"I also know him?"
Lin Zheyu was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't been in Songyi City for long, and he only knew a few people, none of whom he remembered practicing martial arts.
"Yeah."
"He's a regular at our teahouse, used to come here often to pass the time listening to stories."
"Ever since you started telling stories at our teahouse, I've almost seen him here every day."
"I've seen him laugh heartily while listening to stories, obviously enjoying the tales you tell," Wu Guanshi said.
"Would he be willing to teach me?"
Lin Zheyu asked nervously.
He had heard that many martial arts were passed down only to men, let alone to outsiders.
"Um, he should be willing."
"I've seen many people learning martial arts from him."
"Since he enjoys listening to you tell stories so much, he should also be willing to teach you a thing or two," Wu Guanshi said.
He didn't beat around the bush and continued, "This man's name is Liang Song, looks to be around fifty years old, and he's a cripple, often sitting in the window seat," Wu Yinghe said.
"Is he the one who's extremely generous with tips?!"
Lin Zheyu exclaimed.
He remembered this person because he was extremely generous with tips and was currently the top tipper.
But Liang Song looked ordinary and even limped, showing no signs of being exceptionally strong.
"Yes, that's him."
"Don't underestimate Liang Song just because he's lame."
"A few years ago, when someone in the teahouse harassed a woman, Liang Song didn't even look up. With a casual wave, the chopsticks pierced through the palms of three big men like sharp arrows."
Wu Guanshi sipped his tea.
"Awesome!"
Lin Zheyu exclaimed.
Without even looking up, being able to casually pierce the palms of three big men with chopsticks requires extremely keen perception and immense strength.
As they ate and chatted, time flew by.
It was time for storytelling.
In the past ten days, the stories Lin Zheyu told had spread among the customers through word of mouth and became more and more widely known.
With increasing fame, more and more young masters came to the teahouse to listen to him tell stories.
The young masters were much more generous with their tips.
Today, Lin Zheyu earned over three hundred wen, much more than before.
The hourly wage was still one hundred wen, but the tips reached over two hundred wen.
Mainly because when the story reached its climax, the customers excitedly tipped.
Seeing the enthusiastic tipping from the customers, what Lin Zheyu said ignited his passion, and he spoke for another ten minutes or so.
"Here, Liang Song is here today too."
Wu Yinghe pointed to Liang Song sitting alone by the window.
He was a man who looked to be in his fifties, with long, messy hair reaching his shoulders and a scruffy beard covering his face, looking unkempt.
After listening to the story, the man seemed to be in a good mood.
He drank a few glasses of wine, looked out the window, admired the scenery outside, and had a smile on his face.
Straightening his clothes, Lin Zheyu picked up a pot of wine and walked over.
The wine was called General's Tears, very famous.
Wu Guanshi said it was Liang Song's favorite drink.
"Master Liang, hello, I'm Lin Zheyu, the storyteller at the Jade Teahouse."
"This is a wine I brought, please try it."
Lin Zheyu poured wine for Liang Song and said politely,
Liang Song smiled at him but didn't speak, continuing to enjoy the scenery outside.
Lin Zheyu didn't interrupt Liang Song's enjoyment. After ordering a few small dishes for them, he silently accompanied him in admiring the view.
Right now, besides storytelling, he didn't have anything important to do.
After a long while, they had been admiring the scenery for over an hour. As the sky darkened, Liang Song finally spoke up.
"Go ahead, what's on your mind?"
Liang Song seemed to have had his fill of the scenery and turned to Lin Zheyu.
He raised his wine glass, took a sip, and felt the spicy sensation flow down his throat.
"Ah~" Liang Song let out a satisfied sigh, displaying a bold and unrestrained demeanor.
"I am Lin Zheyu, came here fleeing from Jiunan City, lost contact with my parents and relatives on the way, and now I'm alone in Songyi City without any support."
"Being alone and vulnerable outside makes it easy to be bullied. I heard that you are very skilled in martial arts, and I want to learn a martial art from you."
"Please, Master Liang, teach me!" Lin Zheyu poured wine for Liang Song and earnestly pleaded.
"Learning martial arts is very tough, much tougher than studying. You have a talent for literature, why not continue studying and strive for officialdom?" Liang Song said indifferently.
"With the great chaos looming, if you can't even protect yourself, how can you focus on gaining official titles?" Lin Zheyu shook his head.
Liang Song looked Lin Zheyu up and down, then shook his head slightly.
"I could teach you, but you're a bit old to start now. In the martial path, one must train the muscles, bones, and skin externally, and cultivate the inner strength."
"Training muscles, bones, and skin requires starting from a young age, with high demands on the body's foundation. It's necessary to soak in herbal baths from a young age, toughen the muscles and bones, and lay a solid foundation."
"As you grow older, your body's structure is set, and toughening the muscles and bones becomes much more difficult, posing a risk of injury if not careful."
"You're just starting to learn martial arts now, so it will be twice as difficult to achieve anything remarkable. Are you sure you want to learn?"
"It's okay, I'm not afraid of hardships, and I can endure a lot. As long as I can learn martial arts, it's worth it!" Lin Zheyu hastily said.
"I'm free anyway, so I might as well teach you."
"I really like the character Yan Chixia you talked about. In the future, talk more about such characters." Liang Song smiled and said.
"Okay, thank you, Master Liang!"
"From now on, I'll write a story especially for you!" Lin Zheyu was delighted.
With a wave of his hand, he called the waiter over and ordered a few more dishes.
"After we're done talking, hurry up and leave. Don't bother me here, find me at 33 Jindong Street tomorrow morning."
Liang Song seemed to be shooing Lin Zheyu away like a fly.
"Okay, I won't disturb Master Liang's enjoyment. Please enjoy!" Lin Zheyu got up.
Turning around excitedly, he clenched his fist, his face beaming with joy.
Things went smoother than he had imagined. Master Liang agreed directly, without even mentioning money.
But come to think of it, he often tipped generously to Lin Zheyu, tipping over 20 wen each time, so he shouldn't lack money.
...
On the way back, Lin Zheyu bought some meat and vegetables to nourish his body.
Before, when he lived in the Baishan District, he didn't dare to buy too much meat and vegetables, afraid of attracting unwanted attention.
This time, Lin Zheyu bought half a catty of pork belly and planned to stew it for a meal. He hadn't had stewed meat in a long time.
Slurp~
Early in the morning.
As the sky began to brighten, Lin Zheyu woke up early.
After moving to the new house, the neighbor's rooster had a hoarse and unpleasant crow, not as clear as other roosters, which made him quite uncomfortable to listen to.
After freshening up, he had a hearty meal of stewed meat and porridge prepared from last night.
Today, he would start learning martial arts, so he needed to ensure his body was well-nourished.
Having experienced hunger and exposure, his body was extremely weak, almost skin and bones.
In the past ten days, he earned quite a bit from storytelling and was willing to spend money on food. His body had recovered somewhat.
But he still felt weak; he had to stop and rest after running a few miles.
Wearing a set of suitable exercise clothes and tying up his long hair, Lin Zheyu looked exceptionally capable, with a little less of the scholar's demeanor he usually had.
As he stepped out, there were already many pedestrians on the road.
Because there weren't many entertainment activities, people in this world went to bed and got up early.
Lin Zheyu was a bit uncomfortable at first, but after a few days, he found it too boring and went to bed early every night.
In his previous life, he used to suffer from insomnia at night and feel sleepy during the day, but that habit had disappeared.
He developed a habit of going to bed and getting up early.