The vegetables had now entered peak production, far more than he could ever finish eating.
Once the administrator left, Wu Youren thought it over and decided to try his luck at the flea market.
Even if it wouldn't bring in much money, he was genuinely short on cash.
Furthermore, those bastards from the Life-and-Death Knot knew him inside and out; if he let the vegetables rot in the ground, they would probably grow suspicious again.
Since he was a poor person, he had to do what poor people did.
However, reality proved that the flea market was truly unfriendly to foreign martial artists.
Foreign knights were somewhat fine—setting up a stall generally went unbothered—but foreign apprentice knights... were better off just browsing the market obediently.
The flea market required a management fee as well. Bearing a sack of vegetables on his back, Wu Youren paid the fee and spread them directly onto the ground for sale.
He didn't even have a scale and simply grouped them into piles to sell.
Fortunately, the people of Liang had unique personalities; no one actively hawked their wares. Goods were just laid out, operating on the principle of letting whoever was willing take the bait.
Quite a few sellers would start arguing with buyers at the slightest disagreement, brimming with the raw, bustling flavor of everyday life.
Wu Youren set his vegetable prices slightly below market rate—anyone who bought regularly would recognize his sincerity.
Yet vegetable sellers were practically unseen at the flea market, and most buyers were clueless amateurs.
By the end of the day, he had sold only a few piles, and he began feeling that he shouldn't have wasted his time.
Worse yet, misfortunes never came singly. Near the end of the day, Sally arrived accompanied by several martial artists.
With two grand knights in the viscount's household, his daughter wasn't overly low-profile either and was quite active in the flea market.
Most of her needs didn't require coming to a market like this in the first place, but as a woman, who could resist the temptation of browsing?
Coming before the vegetable stall, she frowned slightly. "Are they crazy poor or... Huh, it's you?"
"Pick them yourself," Wu Youren had no interest in playing host. Since he was following local customs, he might as well do it thoroughly.
"Why does it feel like I've seen you somewhere?" Sally asked in some confusion. "State your name."
So after trying hard to win him over not long ago, she couldn't even remember his name now?
Faced with such rotten peach blossoms, Wu Youren was at a loss for words.
Still, fewer troubles were better than more.
He could only imitate Cynthia's accent. "Sister Sally must be joking. I'm from the Mirage Sea League; I've only seen you from afar."
"Next time you see me, come over yourself," Sally said with grand bravado. "How much for all this? I'll buy the lot!"
Could she not be so domineering? Wu Youren was genuinely speechless. Had she never seen a man before?
Selling it wasn't great, but refusing wasn't right either... In the end, he chose to bow before money!
The flea market wasn't small. Sally had the vegetables packed up, yet in full public view, she couldn't do anything too outrageous either.
Her father was only a viscount after all, and this was one of Great Liang's eight intermediate martial academies.
Walking a few steps farther, someone beside her muttered, "Miss, that one seems to be the guy from Jin!"
"Which one from Jin?" Sally was briefly blank, then realized. "The one who wouldn't accept my arrangements?"
"He seemed to think you had a bad memory!" The world was never lacking in people who stirred up trouble. "Fortunately, it didn't cost much money."
"Is this a matter of money?" Sally flew into a rage upon hearing that.
Actually, she didn't have all that much money. Though her family had two grand knights, she was a woman!
What really twisted the knife was another person chiming in: "The Mirage Sea League? He seems to have a good relationship with a female martial artist."
"Then let's..." Sally glanced back, only to find that he had already vanished. "Keep an eye on this place for me!"
Wu Youren hadn't expected to be fed funds by the viscount's daughter today, and the best part was that she hadn't recognized him.
That was something to celebrate, but he didn't plan to take any more risks—what if she came to her senses?
His sense of danger wasn't lacking, but unfortunately, being aware of a crisis didn't mean you could resolve it.
Three mornings later, while he was busy in the backyard, Cynthia arrived. "What are you busy with?"
"Preserving vegetables," Wu Youren replied. "If I don't, they'll rot."
Calling it pickling was just a manner of speaking; it was actually high-temperature sterilization followed by storage, which could involve salting, sealing, or air-drying.
There was no helping it; Great Liang lacked salt, so he couldn't turn them all into salted vegetables.
Cynthia was a bit puzzled. "With so few vegetables, the cafeteria couldn't take them all?"
Don't you know what you did? Wu Youren couldn't be bothered to explain. "I'm not sending them to the cafeteria lately."
"I already told you I could help you sell them. If you don't want that, how about we go sell them at the market?"
"Still going to the market?" a voice rang out. The two turned their heads to look, finding seven or eight martial artists approaching, both men and women.
Behind them were Sally and a male martial artist, walking very close together and muttering quietly.
Watching the group march forward aggressively gave off a distinct sense of school bullying.
Bullying was hardly rare in a martial academy. If even workplaces had bullying, how much more so among martial artists who loved using their fists?
A male martial artist stepped up before Wu Youren and asked coldly, "Are you the one who cheated Miss Sally out of her money?"
Wu Youren looked left and right, then shook his head. "Whoever has been defrauded should go find the disciplinary instructor."
Faced with such a bizarre accusation, he refused to follow their narrative.
Once trapped in the logical pit of proving one's innocence, far too much trouble would arise; the best response was to fight his fight while they fought theirs.
"If you don't know a disciplinary instructor, I happen to know one."
"Disciplinary instructor?" As expected, the male martial artist was slightly taken aback. The boy's response had caught him off guard.
Right after, however, he gave a disdainful sneer. "How childish! You're a martial artist, not a child!"
"Looking for an instructor the moment something happens—will you do that on the battlefield too?"
Sure enough, it was the classic "no snitching to the teacher"! Wu Youren gave a slight nod. "Of course. I'm not an adult yet!"
"Holy shit..." The male martial artist was truly stunned this time. Can you have some damn shame?
In Great Liang, four- or five-year-old kids already herded sheep and cattle, and twelve- or thirteen-year-olds doing heavy labor were everywhere.
In many places, fourteen or sixteen was basically considered adulthood, though Liang's law officially recognized eighteen as adulthood.
"You're a martial artist, and I see now—no wonder Jin can't defeat Great Liang... It's full of cowardly rats like you!"
Provocations came in different tiers; with wording this insulting, Wu Youren had to respond.
What martial artists valued above all was mettle!
He gave a slight nod. "Coming in a gang—your courage is indeed immense, sir!"
"You son of a..." The male martial artist's arm shifted slightly as he glanced left and right, clearly itching to strike right away.
Could they not be so childish? Wu Youren was truly speechless.
Yet most worldly matters truly were just that crude and simple: the other party possessed greater strength, and that was enough.
"What do you think you're doing?" Cynthia couldn't bear it any longer. She felt the Jin youth's reaction was a bit weak.
Yet if someone claimed Wu Youren was truly a coward, she wouldn't believe it—he had survived the incident in Suotu Town!
He was probably just holding back because, as a Jin native, he didn't want to cause trouble in Liang.
It wasn't that Cynthia didn't love Great Liang, but the others were clearly fabricating accusations to bully him with their status; as a martial artist, shouldn't one stand up against injustice?
"I'm from the Mirage Sea League, and he's my friend. Speak reason if you have business, and don't try anything reckless!"
Chapter 40