By the time the two returned to the Iron Bone Dojo, the night was already deep, and the disciples in the front yard had long since dispersed.
Tie Tu sat alone by the stone table in the inner courtyard.
Several empty wine jars lay toppled at his feet. Seeing Su Yueli and his daughter return, Tie Tu looked up and forced a stiff smile.
Having vented his grief, his emotions seemed somewhat more stable, though his eyes were bloodshot and filled with exhaustion.
Su Yueli went forward to greet him. After a brief conversation with the old man who had just lost his dearest friend, she tactfully led Tie Ling'er back to the rear courtyard.
Lying on the brand-new, soft bed, Su Yueli found herself completely unable to sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, the blood and corpses that had filled Black Wind Ridge, along with the horrific sight of her master's shattered skull, would uncontrollably force their way into her mind.
A martial artist's blood qi was naturally vigorous. With her mind in disarray, the blood surging through her body felt as if it were about to ignite within her meridians.
Su Yueli simply rolled out of bed, pushed open the door, and stepped into the courtyard.
The night breeze was slightly cool. She took a stance and began practicing her fist techniques, repeating them over and over.
“Phew—”
After practicing an unknown number of times, Su Yueli suddenly pulled back her fist, her cold eyes sweeping toward the corner of the courtyard wall.
“Ling'er?”
The corner remained quiet for a moment before a fluffy head peeked out.
Tie Ling'er, wearing her undergarments with a thin outer robe draped over her shoulders, tiptoed out, her small face slightly flushed. “Sister Yueli, did I disturb you?”
Su Yueli looked at her. “Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing hiding over there?”
Tie Ling'er wrung the corner of her clothes with both hands and approached sheepishly. “I... I couldn't sleep.”
“Sister Yueli, the way you practiced your fists just now was so beautiful, just like a heroine stepping out of a painting. Could you... teach me?”
Su Yueli was momentarily stunned.
“Train with me?”
She raised an eyebrow, looking at the fair-skinned girl with a strange expression. “Uncle Tie is a Fifth Realm Martial Opening expert, one of the top martial artists in Qingzhou City. Instead of training with your father, you run out in the middle of the night to learn from a Third Realm like me?”
Tie Ling'er pouted and muttered, “My dad is too terrifying when he teaches. He's always huffing and puffing. If I get tired after standing in a stance for just a little bit, he yells at me for being useless. I'm not training with him.”
Saying this, she tugged at Su Yueli's sleeve and shook it, her eyes shining. “Besides, my dad's fist style looks so rough and clumsy—it's ugly! I want to be like you, Sister Yueli. Just a single glance from you last night scared those bad guys away. That's so cool!”
Su Yueli sighed helplessly.
A mortal girl's yearning for the martial path was often limited to its superficial glory. She had no idea how many layers of skin one had to shed behind the scenes.
“If you want to learn, you can,” Su Yueli said without wasting words, straightening her posture. “My fist technique has no flashy moves; it relies entirely on a foundation of blood qi. I'll teach you a breathing technique first. If you can endure it, then we'll talk about practicing fists.”
Tie Ling'er nodded repeatedly, extremely excited.
“Three long breaths, one short. Sink your qi into your lower abdomen.”
Su Yueli took the breathing technique Lu Chen had taught her back then, toned down its intensity slightly, and passed it on to Tie Ling'er.
However, Tie Ling'er was clearly no martial prodigy.
Not only were her movements clumsy, but she couldn't even grasp the most basic rhythm of respiration. After just two attempts, she was choked by the cold air she forced down, coughing repeatedly until tears welled in her eyes.
Su Yueli didn't get annoyed. She patiently corrected her posture and breathing rhythm over and over again.
It wasn't until late into the night, when Tie Ling'er could no longer withstand the sleepiness and muscle soreness, that she finally went back to her room to sleep, yawning all the way.
The next morning.
Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, the grunts and shouts of the disciples building their strength began to echo from the front yard.
Su Yueli woke up early.
After washing up quickly in the courtyard, she left the Iron Bone Dojo and began wandering around Qingzhou City.
Today, she needed to find something to do to earn money.
But after walking around the city for an entire morning, Su Yueli hit a wall at every turn.
Although Qingzhou City was bustling, the jobs available to mortals were clearly divided.
They were either labor-intensive jobs like carrying sacks at the docks or acting as guards for dojos, where people dismissed her with a wave of their hands, deeming her a delicate-looking girl.
Or they were serving dishes at restaurants or working as an embroiderer in an embroidery workshop. But the moment Su Yueli heard about wearing long skirts to smile at customers or holding a needle to embroider, she turned around and left immediately.
More importantly, the wages for ordinary temporary labor were too low—only a few dozen copper coins a day.
This amount of money was far too little for her.
Although she wasn't particularly interested in wealth, gathering information about cultivators in the future would require money.
Just as Su Yueli stood on the street feeling a bit troubled, her peripheral vision caught the small gourd hanging from her waist.
The rich aroma of alcohol from the previous night suddenly flashed through her mind.
Since working for others won't do, why not sell something myself?
Su Yueli stroked her chin, deep in thought.
Before she transmigrated, she would occasionally enjoy a couple of cold beers at roadside stalls during the summer.
Although this cultivation world had alcohol, most of it was strong liquor or coarsely fermented rice wine.
As for beer, she had never heard of it here.
Although she hadn't studied professional brewing, she knew the general rustic process. It was nothing more than malting barley, roasting it, mashing and boiling, adding some bitter herbs to substitute for hops, and finally fermenting it with yeast.
If she failed, she would at most waste some grain. But if she succeeded, it would definitely be a one-of-a-kind business in this world.
Having made up her mind, Su Yueli took action. She dug out the last remaining copper coins from her pocket and followed the market to a large grain shop in the west of the city.
“Shopkeeper, weigh a few catties of high-quality barley for me.”
Su Yueli stood before the grain shop's stall, looking down as she sifted through the plump grains of barley in a bamboo basket.
Just then, not far away at the street corner, a young man wearing an ice-blue brocade martial uniform stopped in his tracks.
The young man was handsome, but his brow carried an arrogance unique to children of prestigious families.
He had originally been casually scanning the market, but his gaze locked onto the tall, slender figure in front of the grain shop.
No makeup, a high ponytail, a light green dress, along with an exceptionally beautiful, cold face and a tear mole at the corner of her eye.
The young man narrowed his eyes slightly.
This appearance and attire matched exactly what those two useless outer disciples from the Changwei Dojo had described last night.
When did that brute Tie Tu take in such a stunning female disciple?
A trace of an intrigued smile curled the young man's lips as he walked toward the grain shop.
“Are you buying barley, miss?”
A warm voice sounded beside her. Su Yueli raised an eyebrow and turned her head.
She saw a young man standing next to her, cupping his hands politely with an elegant air.
“I am Zhao Xiu, the Young Dojo Master of the Changwei Dojo.”
Looking at Su Yueli's cold face so close to him, the astonishment in Zhao Xiu's eyes deepened.
Yet his tone sounded incredibly sincere: “Last night, two foolish outer disciples from my dojo disturbed you at the night market. After hearing about this, I have already severely punished them.”
“Meeting you here today is truly a stroke of fate. I came specifically to apologize to you. May I know your name, miss?”
Zhao Xiu's words were seamless. He both made clear his prominent identity as the Young Dojo Master and put on a humble, courteous posture. Any ordinary woman would likely feel flattered.
Su Yueli simply listened quietly, without much reaction.
Changwei Dojo? Young Dojo Master?
What did that have to do with her?
Still, since they were both in Qingzhou City, if the other party was being reasonable, it wouldn't do to be too impolite.
Su Yueli turned her head, took the wrapped catties of barley from the shopkeeper, and held them in her hand.
Then she cupped her fists. “Su Yueli. It is enough if Young Master Zhao keeps his own disciples in check.”
With that, Su Yueli bypassed Zhao Xiu and blended into the crowd.
Standing at the entrance of the grain shop, Zhao Xiu's hand, which had been raised in mid-air to continue the conversation, froze.
As the prestigious Young Dojo Master of the Changwei Dojo, he had never been completely ignored like thin air on the streets of Qingzhou City.
He turned around, watching Su Yueli's graceful figure gradually vanish into the crowd. His face flushed with embarrassment and anger, but a moment later, he actually laughed in spite of his anger.
A flash of desire to conquer crossed his eyes.
“She has spirit.”
“What an interesting woman.”
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