Chapter 10: Buying Medicine, Bullying the Newcomer

"Good stuff, it's just a pity it's only issued every seven days, and there can't be any more."

Three days later, Zhou You peeled off the medicinal plaster; the skin underneath was clean and dry, the ointment having long since been fully absorbed.

This Tiger Bone Plaster, besides adding +1 to all three of his attributes, had also allowed him to raise his Imperial Strike Hand and Square-Circle Step to lv4, adding +60 to his attributes.

His current Experience Points had broken through the 100-point threshold, making him wealthier than ever before.

However, the ointment had also been absorbed completely, rendering it thoroughly useless.

It's not enough, it's completely not enough!

Zhou You was still one Tiger Bone Plaster short of breaking through 7 points in Strength, Speed, and Defense.

Although the effect of the ointment dropped significantly after the first application, no one would complain about having more free benefits.

"Right, Fang Guiqi's ointment is sold privately; since it has to be sold to someone anyway, it might as well be sold to me for cheap."

Zhou You recalled that Song Fugui had once mentioned this matter.

He still had 25 taels of silver on hand; after deducting next month's tuition, he would have 5 taels left, enough to buy one Tiger Bone Plaster.

5 taels of silver was the market price for an Outer Court Apprentice selling the ointment.

He was returning to the dormitory from the martial arts practice field, and just as he reached the entrance, he heard the sounds of a heated argument.

"Fang Guiqi, you're an outsider, don't be ungrateful."

"Everyone knows you're secretly selling Tiger Bone Plaster, and we've been kind enough to cover for you. If the Big Senior Brother finds out, he will definitely deal with you according to the martial arts hall's rules and expel you."

"I'm talking to you nicely and offering to buy your Tiger Bone Plaster at a high price; 3 taels of silver is not a small amount."

This voice belonged to Zhang Shu, the one who was the most diligent at sucking up to Li Hao.

His tone was very stern, filled with threats and coercion.

Fang Guiqi's voice immediately rang out, "Not for sale, get out."

No matter how the other party threatened him, he never gave in, appearing extremely reticent.

Zhou You didn't know much about this roommate, only that on the road of fleeing from Su Cheng, his family had all perished, he harbored a deep Sea of Blood vendetta, and his personality was rather withdrawn, so he didn't have much contact even with the other three roommates.

In the Outer Courtyard of the martial arts hall, he was almost like a transparent person, with no friends to speak of.

Zhang Shu choosing to buy Tiger Bone Plaster from him was also a case of picking the softest persimmon to squeeze.

"Don't get cocky. When the three-month period is up, if you can't train any internal force and get expelled from the martial arts hall, I have plenty of ways to deal with you."

Fang Guiqi kept repeating the same thing, his only response being one sentence: not for sale.

Bang, the door was slammed shut heavily, and Zhang Shu walked out in a huff.

The two had a big argument and parted on bad terms.

When Zhang Shu stepped out, he saw Zhou You, and his eyes lit up, "Zhou You, you're back just in time, I have something to ask you."

Zhou You thought to himself that it definitely wasn't anything good.

A moment later...

"What, you want to buy my next Tiger Bone Plaster?"

Facing Zhou You's questioning, Zhang Shu nodded earnestly, "That's right."

"3 taels of silver to buy your Tiger Bone Plaster, that's generous enough, right!"

Generous my foot, do you think I don't know the market price?

"I'm a bit short on cash lately and don't have the ready money. How about this, you give me the Tiger Bone Plaster first, and I'll pay you when I have more funds."

Zhou You crossed his arms and sneered incessantly; trying to get something for nothing, you really have some nerve.

He refused flatly, "Sorry, I need the Tiger Bone Plaster too, not for sale."

Zhang Shu's expression sank on the spot, "Zhou You, with your aptitude, you won't make anything of yourself in three months."

"Do you know how many people I know in the Outer Courtyard? I even have connections in the Inner Courtyard; even the Big Senior Brother nods to me when he sees me."

"If you provoke me, do you not want to live anymore?"

So he had switched from begging to outright robbery.

Zhou You raised his hands and rubbed them, "Zhang Shu, you really think you're something special."

This guy bullied the weak and feared the strong; he was a total lowlife.

If he wasn't dealt with thoroughly, he would keep coming to harass him in the future.

Forget the Tiger Bone Plaster, he wouldn't even get a fart.

"Fine, fine, I'll let you newcomer know the power of the Tiger-Subduing Fist."

Zhang Shu was full of confidence; he had been in the Outer Courtyard for two months, and his Tiger-Subduing Fist had reached a certain level of proficiency.

Dealing with a novice, wasn't that just a piece of cake?

"Your sparring partner Song Fugui is just a piece of trash; what could you possibly learn by following him?"

"Today I'll let you know how powerful your grandpa is!"

Zhang Shu bent his lower limbs into the posture of a Hungry Tiger pouncing on its prey, and both hands struck out simultaneously from left and right, kicking up dust on the flat ground.

The momentum of the Tiger-Subduing Fist was imposing, and the moment he struck, he aimed for vital points, which could be described as fierce and unparalleled.

He intended to teach Zhou You a lesson and didn't hold back, striking directly toward his throat.

The throat was one of the human body's weak points; if hit, even if it didn't kill, it would cause symptoms like fainting or loss of voice.

"Haha, I forgot to tell you, sparring between martial arts hall apprentices allows for injuries and deaths."

"If I cripple you today, even the Big Senior Brother can't punish me."

A cruel look appeared on Zhang Shu's face, and as he swung his fists, he was about to hit Zhou You's throat.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and his target had lost its trace.

Zhang Shu's expression was as if he had seen a ghost; the footwork just now seemed to be... Square-Circle Step.

That's right, the footwork Zhou You used to dodge was exactly the lv4-level skill, Square-Circle Step.

With dust beneath his feet, he dodged the opponent's fierce attack like a wisp of smoke.

"Hit."

Zhou You flashed behind Zhang Shu, and his Imperial Striking Hand struck out, landing squarely on the opponent's lower back.

6 points of strength gathered on the surface of his fist, not a bit leaking out, all of it blasted into Zhang Shu's body.

Zhang Shu collapsed to the ground on the spot, his kidneys aching as if they were about to shatter; before he could even cry out in pain, he felt a sense of suffocation in his chest.

It turned out that Zhou You had raised his foot to step on his chest and reached out to deliver three slaps, back and forth.

"Bullying a newcomer, are you? Is a dog thing like you even worthy?"

The bigger the talk, the more miserable the loss; Zhang Shu's face was swollen from the slaps, and two streams of nosebleed sprayed out, looking utterly wretched.

He still wanted to spout threats, deliberately raising his voice to attract other Apprentices over, but Zhou You grabbed him by the neck.

His mouth was full of muffled noises, yet he couldn't even utter half a word.

Zhou You reached into his bosom and felt a few hard objects, confirming they were indeed silver.

"You said you had no money! This silver definitely isn't yours anymore; I'll graciously accept it."

He pulled the silver out; the scattered pieces added up to more than 10 taels.

Having money but not using it, while still thinking about freeloading—this character is truly a villain, and he deserves to be taught a lesson.

"Get lost, don't let me see you again."

Zhou You flung Zhang Shu away; the opponent hit the wall and slowly slid down to the ground.

The plan to purchase Tiger Bone Paste had fallen through.

Fang Guiqi's attitude was firm; there was no room for negotiation regarding the Tiger Bone Paste.

It seems the rumors must be inaccurate; his Tiger Bone Paste is definitely not as simple as being sold privately.

But it was not without gains.

After teaching Zhang Shu a lesson and looting a fair amount of silver, he now had 40 taels on him, just enough for two months of tuition.

Now that he didn't have to worry about tuition, what remained was to practice the fist martial arts and reach the entry level as soon as possible.

"If it really doesn't work, I'll spend Experience Points to add points, even though the loss ratio is 10:1."

The further one gets with the Tiger Subduing Fist, the higher the requirements for attributes like strength; it isn't something that a mere 1 or 2 points can satisfy.

It is conceivable that if one were to upgrade to lv9 or lv10, the Experience Points required would be at least in the hundreds.

In this way, the Experience Points gained from diligent daily practice would not be enough.