Making a Move

"Aaargh!" The man let out a shrill scream, his eyes bulging as he clutched his stomach with both hands, collapsing to the floor and curling into a ball. He had not imagined in the slightest that this storyteller would dare make the first move, and caught completely off guard, he had been effortlessly brought down by Lin Zheyu. "Fuck!" "Damn it, how dare you strike first!" "You're courting death!" Lin Zheyu's sudden move was like poking a hornet's nest. The men of the Wuding Gang attacked in unison. "Get 'em!" Xie Jiang bellowed, charging straight at the Wuding Gang members. This time, including Xing Jinglong, their opponents had brought three Bone Tempering Realm martial artists—the same number as their side. However, one of them had just been taken out by Lin Zheyu's surprise attack, giving Lin Zheyu and his companions a slight advantage. With the remaining Bone Tempering martial artist pinned down by Xie Jiang, Lin Zheyu was left facing only mediocre lackeys. He cast a calm, indifferent glance across the room, activated the Golden Goose Skill, and darted rapidly among the Wuding Gang members as cries of agony erupted all around. Within a few breaths, four Wuding Gang members were kicked into the air, screaming in pain. The entire tavern fell dead silent. Even Xing Jinglong and Jia Yanyong turned their heads to look. "Fierce!" Xie Jiang grinned, giving Lin Zheyu a thumbs-up. "Brother Lin, impressive!" Jia Yanyong backed away a few paces and praised him, glancing down at the groaning Wuding Gang members writhing on the floor. Had he been the one fighting them, he would never have dispatched them so easily. "Fatty Xing, still want to go at it?" Jia Yanyong chuckled at the grim-faced Xing Jinglong, smug triumph plastered across his face. Lin Zheyu and Xie Jiang took a step forward together, flanking Jia Yanyong. "Kid, I'll remember you!" "You've got some skills—far better than this useless trash Jia Yanyong." Xing Jinglong sized Lin Zheyu up and down, his gaze turning solemn. Anyone who could deal with several of his brothers with such ease was not to be underestimated. "Hmph! Let's go." Xing Jinglong snorted coldly, tossed down one tael of silver, and led his men out. "We're just letting him leave like that?" Lin Zheyu asked. "What else can we do? That guy is a young master of the Xing clan. Even if he's from a branch family, he's still a Xing. Here, this is his compensation," Xie Jiang said with a grin, picking up the silver from the floor. "Everyone holds back inside the city. If this were outside where no one was around, I wouldn't hesitate to beat him to death even if he were from the Xing clan's main branch," Jia Yanyong sneered maliciously, curling his lip. "You couldn't even beat him, yet you talk big," Xie Jiang said with open disdain. "Fuck, Xie Jiang, are you itching for a beating too? I didn't get my fill fighting that Fatty Xing just now!" Jia Yanyong snapped in annoyance. "Bring it on! Whoever backs down is a dog!" "Like I'd be scared of you..." Lin Zheyu paid no mind to their bickering; he was used to it. Whenever those two crossed paths, they quarreled, finding fault with each other at every turn, yet somehow they always preferred hanging out together. ... "What's that kid's background? How come I've never seen him before?" Xing Jinglong asked the underling beside him. He had no love for books and rarely went to teahouses to listen to stories; whenever he had free time, he spent it in restaurants, Hundred Pavilions, or gambling dens, so he did not recognize Lin Zheyu. "He's the storyteller from Bidan Teahouse. Pretty well-known, but for some reason, he joined the Feihong Gang," the man beside him answered. Having taken a whip kick from Lin Zheyu, his arm was fractured, and his face was deathly pale. "Storytellers are this formidable now?" Xing Jinglong's eyes widened. A mere storyteller actually possessed such strength? "I'm not sure either. Over two months ago, he looked so frail a breeze could knock him over. I suppose once he earned some money, he found someone to teach him martial arts," the man replied, shaking his head in utter bewilderment. "He got this strong after just two months?" Xing Jinglong was astonished. He had practiced martial arts under his father's tutelage since childhood, and at fifteen years old, he had only barely reached the mid-Bone Tempering Realm. "Has he really only been training for two months?" Xing Jinglong asked, still skeptical. "Yeah, absolutely." "At first, that guy was like a scrawny monkey, nothing but skin and bones." "Later on, he gradually grew sturdier and stronger." Another underling chimed in. Among those who enjoyed listening to stories, many were familiar with Lin Zheyu's circumstances. "If he truly achieved this level in just two months, then his martial talent is downright terrifying," Xing Jinglong murmured. "If we can recruit him into our Xing clan and nurture him for a few years, he'll become quite the powerhouse!" ... The group returned to Bidan Teahouse. Someone was already performing on stage inside. Lin Zheyu listened from backstage for a while and found the performance quite decent—far richer in cadence and flavor than his own. *I might as well hand all the storytelling over to him from now on,* Lin Zheyu thought to himself. He sought out Manager Wu and mentioned the idea; Manager Wu readily agreed. They settled on the rate: four hundred copper coins per storytelling session. That was about a hundred coins less than what Lin Zheyu used to make between his wage and tips. Leaving the teahouse, Lin Zheyu headed straight for the pharmacies in Songyi City. He planned to spend all hundred and thirty-some taels of silver in his possession on ingredients for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction. Prices were soaring right now, and as time passed, holding on to silver would only diminish its real purchasing power. After scouring all the pharmacies across the city, Lin Zheyu ultimately spent one hundred and twenty-eight taels of silver to purchase twelve doses of the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction. "Money really doesn't last," Lin Zheyu sighed. The silver was gone once again. Having handed off his storytelling duties, he was left with only his work in the Feihong Gang. His role with the Feihong Gang was leisurely, with almost nothing to do. Lin Zheyu's daily life grew considerably more relaxed.