Chapter 12: Greed

"Good!"

"Wonderful!"

The three storytellers could not help but applaud when they reached the end of the story Lin Zheyu had shared with them.

"Alright. I, Fu Jingyun, agree," said the man on the left.

"I, Jing Haifeng, as well."

"And me, Guan Yihan!"

The three spoke in turn. With their years of storytelling experience, they were certain this story would be a hit and bring in plenty of rewards from the audience.

The story was eye-catching, with each twist more thrilling than the last. It would definitely keep listeners on the edge of their seats. Although it was true that once the story spread, others could recite it as well, being among the first storytellers to share it meant far more attention, more listeners, and much greater rewards.

People did listen to old stories, but they were far less inclined to tip. Most already knew how such stories ended, so they listened just for amusement or to pass the time. New stories were a lot different. If the plot were gripping, listeners would tip to hear what happened next.

"Then welcome, gentlemen. You can also recommend other storytellers to come to me. For every successful referral, I will give you thirty wen," said Lin Zheyu with a smile.

Lin Zheyu accepted their coins with a smile on his face. With this, Lin Zheyu's daily income increased by two hundred and forty wen, and if he got even more subordinates, his earnings would be that much more gratifying.

***

At a corner of Songyi City.

"Mr. Lin has started a new narrative! It's a story about martial artists, and it's absolutely wonderful!"

"A vulgar warrior's tale? What's so wonderful about that?"

"Exactly, exactly. I still prefer stories about scholars, with all those charming fox yaos and romantic encounters. Just thinking about it is thrilling."

A slightly sleazy-looking man chimed in and said, "What's the point of those? War and blood, battles where every punch lands hard, standing up for injustice with a roar, cutting down foes when your heart burns with anger—now, that's the kind of life a true man should live."

"......"

"Brother Zhou, what are they talking about? Who is this Mr. Lin?" asked a skinny fellow sitting nearby with a puzzled face. He had come from Baishan District to the inner city looking for work.

"They're talking about Mr. Lin from the Jade Pill Teahouse. He's a newly emerged storyteller in Songyi City whose tales are amazing! They're so good that you can hear people talking about them all over the streets and alleys these days. I really enjoy listening to him too, but I don't go often as I have to work to earn money," said Zhou Weicheng with a smile.

"A storyteller? Mr. Lin?" the skinny fellow asked curiously. "Brother Zhou, what's this Mr. Lin's full name?"

"I think his name is Lin Zheyu. He's a young scholar," replied Zhou Weicheng.

"Lin Zheyu!" exclaimed the skinny fellow as his eyes lit up.

***

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The sky was darkening as night fell. The setting sun sank beneath the horizon, leaving only faint streaks of slanting light. In Baishan District, a few local thugs lounged about at their usual spot. They were either sitting or lying down, gathered together to chat and brag idly.

The skinny fellow arrived at the usual spot and said to Gao Yu with excitement, "Brother Yu, guess who I saw in the city today?"

Bang!

Gao Yu casually greeted him with a punch.

"Screw you. Just talk, dumbass. I don't like riddles," Gao Yu said irritably.

"Yes, yes, yes," replied the skinny fellow as he rubbed his head, grimacing in pain.

Gao Yu's strength was too much; one punch, and it hurt like hell.

"Weren't you working as a porter in the city? What, did you run into one of your old flames from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?" another companion teased.

"Are you giving me the money for that? It's been so long since I last went to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Just thinking of that taste, that soft skin you could squeeze water from, and that silky smooth touch... It really makes a man obsessed," said the skinny fellow, narrowing his eyes in intoxicated reminiscence.

The girls at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion were far more delicate than the women in the villages, and their skills were varied and enticing. It was pure enjoyment to play with them.

Bang!

Gao Yu struck him with another punch, saying impatiently, "Are you going to spit it out or not? Stop teasing us."

"

Ow, ow, ow...

Brother, ease up! You're going to knock the sense out of me," said the skinny fellow.

He grumbled, but seeing Gao Yu's sidelong glance, he quickly said, "I saw Lin Zheyu in the city!"

"Lin Zheyu? You mean that guy who used to avoid us whenever he saw us? Haven't seen him in ages. I thought he had died in some nameless corner," said a man with a stalk of wild grass between his teeth, smiling.

In these times, death was common, especially for someone like Lin Zheyu. He was an outcast who had fled from another city and had no one to rely on. Walking down an empty street and getting thrown into a sack to be sold as a slave was a common occurrence. Fortunately, when Lin Zheyu first arrived in Songyi City, he was as skinny as a bamboo pole. He looked malnourished, so no one thought he was worth the trouble.

"Yes, that's him. Didn't that kid say before that he was going to be a storyteller in the city? I asked around, and it's true. But we were deceived. He's actually famous in Songyi City now! People flock to hear his storytelling every day, and just from tips alone, they say he earns more than two hundred wen daily," said the skinny fellow in amazement.

He hadn't expected that being a storyteller could make so much money. If it were someone else making money, he wouldn't have cared much, since he didn't know them. But the one raking in the money was the very down-and-out refugee scholar they used to look down on, and that made the skinny fellow burn with jealousy.

"That much money?" exclaimed Gao Yu.

That 200 wen was just from tips, not even counting his wages. Gao Yu toiled at hard labor every day for meager pay, yet that frail coward was earning this much. This was something he absolutely could not stomach.

"Brother Yu, I secretly asked around and found out that Lin Zheyu is living alone now. He is renting a small courtyard in the inner city, in a pretty secluded spot at that. Should we go and hit him up for a score?" asked the skinny fellow with a sly, shifty look.

How much could they make from honest work anyway? For these thugs, having a job was just a side gig; petty theft and crime were their real trade.

"The inner city's strict about law enforcement. If we get caught..." said another companion hesitantly.

"What's there to be afraid of? Worst case, we get locked up for a while. It's not like I haven't been in before," replied the skinny fellow disdainfully.

He was a regular in prison. Everyone inside was a talent in their own way, good with words and skilled in all sorts of rare trades. Many of his own tricks had been learned from the people there. Going in was like attending an advanced training course.

"It's decided then. Tonight, we're gonna take him for everything he's got. And we'll scare him while we're at it. That coward's all alone in Songyi City, so no one will stand up for him. What's there for us to be afraid of?" said Gao Yu with a grin on his face.

***

After recruiting three storytellers, Lin Zheyu went home feeling satisfied. Once the team of storytellers grew larger, all he would have to do in the future was sit back and collect money.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 2]

[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Initiation: 46%)]

"A few days have passed, yet I've made no progress at all. After reaching Initiation in a skill, it normally takes at least a year or two to advance it to Competence. With normal training, it takes about ten days just to raise it by one percent; it's really slow," murmured Lin Zheyu as he looked at the data in his consciousness.

After a few days, his depleted blood qi had been replenished, and his essence, qi, and spirit had been restored to their peak. It was time to push his limits again. Although he had no silver to buy supplements and thus couldn't use Origin Force to enhance himself for now, it was never wrong to accumulate more Origin Force.

Stripping off his shirt, Lin Zheyu began practicing the Barbaric Ox Fist in the courtyard. His fists pounded against the wooden stake with dull thudding sounds. His muscles swelled with every punch as he unleashed the greatest power he could muster with each strike. Beneath his lean frame was hidden immense strength.