Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

After a few polite exchanges, Lin Zheyu got straight to the point. He said, ”Leaving the Jade Pill Teahouse to come to the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse to tell stories is impossible. After all, Manager Wu once did me a favor.”

Jia Yanming was slightly taken aback by these words, and his expression turned cold.

”Don’t be hasty. While I won’t leave the Jade Pill Teahouse, I can provide you with stories. Songyi City is not lacking storytellers with great skill. My own storytelling techniques are nothing worth mentioning compared to the veteran elders. What they lack is simply a fresh and good story, and as it happens, I have one,” said Lin Zheyu slowly.

”Oh? Can it be as exciting as the ones you tell at the Jade Pill Teahouse?” asked Jia Yanming with interest.

Lin Zheyu was not wrong; his storytelling skills indeed could not compare to many seasoned elders who had honed their craft for years. His advantage lay mainly in the freshness and excitement of his stories. A good story was like a foundation; only with a solid base could one use storytelling skills to build lofty pavilions and grand palaces.

”Absolutely thrilling!” said Lin Zheyu with certainty.

”Do you have a written manuscript?” asked Jia Yanming.

”Yes. This is the first chapter of a new story. Take a look,” replied Lin Zheyu.

He handed over a prepared manuscript. It was the same story he had given to the three storytellers yesterday. Jia Yanming took the manuscript and began reading it quickly. As a manager, he was, of course, literate.

A few minutes later, after finishing the first chapter, a satisfied smile appeared on Jia Yanming’s face. The story’s quality was quite good.

”Alright, it’s settled then! I’ll pay 200 wen for each chapter. What do you think?” said Jia Yanming. One chapter’s content was just enough for a storyteller to fill an entire day’s performance.

”No need for 200 wen. Instead, I’ll only charge you 80 wen. But I’ve also sold this story to others. If you want exclusivity, it’ll be more expensive... let’s say, 400 wen?” said Lin Zheyu. He was deliberately asking for a high price to leave room for negotiation.

”You’ve sold it to others as well?” asked Jia Yanming, frowning.

That would not do.

The Jade Pill Teahouse was popular precisely because Lin Zheyu’s stories were fresh, thrilling, and only available there—nowhere else. If the audience could hear them elsewhere, they would have more choices and might not come to their teahouse.

”That won’t do. Do you have something exclusive? Let me see it first,” said Jia Yanming.

Inwardly, he was astonished at Lin Zheyu’s creative ability. Not only could he tell new stories at the Jade Pill Teahouse, but he could also provide other storytellers with different tales, and they were all exceptional. If he could produce another story and sell it exclusively to him, that would be remarkable.

”I came prepared. This story was originally intended as part of a series, but Master Liang said he preferred hearing stories about martial artists, so I wrote a new one instead. This one has nowhere to be told now. I’ll sell it to you since this one won’t be used,” said Lin Zheyu with a smile, deliberately mentioning Master Liang to intimidate Jia Yanming, though he did not know if the name would have any effect.

”Master Liang? Which Master Liang?” Jia Yanming asked casually as he took the manuscript.

”Master Liang Song. I’ve already become his disciple,” said Lin Zheyu.

Liang Song?

Jia Yanming paused in thought, an image of a limping old man surfacing in his mind.

He had heard of this man from his younger brother. He was said to be quite capable, though he rarely made a move and kept a very low profile. Jia Yanming silently committed the name to memory, planning to ask Jia Yanyong about him in detail later.

He quickly skimmed through the manuscript Lin Zheyu had provided. It was a story about a scholar, part of the same series as the one Lin Zheyu had previously told at the Jade Pill Teahouse.

”Good! As expected of Mr. Lin, to be able to write so many wonderful stories. Your literary talent is truly impressive. I’ll take this story and the one before. Can you give me a discount?” asked Jia Yanming as he decided on the spot.

Both stories were extremely exciting. With his decades of experience and sharp eye, he was certain they would be a hit.

”I’ll round it down for you. Let’s make it 500 wen,” said Lin Zheyu.

”...”

Jia Yanming narrowed his eyes, frowning with an expression that said, Do you take me for a fool?

”Haha, I’m just joking. I’ll give you a better deal: 450 wen, final price,” Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

”Alright, 450 wen it is,” replied Jia Yanming, agreeing readily.

These two stories were of high quality. With them, the business at the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse would only grow more prosperous.

”Manager Jia is a straightforward man. Here, let me toast to you!” said Lin Zheyu. He raised his cup in quite a good mood.

Not only had he settled a troublesome matter, but he had also gained an extra 450 wen in daily income. Including the three storytellers from before, that made an additional 690 wen of income per day.

***

Baishan District.

Gao Yu looked at the frail and dying skinny fellow on a bed, his brows tightly furrowed. A doctor had just examined him and said it was poisoning. Even if treated, he would likely be crippled and unable to do heavy work in the future.

”Brother Yu, y-you have to help me get revenge!” said the skinny fellow with difficulty as he looked at Gao Yu.

”Boss, what should we do about this? Should we report it to the authorities?” another man asked.

”Report my foot. We tried to steal and ended up poisoned as a result. If we report it, the constables will arrest us instead. Do you want that, you fucking idiot?” Gao Yu cursed angrily, his mood extremely foul.

In all his years of petty thievery, it was the first time he had encountered someone ruthless enough to smear poison on spikes, on top of a wall at that!

”This matter can’t end like this,” Gao Yu exclaimed with gritted teeth.

It was the first time he had suffered a loss to an outsider like Lin Zheyu, who had no family connections. Gao Yu refused to believe he couldn’t handle a weak scholar.

”Yan Ling, Wen Biao, the two of you keep an eye on Lin Zheyu. Watch his daily movements and find out everything about the area around his residence,” said Gao Yu, making it clear this matter would not simply be let go.

That kid Lin Zheyu was just a down-and-out scholar who had fled from Jiunan City. Even if he had made a bit of money now, without any backing, he was still someone Gao Yu could crush at will. The only trouble was that he lived in the inner city, where security was stricter. It made it harder for them to act.

”Brother Yu, are we going to make a move inside the inner city?” asked Wen Biao with fear in his voice.

”Relax, it’ll be fine. As long as we find a deserted spot and don’t get caught, it’ll be okay. He’s the kind of refugee with no support. Even if he disappears, no one will stand up for him,” said Gao Yu.

”Do we really have to kill him?” asked Yanling with some reluctance. Though he had done plenty of bad things, he had never killed anyone.

”That depends on whether the brat knows what’s good for him. If he does, and offers enough compensation, we can spare his life,” Gao Yu said in a cold tone.

The group discussed it and came up with a simple plan.

***

After reaching a cooperation agreement with Jia Yanming, Lin Zheyu let out a sigh of relief. He no longer had to worry about the man’s younger brother from the Feihong Gang coming to cause trouble or trying to harm him. However, Lin Zheyu did not remove the traps in his courtyard. The world was far from peaceful, and it was better to take precautions since he lived alone in Songyi City.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, six days had gone by. Lin Zheyu’s days were going quite well. The team of storytellers had grown even larger, reaching nine people in total, though the price had dropped slightly to 50 wen per person per day.

The earnings from the nine storytellers, plus the income from providing manuscripts to the Overflowing Fragrance Teahouse and his own storytelling, amounted to about 1,500 wen. That was equivalent to one tael of silver.