Chapter 7: The Tale of Yaos and Demons

The cramping sensation in his muscles faded, so Lin Zheyu planned to resume his martial arts practice. He was close to breaking through his limit and gaining another unit of Origin Force.

Seeing Lin Zheyu take his stance in the center of the courtyard, Liang Song spoke up to reprimand him. "What are you doing? Your body is almost at its limit. If you keep training, don't expect to do anything else this afternoon."

"It's fine. I'll let Manager Wu know this afternoon that I won't be storytelling. I'll go tomorrow instead," said Lin Zheyu.

Pushing himself to his limit was exactly what he wanted. How else could he gain Origin Force?

"Ridiculous! Don't you realize that storytelling is important? How can you just decide not to go? What am I supposed to listen to if you don't go? Besides, training must be balanced. Overdoing it is pointless. Go back, rest, and focus on preparing your storytelling for the afternoon," demanded Liang Song.

What a joke.

He inwardly scoffed.

He thoroughly enjoyed Lin Zheyu's stories. How could he let him skip storytelling just because of training?

Lin Zheyu was dumbfounded. He wasn't sure whether he should laugh or cry at Liang Song's words. It was no wonder Master Liang had been so concerned about his body; he just didn't want him to overtrain and end up missing the afternoon storytelling!

"Yes, Master," Lin Zheyu replied helplessly.

It seemed he could only try pushing his physical limits again later that night.

"You've more or less learned the Barbaric Ox Fist. From now on, you can practice the technique at home. If you have something you need to ask, come find me at the Jade Pill Teahouse. I might not always be home.

"Also, you need to prepare your storytelling carefully each day. Only by telling the story well can you earn more money. And only if you earn enough silver to support yourself can you train your martial techniques properly," said Liang Song with a serious tone.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master," replied Lin Zheyu.

***

After returning home, Lin Zheyu washed up and changed into a scholar's outfit. He hadn't felt especially tired while training, but after over an hour of rest, his whole body ached and felt weak, and even lifting his arms made him tremble.

At lunch, he picked up his bowl, but his hands trembled so badly that he had to set it back down. As the saying goes:

One bursts forth with energy at first, weakens on the second try, and is spent by the third.[1]

Lin Zheyu started to feel that continuing his training to break through his physical limits tonight would be difficult.

After lunch, Lin Zheyu stumbled over to the Jade Pill Teahouse.

"Young sir, did you overtrain again?" asked Wu Yinghe as he looked at the staggering Lin Zheyu with a wry smile.

Seeing Lin Zheyu's effort, he thought to himself,

This boy really went too hard.

"I spent several hours this morning learning martial arts from Master Liang. I am a little tired, but it's nothing serious. Manager Wu, thank you for introducing me to Master Liang. Once I've saved enough money, I'll treat you to a trip to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion," said Lin Zheyu with a smile.

After nearly a month of tough horse stance training, he had passed Master Liang's test and finally learned some martial techniques. If it hadn't been for Manager Wu's introduction, learning martial arts would've taken a lot of effort and cost him quite a bit of silver.

"Nonsense! I should be the one treating you. If it weren't for you, the Jade Pill Teahouse wouldn't be doing nearly this well. You know, it's probably already surpassed the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse by now," bragged Manager Wu with a wide grin, the fat on his face bunching up in his delight.

Lin Zheyu felt that Manager Wu had gotten even fatter lately.

I guess it's true that a broad heart makes for a broad body.

"By the way, someone from the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse came to see me last night. They offered two hundred and fifty wen a day this time," said Lin Zheyu.

He wasn't making things up just to get a salary raise. Last night, someone from the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse really came looking for him, clearly trying to poach him.

The Jade Pill Teahouse had become more and more popular, drawing away many of the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse's customers. Their Manager, Jia, was finally getting anxious and decided to make a move.

"Ah! Young sir, please don't go to the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse. I'll ask the boss to raise your pay to three hundred wen a day!" Manager Wu exclaimed, flustered.

He had indeed noticed people from the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse loitering near their building these past few days. As Lin Zheyu's fame spread, many teahouse patrons came specifically for him, boosting the Jade Pill Teahouse's business several times over. If he were poached, business would go back to being as dull as it was before.

"Don't worry, I won't go to the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse. To begin with, if it hadn't been for you giving me a chance back then, I wouldn't be where I am today. But Manager Wu, you have to keep your word—three hundred wen a day, right?" Lin Zheyu said with a cheeky smile before staggering toward the storytelling platform.

He lived by the principle of having a clear conscience and repaying even the smallest kindness a hundredfold. Back when he was down and out, he had visited many teahouses, but most had turned him away because he was too young and looked dirty.

Only Manager Wu had patiently chatted with him, believed in his storytelling, and given him a chance. Lin Zheyu truly felt grateful to Wu Yinghe. He only mentioned Overflowing Fragrance's poaching attempt as a way to raise his own pay.

***

In no time, another afternoon had passed. The crowd's cheers were even more enthusiastic than usual. Master Liang also tipped him fifty wen, showing that he was still Lin Zheyu's top supporter.

"Master, why did you tip so much today?" asked Lin Zheyu as he sat across from Liang Song with a wine jug in hand.

"I tipped you because your story was good. If it wasn't, I'd have given you a beating instead. I'm really satisfied this time, you know? You really should tell more stories about heroes like Yan Chixia or Zuo Qianhu. As martial artists, we must slay yaos[2] and cleanse demons from the world, bringing back a clear and bright sky to mankind!" said Liang Song with a smile on his face, clearly pleased with today's storytelling.

"Master, do yaos and demons really exist in this world? Also, can martial cultivation truly help slay yaos and cleanse demons when practiced to a high level?" asked Lin Zheyu curiously.

In his previous life, he had often heard bizarre stories of yaos, demons, ghosts, and spirits[3] playing tricks on people. These were all second hand stories, accounts from someone with a fourth- or fifth- degree connection to his family or friends, a connection so far removed that he wouldn't even know how to describe it. Nothing like that had ever happened to him.

"They exist. There are yaos and demons in this world, but they're not as terrifying as you make them sound. You tell those stories so convincingly, I almost thought you'd seen them yourself." Liang Song smiled, then said, "This world is vast and full of unknown mysteries. Once your status and strength improve, you'll gradually come into contact with them."

Ah! So they really exist!

Lin Zheyu froze, a faint sense of crisis rising in his heart.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Don't worry. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. As long as Great Wei doesn't collapse, those yaos and demons wouldn't dare wreak havoc in the cities. But you must realize that in this world, humans aren't necessarily any more virtuous than those yaos and demons," said Liang Song with a sigh.

Sensing his master's dampened mood, Lin Zheyu drank his wine in silence.. After seeing that his master had come out of his lengthy lull, he asked again, "Then, Master, can martial arts, when trained to a deep level, really be used to fight those yaos and demons?"

"Of course they can. Why wouldn't they be able to?" Liang Song replied firmly. "Just like Zuo Qianhu in your story, once your martial skills reach a powerful level, not even yaos and demons are worthy to be feared!"

But Zuo Qianhu still ended up defeated and dead!

grumbled Lin Zheyu in his heart, not daring to talk back. After all, one must show respect to their master.

After admiring the scenery with Master Liang for a while and exchanging a few words on martial cultivation, Lin Zheyu took his leave. He had wanted to stay a little longer, but Master Liang seemed to be growing weary. Liang Song was a rather reserved man who usually preferred sitting alone by the window, quietly watching the scenery and the passersby.

1. The phrase 「一鼓作气，再而衰，三而竭」 comes from Zuo Zhuan (《左传》), specifically the commentary on the Battle of Changshao (长勺之战, 684 BCE). So the proverb expresses the idea that enthusiasm and energy naturally decline over repeated efforts. It is often used metaphorically today to warn against exhausting initial momentum or to encourage seizing opportunities when the other side has grown tired. ☜

2. 妖 (yāo) — In xianxia and traditional Chinese folklore, “妖” typically refers to supernatural beings or monsters that have gained sentience or power through cultivation, often deviating from natural laws. They are distinct from humans (人), immortals (仙), and demons (魔). ☜

3. In this instance, the raw is 魅 (mèi) which refers to malevolent phantoms or seductive spirits, often linked with illusion and charm. ☜