Chapter 17: Settlement

"How do we trade?" someone asked.

Zhou Yang smiled, "You get three bowls of meat with your three daily meals. Sell them to us, and we'll give you ten wen a day. If you sell three months' worth all at once, that's one silver tael directly."

"For the Body-Strengthening Soup worth one silver tael, I'll pay six hundred wen. If you sell three months' worth together, I'll give you two taels."

Some showed signs of being moved; a few were swayed by Zhou Yang.

Since failure was inevitable, why not use these things to trade for money?

"What about you, Junior Brother Xu?" Zhou Yang looked at Xu Yang beside him.

Xu Yang remained unmoved: "Sorry, I still want to practice martial arts."

After saying so much, it turned out he just wanted to buy their things at a low price. Of course, what Zhou Yang said was likely true as well.

But he was different; he had the Martial Dao Longevity Panel.

"Don't think I'm trying to trick you. If you don't believe me, ask Senior Brother Sun Tao when he comes tomorrow, or go ask Master Lin. Except for Lu Ren, it's truly impossible for you to succeed. Trading resources for money is the wise choice," Zhou Yang said.

He did indeed want to buy the meat and Body-Strengthening Soup from Xu Yang and the others at a low price, but everything he said was the truth, without a shred of a lie.

In his view, apart from Lu Ren, Xu Yang and the others—including Zhang Yong, who had Grade C-plus innate talent—could not possibly become martial artists.

"Senior Brother Zhou, ask someone else. I don't have that intention for now."

Having rested enough, Xu Yang stood up and left directly.

Seeing that Xu Yang wasn't playing along, Zhou Yuan's expression turned somewhat gloomy, but he still said: "If Junior Brother Xu changes your mind, you can come find our brothers at any time."

He hadn't expected Xu Yang to agree right away; after all, it was only the first day of martial arts training, and he was still dreaming of becoming a martial artist. Once he got battered and bruised in a few days, he would naturally change his mind.

In the blink of an eye, an afternoon passed quickly. Through the continuous cycle of repeated cultivation and rest, Xu Yang didn't even know how much sweat he had shed.

He only remembered that the water he drank amounted to at least ten jin, and his body was now sticky.

Of course, the results were gratifying. His cultivation of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance had progressed from only being able to hold it for two or three minutes at the start to about five minutes now, and many parts could now be linked together.

At this moment, his legs were trembling as if he had been run over a dozen times. He barely dragged his exhausted body to the bathhouse to wash off the sweat, and it was already time for dinner.

He ate this meal with more relish and in greater quantity than the one at noon.

Wisps of warmth radiated from his stomach, spreading to his limbs and bones, and the exhaustion on Xu Yang's body gradually dissipated.

The people sitting together didn't speak; everyone was exhausted. Even Lu Ren showed signs of fatigue, and Luo Dehu, who usually jumped around, was like a frost-bitten eggplant, also not wanting to talk.

To his surprise, even though the Zhou brothers had talked a blue streak earlier, he noticed that no one sold their food during dinner.

"Perhaps they are afraid of the Huang family holding them accountable."

The price offered by the Zhou brothers wasn't low, but everyone could resist the temptation; the fundamental reason was likely the Huang family.

After resting a while longer, everyone had regained some strength and stood up together to leave the dining hall.

Although there had been unpleasantness at noon, their actions remained unified; they entered and left together.

Even the five people who didn't have a share of the Body-Strengthening Soup accompanied the five of them to the medicine hall to drink their soup before everyone left the Weiyuan Hall together.

Stepping out of Weiyuan Hall, the sky had already turned dark.

"It truly lives up to being a Body-Strengthening Soup worth one silver tael for three bowls; the effect is indeed astonishing."

At this moment, the effect of the soup began to take hold. Xu Yang only felt his body heating up, sweat pouring out, and his skin turning crimson.

Along the way, the number of people dwindled. After leaving the city, it turned out that only the youth named Qian Jiaxing and he lived outside the city; the rest all lived within the city.

The two walked for a while longer, then Qian Jiaxing headed in another direction, and they parted ways.

By the time Xu Yang returned to Bai Shi Ward, there was little light left in the world. The wilderness was silent, not even a dog barking.

After all, most people couldn't even feed themselves, so how could they keep a dog?

Pushing open the door, Xu Qing darted over in a flash, asking eagerly: "How was it, Brother? Were you selected?"

As she spoke, her voice was actually trembling slightly.

Only she knew how much suffering Xu Yang had endured over the past half-year to practice martial arts; because of mining, the blood blisters on his hands had never ceased.

If he hadn't been selected, she dared not imagine how desperate Xu Yang would be.

Xu Yang rubbed the little girl's head and nodded heavily: "I was selected. My innate talent is still ranked in the third tier, and I've already practiced martial arts at Weiyuan Hall for a day."

"Ah... you were selected, that's great!"

Xu Qing screamed in excitement, her cry piercing the night.

"Keep it down!" Xu Yang was startled and rubbed the little girl's head again.

The little girl restrained herself a bit, but her emotions were still high: "When you become a martial artist, you'll outshine that annoying brat Yang Jun. Then we'll make Xu Laoer regret it so much his guts turn green, and we won't pay him any mind..."

"Hmm!"

Xu Yang nodded heavily: "Go eat your meal. You don't need to wait for me in the future; I'll be eating all three meals at Weiyuan Hall from now on."

Xu Qing nodded, picked up her bowl, and began to eat.

Xu Yang sat down, thought for a moment, and said: "Don't tell outsiders that I've started practicing martial arts for now. If anyone asks, just say I've gone into the city to work."

There were two possibilities for revealing that he had started practicing martial arts: one was to act as a deterrent to Li Hu, so Li Hu would no longer target Xu Qing.

Of course, there was also the possibility that Li Hu would worry about him taking revenge after becoming a martial artist and nip him in the bud.

Don't let the polite talk from earlier fool you; in the Bai Shi Ward area, if given the chance, no one wouldn't want to kill the people from the Sanhe Gang.

The Sanhe Gang defecated and urinated on everyone's heads, and one-fifth of the money earned in a year was scraped away by them; everyone hated the Sanhe Gang to the bone.

Therefore, the best method was to keep a low profile first and wait until he had achieved success in his martial arts training.

"Hmm!"

Xu Qing didn't understand these things, but she would never disobey Xu Yang's words.

At the fifth watch, Xu Yang woke up.

He didn't have the muscle soreness from the previous day's excessive labor at the mine; instead, he felt comfortable all over, full of energy, and his strength seemed to have increased by a few points.

At first glance, Xu Yang looked at the Martial Dao Longevity Panel.

【Martial Dao Longevity Points: 52】

"So many points!"

Yesterday, he participated in the selection at the Huang family, learned the Turtle-Snake Great Stance at Weiyuan Hall, and practiced desperately for a day. The point reward exceeded his imagination; it actually settled fifty points for him.

In the past, it would have taken him nearly two months to earn this many points.

His previous speculation was not wrong; only by practicing martial arts could the panel be truly utilized.

Of course, because he did many things yesterday that were beneficial to martial dao longevity, he received so many points at once. He shouldn't receive this many in the future unless he acquires a new cultivation method or does other things beneficial to martial dao longevity.

"Others have a one-in-ten chance of becoming a martial artist, but I am destined to become one."

Such a large point reward gave Xu Yang great confidence.

He climbed out of bed, ate the leftovers Xu Qing had left from yesterday to relieve his hunger, and sat on the stool to summon the panel again:

【Comprehension: 21】

【Innate Talent: 22】

【Cultivation Base: None】

【Cultivation Method: Turtle-Snake Great Stance · Not Yet Entered (0/5)】

【Skill: Mining lv. 3 (283/400)】

【Remaining Lifespan: 57】

【Martial Dao Longevity Points: 52】 ===== CHAPTER 18 =====