A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

30. This is so hard for me.

After the meal, Dongfang Lin began to subtly inquire about the chef who made the braised pork.

Chu Xuan didn't hide anything and said directly that he made it himself using an ancestral recipe.

Dongfang Lin tentatively suggested buying the formula, but Chu Xuan politely declined with a smile, and Dongfang Lin then realized what was going on.

"Junior Brother Chu, are you planning to start a braised meat business?" Dongfang Lin looked at Chu Xuan with a half-smile.

Chu Xuan smiled and asked, "Eighth Senior Brother, do you think this braised meat is worthy of being served at Jin Yu Lou?"

Dongfang Lin frowned slightly.

Their restaurant, Jin Yu Lou, has an elegant name and specializes in delicacies from land and sea, catering to high-end clients.

Although the braised meat Chu Xuan made tasted good, it was all made from cheap pork offal, which was not presentable.

In this era, people have a deeply ingrained belief that offal and other scraps of pig meat are meant for the poor who cannot afford to eat meat.

Dongfang Lin didn't immediately refuse, and said with a smile, "If the braised meat you provide, Junior Brother, is of the same quality as today, then I'd like to give it a try!"

"Then I thank you in advance, Eighth Senior Brother!" Chu Xuan said, cupping his hands in thanks.

The meal was a pleasant one for both host and guests.

Wei Hong and the others left after they had eaten and drunk their fill.

Before leaving, Dongfang Lin left five taels of silver for Chu Xuan, instructing him to send one hundred catties of braised meat to Jinyulou after Chu Xuan had prepared it.

To Chu Xuan's surprise, Li Tiezui also left two taels of silver, asking Chu Xuan to send several dozen kilograms to his teahouse.

Soon, all the guests had left.

Only Chu Xuan and his aunt's family remained in the courtyard.

Ren Mingcheng didn't leave either; he was invited by Chu Xuan to stay.

Chu Xuan handed over the tidying up to his mother and the others, while he invited his aunt and uncle, as well as Ren Mingcheng, to the inner hall to discuss the matter.

"Uncle Ren, what do you think of this braised pork?" Chu Xuan asked directly.

After Chu Xuan asked him to stay, Ren Mingcheng had already guessed Chu Xuan's purpose and said with a smile, "Business is good business! As long as the braised meat is made well, there should be no worry about selling it. Nephew, there was no need to invite me, was there?"

Chu Xuan smiled and said, "Uncle Ren knows me. I still need to practice martial arts at the martial arts school and don't have the energy to do business. As for my aunt and uncle, they are both honest people. Only you, Uncle Ren, are knowledgeable and worldly. So, I plan to invite you, Uncle Ren, to do this business with my aunt and uncle."

"I'll provide the braising liquid and security, my aunt and uncle will provide the ingredients, and Uncle Ren will be in charge of the business. As for the profits, I'll take half, and Uncle Ren and my aunt's family will split the other half equally, how about that?"

"No, no..."

Before Ren Mingcheng could speak, his uncle Hu Dazhi quickly waved his hand and said, "Xiaoxuan, I'm just providing some pig offal. These are hard to sell anyway. I'd even give them to you for free. There's no need to split the profits."

Chu Xuan smiled and told him to calm down.

Ren Mingcheng saw this and smiled without saying a word.

He knew that the reason Chu Xuan invited him and Hu Dazhi and his wife, and offered them such a high share of the profits, was not because he was a seasoned businessman, or because Hu Dazhi was a butcher who could easily provide raw materials.

More than anything, they harbored the intention of repaying the debt.

This applies to Hu Dazhi and his wife.

The same is probably true for him.

At this point, Ren Mingcheng naturally wouldn't say anything that would spoil the mood.

"This business is feasible!" Ren Mingcheng nodded. "However, I think it would be best to allocate a portion of the profits to the Lu Family Martial Arts School..."

"Let's talk about it later!" Chu Xuan shook his head.

He had thought about this issue.

With the Lu Family Martial Arts School protecting us, it's naturally even better!

But right now, they're just selling cheap braised meat, and the future is uncertain. Let alone Lu Tong, even Wei Hong might not be interested.

This is also why he didn't mention it to Wei Hong.

"Alright."

Ren Mingcheng thought about it and nodded, agreeing with Chu Xuan's reasoning.

"Then it's settled!" Chu Xuan said decisively.

Hu Dazhi, the uncle of the aunt, wanted to say something more, but his aunt stopped him and told him to just listen to Chu Xuan's arrangements.

For the rest of the afternoon, Chu Xuan discussed the braised meat with Ren Mingcheng and others.

The next day.

Chu Xuan returned to the martial arts school to continue practicing, while the braised meat business was entirely handed over to Ren Mingcheng and his aunt. As for the braising liquid, it was left to his mother and sister to cook.

Time flies, and four months have passed in the blink of an eye.

The booming braised meat business was somewhat beyond Chu Xuan's expectations. Apart from earning less than 100 taels in the first month, it brought in nearly 300 taels of silver every month thereafter. Even if he got his share, it would be around 150 taels.

Thanks to Ren Mingcheng's skillful management, he managed to establish connections with more than a dozen large restaurants in the inner city.

Ren Mingcheng has now put the spice business aside and handed it over to his brothers to manage, focusing his main efforts on braised meat.

With an ample supply of meat and blood-replenishing pills, Chu Xuan's progress was also rapid.

Of course, there was a little incident during this time: his cousin Chu Ming finally succeeded in breaking through and officially became a Ming Jin martial artist!

Old Master Chu threw a grand banquet at home, inviting many neighbors from the neighborhood, and truly made a grand entrance.

Chu Xuan found out from his mother!

[Energy Value: 435/500]

[Small Completion of Two-Element Stance (1706/3000)]

[Bajiquan Minor Mastery (987/3000)]

[Introduction to Heart-Shattering Palm (932/1000)]

That day, after finishing his training, Chu Xuan looked at his attribute panel.

"How about it, Junior Brother Chu? Want to practice together?"

Dongfang Lin walked up with a smile.

Since their housewarming party, Chu Xuan and Dongfang Lin have become much closer. Furthermore, now that they are business partners, they've grown even closer over the past few months.

The two often sparred together.

"Alright!"

Chu Xuan didn't stand on ceremony and got into a fighting stance, ready to spar with Dongfang Lin.

Both of them possessed the Ming Jin (明劲) skill, and they didn't hold back much when they started fighting.

Chu Xuan also discovered that even when sparring with others, the speed at which experience points increased was much faster than when he practiced alone.

His rapid growth is truly thanks to Dongfang Lin.

Along with this, Chu Xuan's practical experience also increased.

At the beginning, Dongfang Lin only needed one hand to take down Chu Xuan, but later he needed two hands, and now Dongfang Lin must take it seriously and dare not be careless in the slightest.

Even so, there's still a chance that Chu Xuan might gain an advantage in one or two moves.

This is also why Dongfang Lin often sought out Chu Xuan for sparring.

Dongfang Lin is also improving rapidly.

"Okay, hahaha..."

Just as the two were about to make their move, they suddenly heard Lu Tong's loud laughter coming from the backyard.

Everyone present was stunned, wondering why Lu Tong was so happy today, when two disciples ran out excitedly, shouting, "Xu Yuan has broken through to the Dark Force realm!"

"What?"

A gasp of surprise immediately rang out from the crowd.

Chu Xuan and Dongfang Lin were both stunned on the spot.

Xu Yuan? He broke through?

The two looked at each other and saw disbelief in each other's eyes.

"Xu Yuan has been in the inner courtyard for less than a year, hasn't he?" Dongfang Lin asked Chu Xuan, somewhat uncertainly.

Chu Xuan nodded, silently calculated for a moment, and said, "Less than ten months!"

"hiss……"

A collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd once again.

In less than ten months, he broke through from Ming Jin to An Jin!

This time has broken the record for the fastest time in the history of Lu's Martial Arts School!

"What a prodigy!"

Everyone couldn't help but marvel.

No wonder Lu Tong was so excited!

Soon, Lu Tong came out with a group of disciples, and Xu Yuan, dressed in black, followed closely behind Lu Tong.

Everyone saw that Xu Yuan, just by standing there, exuded a sense of oppression like a ferocious beast, his eyes shining brightly, and he even had a similar aura to Lu Tong!

"You all know what happened..."

Lu Tong looked around at everyone and announced the news that Xu Yuan had broken through to the Dark Force realm, and immediately exempted Xu Yuan from all his tuition fees.

In addition, Xu Yuan will be personally taught by him in the future!

If someone can break through from Ming Jin to An Jin within a year, just like Xu Yuan, they can receive the same treatment.

After saying that, Lu Tong led Xu Yuan into the backyard, leaving behind countless envious glances.

"Tsk tsk, it's true what they say, comparisons are odious!"

Dongfang Lin sighed beside Chu Xuan.

He grew up in a wealthy family and never had to worry about resources. His physical talent was also at the second-tier level, only slightly inferior to Xu Yuan's, but he had been stuck at the Mingjin level for three years and had not yet made a breakthrough.

However, Xu Yuan, who entered the school later than him, has already surpassed him.

This was quite a blow to this proud and arrogant young master!

Just as Chu Xuan was about to comfort him, Dongfang Lin complained, "Junior brother, this is so hard for me! Really! My father gave me an ultimatum! If I can't break through to the Inner Strength level within six months, I'll have to go home and inherit his vast fortune, spending my life as a rich old man who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun!"

"..." Chu Xuan.