Chapter 37

Now, with the oil pot in front of him, Ye Yu felt quite at a loss. He had originally intended to help Guo Xiaotian and Li Ping'er get together, which would have meant he wouldn't have to go through the oil pot. However, he didn't expect Li Dayin to be so stubborn and insist on going through the knife mountain and oil pot.

Ye Yu didn't know if there would be a third test, but the current challenge of retrieving money from the oil pot was worth some serious thought. This reminded him of the old books that mentioned the tricks of the trade in the martial arts world, where the oil pot supposedly contained not hot oil but a layer of oil on top of a pot of black vinegar.

Since vinegar has a low boiling point, it would appear to be boiling vigorously, but the temperature would only be around fifty to sixty degrees Celsius. The layer of oil on top was to deceive the eye and prevent the strong smell of vinegar from spreading.

Although these thoughts crossed his mind, Ye Yu knew that the oil in the pot was not black vinegar but real hot lard. Moreover, the copper coins were made of a copper-tin alloy, which wouldn't be affected by a magnet.

If he were to reach into the pot, his hand would be ruined. But since he had come this far and had already boasted, how could he back down without losing face?

Seeing that Ye Yu had not made a move for a long time, Li Dayin sneered and mocked, "What, are you afraid? Fine! If you admit defeat in front of me today, I'll let you pass this test of retrieving money from the oil pot!"

"Ha ha! Chief Li, why the rush? Since I dared to come here alone, what do I have to fear? It's just a matter of retrieving money from the pot. As long as I get the copper coin from the oil pot, no matter how I do it, I will have passed, right?"

"This..."

Li Dayin wanted to say, "Of course," but he held back. He remembered how Ye Yu had tricked him with the knife mountain, which is why Guo Xiaotian only suffered a minor injury. This time, he was more cautious. Seeing Ye Yu's confident demeanor, he decided to think carefully.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Dayin said, "Of course, but let me make it clear: not a single drop of oil can be missing from the pot, and you cannot add anything to the oil pot..."

These two conditions effectively cut off Ye Yu's escape route. The oil couldn't be less, meaning the pot couldn't leak or be emptied. The oil pot couldn't have anything added to it, to prevent Ye Yu from using any tricks.

In Li Dayin's view, since Ye Yu had thought of the soft armor, he might have a way to deal with the oil pot as well!

Ye Yu, however, smiled lightly and then clasped his hands, "Fair and reasonable! But since Chief Li has so many requirements, I would like to borrow something from you. I'm sure you won't refuse!"

"Oh? What do you want to borrow?" Li Dayin was puzzled by this request.

"Just the glass bottle!" Ye Yu pointed to the glass vase on the table beside Li Dayin.

Li Dayin frowned, slightly displeased, "Do you know that this item is priceless and a treasure to me!"

"It's just a loan. If it's damaged, I'll pay ten times the value! Besides, the glass is full of impurities and not of the highest quality!"

Ye Yu looked at the yellowish glass vase with a hint of disdain. In this era, it was called "glass medicine jade" and was considered priceless, used by nobles and even the emperor. But to Ye Yu, it was just crude and impure glass, nothing more than a large glass cup.

"You!... Fine, I'll lend it to you for today!"

Li Dayin had wanted to mock Ye Yu, but found it pointless. Since Ye Yu was willing to pay ten times the value, why not? Besides, he had stolen the glass vase himself.

Ye Yu took the glass vase, played with it for a moment, and then called Guo Xiaotian over. Guo Xiaotian's arm had been bandaged, and Ye Yu thought to himself that Li Ping'er truly cared for her "foolish brother."

Although her words had been harsh, the way she tended to Guo Xiaotian's wound showed her softer side.

First, he asked Guo Xiaotian to fetch some fire paper and then lit it. As everyone thought Ye Yu was performing some kind of ritual, he first dropped the burning paper into the wide-mouthed glass bottle and then quickly inverted it over the oil pot.

As everyone watched Ye Yu place the glass bottle in the oil pot, they were stunned. Inside the transparent glass bottle, a column of water rose, making a bubbling sound. Ye Yu, however, was frowning, his face calm but his heart anxious, wondering why the copper coin hadn't been sucked into the bottle.

As time passed, the suction in the bottle weakened, and the water column returned to its original state.

Undeterred, Ye Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead, took more fire paper from Guo Xiaotian, and repeated the process, inverting the glass bottle over the oil pot again.

Suddenly, a clear clinking sound made Ye Yu's heart leap. He looked closely and saw that the copper coin at the bottom of the pot had been sucked into the glass bottle, where it rolled around, occasionally touching the bottle's walls.

Overjoyed, Ye Yu seized the opportunity while the suction was still strong. He tilted the bottle, scooping up the copper coin and some oil from the pot.

Then, he slowly poured the excess oil back into the pot, and finally, the copper coin fell into his hand.

This series of actions was smooth and fluid. By the time everyone realized what had happened, Ye Yu had flicked the copper coin into a wooden pillar, where it left a deep mark. This move greatly surprised Li Dayin and Li Ping'er.

They had not expected this seemingly disabled scholar to have such skills. However, to Guo Xiaotian, it brought a mix of relief and surprise.

Since Ye Yu had taken Guo Xiaotian in, he had often wanted to learn some martial arts for self-defense. He knew that with his condition, it would be difficult to achieve much. Even though he had been a soldier and knew some combat techniques, his disability now limited his abilities. So, he asked Guo Xiaotian about some quick and effective self-defense skills, and finally chose the art of throwing darts.

This skill suited his current condition and gave him an advantage, as his marksmanship from his past life was quite good, giving him an edge in accuracy.

As for the method of using the bottle to draw water, it was simply a matter of using the heat to create a pressure difference, which would draw water into the bottle.

This principle was simple to Ye Yu, but to the others, it was a profound and mysterious technique. In Daoist terms, it was called "Yellow Dragon Sucking Water."

"Chief Li, have I passed this test?"

Ye Yu shook the glass bottle, noting that it was of good quality and hadn't cracked. He then handed the bottle back to Li Dayin and asked calmly.

Li Dayin wanted to say something but didn't know what. Since the Jade Screen Mountain was close to Qingliu County, and some of his brothers were imprisoned there, he knew a bit about the people and customs of Qingliu County.

He had heard that a wise and capable person had recently emerged in Qingliu County, who had built a large estate from nothing and was known for his kindness and generosity.

Li Dayin always respected those who were righteous and admired those who had achieved greatness on their own. He had long wanted to meet Ye Yu, but fate had brought them together under these circumstances. This was the real reason he didn't want to meet Ye Yu initially.

Although he despised the pretentiousness of scholars, he was willing to befriend a man of honor. Thus, he had been in a dilemma from the beginning.

"Ye Yu, you have passed the test!"

Li Dayin said weakly, "But since you are here, I cannot let you go! As for the others, I promise they will return unharmed. I'm sorry, Brother Ye!"

"Li Dayin, are you a man of your word? You promised to exchange the ransom for the hostages, but now you are going back on your word! I, Guo Xiaotian, have misjudged you!"

Guo Xiaotian, seeing that Li Dayin wanted to keep Ye Yu, was furious and pointed at Li Dayin, shouting.

The other bandits were in an uproar, raising their weapons and shouting threats at Guo Xiaotian.

But despite the noise, no one dared to step forward. They all saw that the second chief was protecting Guo Xiaotian like a mother hen, and no one wanted to face the consequences of harming the chief's brother-in-law.

Li Dayin, sitting on his tiger-skin chair, remained unusually calm, looking at Ye Yu without a word.

Li Ping'er pulled Guo Xiaotian aside and said, "My brother has no choice..."

"No choice? Does that mean he can ignore his word and kill innocents? My lord knew the risks but still came alone to keep his promise. He promised Lord Su to bring Miss Su back unharmed and promised Brother She that he would protect him for life! I don't understand what it means to be forced, but I do know that a man of honor keeps his word!"

"You! Stop it, if my brother gets angry, you'll be in danger!"

Li Ping'er glanced at Li Dayin, seeing the anger in his eyes. She was worried that her brother's anger would harm Guo Xiaotian, so she quickly warned him.

Guo Xiaotian's anger was still burning, and Li Ping'er's words only fueled it. He turned to Li Dayin and said, "Is being skilled in martial arts the only measure of a hero? That's just a butcher! I'm ashamed to be associated with such a person! I'll call off the marriage!"