Practice starts with skill points.

Chapter 36 Price Increase
"system."

Host: Zhong Lin

Skills: Archery (max level), Locust Stone (max level), 3D Painting (max level), Calligraphy (max level), Cooking (max level), Iron Mountain Skill (max level), Instant Kill (max level), Black Tiger Fist (max level), Willow Catkins Body Skill (max level), Wind-Breaking Blade Skill (max level)

Skill Points: ∞
Looking at the system panel full of skills, Zhong Lin felt a sense of pleasure like a hamster collecting food.

"Black Tiger Fist" is the martial arts secret book that Zhong Lin took from the bandit Zhen Shanhu. It had been left idle before because he could not read. Later he found out that it was just an ordinary martial arts book, not as good as "Iron Mountain Kung Fu".

Zhong Lin found an opportunity to enter it into the system panel. Since Little Shitou had been clamoring to learn martial arts, it was a good opportunity for him to teach him.

Zhong Lin picked up the ghost-head knife and practiced the wind-breaking sword technique. The system panel can inject martial arts experience, but in order to fully master it, he still needs to practice it himself.

This sword technique takes into account both speed and power. The faster the speed, the stronger the power. When practiced to a high level, the head will fall to the ground after the sword flashes.

Actually it's not that exaggerated.

After Zhong Lin used his skill points to upgrade to the maximum level, he found that the technique of using a sword was just a technique. It was not like in the novels of his previous life, where a sword could cut out a sword light of several feet. After all, the third level of martial arts was to temper the body. One could run faster, jump higher, and be stronger than an ordinary person. The sword technique was also for the purpose of better exerting one's own strength. It was not that magical.

After practicing his sword and body movements for a while, Zhong Lin got up and went to the East Market, greeting the residents of Tianshui Lane along the way.

“Why does it feel like there are more refugees?”

Zhong Lin frowned slightly as he looked at the ragged refugees appearing on the street.

Zhong Lin and Xiao Shitou came here to escape the war, so he is more sensitive to refugees.

Refugees pour into Heishan County every day, and they are quickly absorbed. Some go to the docks to do hard labor, some are bought by wealthy families, and some are incorporated into the army. However, the number of refugees has been increasing in recent days, and has even begun to affect the security of Heishan County.

After all, if there are too many refugees, it is easy for more beggars and petty thieves to appear.

"Lao Liang, the same old rules. Cut me five pounds of pork belly, three pounds of fat, and three pounds of lean meat."

Zhong Lin shouted to Liang the butcher in front of the meat stall.

"Oh! Mr. Zhong is here. I haven't seen you buy meat for a few days. I just killed a grass-fat pig. I knew you like to eat pig ears, so I kept them for you!" Liang the butcher said with a smile.

Zhong Lin's eyes also lit up. With pig ears, he could make a plate of cold-mixed rice noodles, which would be a great dish to go with wine.

"What are you waiting for? Che!"

After saying that, he took out three coins from his purse and slapped them on the table.

Meat is very expensive. Lean meat costs thirty coins per pound, and fat meat costs forty-five coins. The five pounds of pork belly and three pounds of fat that Zhong Lin bought are enough for an ordinary family to eat for half a month.

Butcher Liang did not go to collect the money, but continued to say with a smile: "Master Zhong, this... silver is not enough."

"Ok?"

"The price of meat has gone up, and it's not just me who has raised the price. The price of all meat has gone up. Now the brown rice sold in the grain shop is ten coins per pound." Liang the butcher said quickly.

He was unwilling to lose Zhong Lin, a big customer, and this big customer liked to eat lean meat. You know, his lean meat was often sold with fat meat.

Zhong Lin frowned slightly. "Ten coins per pound? Are you sure?"

Brown rice is the whole grain retained after the husk is removed. It doesn’t taste as good as polished rice, but it is cheap, five coins per pound, but now the price has doubled.

"How could I possibly lie to you? This is the price at the grain store. Yesterday it was eight coins a pound, and today it's ten. There's nothing I can do. My flesh has to grow." "Why has it increased so much?"

"I don't know. I heard there's chaos outside. You're from the government, so you should know better than me."

What the hell is clear? A lot of things have gone wrong these days. Zhong Lin just practices martial arts every day and knows very little about the situation outside.

Zhong Lin waved his hands in a somewhat distracted manner: "Cut it off, the money is still yours."

"Hey! Please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

Liang the butcher quickly picked up the knife to cut the meat, and then carefully strung it together with straw rope.

After paying the money, Zhong Lin did not take the meat. He told Liang the butcher that he would come to get it later and turned to leave.

Seeing that there were obviously many more refugees than usual along the way, Zhong Lin knew that something must have happened outside. Since he traveled through time, it had only rained once, and the drought not only did not end, but became even worse.

When passing by the grain shop, Zhong Lin discovered that the price of brown rice was not ten coins per catty as Liang the butcher said, but twelve coins.

"Food prices have gone too far. Something serious is going to happen."

Zhong Lin felt a little depressed.

Food is the most important thing for people. Whether they can have enough to eat is the first thing that people care about. Large changes in food prices will inevitably cause many problems.

While he was thinking, Zhong Lin had already arrived at Xu's Medical Clinic, which was the place where Zhong Lin often came to buy Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Soup.

However, the clinic, which is usually surrounded by patients, now has some strangers.

"Master Huang, this month's allowance."

Xu Lewu handed over twelve large coins that were round outside and square inside.

Mr. Huang took the large bill, weighed it twice in his hand, and said with satisfaction: "Not bad, you paid the money very happily, but the higher-ups have said that starting from this month, the regular salary will be increased by 20%."

"Twenty percent?"

Xu Lewu was instantly furious. With his bad temper, he even wanted to attack directly. However, after seeing the tall body of Mr. Huang, his anger disappeared instantly. With some pain in his heart, he took out three large coins from his pocket.

"So smooth? I thought it would take some tricks!"

Mr. Huang was also surprised. After the previous few companies proposed to increase the fee, they either cried poor or cheated. However, after being taught a lesson, they all handed over the money honestly. He thought that the old man Xu Lewu would do the same, but he didn't expect him to be so straightforward. It really surprised him.

"Has Doctor Xu made a fortune recently?" Mr. Huang asked with a forced smile.

Xu Lewu gave a bitter laugh: "How can I, an old man like me, make a fortune running a clinic? Besides, you know everything that happens on this street. If I make a fortune, I can't hide it from you."

"makes sense."

Mr. Huang thought about it and it was indeed true. He was in charge of this street and no movement could be hidden from him.

After putting the money into the cloth bag, Mr. Huang led his younger brothers behind him and swaggered out of the clinic, heading towards the next house.

Zhong Lin also stepped in at this time, looked at Mr. Huang's back and said, "Huang Sheng from the Blackwater Gang?"

(End of this chapter)