Stop flattering me, system! I'm about to become a saint!

Chapter 14 Mature and Prudent

"Brother Yang, please don't say you can't accept something for nothing. You've helped me so much."

Lu Qiyang put away his smile and said seriously, "To be honest, ever since I mastered the Eight Forms of Self-Sacrifice, I have become quite arrogant and thought that I was exceptionally talented and that no one in the martial arts academy could compare to me."

But today, after only observing for a short while, you've already grasped the basics of this sword technique. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over my head, completely waking me up.

You made me truly understand what it means to have "a heaven beyond the heavens, and a person beyond the person." Please, you must accept this box of ginseng slices!

"Wow!"

Li Liang exclaimed in surprise, "You're such a smooth talker! No wonder the commander warned Brother Yang to be careful of those who flatter him; he knew you'd do something wicked."

"I……"

Lu Qiyang was immediately speechless.

He hesitated for a moment, then said angrily, "Do you really dislike me that much?"

Li Liang snorted coldly: "I just suspect you have ulterior motives!"

"Alright, Li Liang, that's enough."

Yang Song offered a word of advice, then reached into the wooden box and picked up a slice of ginseng: "Your gratitude is too precious; I'll just take one."

He also wanted to see how much his martial arts skills would increase after consuming medicinal herbs.

Lu Qiyang's eyes showed a hint of seriousness. Faced with ginseng slices worth tens of taels of silver, Yang Song showed no greed whatsoever. This kind of temperament was far beyond what ordinary people could achieve.

Just as Commander Sun said, Yang Song didn't seem like a country boy, but rather like someone from a wealthy and powerful family.

Moreover, they are not just ordinary wealthy families, but more like a martial arts family with a profound history!

"I must befriend this person!"

Just as Lu Qiyang made up his mind, Li Liang suddenly started shouting.

"Brother Yang, what did you eat?"

"Spit it out quickly, it's definitely poisonous!"

Lu Qiyang came to his senses and found that Yang Song had already put the ginseng slice in his mouth, chewed it carefully, and swallowed it.

Yang Song closed his eyes and carefully savored the medicinal power contained in the ginseng slices.

It was so faint that the warmth disappeared almost immediately after entering my throat, and my body could hardly feel any change.

"Perhaps it's because I receive too much power each time, causing my body's threshold to be too high, making me less sensitive."

As Yang Song thought to himself, he brought up the attribute panel.

He focused his attention on "skill level," but after 208 days of practice over one year, the ginseng extract did not bring any improvement.

"Ginseng slices do have some medicinal properties; they can replenish qi and blood to some extent, perhaps increasing one's power for an hour or two?"

Yang Song clicked his tongue. Sure enough, diligent study and hard work were too grueling. In the end, it was not as fast as breaking through in a life-or-death situation.

"Brother Yang, how's this ginseng slice? Has it given you any extra strength?"

Hearing Lu Qiyang ask this question, Yang Song nodded: "Indeed, just burying yourself in practice is not enough. You need medicine to help you break through your cultivation level faster."

Lu Qiyang immediately said, "Brother Yang, my family runs a pharmacy. If you need any pills in the future, we'll only charge you the cost price."

"This...isn't that inappropriate?"

Lu Qiyang waved his hand dismissively: "Why should we brothers argue about this? Besides, our family won't lose money."

Li Liang couldn't stand it anymore and scoffed, "We've only exchanged a few words, and you're already brothers? You..."

"Li Liang, you should have one too."

Lu Qiyang handed over the wooden box.

Li Liang was immediately stunned.

Lu Qiyang continued, "From now on, when you buy pills from my house, I'll give you the cost price and guarantee I won't charge you an extra copper coin."

Li Liang pursed his lips tightly.

His family was not wealthy; they relied on his elder brother's hard work as a blacksmith and his meager salary to make a living.

The path of martial arts training is an insatiable money pit; with each step forward in cultivation, the expenses increase accordingly.

If you can buy cheap pills, you can save a lot of money...

Li Liang coughed, a slightly embarrassed look on his face: "Brother Lu, I was a bit harsh just now, please don't take it to heart."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I know you're doing this for Yang Ge's own good."

Lu Qiyang said very casually, "I'm not one to hold grudges, and it's normal for you to suspect that I have ulterior motives. It's only right to be a little more wary."

Li Liang's cheeks flushed instantly, and he buried his head in his food.

Yang Song also ate the rice in his bowl slowly and carefully. The braised pork melted in his mouth, and the rice left a lingering fragrance. The old woman who cooked the rice was quite skilled.

Lu Qiyang chewed his food absentmindedly, glancing at Yang Song every now and then.

He was secretly puzzled. In the future, he would be able to buy cheap pills, which would be a great help to martial artists from poor families. Why didn't Yang Song react much?

Shouldn't we be as pleasantly surprised as Li Liang was?

"This guy is too calm and collected. He doesn't seem like a teenager at all; he's more like an old man."

Lu Qiyang stirred the rice in his bowl, his gaze sweeping over the group of teenagers in the courtyard. They were all wolfing down their food, looking like hungry wolves who had never tasted meat before.

People who eat like this often come from impoverished backgrounds, rarely eat oily or greasy food, and may even go hungry, sometimes only having a bowl of cold water as a meal.

Now that I'm in this martial arts academy, I have plenty of food, and I can even have meat at every meal. I'm living the best life I've ever had in my life.

Looking at these young people who were striving to cultivate for a full meal, Lu Qiyang felt no contempt whatsoever.

He has a better background, so he shouldn't be arrogant. He should train harder than ever!

"Brother Yang, would you like another bowl?"

As Lu Qiyang made up his mind, Li Liang finished eating the rice in his bowl and stood up from the steps.

Yang Song still had more than half a bowl of rice left, and shook his head: "No, this bowl is enough for me."

"Eating so little?"

Li Liang said worriedly, "After lunch, you still have to practice for several more hours. If you don't eat more, your body won't be able to handle it."

"I know what I'm doing, so don't worry about it."

The system occasionally rewarded him with power, so Yang Song hardly felt any consumption. One bowl of rice was enough for him to practice in the afternoon.

"Alright then, I'll go get another bowl."

Li Liang took a few steps toward the kitchen, but then turned back, scratching his temples, and said, "Brother Lu, do you still want to eat? I'll get you some."

Lu Qiyang didn't stand on ceremony and handed over the bowl, saying, "Thanks, brother."

"You're welcome."

The tension on Li Liang's face eased a little, revealing a relieved smile.

He took the bowl and jogged briskly towards the kitchen.

Lu Qiyang suddenly remembered something and turned to explain, "Brother Yang, I'm not using him as a gofer."

I could tell he was still feeling bad about his harsh words earlier, so I asked him to serve me rice, hoping it would ease his mind.

Yang Song glanced at Lu Qiyang. This guy was a shrewd one; he must have been taught a lot about how to behave at home.

People are not born with a great understanding of many principles; they must be guided by good teachers and helpful friends to gradually understand the truth and discern right from wrong.

But you are an exception. You are born with a profound understanding of the world, and you can see the truths of life without any guidance.

[Reward: Four days of cultivation points]