Starting with photographic memory, I've worked my way up to become a martial arts immortal.

Civilization in times of peace, martial prowess in times of chaos.

This is an eternal truth.

In the Great Jin Dynasty, the lower limit of martial arts training was extremely low, while the upper limit was infinitely high.

Those of low status serve as guards for the rich, being ordered around like servants every day, just to earn a living.

Those skilled in martial arts held a prestigious position and were admired by others. If they passed the martial arts examination and were recruited by the imperial court, they could even receive tax reductions, bringing blessings to their descendants.

However, learning martial arts is not easy.

There's a saying that "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts," and "poor" here usually refers to children from humble backgrounds.

Many people have misconceptions about people from poor families.

Those from humble backgrounds were at least small or medium-sized landowners, or even impoverished gentry families, rather than being perpetually impoverished at the bottom of society.

Given Jiang Yuan's background, he would be looked down upon by these poor kids when he met them on the street.

From this, we can see that Jiang Yuan currently has no idea how much silver "Fuwu" will cost.

However, he possesses the key to success, the panel, and what he currently lacks is only a catalyst: the initial capital to learn martial arts.

Once he joins a martial arts school and learns martial arts, he only needs a small amount of resources to make rapid breakthroughs in the early stages.

He wouldn't struggle at lower levels like someone with average talent, since no matter his talent, there are no bottlenecks for him.

But where should we get this money?

In just a few days, the next month arrived, and the eight hundred coins to be handed over to the Black Tiger Gang weighed heavily on Jiang Yuan's mind.

If he hadn't broken through today, he would still be making a living at the docks as usual, occasionally taking on some side jobs from wealthy bosses to earn a few extra coins.

Now that his skills have reached perfection, he can learn a new skill.

According to his plan, he intends to learn a life skill and slowly save money.

The deposit for the bookstore can be recovered, and with this month's allowance and after paying the Black Tiger Gang's lighting fee, it can barely cover the next month's expenses.

However, this left the mother without money for her medicine.

Jiang Yuan sighed, and after a brief investigation, he suddenly discovered something was wrong.

After breaking through the limits, studying is no longer a "burden" for him. It's like freeing up space so he can simultaneously record two skill practices!

This was an unexpected delight.

He stood up, took the book, and walked towards the counter, but stopped after taking only two steps.

"Since I can access my memories at any time, what about my past life...?"

Jiang Yuan's heart stirred.

In the next instant, a flood of memories from his past life came rushing in.

Abandoned by his parents as an infant, bullied by older children in the orphanage, envious of others who were picked up and dropped off by their parents in elementary school, had a crush on a girl in junior high school that ended without a trace, and worked hard as a bricklayer on a construction site to pay for his college entrance exams...

He stood frozen in place, his face flickering between light and shadow.

It turns out that this photographic memory brings more than just benefits.

Many memories he thought he had forgotten were now being torn apart bit by bit, and displayed in a bloody manner before his eyes.

Time doesn't heal everything; it just selectively buries it.

On a casual afternoon, a small breeze or rain can easily blow it away.

"Fortunately, I finally have family in this life. My mother is very talkative, but she has always cared about me."

He unconsciously clenched his fist.

"Hey kid, are you alright?"

Jiang Yuan snapped out of his daze.

"Of course it's okay."

"I understand. You young people are so concerned about saving face. I've been through something similar myself back in the day, I totally understand!"

The old man, with an air of experience, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Young man, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Go out and see more girls, and you won't be so heartbroken anymore."

Distracted by the old man, Jiang Yuan gradually calmed down and found it somewhat amusing, saying, "I've seen quite a few girls before. As long as I move my finger, whether they're charming, lively, or aloof, they all have to please me."

"You're just bragging!" The old man shook his head, his face showing a look of utter disbelief. "This kid's probably gone mad!"

Jiang Yuan handed the book to the old man: "Shopkeeper, I was just about to tell you something. I want to get back the deposit for the book I borrowed."

The old man was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What, you're not coming anymore?"

"The Black Tiger Gang's lighting fee has gone up again, and we're not getting enough money at home."

There was a brief silence in the air before the old man hunched over and returned to the counter: "Fine, what's the point of you working so hard every day? You can't be so idle in the future."

He counted out the coins and stuffed them into Jiang Yuan's hand: "Two hundred coins as deposit, count them."

"Shopkeeper, you gave me twenty extra coins." Jiang Yuan glanced at it but didn't accept it.

"I was just joking when I said I'd deduct your deposit last time. I've read the book, and it's not that dirty. It won't affect your reading experience," the old man said nonchalantly.

"Shopkeeper, this..."

"You're such a nag. If you feel bad about it, just consider it a loan and pay me back when you have the money, okay?"

Jiang Yuan carefully put the money away, then his expression turned serious, and he bowed respectfully: "Thank you, sir."

The old man waved his hand: "There's no need to thank me, go on with your work."

He raised his cloudy eyes and watched the tall, thin figure disappear behind the door.

"If my grandson were still alive, he would be about this age."

After a long while, he lowered his head, took out the account book, and gently crossed out Jiang Yuan's name on it.

The sun was scorching outside, and the long street was filled with steam; there were very few pedestrians.

This was the time when people were feeling sleepy. Jiang Yuan came out of the clothing shop with most of his copper coins gone. He had changed into new shoes and was wearing a colorful short-sleeved shirt.

His photographic memory awakened many memories from his past life, giving him a new money-making plan.

As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse."

As soon as he stepped into the teahouse, he noticed that the waiter's greetings were much more enthusiastic.

"Sir, please."

After the waiter finished wiping the table near the center of the counter, Jiang Yuan calmly took his seat, a stark contrast to his cautious and timid demeanor yesterday.

He put down the package in his hand, ordered a pot of green tea, and calmly looked around.

The second floor of the teahouse has private rooms, while the first floor has a square layout with a platform about half a person's height in the center. On the platform stands a storyteller dressed in a long robe, holding a folding fan, and is telling a story of a chivalrous revenge with great enthusiasm.

The audience seats were half full, with occasional cheers and applause, creating a lively atmosphere.

Jiang Yuan held his teacup, listening with great interest.

Just as the story reached its climax, the storyteller struck his gavel and said, "To find out what happens next, please listen to the next episode."

The audience was thoroughly enjoying the performance when he slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked the man. It wasn't until the teahouse owner came to his rescue that he wiped his sweat, stepped off the stage, and went to the back room.

After listening to the performance on stage, Jiang Yuan put down his teacup, already having a plan in mind.

He called over the waiter, took out five copper coins, and stuffed them into the waiter's pocket.

"Sir, what's this?" The waiter asked with a broad smile.

Jiang Yuan pointed to the storyteller's room: "Go and tell him I have something important to discuss with him, and see if we can meet."

The waiter looked troubled: "Master Xu is currently thirsty and tired, and is resting. He is very sensitive to being disturbed."

Jiang Yuan remained noncommittal: "If it works out, I'll give you ten more copper coins; if it doesn't, it's alright."

He knew in his heart that if he wanted to succeed, he couldn't skimp on these expenses.

"Alright, with you saying so, sir, I'll give it a try." The waiter slung the rag over his shoulder, dashed to the door, knocked, and went inside.

He quickly ran back, beaming with joy, "Sir, it's all done."

Jiang Yuan nodded reservedly, paid the money as agreed, stood up, and slowly walked to the room and knocked on the door.

"Please come in."