All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

"Senior Brother Huang, when are you planning to open your inn? I'm looking forward to the opening banquet," Yang Pan teased.

"It won't be that fast. The inn is still under renovation, and it will be at least half a month before it's ready."

Huang Hui shook his head. The inn he had taken over had been vacant for some time, and some parts needed renovation. However, when the topic turned to the inn's opening, Huang Hui seemed to remember something, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

"Junior brother, the method you taught me for purifying strong liquor has finally yielded some results after many attempts."

"Really? Senior brother, you've brewed baijiu?"

Yang Pan was also somewhat excited. He thought that he would definitely spend a lot of money on his cultivation in the future, and the monthly allowance of the Beggar Clan disciples would definitely not be enough. So Yang Pan combined some information from later generations and worked with Huang Hui to figure out how to purify the liquor.

If Yang Pan can successfully produce baijiu (Chinese liquor), it will be considered that he has taken a stake in the inn, and he can receive some dividends from the inn every year thereafter.

"Yes, but the brewed wine isn't as strong as you described, junior brother, but it's still much stronger than ordinary wine."

Huang Hui couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. Putting everything else aside, he was certain that once the inn opened, as long as he launched this newly brewed spirit, business would definitely be good.

It's important to know that most of the alcohol on the market today is either yellow wine or rice wine, or fruit wine and medicinal wine that are drunk by high-ranking officials and nobles. These wines don't have a very strong flavor, and some江湖人 (jianghu people, people of the martial arts world) can even drink several jars without getting drunk.

Even he himself felt dizzy after just two bowls of the strong liquor he had created. Although the taste was slightly inferior, its potency and intoxicating effect would surely make it popular among martial arts practitioners in the future.

Thinking of this, Huang Hui looked at Yang Pan with more gratitude, as his junior brother had helped him so much.

"You really made a name for yourself at the Xiushui Wharf yesterday, Junior Brother. Now even I know that the Beggars' Clan has produced a Black King Kong." Huang Hui's tone was tinged with amusement, and his gaze on Yang Pan held a hint of teasing.

News travels fast in the city, so Yang Pan wasn't surprised that Senior Brother Huang knew about this, but...

"What the hell is Black King Kong?! Are you talking about me?" Yang Pan asked Huang Hui, somewhat incredulous.

"Senior brother, what is this Black King Kong?"

"Pfft, hahaha, of course it's the name the people gave you. You've made quite a name for yourself in the martial arts world now, hahaha!" Huang Hui couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter.

Yang Pan's face darkened. Damn it, which good-for-nothing bastard came up with this name?

Black King Kong? They're actually talking about him!

Yang Pan asked himself that since he started practicing martial arts, his skin was indeed not as delicate as before, but it couldn't be completely dark either. His skin tone was at most a healthy yellow like wheat. Where did this bastard who gave him the name get the idea that he was dark?

And being black is one thing, but how does it relate to King Kong? The moment King Kong is mentioned, Yang Pan immediately thinks of that giant, dumb guy who braved heat weapons atop a skyscraper—that's the real King Kong!

Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Yang Pan was determined to expose this scoundrel who was spreading rumors, but he continued chatting with his senior brother Huang about the opening of the inn.

With the liquor business guaranteed to be profitable, the only remaining concern is avoiding being taken advantage of by unscrupulous individuals in the city. After all, everyone would want a piece of such a lucrative tool.

Although Senior Brother Huang is quite strong, there are too many gangs in Jiaxing City and too many martial artists stronger than him. If he wants to keep the recipe for the strong liquor in the future, he may have to rely on the Beggars' Sect's reputation. However, he will definitely have to give up some of his profits.

However, if sacrificing some profits could allow them to monopolize the liquor trade, both Huang Hui and Yang Pan naturally agreed.

After chatting with Senior Brother Huang for two hours, Yang Pan left on his own. Life returned to normal, and the docks were as peaceful as ever, with a constant stream of merchants coming and going.

With Yang Pan, the Black Vajra, in charge, the other gangs at the docks became much more obedient, especially the disciples of the Canal Gang, who were no longer seen in the Beggar Gang's territory.

Yang Pan continued to shuttle between the outpost and the Black Tiger Martial Arts School every day. Although the name "Black King Kong" sounded unpleasant, it was also a testament to his strength from the local people and the disciples of the surrounding gangs. Yang Pan naturally wouldn't become arrogant because of this. He knew the power of this top martial artist in the martial arts world, and he also knew the glory of the martial artists in this world in the past.

In the end, he was just a low-level martial artist who hadn't even cultivated internal energy. He wouldn't even be considered a third-rate expert in the martial arts world. Not to mention, if Yang Pan wanted to acquire those top-tier martial arts techniques and opportunities in the future, without strong strength, it would all be empty talk.

However, Yang Pan took the hall master's advice to heart. Although Iron Shirt was his foundation, he couldn't fall too far behind in fist, palm, and sword techniques. Although he had practiced diligently before, he had mostly been working alone behind closed doors, resulting in slow progress.

Perhaps due to the hall master's favor, when Yang Pan sought instruction from the five-bag disciples on techniques and skills, they were all extremely patient with him. Under their guidance, Yang Pan's fist and sword techniques showed significant improvement.

Thus, Yang Pan immersed himself in improving his martial arts skills, and another half month quickly passed.

......

Early in the morning, in the eastern part of the city, an inn called Xinglong opened for business.

Crackle! Crackle!

Firecrackers and firecrackers exploded in front of the inn. Huang Hui, dressed in a brown brocade robe, stood in front of the inn. After the firecrackers had completely stopped exploding, he smiled and said to the surrounding crowd:

"Ladies and gentlemen, today marks the grand opening of my Xinglong Inn. Thank you all for coming to witness this occasion. All customers today will receive a 20% discount, and those who spend more will receive a complimentary bottle of my inn's newly brewed strong liquor!"

Splash!

As Huang Hui finished speaking, the surrounding crowd surged into the inn. Among them were many martial arts practitioners; they weren't there for the 20% discount, but rather for the throat lozenge that had been heavily advertised before the inn even opened.

Inside the inn, Huang Hui smiled broadly as he looked at the packed house. The effects of this strong-throat liquor were indeed beyond his expectations; in just half an hour, many martial artists were already asking for refills, and it seemed they would sell out the stock for the day.

In a corner of the inn, Yang Pan and Shi Yingfeng sat at a table. Shi Yingfeng had taken a day off to congratulate his senior brother on the inn's opening. Seeing his brother's business thriving, both of them offered their heartfelt congratulations.

"Speaking of which, junior brother, your reputation is growing, so I must congratulate you." Shi Yingfeng raised his wine glass and toasted Yang Pan.

Yang Pan's expression stiffened, but his hands moved quickly as he also picked up his wine glass and drank.

Since Senior Brother Shi joined the academy's guards, the two have seen each other much less often, only occasionally catching glimpses of each other at the Black Tiger Martial Arts Hall. Thinking that the other couldn't frequently leave the guards' residence, Yang Pan sighed inwardly.

The essence of martial arts lies in perseverance. Now that his status restricts his training time, Senior Brother Shi cannot match mine, and he's even almost surpassed me in Iron Shirt cultivation. It's conceivable that I will develop internal energy before him in the future.

However, Yang Pan didn't see much disappointment on Shi Shixiong's face. Considering that the other party had always sought a peaceful life, martial arts might not have been that important to him. Now, this kind of life was probably what he wanted.

The two sat together and chatted casually. Yang Pan talked about his life after joining the Beggars' Sect, while Shi Yingfeng talked about his duties as a guard. Time passed in the midst of their conversation. The inn continued to be busy until nightfall, and after all the guests had left, Huang Hui also sat down and drank with the two of them.

Since leaving the Beggars' Sect branch, the three brothers had rarely been able to reunite. With the help of alcohol, they talked about everything under the sun until night fell, at which point they decided to stay overnight at an inn.

Xinglong Inn's business was as booming as expected. Even though the 20% discount was canceled a few days later, it did not affect the arrival of diners in the market. Most of them were martial arts practitioners who came for the strong throat liquor.

The appearance of the strong throat lozenge naturally attracted the attention of many gangs in the city, and even the government wanted to get involved.

Fortunately, the Beggars' Clan had a great reputation. Both Chief Hong and Chief Huang were renowned figures in the martial arts world. Seeing that the Xinglong Inn was backed by the Beggars' Clan, these people naturally dared not offend them easily, and so the inn was able to operate smoothly.

Yang Pan, after the inn opened, also immersed himself in the practice of martial arts.

However, thanks to the dividends from Xinglong Inn, Yang Pan could receive a large sum of money every year, so his Iron Shirt training never stopped and continued to advance at an extremely stable and rapid pace.