break his physical limit.

"You've learned the basics of the Bull Fist well enough; you can practice at home from now on."

"If there's anything you don't understand, ask me when I'm at the Bidan Teahouse. If you come here, I might not be home."

"Also, prepare your stories diligently every day. Only by telling good stories can you earn more money."

"Only with enough silver to support yourself can you truly master martial arts."

Liang Song said sternly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master."

……

Back home, he washed up and changed into his scholar's attire.

He hadn't felt particularly tired while training, but after an hour of cooling down, Lin Zheyu felt sore and weak all over; his hands trembled whenever he tried to lift them.

At lunch, he picked up his bowl, but his hands shook, and he had to set it back down.

*Strike once, then grow weary, then exhaust.*

Lin Zheyu felt that trying to push to his physical limit tonight would likely be very difficult.

"Little Scholar, did you overexert yourself again?"

Wu Yinghe looked at the stumbling Lin Zheyu and said with a wry smile.

This young man was far too driven.

"I spent a few hours learning martial arts from Master Liang this morning. My body is a bit fatigued, but it's nothing serious."

"About Master Liang, thank you for that, Manager Wu. Once I've saved up enough money, I'll treat you to a night at the Baihua Pavilion."

Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

After nearly a month of grueling horse-stance training, he had passed Master Liang's test and finally begun learning martial arts.

If it hadn't been for Manager Wu's introduction, he would have had to spend a great deal of effort and silver to learn martial arts.

"What are you saying? It should be me treating you."

"If it weren't for you, Little Scholar, the Bidan Teahouse's business wouldn't be this booming. We've probably already surpassed the Yixiang Teahouse by now."

Manager Wu said with a smile, the fat on his face bunching up because he was so happy.

Lin Zheyu felt that Manager Wu had gained quite a bit of weight recently; perhaps it was the contentment of a peaceful mind.

"By the way, someone from the Yixiang Teahouse came to see me last night. They offered me two hundred and fifty wen a day."

Lin Zheyu said.

He wasn't just making things up; someone from the Yixiang Teahouse had indeed come to poach him when he was heading home last night.

The Bidan Teahouse was becoming increasingly popular, stealing many customers from the Yixiang Teahouse. Their Manager Jia had finally grown desperate and decided to try and poach him.

"Ah!"

"Little Scholar, please don't go to the Yixiang Teahouse. I can apply to the owner to pay you three hundred wen a day."

Manager Wu panicked and spoke quickly.

He had indeed noticed people from the Yixiang Teahouse lurking outside their building these past few days.

As Lin Zheyu's reputation spread, many customers came specifically for him, causing the Bidan Teahouse's business to multiply several times over.

If Lin Zheyu were poached, their business would return to its previous state of mediocrity.

"Don't worry, I won't go to the Yixiang Teahouse."

"If you hadn't been willing to give me a chance back then, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"But Manager Wu, you must keep your word. It's a deal: three hundred wen."

Lin Zheyu laughed, turned, and stumbled toward the storytelling stage.

He lived by the principle of having a clear conscience and repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.

When Lin Zheyu was down on his luck, he had visited many teahouses, but they had all chased him away because he was too young and looked disheveled.

Only Manager Wu had patiently chatted with him, thought his stories were good, and let him have a try.

Lin Zheyu was truly grateful to Wu Yinghe.

He had only mentioned the poaching attempt to secure a raise for himself.

……

Soon, another afternoon passed.

The audience's applause was even more enthusiastic than usual.

Master Liang also tipped him fifty wen, remaining his top supporter.

"Master, why did you tip so much?"

Lin Zheyu sat down across from Liang Song, carrying a jug of wine.

"I tipped you because you told the story well. If you hadn't, I would have beaten you."

"You did well this time; I'm very satisfied."

"Tell more stories about heroes like Yan Chixia and Commander Zuo. We martial artists should slay demons, eliminate evil, sweep away all injustice in the world, and restore a bright and clear heaven and earth to humanity!"

Liang Song said with a smile, clearly very fond of today's storytelling content.

"Master, are there really demons in this world?"

"And, if one reaches a high level of martial arts, can they really slay demons?"

Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

In his predecessor's memories, he had often heard of strange occurrences and legends of ghosts and demons.

But they were all hearsay—the kind of things that happened to his uncle's aunt's friend's second cousin's wife—nothing he had experienced himself.

"Yes, there are demons in this world, though they aren't as bizarre as you make them sound in your stories."

"You tell them so convincingly, I thought you had actually seen one."

Liang Song laughed and said, "The world is vast and full of unknown and unpredictable things. Once your status and strength improve, you will gradually come into contact with them."

"Ah!"

"They really exist!"

Lin Zheyu was stunned, a faint sense of crisis rising in his heart.

"Don't worry, when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

"As long as the Great Wei does not fall, those demons won't dare to run amok in the city."

"However, in this world, humans are not necessarily any kinder than demons!" Liang Song sighed and stopped speaking.

Lin Zheyu didn't want to ruin the mood, so he silently drank with his master.

After a long while, seeing that his master seemed to have recovered his spirits, he continued to ask: "Then Master, if one's martial arts reach a profound level, can they deal with those demons?"

"Of course, why wouldn't they?"

Liang Song said firmly, "Just like Commander Zuo in your story—when martial arts are practiced to a high level, one need not fear even demons!"

*'But Commander Zuo still lost and died in the end!'*

Lin Zheyu muttered to himself, but he didn't dare to talk back.

He still had to show respect to his master.

After enjoying the scenery and discussing martial arts knowledge with Master Liang for a while, Lin Zheyu took his leave.

He had originally wanted to stay a bit longer, but Master Liang seemed a bit annoyed.

Liang Song was a rather reserved man who liked to sit by the window alone, quietly watching the scenery and the passersby.

……

(End of chapter)