A massive windfall

Yang Jing blew the oil lamp alight, and its dim yellow glow instantly filled the little room.

He dragged the sack beside the table and untied the cord, revealing its contents.

On top were several heavy gold ingots, cold and weighty in his hand. Fine markings showed on their surfaces in the lamplight. He counted them: exactly twenty taels, no more and no less.

Under the Great Qi Dynasty's currency system, one tael of gold could be exchanged for ten taels of silver. These twenty taels of Gold Ingots were worth two hundred taels of silver.

Beneath the gold lay silver sycees, each plump and full. Three large fifty-tael sycees were neatly stacked, with another five twenty-tael silver ingots scattered beside them, totaling a full two hundred and fifty taels of silver.

"Good heavens, that's four hundred and fifty taels of silver!"

At that moment, Yang Jing could almost hear his own heart pounding. An indescribably immense wave of delight flooded his chest, leaving him dazed, as though he were dreaming.

He had guessed that the sack contained wealth the Great Fortune Gang had accumulated over the years, but he had never expected this much. After all, it was only an ordinary gang.

At current market prices, ten taels of silver could buy nearly two mu of farmland.

With four hundred and fifty taels, he could easily purchase ninety mu of farmland in Wazi Township.

Even at its peak, after generations of effort, the Yang Family had owned only twenty or thirty mu.

If he showed this money to his grandfather and the others, the shock might well make them faint.

With this money, he would not have to worry about funds for a long time. With ample financial support, his martial arts progress would surely advance by leaps and bounds!

"Murder and arson really do earn you a golden belt. Honestly holding an honorary appointment only earns me ten taels a month. One night of killing and seizing treasure brought in as much as several years of that work."

Yang Jing took a deep breath, suppressing his shock and delight.

Then he moved the gold and silver aside, and his fingers touched a cool wooden box.

He took it out and opened the lid. A fresh, bitter medicinal fragrance washed over him. At the sight of its contents, his pupils abruptly contracted.

Inside lay a ginseng root, its rootlets intact and its main root thick and sturdy. The rings on its surface were dense and distinct. Judging by those markings, it was at least fifty years old.

Having worked at the Liu Family Medical Hall, Yang Jing knew how precious aged ginseng like this was. It was worth at least two hundred taels of silver.

Damn, the Great Fortune Gang wasn't so simple after all. They must have struck a windfall before! Yang Jing thought.

The lamplight fell across the wealth, making the whole room gleam.

Looking at the gold, silver, and ginseng on the table, his brow finally relaxed completely.

"If you want to live well, you have to be bold!"

"This aged ginseng is exceptional. It's at least fifty years old, so its medicinal potency must be excellent. This must be the treasure medicine Xu Tai mentioned. But once I killed you, it became mine anyway."

"The further you go in martial arts, the harder it gets. I can save this aged ginseng until I break through to hidden strength, then take it to reach peak hidden strength as quickly as possible and break through to the legendary transforming strength."

"For now, an ample supply of fierce beast meat is already enough to increase my cultivation speed considerably."

Yang Jing silently considered these things as he looked at the gold, silver, and ginseng.

A person really did need money. At that moment, he felt comfortable from head to toe, filled with anticipation for the road ahead.

He picked up the ginseng and examined it for a while, then carefully returned it to the wooden box. He packed it back into the sack with the gold and silver, shoved the sack into the deepest recess beneath his bed, and concealed it behind several boards.

Only after finishing all that did he blow out the lamp and lie down.

I should go home in a couple of days. Keeping so much gold and silver here still worries me, even if the rooms have locks. I'll take some home and hide it there.

Lying in bed, Yang Jing's thoughts raced.

The darkness outside his window remained thick, but his heart was bright.

With the threat of the Great Fortune Gang resolved and this windfall in hand, his path in the Martial Path had suddenly opened much wider.

Early the next morning.

The teahouses and taverns of West City erupted into an uproar.

"Have you heard? Xu Tai, the Great Fortune Gang's leader, burned to death last night."

"Apparently he burned to death in a courtyard in Xinghua Ward. Life really is unpredictable. A man who used to swagger around like that, burned to death."

"I passed by there this morning and saw the charred roof beams. They say the fire burned from midnight until dawn. Even the corpse was burned beyond recognition."

"What accidental fire? I heard from the night patrol soldiers that it was probably the Righteousness Gang. Those two gangs had been fighting bloody battles these past few days, tearing into each other."

"Not necessarily, not necessarily. Who knows how many people the Great Fortune Gang offended with its deeds? Xu Tai had enemies everywhere. Maybe some expert he'd cheated was the one who did it."

Rumors sprouted wings and flew through the streets and alleys.

Yang Jing mingled with the crowds in West Market, listening to the talk without a ripple crossing his face.

He stopped at a hunter's stall hung with a tiger pelt and pointed at the fresh meat on the counter. "Two jin of tiger meat, with the tendons."

The hunter deftly weighed the meat and tied it with straw cord, smiling. "You have a good eye, sir. My brothers and I only killed this lord of the mountains this morning. One and a half taels of silver."

Tiger meat naturally counted as fierce beast meat. Since the tiger was the king of beasts, it cost even more than bear meat. Just two jin cost one and a half taels of silver.

Now flush with wealth, Yang Jing spent generously. He paid, picked up the tiger meat, and headed straight back to Datong Ward.

He set an earthenware pot on the little stove, cut the tiger meat into large chunks, and simmered it with ginger slices and scallion segments. Before long, a rich meaty aroma drifted out.

He ladled out a large bowl and ate both meat and broth. Warmth slid down his throat into his belly, soon becoming a current fiercer than that produced by bear meat. It coursed through his limbs and bones, making his muscles and bones feel as though they were soaking in warm water, swollen with comfort.

After eating the tiger meat, Yang Jing immediately locked his room, left the courtyard, and headed straight for the martial arts hall in Chengping Ward.

Buying the tiger meat had delayed him, so several disciples were already there when he arrived at the Martial Arts Hall.

"Senior Brother Yang."

"Senior Brother Yang is here."

Several young Martial Arts Hall disciples hurried to greet him when they saw him.

Whatever Yang Jing's root bone was like, he was now a bright strength expert. That alone put him above the vast majority of disciples.

Aside from the veteran disciples and those who prided themselves on their excellent root bone and family backgrounds, the others treated him with considerable respect.

Yang Jing nodded slightly, went to the courtyard wall, and removed his outer garment, revealing firm arms. Then he walked straight toward the stone locks.

The ninety-jin stone lock felt almost weightless in his hand, stirring the air as he raised and lowered it. After less than a quarter of an hour of warming up, a fine sweat already covered him. The heat generated by the tiger meat surged through his body, as though it might burst through his skin at any moment.

He took his place in the training ground, lowered his hips into a horse stance, and slowly unfolded the movements of Mountain Collapse Fist.

With his first punch, bright strength intertwined with the heat inside him. Fist Wind carried a humming vibration, fuller and more powerful than usual.

He could clearly feel the tiger meat's energy seeping into his muscles through his blood and qi. Every punch drew a response from an extra surge of force within his meridians, as though a fierce tiger were roaring inside him.

"Stone Splitting Stance!"

Yang Jing's fist sliced through the air, and the gust it stirred swept up dust a zhang away.

As the Mountain Collapse Stance sank down, the bluestone slab beneath his feet trembled slightly, giving off a dull hum.

The bright strength he usually had to guide deliberately now obeyed him as naturally as fingers obeyed the arm, flowing effortlessly along the course of his punches. The stiffness between moves vanished, adding fluidity to their ferocious power.

Sweat dripped from his jaw, striking the ground and spreading into dark marks, yet it did nothing to weaken his momentum.

Yang Jing struck faster and faster, his fists weaving a blur. The heat within him fully merged with his bright strength. Every punch seemed to carry a thousand jin of force, yet he could release and withdraw it at will.

When he struck the wooden post, his unrivaled ferocity made it hum and shudder.

When he withdrew, he was light as a goose feather, his fingertips leaving only a faint trace against his lapel.

Nearby, resting disciples discussed the great fire that had burned in West City the previous night and killed Xu Tai, leader of the Great Fortune Gang. Some also watched Yang Jing practicing, their faces showing admiration or regret.

Whether they practiced hidden strength, bright strength, or had yet to enter strength at all, few disciples could match Yang Jing's dedication and diligence. His perseverance and resolve earned the admiration of some of them.

Yet everyone also knew that his root bone was poor. Breaking through to bright strength had already been an extraordinary stroke of luck. Reaching hidden strength was almost hopeless. No matter how hard he worked, he could not change his shortcomings in root bone and talent.

That was the nature of martial arts. With talent, you could walk this road; without it, you could not. Good talent let you travel far, while poor talent meant any bottleneck could trap you for good, making it difficult to go much further.

Yang Jing turned a deaf ear to the other Martial Arts Hall disciples' discussions, his mind wholly absorbed in practicing his fist technique.

He could clearly sense that the tiger meat nourished not only his blood and qi but also tempered his muscles and bones, making his control of bright strength increasingly seamless.

After completing a set, he stood still and regulated his breathing. The warmth continued flowing slowly through him, nourishing every inch of muscle. He felt filled with inexhaustible strength.

July sunlight filtered through the treetops onto him, his sweat refracting tiny glimmers.

Yang Jing clenched his fists. The calluses on his palms seemed a little thicker.

Now that I no longer have to worry about money, I can eat plenty of fierce beast meat to nourish myself. I'll reach Bright Strength Peak even faster. Once I get there, with the system panel, I can break through naturally to hidden strength without any bottleneck.

The next moment, Yang Jing willed it.

The system panel appeared before his eyes, clearly displaying his progress in Mountain Collapse Fist-

[Mountain Collapse Fist: minor achievement (371/500)]

Seeing his progress in Mountain Collapse Fist, Yang Jing could not help feeling delighted.

Although he had eaten bear meat lately, he had only ten jin each month, so horse meat remained his main source of nourishment. After eating one jin of tiger meat that morning, practicing Mountain Collapse Fist felt even more nourishing than after bear meat, and his progress was a little faster too.

After a brief rest, Yang Jing resumed practicing, fully absorbing and making use of the tiger meat's remaining energy inside him.

When Liu Maolin entered the martial arts hall's front courtyard, his gaze immediately fell on Yang Jing.

Yang Jing was bare-chested, beads of sweat glistening on his bronze skin. His fists still carried lingering gusts from the movements he had just finished, but his breathing was already steady.

Liu Maolin nodded slightly. Yang Jing's control of force seemed to have improved again.

He walked over slowly with his hands behind his back, his gaze holding both scrutiny and a measure of understanding.

"Junior Brother, you've improved again." Liu Maolin's voice was quiet, but it reached Yang Jing clearly.

Yang Jing picked up a cloth and wiped his sweat, smiling. "You're here, Senior Brother."

Liu Maolin nodded slightly without speaking, merely glancing around. Seeing that the other disciples were occupied with their own training, he lowered his voice. "Have you heard about Xu Tai?"

"Yes, I heard people talking on the way here. Apparently there was a fire." Yang Jing's tone was calm, as though discussing something insignificant.

Liu Maolin stared into his eyes. They were clear and bright, yet concealed something he could not see through.

"A fire?" Liu Maolin scoffed. "Xu Tai was a Bright Strength Peak expert. A few days ago, he fought his way out of an encirclement by two bright strength experts from the Righteousness Gang. Would a fire burn him to death?"

Yang Jing fell silent for a moment, then looked up. "Perhaps his injuries were too severe, and he had no strength left to escape."

"Really?" Liu Maolin's gaze deepened. "I seem to remember you leaving rather early yesterday."

Yang Jing's movements paused, then he shook his head. "There was something to deal with at home. Why ask about that all of a sudden, Senior Brother?"

Looking at Yang Jing's composed expression, Liu Maolin suddenly smiled and patted his shoulder. "Nothing. I just think that in this world, some people dying is actually a good thing."

He did not press further. Turning toward the courtyard wall, he took off his shirt. "With all the things Xu Tai did, retribution was long overdue. Wouldn't you agree, Junior Brother?"

Watching his back, Yang Jing felt a slight stir in his heart, then smiled too. "You're right, Senior Brother."

Yang Jing knew Fourth Senior Brother had his suspicions and guessed that he had killed Xu Tai.

But some things did not need to be said aloud. It was enough that they both understood.

In a world where the strong preyed on the weak, it was enough to remain true to oneself.

Liu Maolin put down his shirt and turned toward Yang Jing. The complexity and scrutiny had vanished from his eyes, leaving only their usual warmth. "Come, Junior Brother. Exchange a few moves with me. Let's see how much you've improved these past few days."

"Sure!" Yang Jing replied with a smile.

As dusk spread over the martial arts hall's upturned eaves, Yang Jing finished his last punch, warmth still lingering around his fists.

The front courtyard was nearly empty now. Liu Maolin had left early as well. Since taking over his lineage's business, he spent little time at the Martial Arts Hall each day. Only a few servants remained, putting away equipment, the clatter of wood especially clear in the dusk.

Yang Jing wiped the sweat from his body and was about to put on his outer garment when a figure emerged from the inner courtyard.

Lin Yue wore a moon-white brocade robe with a jade belt at his waist, making his figure look all the more tall and straight.

He glanced at Yang Jing as though his gaze were passing over an inconspicuous stone, without lingering. Then he turned away, a faint trace of arrogance at the corners of his mouth, as though another glance would lower his status.

Completely unbothered, Yang Jing draped the cloth over his shoulder, picked up his old cloth bag, and headed straight for the gate.

A genius had his own road, and Yang Jing had his own steps to take. Their paths had no need to cross.