Essential Plot Points in Wuxia Novels

Linshui City is quite large, belonging to the seat of Linjiang Prefecture. The Great River Gang is the foremost of Linjiang Prefecture's Three Great Gangs, occupying the territory of four counties in the southern part of Linjiang Prefecture, and simultaneously vying for territory in several other counties with the other two great gangs.

In terms of territory, the Great River Gang doesn't have an advantage; it's no more than the Iron Boat Gang and the Salt Gang. The key is that the prefecture's seat, Linshui City, belongs to the Great River Gang's territory. By occupying the prefecture's seat, the Great River Gang holds a massive advantage in financial and official power, allowing it to suppress the other two great gangs.

With the Great River Gang's token, the four of them entered Linshui City without paying the entrance tax. The first thing they saw was a bustling main street, crowded with people. Shops lined the street, with large quantities of goods displayed at their entrances, some even extending onto the street. Small stalls were everywhere along the roadside, selling all sorts of interesting trinkets to Lin Xiao, like clay figurines and candied hawthorns. What interested him most were the various street performers and jugglers, what would later be known as acrobatics and the like.

"So much fun."

All four were youths. Xu Bing, Xu Ji, and Ji Zitao were genuinely youthful and enjoyed watching these things.

After walking not far, Ji Zitao suddenly pointed to a place surrounded by a crowd and shouted:

"Look, Chest Crushing Stone! Let's go see?"

The three immediately swarmed over, using their superior agility to push their way into the crowd. Lin Xiao, though not a youth, was also quite interested and stood at the edge to watch.

In the center of the crowd, there was a long bench. A man dressed in coarse linen lay on it. A stone slab was placed on his chest. Beside him, a middle-aged man wielded a large hammer, each swing eliciting excited cheers from the onlookers. People occasionally shouted for him to smash it.

The middle-aged man was an old hand at controlling the atmosphere. Even before he started smashing, he had already drawn cheers from many people, and some had already begun tossing copper coins.

After a few practice swings, seeing that the atmosphere was right, the middle-aged man finally brought the hammer to the bench. He gave the young man lying on the bench a look, shouted loudly, and brought the hammer down with a fierce strike. The stone slab shattered into pieces and fell to the ground. The young man lay motionless on the bench, startling everyone. But in the next second, the young man's eyes snapped open, and he jumped up, cupping his fists to the surrounding crowd.

"Good!"

Cheers erupted, and many people took out money and tossed it into the center of the crowd. The two also cupped their fists in thanks from time to time.

Lin Xiao and the others casually tossed a few copper coins and turned to leave. Xu Bing was still marveling, saying, "That young fellow's skills are quite impressive. I couldn't take a blow like that and still be jumping around."

Xu Ji and Ji Zitao nodded repeatedly. Only Lin Xiao smiled but didn't expose anything.

The principle behind Chest Crushing Stone was simple. The stone used was very heavy, thus possessing great inertia. Therefore, when the hammer struck quickly, due to inertia, the stone's acceleration was very small, and it wouldn't exert immense pressure on the person. This meant that as long as the person wielding the hammer was experienced and fast, any ordinary person lying there would be fine.

However, the ancients certainly wouldn't understand this physical principle, nor would the person wielding the hammer. It was merely the experience passed down from predecessors – knowing the result but not the reason why.

Lin Xiao certainly wouldn't expose it. It was how they made a living, and it didn't conflict with his interests in any way. There was no need to ruin someone's livelihood.

Afterward, they continued to wander the streets for a while. Along the way, they occasionally encountered members of the Great River Gang, mostly from the Bright Saber Hall. Some ignored them, while others greeted them proactively. Xu Bing found someone who greeted them and asked for directions. After walking a bit longer, they arrived in front of a three-story building facing the street, with 'Tianxiang Tower' emblazoned above the entrance.

The first floor had a main hall, the second floor had private rooms, and the third floor had banquet rooms. Although they had just received ten taels and had a little money, they had been very poor before and weren't accustomed to it yet, so they didn't dare go to the second floor. They casually sat down at a table in a corner on the first floor. Each of them ordered some of their favorite dishes and began to feast.

Honestly, these dishes were only average to Lin Xiao, who came from the Primordial Gate. But after eating mess hall food for three months, they seemed exceptionally delicious in comparison. He ate heartily with Xu Bing and the others.

Just as they were burying their heads in food in the corner, an old man and a young woman entered the establishment, immediately drawing their attention. The old man carried a erhu, while the woman carried nothing, but her clothing suggested she was a dancer and singer. They were clearly a common street performance duo.

But what caught their attention wasn't anything else, but… this young woman was beautiful. Truly, incredibly beautiful. Even with a veil covering her face, just her eyes were stunning. A single glance would spark a desire to uncover the mystery of her face beneath the veil.

Lin Xiao glanced at his three companions. They had all forgotten to eat. He shook his head and lightly tapped his bowl. The crisp sound brought them back to their senses. He whispered, "Eat. Stop staring."

Putting aside the common tropes seen in movies and novels, even a little thought would suggest that a woman this beautiful wouldn't be an ordinary person traveling the martial world. Lin Xiao wouldn't believe it even if he was hit with a stick. In any case, he didn't dare to stare carelessly, lest he run into some eccentric hero who would poke his eyes out with a chopstick, which would be a tragic injustice.

Unfortunately, while he had this awareness, his three companions did not. Even with his reminder, they would occasionally glance up. Fortunately, they were all youths and knew to be shy, only daring to steal glances.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao decided not to bother with them. Judging by their demeanor, they weren't the truly perverse type. A glance should be fine, right…

Just then, a table of martial artists also noticed the pair and loudly called for them to come sing a song. Lin Xiao's eyelids flickered as he saw several martial artists leering at the young woman's private parts with grinning faces. He curled his lip. Lust would eventually be their downfall.

At that moment, the woman began to sing a song Lin Xiao had never heard before. The melody was mournful and lingering, but her voice was beautiful. Even he couldn't help but listen intently.

But before long, the singing abruptly stopped. A martial artist, who seemed to have had a bit to drink, grabbed the young woman's wrist and said, "Little lady, you sing so beautifully. Why don't you come with me to the inn and sing a song just for this lord? If you sing well enough to please me, you'll be handsomely rewarded."

The old man playing the erhu quickly stepped forward to plead, "Esteemed sir, my grandson and I only perform for art, not for sale of our bodies."

Another martial artist shoved the old man aside and said, "My elder brother only wants to listen to music, not do anything else. Old man, don't interfere, or don't blame us for being impolite."

The elder brother pulled the young woman closer and reached out a hand towards her face, saying, "Little lady, you're so beautiful. It's a shame for such tender skin to be exposed to the public every day. This grandfather will show you some pity today. Come with me..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly cried out in pain. A bamboo chopstick had inexplicably appeared in the hand he was using to touch the young woman's face. Blood flowed freely, dripping onto the ground.

A noble young master, clad in fine ice-blue silk brocade embroidered with elegant bamboo leaf patterns, with one hand behind his back and the other holding an exquisite bamboo fan, slowly descended from the second floor, followed by seven or eight attendants.

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