A Dispute

The spacious courtyard was, at a glance, a full half again as large as Lin Yin's former home.

Madam Wang happily surveyed the furnishings. One moment she hurried over to peer at the well, the next she was off to inspect the side rooms.

Lin Yin, meanwhile, quietly made his way to the enormous stone stake in the corner of the courtyard.

He had already smashed the old wooden stake in two, and it could no longer withstand his current Qi, so it was useless. This stone stake, on the other hand, had been hauled over by Lin Yin with Xu Chang's help.

It had taken quite a bit of "effort."

The Martial Arts Realm Lin Yin had revealed so far consisted only of the still-uninitiated Cloud Stance and Cloud Palm. He hadn't even shown the full extent of either one.

His progress appeared to be neither here nor there.

His strength had yet to develop, so naturally it had been especially "strenuous" to move the stone stake. Fortunately, his senior brother Xu Chang had lent a hand, and together they managed to bring in the stake, which was even taller than Lin Yin.

Lin Yin ran a hand over the stone's rough surface, a trace of satisfaction in his eyes.

Now that his Golden Bell Shield had reached Minor Accomplishment, tempering his flesh and blood to bring it to Great Accomplishment naturally required even more powerful external impacts. This stone stake was just what he needed.

Mother and son each found their own reasons to be pleased. It took nearly half a day, but soon they had moved almost everything into their new courtyard.

While out and about, Lin Yin saw that Xu Chang was moving house too. Unlike their little mother-and-son household, Xu Chang had a family of six.

Lin Yin had prepared a few small gifts and made a special visit. The two families became familiar with one another.

By the time everything had been taken care of, three days had passed.

Since the school was nearby, most disciples chose to stay there, apart from a few who had only just joined and had yet to begin their training. Lin Yin was no exception.

During that time, he even saw Wan Li, whom he had met a few times before. But he never saw the First Senior Disciple Brother or the Second Senior Disciple Brother again.

At one point, Lin Yin asked Xu Chang about it out of curiosity.

"They went to Tiger Head Mountain..."

Xu Chang glanced at Lin Yin with an air of mystery and lowered his voice.

"It's a strange business. Even Martial Uncle and Master have been showing up a lot lately. All I know is that things aren't very peaceful up on Tiger Head Mountain."

"Tiger Head Mountain?"

Lin Yin's expression shifted. The mountain was all right during the day; he went there often, though only to hunt along its outer reaches. But at night, the place took on an eerie air, and there seemed to be dangerous men from the Hungry Wolf Gang lurking there. He would never go.

His previous trip up the mountain had left a deep impression on him. Seeing Xu Chang's guarded expression now, he couldn't help thinking there might be even more hidden secrets in the mountain than he'd imagined.

"Anyway, try to stay away from Tiger Head Mountain."

Xu Chang paused, then added,

Even so, Xu Chang couldn't explain the reasons. By his own admission, with his current level of skill, he wasn't qualified to learn the secrets behind it.

Lin Yin nodded to himself, keeping an appropriately solemn expression.

"I understand, Senior Brother."

The days that followed were remarkably uneventful. After the commotion died down, the deaths of Li Qianjiang and Shi Ba gradually faded from people's minds.

The Bailiffs did come to question Lin Yin, but, as with the other disciples, it was only a brief inquiry.

Lin Yin's Stance Skill had yet to reach Minor Accomplishment, so there was no way he could be a suspect. After asking a couple of questions, they promptly forgot about him.

Lin Yin enjoyed a few rare days of peace.

Lin Family Old House.

The courtyard looked spacious, but a stifling air hung over it now.

Old Master Lin sat in a wooden chair, his body swaying slightly, his gaze sharp as he stared at the tightly shut gate.

He seemed to have been sitting like that for some time, as if waiting for someone.

Second Aunt, who was washing clothes nearby, looked uneasy. Her eyes kept drifting toward the gate, and even Second Uncle, usually much favored by the old master, was being extremely cautious, as though afraid of provoking him.

"Creak—"

Suddenly, the gate swung open, drawing everyone's attention.

Lin Lin stepped cautiously over the threshold, dressed in a cloth shirt soaked with sweat.

"You still have the nerve to come back!"

The sudden scolding rang through the courtyard, and Lin Lin's seemingly upright figure trembled.

"Grandfather..."

His fair, handsome face was tinged with embarrassment.

Seeing his youngest grandson drenched in sweat and pale, the old master's furious expression softened with a flicker of concern.

"You were the one who urged us to turn all the shops into butcher shops, weren't you?"

"Grandfather, a senior brother at my school introduced me to the business. Our family has made quite a bit of money from it."

Lin Lin tried to explain, but Old Master Lin gave a furious snort.

"Money? Quite a bit of money? Where is it, then?

"A butcher shop? What were you thinking? Forget the profits you claim to have made—what happened to the goods that were in the shops? What about the cost of the furniture and lumber?"

As he spoke, Old Master Lin's face turned visibly red. He even had to cough twice, so furious was he.

If Lin De hadn't been unable to keep things running and gone to him for help, he might never have learned that the family's shops had been turned into butcher shops.

The fine furniture that had once filled them, along with the choice lumber, had all been sold off at a pittance. The shops had been completely converted into butcher shops.

When Old Master Lin heard the news, he had nearly fainted from anger.

"Grandfather, the butcher shop business is booming. As for the money, I'm sure Third Uncle has told you...

"Your grandson is about to break through. I've already used up all the medicine Eldest Uncle left behind. Right now, I'm counting on that money." Lin Lin's face flushed red and then pale as he hurried to explain.

Nearby, Second Aunt couldn't sit still any longer. She quickly spoke up in his defense.

"Father, Lin Lin is learning martial arts for our family's sake. What does it matter if that money helps him break through?"

"That money? You little spendthrift, that was at least eighty taels!"

Old Master Lin's voice rose several notches, his face flushing red.

A poorly handled shop transaction could ruin a family and leave it beyond hope of recovery! And to entrust it to that slippery hunter—to sell off the family's assets like this was to pull the rug out from under them. How could he not be furious?

"Grandfather, my Stance Skill is about to reach Minor Accomplishment. One month! No, it won't even take a month! Trust me, with that money to buy medicine from my senior brother, I'll soon break through to Bright Strength.

"Once I reach Bright Strength, all those wealthy merchants and Escort Agencies will come knocking. I'll earn that money back for you!"

Lin Lin thumped his chest, his expression utterly earnest.

Looking at his youngest grandson, who kept making one promise after another, Old Master Lin gritted his teeth but said nothing more.

"Alas..."

A long sigh rang through the courtyard.

The family business he had worked so hard to build was tottering on the brink of collapse. The old master's face, though still lively, was marked by helplessness and desolation.

Nearby, Lin De remained silent, his expression shifting between light and shadow, his face full of worry.

He had meant for the old master to talk Lin Lin out of it. Looking at things now, it seemed Lin Lin was going to keep going down this road to the bitter end.