Chapter 16

Slap!

In the end, the story concluded with a line that was neither refined nor vulgar, and didn't even rhyme.

"Even in his youth, the great scholar in his sixties once roamed with a sword. A great thief is not necessarily a true villain, and a man of letters can indeed be a true hero!"

"Bravo!"

Amidst the applause, the storyteller bowed and exited the stage.

No one stopped him from leaving the stage this time, but as he walked to the backyard, he was blocked again.

Yang Yu stood up and followed, only to see a familiar constable intercept the storyteller. The storyteller, with a pained expression, had no choice but to hand over two gold ingots.

The constable still didn't leave. In the end, under the storyteller's wide-eyed gaze, he grabbed a small portion of the money from the storyteller's bamboo basket and walked away.

"Liu Sanzhi, truly lives up to his name. After so many years of storytelling, it's the first time I've seen someone take back the money given as a reward. Taking it back is one thing, but he even took my money..."

As Yang Yu approached, he heard the storyteller muttering through gritted teeth.

He must have already thought about, if he went to another city, telling the story of this three-foot-tall County Magistrate Liu.

But Yang Yu was not surprised.

This Liu, who thought he was generous and spent money like water, actually had a very bad reputation.

The reason, of course, was because of his father.

Every time Liu spent money like water, a constable would come to his door, not only taking back all the silver but also extorting him further.

Over time, this Liu became notorious.

But he was oblivious, still thinking he was generous and had the air of a hero!

"Who are you?"

Muttering curses, he turned around and saw a young man staring at him intently. The storyteller's face turned red with embarrassment, and he awkwardly rubbed his hands.

"Cough, cough! Little brother, this is a token of my appreciation. Take it to buy some candy! You didn't hear anything just now, right?"

As he handed over two copper coins, the storyteller thought he had seen a ghost.

He had been traveling for years and considered himself quite perceptive, but this young man had gotten so close without him noticing.

"Too stingy!"

Yang Yu's eyelid twitched as he took the copper coins and said,

"The one earlier works with me at the yamen."

"Uh..."

The storyteller's face froze, cursing his bad luck, and quickly handed over a small piece of silver.

"Just a small token, not much, not much..."

Yang Yu naturally didn't mind the amount. He tried to pull the silver, but it didn't budge. The old storyteller, with red eyes, tightly held onto the silver.

"Goodbye."

Yang Yu bowed and turned to leave. The storyteller, panicking, hurriedly handed over the silver.

"Are you not from Qingzhou?"

At the teahouse, Yang Yu held his tea, while the storyteller had a long, gloomy face.

He had taken the money and now had to eat his words.

The storyteller was grinding his teeth. This Black Mountain City was indeed as dark as its name.

Dark, really dark!

But he had no choice. Who would have thought his loose tongue would get him into this mess.

"Mr. Li, your storytelling is excellent, but from your accent, you don't seem to be from Qingzhou, right?"

Yang Yu asked.

"I am from Jianzhou."

Li Erzi rolled his eyes and smiled insincerely, "I advise you to know your limits. You're just a small constable, and even if you say something, no one will believe you."

"I'm not here to extort you, sir."

Yang Yu twirled his teacup, choosing his words carefully, "To be honest, I'm here to discuss a business deal with you."

Listening to stories was enjoyable, but the reason Yang Yu stayed so long was, of course, money.

He couldn't tell stories, but he had stories.

Not only did he have them, but he had many, many of them.

"Oh."

Li Erzi drooped his eyelids and grunted disinterestedly.

A half-grown boy discussing business with him?

Ha!

If he could do business, why would he be a storyteller?

"This business is related to storytelling."

Yang Yu continued.

"Is that so?"

Li Erzi's interest was slightly piqued. This young man looked young but seemed overly composed.

"You receive more rewards than ordinary storytellers."

Yang Yu took a sip of tea,

"But it's not because outsiders can tell better stories. It's because the other storytellers in Black Mountain City only have a few old stories to tell."

"Your stories are fresher."

Black Mountain City was on the edge of Qingzhou, with poor transportation and few merchants. It was rare for anyone to travel long distances to bring back miscellaneous books to sell.

Moreover, there were only two schools in Black Mountain City, and the number of literate people was not much more than the number of courtesans at the Yanlai Tower.

No one would buy them.

"I'm just more skilled, how can they compare?"

Li Erzi stroked his beard, admitting that the young man was right.

Storytellers rarely stayed in one place for long, not because of anything else, but because once they ran out of new stories, they couldn't make money anymore.

"That's one reason."

After a slight compliment, Li Erzi's expression softened, "You're quite knowledgeable for someone who hasn't even reached the age of manhood."

"Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Yang Yu smiled and said, "Do you have paper and pen?"

He had not only been listening to the story and drinking tea but also organizing his memories from his past life, especially those about some storybooks.

"Can't a storyteller go without his tools?"

Li Erzi was a bit curious about what the young man wanted to do and immediately took out two sheets of yellow paper and his lead pencil.

This kind of pen, though not considered high-class, was more convenient and faster to write with than a brush pen.

"Lead pencil?!"

Yang Yu was surprised.

"Never seen one?"

Li Erzi was somewhat proud, "This pen is made from cut pieces of graphite, easy to carry, and writes faster. One costs a piece of silver!"

"..."

Yang Yu was speechless for a moment but didn't say much more. He picked up the pen and started writing on the paper.

"Huh? Writing so fast?"

Li Erzi's eyelid twitched, and he started to wonder.

The lead pencil was not widely used because Confucians believed that writing was a spiritual activity, and hasty writing was a taboo.

Moreover, the grip was different from a brush pen, making it very awkward for those who hadn't used it before.

But this young man wrote even faster than he did?

Li Erzi was taken aback.

The tea was refilled several times, and by the time the sun was setting, Li Erzi was so hungry he couldn't stand it. Yang Yu finally stopped writing and rubbed his wrist.

Two large sheets of yellow paper were now filled with writing.

"What is this?"

Li Erzi took one curiously.

"These are a few miscellaneous books I found in a corner, but unfortunately, they were poorly preserved and damaged."

Yang Yu made up an excuse off the top of his head.

"The handwriting is so ugly..."

His comment stopped abruptly as he scanned the text. As a seasoned storyteller, he could immediately tell the quality of a story.

He was immediately drawn in.

"Chaos reigned before the world was divided, and no one could see the vast emptiness. Since Pangu split the universe, the world has been divided into clear and turbid..."

Holding the yellow paper, Li Erzi said nonchalantly,

"It's just average. I can easily write three or five such stories off the top of my head."

"Ha ha."

Yang Yu smiled but said nothing.

Li Erzi's face turned red, and he looked at the second sheet of yellow paper, scanning it carefully. He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Great Lu Zhishen, great punch to the Town Gate West!"

"Cough, cough!"

He coughed a few times, and his gaze toward Yang Yu changed.

These two stories, the first grand and the second full of urban flavor, were both excellent choices. What particularly moved him was that these were clearly excerpts from a larger storybook.

If the entire storybook was of this quality, with these two stories in hand, he might even be able to make a living in the capital.

But this young man's memory was too good. He had written thousands of words in one go?

"Little brother, what business are you talking about?"

Yang Yu drained his teacup and paid no attention to Li Erzi's eager gaze.

He glanced at the neighboring tavern and patted his stomach,

"I'm hungry."

Li Erzi's face twisted.