Establishing Prestige and Provocation

The sixth layer of Flying Heaven Steps was far less exquisite than that of the Yin Sha Maiden. After all, the Maiden had cultivated for many years, reaching the sixth layer and being only one step away from the seventh layer of Great Accomplishment. However, it was sufficient for him to use in the short term. Not all masters possessed such exceptional Qinggong.

The journey afterward was very quiet. There were no Salt Gang experts to intercept them as expected, and they arrived all the way to the water village where the gang's Song'an branch was located.

For martial arts gangs like theirs, the main headquarters and branch locations couldn't be in the city; the government wouldn't permit it.

The Song'an branch was situated at the junction of the Lin River and its tributary, the Qingshui River. The upstream of the Lin River was Great River Gang territory, the downstream was Salt Gang territory, and the Qingshui River was Iron Boat Gang territory. With the three factions converging here, clashes occurred almost daily.

Therefore, the Song'an branch was the strongest branch besides the main headquarters. In addition to the Song'an branch's own personnel, experts from the main headquarters were stationed here year-round. For instance, two of the Four Great Protectors were here, and the renowned Young Master Peng, one of the Great River Three Heroes, was also present.

Speaking of the Great River Three Heroes, they referred to the three most formidable young individuals of the Great River Gang's younger generation. Each of them possessed cultivation comparable to the older generation of Hall Masters and Branch Masters. Young Master Yun, Lin Xiao, had met him before at Tianxiang Tower; indeed, he was unlike ordinary people in both martial arts and demeanor. The other two heroes were Young Master Peng and Young Master Meng. Being on par with Young Master Yun, they were undoubtedly very powerful.

However, now that Lin Xiao had arrived, the name "Great River Three Heroes" would likely need to be changed to "Great River Four Heroes" before long.

The Song'an branch was a riverside water village, half on land and half in the water. Massive wooden stakes were driven into the water to establish a large water village extending over a hundred meters into the river, housing over a dozen large ships and dozens of smaller ones.

Lin Xiao, with over a dozen subordinates, arrived at the village gate. A guard on the watchtower shot an arrow in front of them and shouted:

"This is Song'an Water Village, unauthorized personnel stop!"

Cheng Liang stepped forward and shouted:

"Brother up there, Hall Master Lin from the main headquarters has arrived. Quickly announce our arrival and open the gate."

The guard at the gate looked confused:

"Hall Master Lin from the main headquarters? Where did he come from?"

However, Lin Xiao had already taken out his waist token, which was indeed a Hall Master's token from the gang. Not daring to delay, he quickly said:

"Please forgive me, I need to report this."

Lin Xiao shrugged and made a gesture of invitation.

In less than a minute, someone ascended the water village wall, glanced at Lin Xiao, and then waved their hand broadly:

"Open the gate!"

The main gate slowly opened, and a burly man dressed in black clothing adorned with silver patterns walked out, accompanied by a young man with a scar on his face who looked rather defiant. The burly man laughed heartily as he approached:

"Is this Hall Master Lin Xiao of Great River Hall?"

"Indeed. And you are?"

"Lin Hu of the Song'an branch."

"So it's Deputy Hall Master Lin Hu. I've heard much about you!"

Lin Xiao cupped his hands with a look of admiration. Before coming, he had specifically researched the experts at the Song'an branch to avoid not recognizing them.

The two walked arm-in-arm, engaging in mutual flattery as they entered the water village, with their subordinates following behind.

At this moment, the scarred, defiant young man accompanying Lin Hu saw the oars they had collected and asked:

"Did you encounter anyone from the Iron Boat Gang on the road?"

Cheng Liang immediately said with pride:

"Of course! We ran into forty to fifty Iron Boat Gang members blocking our path just now. They were all from the Iron Oar Hall, but we drove them off. Guess who was leading them?"

This young man was likely an important subordinate of Lin Hu, and certainly possessed some skill, otherwise, his expression wouldn't be so arrogant. He scanned the oars and said:

"These oars belong to the Iron Oar Hall of the Iron Boat Gang. Anyone who could lead so many Iron Oar Hall experts must have a high status."

At this point, he looked at Cheng Liang and the others with a hint of approval and cupped his hands towards Lin Xiao:

"Hall Master Lin, to be able to repel the experts from the Iron Boat Gang's main headquarters, Lin Yong is impressed."

"You're quite sharp, brother. Let me show you something."

Cheng Liang didn't say anything further. He directly took down a cloth bag hanging from his horse and threw it to the ground. The bag rolled open, revealing a head covered in gray hair. Lin Yong happened to be facing the ghastly, contorted face of the head. At first glance, he was confused, then his expression turned to one of startled disbelief.

Lin Hu, however, saw his nephew's expression change and recognized the head immediately. He gasped sharply and turned abruptly to look at Lin Xiao, then smiled and nodded.

Lin Hu's astonishment was entirely genuine. He gave a forceful thumbs-up and said:

"Hall Master Lin, you've got guts! Old Lin here is impressed!"

Lin Yong stepped forward, picked up Lan Xinghe's head, and looked at it before re-wrapping it in the cloth bag. "This scoundrel Lan Xinghe killed so many of our brothers. I believe our brethren will be very happy to have his head in our hands now."

He solemnly cupped his fists and bowed to Lin Xiao: "I'd like to hang his head in the water village. Hall Master Lin, do you mind?"

"That's a good thing, of course, I don't mind!"

By the time Lin Xiao met Zhang Dayuan, the Branch Master of Song'an, the news of him killing the Iron Boat Gang's Lan Xinghe and taking his head had already spread throughout the entire water village. Countless people had gone to view the head displayed on the central flagpole of the water village.

Lin Xiao had only just arrived, but his reputation was already established.

The head of a decades-old expert from the Iron Boat Gang saved him a lot of trouble. At the very least, no one would question whether his martial arts were worthy of being a Hall Master.

He had indeed performed a great service, but he was too young. Martial arts gangs valued strength above all else. Without strength, even the son of the gang leader couldn't establish himself. His killing of Lan Xinghe was a display of undeniable power. Even if Lan Xinghe was careless, it still showed Lin Xiao's ability to seize opportunities. He was more than qualified to be a Hall Master.

However, while the vast majority had no objections, there was one person who was displeased: Young Master Peng, one of the Great River Three Heroes.

At the welcoming banquet that evening, he met all the high-ranking officials of the branch, including Zhang Dayuan, the Branch Master of Song'an; Weng Mengxiang, the Iron Sand Palm, and Qi Kun, the Fist Swordsman, two of the Great River Gang's Four Great Protectors; and Young Master Peng, Shi Lei. In addition, there were over twenty Hall Masters from the main headquarters or other branches.

Lin Xiao's gaze swept over everyone at the table, recognizing these mid-to-high-ranking members. After Hall Master Zhang Dayuan finished speaking, Lin Xiao picked up a cup of wine, stood up, and raised it in a toast to everyone, saying:

"This younger brother is new here. If I do anything wrong, please point it out. I'll drink first as a gesture!"

After speaking, he downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, then turned the cup upside down to show it was empty.

"Good!"

Zhang Dayuan smiled and picked up his wine cup, saying:

"We're all family here, brothers. If anything comes up in the future…"

Clang!

A crisp sound of a shattering wine cup interrupted him. The plump Zhang Dayuan turned his head, and Lin Xiao also looked over. He saw a handsome young man, third from the left of the portly Zhang Dayuan, lounging in his seat. One hand propped him up, while the other still held the posture of gripping a cup. He looked completely nonchalant. As if sensing everyone's gaze, he spoke as if suddenly realizing:

"Oh, my apologies. I was lost in thought just now and didn't notice I dropped my cup. I hope you don't mind?"