Practice starts with skill points.

Chapter 19 Protection Fees

In the carriage, Zhong Lin was holding a small cloth bag with a happy face. Inside was the writing fee given to him by the housekeeper of Liu's mansion, a total of ten taels of silver.

He killed and burned Zhang Kun's family, and the silver he got from the bandit leader by searching the corpses only added up to nine taels, which was several lives.

But now, just by doing two paintings, he earned a full fifteen taels of silver, which is equivalent to more than ten thousand coins. In Heishan County, three hundred coins are enough for a family of three to spend for a month, and they are enough to feed themselves.

Fifteen taels of silver, if saved a little, can support a family of three for four to five years, which can be said to be a huge sum of money.

"Now I can finally eat meat freely, and I can also pay tuition to learn to read." Zhong Lin's joy was beyond words.

After getting off the bus early at Dongshi, Zhong Lin ran to the butcher's shop and bought two pounds of pork belly. He also bought a big rooster on the way and walked home with them in his hands.

Zhong Lin’s plan for himself was to eat well as long as conditions allowed, never go hungry, and make sure to keep his body in good health in the shortest possible time.

As he was walking, he passed by a martial arts gym. Hearing the shouts from inside the gym, Zhong Lin couldn't help but stop to watch.

The gate of the martial arts hall was not closed. Standing at the gate, one could clearly see the apprentices in the square inside the courtyard. Some were lifting stones, some were piercing spears, and some were dancing with swords. It was a scene of great enthusiasm.

The name of this martial arts school is "Qingfeng Martial Arts School". Zhong Lin had already inquired about it. The fee is very high, thirty taels and no bargaining is allowed. It is only for three months. If you want to continue learning martial arts here after three months, you have to pay more.

Zhong Lin couldn't help but think of the saying in his previous life: "poor in literature, rich in martial arts." Thirty taels of silver! Most people really can't afford to learn it.

"No rush, take your time."

After returning home, Zhong Lin made a pot of iron pot stew, added some dried beans and dried pumpkin slices as side dishes, and covered the surrounding area with some unleavened dough flatbreads made of mixed flour.

The moment the pot was opened, the rich aroma instantly filled the entire yard, and Zhong Lin and Xiao Shitou, who were lying in front of the pot, almost drooled.

"Eat, eat."

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhong Lin took his writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and went to Shidinglou to set up a stall again. He had rented tables, chairs, and benches for a whole day, so he couldn't let them go to waste.

After Zhong Lin hung up another painting of "Nie Xiaoqian", people gathered around him again in a short while.

The novel three-dimensional paintings, which gave the impression that someone was about to walk out of the paintings at any moment, attracted more and more people to watch. Although Zhong Lin's fees were a bit high, there were still some curious people who gave it a try. In the end, they all paid with satisfaction and left with the paintings in their hands.

In just one day, Zhong Lin became famous throughout Heishan County.

Outside the crowd, scholar Xu Heng watched Zhong Lin painting with a gloomy expression, snorting coldly, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind, and a pile that stands out on the shore will be washed away by the current. Do you really think you can make a name for yourself in Heishan County just by having talent?"

In the evening, Zhong Lin returned to Tianshui Lane with a relaxed look on his face, holding a pen, ink, paper and inkstone in his left hand and a pork head he had just bought on the roadside in his right hand.

Tianshui Lane where Zhong Lin lives is located in the southeast of Heishan County. The houses here are all low-rise buildings in clusters. It is a civilian residential area, and the roads are winding alleys.

At this time, it would not be an exaggeration to describe Zhong Lin as being in high spirits. In the afternoon, he painted six paintings next to the Shiding Tower, charging three taels of silver for each painting. In the afternoon, he earned another eighteen taels of silver.

Together with the fifteen taels of silver earned in the morning, that means he earned thirty-three taels of silver in just one day, which is enough money to enter the martial arts school.

"I'll stop painting for two more days. I'll first find a scholar to teach me how to read, and then go to a martial arts school to learn martial arts. If I run out of money, I'll continue painting. Perfect."

Zhong Lin made a short-term plan for the future, but he did not forget that he made money in order to learn martial arts. After traveling through life, of course he wanted to live a carefree life.

While thinking, I turned a corner and saw a tall, fat man coming towards me.

The man stared at Zhong Lin, his face thick with flesh, making people tremble. Zhong Lin instinctively felt that something was wrong, and he paused, turning around to leave the alley.

A short man stood up behind him at some point, blocking the exit with a smile on his face, a playful and teasing look on his face.

Being blocked by someone.

Zhong Lin's mind was instantly in turmoil. He had just arrived in Heishan County and there was no way he would make enemies with anyone. He had never met these two people before, so there was only one reason.

Zhong Lin's face darkened. He reached out from his pocket, pulled out a cloth bag, and placed it on the ground. "Here's all the writing fee. Can you let me pass?"

Faced with the siege of two big men, Zhong Lin did not bring a bow and arrow. While ensuring his own safety, the best way was to spend money to avoid disaster.

We'll settle the score later when we have the chance.

The short, burly man behind him approached with a smile, saying playfully, "Tsk tsk, boy, you're quite sensible. You dare to come to my territory to do business without even paying your respects at the dock. Are you looking for death?"

Zhong Lin took a deep breath, bowed, and said, "I'm new here and don't know the rules. I've neglected you two, so I hope you'll forgive me. I won't take any of today's writing fee. I'll give it all to you two as an apology. From now on, I'll give you two my daily harvest as a tribute."

"Haha, Xing San, did you hear that? This guy is really a talent. He has good eyesight. I like him."

The short and strong man had a look of satisfaction on his face. He walked forward and picked up the cloth bag that Zhong Lin had placed on the ground. He weighed it in his hand, and when he felt the weight of it, he couldn't stop smiling.

He put the purse on his waist and reached out to pat Zhong Lin's cheek. Every time there was a slapping sound, Zhong Lin's face turned red in a few seconds.

"Remember, my name is Qin Yong, also known as Master Qin. Seeing that your business is so good today, I won't ask for much. Just give me 20 taels of silver every day. Don't even think about running away. I know where you live. You have a younger brother at home, right?"

Qin Yong grinned, revealing his yellow teeth at the door, his face full of a cruel expression.

Zhong Lin's heart suddenly turned cold, and a ball of anger rose from it, and a cold murderous intent swept through his body.

He lowered his head and said quickly, "Yes, yes, I will never forget it."

"That's right, but don't think twenty taels of silver is too much. Since you've paid tribute, you belong to me, Second Master Qin. If anyone bothers you in the future, just mention my name. Got it?"

"Yes, thank you, Master."

"I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow, don't be too late."

"How can I let you wait? I will just send you home directly. I can also take this opportunity to get close to you." Zhong Lin said with a smile.

"Haha, you're sensible. Not bad, not bad. I'll send it to your home. No. 6, Huaihua Lane. Don't forget."

After saying that, Qin Yong laughed heartily and turned away with a swagger. The strong man Xing San, who had been silent all the time, followed closely behind him. When he passed by Zhong Lin, he slapped him on the back of the head, causing Zhong Lin to stagger and fall directly to the ground, almost falling to the ground.

"Haha, little chicken."

Zhong Lin waited until the two men left the alley before getting up from the ground. There was no trace of the flattery on his face. His eyes were filled with coldness and murderous intent.

"I still underestimated the darkness of this world! I just want to live a good life, why are so many people forcing me?"

(End of this chapter)