I'll write a manual called the Sunflower Manual, and the entire martial arts world will turn in

Xie An was completely stunned.

Even though he knew that Ming Jin martial artists held a transcendent status in this world, it was only when he truly felt the changes within them that he truly understood what Ming Jin martial artists meant.

The inspector of the River and Lake Administration was a ninth-rank military officer of the imperial court, yet he was still treated with such great hospitality.

It can be seen.

Of course, besides Xie An being a martial arts master of the Ming Jin level, his status as Chen Lutang's junior brother also contributed to this.

Xie An quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "I was fortunate enough to break through the Ming Jin technique; how could I dare accept such a grand gesture from Lord Zhou?"

Zhou Fu chuckled and said, "Others might not be able to bear it, but you can. I originally thought that after you entered the Ming Jin realm, you wouldn't come to the River and Lake Bureau anymore. The fact that you're still here now is a great honor for me. Come in quickly."

Originally, Zhou Fu referred to himself as "this official" in front of Xie An.

Now it has been changed to Zhou.

This subtle observation reveals Xie An's current importance in Zhou Fu's heart.

Upon entering the main hall of the river and lake administration office, Zhou Fu clapped his hands without saying a word. An old woman then brought up a tray filled with ten silver ingots, each weighing ten taels, for a total of one hundred taels.

"Lord Zhou, this..."

"This is just a small token of my appreciation. From now on, you'll be appointed as a clerk, with double the pay, and you won't have to do everything yourself. Just keep your name on the riverbank register. When you have some free time, you can come here for tea and a chat." Zhou Fu got straight to the point.

Xie An's previous salary was six doses of Qi and Blood Powder, ten taels of silver, and a dose of Yuan Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine formula) per month. Now it has doubled to twenty taels of silver per month. Two hundred and forty taels a year is enough to live a decent life.

Li Shengnan, who was standing to the side, looked on with envy.

Seeing Xie An hesitate, Zhou Wu chimed in, "Brother Xie, this is my father's wish, please don't refuse."

Xie An was "forced" to accept: "Since Lord Zhou is so hospitable, I would be impolite to refuse."

……

Although Zhou Fu told Xie An that he didn't have to do everything himself, he only needed to go to the riverside to drink tea when he had free time.

However, these words were somewhat of a formality, so Xie An still went through the motions and, as usual, led Liu Wei and Li Shengnan to patrol the area around the inner room cave.

Whenever he had free time, he would take out his Vajra Strength and ponder it by the river.

The news that Xie An had broken through to the Ming Jin level and become Chen Lutang's junior brother had spread throughout the town, and acquaintances from all around would call him Master Xie.

In addition, Xie An was the fifth child in his family in Baiyun County.

The name Fifth Master gradually spread.

When the villagers saw him, they couldn't help but call him Fifth Master.

From then on, Wuqiao Town had one more Fifth Master.

Other shopkeepers and wealthy gentry who shared the same name also changed their names, not daring to clash with Fifth Master.

After inspecting the river section that day, Xie An returned to the Moxiang Bookstore with Xie Yu and was surprised to see two familiar faces.

They were Xu Zhijie, who sold steamed buns, and Liu Chun, who worked as a laborer at the dock.

The two were carrying fish and snacks.

Fifth Master.

Liu Chun shouted loudly. Xu Zhijie, who was more reserved, also shouted.

Xie An laughed and said, "Oh, what Fifth Master? That's what outsiders call me. We don't do that with our own friends, so as not to make us feel awkward. Come in quickly, Xiao Yu, go and prepare some wine and dishes."

In truth, Xie An was still very grateful to these two friends.

If they hadn't lent me money to go to the martial arts school, my path to martial arts training wouldn't have been so smooth.

During the meal, Xu Zhijie and Liu Chun kept praising Xie An for his success.

When Xie An returned the money to the two men, they refused to accept it.

Liu Chun said, "Fifth Master, you're too kind. I used to be a laborer at the docks. The foreman knew you had become the junior brother of the Yong Sheng Martial Arts School's master, so he promoted me to a junior foreman position. Now I manage five or six people and don't have to do manual labor anymore. In a way, I've benefited from your kindness, Fifth Master. How could I possibly accept these few coins?"

Xu Zhijie said, "That's right, Fifth Master is being too formal when it comes to money. I used to be a pancake seller, but later the manager of Feiyun Restaurant found out that I was on good terms with Fifth Master, so he regularly bought out my pancakes and even made me the head of the Sichuan cuisine at the restaurant. I benefited from Fifth Master's influence."

The two thanked him profusely, expressing their relief that they had lent Xie An the money to learn martial arts.

But Xie An still noticed that no matter what he said, Liu Chun and Xu Zhijie kept calling him Fifth Master, and always lowered their heads and adopted a very humble posture when they spoke.

Xie An knew this was the way of the world and couldn't force anyone, so he said, "Since that's the case, then let's do it this way. Before Brother Hu went on his escort mission, he gave me twenty taels of silver, saying that if I didn't return, he would let me buy a small house in Baiyun County and bring Uncle Zhao Bing and Aunt Huilan to live there. Now almost half a year has passed, and I'm afraid Brother Hu has met with some misfortune..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chun and Xu Zhijie's expressions darkened.

Xie An said, "You lent me ten taels of silver before to learn martial arts. Now I'll take out those ten taels and add them to Brother Hu's account, making a total of thirty taels. I'll add another thirty taels, making a total of sixty taels. You can use this money to find a house in the county to buy, and then bring Uncle Zhao and Aunt Huilan to live with you. What do you say?"

Xu Zhijie nodded: "Fifth Master is kind. That's good. I'll add another two ounces."

"Then I'll add three taels. It just so happens that the dock needs to deliver goods to the county, and I'll take care of the house matters. I'll make sure Fifth Master is satisfied." Liu Chun patted his chest and guaranteed.

"Thank you very much."

……

The days that followed returned to peace.

Xie An lived a simple life, going back and forth between three points.

Patrol the river and lake management office, practice martial arts at the martial arts school, and go home to sleep.

Although his sister-in-law and Zhou Fu had given him a lot of money and doubled his treatment, the cost of medicines and supplements after reaching the Ming Jin stage was extremely high, and he didn't have much money left.

Chen Lutang, however, would come every day to inquire about Xie An's martial arts, carefully examining the quality of his internal strength, fearing that Xie An might go astray in his training.

The others also thanked him with utmost respect.

Only Wei Dian became increasingly silent and taciturn.

It is said that the defeat in the New Year's Eve competition disappointed Chen, who then distanced himself from and reprimanded him. Life must have been difficult for him.

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and the Lantern Festival has arrived.

That day, Xie An led Li Shengnan and Liu Wei on patrol in Yingyuan Village.

When Xie An was bored, he sat by the river and pondered the first level of the Vajra Force, the Bright Body.

[Author: Xie An]

[Treasure Vault Level: Lv0]

[Martial Arts Realm: Ming Jin (Beginner: 20/100)]

[Current Martial Arts Skill: Sunflower Manual, Level 1 100/100, Level 2 66/100]

【Strength: 8.4】

【Spirit: 7.3】

【Speed: 7.3】

[Attribute Points: 0]

[Talent: Dragon's Breath]

[The Sunflower Manual includes 3 characters (Chen Lutang, Zhang Long, Liu Wei)]

[Chen Lutang's Sunflower Manual, Level 2: 62/100]

[Zhang Long's Sunflower Manual, Level 1: 84/100]

[Liu Wei's Sunflower Manual, Level 1: 73/100]

【八极拳（撑锤：100/100）、（降龙：100/100）、（伏虎式：100/100）、（探马掌：100/100）、（劈山掌：100/100）、（虎抱：90/100）】

【Red Sun Blade Technique (Tiger Crouching Stance Perfected, Sinking Press Perfected, Mountain Pushing Stance Perfected), Red Sun Stance: 40/100】

[Talent: Dragon Breath (Unskilled): 0.0000017]

"Thanks to the Vajra Strength, my Ming Jin progress has reached 20 points. My Dragon Breath progress is also good. With my Ming Jin body combined with the power of the Dragon Breath, I imagine the combat power I unleash will be extremely terrifying."

"The progress of the Sunflower Manual has entered a deep phase. Zhang Long's first level is also nearing completion. Maybe I can even channel some internal energy back into it then."

Just then, a river soldier rushed over in a great hurry.

"Fifth Master, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened..."

Ok?

Xie An immediately stopped his practice, stood up, and asked, "What's wrong?"

The river soldier came running, breathless, and said, "It's Inspector Zhou. He was attacked by a water monster while patrolling the inner cave, and his fate is unknown. Clerk Zhou has already gone there..."

What?

Has Zhou Fu been attacked by a water monster? And is his fate still unknown?

You should know that Zhou Fu was also a martial arts master.

After some deliberation, Xie An said, "Let's go take a look."