...
Time slowly passed...
Lin Zheyu practiced the Wild Bull Fist for two to three hours a day, then consumed a large amount of meat.
With the improvement from Source Power, his body had already been shaped with a foundation; he just needed sufficient nutrition to recover and grow stronger at an astonishing speed.
Three days passed, the five portions of medicinal soup were finished, and the depleted qi blood was also replenished.
Lin Zheyu's body became increasingly robust, his muscles firm and strong.
During these three days, he was on high alert, cautiously guarding against Jia Yanrong's arrival.
He carried chili powder with him and set up many traps around the house.
However, a few days passed, and there was no sight of his opponent.
...
Yixiang Tea House.
Jia Yanrong sat casually across from Jia Yanming.
"Bro, I'm back."
He shouted towards the inner hall of the tea house.
Unlike last time, the bloody aura around him was more intense, and there was a knife wound on his neck wrapped in gauze.
"Is your injury okay?"
Jia Yanming walked out from the inner hall and saw the wound on his brother's neck, frowning as he asked.
"It's fine, just a minor injury, it'll be better in a few days."
Jia Yanrong said indifferently.
"Be more cautious in future fights, don't always lead the charge."
"Your life is yours, but the money belongs to others, why risk your life for it?" Jia Yanming said.
"Bro, you don't understand."
"Those are my brothers, I can't just watch them get hacked to death." Jia Yanrong shook his head and said.
In the underworld, loyalty is paramount, and one must be willing to go through fire and water for brothers!
"Foolish!"
"They're just drinking buddies, in a gang there's no real brotherhood, I am your real brother!"
Jia Yanming reprimanded, as a businessman he had seen all kinds of darkness, scoffing at Jia Yanrong's notion of brotherhood.
"Bro, don't worry about my affairs."
"Weren't you going to have me teach... uh... right, Lin Zheyu!"
"I have time now, I'll rest for two days, and the day after I'll help you beat him up. Don't worry, I'll be gentle."
Jia Yanrong chuckled and said.
...
Bidan Tea House.
Lin Zheyu promised Liang Song to tell him a story about martial artists.
"In turbulent times, wars broke out everywhere under the Song dynasty, surrounded by wolves..."
This is Mr. Jin's The Legend of the Condor Heroes, telling the story of a great chivalrous person, who stands for the nation and the people.
Through the past period of time, Lin Zheyu discovered that although Liang Song appeared untidy and unrestrained on the outside, he had a righteous heart within.
He liked Yan Chixia's free-spirited and upright nature, who traveled the world slaying demons and evils, and also admired Mr. Zuo's integrity and righteousness.
Explaining this story was much more complicated than Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, as the dynasty background in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio was vague, almost non-existent.
But The Legend of the Condor Heroes was different, with the dynasty background being extremely important.
Lin Zheyu made some amendments, doing a simple fictional treatment.
"The Qiantang River rolls on endlessly, flowing day and night past the edge of the Niu Family Village in Lin'an, heading east into the sea."
"By the riverside, a row of dozens of..."
"..."
"... It is said that after Bao Xiruo was saved by the mysterious man who called himself Yie Lie, she intended to commit suicide in grief, but was persuaded otherwise by Yie Lie's kind words.
Under Yie Lie's persuasion with fine food and clothing, she hazily complied with his arrangements, leaving Lin'an with him."
Lin Zheyu stood at the storytelling stage, speaking eloquently.
This story was long, and as he narrated, the content gradually unfolded.
At first, the guests were not accustomed, finding it without the usual scholar's romance tales, how could this do!
They were all here for the scholar's romance tales!
However, as they listened, they gradually became mesmerized.
"Outrageous!"
"How could Bao Xiruo go with that man, truly... truly shameless, unvirtuous, not knowing..."
Someone slammed the table and cursed.
It was a scholar, listening with a flushed face.
"Don't make noise, be quiet, let Mr. Lin continue."
Hearing the commotion below, Lin Zheyu smiled slightly and clapped prominently: "To know what happens next, please listen to the next installment."
"..."
"Ah, is that all!"
"That's not right, quickly tell us what happens next?"
"How can a story be told halfway, Mr. Lin, continue!"
Seeing the crowd's excitement, Lin Zheyu hurriedly made his exit.
Kidding, this is not the same as writing a novel in the past.
Writing a novel with a cliffhanger might just get a few curses for being a cliffhanger hustler.
But storytelling with a cliffhanger, one might be hoisted by the enthusiastic crowd to continue, as Lin Zheyu had once experienced.
"The opening was well told, very exciting." Liang Song commented.
Lin Zheyu smiled and replied: "Glad you liked it."
Chatting for a while with Liang Song, asking about some doubts in the Martial Dao, he then left.
Once outside, he walked along Hundred Flavors Street for over two hundred meters, turned and entered a restaurant.
He had made an appointment to meet someone here.
Lin Zheyu scanned the room and sat down at one of the tables.
"Gentlemen, have you given it any thought?"
Lin Zheyu looked at the three somewhat aged scholars in front of him.
Their blue robes were worn to the point of fading, with discreet patches in some places, suggesting they lived in somewhat dire straits.
These were storytellers Lin Zheyu had found in the past days, without much background, struggling a bit in Songyi City.
"Can you guarantee the story will be as exciting as the one you told in Bidan Tea House?" the man on the left asked.
"The style of the stories is different, can't say which is better, but it will surely be fresher and more exciting than the outdated stories you've been telling!"
Lin Zheyu said.
The competition among storytellers was intense, with many who didn't succeed in academia turning to storytelling.
With stories that were old and bland, poor storytelling skills, and weak emotional empathy, such storytellers could not attract any audience.
The three storytellers Lin Zheyu found had decent storytelling skills and passable emotional expression abilities, but unfortunately, their stories were too old and lacked novelty.
This world was in desperate need of good stories.
Or rather, this world did have good stories, but due to insufficient dissemination of written information, they were only circulated in small areas.
The good stories circulating in Songyi City had become old news to the people.
This was also why Lin Zheyu managed to gain popularity so quickly.
"Could we see the content first before deciding?" another person spoke up.
"Of course."
Lin Zheyu took out several sheets filled with densely written words from his pocket, giving each person a copy; each copy contained the same content.
"You can take a look first, and use the script I provide for storytelling, 80 wen per installment of content, sign the contract if you agree."
Lin Zheyu said.
This was the money-making idea he had come up with before, to collaborate with others in storytelling.
However, in this era, stories did not have copyrights; once spoken, they could easily be taken by others.
Due to this, Lin Zheyu could not sell them for a high price.
A mid-level storyteller earned about 70 wen a day plus tips, making around a hundred or so wen in total.
Based on this, Lin Zheyu set the price at 80 wen.
Because a good story often earned tips exceeding the wage.
"...This incident happened south of West Fourth Arch in a Zhuanta Alley, where two brothers lived, both surnamed Ta, one called Tada, and the other known as Taer.
The younger one worked in the governor's office, and the older one was a cook..."
This was a classic story that had been passed down for a long time previously, Nine Heads Case.
The three men began reading the papers, their eyes growing brighter as they read.
...