The inner city is indeed prosperous. When Bai Qi passed through the thick city wall made of long green and black bricks, he had a real feeling that was completely different from the outside.
First of all, the main long street paved with flat bluestones is wider and can accommodate two or three carriages passing side by side.
From time to time, there are sounds of vendors calling for food and shouting out their goods.
It's noisy and lively.
Bookstores, cloth shops, restaurants, rouge shops... all kinds of shops are available.
People come and go like spinning.
The number of well-dressed practitioners and well-dressed merchants and wealthy people has increased significantly.
The overall upbeat mental outlook is absolutely different from that of laborers and clerks in shantytowns in outer cities.
It presents the atmosphere of a large county surrounded by mountains and rivers.
"Only those with sufficient talent can know etiquette. Most of the people in the outer city are from humble backgrounds, and it is not easy to have food and clothing. How can they care about other details.
Moreover, after years of high-intensity labor, people become numb. "
Bai Qi thought silently, there was a clear distinction between superior and inferior in Heihe County.
From burlap shorts and bloomers to commoners and cloth shoes, there is a huge gap.
The same goes for going from the outer city to the inner city, from running a lowly business to owning property and land.
Without special luck, it may take three or four generations of hard work to complete the leap.
"The first one we went to was Duandaomen."
Liang Laoshi clasped his hands behind his back and did not rush to the martial arts gym. Instead, he sat down at a food stall along the street and ordered two bowls of steaming wontons.
"The master of the sect, Mu Chun, is good at boxing and has a unique skill such as a sharp sword, but few people see him.
His punches are fierce, hard to hit and take every inch.
The reason why he established the Broken Knife Sect was because he had single-handedly fought against seventeen or eight sword-wielding men, using his bare hands to break several sharp blades in one breath.
As a result, he became famous and gained many apprentices. "
Bai Qi ate the wontons with thin skin, rich fillings and refreshing soup base, and thought to himself:
“These powerful characters who play their signature roles seem to have amazing and resounding records.
No wonder there are no unknown masters in Heihe County.
Only with thunderous prestige can attract disciples to flock to them. "
Liang Laoshi chewed his food carefully and spoke unhurriedly:
“Being a disciple of Broken Blade Sect, if you want to become a direct successor, you must be strong and strong.
One of the conditions for personal transmission is to temper your strength to be strong and violent.
There is a saying that says, 'The heart is like gunpowder, and the fist is like thunderbolt'.
It means that when fighting with others, you will be furious and your energy and blood will surge, making your punches extremely fast and violent.
There is a target for practicing martial arts in the Broken Blade Gate, wrapped in more than a dozen layers of tough and thick leather.
In the third month of entry, if you can penetrate more than ten floors with one punch, you will be qualified to be a personal disciple. "
Bai Qi kept it in mind that these points could not be bought with dozens or hundreds of taels of silver.
If he hadn't helped Liang Sanshui a lot and gained Old Liang's favor, he might not have been willing to explain his secrets so clearly.
"When you are full, your fists will be strong. Let's see how you perform later, Ah Qi."
Liang Laoshi wiped his mouth, paid and left.
…
…
"Is this the Broken Blade Sect?"
Bai Qi followed the direction in which Old Man Liang raised his hand and saw the wide gate courtyard with a high plaque.
The two doors opened outwards, and one could see dozens of strong men practicing martial arts in the open space of the front yard where the loess was compacted, making loud shouts and shouts.
"It is indeed more presentable than the martial arts gym in the outer city."
Bai Qi glanced over and saw that in the cool autumn weather, there was a rising heat.
Several people in the lead should be able to control their energy and blood, and they can already use their moves to great effect.
"Let's go in."
As soon as Liang Laoshi stepped through the gate, he saw a young man in his early twenties walking towards him:
"Uncle Liang, why are you here! I heard that Sanshui was promoted to the steward of Dongshi Shop, and I was planning to send back some congratulatory gifts!"
"Ah Yong, you're so polite. Ah Qi, my name is Brother Yong. His old man specialized in pickled fish business in the early years. He has dealt with me and we are all acquaintances."
Liang Laoshi introduced Bai Qi as if introducing his own nephew:
"Bai Aqi, the owner of Baiji Fish Stall in Dongshi, is also a famous fisherman on the Blackwater River.
Silver sand carp, seven-star spotted fish and other precious fish have been taken care of, so we will move around more in the future. "
The young man looks ordinary, but his eyes are very bright, giving him a sense of agility.
"It turns out to be Brother Xiao Qi, who is really young and promising.
At my age, I am still eating and waiting to die, but you are already running a fish stall, which is shameful.
My name is Deng Yong. If you can call me Brother Yong, you are giving me face. I am taking advantage of you, haha. "
The kipper business?
It’s a big deal!
Bai Qi understood the idea with a gentle smile on his face:
"Uncle Liang and Brother Shui are willing to support the younger generation, so I have a chance to get ahead.
If Brother Yong is of any use to me in the future, feel free to let me know. "
When he heard the word "kippered fish", he immediately understood what Old Man Liang was implying.
From ancient times to the present, salt and iron have been a profitable business.
Even if they risk being beheaded, many people will take the risk.
Especially the private salt dealers who are close to rivers, lakes and seas.
They often like to use the name of "pickled salted fish" as a cover.
Because fishermen all rely on fishing for a living, the catch is extremely difficult to preserve and cannot be sold to other towns and counties, which is a waste of resources.
However, official salt is expensive. If you buy it through normal channels and then marinate the fresh fish, it will definitely be a loss-making business.
Considering this livelihood issue, the government specially separated table salt and fishery salt.
The former is boiled and becomes as fine as powder and white in color;
The latter has not been processed, is reddish in color, and cannot be eaten directly.
Similarly, table salt is expensive but fishing salt is cheap.
The latter can be purchased at a very low price and is specially supplied to fishermen for making pickled fish.
From this, a gray industry was derived——
Many people pretend to be low-income fishermen to buy salt, and then only take 30 to 40% of the salted fish, leaving 60 to 70% for storage.
Then it is secretly boiled and refined, and then resold as private salt.
This in and out, the profit is huge!
Looking at Deng Yong's strong physique and the powerful clothes that cost more than ten taels of silver, Bai Qi knew that he could never be a pickled fish seller.
Moreover, being able to worship at Broken Blade Sect, one’s status is not low.
You must have at least a solid family background that can squander five or six hundred taels of silver.
All kinds of speculations came to mind, and Bai Qi immediately knew that this father Yong Ge was actually selling private salt.
Deng Yong agreed cheerfully and turned to look at Liang Laoshi:
"It's easy to say, easy to say. Uncle Liang brought Brother Xiaoqi here today. Do you want him to learn some fists and kicks?"
His father sells private salt, a shady beheading business, so he naturally has to manage it from top to bottom.
Especially at the fish pen guard level, all must be cleared.
Otherwise, how can we allow people to turn a blind eye and let trade go smoothly?
Only then did he form a relationship with Old Man Liang.
"Is Master Mu here?"
Liang Laoshi asked calmly:
"Master is out for a meeting. There seems to be a reward at the fish pen, asking talented people from various martial arts to kill the demon fish and solve the problem. Master is also invited."
Deng Yong replied.
"What a coincidence. Ah Qi, this kid, has good muscles and bones, but is a little older. I want to introduce him to Sect Master Mu and see if he can be a direct successor."
Liang Laoshi was introduced to the main hall in the front yard, and tea was quickly served.
"How old is Brother Xiaoqi?"
Deng Yong was stunned for a moment, then answered.
"I'll be seventeen next month."
Bai Qi did not sit down, just like a junior standing behind Old Man Liang's chair.
"It's true that he's not too young. Looking at Brother Qi's appearance, I thought he was fifteen or sixteen."
Deng Yong laughed and considered his words:
"Uncle Liang, you also know that the direct seedlings of Duandaomen are usually accepted at the age of fourteen, and are taught by my master step by step.
Personal inheritance is the strong pillar that supports the martial arts school, and it cannot be done by just giving enough money.
You know the rules of martial arts. To be honest, this matter may be difficult to handle.
In my opinion, Xiao Qi Ge can start as a disciple at best and wait for three to five years to see results.
It turns out that boxing and kicking skills cannot be achieved overnight, it has to be practiced over a period of time.
How about... let's take it slow? "
Liang Laoshi was silent for a moment. Age is indeed a disadvantage that cannot be ignored for Ah Qi.
At the age of seventeen, the bones of the body are almost mature, and it is difficult to train them, so they may not be suitable for this sect's martial arts.
For example, if your arms are strong and your hands are longer than your knees, you will get twice the result with half the effort if you learn to use long strikes to hit far and strong punches to split and hang.
He has a tall physique and strong muscles, so he can easily get started with hard-hitting and powerful Kung Fu.
Therefore, various martial arts schools actually have different standards for selecting their own seedlings.
"It's too much of a waste to start training as a disciple. Three years of training, three years of fighting, and six years in a blink of an eye.
Train your muscles and bones, and you will be at your best before the age of twenty. I don’t want to bury Ah Qi. "
Liang honestly shook his head, obviously not satisfied.
"Uncle Liang thinks highly of this boy, he really dares to praise him.
At the age of seventeen, he practiced boxing and kicking. At the age of twenty, he broke through the bone training barrier and completed the mercury, blood and silver marrow?
There is no such person in the entire Heihe County! "
Deng Yong's face twitched and he couldn't help but curse.
"Let's do this, Ah Yong. You can lead Ah Qi to try the punching target at Duandaomen to see if he is good enough and become a direct seed."
Liang Laoshi took a sip of tea and suddenly raised his head, his cloudy eyes shining brightly, as if he was looking forward to it.
