Chapter 11: Preparing to make money!

"Hahaha, Hu Hu Shidi, I will treat you as my own younger brother from now on."

Zhang Xu had a restrained and appropriate smile on his face, his words revealing closeness and importance.

He occasionally reached out and patted Hu Tian's slightly thin shoulder, saying a few gentle words like "practice diligently" and "if you have anything, just find me."

Every light pat, every instruction, made Hu Tian nod repeatedly in surprise, a smile of being flattered and almost grateful to tears blooming on his face.

That posture was clearly treating this newly promoted "top-tier bone structure" junior brother as his own possession, a newly accepted "little brother."

This scene fell into the eyes of other disciples arriving one after another, instantly stirring up bursts of whispers and complex gazes.

Some envied Hu Tian for hooking up with an inner-courtyard core disciple so quickly, some disdained such clinging behavior, and some secretly speculated about Zhang Xu's intentions.

Su Yan, who was about to step into the martial arts academy, naturally saw this quite "lively" scene at the gate.

She didn't stop her steps, just turned her beautiful eyes, and her gaze swept lightly between the excited Hu Tian and the composed Zhang Xu.

In those eyes that were usually bright and smiling, a trace of almost imperceptible pity flashed by.

"Already held by Zhang Xu, it seems there is no need to contact him."

She sighed in her heart, and the thought of contacting and observing that had arisen because of the other party's top-tier bone structure instantly cooled and dissipated.

People who were quickly conquered by Zhang Xu with "favors" and "importance" had their will already controlled, lost their independent value, and were no longer worth her Su family investing extra attention and resources.

She didn't look anymore, as if it were just an unimportant piece of scenery, walked straight past several outer-courtyard disciples who were whispering, and nodded slightly toward Jiang Ye by the door, revealing her usual faint smile:

"Old Jiang, morning."

Her voice was crisp, and her etiquette was complete.

After greeting, she turned lightly toward the inner courtyard, her lotus-green sleeves soon disappearing behind the screen wall, without stopping for the noise at the gate.

Zhang Xu swept his arrogant gaze over Su Yan's graceful yet decisive departing back, a trace of undisguised pride and mockery hooking at the corner of his mouth.

"Hmph, still want to fight with me for people?"

Zhang Xu sneered in his heart.

He retracted his gaze and landed again on Hu Tian, who was glowing with excitement because he had received "importance," the smile on his face deeper and more controlling.

A "loyal dog" with quite a bit of potential had successfully tied on a collar, which satisfied him very much.

Jiang Ye by the door only nodded slightly in response when Su Yan greeted him.

His seemingly aged gaze seemed to be looking in the direction Su Yan left, or perhaps just casting into the void.

He saw Su Yan's decisive abandonment and Zhang Xu's pride, but there were no ripples in his heart.

The attachment of youths, the wooing of aristocratic disciples, to him, were just another stroke of different colors on the daily scroll of this martial arts academy.

In his world, only the power hidden in the depths of his bone marrow, flowing slowly with the "tiger form true intent," and becoming increasingly majestic, was real and undeniable.

"Hu Hu Shidi! You're finally here! I've been waiting for you for a long time, let's practice fist techniques together!"

As soon as Hu Tian stepped into the outer courtyard, Lin Xiaohe's surprised and intimate voice sounded.

She walked up lightly, a bright smile on her face that was just right.

"Okay, Xu Xu Shijie Xiaohe."

Hu Tian agreed readily, with a smile on his face, completely different from the shy and cautious look of yesterday.

After the "eye-opener" of Zhang Xu's so-called "prosperity" of the county town last night, Hu Tian's mentality had undergone a subtle and rapid change.

He was no longer blushing and at a loss because of the girl's approach, but instead showed a kind of deliberate imitation, a slightly frivolous "ease."

In the gaps of practicing with Lin Xiaohe and correcting each other's movements, his fingers "inadvertently" brushed over her arm, and his shoulders "unintentionally" touched lightly.

Even when she demonstrated a certain turning movement, he took the opportunity to support her waist.

These contacts were more direct and bolder than yesterday, carrying a sense of testing.

This style of action caught Lin Xiaohe, who had taken the initiative to lean in, off guard.

She didn't expect that in just one night, this country boy had actually learned to be so... slippery.

She pulled back her delicate hand that had been held by the other party for a moment "accidentally," her fingertips curling slightly.

"Hu Hu Shidi... you seem to have grown up a lot overnight."

Lin Xiaohe looked up at him, her smile still sweet, but a trace of imperceptible assessment and vigilance flashed in the depths of her eyes.

She vaguely felt that this Hu Tian, who had undergone a night of "baptism," didn't seem as easy to fool and control as the honest Shi Lei before.

"Didn't Xu Xu Shijie teach me yesterday?"

Hu Tian smiled, not only not embarrassed by her pulling back her hand, but took a step further, his arm extremely naturally resting on Lin Xiaohe's weak shoulder, patting it lightly, and saying:

"Xu Xu Shijie said, fellow disciples don't need to be shy, we should take care of each other. I'm just listening to Xu Xu Shijie."

His words carried a bit of grinning, and his intimate actions had already exceeded the boundary that ordinary fellow disciples should have.

"Yes... yes... Xu Xu Shijie was right."

Facing Hu Tian's increasingly bold, and even carrying a bit of a dandy's intimate actions, Lin Xiaohe felt a mix of emotions in her heart.

What she was happy about was that the relationship with this "genius" junior brother seemed to have been rapidly pulled closer in another way, and the opportunity to tie onto this "big ship" with a promising future had increased by another point.

What she was worried about was that this Hu Tian seemed naive, but he wasn't as honest and easy to manipulate as Shi Lei.

If this continues, when his wings are full and his vision is wider, this fawning of hers might not necessarily bring the expected return, and it is even possible... to be easily discarded after losing its utility value.

Her smile remained unchanged, but her body stiffened slightly for an instant, then she forced herself to relax, letting that hand with the youth's body temperature rest on her shoulder, while her mind turned rapidly.

Afternoon.

Jiang Ye slowly drank the last drop of brown soup in the bowl.

The familiar warm current melted in his chest and abdomen, nourishing his tendons and blood, however...

He frowned imperceptibly.

As his strength continued to improve, he found that the nourishing effect of the Blood-Strengthening Soup was declining.

He calculated silently.

If he wanted to support his current deep cultivation of more than two hours every day, accompanied by the efficient transformation of "superb comprehension," and maintain the steady growth of Qi and blood without damaging the foundation...

"At least three bowls of Blood-Strengthening Soup are needed."

This conclusion made his heart sink.

What should he do?

He was just drinking a bowl of Blood-Strengthening Soup, and Huang Huang Xiyu already had quite a few complaints.

If he proposed wanting to drink three bowls, wouldn't the other party fight him to the death?

Although Liu Liu Qingshi remembered the old kindness and might agree.

But for a seventy-year-old gatekeeper to suddenly need such huge medicinal nourishment was itself extremely unreasonable and extremely easy to arouse suspicion.

"Ladder to Divinity" was his biggest reliance and also his trump card that must never be shown.

Before possessing enough self-protection power, any abnormality must be carefully concealed.

Spend his own money to buy supplements?

As soon as the thought arose, Jiang Ye gave a bitter smile in his heart.

"Sigh, if I had known, I wouldn't have refused the wages back then."

When Liu Liu Qingshi established himself in Anxi County, he had insisted on giving this old gatekeeper wages, as a reward and care.

But at that time, Jiang Ye was disheartened, feeling that having a bite to eat and a roof over his head in the martial arts academy was enough; for an old man like him, what was the use of money? So he refused again and again.

Thinking about it now, it was short-sighted.

In this world, without silver to pave the way, it is difficult to move an inch.

"It seems I have to find a way to make some money."

Jiang Ye lowered his eyes, his calculations growing cold.

In this world that isn't peaceful, if you want to be someone superior, eating bitterness won't work; you have to... eat people!

Making money is the same; eating bitterness certainly won't earn the money to buy supplements; you have to... eat people!

Killing and arson bring golden belts, while building bridges and repairing roads leave no corpses.

It has always been like this.

"Who should I take the first bite from..."

Jiang Ye was pondering.

A sound of footsteps that were slightly dragging, floating, yet carrying a stubborn and ruthless energy, came from near to far and stopped outside the martial arts academy gate.

Jiang Ye looked over.

The person who came was none other than Shi Lei, who had been missing for two days!

It's just that the youth was in a miserable state at this moment.

The new and old bruises on his face overlapped, the corners of his eyes were swollen almost into a slit, the corners of his mouth were broken, and there was a solidified blood scab on his chin. ===== CHAPTER 12 =====