"Great!"
"Fantastic!"
As the three men finished reading, they couldn't help but praise.
"Good, I, Fu Jingyun, agree," the man on the left said first.
"I, Jing Haifeng, too."
"And me, Guan Yihan!"
The three men spoke eagerly. With their years of storytelling experience, they could tell that this story would definitely be a hit, and they would surely receive generous tips from the audience.
The story was captivating, thrilling and had engaging plot twists that gripped the audience's attention!
Although the story would be told by others once it spreads, as the first group of storytellers to tell it, they would attract much more attention, audience, and tips.
Old stories, while still attracting listeners, would not get as much tips. Most people already knew the outcome of the story, so listening was just a way for them to pass time.
New stories, on the other hand, were different. Engaging stories that captured the audience's imagination would motivate them to tip in anticipation of hearing the rest of the story.
"In that case, I welcome you gentlemen to join me. You can also recommend other storytelling scholars to come to me. For every successful recommendation, I can give you 30 wen," Lin Zheyu said with a smile as he accepted the coins from the three men.
In this way, Lin Zheyu would earn an additional 240 wen per day. If he get more buyers, his income would be even better.
...
In a corner of Songyi City:
"Mr. Xiao Lin has started a new story, it's about warriors, so exciting!"
"A crude story about martial artists? What could be exciting about that?"
"Yeah, I still prefer scholar stories, with all kinds of thrilling romantic encounters. Just thinking about it gets me excited."
A slightly sleazy-looking man chimed in.
"What's the point of those? Wars and bloodshed, fist fights to the death, roaring for justice and fighting injustice. That's the life a real man should lead."
"..."
"Zhou, what are they talking about? Why can't I understand?" asked the skinny monkey sitting nearby, puzzled.
He had come from the Baishan District to find work in the inner city.
"They're talking about Mr Lin from the Bidan Teahouse."
"Mr Lin is the most recent storyteller to emerge in Songyi City. His stories are so exciting that discussions can be heard everywhere, from the streets to the alleys."
"I also like listening to his stories, but unfortunately, I have to work to earn money and can't go often."
Zhou Weicheng smiled. He was also a fan of Lin Zheyu's storytelling.
"Storyteller? Mr Lin?" the skinny monkey asked curiously, "What's the full name of this Mr Lin?"
"It seems to be Lin Zheyu, a young scholar."
"Lin Zheyu!"
The skinny monkey's eyes lit up.
...
The sky darkened as night fell.
The setting sun sank below the horizon, leaving only a few lingering rays.
Baishan District.
In the usual place, several ruffians lounged around, chatting and bragging.
"Yu Ge, guess who I ran into in the city today?" the skinny monkey arrived at the usual place and excitedly told Gao Yu.
Bam!
Gao Yu casually threw a punch.
"Get to the point."
"Okay, okay."
The skinny monkey rubbed his head, feeling the pain.
Gao Yu's strength was too great; a single punch hurt.
"Aren't you working as a porter in the city? What, did you meet an old lover in the Baihua Tower?" teased another companion.
"Do you have money for me?"
"It's been so long since I went to the Baihua Tower. Thinking about that feeling, the tender, water-like skin, the silky touch, it's truly enchanting."
The skinny monkey reminisced with half-closed eyes.
The girls in the Baihua Tower were much younger than the village girls, and their skills were diverse. Playing with them was truly enjoyable.
Bam!
Gao Yu threw another punch impatiently. "Are you going to talk or not? Stop beating around the bush."
"Ouch!"
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts... Brother, go easy on me; I am going to turn dumb if you continue punching."
The skinny monkey complained, then quickly elaborated as Gao Yu gave him a sideways glance, "I met Lin Zheyu in the city!"
"Lin Zheyu?"
"Is it that guy who avoided us the other day?"
"Havent seen him for a while, I thought he died in some unknown corner," the man with wild grass in his mouth chuckled.
In this era, death was common, especially for someone like Lin Zheyu, who had fled from another city and had no one to rely on.
Walking alone on deserted streets and being captured and sold as slaves was a common occurrence.
"Right, it's him."
"That kid said before that he would become a storytelling scholar in the city, and I found out it's true."
"But we've been deceived."
"He's become popular in Songyi City. There's a constant stream of people going to listen to him tell stories every day, and he reportedly receives more than two hundred wen in tips alone each day."
The skinny monkey said in amazement.
He didn't expect storytelling to be such a lucrative profession.
If someone else earned money, he wouldn't feel much, as he didn't know them. But the fact that it was the previously destitute and fleeing scholar whom they had looked down upon made the skinny monkey couldn't help but feel jealous.
"So much money!"
Gao Yu was shocked. And that was just in tips; his actual earnings hadn't been calculated yet.
He worked hard doing laborious work every day, and that weakling could earn so much more?
Enough is enough!
"Yu Ge, I've secretly inquired. Lin Zheyu is living alone now, renting a small courtyard in the inner city, in a quite remote location."
"Do we pay him a visit?"
The skinny monkey said with a sly look.
How much could they earn from their legitimate jobs?
These thugs' legitimate work was just a side job; stealing and robbing was their main occupation.
"The inner city is heavily guarded. If we get caught..."
Another companion hesitated.
"What's there to fear? Worst case scenario, we'll get locked up for a while. It's not like we haven't been there before," the skinny monkey scoffed.
He was a regular at the prison.
Everyone in there was talented, articulate, and skilled in various rare techniques. He had learned many skills from the people inside.
Going in once was like attending a training session.
"That's settled then. Let's go over tonight and give him a scare. This guy is so cowardly, all alone in Songyi City with no one to stand up for him. Are we supposed to be afraid of him?"
Gao Yu grinned.
...
Having sold some stories to the three storytelling scholars, Lin Zheyu returned home contentedly.
Once his team of storytellers grew stronger, he just needed to sit back and collect money.
[The Way of Heaven Rewards Diligence]
Name: Lin Zheyu
Source Power: 2
Skills:
- Barbaric Bull Fist (Entry Level 46%)
"A few days have passed, and there's been no progress."
"After reaching the entry level, it'll take one or two years to reach mastery."
"Normal cultivation takes about ten days to increase by one percent, which is quite slow."
Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his consciousness and muttered to himself.
After a few days, his depleted energy and blood had been replenished, and his vitality had reached its peak. It was time to break through his limits.
Although he couldn't use source power to enhance it temporarily due to lack of money to buy supplements, it never hurts to accumulate more source power.
Stripping off his clothes, Lin Zheyu began practicing the Barbaric Bull Fist in the courtyard.
His fists pounded on the wooden stakes, emitting dull thumping sounds.
With each punch, his muscles swelled, and each strike burst with the greatest force.
Beneath his slender frame lay immense power.