From Beggar to Emperor: My Profession Has Its Own Characteristics

"Zhu Yuan?"

He asked the question, his voice clearer than Old Ma's.

"Yes, I'm Zhu Yuan." Zhu Yuan nodded, looking calmly at the other person. "Are you Uncle Ma's son?"

"Ma Qiushen." The young man gave his name crisply, then turned his head and waved to the five followers behind him, saying briefly, "You guys go over there and wait for me."

The henchmen responded, exchanged glances, and obediently retreated to the shadow of a pile of goods not far away, but their eyes still kept glancing in this direction.

Ma Qiushen turned back to look at Zhu Yuan, his face expressionless, but his tone was relatively calm.

"How about we talk?"

Zhu Yuan considered the other party's relationship with Lao Ma, thought for a moment, and then nodded.

Ma Qiushen's gaze lingered on Zhu Yuan's face. He first asked, "Li Yinghu overcharged you by twenty coins, didn't he?"

"He said he would charge 120 coins the first time," Zhu Yuan answered truthfully.

"That's utter nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Qiushen immediately spat, his face revealing undisguised disgust.

He then reached into his pocket, took out twenty copper coins, and handed them to Zhu Yuan.

"Here's the extra twenty coins you've been charged. Take them."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuan quickly waved his hand, took a small step back, and shook his head, refusing, "Brother Ma, Uncle Ma paid for me with those twenty coins back then. Later, when I tried to pay him back, he refused."

He showed a sincere expression, indicating that he was not just being polite.

Upon hearing this, Ma Qiushen's hand, which was about to hand over the money, froze in mid-air. He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the copper coin in his hand, as if he were lost in thought for a moment.

After a few moments, he slowly withdrew his hand, put the money back into his pocket, his movements somewhat indifferent.

Seeing Ma Qiushen's reaction, Zhu Yuan understood that the father and son must have had very little communication and their relationship was probably not very close.

The relationship between them, father and son...

Zhu Yuan didn't think about this issue in depth; it's best not to speculate too much about other people's family affairs.

"The fact that he treats you well means he approves of you." Ma Qiushen looked at Zhu Yuan, his tone softening slightly but carrying a complex meaning.

"I am very grateful to Uncle Ma." Zhu Yuan nodded earnestly, his face filled with gratitude.

"Are you going to continue working as a porter here?" Ma Qiushen changed the subject and asked.

"No." Zhu Yuan shook his head. "I practice martial arts at the Dongyun Martial Arts School. Being a porter is only temporary."

"Does he have the talent to become a martial artist?" Ma Qiushen pressed.

"Yes." Zhu Yuan nodded in agreement.

Ma Qiushen looked at Zhu Yuan, his eyes immediately revealing undisguised envy.

He was a minor leader in the Water Moon Gang, which was the highest position he, an ordinary person without any natural talent, could reach.

To become the true leader of the Water Moon Gang and wield real power, one must at least be a martial artist.

Despite not having the talent to become a martial artist, he still persisted in practicing every day.

After mastering the basic stance training, one's strength will indeed increase. A small leader like him, among ordinary people, could easily take on three or four opponents in terms of skill and strength.

"Zhu Yuan, since you have the talent to become a martial artist, then I won't need to bother with you anymore." Ma Qiushen nodded to Zhu Yuan, turned around and prepared to leave, but after taking a few steps, he turned back and added, "If you need anything at the dock or in this area in the future, you can come find me."

"You're definitely not as stubborn as my dad."

"Thank you, Brother Ma." Zhu Yuan first clasped his hands in thanks.

"Hmm." Ma Qiushen responded without saying anything more, and turned to leave with a few followers who were waiting not far away.

Is Uncle Ma very stubborn?

Watching Ma Qiushen's departing figure, Zhu Yuan couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

Anyway, after spending time with Lao Ma, he didn't see anything stubborn about him; he just thought Lao Ma was a taciturn elder.

Of course, because of their different identities, they saw different things, and Zhu Yuan did not comment much on Ma Qiushen's words.

"If I hadn't gone to learn martial arts, what was Brother Ma's purpose in coming to find me?"

Zhu Yuan, without thinking about other issues, walked towards Steward Wan while pondering the problem in his mind.

Because of his martial arts skills and talent to become a martial artist, Ma Qiushen didn't tell him some things.

To be honest, he was somewhat curious about what Ma Qiushen wanted to say.

Does he mean he wants me to join the Water Moon Gang and become his follower or something?

Zhu Yuan recalled the way Ma Qiushen looked at him at first and secretly speculated in his mind.

Before he knew it, Zhu Yuan had arrived at Steward Wan's side.

Now, Manager Wan was so familiar with Zhu Yuan that he didn't say a word. He just glanced at him and, as usual, casually assigned him to Old Ma's group.

"Zhu Yuan, what are you thinking about?"

Before Zhu Yuan could even greet him, Old Ma took the initiative to ask, his gaze sweeping across Zhu Yuan's face as if he noticed that Zhu Yuan was somewhat distracted.

Should we tell Uncle Ma what just happened?

Zhu Yuan thought about it for a moment and decided it would be best to talk to Uncle Ma.

After all, Ma Qiushen wanted to help him, but after learning that he had the talent to become a martial artist, he realized that there was no need to help him anymore.

"Uncle Ma, I just saw Brother Qiu Shen," Zhu Yuan said as he walked up to Old Ma.

"What does he want with you?" Old Ma frowned slightly upon hearing this, asking with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"He wanted to help me," Zhu Yuan said truthfully, with a helpless smile on his face. "But after he learned that I wouldn't be a porter forever and that I had the talent to become a martial artist, he left."

"It's only right that he helps you." Old Ma's expression relaxed a little upon hearing this, but he immediately straightened up again. "The reason you're in trouble is because of him."

"No, no, no, Uncle Ma." Zhu Yuan quickly shook his head and waved his hand, saying seriously, "I think it's that guy named Li Yinghu who's the problem."

Upon hearing this, Old Ma's facial muscles twitched slightly. He paused for a moment, then looked away, seemingly unwilling to continue the topic.

"Can you make sixty trips today?"

Old Ma quickly changed the subject, and when he turned to look at Zhu Yuan, his eyes regained their usual composure.

"I think I can." Zhu Yuan nodded, a look of eagerness on his face.

He also felt it was time to break the record.

"Okay, let's begin now."

Old Ma said no more, turned around and walked towards the pile of goods, and began to select sacks for him.

For Zhu Yuan now, making sixty trips in one afternoon is quite a challenge.

He felt relaxed before the 55th trip.

After fifty-five trips, the main issue was physical strength. As for problems like backaches and sore waists, those had almost disappeared after he upgraded his porter level to level three.

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Occupation: Porter

Level: Lv4 (376/1600)

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Today I broke my record by making sixty trips in one afternoon, gaining nearly twenty points of porter experience.

If you can gain about 20 experience points every day, the porter's level can be raised to the maximum level in about two months.

After deducting the cost of food, Zhu Yuan's net income today was seventy-five coins.

Life is getting better and better.