Surviving in the chaos of war begins in the wilderness.

Chapter 52 The Brat

Not long after, Zhou Ye and Du Juan reached a verbal agreement—to provide the martial arts school with this quantity initially, and then increase it as needed later.

After all, the martial arts school serves hundreds of set meals. They consume dozens of kilograms of meat every day. If they can maintain this price, the money saved each month is actually quite substantial.

"Brother Ye, did you make a fortune running the mountain this time?" Du Juan's big eyes blinked.

Why do you ask that?

"Isn't it honey? I've heard it's quite valuable."

Zhou Ye chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.

Indeed, sweets like honey and sugar were quite expensive in the county town, and not something ordinary people could afford.

Or rather, any seasoning, including salt, is quite expensive.

No wonder Du Juan, the little money-grubber, is recommending it so enthusiastically; she mistakenly believes she's "made a fortune"?

However, such misunderstandings are actually quite good. At least they won't arouse suspicion from others.

Among hikers, many are lucky. Occasionally, they might spot a few swarms of wild bees, which isn't uncommon.

"Senior Brother A-Ye, I heard that some people are hunting monsters deep in the mountains. The herbs there are even more precious. Do you have any ideas?"

"Junior sister, I'm timid, don't hurt me." Zhou Ye refused outright.

Although Zhou Ye mainly stayed in the outer areas of the mountains and forests, there were almost no monsters besides wild animals. But rare doesn't mean absolutely none; occasionally, monsters would come and visit.

Like that fish demon we saw last time? And that person flying through the air? Those are catastrophic beings; insignificant humans shouldn't bother joining in.

The demonic beasts in the deep mountains are at least at the entry-level. That means they're at least as strong as that alpha wolf? As a proud follower of the Dao, how could I possibly take such a risk?

"Tch, you're a coward? If you were a coward, would you have run up the mountain?" Du Juan rolled her eyes, clearly not believing her.

"I had no choice. I was forced into it. Actually, I was originally from Dashu Village in Shanxian County. Later, the government conscripted me for forced labor. Unexpectedly, a group of soldiers did their own work and picked a dozen or so of us laborers, taking us to the mountains to cut trees and make charcoal. Then we encountered a group of wild boars, and most of us died. The survivors scattered. I was relatively lucky and managed to escape. But I got lost in the mountains and had to struggle to survive there. It wasn't until a few months ago that I finally found a way out of the mountains..."

Zhou Ye no longer needed to hide this experience. He simply got lost in the mountains; it wasn't that he intentionally tried to evade military service.

On the contrary, after settling down in the county town, especially after learning martial arts at the martial arts school, a clean background became increasingly important. In case someone were to investigate later and find out that there really was a poor boy named Zhou Ye in Dashu Village, Shanxian County, and that his later experience of performing corvée labor would also match up perfectly.

During their subsequent casual conversation, Zhou Ye recounted many interesting stories from the mountains and forests, which Du Juan listened to with great interest.

Wow! The baby bear is so well-behaved! I really want to hug it.

"Huh? Still being good? If the old man agrees, I dare to take you to the mountains to find him."

"Hmph! You think I wouldn't dare? Old man... no, hehehe..." Du Juan covered her mouth and giggled, stubbornly saying, "Grandpa loves me the most. He'll definitely agree... oh!"

Du Juan suddenly stood up in a panic: "Grandpa!"

Zhou Ye quickly turned around: "Master."

They saw that Du Keyuan's face was as black as charcoal. Du Juan quickly giggled and began to whine, "Grandpa, how did you appear out of nowhere? When did you get here?"

Du Keyuan gave the two of them a sidelong glance, annoyed: "Just when you were talking about the old man."

sweat!

More than an hour later, Du Keyuan had taught Zhou Ye the Wind and Thunder Grappling Technique. He swung the rattan cane in his hand and returned to the backyard in a cheerful mood.

Not long after, Dujuan brought in a cup of hot tea: "Grandpa, you didn't do anything to Senior Brother Aye, did you?"

"Heh. How could that be? That's called 'strict teachers produce outstanding students.' How can you teach someone if you don't give them a good beating?"

Du Juan practically rolled her eyes to the sky. That old man… hehehe, he's such a petty person!

However, Du Keyuan suddenly became serious: "Juanjuan, in a few months, you will begin formal martial arts training. After that, it will be time to find you a good marriage."

"Grandpa!" Du Juan said shyly and coquettishly, "I want to spend more time with Grandpa."

"Alright, alright. My Juanjuan has indeed grown up, but girls always have to get married. Your parents passed away early, and Grandpa only has one wish: to find you a good match, have many children, and then pass this martial arts school on to you."

"Mmm." Du Juan's pretty face turned red. "I'll listen to Grandpa."

"That's good. So you need to be careful about the separation of men and women. Although martial artists aren't that rigid, you still can't have a bad reputation outside. Otherwise, you won't find a good husband. There are some people you shouldn't have too much contact with, and even if you need to contact them, you have to be careful about your words and actions."

"Grandpa," Du Juan hurriedly explained, "Brother Aye isn't like that. We're just discussing business, nothing more."

"I know, I know." Du Keyuan affectionately patted Du Juan's little head. "My Juanjuan is so cute, she'll definitely attract a lot of rascals. But someone like Zhou Ye definitely won't do. He comes from a bad background, doesn't have much money, and is a dangerous mountain bandit. Even his aptitude for martial arts is so poor."

"Huh?" Du Juan's eyes darted around, and she quickly changed the subject, "Grandpa, is Senior Brother A-Ye really that bad?"

"Hmm... how should I put it? Take this Wind and Thunder Grappling Technique, for example. It usually takes a disciple three or four days to learn. But he learned it after just one lesson. Maybe he has great comprehension! But his innate talent is hopeless. I've heard that he only had a five-day Qi Sensing stage? And it took him seventy days to reach the level of Jin? Even if he spends all his resources on it and works hard, his chances of reaching Ming Jin won't exceed 70%. Actually, this is pretty good. Once he learns a few more martial arts techniques and finds a better position, he can still live a comfortable life. Compared to the poor boy he used to be, this is a turnaround, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"By the way, Juanjuan, Grandpa will definitely find you a family with a good background in the future. Actually, none of the disciples in the martial arts school are very suitable. Your grandpa finally managed to get the qualification to open a martial arts school and establish himself in this county town. I can't let those brats benefit from it."

"oh oh!"

Every family has its cupboard!

To open a martial arts school in the county town, one needs qualifications and must be recognized by other martial arts masters. Therefore, back then, Du Keyuan faced many challenges to open the Fenglei Martial Arts School, and he fought his way through with his own fists.

However, Du Keyuan's biggest concern right now is his only granddaughter, Du Juan. If his granddaughter marries well and passes the Fenglei Martial Arts School on to them, that would be a perfect life... right?