Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

"Your accent has changed a lot; if you don't listen carefully, you can't tell you're from the south."

The two walked across a street, and Ye Ci spoke casually.

After a long silence, Mu Mu suddenly raised her head, bit her lip, and said with some unease:

"Young master... I'll secretly practice my accent."

"I currently possess Ming Jin (manifest strength), but once I develop An Jin (hidden strength), I will allow you to speak, and your accent will not matter."

Ye Ci's voice was gentle as he took her small hand in his again:

"Why is it swollen? Did someone hit you?"

"I found a job washing clothes at the Zhang family's house in the city because bamboo baskets and hampers are hard to sell in the county town. If you stop hunting, Grandma is worried that the family's money will run out and she won't be able to eat."

Mumu lowered her eyes slightly, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of her cloth skirt, and whispered, "The county is not like the countryside. There are no vegetable gardens here. Because there are rebels outside, vegetables are very expensive now, and we are running out of copper coins."

Ye Ci knew in his heart that this girl was very sensible.

She doesn't talk much on ordinary days, just quietly takes care of the house. She seems quiet, but she cares more than anyone else.

She ended up giving all the osmanthus cakes she had saved for her last time to Yao Yao.

Ye Ci frowned, but quickly said, "I'll talk to Senior Brother Jiang later and ask him to do a few escort missions to earn some money."

As they talked, they turned a corner and arrived home.

As soon as I arrived at my doorstep, I saw that the leader was a burly man with a hideous scar on his face that stretched from his brow bone to his jaw.

The man happened to look up as well, and his gaze swept over Ye Ci's black outfit and the muscles showing on his forearms.

After a brief standoff, the man laughed:

"Oh my! I didn't expect you to actually be an inner disciple of the Rock Martial Arts Academy. My apologies for not recognizing you!"

Ye Ci didn't even glance at him twice before walking past him into the courtyard.

Several shards of coarse porcelain lay on the ground.

Grandma Li sat listlessly in a chair, while Yao Yao held her and watched outside warily. Only when she saw Ye Ci did she rush over.

"Big brother!"

Ye Ci patted her head, then looked at Li Shi, who said repeatedly:

"Grandson, they...they're taking money for your safety. I told them I'd give it to you when you got back, and I told them you're an inner disciple of the Rock Martial Arts Academy, but they didn't believe me..."

Seeing that Li Shi was not injured and must have just been frightened, Ye Ci turned to look at the burly man.

"What do you mean?"

The man cupped his hands and said, "I am Lü Fang from the Dragon and Snake Gang. This Well Water Street is the territory of the Dragon and Snake Gang. Newcomers must pay a safety fee. I came here once before. Your grandmother said you were practicing martial arts at the Rock Martial Arts School, but I haven't seen you for the past half month. I thought she was lying to me."

"You broke my dishes?"

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!"

The man named Lü Fang waved his hands repeatedly: "Brother, let's not beat around the bush! If you're an ordinary apprentice, you should at least hand over the safety fee. But if you're an inner court disciple, then what's there to say? It's all our fault!"

Ye Ci immediately understood; it must be that the other party had come, and Grandma Li had offered water to the person, but the person didn't appreciate it.

But upon seeing his own attire, he guessed that he was a master of Ming Jin (a martial arts technique), and dared not act rashly.

After all, apprentices usually wear coarse cloth short jackets.

"How much did you pay for the broken bowl?"

Ye Ci asked Mu Mu, who gestured three and then took out a copper coin to represent three coins.

Seeing this, Lü Fang's expression slowly darkened, and he cupped his hands and said:

"Brother, I told you it was just a misunderstanding, please forgive me! But our Dragon and Snake Gang has twelve halls, and each hall master has the skill of Ming Jin, while the gang leader is an old master of An Jin. It would be best if we could do each other a favor."

"Hidden strength..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Ci cupped his hands in apology: "Then I apologize for my rudeness. By the way, I heard that your gang also recruits part-time or nominee members. What's the story behind that?"

"Um?"

Lu Fang was stunned for a moment, not expecting Ye Ci's attitude to change so quickly. Did this mean he wanted to join the Dragon Snake Gang?

Young Ming Jin disciples are treasures to any gang, and they're usually eager to recruit them. Who knows, they might even become An Jin disciples in the future!

Therefore, Lü Fang was overjoyed and repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting:

"When our Dragon and Snake Gang hires part-time fighters, the price is usually based on their skills, ranging from a minimum of one tael of silver to a maximum of three taels. If there is a conflict between gangs that requires a fight, the price will be calculated separately."

"But if you decide to join a gang, that's a different story. You might get a private session based on your contributions."

"The part-time job pays less."

Ye Ci shook his head and asked again, "I want to open my own class. How can I earn merit?"

"Simple!"

Lu Fang's face lit up with even more joy: "If you have money to start with, we can lend you money at exorbitant interest rates. If you can't pay it back, we'll sell his house. If that's still not enough, we'll sell his children too. If there are any pretty girls involved, that'll be a big deal."

"If you don't have money to start, we can begin by collecting 'peace money.' If you don't get a dead cat the first time, or your legs are broken the second time... There are other ways to make money. Anyway, if you really want to join, I can explain it to you in detail."

"Those aren't all heinous acts," Ye Ci said with a smile.

"Absolutely!" Lü Fang said proudly, "It has to be utterly ruthless!"

After finishing his explanation, Lü Fang also revealed that he was the deputy head of a gang on Jingshui Street, and that their head's surname was Fu.

In the county, the only ones who can rival them are the Black Tiger Gang. Their leader, Fu, fought a battle with the Black Tiger Gang a while ago and won a great victory.

"sharp."

Ye Ci joked with him, asking if others could tell who the hall master was. The latter laughed heartily and said that he was often mistaken for the hall master.

The two chatted happily, and to show his welcome, Deputy Hall Master Lü explained the location of the hall to Ye Ci in detail.

After that, Ping An Qian would no longer accept the money, and Lü Fang left with several followers.

He said with great relish, "That kid wants to join a gang, he doesn't know anything. Take this 'peace money,' for example, is it easy to collect? ... In front of me, he's like a complete novice!"

"The deputy leader relies on his keen observation skills and eloquence. He can't say a word in front of you and can only smile foolishly."

The follower behind him said.

Lu Fang proudly stated, "I've always had a sharp eye."

After the others left, Ye Ci picked up the broken porcelain from the ground and said to Mu Mu:

"How much did you say this bowl cost?"

"Three coins," Yao Yao said for her.

Ye Ci patted the heads of the two silly children:

"well……"

He wanted to earn money that wasn't too unethical, but there seemed to be some resistance.

"Grandson, you're not involved in a gang, are you?"

Mrs. Li was a little worried. She had just seen Ye Ci chatting happily with someone and even asking about the location of the ancestral hall. On the one hand, the old woman felt that her grandson had matured, but on the other hand, she was worried that her grandson would do something bad.

Ye Ci smiled and said, "I won't."

Hearing this, Li's expression softened: "You can't do bad things. Our family are all honest and law-abiding people. If you do bad things, people will talk behind your back."

"rest assured."

Ye Ci nodded, then considered it for a moment and decided to stay home a little longer.

In the courtyard, Ye Ci assumed a boxing stance and threw a punch that produced a piercing sound as it cut through the air.

"Big brother! That's amazing!"

Yao Yao clapped happily: "Hit one more time, I want to hear firecrackers!"

The family watched Ye Ci practice boxing in the yard, and at that moment, all three of them felt very safe.

Practicing boxing.

As the sun set, he was drenched in sweat, and Ye Ci left home to save money for dinner.

In the evening, more ragged beggars appeared in the remote alleys of the county.

on the road.

Ye Ci noticed a gaze that had been scrutinizing him, but the person was not a beggar; rather, it was a peddler sitting by the roadside.