...
"I know him too?"
Lin Zheyu was somewhat surprised.
He had been in Songyi City for a short time and only knew a few people, none of whom he remembered practicing martial arts.
"Yes."
"He's a regular at our tea house, often comes here to pass the time listening to stories."
"Since you started storytelling at our tea house, you can almost see him every day."
"I've seen him often laugh heartily when listening to stories; he clearly likes the tales you tell," said Mr. Wo.
"Would he be willing to teach me?"
Lin Zheyu asked nervously.
He had heard that many martial arts are passed down only to males, let alone outsiders.
"Well, he probably would."
"I've seen quite a few people learning martial arts from him."
"He likes listening to your stories so much, he should be willing to teach you some skills," said Mr. Wo.
He did not keep Lin Zheyu guessing and continued, "This person is named Liang Song, appears to be around fifty, is a cripple, often sitting by the window," said Wo Yinghe.
"The one who's extremely generous with rewards?!"
Lin Zheyu exclaimed in surprise.
He remembered the man because he was extremely generous with tips, currently ranked first among patrons.
However, Liang Song looked quite ordinary, even with a crippled leg, showing no signs of having strong abilities.
"Yes, that's him."
"Don't be fooled by Liang Song's crippled leg; his skills are very strong."
"A few years ago, someone in the tea house harassed a woman, Liang Song didn't even raise his head, casually flicked chopsticks as swift as arrows through the palms of three big men."
Mr. Wo sipped his tea, saying.
"Impressive!"
Lin Zheyu praised.
Without raising his head, he casually penetrated the palms of three big men with chopsticks, which requires extremely sensitive perception and immense power.
The two chatted while eating, and time flew by.
It was time for storytelling.
In the past ten days, the stories Lin Zheyu told spread widely through word of mouth among customers.
As his reputation spread, more and more young noblemen came to Bidan Tea House to hear his storytelling.
The noblemen were much more generous with their tips compared to others.
Today, Lin Zheyu earned over three hundred coins, much more than usual.
The base pay was still one hundred coins for a two-hour session, but the tips reached over two hundred coins.
Especially when reaching the story's climax, guests excitedly showered him with tips.
Seeing the guests' enthusiasm in tipping, Lin Zheyu spoke with more passion, extending the storytelling by over ten minutes.
"Look, Liang Song is here today as well."
Wo Yinghe pointed to Liang Song sitting alone by the window, saying.
He was a man appearing to be in his fifties, shoulder-length hair disheveled and messy, face unkempt and beard scruffy.
After listening to the story, the man's mood seemed good.
He drank a few cups of wine, looked out the window, enjoying the scenery, with a smile on his face.
Arranging his clothes, Lin Zheyu held a pot of wine and walked over.
The wine called General's Tears, very renowned.
General's Tears was not highly alcoholic, but its taste was quite strong and intoxicating.
Mr. Wo said it was Liang Song's favorite choice of wine.
"Greetings, Mr. Liang. I am Lin Zheyu, the storyteller at Bidan Tea House."
"I brought a pot of wine for you to try."
Lin Zheyu politely filled Liang Song's cup with wine, speaking courteously.
Liang Song gave him a smiling glance, without speaking, continuing to enjoy the view outside the window.
Lin Zheyu did not interrupt Liang Song's pleasant moment, ordering some small dishes, accompanying him silently watching the scenery.
He currently had nothing important besides storytelling.
For a long time.
The two watched the scenery for more than an hour, as darkness fell finally, Liang Song spoke.
"Tell me, what's the matter?"
Liang Song seemed to have finished enjoying the scenery and looked at Lin Zheyu, saying.
He raised his cup, drank it in one gulp, letting the spicy sensation flow down his throat into his stomach.
"Ah~~"
Liang Song let out a satisfied sound, revealing a bold attitude.
"I am Lin Zheyu, fleeing from Jiunan City, separated from my parents and relatives along the journey, now alone in Songyi City without support."
"It's very easy to be bullied when roaming alone without support. I heard your martial arts are excellent, I wish to learn a skill from you."
"Please, Mr. Liang, teach me!"
Lin Zheyu filled Liang Song's cup, clasping his hands and pleading sincerely.
"Learning martial arts is tough, tougher than studying. Your literary talent is excellent, why not continue studying to gain scholars' honors?" Liang Song said plainly.
"A great calamity is about to arrive, if one cannot protect oneself, how can one peacefully pursue scholar honors?" Lin Zheyu shook his head.
Liang Song gave Lin Zheyu a once-over, shaking his head slightly.
"Teaching you is not impossible, but you're too old now, starting martial arts late."
"In Martial Dao, one trains the muscles, bones, and skin on the outside, and cultivates inner energy."
"The training of muscles, bones, and skin should start young, requiring a high demand for physique and qualifications. From a young age, one must soak in medicinal baths, tempering muscles and bones, laying a solid foundation."
"Once older, when the body has grown, the bones have set, tempering muscles and bones becomes hundreds of times tougher, a slight mistake can leave hidden dangers."
Liang Song said, "Starting martial arts now, you will likely achieve little, are you sure you want to learn?"
"No problem, I'm not afraid of difficulties and I'm very resilient, as long as I can learn martial arts!" Lin Zheyu promptly replied.
"Since you have time, let me teach you then."
"I really like the character Yan Chixia you're telling, talk more about such characters." Liang Song said with a smile.
"Alright, thank you Mr. Liang!"
"I'll write a story solely for you in the future!"
Lin Zheyu was overjoyed.
He waved his hand, summoned the waiter, and ordered several more dishes.
"Once we finish talking, hurry up and leave; don't be an eyesore sitting opposite me. Find me tomorrow morning at Jindong Street No. 33."
Liang Song ordered Lin Zheyu to quickly leave as if shooing away flies.
"Alright, I won't disturb your mood. Enjoy!"
Lin Zheyu stood up.
Turning around with excitement, he clenched his fist, his face beaming with joy.
The outcome was swifter than expected; Mr. Liang agreed directly without mentioning silver taels.
Thinking about it makes sense.
He was the rich patron often tipping Lin Zheyu significantly, with rewards exceeding 20 coins at a time, likely unbothered by finances.
...
On the way back, Lin Zheyu bought some meat and vegetables to nourish himself well.
Previously living in White Mountain District, he dared not buy too much meat and vegetables, fearing attracting attention.
This time, Lin Zheyu bought half a pound of pork belly, planning to stew it when returning home, hadn't had stew pork in ages.
Sizzle—
Early morning.
At the break of dawn, Lin Zheyu woke up bright and early.
After moving to a new home, the neighbor's rooster had a sore throat, its raspy voice unpleasant, unlike other roosters' clear crow, quite unbearable to the ears.
He washed up, enjoying the stewed meat with porridge cooked last night, had a hearty meal.
Today marks the start of martial arts training, ensuring proper nutrition.
Having endured hunger and harsh conditions, this body was extremely weak, almost skin and bones.
Over ten days, he earned quite a bit from storytelling, spent generously on food, his body improved slightly.
Yet still somewhat frail, running a few miles required stopping to rest.
Donning a set of athletic clothes suitable for martial arts practice, tying his long hair, Lin Zheyu appeared very capable, shedding some scholarly air.
Upon stepping outside, many pedestrians were already on the street.
Due to limited entertainment, people in this world had a routine of sleeping early and rising early.
Initially, Lin Zheyu was unaccustomed, but after a few days, due to boredom, he went to bed early each night.
In his previous life, he struggled with insomnia at night, drowsy during the day at work, a habit now cured.
He developed the good trait of early to bed early to rise.