All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

Time passed, and Yang Pan would work as a waiter at the inn in the morning and then go to the martial arts school to practice stance training in the afternoon.

On the seventh day of Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation), Yang Pan finally grasped the essentials of the exercise and could practice it on his own. He didn't know if this progress was considered good, but judging from Huang Hui's sighing and relieved expression at the time, it must have been relatively slow.

However, even if it's slow, for Yang Pan who has already achieved immortality, if he doesn't have enough talent for martial arts, then he'll make up for it with time.

After a month of standing meditation, Yang Pan's physical condition has also changed. Although he is not as tall and strong as Huang Hui, he is no longer as thin as before. Now he looks full of energy, a huge difference from himself a month ago, and all of this is the result of this month of standing meditation.

However, despite the remarkable results, Yang Pan's wallet visibly emptied out.

The essence of stance training is to strengthen the body by accumulating vital energy, and the accumulation of vital energy cannot be separated from the replenishment of food. Although Yang Pan did not eat lavish meals of fish and meat every day for the past month, he still had a meat meal every few days.

This led to him spending money rapidly. His initial savings of twenty-five taels, after deducting the first month's martial arts school fees and food expenses, now amounted to less than fifteen taels. And this was only for stance training; once he officially began practicing Iron Shirt, the expenses would undoubtedly be even higher.

It can be said that money has become Yang Pan's biggest worry.

However, good fortune never comes in pairs, and misfortunes never come singly.

Just as Yang Pan finished his cultivation for the day and rushed to the inn, another piece of bad news arrived at the same time.

......

At the West Wind Inn, it was midday, but unusually, there wasn't a single customer in sight. The entire inn had been cleaned spotlessly, chairs were overturned on wooden tables, and the counter where accounts were usually collected was empty.

Outside the inn, a horse-drawn carriage was parked, and Master Liu and his apprentice Li Yang were loading packed items into it one by one.

Inside the inn, Old Gao, bent over, was speaking to a middle-aged man beside him with his usual slick smile on his face.

The middle-aged man, in his thirties, had a neatly groomed, glossy black beard and appeared quite prosperous. He was the manager of the West Wind Inn. However, at this moment, Manager Wang wore an impatient expression.

"Old Gao, you've worked for me for over ten years. I know you inside and out, which is why I planned to take you all with me when we leave with Master Liu. As for Yang Pan..."

Manager Wang strolled to the entrance of the inn, his gaze following Li Yang, who was carrying things, and then he saw a young figure standing at the corner of the street.

"His origins are a mystery. If my uncle hadn't insisted that I help him, I wouldn't have kept him around."

Manager Wang's voice was loud and clear, so that Li Yang and Master Liu outside the inn could hear it clearly, which completely dispelled Old Man Gao's desire to continue persuading him.

Watching Manager Wang's figure disappear into the backyard of the inn, the smile that had been on Old Gao's lips slowly turned into a sigh. Shaking his head, thinking about how to tell Yang Pan later, Old Gao picked up a packed item and walked towards the carriage.

"Yang Pan?"

Carefully placing the package into the carriage, Old Gao approached Yang Pan and asked, "When did you arrive?"

"I haven't been here long, thank you so much, Uncle Gao," Yang Pan said sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Gao paused for a moment, then sighed and said, "You heard everything? Now that the inn is closed, what...what are your plans?"

Looking at the old man before him, Yang Pan's thoughts were in turmoil. In his memory, when he first arrived at the inn, this old man Gao was always amiable to everyone, but there was a hint of world-weariness in his amiability. He seemed approachable but was actually wary and distant from everyone. It seemed that his concern for him only came after he had helped him many times.

"Not at the moment."

Yang Pan shook his head. Although he had been running back and forth between the inn and the martial arts school for the past month, he had also taken some time to look for new jobs.

Unfortunately, the current situation in Tongjiang County is tense. Many wealthy families have left the county, and their businesses have closed down one by one with no one to take over. As a result, many people in the county have lost their jobs. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to even maintain their original livelihood, let alone find new work.

As a result, many people have already gone to work in brick kilns. Although Yang Pan is not afraid of hardship, the working hours in the brick kiln are even more terrifying than the 996 blessing in his previous life, which makes Yang Pan hesitate.

However, living off one's savings is not a long-term solution. If all else fails, Yang Pan will have to consider working at a brick kiln, but that would inevitably delay his cultivation progress.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered making some quick money, but given the current situation, only the wealthy families who hadn't left could still be of any use. But which of these wealthy families didn't have guards? If Yang Pan, with his newly acquired stance skills, were to rashly break in, he would probably only end up being hacked to pieces.

Just as Yang Pan was pondering, Old Man Gao handed him an envelope.

"What's this?" Yang Pan took the envelope, looking somewhat puzzled.

"I know the accountant at Huifeng Inn on West Street. Huifeng Inn is a business owned by Master Qin's family, and the Qin family has no plans to leave yet. Give him this letter; he might be able to help you find a job." Old Gao handed the envelope to Yang Pan and then continued:

"The Mongol Tartars might attack at any time. Tongjiang County might not be a place to stay for long. If you have the chance, find a way to leave as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Yang Pan felt a warmth in his heart. Only those who are alone in a foreign land can feel the warmth of being cared for.

This warmth is like a fire on a winter night; though not blazing, it is enough to dispel some of the chill.

After tucking the envelope into his clothes, Yang Pan looked at Old Man Gao and said, "Old Man Gao, I will definitely come to see you when I have time."

Old Gao didn't say anything more, just waved his hand and returned to the inn to continue moving the items. Yang Pan didn't linger either, turning and heading towards the martial arts school.

He didn't go to Huifeng Inn immediately. It was still midday, the busiest time at the inn, and even if he went there, no one would have time to deal with him. Besides, Old Man Gao had said that the inn's accountant was only acquainted with him, and he guessed that the two didn't have a very deep relationship.

A letter alone is unlikely to get help from the other party; it would be necessary to buy some gifts as a token of goodwill.

Yang Pan stayed at the martial arts school for another three hours in the afternoon. As the sun was about to sink below the mountains and the sky was filled with a thick sunset glow, he picked up some gifts he had bought and headed towards Huifeng Inn.

Huifeng Inn, also located in the center of the county town, is the largest inn in the entire Tongjiang County. It occupies a spacious area with three floors. On weekdays, the first floor mainly serves ordinary diners, while the second and third floors are more upscale and cater to wealthy young men.

Logically speaking, given the current situation, some wealthy families have already left, and Huifeng Inn, which is not exactly poor in terms of financial resources, should also leave.

However, the reality is that the larger the family or power, the later they will leave, because they have a lot of assets and they need to sell off their assets before they can leave.

But given the current situation, with the entire Anqing Prefecture in a state of high alert, who would be willing to take over their assets at this time? And merchants are driven by profit; asking them to abandon their businesses and leave is probably something they are unwilling to do, at least not in the short term.

However, Huifeng Inn is clearly affected by the current situation. Normally, the second and third floors would be brightly lit at this time. But now, as far as Yang Pan can see, there are only scattered lights on the two floors, and he can't even hear any noise from inside.

......

"Did Lao Gao send you?"

In the backyard of the inn, a slightly overweight middle-aged man sized up Yang Pan, then took the envelope Yang Pan handed him, opened it to check, and after a moment folded it up again. When his gaze fell on Yang Pan again, he seemed much more familiar with him.

"So it's Brother Yang. I've read your letter. Old Gao asked me to see if I could find you a job."

The middle-aged man paused here, lowered his head to think for a moment, and then raised his head again, a troubled look on his face.

"Young man, I don't want to hide anything from you since I'm an acquaintance of Lao Gao. In Tongjiang County, those who can leave have already left. Those who can't leave either lack the wealth and power to leave alone, or they are like this Huifeng Inn, unable to leave easily."

"Even if you hadn't left, the inn's business has plummeted. To be honest, the innkeeper has already laid off some of the staff. Now that you want to come in, how can the innkeeper possibly agree?"

"Moreover, I recently heard that Lantian County under Anqing Prefecture has already fallen victim to the Tartars. I wonder how long our county can remain peaceful."

Hearing this, Yang Pan remained silent. He was certainly aware of the situation in Tongjiang County; everyone had witnessed the recent changes, so Yang Pan knew that the middle-aged man was not lying.

He just didn't expect the crisis to have reached this point. You have to understand that for a county to operate smoothly, the first thing to do is to ensure the employment of its people.

Only with employment can people have income, which in turn promotes consumption and the circulation of goods. This virtuous cycle is essential for the normal operation of the county. But now, according to the middle-aged man, even Huifeng Inn is preparing to let people go. At that time, who knows how many more unemployed and homeless people will be added to the entire county.

But Yang Pan wasn't the county magistrate, and he wouldn't care about these political issues. However, the more displaced people there were, the more corrupt the situation would become, and the more lax the county's security would be. At that point, even the most basic safety might not be guaranteed.

Leaving Huifeng Inn, Yang Pan felt heavy-hearted. Thinking about the situation that might unfold, his anxiety grew even stronger.

"I must learn the Iron Shirt technique as soon as possible, otherwise, once the county descends into complete chaos, all sorts of monsters and demons will emerge, and with my current strength, I'm afraid even protecting myself will be difficult."