The Uproar

Just then, Zhang Shun appeared beside Lin Qing.

He was now an inner disciple, and his bearing had grown much steadier.

But there was also a hint of wariness in his gaze as he looked toward Feng Jianyun.

Lowering his voice, he said to Lin Qing, "Junior Brother Lin, that's Senior Brother Feng Jianyun, the second senior brother. A while back, he went to Prefecture City to take the martial examination. He's now a Martial Licentiate."

"From now on, keep your eyes open at the school and try not to offend him."

"He's petty, ruthless, and has powerful connections. If he takes a dislike to you, the trouble never ends."

Lin Qing's heart tightened as he heard this kind of slander.

He could tell that Zhang Shun had probably suffered at Feng Jianyun's hands.

Now, Zhang Shun seemed to be deliberately drawing him in and marking him as one of his own.

Lin Qing nodded solemnly. "Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother Zhang. I'll remember it."

After that, Lin Qing continued practicing his punches and sparring with the other senior and junior disciples.

During that time, Lin Qing could clearly feel that as his boxing skills improved, the other disciples had grown much warmer toward him.

Some senior brothers even came to ask him for pointers on the essentials of fighting with fists.

"Junior Brother Lin Qing, you're good with your fists. Could you give me some pointers?"

"Me too, Brother Lin Qing. Teach me sometime when you're free."

"Lin Qing, are you free to grab a meal together?"

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

The setting sun blazed like fire, bathing the houses in a ruddy glow.

Lin Qing was just about to finish his training for the day.

Then a familiar figure came panting into the martial arts school. It was Fan Kui, Old Fan's son.

"Brother Qing, something's wrong! Hurry back!"

"Xiao Ya—something's happened to Xiao Ya's family!"

Fan Kui was gasping for breath, his face full of worry.

Lin Qing's eyes narrowed.

Something had happened to He Xiaoya's family?

That girl had always treated him well.

Now that they were in trouble, he couldn't just stand by.

"Let's go!"

Without another word, he grabbed Fan Kui and rushed outside, not even stopping to change out of his training robe.

The two of them sprinted all the way back to Yongning Street.

Before they even reached the He Family Blacksmith Shop, they heard crying and a noisy argument.

A crowd of neighbors had gathered outside the He family's shabby courtyard gate.

Inside the yard, He Xiaoya and her mother were being shoved around by four or five men in coarse hemp clothes, and could barely keep their feet.

Old Man He's wife sat collapsed on the ground, wailing at the top of her lungs.

He Xiaoya stubbornly shielded her mother. Her face was streaked with tears, her delicate features deathly pale with fear, and her clothes had been tugged into disarray.

The men spat as they shouted:

"Pay us back! Old Man He took our deposits and promised to forge more than ten hatchets. Where is he now? Where are the hatchets?"

"Exactly! We're waiting on those hatchets to go up the mountain and chop wood. We paid, but never got our blades—and now the authorities have arrested him!"

"If you don't cough up the money today, we'll smash this rotten house!"

"No money? Then use that daughter of yours to pay off the debt!"

"Ah, poor Old Man He."

"Those gangsters are real scum. They've left him in an impossible situation."

From the men's cursing and the neighbors' gossip, Lin Qing quickly pieced together what had happened.

Blacksmith He had secretly taken on illicit work for Lord Leopard of the White Horse Gang.

He had secretly forged ten prohibited iron blades.

Somehow, word had gotten out, and the authorities had caught him.

He was already behind bars.

The men, meanwhile, were customers who had previously ordered ordinary ironware from Blacksmith He and paid deposits.

Now that Blacksmith He had gotten into trouble, their deposits and goods were lost, so they had come to cause a scene and demand repayment.

Lin Qing pushed through the crowd and strode into the yard.

His tall figure immediately drew everyone's attention.

The men causing trouble felt the faint pressure he emanated. Their bluster ebbed, and their shouting quieted.

"What's going on?"

Lin Qing swept his cold gaze over the men, his voice calm.

When He Xiaoya saw Lin Qing, it was as if she had spotted her savior.

Her tears flowed even harder, and she choked too much to speak.

A thick-browed man at the front steeled himself and said, "Young Master Lin, you be the judge."

"Old Man He took deposits from the lot of us and promised to forge ironware. Now he's behind bars, and the blades are gone."

"We can't just let our money go down the drain, can we?"

Lin Qing looked at He Xiaoya and asked gently, "Xiao Ya, is what they're saying true? How much did Uncle He take in deposits?"

He Xiaoya sobbed as she pulled a crumpled little ledger from her clothes and checked it. Choking back tears, she said, "Brother Lin Qing, it's true. These woodcutters ordered a batch of hatchets, a little over ten in all, for a total of two thousand one hundred and sixty coins."

"The deposit was seven hundred coins."

What?

It was only two taels of silver?

Lin Qing could hardly help laughing at the absurdity of it.

These days, he could earn several taels of silver from preparing just one batch of his secret Blood Nourishing Powder.

Business at Benevolent World Hall had been rather slow lately, but thanks to his dealings with Hong Yuan, he still brought in a good amount of silver each month.

To him, this sum was truly insignificant.

However, he knew better than to flaunt his wealth.

He also knew that a favor could turn into a grudge if you gave too much.

If he simply repaid the He family's debt for them, it might seem like an easy solution, but it could attract a lot more trouble.

It could make the He family look like easy pickings in everyone else's eyes, and expose his own wealth as well.

After a moment's thought, he looked over the men again. His tone softened, but there was confidence in it. "Gentlemen, Uncle He has fallen on hard times, and there's no one left at home but a mother and daughter. They're truly in a difficult position."

"These deposits may not mean much to you, but for the He family, they're salt in the wound."

He paused, then continued, "How about this: I'll cover Uncle He's debt. But I won't hand you the money directly."

The men stared at him, puzzled.

Lin Qing explained, "If anyone in your family gets sick or injured in the future and needs medicine, come to my Benevolent World Hall. I'll keep a record of the account and let you buy medicine on credit, up to the amount of your respective deposits, until the debt is paid off."

"That way, your losses are covered, the He family gets a helping hand, and the mother and daughter have a way to survive."

"What do you say?"

This solution settled the debt dispute before them.

It also avoided the trouble that might come from handing over cash directly.

And it turned potential creditors into future customers for Benevolent World Hall. It was a win on all fronts.

The men exchanged glances and conferred in low voices.

They had caused a scene in the first place to recoup their losses. Now Lin Qing was willing to take responsibility. Though they wouldn't get cash right away, they would receive credit for an equal amount of medicine.

In times like these, medicine was hard currency too, so they weren't losing out.

After all, when you went up the mountain to chop wood, bumps and bruises were inevitable. You might even run into wild beasts.

Besides, Lin Qing was a disciple of the martial arts school. His status spoke for itself, and they didn't dare push too hard.

"Fine. We'll do as Young Master Lin says." The thick-browed man at the front finally nodded.

The others all agreed as well.

And so, the disturbance came to an end.

The troublemakers left, and the neighbors who had gathered to watch gradually dispersed.