Chapter 51: Li Yuanchun Seeks Recommendation Votes

  In late June, the weather gradually entered the hottest time of the year. At noon, the scorching sun made the pedestrians on the main street of Yushui City extremely scarce. Only some ascetics who were practicing hard would not care about this scorching sunlight.

  A dark-skinned, middle-aged cultivator carrying an iron sword hurriedly walked to a well to drink water. His footsteps were steady and nimble, although the weather was scorching hot, but his face didn't have a single drop of sweat. Only his cheeks were slightly flushed, it could be seen that he had been running for a long time.

  Just as he was about to draw water from the well, someone suddenly jumped out beside him.

  This man wore a green robe and a small hat, with a slender build and dry skin. His lips were curled outward and his eyes were slanted. He stretched out his hand and made a sudden motion to stop the cultivator from fetching water.

  "This well was dug by my brother, and the water in it also belongs to my brother. If you want to drink water, you must pay for it." The man chuckled and flipped his eyelids with a rogue look.

  "Do you need money to drink water? Isn't that the same as a roadside teahouse?" The middle-aged cultivator was taken aback, he hadn't expected that even drawing water from a street well would cost money.

  He rushed all the way from the distant Purple Leaf City to Jade Water City, only to discover that his money pouch had gone missing at some point after arriving in Jade Water City. He didn't place much value on wealth and hadn't been too concerned about it at first, but as the midday sun gradually evaporated the moisture from his body, he wanted to go to a teahouse to drink a bowl of tea water, yet was powerless to do so, and could only search for a source of water on the street.

  It's not easy to find a well with water, but it also costs money to drink from it.

  The middle-aged cultivator licked his lips and looked a bit embarrassed.

  "Haha, my brother dug this well to make it convenient for people, but also to earn some hard-earned money. If everyone uses the water for free, wouldn't that mean my brother dug the well for nothing? You want to drink water, you have to pay. If you don't want to drink, I won't force you. It's a fair deal, willing buyer and seller. The green-clothed, pointed-mouth person shook his head, no money, no water."

  The middle-aged cultivator sighed, patted his waist, and found that all his money was in the pouch, which had been lost accidentally. Now he encountered such a difficult situation. The other party worked hard to dig wells and sell water for money, which was reasonable.

  But now, he can't find even a single copper coin on him.

  "How much does this water sell for?"

  Just as the middle-aged cultivator was about to leave in despair and go find another source of water, a voice came over. Judging from the sound, it seemed to be a young man.

  The middle-aged cultivator turned around to take a look, and indeed, there was a young man standing not far behind him, wearing ordinary clothes, with a gleam of light in his eyes, looking like another cultivator. However, he looked slightly thin, with pale fingers, seemingly having never suffered greatly, and unlikely to have achieved much. With just one glance, the middle-aged cultivator had sized up the young man from head to toe.

  The young man who asked about the price of water was Xia Yan, who had just walked from the Xia family's residence to here.

  "This water of mine is for one person to drink, ten copper coins at a time, much cheaper than the tea in those teahouses. This water of mine is just right for drinking on such a hot day, cool and refreshing, sweet and soothing to the throat." The man in green clothes with a pointed mouth said with a laugh.

  "Heh, alright, ten copper coins is ten copper coins." Xia Yan pulled out a handful of copper coins from a small pouch. A few days ago, Xia Yan had specifically exchanged some loose copper and silver coins to carry on him. He glanced at the man in green clothes and said, "You first help me fetch water up here."

  The man in green saw Xia Yan taking out money, his eyes flashed, and he responded with a sound, then quickly picked up a water bucket next to him.

  The middle-aged cultivator licked his lips again, and at this time his throat seemed to be smoking, dry and aching.

  "This big brother seems to have run a long way, why don't we drink water together?" Xia Yan turned around and faced the middle-aged cultivator, intentionally using a seeking tone.

  He was just walking on the street and saw that this cultivator had an extraordinary aura, thinking to himself that he might be a master. However, unexpectedly, this master was stuck because of a bowl of water. Therefore, Xia Yan walked over and helped him solve this small problem, which was merely a trivial matter.

  "You two, that'll be twenty coppers!" The man in green clothes hastily shouted.

  Xia Yan smiled and said: "Don't worry, I won't shortchange you on your copper coins."

  Upon hearing Xia Yan's words, Qing Yi and Jian Muzi started fetching water again.

  The middle-aged cultivator stretched his mouth, and his dark face had a somewhat strange expression.

  "Hey big brother, you don't seem like someone from Yushui City, are you?" Xia Yan skirted around the question of drinking water.

  The middle-aged cultivator nodded and said, "I was originally in Purple Leaf City, but I rushed to Jade Water City because of a pressing matter. However, I didn't expect to lose my money bag halfway..."

  The middle-aged cultivator was also a straightforward person. Seeing Xia Yan being so polite, he directly spoke out his difficulties.

  Xia Yan was delighted in her heart and thought to herself, "This person is indeed not a cunning or deceitful one."

  "It turns out that's the case. Seeing Big Brother is also enthusiastic about cultivation, I'm afraid he doesn't pay much attention to money in his daily life, so he lost his wallet." Xia Yan said with a smile.

  The middle-aged cultivator's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and then he said: "You're right, when we were in Purple Leaf City, we rarely used money. This time, going out on a long trip, I didn't think much about it either. Who would have thought that without money outside, it's really difficult! A bowl of water has cost me so much mental energy, haha..."

  After finishing speaking, the middle-aged cultivator rubbed his forehead and burst out laughing.

  "Hmm, I'm Li Yuanchun, what should I call you, little brother?" Li Yuanchun asked with a fist in hand, looking at Xia Yan.

  "My name is Xia Yan."

  The young man in the green robe with a pointed mouth had already fetched water and handed a ladle to Xia Yan, then accepted the copper coins and ran aside excitedly counting them. When he saw the bulging money bag at Xia Yan's waist, his eyes changed slightly.

  "After drinking water, Xia Yan said again: "I think brother hasn't eaten yet, why not go eat together? Coincidentally, a friend asked me to have dinner at a nearby restaurant, which is not far from here, and it shouldn't affect brother's schedule.""

  Li Yuanchun heard this and naturally touched his own belly, looking at Xia Yan with some difficulty. He indeed needed to eat, but since he had just met Xia Yan for the first time, if he agreed immediately, he didn't know whether the other was being polite or not.

  Xia Yan saw Li Yuan Chun hesitating, and understood what he was thinking. He burst out laughing and said: "I'll make the decision for my brother, come on, Ju Fu Building is just ahead."

  Xia Yan pulled one of Li Yuanchun's hands, and she naturally lifted her feet and followed.

  The man in green clothes nearby heard the words "Ji Fu Building" and his eyes lit up, with a hint of cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

  "It's a fat sheep!" The man in green clothes spat out a mouthful of saliva, saying in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the backs of Xia Yan and Li Yuanchun.

  Jufu Building, the best of Yushui City's wine houses. Ordinary people dare not enter. Eating a meal at Jufu Building casually costs at least a gold coin.

  Jufu Building is a place for wealthy merchants to dine, ordinary people passing by here can only take a glance inside and sniff the wine and dish fragrance emanating from within.

  This is the Jufu Building, which is the property of the Wang family, one of the three major families in Yushui City. Located in the central area of Yushui City, it is a popular place for merchants and celebrities to entertain their guests on ordinary days.