Chapter 51: Meng Yuan Repays a Debt (Seeking Support)

Chapter 51: Meng Yuan Repays a Debt (Seeking Support)



After breakfast, Elder Jiang and Jiang Tang went off to work.

Jiang Tang, who now followed Xun Mei, spoke highly of her. Xun Mei had taken her under her wing, teaching her accounting skills and even taking her along when checking accounts at the farm and shops outside.

Being close to virtue, Jiang Tang had already developed a ladylike demeanor.

She had become gentle and graceful, but being a young maid, Meng Yuan only felt affection for her. In comparison, Nie Qingqing, with her charming smile and natural talent, was more captivating.

Of course, neither of them could compare to the excitement of the stone grinder in the training ground.

After the Jiang family's grandfather and granddaughter left, Meng Yuan practiced the Gale Blade Technique twice in the courtyard.

Having reached the eighth rank of a warrior, Meng Yuan experienced some improvement, but it was not significant.

The opening of the upper, middle, and lower heavenly points in the ninth, eighth, and seventh ranks was the foundation for a warrior's cultivation, all in preparation for the middle and higher ranks.

Therefore, even advancing a realm only constituted the first step, and the increase in strength was limited. It wasn't as if there was a world of difference between each rank.

The most noticeable improvement occurred during the ninth and eighth ranks, at the time of perfection. When all the acupoints were opened, one could borrow true energy to transport and assist with techniques, which could then be called the ninth and eighth rank transformations.

Of course, even if the improvement wasn't significant, opening an acupoint still had its benefits.

Meng Yuan's senses became sharper, and his perception extended further. His mind was clear and unclouded, and his breathing became more relaxed.

During the breakthrough, his entire body trembled, and he also gained some tempering benefits. His dantian seemed to have condensed a bit, and it could now store more true energy.

After finishing his cultivation, Meng Yuan took some silver coins and headed to the training ground. He gave a few pointers to the young boys there and left the imperial mansion without informing anyone.

After raising his rank, it was time to ask for a raise in his monthly silver. Currently, Meng Yuan had no income, and what he spent was from his allowance. He decided to go to Intoxicating Moon Tower to inquire about the treatment.

He also wanted to ask Nie Shi about spiritual herbs and treasures. If he could borrow some money on the side, that would be even better.

Meng Yuan was too poor; he had spent over half of the two hundred taels of silver given by Nie Shi, and he was afraid of losing money even when breaking a wine bowl to show his loyalty.

Of course, the main purpose of his visit today was to find Hua Jie.

Although he was poor, Meng Yuan had finally settled down, and he wanted to repay Hua Jie's kindness as soon as possible.

During the heavy snowfall before the New Year, at the north gate, a small meal and a cake might seem insignificant, but it was like sending charcoal in the snow.

Meng Yuan felt uncomfortable not repaying this kindness.

Of course, the debt of gratitude he owed to Nie Shi for his guidance and Xun Mei for her support was even greater, but there was no need to rush to repay it. After all, he saw them every day and would have opportunities to repay them.

Hua Jie lived in a shabby alley outside the north city, and she had said that if he could visit her a few times a month after settling down, she would be content.

The imperial mansion was in the south city, and it was quite a distance for Meng Yuan to travel frequently, nor did he have the heart to patronize her.

Hua Jie had once said that prostitutes had no feelings, and as a member of the secret service, she endured much hardship, but she still had a kind heart.

Meng Yuan had no worries about food and shelter, and he should repay her kindness.

It wasn't that he was going to support Hua Jie, but he wanted to give her some silver to help her escape that quagmire, and he would consider it a virtuous deed.

Meng Yuan was poor and cherished money, but he didn't value it highly.

Just as he left the training ground, he saw the old regular customer, Scholar Wang, approaching.

Upon asking, he learned that the man had come to apologize.

"Yesterday was the prince's day off, and they didn't control him well, disturbing you. It was my fault." Scholar Wang took out a delicate wooden box from his sleeve, "A small token of apology, please don't be offended."

"..." Meng Yuan didn't know what to say. This old scholar had none of the pretentiousness of a scholar. If you said he was noble, he took silver to do things; if you said he wasn't, he still took care of things after receiving payment.

Meng Yuan felt that Scholar Wang was truly capable, serving as the prince's head regular customer and maintaining his position for so long.

"The prince has already forgotten about the Intoxicating Moon Tower incident." Scholar Wang was very thorough, "Yesterday, he heard about you killing a Buddhist demon, and he has been thinking about it. He even said he wanted to treat you to a tofu banquet. But don't worry, he'll forget about it in a few days."

Yesterday, Solitary Loneliness had shown kindness, and Meng Yuan felt that he wasn't as foolish as he seemed, just simple-minded and not a bad person.

"Thank you, Scholar Wang. I'll invite you for tea another day." Meng Yuan didn't dislike the prince, but he didn't want to interact with him too much.

Instead, he admired Scholar Wang's thoroughness and wanted to emulate his virtues.

Holding the can of tea, Meng Yuan headed straight for the Intoxicating Moon Tower.

It was still early, and there were already many people on the street, but the tower hadn't opened yet. Meng Yuan arrived to find it closed.

Not wanting to wait, Meng Yuan decided to go directly to find Hua Jie.

After walking a few steps, he saw an old Taoist priest on the road, holding a long wooden stick with a tattered cloth tied to it as a flag, and four characters written on it: Iron Mouth Direct Judgment.

The old Taoist priest wore a tattered robe, his hair and beard a mix of black and white, held in place by a pinewood hairpin. His eyes were rather spirited as he held a broken flagpole in one hand and grabbed a handsome young man with the other. "Fortune-telling! It's you! Young man! You're going to have a bloody disaster!"

This was a rather crude scam. Meng Yuan silently observed, thinking to himself that if the cunning fox did this, even the foolish deer and the little yellow wolf wouldn't be fooled into becoming his intimate companions.

"Old sir, I'm actually a woman dressed as a man. If you can't even tell that, you should go back to reciting sutras!" The handsome youth waved his folding fan and left gracefully.

The old Taoist didn't persist and instead grabbed another young man, "Your eyebrows are turning black! You're going to have a bloody disaster too! Let me read your fortune!"

"Get lost!" The young man cursed rudely.

"How dare you talk to me like that?" The old Taoist became angry and pointed at him, saying, "If it weren't for me controlling my anger, I would have thrown you into the alchemy furnace long ago!"

Seeing the young man's fierce expression, the old Taoist didn't dare look him in the eye and turned to leave. But then he spotted Meng Yuan and grabbed his sleeve.

"Young man, your features are bright and handsome, indicating an extraordinary future. You will surely become a marquis and prime minister, with beautiful wives and concubines! However, your recent luck has been poor, and you might get into a dispute with someone. It's better to..."

"I didn't bring any money with me," Meng Yuan said.

The old Taoist, who had been enthusiastic, suddenly lost his expression upon hearing this and took a step back to leave.

The world was cold and indifferent; when one was poor, even scammers wouldn't bother with you.

Meng Yuan shook his head and sighed. After taking a few steps, the old Taoist turned back and grabbed Meng Yuan's sleeve again.

"You have money now!" The old Taoist held up the flag and excitedly pointed at Meng Yuan.

Hearing this, Meng Yuan stopped and examined the old Taoist. Although he didn't know how the old man could tell, he seemed to have some abilities.

"Then please, sir, predict whether my journey will be smooth," Meng Yuan said with a smile.

"Are you going south or north?" The old Taoist asked.

"North," Meng Yuan replied.

"Are you going to commit murder and arson?" The old Taoist inquired.

What kind of nonsense is this? Meng Yuan casually replied, "I'm the most honest person. I don't even dare to hit people, let alone commit murder or arson."

"Young man, you still have some blood energy on you. Have you seen blood in the past few days?" The old Taoist frowned and pointed at Meng Yuan, saying, "You can deceive me, but don't deceive yourself. If you deceive me, it's no big deal; I'll just chant a sutra and be done with it. But if you deceive yourself, you'll suffer in the future!"

This man seemed to have some skills, so Meng Yuan didn't want to waste his time. He said, "Then please predict whether my journey will be smooth."

"Then what are you going to do?" The old Taoist asked.

"I'm going to repay a favor from the past," Meng Yuan replied.

"That's not worth mentioning!" The old Taoist waved his hand. "Even bald donkeys who talk about abstract theories care about cause and effect. If you're repaying a favor or a debt, it will definitely go smoothly!"

He stretched out his hand and said, "Honorable Divination Gold, ten taels!"

You didn't even predict anything, did you? You just said something auspicious. Do you think I'm the foolish deer or the little yellow wolf?

Meng Yuan turned to look at the Intoxicating Moon Tower and thought to himself, Am I going to be scammed again here after being scammed before?

"Sir, didn't you predict that I'm using this money to repay a favor?" Meng Yuan smiled.

Hearing this, the old Taoist obviously felt embarrassed. "Then give me something, please? I got up early, and I haven't even made a penny yet!"

Meng Yuan smiled and decided to give the tea leaves Scholar Wang had given him, "It's new spring tea, worth one or two taels of silver."

Meng Yuan noticed that the old Taoist, despite his advanced age, spoke with a robust voice. Out of curiosity, he asked, "How long have you been doing this, Master?"

"I just started," the old Taoist sighed helplessly. "My disciples are useless and can't earn any money for hospitality. I had to come out and try to make some money myself."

"No donations?" Meng Yuan smiled.

"My disciples are useless and can't even fool people. Why would the worshippers come?" The old Taoist looked dejected, like a hero who had fallen on hard times. "I heard that there are wealthy families here, and I thought I could find someone to support my household."

"Huh? Master, shouldn't you wait until I leave before saying this?" Meng Yuan laughed.

"I'm not talking about you! I wish you a smooth journey and a carefree life ahead!" The old Taoist said with a hint of the Taoist master's demeanor.

"I wish you a long life, Master," Meng Yuan smiled.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end