Lin Qing turned around and saw that Hong Yuan, the hall master, had appeared nearby at some point. He was watching him with bright, piercing eyes.
"Your natural endowment is average, yet you've managed to train Iron Wire Fist to the entry level in ten days. You're only two days behind Wang Cheng."
"That kind of perseverance is commendable."
Lin Qing glanced at Wang Cheng, who was still silently practicing in the corner, and felt a stir of surprise.
This man actually reached the entry level two days before me.
Hong Yuan stepped forward and squeezed Lin Qing's arm, feeling the taut muscles and the faint flow of qi and blood beneath them. He gave a small nod.
"Looks like you've put in plenty of hard work."
Lin Qing was delighted to earn Hong Yuan's approval. "Thank you for the praise, Master. This disciple is slow-witted and can only make up for it with diligence."
A trace of appreciation flashed through Hong Yuan's eyes. He then instructed a nearby disciple, "No need to wait any longer. Go call all the new disciples over to the front courtyard."
Before long, the eight new disciples, Lin Qing among them, had gathered in the front courtyard's training ground.
Hong Yuan stood before them with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across their young faces.
"You've all been here for some time, and your foundations are a little more solid now."
"Today, I'll teach you the techniques of Iron Wire Fist—the Twelve Bridge Hands!"
"Watch carefully. I'll demonstrate them only once."
Hong Yuan's voice rang like a bell, and his body suddenly sprang into motion!
He planted his feet in the central stance, his fists surging like dragons emerging from the sea. One moment, he used the Rigid Bridge to strike hard and advance; the next, he used the Soft Bridge to coil and twist like silk, binding and crushing his opponent.
The Straight Bridge struck straight through. The Splitting Bridge divided and cleaved. The Settling Bridge anchored the force. The Inch Bridge focused it into his fingers.
His movements were broad and powerful, fierce and explosive.
As his arms swept through the air, the dozens of iron rings clattered like a sudden storm, whipping up sharp gusts that stung the onlookers' faces!
"Hard and soft, pressing, straight, splitting, settling, inch—lift, retain, move, control, determine the universe."
"The Twelve Bridge Hands are the core of Iron Wire Fist's offense and defense!"
"The fist's power lies in settling and focusing. Use the tendons to drive the force, carry it through the bones of the fingers, and make it unyielding!"
As Hong Yuan demonstrated, he explained the essentials of generating force.
His moves were not complicated, but every strike held tremendous destructive power—simple and efficient.
At the height of his demonstration, Hong Yuan suddenly let out a thunderous shout, like a bolt of lightning cracking across a clear sky.
He lowered his body and shot his right palm toward a black boulder, half as tall as a man, at the edge of the training ground!
"Boom!"
A deep, dull crash exploded, like a blow landing on tough leather!
Everyone felt the ground tremble faintly beneath their feet.
When they looked closely, they were all struck pale with shock!
The incredibly hard black boulder—
had been shattered by a single palm strike, dust and dirt crumbling away.
Even the earth beneath it had sunk three inches.
Hong Yuan had already withdrawn his hand and stood calmly, his breathing steady.
It was as if the earth-shattering blow had not come from him at all.
"If that had been a person, one palm strike would've..."
One of the new disciples stared, dumbfounded, and muttered to himself.
Lin Qing's heart shuddered too. Looking at the shattered boulder and the sunken ground, he felt his mouth go dry.
Thousands of pounds of force unleashed in an instant?
The fighters of his previous life seemed, beside such power,
like children playing at a game.
The martial arts of this world are terrifying!
At dusk, Lin Qing returned to Yongning Street.
Before he had even reached Benevolent World Hall, he heard a burst of cries and shouts.
The street was tense. Seven or eight men in mismatched short jackets, with knives and clubs at their waists, were going door to door collecting incense money.
The man leading them was a burly, middle-aged thug with a face full of hard flesh and a vicious look in his eyes. People called him Lord Leopard.
Chen Bao was a minor leader of the White Horse Gang, in charge of collecting incense money across dozens of streets in the Outer City.
The White Horse Gang was entrenched around White Horse Temple beyond the city walls. Part bandit, part gang, it also maintained a public presence within the city, where it specialized in collecting incense money.
Since the gang often made donations to the officials and greased palms at every level,
the authorities turned a blind eye.
At that moment, Old Fan's house next door was in complete disarray. Old Fan sat slumped on the floor, his head bleeding. His wife wept beside him, while his son, Fan Kui, was pinned down by two gang members, his eyes bulging with rage.
"If you can't pay the incense money next time, you know what'll happen." Chen Bao let out a cold laugh.
Lin Qing understood at once. Since Old Fan's family hadn't paid the full amount, they were being made an example of to frighten the others.
Nearby, He Xiaoya was being shielded behind her father, Old Man He.
Lord Leopard's gaze slid over He Xiaoya's pretty face, and a spark of interest flickered in his eyes.
But when he saw the heavy iron hammer gripped in Old Man He's hands, he held back out of caution. He only gave a couple of leering laughs and didn't press the matter.
"Let go of me! Let go, now!"
Inside Benevolent World Hall, Lin Wan, Lin Qing's older sister, cried out in alarm as several gang members dragged her outside too.
"Heh, this young miss from the Lin Family's grown even more lovely and radiant." Chen Bao stroked his beard and laughed lecherously.
"Lord Leopard, what brings you here?"
Lin Qing suppressed his anger and spoke calmly.
Chen Bao was no good man. A single wrong word could easily earn Lin Qing a vicious beating.
Back when his father, Lin Qing, had been around, Chen Bao had feared his father's strength as a martial artist and hadn't dared act recklessly.
But things were different now.
The two siblings were left to guard the family business at Benevolent World Hall.
One wrong step, and they would be doomed beyond hope.
Chen Bao turned around, and his gaze quickly settled on Lin Qing as he approached, lingering for a moment on his training clothes.
"Young Master Lin, I hear you've joined the Hong Family Martial Hall?" Lord Leopard asked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I joined a month ago." Lin Qing replied, his eyes on his sister.
"Why haven't you let her go yet? We're here to collect money, not to abduct women." Chen Bao ordered his men.
Only then did Lin Wan hurry over to Lin Qing's side, still shaken.
If she had been alone and without support, no one would have come to her aid even if she'd been dragged away.
Lin Qing rested a hand on his sister's arm to comfort her.
"Big Sis, it's all right."
"Young Master, when are you paying this month's incense money?" Chen Bao sauntered over.
Lin Qing knew this wasn't the time to meet force with force.
He forced a smile, counted out two hundred copper coins from his purse, and held them out.
"Lord Leopard, I've got it ready. Please count it."
But Lord Leopard didn't take the money. He gave Lin Qing a sidelong glance. "There's a war on at the Northern Border, and the gang's expenses are high. Starting this month, we've raised the incense money across the board. It's three hundred copper coins now!"
"Lord Leopard, business has been poor at the medicine hall lately, so..."
Lin Qing gave a bitter smile.
"I don't care about your excuses. If you can't pay, your family will be made an example of." Chen Bao gestured toward Old Fan's family.
Lin Qing let a trace of pain show on his face. Then he gritted his teeth, counted out another hundred copper coins, and brought the total to three hundred.
Only then was Chen Bao satisfied. He weighed the coins in his hand before stuffing them into his robes.
Just then, Pan An appeared beside Lord Leopard at some point and whispered a few words in his ear, shooting Lin Qing a malicious glance.
After listening, Chen Bao's expression darkened. He walked toward Lin Qing with a cold laugh, his tone turning hostile. "You little brat, I hear you got lucky on Azure Cloud Ridge the other day and found a Red Blood Ganoderma?"
"Why'd you offer it to the Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall instead of bringing it to pay your respects to Third Master Shi of the White Horse Gang?"
"Do you think our Third Master Shi can't afford it, or can't protect you?"
Lin Qing's heart tightened. He cursed Pan An for stirring up trouble.
But he kept his expression calm, met Lord Leopard's gaze, and cupped his hands. "That's not the case. The Red Blood Ganoderma was a family heirloom left behind by my father."
"My father said that if I ever ran into trouble, I could take the Red Blood Ganoderma to Old Master Hong. My being able to join the Hong Family Martial Hall is entirely thanks to the old ties between my father and Master Hong."
"Offering the Red Blood Ganoderma was simply following that connection and presenting it as a gift upon becoming a disciple. I had no intention of slighting the White Horse Gang or Third Master Shi."
"I'm only a minor figure, and I have no one to introduce me to your gang. I didn't dare presume to impose."
Hearing this, Chen Bao thought a little more highly of Lin Qing, and his expression eased.
It was true that Hong Yuan of Iron Wire Fist had known Lin Qing's father, Lin Qing, and Chen Bao had heard a little about it.
The Lin boy had given the item to a martial hall with old ties to his family. That was entirely reasonable.
If the White Horse Gang insisted on making an issue of it, they would only seem unreasonable and needlessly offend the Hong Family Martial Hall.
He gave Lin Qing a heavy pat on the shoulder.
"You've got a way with words, I'll give you that. If you find any good medicinal herbs in the future, remember to come to the White Horse Gang first."
"Third Master is a righteous man. He won't shortchange you!"
Hearing the veiled threat, Lin Qing hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course. If I'm lucky enough to find anything again, I'll be sure to offer it to Lord Leopard first."
Only then did Chen Bao snort and lead his men off to squeeze the other neighbors.
Lin Qing watched Chen Bao and his men disappear into the distance, then shot a cold glance at Pan An, who stood brazenly at the entrance to Security Hall across the street.
"Security Hall. The Pan Family..."
Murderous intent surged through Lin Qing's heart.
This feud had now officially begun.
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