...
"Great!"
"Fantastic!"
The three couldn't help but applaud at the end.
"Alright, I, Fu Jingyun, agree to it," said the man on the left first.
"I, Jing Haifeng, as well."
"And so do I, Guan Yihan!"
The three spoke up simultaneously, and with their years of storytelling experience, they knew this story would definitely be a hit, attracting plenty of reward from the audience.
The story is captivating, with each part more thrilling than the last, keeping listeners on the edge of their seats!
Even if the story gets around, others can tell it too.
But as the first group of storytellers to convey it, they'd gain lots of attention, attract audiences, and receive more rewards.
While old stories have an audience, the willingness to reward is not strong.
Most people already know the endings, listening just for fun and to pass the time.
New stories are different, with engaging plots that draw listeners in who reward to hear what happens next.
"Then welcome, gentlemen, to join us. You can also recommend other storytellers to find me. For each successful recommendation, I'll give you 30 wen,"
said Lin Zheyu with a smile, taking the coins from the three.
This way, Lin Zheyu's daily income increased by 240 wen, and if more subordinates develop, the income will be more impressive.
...
Songyi City, a corner of the city.
"Mr. Lin has opened a new chapter, it's a story about martial artists, it's thrilling!"
"A story about coarse fighters? What's so thrilling about that?"
"Exactly, exactly, I prefer stories about scholars encountering enchanting fox spirits, just thinking about it is exciting."
A slightly sleazy-looking man chimed in.
"What's interesting about that, battles filled with blood, hand-to-hand combat, standing up against injustice, wielding a blade when wronged, that's the life of a true man,"
...
"Zhou, what are they talking about, I can't understand," asked the skinny monkey with a puzzled look, sitting besides Zhou.
He had come from White Mountain District to the inner city to find work.
"They're talking about Mr. Lin in Bidan Tea House,"
"Mr. Lin is a newly emerged storyteller in Songyi City. His stories are fantastic, you can hear scattered discussions about them in every nook and cranny,"
"I also enjoy listening to his storytelling, but unfortunately, I have to work to earn money and can't go often,"
Zhou Weicheng said with a smile, himself a fan of Lin Zheyu's storytelling.
"A storyteller? Mr. Lin?" Skinny Monkey asked curiously, "Zhou, what's Mr. Lin's full name?"
"Seems like it's Lin Zheyu, a young scholar,"
"Lin Zheyu!"
Skinny Monkey's eyes lit up.
...
The sky darkened, night fell.
The setting sun sank into the ground, leaving only a few slivers remaining.
White Mountain District.
In their usual spot, a few ruffians lazily sat or lay around, chatting.
"Yi, guess who I saw in the city today?" Skinny Monkey arrived at the usual spot, excitedly speaking to Gao Yu.
Bam—
Gao Yu casually threw a punch.
"Get lost."
"If you're gonna talk, talk, don't play guessing games with me," Gao Yu said, irritated.
"Yes, yes,"
Skinny Monkey rubbed his head, grimacing in pain.
Gao Yu's strength was too great, a punch from him was quite painful.
"Aren't you working as a porter in the city, did you meet your old flame at Baihua Tower?" another companion teased.
"Do you give me money then?"
"It's been a while since I went to Baihua Tower. Just thinking about the experience, that tender skin you could squeeze water out of, the silky touch, it's addicting,"
Skinny Monkey reminisced, squinting his eyes enjoyably.
The girls in Baihua Tower were much more delicate than the village girls, and their methods were diverse, making it an enjoyment to spar with them.
Bam!
Gao Yu threw another punch, impatiently saying, "Are you gonna say it or not, don't leave us hanging."
"Hiss—"
"So painful, painful… Brother, go easy on me, you're gonna make me dumb,"
Skinny Monkey complained, but upon seeing Gao Yu's sideways glance, he quickly added, "I saw Lin Zheyu in the city!"
"Lin Zheyu?"
"Isn't he the guy who used to avoid us like the plague?"
"Haven't seen him in a while, thought he might've died in some unknown corner," chuckled a man chewing on a weed.
In these times, deaths were common, especially for a guy like Lin Zheyu who came from another city as a refugee, with no one to rely on.
Walking down a deserted street, getting grabbed and sold as a slave was a common fate.
Fortunately, when Lin Zheyu first arrived in Songyi City, he was as thin as a stick, looking malnourished, so no one paid him any mind.
"Yes, that's him."
"Didn't he say he was going to be a storyteller in the city? I checked, and it's true."
"But we were duped."
"He's popular in Songyi City now, people flock to hear him tell stories, and it's said he gets more than 200 wen in tips alone every day,"
Skinny Monkey said with astonishment.
He never thought that a storyteller's profession could earn so much money.
If it were anyone else earning money, he wouldn't feel much, as he didn't know them.
But the person earning money was the same desolate scholar they once looked down upon, which filled Skinny Monkey with jealousy.
"Earning that much money!"
Gao Yu was shocked; that was just the tips, not even including the wages.
He worked hard doing labor for who knows how little money, yet that feeble coward could earn so much.
Note to self: Nephew can tolerate, but niece-in-law cannot.
"Yi, I secretly inquired, Lin Zheyu now lives alone, he rented a small courtyard in the inner city, quite isolated,"
"Shall we make a move?"
Skinny Monkey suggested slyly.
How much money can one make through honest work?
These few ruffians' work was just a side job; stealing and petty theft were their main occupations.
"The inner city is tightly managed, what if we get caught…" another companion hesitated.
"What's there to fear, worst case scenario, we get locked up for a while, it's not like we haven't been in there before," Skinny Monkey sneered.
He was a regular in jail.
Everyone in there was talented, spoke kindly, and skilled in rare techniques; he had learned many techniques from those people.
Going in once was like further education.
"Then it's decided, let's do it tonight,"
"We'll scare him a bit while we're at it. That guy's such a coward, all alone in Songyi City, with no one to stand up for him. Why should we be afraid of him?"
Gao Yu grinned widely.
...
After recruiting three storytellers, Lin Zheyu returned home, satisfied.
Once the storyteller team developed and expanded, he could just sit and collect money.
[Heavenly Dao rewards the diligent]
Name: Lin Zheyu
Source Power: 2
Skills:
Wild Bull Fist (Beginner's Level 46%)
"A few days have passed, but the progress has stalled."
"After reaching the beginner's level, it takes one or two years to advance to mastery."
"Normally, cultivation takes over ten days to improve by one percent, truly a bit slow."
Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his mind, mumbling to himself.
After a few days, the deficient Qi blood had replenished, and his Essence, Qi, and Spirit were at their peak, it was time to breakthrough once again.
Although he didn't have silver taels to buy medicine, nor could he currently use Source Power to improve, accumulating more Source Power was never wrong.
Taking off his shirt, Lin Zheyu started practicing Wild Bull Fist in the courtyard.
His fists landed on the wooden stakes, making a dull thumping sound.
With each strike, his muscles bulged, unleashing the most powerful force with each punch.
Underneath his lean frame, hidden was a tremendous strength.
...