Qinghe County, Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
"Junior Brother Bai, this Drunken Immortal Pavilion's Immortal's Intoxication is the best in all of Qinghe County. Let's drink our fill tonight!"
Liu Qingshan raised a jug of wine and took a large gulp, the liquor quickly soaking the front of his robes.
Bai Yuan drank much more elegantly.
It wasn't that he couldn't hold his liquor, but that the wine was simply too expensive for him to afford.
A single jug of Immortal's Intoxication cost five large copper coins. It was practically robbery.
Bai Yuan had only heard from Zhuang Zhao that the wine at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was pretty good; he had no idea it was this expensive.
He felt his heart bleed as he watched Liu Qingshan down one jug after another.
"Senior Brother Liu, what stage of Body Refining have you reached?"
Bai Yuan had to change the subject. If Liu Qingshan kept drinking like this, he'd be bankrupt soon.
Liu Qingshan was already mostly drunk.
"The Skin Grinding Barrier, of course. Almost all Outer Disciples are at the Skin Grinding Barrier. If we'd reached the Bone Forging Pass, we would have been in the Inner Courtyard long ago. Who would still be hanging around the Outer Courtyard?"
The Huwei Arts Hall was divided into an Inner and an Outer Courtyard.
Only those who entered the Outer Courtyard were qualified to call themselves disciples of the hall, but the difference in treatment between Inner and Outer Courtyard Disciples was like heaven and earth.
Although the Outer Disciples weren't assigned chores, many still had to take on missions to make a living, like Liu Chu, for example.
Only a few, like Liu Qingshan, who came from wealthy families, could focus solely on their martial arts training.
But the Inner Courtyard Disciples were completely different. They received a monthly stipend of three taels of silver and were even personally taught by the Hall Master, Xue Gui. They were on a completely different level from the Outer Disciples.
The number of Inner Courtyard Disciples was extremely small—only thirteen.
As for True Disciples... there were only four.
Liu Qingshan, having found a topic he liked, became quite talkative.
"Once we become Outer Disciples, we can affiliate ourselves with outside factions. The most sought-after positions are, of course, with Escort Agencies and restaurants. You can earn two taels of snowflake silver a month without having to do much fighting."
"Junior Brother Bai, you'll be an Outer Disciple sooner or later. It's something you can start thinking about now."
"My old man is always nagging me to hire some of my martial brothers to help out. Since we're all brothers, the pay naturally can't be low—three taels a month."
...
Liu Qingshan talked a lot. Having grown up in Qinghe County, he knew the city inside and out. He shared many interesting stories about the town, and very naturally slipped in his family's offer without making Bai Yuan feel uncomfortable.
Bai Yuan's eyes lit up.
He was desperately short on money. Three taels a month would be a huge improvement for the Bai Family's life; they could even move into the city.
However, he had seen plenty of these "affiliation" arrangements in his past life, and knew the biggest taboo was getting entangled in someone else's troubles.
In Qinghe County, it could even cost you your life.
Liu Qingshan didn't press Bai Yuan for an immediate answer. Doing so would only waste the goodwill he had built up.
He drank two more jugs of Immortal's Intoxication and passed out completely.
Bai Yuan was about to carry him out when two waiters from the restaurant came over.
"Young master, leave it to us."
The two waiters skillfully lifted Liu Qingshan onto an exquisite stretcher.
Evidently, this wasn't the first time Liu Qingshan had gotten drunk at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
Bai Yuan asked tentatively, "How much is the bill?"
Liu Qingshan had ordered a huge spread of dishes and several jugs of Immortal's Intoxication. The price was bound to be steep.
One of the young waiters shook his head. "Young Master Liu has already paid."
A local clan like the Liu Family of Baisha Town was in no way inferior to the small families in the city—in fact, they were often even wealthier. Yet, they were frequently looked down upon because of their provincial origins.
Since he already owed Liu Qingshan a favor, owing him a few more taels of silver was of no consequence.
Liu Qingshan had been drinking the whole time, so the food on their table was almost untouched.
Bai Yuan asked the waiter for two food containers and packed the dishes one by one.
The cost of the containers, of course, was also put on Liu Qingshan's tab.
The night wind was slightly cool.
The moment Bai Yuan stepped out of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, the effects of the alcohol mostly dissipated.
An hour later, he was back in the small wooden cabin in Baisha Town.
Xiao Qiaoniang was sitting by the window, quietly watching the flickering flame of the lamp.
With Liu Qingshan having stepped in, there weren't many in Baisha Town who dared to provoke the Bai Family anymore. To do so would mean suffering the same fate as Lame Yang.
Lame Yang's lackeys had already been dealt with by the Liu Family of Baisha Town. They would never bother Xiao Qiaoniang's life again.
"Uncle, you've been drinking?"
Xiao Qiaoniang caught the strong scent of alcohol on Bai Yuan.
"Yes, a little."
Bai Yuan felt a little hot. He took off his outer robe and handed the food containers to Xiao Qiaoniang.
"Sister-in-law, please heat these up. They should still be good to eat."
Xiao Qiaoniang took the food containers. The aroma alone made her mouth water.
The fire from the stove cast a red glow throughout the small cabin.
Before long, Xiao Qiaoniang brought out several steaming, fragrant bowls of food.
Roast chicken, braised beef in soy sauce, steamed mandarin fish...
Bai Yuan couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
He had been so focused on drinking with Liu Qingshan earlier that he'd barely had a couple of bites. He'd been eyeing the food for a long time.
"Sister-in-law, hurry up and eat."
"Uncle, you eat too."
Xiao Qiaoniang carefully picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth. The fresh, springy texture and delicious flavor made her chew it over and over, reluctant to swallow.
She had never even dreamed she would eat something so delicious in her life.
And it was all thanks to her little brother-in-law.
...
「The next day.」
Bai Yuan was transporting ingredients with Ma Qi and the others, just like usual.
Liu Chu didn't show up today. He was replaced by another Outer Disciple whom Bai Yuan had never seen before. The rumor was that Liu Chu had become an Inner Courtyard Disciple.
Bai Yuan didn't have much of an impression of this quiet Senior Brother Liu.
'For Liu Chu to become an Inner Courtyard Disciple, his talent must be considerable.'
Bai Yuan arrived at the Martial Arts Arena early. Morning fist practice had already become his habit.
Now that his Five Animals Fist had been upgraded to the Proficient level, his strength had far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to kill Lame Yang so easily.
He looked at his panel.
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Hunter, Swordsman, Boxer]
[Skills: Cleave (Proficient), Tracking (Proficient), Archery (Expert), Tiger-Crane Form (Uninitiated), Five Animals Fist (Proficient)...]
[Enhancement Points: 0]
The Tiger-Crane Form was still at the Uninitiated level.
This Cultivation Technique was far more profound than the Five Animals Fist, so he hadn't wasted too many enhancement points on it.
Now that he had entered the Skin Grinding Barrier, he finally had spare points to upgrade the Tiger-Crane Form.
If he wanted to stand out and gain more resources in the Huwei Arts Hall, which had outstanding disciples like Xu Wen and Liu Chu, he had to rely on his cheat and the Tiger-Crane Form.
Aside from his cheat, this was his biggest secret.
Fortunately, the Iron Saber Gang hadn't traced anything back to him yet.
He had that unlucky Assassin from the Soul-Chasing Tower to thank for that. If not for him, the Iron Saber Gang might really have found some clues.
As his martial arts progressed, his understanding of the world also broadened.
The methods of a Martial Artist were far beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Just because a regular Official couldn't find something didn't mean a Martial Artist couldn't.
While Bai Yuan was lost in thought, the Martial Arts Arena had already filled with apprentices.
The hall's Instructor, Zhang Yang, walked into the Martial Arts Arena with a grim expression.
"Practice on your own today."
After saying that, he hurried away, looking anxious.
Zhuang Zhao chose this moment to sidle up to him.
"Brother Yuan, Xu Wen is dead!"