Realm-Hopping Martial Master

One call of Brother Luo, everything else had changed.

Luo Yongcheng looked up at Jiang Shu, his gaze seeming a little blank. He vaguely remembered, in Jiang Shu's first month at the martial arts school, Jiang Shu had once tried to discreetly ask him about some things regarding the inner city of Pingling County.

He had answered every question, and their interactions had been comfortable and harmonious.

Unknowingly, Jiang Shu's way of addressing him had changed from Brother Luo to Brother Luo (in a more casual tone).

*How did it end up like this, all of a sudden?*

"Next round."

The maid didn't care about Luo Yongcheng's thoughts, she walked around him to the center of the plaza and loudly called out the names of the apprentices for the next sparring round.

Jiang Shu cupped his fists and stepped off the field, and a translucent panel appeared in his mind, showing:

Jiang Shu—

Da Jing Dynasty Language/Writing, small success (20/1000)

Horse Stance, Great Success (400/1000)

Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance, small success (985/1000)

Hungry Tiger Breathing Technique, small success (985/1000)

Tiger Form Three Styles, small success (850/1000)

During the first sparring bout, when he noticed that Old Qiu placed extreme importance on the apprentices' fist and kick techniques, Jiang Shu had decided to slow down his cultivation progress in stance work and breathing exercises, and first push his proficiency in the Tiger Form Three Styles.

On the field, the figures of the two apprentices,

Off the field, Old Qiu sat reclined in a lounge chair, his eyelids occasionally lifting as he looked sidewise at the apprentices sparring.

Jiang Shu took all of this in with his eyes.

There were only three or five days left before he achieved Great Success in the Three Core Methods for Practice, Nourishment, and Combat, and soon, he would be able to confirm the hypothesis in his mind.

"Brother Jiang, you, that was way too fierce!"

The chubby Zhou Yang was left utterly stunned. At this moment, he was completely certain. Jiang Shu definitely had far more talent than Han Dali.

Even though Han Dali was still studying martial arts at the school, and his own family's restaurant supplied him with three pounds of meat every day, Han Dali could never, in just two months, defeat Luo Yongcheng.

What's more, Jiang Shu had won so easily.

*With martial arts talent like this, how could he not become an official disciple?*

Zhou Yang's gaze was full of envy. Though he was young, he saw things more clearly than many of the older apprentices. Never mind how, inside the Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School, everyone called each other Brother this and Brother that.

*In truth, it was all just self-flattery. Once they left the Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School, who would actually care about those practice uniforms they wore?*

Only if you caught Old Qiu's eye and became an official disciple did you truly count as a member of the Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School.

Official disciple.

Outside, you had the Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School behind you, and a Bone Forging Realm master, Old Qiu, backing you up.

Inside, you gained training resources better than mere meat—Hungry Tiger Secret Medicine.

As for them, the apprentices, in Old Qiu's eyes, maybe they were just tools to hand over ten taels of silver every month.

"Brother Jiang, how about coming to our restaurant as a guest on our rolls? We'll pay you the same rate as martial artists," Zhou Yang made a quiet decision, and tried to suggest, still smiling but now looking a lot more serious.

"Could you stop making such a fuss, and talk less? No one's going to treat you like a mute if you stay quiet."

Jiang Shu looked at Zhou Yang and replied, "House retainer? Forget it. I don't have that much time to spend at your restaurant. But, we could talk some business. Zhou Yang, what's your restaurant's best-selling dish?"

"Dish? That's hard for me to say, actually. Why not wait until Old Qiu finishes giving pointers, and you, Brother Jiang, give us the honor of visiting our restaurant? I'll have the head chef put out a full table of signature dishes."

Even though he didn't know what Jiang Shu meant by talking business, in Zhou Yang's view, as long as he got close with Jiang Shu, their family restaurant could do business through him—even if it lost a little money, it was still worth it!

After all, once Jiang Shu became an official disciple,

His status would rise with the tide. By then, the Zhou Family might not even make the list; plenty of businesses in the inner city would line up, hoping to get Jiang Shu on their roster and gain his protection.

"Alright."

He nodded, but Jiang Shu's mind kept spinning.

It had already been half a year since he came to Pingling County.

*He hadn't given up on making money.*

*It was just that every money-making avenue, in the outer city, was entangled with the gangs; in the inner city, it was all big families.*

*Without enough strength or status, doing business by force could maybe earn him a small living, but one day, he might end up with nothing at all.*

But in a few more days, he should become an official disciple.

*Then, the matter of earning money could finally go on the agenda.*

Meat and medicinal herbs were martial arts resources, definitely monopolized by the wealthy families.

As long as he avoided those two and just supplied some salt and MSG, some condiments to make the dishes at the restaurant taste better, it shouldn't touch on the big families' interests too much.

With the martial arts school behind him, making a little side money shouldn't be a big problem.

*His parents had supported his martial arts studies for so long, it was time he returned the favor.*

On the plaza, the sparring ended.

After some final pointers, Old Qiu went back to his room to rest.

After drinking the secret medicine meat soup, Jiang Shu took up his stance and began breathing practice, rapidly digesting it. After an hour and a half had passed, his stomach started rumbling low. Only then did he end his stance and stand up, looking at Zhou Yang, who had long since stopped to rest, and said, "Let's go."

"Alrighty."

Zhou Yang got up from the ground, and as the two of them turned to go, a voice suddenly called out from behind them,

"Jiang Shu."

"What is it?"

Jiang Shu paused his steps but didn't turn around; just from the voice, he could tell it was Luo Yongcheng.

*As far as Luo Yongcheng was concerned, Jiang Shu felt he had already done more than enough. When he offered to give Old Qiu the secret recipe for the blood-nourishing medicinal meal as a gift of thanks to his master, it meant he needed to join the game.*

After all, Luo Yongcheng was not an official disciple.

*Just a lowly apprentice, and one Old Qiu didn't even seem to like. Even if he handed over the recipe, so what? The only thing waiting for him might be Old Qiu's rejection.*

*If he wanted to offer the recipe,*

*He would have to wait until Jiang Shu became an official disciple and could give it in that capacity!*

"I... I want to fight you again!"

Luo Yongcheng stared hard at Jiang Shu's back. He couldn't even say what emotions he was feeling anymore.

*Was it frustration? Or resentment?*

*After the sparring ended, he couldn't concentrate on keeping the Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance, couldn't focus on the Hungry Tiger Breathing Technique—he kept thinking about why he had lost.*

*Jiang Shu had only practiced Qi Blood Transport.*

*He wasn't born especially strong, his strength was about the same as his own—as long as he didn't make mistakes, there was no reason to lose!*

*He'd sparred over a dozen times, he was more experienced!*

*He must have just been too impatient, and that's how Jiang Shu caught his opening.*

*Time left for him was too short, the Hungry Tiger Secret Medicine, he couldn't afford to lose a single share!*

"Let's bet—if you lose, give me your share of the Hungry Tiger Secret Medicine. If you win..."

"Not interested."

Before Luo Yongcheng could even finish, Jiang Shu turned his head, his voice cold.

*What could Luo Yongcheng even bet with him?*

*The only thing he had was the blood-nourishing medicinal meal recipe.*

*The recipe was certainly good, but it wasn't something he could even touch right now.*

*Betting with a hot potato, against him?*

*If he won, what would he even get out of it?*

*Was he really going to get rich off the blood-nourishing medicinal meal?*

Jiang Shu's look toward Luo Yongcheng grew colder and colder, and in the end he said nothing more. He simply turned to Zhou Yang, and softly said,

"Let's go."