The fourth level of Flying Heaven Steps was far less refined than Yin Sha Maiden's. After all, she had cultivated for many years and reached the sixth level, just one step short of the seventh level, the level of great attainment. But it was enough for him to use in the short term. After all, not every expert had Lightness Skill as good as hers.
The journey that followed was very quiet. None of the Salt Gang experts he had expected showed up to intercept them, and they arrived at the Water Fortress where the Song'an Branch was located.
For martial world gangs like theirs, the main headquarters and branches could not possibly be in the cities. The authorities would never allow it.
The Song'an Branch was located where the Lin River met the Qingshui tributary. The upper reaches of the Lin River belonged to the Great River Gang, the lower reaches belonged to the Salt Gang, and the Qingshui belonged to the Iron Boat Gang. With the three sides meeting here, clashes broke out almost every day.
That was why the Song'an Branch was the strongest branch of the Great River Gang apart from its main headquarters. Besides the branch's own forces stationed there year-round, experts from the main headquarters were also posted there. Two of the Four Protectors, for example, were here, as was Young Master Peng, one of the famous Great River Three Heroes.
Speaking of the Great River Three Heroes, they were the three most outstanding young people of the Great River Gang's younger generation. Every one of them possessed cultivation no weaker than that of the older generation's Hall Masters and Branch Masters. Lin Xiao had already met Young Master Yun at Tianxiang Tower. Indeed, neither his martial arts nor his bearing was something ordinary people could compare with. The other two heroes were Young Master Peng and Young Master Meng. Since they were able to share fame with Young Master Yun, they were presumably all extremely formidable.
But now that Lin Xiao had arrived, it probably would not be long before the name Great River Three Heroes was changed to Great River Four Heroes.
The Song'an Branch was a Water Fortress beside the river. Half of it stood on land, while the other half extended over the water. Thick wooden piles had been driven into the river to build a huge Water Fortress stretching more than a hundred meters over the water. A dozen large ships and dozens of small boats were moored inside.
Lin Xiao led more than a dozen subordinates to the fortress gate. A guard in the watchtower shot an arrow into the ground in front of them and shouted:
"This is Song'an Water Fortress! Idlers stop!"
Cheng Liang stepped forward and called out:
"Brothers up there, Hall Master Lin from the main headquarters has arrived. Hurry and report it so the gate can be opened."
The guards atop the gate looked puzzled:
"Where did the main headquarters get a Hall Master Lin?"
But by then, Lin Xiao had already taken out his identity token. It was indeed the token of a Great River Gang Hall Master. The guard did not dare delay and hurriedly said:
"Please forgive us. I need to go report this."
Lin Xiao shrugged and gestured for him to go.
In less than a minute, someone climbed onto the Water Fortress wall, glanced at Lin Xiao, then turned around and waved his hand grandly:
"Open the gate!"
The gate slowly opened. A burly man dressed in black decorated with silver patterns walked out, accompanied by a young man with a scar across his face who looked somewhat unruly. The burly man burst into hearty laughter as soon as he came through the gate and advanced to greet them:
"Are you Hall Master Lin Xiao of Great River Hall?"
"That's right. And you are?"
"Lin Hu of the Song'an Branch."
"So you're Deputy Branch Master Lin Hu. I've long admired you!"
Lin Xiao cupped his hands with an expression of long admiration. Before coming, he had specially looked into which experts were stationed at the Song'an Branch, so he would not fail to recognize anyone when the time came.
The two clasped each other's arms like old friends, exchanging polite flattery as they entered the Water Fortress. The other subordinates followed them in.
At that moment, the scar-faced, somewhat unruly young man accompanying Lin Hu noticed the paddle blades they had collected and asked:
"Did you run into people from the Iron Boat Gang on the way?"
Cheng Liang immediately said smugly:
"Of course. We ran into forty or fifty Iron Boat Gang men blocking the road just now. They were all from Iron Oar Hall, but we drove them off. Guess who was leading them?"
This young man was probably one of Lin Hu's important subordinates, and he definitely had some ability. Otherwise, he would not have looked so arrogant. His gaze swept over the paddle blades as he said:
"These paddle blades all belong to Iron Oar Hall of the Iron Boat Gang. To command so many experts from Iron Oar Hall, that person must have had a considerable status."
As he spoke, a trace of approval appeared in his eyes as he looked at Cheng Liang and the others. He cupped his hands toward Lin Xiao and said:
"Hall Master Lin, to defeat the experts from the Iron Boat Gang's main headquarters—I, Lin Yong, admire you."
"You're a clever fellow. I'll show you something."
Cheng Liang said nothing. He simply took down a cloth bundle hanging from his horse and tossed it onto the ground. The bundle rolled open, revealing a head covered in gray hair. Lin Yong happened to be facing the hideous face, which still wore a ferocious expression. At first he looked puzzled, but on a closer look, his expression became one of utter shock and uncertainty.
Lin Hu, however, saw his nephew's expression and turned around. He recognized the head at a glance, sucked in a sharp breath, and suddenly turned to look at Lin Xiao. He smiled and nodded.
The astonishment on Lin Hu's face came entirely from the heart. He thrust up his thumb and said forcefully:
"Hall Master Lin, you've got real ability. This old Lin is convinced!"
Lin Yong stepped forward, picked up Lan Xinghe's head, and examined it before wrapping it up again. He said:
"That bastard Lan Xinghe killed so many of our brothers. Now that his head has fallen into our hands, I'm sure the brothers will be delighted."
He solemnly clasped his fists toward Lin Xiao and said:
"I want to hang his head in the Water Fortress. I wonder if Hall Master Lin would object."
"That's a good thing. Of course I don't mind!"
...When Lin Xiao met Zhang Dayuan, the Branch Master of the Song'an Branch, news that he had killed Lan Xinghe of the Iron Boat Gang and cut off his head had already spread throughout the entire Water Fortress. Who knew how many people had rushed over to look at the head hanging from the great flagpole in the center of the fortress?
Lin Xiao had only just arrived, yet his reputation had already been established.
A head belonging to a famous Iron Boat Gang expert of several decades' standing had saved him a great deal of trouble. At the very least, no one would be thinking of testing whether his martial arts were good enough for him to be a Hall Master.
It was true that he had rendered Great Merit, but he was too young. Martial world gangs revered strength above all else. Without strength, not even the gang leader's son could establish a foothold. His killing of Lan Xinghe was tangible proof of his overwhelming martial power. Even if Lan Xinghe had been careless, Lin Xiao had still possessed the ability to seize the opportunity. He was more than qualified to be a Hall Master.
However, although the vast majority of people had no objections, there was someone who disliked him. That person was Young Master Peng, one of the Great River Three Heroes.
At the welcoming banquet that evening, he met all the higher-ups of the branch, including Zhang Dayuan, Branch Master of the Song'an Branch; Iron Sand Palm Weng Mengxiang and Fist Swordsman Qi Kun, two of the Great River Gang's Four Protectors; and Young Master Peng, Shi Lei. Besides them, there were also more than twenty Hall Masters from the main headquarters or the branch.
Lin Xiao's gaze swept across everyone at the table, taking in and familiarizing himself with all the senior and mid-level figures. After Branch Master Zhang Dayuan finished speaking, he raised a cup of wine and toasted everyone from afar:
"This younger brother has just arrived. If I do anything wrong, I ask everyone to point it out. I'll drink first as a gesture of respect!"
Having said that, he drained the wine in his cup in one gulp, then held the empty cup outward to show that nothing remained.
"Good!"
Zhang Dayuan smiled broadly and picked up the wine cup before him.
"We're all family here, all brothers. If there's anything in the future—"
"Clang!"
A crisp sound of a wine cup shattering interrupted him. The plump Zhang Dayuan turned his head, and Lin Xiao looked over as well. In the third seat to the left of the fair and chubby Zhang Dayuan, a handsome young man was reclining crookedly in his chair. One hand propped up his body while the other still held the pose of squeezing a cup. His face was full of indifference. Only when he seemed to notice everyone's gaze did he speak as if suddenly realizing what had happened:
"Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought just now and didn't notice that I dropped the cup. No one minds, right?"
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