Greed

He was someone who had come from Baishan District to the inner city looking for work. "They're talking about Young Master Lin from Bidan Teahouse." "Young Master Lin is a storyteller who made his debut in Songyi City recently. His stories are wonderful—you can hear people discussing them in bits and pieces all through the streets and alleys." "I love listening to his stories too, but unfortunately I have to work and earn a living, so I can't go often," Zhou Weicheng said with a smile. He was also a fan of Lin Zheyu's storytelling. "A storyteller? Young Master Lin?" Skinny Monkey asked curiously. "Brother Zhou, what's this Young Master Lin's full name?" "I think he's called Lin Zheyu. A young scholar." "Lin Zheyu!" Skinny Monkey's eyes lit up. *** The sky grew dim as night fell. The setting sun sank below the horizon, leaving behind only faint wisps of twilight. Baishan District. At their usual spot, several ruffians lounged about, sitting or lying down, gathered together bragging and shooting the breeze. "Brother Yu, guess who I ran into in the city today?" Skinny Monkey said excitedly to Gao Yu as he arrived at their old haunt. *Whack!* Gao Yu casually tossed a punch his way. "Piss off." "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't play guessing games with me," Gao Yu said irritably. "Right, right, right." Skinny Monkey rubbed his head, grimacing in pain. Gao Yu was far too strong, and that punch had hurt like hell. "Weren't you doing porter work in the city? What, did you run into an old flame at Hundred Pavilions?" another companion teased. "You paying for me?" "I haven't been to Hundred Pavilions in ages. Just thinking about what it's like—skin so tender you could pinch water out of it, that silky smooth touch... it really drives a man crazy." Skinny Monkey narrowed his eyes, savoring the memory with relish. The girls in Hundred Pavilions were far more delicate and tender than women from the villages, and they had all kinds of tricks up their sleeves. Playing around with them was pure bliss. *Whack!* Gao Yu brought down another fist, snapping impatiently, "Are you going to spit it out or not? Keeping people hanging like that?" "Hiss—" "Ow, ow, ow, that hurts! Brother, go easy! You're going to knock me stupid!" Skinny Monkey complained, but catching Gao Yu's sidelong glare, he quickly blurted out, "I saw Lin Zheyu in the city!" "Lin Zheyu?" "You mean that guy who used to steer clear of us whenever he saw us a while back?" "Haven't seen him in ages. I thought he'd died in some ditch somewhere," a man with a weed dangling from his mouth said with a laugh. In times like these, people died all the time, especially helpless refugees from other cities like Lin Zheyu. Walking down a deserted street, getting a burlap sack thrown over your head and being dragged off to be sold into slavery was a common occurrence. Fortunately, when Lin Zheyu had first arrived in Songyi City, he was as thin as a bamboo pole and completely malnourished—no one had even looked twice at him. "Yeah, that's him." "Didn't the kid mention before that he was going to the city to be a storyteller? I asked around, and sure enough, he actually did." "Except he played us for fools." "He's hit it big in Songyi City! Every single day, an endless stream of people flock to hear his storytelling. Just the tips he brings in each day are said to be over two hundred copper coins!" Skinny Monkey said in astonishment. He had never imagined that being a storyteller could make that kind of money. If it were anyone else making money, he wouldn't have cared much—after all, they were strangers. But the one making bank was a destitute refugee scholar they had previously looked down on, and Skinny Monkey couldn't help burning with jealousy. "That much money?!" Gao Yu was shocked. That was just tips, not even counting his wages! How much did Gao Yu earn busting his back doing manual labor every day? And yet that frail, spineless coward was raking in that much? This was more than he could stomach. "Brother Yu, I did some digging on the sly. Lin Zheyu lives alone now. He rented a small courtyard in the inner city, and it's in a pretty secluded spot." "What do you say we pull a job on him?" Skinny Monkey said with a shifty, rat-like grin. How much could they make doing honest work anyway? For these ruffians, working was just a side gig; petty theft and illicit schemes were their true calling. "The inner city enforces the law strictly. If we get caught..." another companion hesitated. "What's there to be scared of? At worst, we get locked up for a bit. It's not like we haven't been in there before," Skinny Monkey sneered. He was a regular in prison. The people in there were all talents. They spoke so charmingly and possessed all sorts of rare, practical skills. A good deal of his own tricks had been picked up from asking inmates in there. Going in once was practically like attending advanced training. "Then it's settled. We hit him tonight." "While we're at it, we'll intimidate him a bit. The guy is such a wimp, and he's all on his own in Songyi City with no one to back him up. What, are we supposed to be scared of him?" Gao Yu grinned. *** Having recruited three storytellers, Lin Zheyu returned home feeling thoroughly satisfied. Once his team of storytellers grew and expanded, he would only need to sit back and collect the silver. [Heaven Rewards Diligence] Name: Lin Zheyu Origin Power: 2 Skills: Wild Bull Fist (Entry 46%) "Several days have passed, and there's been no progress at all." "After reaching Entry level, advancing to Mastery takes a year or two." "With normal training, it takes about ten days to increase by a single percentage point. That really is a bit slow," Lin Zheyu thought to himself as he looked at the figures in his consciousness. Over the past few days, his depleted qi and blood had been replenished, and his essence, qi, and spirit were nurtured back to their peak. It was time to break through his physical limits once more. Although he didn't have the silver to purchase tonic herbs and couldn't use Origin Power to upgrade his skill for now, stockpiling more Origin Power was never a bad thing. Stripping off his clothes, Lin Zheyu began practicing Wild Bull Fist in the courtyard. His fists slammed into the wooden stake, producing dull, heavy thuds. With every punch thrown, muscles rippled across his body, unleashing maximum power. Beneath his lean, wiry frame, formidable strength surged.