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

Shen Wanzhou dared not take that token; some things were not for ordinary people to participate in. He was only after money.

Ultimately, his decision to have Ye Ci become a worshipper was not due to the token.

Shen Wanzhou reviewed the entire journey and concluded that, let alone Chen Sanshou, even if all the martial artists in Songjiang County were combined, it would be impossible for him to escape alive.

But Ye Ci did it.

He felt that he was looking for a pillar of support for his family in the midst of chaos, and providing him with resources was the best he could do.

The deliberate mention of the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce was a reminder to Ye Gongfeng that he should not waste this resource.

Improving your skills benefits everyone.

……

Ye Ci returned to Tingzhuxuan.

There is a pavilion outside the courtyard of Tingzhuxuan. Sitting inside and listening to the sound of the bamboo forest is a truly refreshing experience.

He was still thinking about what Shen Wanzhou had said.

There are many chambers of commerce in the world, and the larger ones have marriage alliances or share of profits with the royal family, aristocratic families, and the military.

These chambers of commerce were far superior to the large clans in the county. They dealt in spiritual materials, elixirs, weapons, intelligence, pawnshops, canal transport, real estate... In short, their businesses far surpassed those of small local families.

Among them, Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, Jiuding Chamber of Commerce, and Canglan Chamber of Commerce are known as the three major chambers of commerce. These chambers of commerce are extremely powerful and can be described as wealthy enough to rival a country. They are law-abiding on the surface, but they will do anything in the dark, such as framing, cutting off supplies, and besieging.

They had intricate connections with major sects, local powerful families, and imperial relatives.

Even a son of a prominent local family like Shen Chongde, who had worked for the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce for many years, only managed to become a minor manager.

But this young shopkeeper is a great help to the Shen family when they are away from home.

For me, Wanbao Chamber of Commerce is not a good resource.

He's a warrior; if you trade with him, you might be selling your life.

"Young master! Time to eat!"

Murong Yanyu's loud voice came from inside, and Ye Ci returned to the room, placing the white jade snow lotus box on the table.

He planned to ask Master Yang about it before taking the medication.

Inside the room, Murong Yanyu deftly set out chopsticks for Ye Ci: a plate of steamed sea bass, a large pot of braised tiger meat, and a dish of stir-fried seasonal vegetables with some millet porridge. Red dates and lotus seeds floated in the porridge, and the steam carrying a sweet aroma wafted into her nostrils.

Ye Ci came in and first picked up the bowl and took a sip. The millet was cooked until very soft, and it slid down her throat, making her feel warm in her stomach.

"Is it good?"

Murong Yanyu looked on expectantly, her hands clasped in a fist, waiting for praise.

"good."

Sure enough, the girl's eyes curved into crescent moons: "I'll go get you some steamed buns."

Ye Ci put down the soup bowl and carefully examined the dishes on the table. They were all made of celadon porcelain, arranged neatly, and each dish exuded exquisite craftsmanship.

"She's a girl with a refined inner character..."

He tasted the tiger meat again, and this time it was better than the one in the morning. It was stewed until tender, and the meat fell off the bone with a gentle touch. The rich aroma seeped into his mouth through the gaps between his teeth, and the more he chewed, the more fragrant it became, even the roots of his teeth were filled with flavor.

After they finished eating, Murong Yanyu brought over a plate of candied hawthorn berries: "Young master, these will help cut through the richness of the food."

Ye Ci picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth, thinking to himself that this girl certainly knew how to live a lavish life.

…………

After noon.

Ye Ci first went to his second aunt's place, took some money to book a banquet for Master Yang, and also asked Wan Hua Lou to prepare more fine wine for the martial arts school.

Then, as usual, he arrived at the martial arts school and was immediately surrounded by the disciples.

One of the disciples asked excitedly, "Senior brother, I heard you single-handedly killed six kidnappers last night?"

Another person chimed in, "Senior, what kind of people were those? In the dark, weren't you afraid of being ambushed?"

"They're all second-rate."

Ye Ci casually replied, "I'll go find my master first..."

The inner courtyard disciples were all young people who practiced martial arts. Unlike the old martial artists in the county, they had never experienced fighting. When they heard that Ye Ci had killed six people with real swords and spears, their eyes were filled with shock.

They didn't believe Ye Ci's comment that it was "second-rate" at all.

When Senior Brother Li Fan returned, he said that one of the six people was a member of some kind of demonic sect medicine man.

The Commandant himself said that such a person's physique is much stronger than that of a martial artist who has developed internal strength.

It's important to understand that ordinary people might be killed with a single stab in a fight, but martial artists who have cultivated Ming Jin (manifested strength) have tough skin and amazing defense, making them much more difficult to kill, especially those who use An Jin (hidden strength).

Seeing Ye Ci enter the backyard, Xiao Hua, who was standing to the side, said indifferently:

"What's there to envy?"

In his view, this was not something worth publicizing.

The enemy is in the shadows, while he is in the light.

This wasn't just a friendly spar between martial arts schools; once a feud was formed, countless open and covert attacks would follow.

It was fortunate that Huangguoshu was taking a nap, otherwise he would have pointed out that Huangguoshu was jealous.

Because the eldest brother is not afraid of open or covert attacks.

Ye Ci entered the backyard, exchanged a few pleasantries with Master Yang, and then brought up the matter of the White Jade Snow Lotus.

"Oh? The Shen family has really treated you well!"

Yang Huaichuan nodded, then shook his head slightly: "This thing can indeed improve your physical constitution, but if you want to raise your physical constitution to a higher level, one plant is not enough."

"Doesn't that mean you're useless to me?" Ye Ci's tone carried a hint of disappointment.

"That's not the case." Master Yang shook his head again: "Now that you've reached the level of Inner Strength, even a little bit of improvement will be of great benefit to you..."

"Actually, snow lotus is a useless medicine for improving physical constitution. For example, no matter how much it is taken, people with average physical constitution will not be able to improve to superior constitution. It can only be used by people with inferior physical constitution."

He explained in detail and quickly clarified the reason.

Even things that nourish the body are of different grades, but the White Jade Snow Lotus is not something ordinary people can come across.

It will definitely be useful for Ye Ci.

People like Ye Ci would find it difficult to develop internal strength in Master Yang's eyes. Even if they did, it would be due to their hard work and also demonstrate the mysterious nature of bloodlines.

If he truly possesses extraordinary bloodline, then for Ye Ci's weak constitution, every bit of supplementation would be a timely help, and the effects would be more pronounced than for others.

Ye Ci knew perfectly well that he didn't have any bloodline difference; he was just benefiting from the "golden finger." But having heard that the effects were even more pronounced, Ye Ci felt reassured and decided to go back and try it out.

As for improving one's physical constitution, since it is known that White Jade Snow Lotus can help, the goal is clear: if one plant is not enough, then find another one.

"By the way, Commandant Qin came in person this morning to ask me about your martial arts training. I told him everything. He also blamed me for not registering you for the competition, which prevented him from discovering your talent... I explained... how could I have imagined that you would actually develop internal strength?"

Yang Huaichuan shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, then added, "By the way, next month is the county's annual martial arts competition. He asked me to tell you that you have to participate, under the name of Panshi Martial Arts School."

Are you making me compete again?

Could it be that Commandant Qin is unsure of his own identity?

Is it because the Shen family gave him a lot of filial piety, so he was embarrassed to take action in person and instead had to test the waters from the side?

He thought Commandant Qin would come to him directly, or have someone take him to the Commandant's residence, but...

It's hard for a third person to guess what an adult is thinking.

Ye Ci casually remarked, "It's truly a great honor to have you, Commandant, organizing so many martial arts competitions!"

"Not many."

Yang Huaichuan poured himself a cup of tea and said calmly, "The martial arts of the Great Qian Dynasty are flourishing. However, the world has been in a bad state in recent years, so there are fewer martial arts competitions in the county. If you go to a more prosperous prefecture, there are small martial arts competitions almost every day, and large martial arts competitions of various pretexts can be said to be non-stop every month."