Supreme Martial Venerable: Starting with the White Ape Cloak Hammer skill point allocation

"Brother Xiong, something bad has happened! That blacksmith in Dog Tail Alley has become Li Lin's apprentice."

Inside a residence in Anyefang, Qian Xiong was with several of his underlings. In front of them were a wine jug, a roast chicken, and a pile of loose silver and copper coins.

"What are you yelling for? Your father isn't dead yet."

Qian Xiong shouted with displeasure, "What's wrong with Li Lin? Does he dare to interfere with the affairs of my Broken Blade Gang?"

Li Lin is a big name, but everyone in Gaoshan County knows him. He is weak-willed and never dares to offend anyone.

The underling who ran in shrank back and whispered, "Brother Xiong, that's Li Lin. He's a martial artist who has broken through to the next level, and he can even talk to the county magistrate..."

"So what? He recruits at least twenty or thirty apprentices a year. Does he expect every single one of them to give him face?"

Qian Xiong sneered, "How many of his apprentices can actually become martial artists who break through to the next level?"

With so many apprentices, Li Lin couldn't possibly manage them all.

The underlings all breathed a sigh of relief.

"We've sent someone to keep a close eye on that kid Zhou Yuan. He's a pretty good blacksmith, and now that he's apprenticed under Li Lin, his skills will only get better. He's a real money-maker."

Qian Xiong grinned menacingly, "Every penny he earns is a contribution to our Broken Blade Gang."

Everyone burst into laughter.

…………

Meanwhile, in a private room of a restaurant in the inner city.

Gao Dazhuang and a young man in brocade robes gathered together.

"What happened? Why did Zhou Yuan not only return home alive, but also become Li Lin's apprentice?"

The young man in brocade robes had a sinister look in his eyes and spoke in an unpleasant tone.

"That kid was lucky. Water monkeys appeared on the river, and with what happened to Xu Nian, my brother-in-law sent all the laborers back."

These days, the county is in a frenzy to hunt down Xu Nian, so it's not convenient for me to take action.

Gao Dazhuang whispered, "I also asked Li Lin. It was Miss Zhuo who insisted that he take on a disciple because of past favors, and he had no choice."

However, Li Lin promised me that although he had taken Zhou Yuan as an apprentice, he would not teach Zhou Yuan any real skills.

In a few months, he will find an excuse to kick Zhou Yuan out.

"Hmph, a few months?"

The young man in brocade sneered, "A man and a woman alone together, they've done everything in a few months."

You want me to wear a blacksmith's worn-out shoes?

No, it won't.

Gao Dazhuang quickly replied, "I asked the Broken Blade Gang to keep an eye on him. Zhou Yuan has been working day and night forging iron lately, so he hasn't had a chance to touch Miss Zhuo at all..."

I'll have the village headman go and collect taxes from him again, putting more pressure on him so he won't have time to think about those things.

"Gao Dazhuang, if you can't even do this simple thing right, how can I help you become a martial arts scholar, or even a martial arts graduate?"

The young man in brocade robes said coldly.

"Don't worry, Young Master Liu, very soon, I will send Zhou Yuan to meet the King of Hell."

"It's quite a coincidence. If it weren't for the notorious bandit Xu Nian causing such a stir in the town, and the county constables not being able to hide his actions from them, I would have killed Zhou Yuan long ago."

"But don't worry," the tall, strong man said, "it won't be long before I guarantee you'll win the heart of your beauty!"

…………

"Although Master Li accepted you, Yuan-ge'er, you don't work in his blacksmith shop, so not only do you not get paid, you also have to pay tuition."

Under the oil lamp, Zhuo Changyu divided the copper coin into two parts.

Part of it was used for living expenses, and the rest was saved up to be Zhou Yuan's tuition.

Li Lin's main job was running a blacksmith shop, and his side job was teaching martial arts to apprentices.

He accepted two types of apprentices. One type worked odd jobs at the blacksmith shop while learning blacksmithing and martial arts. This type of apprentice not only did not have to pay tuition, but also had room and board provided.

However, this would mean selling oneself to a blacksmith shop; the saying goes, "Three years to learn a craft, ten years to sell oneself."

Another option is to pay tuition to learn the skills, just like other martial arts schools.

Zhou Yuan naturally chose the second option.

It wasn't that he was rich; it was that he was a craftsman, and even if he wanted to sell himself to a blacksmith shop, he wouldn't be qualified.

Craftsmen are required to perform corvée labor regularly, so who would hire such an apprentice?

Whether Li Lin did it to avoid suspicion or for other reasons, although he accepted Zhou Yuan, he did not waive Zhou Yuan's tuition fees, but instead charged him fees in a high-profile manner.

The tuition fee is five taels of silver per month!

The good news is that Li Lin gave him a grace period for the first month's tuition, allowing him to pay it at the end of the month.

It cannot be said that Li Lin is cold-blooded and ruthless. In fact, Li Lin has already helped him a lot. If Li Lin had not secretly taught him the White Ape Cloak Hammer, he would have died from exhaustion while performing corvée labor.

It's just that the world has forced Li Lin into this state. He lives in constant fear and walks on thin ice, always being cautious in everything he does, and he's unwilling to offend even a minor character.

"The village head is here to collect taxes again today. Before, you only repaired ironware for the villagers and did not run a shop, so you did not pay commercial tax. Now that we sell finished ironware, it is considered that we have opened a shop. You have to pay 15 coins in commercial tax for every sickle you sell."

Zhuo Changyu continued, saying that he kept a clear record of every single income and expenditure in the ledger.

"After taxes, we can earn fifteen coins by selling one sickle. If we sell ten sickles a day, that's one hundred and fifty coins..."

"Keep the money safe. I'll go make a few more sickles. Once I pass the martial arts exam and get my official title, I won't have to pay taxes anymore."

Zhou Yuan remained silent for a moment, then got up and walked into the work shed, whereupon the clanging and hammering sounds rang out.

His blacksmithing skills became increasingly proficient, and he was able to consistently produce ten sickles almost every day.

However, his earnings did not increase much.

Protection fees and commercial taxes followed one after another, and most of the money earned each day had to be handed over.

Zhou Yuan now understood why so many people in ancient times would register their names with the homes of successful candidates in the imperial examinations to avoid taxes—the taxes were simply too heavy.

Fortunately, he has now become Li Lin's apprentice, so he can openly practice the White Ape Cloak Hammer without worrying about being caught.

Once he breaks through the skin barrier, everything will be alright.

Zhou Yuan gripped the hammer harder and harder, each strike flattening the path in front of him.

…………

A few days later, Zhou Yuan slept for two hours. After getting up, he first practiced the White Ape Cloak Hammer once, and then immediately began forging iron.

As usual.

He hadn't even finished forging a sickle.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the door.

Zhou Yuan put down the hammer and looked up.

A man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit stood at the door, peering into the courtyard.

"Is this Zhou Yuan's (Junior Brother Zhou) house?"

When the man saw Zhou Yuan, he cupped his hands in greeting and called out.

"I am Zhou Yuan, and you are?"

Zhou Yuan looked at the other person and spoke.

"Junior Brother Zhou, I am Cheng Jiuhe, and I am also Master Li Lin's disciple. I entered the sect two years earlier than you. If you don't mind, you can call me Senior Brother Cheng."

Cheng Jiuhe walked into the courtyard and spoke in a very familiar manner.

"Senior Brother Cheng, what brings you to my humble abode? What guidance do you offer?"

Zhou Yuan asked with some doubt, "Although I have become an apprentice, I am not familiar with Li Lin's other disciples."

Moreover, before breaking through the barrier, he could only be considered an apprentice at most, not Li Lin's formal disciple.

Cheng Jiuhe was a burly man with bulging temples and a metallic sheen to his skin; he was clearly a martial artist who had broken through the skin barrier.

Why would someone like that want to be with him?