2 Entering the Dojo

Zhou You had 250 copper coins in cash.

The market price of this courtyard was about 100 taels of silver.

This was Zhou You's entire fortune.

After some thought, Zhou You made up his mind. He folded the deed and stuffed it into his inner pocket. He put on the remaining two sets of intact clothes and hung his identity badge at his waist and stuffed it into his belt. He smoothed the creases on his clothes with both hands and walked out of the courtyard.

After closing and locking the door, Zhou You had just turned around when he was startled.

A yellow-faced skinny man with a wretched appearance, bucked teeth, and cracked lips came forward from the side. His face was full of smiles, making him look even more despicable, like a yellow dog.

Zhou You did not know this person's name. He only knew that his surname was Huang and his nickname was Yellow Dog.

He was a famous hooligan in this area. He stole and extorted people all the time and did many bad things.

After measuring his figure, Zhou You was slightly relieved. If they really fought, his chances of winning were higher.

However, Yellow Dog was not alone. He was a member of the nearby Green Snake Gang. If they really fought, he would definitely suffer.

A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him.

He endured it.

Zhou You tilted his head slightly to avoid Yellow Dog's slightly arrogant tone.

"Little You, have you thought about it?" Yellow Dog said with a smile as if he had everything under control.

Hmmm?

Zhou You narrowed his eyes and tiptoed slightly on the threshold. He leaned forward and looked down at Yellow Dog. He said word by word, "Absolutely not!"

When his predecessor's parents were handling the funeral arrangements, Yellow Dog had come to pay his respects. He had even busied himself pretending to be a kind neighbor and tricked at least ten taels of silver from the original owner.

In the end, he even made a verbal agreement with the original host to help him sell this courtyard.

The original host's initial plan was to sell the courtyard seven days after his parents' death. Then, he would take the money back to his hometown in the countryside and buy a few acres of land to find a wife and live a peaceful life.

Now that it was Zhou You's turn, he naturally changed all the plans.

Although the courtyard still had to be sold, it could not be sold to Yellow Dog.

His eyes turned dark and intimidating, and a sense of oppression assaulted Yellow Dog's face. Yellow Dog's heart trembled, and he subconsciously took a step back. His smile froze at that moment, and a trace of embarrassment climbed up his cheeks. His voice was raised and a little sharp.

"Hey, Little You, how can a man go back on his word?"

Zhou You stared at Yellow Dog without saying a word.

Yellow Dog looked a little bewildered. He had already discussed the price with the guy. Did something suddenly change?

Had the guy changed his mind?

Was he not planning to sell it?

Impossible!

As a young boy, he could not guard this courtyard at all. If he had any brains, he would have sold it obediently to avoid being schemed against.

Besides, he had put grand plans into the boy's head encouraging him to get married and have a child. Didn't he like the idea?

Did someone else intervene?

That did not seem right. This area was the territory of the Green Snake Gang. He was considered a reputable figure. Other than the gang leader, who would dare to disrespect him?

The leader of the gang could not have handled this personally for roughly 100 taels of silver, right? Anyway, no matter how much money the gang leader got, he had to give him half.

Then… What was the reason?

Yellow Dog thought quickly and a smile appeared on his face. "Little You, before I came, I went to see Old Master Chen and helped you negotiate the price. He said that he could give you this amount."

As he spoke, Yellow Dog stretched out two fingers and raised eight fingers.

"80 taels!"

Seeing that Zhou You was unmoved, Yellow Dog pondered and added, "Little You, the price is a little low, but your parents just… so the place is a little inauspicious. It's already very fair for Old Master Chen to pay this price."

Zhou You remained unmoved, quietly watching Yellow Dog's performance.

Old Master Chen?

It was probably just Yellow Dog or the person behind him, right?

80 taels?!

Zhou You did not believe that Yellow Dog could really fork out so much money!

He did not need to guess to know that Yellow Dog was definitely out for a free lunch.

It was an old trick.

Seeing that Zhou You was still indifferent, Yellow Dog lowered his head slightly. A trace of pain flashed across his face. He took out a money bag from his bosom, gritted his teeth, and handed it to Zhou You.

"Little You, I even helped you negotiate with Old Master Chen. Old Master Chen is willing to give you a deposit of ten taels. Ten taels are enough to build a big courtyard in the village."

Looking at the money bag, Zhou You was a little tempted, but he still shook his head. Without hesitation, he turned around and strode away, leaving behind three words.

"Not for sale!"

It was not a good idea to take the ten tael silver note. This was not only the deposit but also the price of the entire courtyard.

It was even possible that Yellow Dog would use all sorts of methods to take back these ten taels of silver.

If it was the original owner of this body, it would probably be the best outcome if he could leave safely without any money.

He had rejected Yellow Dog to his face. He was bound to resort to all kinds of dirty tricks, right?

However, Zhou You did not care. He had already made up his mind to go straight to the Treasure Source Pawnshop on Great South Street.

Soon, Zhou You came out of the Treasure Source Pawnshop with 60 taels of silver notes.

He had already pawned the deed.

The pawnshop valued the compound at 80 taels of silver notes, and the actual cash received was 60 taels of silver notes.

It would cost 100 taels of silver to redeem it within a year.

With the money in his pocket, Zhou You identified the direction and headed straight for the Ferocious Tiger Fist Dojo.

Now that he had money, it was time to get down to business.

Learning martial arts!

Although three years had yet to pass, Zhou You felt that there should be no problem with practicing martial arts with this body.

Besides, the dojo wanted to make business. Although the dojo would give some suggestions, if the client insisted, it was impossible to go against the client's wishes.

After passing through three streets and two alleys, the Ferocious Tiger Fist Dojo appeared in front of him.

The Ferocious Tiger Fist Dojo occupied an extremely large area. The open mahogany door was 10 feet tall and 30 to 40 feet wide. It was extremely imposing. Two stone tigers that were as tall as a person occupied the two sides. The tigers' eyes were furious and daunting.

Zhou You walked past the stone tigers and walked straight to the door. He looked over the threshold and saw the registration area on the left.

A brawny man dressed in a brown warrior's combat-style outfit leaned against the back of the chair with his arms crossed resting his eyes. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Zhou You. Without asking, he said, "If you want to learn martial arts, it starts at a minimum of three months. Ten taels of silver a month."

Hearing this, Zhou You was not surprised.

The original host planned to practice martial arts, so he naturally asked about the market.

The Ferocious Tiger Fist Dojo and the White Crane Fist Dojo both started with a minimum of three-month packages and cost ten taels a month.

The Diamond Dojo and Iron Skin Dojo started at five taels a month.

After getting inspected by each of the dojos, the Ferocious Tiger Fist Dojo was the most suitable for him.

"I'll sign up," Zhou You said without hesitation. He took out three ten taels silver notes that he had prepared beforehand, took out the identity badge from his waist, and handed it over with both hands.

The burly man took the silver notes and identity badge. As he registered, he asked, "Zhou You, right? Are you staying in the boxing club? Or outside?"

"I'm staying at the boxing club," Zhou You said straightforwardly.

He knew that the martial arts school provided food and accommodation, so Zhou You decided to pawn the house.

He had no intention of going back today, which was why he had taken on Yellow Dog.

"Then even if you enter the academy today, We'll only teach you martial arts tomorrow morning. Is that okay?"

"No problem." Zhou You nodded.

"Xiao Liuzi, come, bring the new junior brother to choose a room."

The burly man called out to a gray-clothed youth not far away. He looked up at Zhou You and added, "Go and see if Old Wang has any more bedding. Go and collect a set."

"Alright, Ninth Senior Brother."

Xiao Liuzi jogged over and led Zhou You to the backyard.