Lin Qing shook his head and left the martial hall.
As he walked along the streets of the Inner City, he could clearly feel the gazes around him changing.
They were all tinged with curiosity, and even a trace of barely perceptible awe.
The Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall was one of Qingping County's four great martial halls. Being one of its disciples was an invisible shield in the Inner City.
He crossed the orderly Inner City and stepped once more into the Outer City, as if he had crossed into another world.
Filthy water was dumped without restraint onto the muddy roads.
Throngs of people jostled together.
A sour, rotten stench mingled in the air and hit him full in the face.
There was the reek of sweat, along with the stench of animal droppings, making Lin Qing cover his nose.
Carefully avoiding the dung on the ground and squeezing through the crowd, each person giving off their own smell, Lin Qing only wanted to get back to Yongning Street as quickly as possible.
As he passed through a narrow, relatively secluded alley, two men with black cloth covering their mouths and noses suddenly leaped out ahead, blocking his way.
They gripped crude wooden clubs, their eyes fierce.
"Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over the money you've got!"
One of the short, stocky masked men spoke in a hostile tone.
Lin Qing's heart tightened. His hand instinctively reached for the pouch of lime powder hidden at his waist, and his breathing quickened slightly.
Although he had begun training in martial arts, it was only his first day, and he was already exhausted.
Against two armed adult men, his odds were slim.
Just as he was preparing to risk a desperate move, the other masked man, who was somewhat thinner—
in the faint light filtering in through the alley entrance, carefully examined the gray martial robe Lin Qing wore, especially the embroidered character "Hong" on its chest. His face suddenly changed.
He hurriedly tugged at the sleeve of the masked man beside him and lowered his voice, sounding startled and uncertain. "Big brother, he looks like he's from the Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall!"
At this, the short, stocky man stiffened all over as well. He looked closely at Lin Qing's clothes, and the ferocity in his eyes gave way to wariness.
The two exchanged a glance and, without the slightest hesitation, turned and darted into the darkness at the other end of the alley like startled rabbits, not even bothering to leave a threat behind. They vanished in an instant.
Lin Qing slowly loosened his grip on the lime powder. His palm was already slick with cold sweat.
He let out a long breath. Along with his lingering fear, a deeper understanding settled over him.
"To make it in this world, you need someone to rely on..."
He murmured to himself. His longing for strength had never been as intense as it was now.
This martial hall robe was his first shield.
When he returned to Yongning Street, he could see from a distance that Benevolent World Hall's doors were still shut tight.
At the entrance of Security Hall across the street, Pan An was talking to his subordinates. When he caught sight of Lin Qing returning, his expression turned to one of astonishment.
He immediately lowered his voice and instructed the subordinate beside him:
"Go. Tell the men below not to use any more tricks against Benevolent World Hall for now. Tell them to keep their heads down!"
The subordinate didn't understand why, but seeing his manager's grim expression, he didn't dare ask. He hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Pan An watched Lin Qing push open the door and enter, his expression turning ugly.
That kid had actually gotten in with the Hong Family Martial Hall?
Things seemed to have gotten a little troublesome.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Clerk Liu came by again.
Two constables with their hands on their sabers followed behind him, making his approach seem all the more aggressive.
The moment Clerk Liu stepped over the threshold of Benevolent World Hall, he spoke. "Young Master Lin, have you got the money for the signboard ready?"
He had been about to put on his usual official airs, but his gaze suddenly sharpened.
It came to rest on Lin Qing, standing behind the counter.
Lin Qing was now dressed in a martial robe.
Though he was simply standing there, the days of stance training had made his once-thin frame somewhat more upright, and given his features a touch more vigor.
The reprimand that had been on the tip of Clerk Liu's tongue died in his throat. His tone became much more courteous. "Young Master Lin, have you joined a martial hall?"
Lin Qing rose calmly and cupped his hands. His tone was even. "Lord Liu, I wouldn't say I've joined. My father had some old ties with Master Hong."
"Master Hong was kind enough to let me register with the martial hall and learn a few rudimentary skills to strengthen my body."
At this, Clerk Liu's eye twitched faintly. In his heart, he had already cursed that surnamed Pan from Security Hall a thousand times.
It was obvious that the Lin boy had gotten in with the martial hall, yet Pan An had egged him on to come play the villain.
Wasn't that just using him as a pawn to provoke the Hong Family Martial Hall?
The Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall held considerable sway in Qingping County, with nearly a hundred disciples.
Hong Yuan was even a martial master at the Organ Cleansing stage.
He was no one a lowly clerk like him could afford to offend.
The smile on his face grew even more genuine, and he hurriedly said:
"So that's how it is. Young Master Lin, you've really had a stroke of good fortune!"
"Lord Liu, here's the silver. Please take it."
Lin Qing set down three taels of silver.
Clerk Liu took the three taels Lin Qing handed him, weighed them in his hand, and tucked them into his robes without even looking at them.
"Don't worry, Young Master Lin. I'll take care of the new signboard. I'll make sure the craftsman delivers it as soon as possible."
"Also, I see business at Benevolent World Hall has been slow lately. How about this? I'll waive the market fees for the next three months."
"Consider it a small gesture of sympathy from me to an old-established business like yours."
Lin Qing sneered inwardly. The clerk really knew how to curry favor—three taels of silver in exchange for three months without market fees.
But his expression remained unchanged, and he merely nodded. "Sorry to trouble you, Lord Liu."
"Think nothing of it."
Clerk Liu gave a dry laugh.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he hurriedly left with the constables.
Lin Qing watched the scene calmly, his heart unruffled.
A gentleman was not born different from others; he was skilled at making use of things.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Although business at Benevolent World Hall was slow, his older sister managed the shop and could just about support the two of them.
During this time, Lin Qing devoted nearly all his energy to martial training.
Every day, he rose before dawn and practiced his stance in the courtyard.
Then he hurried to the martial hall, where he repeatedly practiced the basic movements under the guidance of senior brothers like Zhang Shun, studying the techniques for exerting force.
After returning home at dusk, he still refused to rest, tirelessly practicing against the old locust tree in the courtyard.
The experience points for Iron Thread Fist in the Heavenly Dao Record
were steadily increasing at a slow but visible pace.
That afternoon,
Lin Qing wore iron rings and had iron wires wrapped around his body as he straightened his arms.
He set his legs in the Two-Character Pincering Goat Stance and repeatedly practiced several basic movements for exerting force.
With every punch, he did his utmost to engage the muscles throughout his body, feeling the faint current of strength circulate within him.
"Hey! Hey-hey! Ha!"
"Tsk—!"
He exhaled sharply in time with his movements, practicing each technique, one by one.
Just as he completed a flowing sequence of Iron Thread Fist movements, the iron wires wrapped around him suddenly snapped.
His qi and blood seemed to be stirred, surging like a torrent.
A faint humming rippled through his limbs and bones.
A strength far greater than before welled up within him!
At the same time, the Heavenly Dao Record in his mind flashed with light.
The words appeared clearly.
[Iron Thread Fist (Proficient)]
[Experience: 1/5000]
Success! His fist technique had finally reached the Proficient stage!
Lin Qing stood at rest, his chest rising and falling slightly, his eyes gleaming.
He could clearly feel that both his physical strength and his control over force had improved considerably.
If he faced the two robbers from the alley again, he was confident he could beat them without using lime powder.
"Hm?"
A voice tinged with surprise sounded from behind him.
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