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

Chapter 15 Offering

"I'm here to make friends."

Cheng Jiuhe looked around and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Zhou, your conditions don't seem to be very good."

Zhou Yuan remained calm and said, "Senior Brother Cheng, please speak your mind."

I like people who are quick-witted and outspoken.

Cheng Jiuhe clapped his hands and laughed, "Then I won't beat around the bush. Junior Brother Zhou, do you know what offerings are?"

"worship?"

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred, and he looked straight at Cheng Jiuhe.

The so-called "offering" actually refers to some influential figures in the county providing financial assistance to young people from poor families who have good talent in martial arts training.

This kind of offering is not a free lunch; once you become an offering, you have to do your part for those forces.

Overall, it can be considered a win-win cooperative relationship.

However, Zhou Yuan had inquired and found out that those forces recruited retainers, and the entry requirement was to break through a barrier, at least the skin barrier, in order to be qualified to serve as a retainer.

He is still some distance from that threshold.

"Senior Brother Cheng, I am not a martial artist who has broken through the cultivation barrier."

Zhou Yuan was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

Did Cheng Jiuhe see his extraordinary qualities and plan to invest in him ahead of time?

That's not impossible. After all, some people are like candlelight in the dark, and no matter how they try to hide, they can't hide their brilliance.

"I know."

Cheng Jiuhe smiled and said, "But I love making friends, and Junior Brother Zhou, you are a well-known figure."

"Senior Brother Cheng, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I'm just an ordinary blacksmith; I don't have any famous name."

Zhou Yuan shook his head and said.

Cheng Jiuhe glanced strangely in the direction of the room, then looked at Zhou Yuan, "Junior Brother Zhou, you probably don't know this, but in a certain circle, you're a household name. Everyone envies your good fortune with women."

Zhou Yuan frowned, looking somewhat displeased.

"It seems that Junior Brother Zhou is not quite aware of his own situation."

Cheng Jiuhe shook his head and said, "Junior Brother Zhou, Miss Zhuo's beauty is renowned, and the Zhuo family is extremely wealthy. You're blocking their way."

Someone wants you dead, but I can help you.

"What are the conditions?"

Zhou Yuan said calmly that he had long been aware of the crisis he was in, and Li Lin had also secretly warned him.

However, he didn't think Cheng Jiuhe would help him for no reason, as this was the first time the two had met.

Li Lin had secretly helped him before, but that was because of the favor Zhuo Changyu's mother had done for him.

He and Cheng Jiuhe had absolutely no connection.

"Naturally, Junior Brother Zhou, you will become a retainer of my family."

Chengjiu River Channel.

"My family provides you with good food and drink. If you can break through the skin barrier, you will receive three thousand coins a month, plus thirty catties of meat."

Cheng Jiuhe counted on his fingers and said, "If the flesh barrier is broken, the monthly salary will double, and so on."

If the marrow barrier is broken—

"By then, you'll have the qualifications of a martial arts scholar, and my humble Cheng family won't be able to accommodate Junior Brother Zhou anymore."

He shook his head, saying that there were only a handful of experts in the entire Gaoshan County who had broken through the marrow barrier, and he clearly did not believe that Zhou Yuan could reach that level.

Zhou Yuan looked at Cheng Jiuhe. He always believed in the principle that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Even if the Cheng family were to make an investment, they should invest in young talents who have already broken through barriers and shown their abilities.

"Why choose me? It's not even certain if I can pass the level. If I can't pass it, then your money will have been wasted!"

Zhou Yuan asked.

"Silver is the least valuable thing."

Cheng Jiuhe waved his hand and said, "Junior Brother Zhou, the fact that you can say these words already shows that you are a person worth befriending."

But since you asked, I won't keep it from you.

First of all, I can't stand Liu Lao Er's bullying and tyrannical behavior. Secondly, I've seen the sickle you made, Junior Brother Zhou, and your craftsmanship is excellent. Even if you don't achieve anything in martial arts, you'll still become a first-rate blacksmith in the future.

It just so happens that my Cheng family makes some ironware.

I can't possibly lose money on this deal.

Cheng Jiuhe appeared to be very honest.

"However, I must make this clear upfront: although I dislike Liu Lao Er, I will not confront him directly."

Cheng Jiuhe continued, "To put it bluntly, this matter of offering sacrifices is also a business."

"My Cheng family will provide the funding, Junior Brother Zhou, you will do the work. As for your feud with Liu Lao Er, I will not interfere, at least not directly."

Zhou Yuan nodded; that's more like it.

If Cheng Jiuhe said he could fight against that Young Master Liu for him, Zhou Yuan would suspect that he had some kind of conspiracy.

Zhou Yuan roughly understood Cheng Jiuhe's meaning: spending a little money each month would both annoy his rival and provide him with an extra source of labor.

Even if he wasn't a martial artist who had broken through to the next level, Zhou Yuan was still a decent blacksmith. The Cheng family's plans were quite elaborate.

Accepting offerings is a good thing, but if you eat other people's food, you'll be subject to their control. Clearly, the Cheng family and the Liu family are enemies, and he will inevitably be used as a tool in the struggle.

It's not worth risking your life for a few taels of silver in offerings.

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Cheng, but I have blacksmithing skills and it doesn't cost me much money to support my family, so there's no need for you to spend money on me."

Zhou Yuan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and earnestly declined.

"Junior Brother Zhou, wouldn't you like to reconsider?"

Cheng Jiuhe was somewhat surprised; was there really someone who could refuse his conditions?

If you can't even get enough to eat, what's the point of having backbone?

"Junior Brother Zhou, I know you want to change your fate through martial arts, but you haven't been practicing for long and don't know how difficult this path is."

Nourishing your Qi and blood is a bottomless pit; without money, what will you use to fill it? Do you think you're some kind of genius with exceptional talent?

If you were truly that kind of genius, Master Li Lin would have figured it out long ago by feeling your bones.

Cheng Jiuhe spoke earnestly and sincerely.

"If I can't become a powerful martial artist, I'll just be a blacksmith, that's fine too."

Zhou Yuan firmly refused.

Seeing Zhou Yuan's resolute attitude, Cheng Jiuhe sighed, "Junior brother, you still haven't seen the truth of life."

"Fine, come find me anytime you change your mind."

Cheng Jiuhe turned and walked out. After leaving the courtyard, he suddenly turned back and said, "By the way, the county discovered the whereabouts of the notorious bandit Xu Nian yesterday. A great battle resulted in the loss of many men. I estimate that the county will soon be summoning craftsmen to repair weapons."

Zhou Yuan's heart sank. When the county summoned blacksmiths to repair weapons, it was considered corvée labor, and it would be difficult for him, a craftsman, to escape it.

"I need to hurry up with the matter of getting rid of my citizenship, otherwise, with all the forced labor every now and then, how will I have time to practice martial arts and make money?"

Zhou Yuan thought to himself, and his movements with the hammer became more hurried.

…………

More than ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Almost every day, injured constables and martial artists return from outside the city to the county.

The notorious thief Xu Nian has never been caught.

However, none of this concerns Zhou Yuan.

These days, Zhou Yuan hardly leaves the house. Apart from eating and sleeping, he spends all his time forging iron and practicing martial arts.

On this day, just as dawn was breaking, Zhou Yuan had already opened his eyes.

A semi-transparent virtual panel floated silently in front of him.

Name: Zhou Yuan

[Free Points: 12]

[Realm: None]