Showing Off

"More than a dozen people, all dead!"

"Back in the day, Qian Ming was a fierce man who could take on a dozen people with a single blade, yet he was actually killed."

"I wonder who dared to provoke the Tri-Union Gang. Aren't they afraid of retaliation?"

"It seems to be the Si River Gang."

"What do you mean 'seems'? It was definitely the Si River Gang who killed them. While others fear the Tri-Union Gang, the Si River Gang doesn't. After the slaughter, they even left blood-written taunts at the hall."

"The two gangs are likely going to war."

"War is good. I hope they all wipe each other out."

The morning sun rose. At this hour, most of the folks in White Stone Ward would usually just be waking up, but today, the place was buzzing with activity. The alleys were filled with talk of the Tri-Union Gang's hall being wiped out.

"Be sharp. If there's any trouble, just say that my martial talent is exceptional and that I've been valued by the Huang Family, who paid to send me to a martial arts school to train."

Before leaving, Xu Yang instructed Xu Qing.

Although it was unlikely they would trace it back to him, with so many people dead at once, the Tri-Union Gang might do anything; they might even vent their anger on the innocent.

"Brother, you be careful too. With so many people dead, I'm afraid things are going to get chaotic."

"I know!"

Seeing Xu Qing nod, Xu Yang finally stepped out.

Once he left the White Stone Ward, the sound of wailing reached his ears.

Looking into the distance, he saw the families of the Tri-Union Gang members he had killed gathered at the site of the hall, crying in a sea of grief. There were at least a hundred of them.

He felt not a shred of sympathy or hesitation. These people had followed the Tri-Union Gang in their evil deeds, causing countless families to be broken and destroyed; they deserved their end.

Their families had enjoyed the spoils of that blood money, so suffering these consequences now was only fair.

"I hope they start fighting."

He had deliberately left the two characters for "Si River" behind, hoping to incite a war between the Si River Gang and the Tri-Union Gang. As for whether it would work, that was up to the heavens.

[Turtle-Snake Great Stance · Entry (32/100)]

[Martial Dao Longevity Points: 15]

The harvest from last night was not small. Aside from nearly ten taels of silver, he had gained fifteen points as a reward this morning.

"I must focus on practicing the Turtle-Snake Great Stance from now on."

If he wanted to gather Qi and become a martial artist this month, his progress in the Turtle-Snake Great Stance had to keep up, otherwise, it would lag behind his progress in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

Moreover, with last night's haul, he didn't need to worry about nutrition and could train without restraint.

When he arrived at Wei Yuan Hall, he found that except for him and Lu Ren, Zhang Yong, Luo Dehu, and Tang Ruiyang were all absent.

"They must have gone to hunt exotic beasts!"

Xu Yang hadn't expected that they would head into the mountains today, having only mentioned it to him yesterday.

"Senior Brother Xu, the business with the Tri-Union Gang was your doing, wasn't it?"

Just as he was thinking, Qiu Wenjie snuck up to him, his face filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

Xu Yang nodded slightly. He had used the Muscle-Softening Powder; any experienced coroner could identify it upon examination, so it was only natural for Qiu Wenjie to guess.

He just hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly, reaching all the way into the city.

"Be careful. I heard from my father that Li Sanhe has already reached the Great Completion of Qi Gathering and is extremely troublesome."

Li Sanhe was the leader of the Tri-Union Gang, a martial artist who had been famous for years. It could be said that Xu Yang had grown up under the shadow of Li Sanhe's tyranny.

He then added with a smile, "However, once you become a martial artist, with the reputation of our Wei Yuan Hall, even if he knows you did it, he might not dare to provoke you. Besides, you didn't leave any flaws behind."

Once he became a martial artist, it wouldn't be a matter of whether Li Sanhe came looking for him or not.

"Do you think the Tri-Union Gang will fight the Si River Gang?" Xu Yang asked in a low voice.

Qiu Wenjie shook his head: "Your methods were a bit clumsy. They probably won't fight. They might think a third party is plotting in the shadows and become even more cautious instead.

Li Sanhe and Zhang Sishui are both cunning and cautious men; they won't impulsively fight to the death just because of a few subordinates."

Xu Yang felt a bit helpless at these words.

He knew the framing attempt was clumsy, but he had never had any contact with the Si River Gang, nor did he have the time to plan slowly.

However, it seemed that while it might not lead to a war, it could at least buy him some time.

That night, when he returned home, what he heard from Xu Qing confirmed this; the Tri-Union Gang and the Si River Gang had not clashed, though the atmosphere was tense.

The Tri-Union Gang had not sent anyone back to the hall, whether out of fear of further incidents or just waiting a few days, he didn't know.

They had sent people to search the White Stone Ward, but since Xu Yang hadn't brought anything back other than the silver, the Tri-Union Gang had found nothing.

Time flew by. On the third day, Zhang Yong and the others returned, all of them beaming and in high spirits.

Following the senior brothers from the Inner Courtyard, they had actually hunted an exotic beast, and everyone had received a share.

"Ah Yang, it was easy money! It's a pity you didn't go. We just took a stroll in the mountains and got this much."

Tang Ruiyang held up two fingers: "Two taels, do you know that? Each of us got two taels."

With money in their pockets, everyone felt emboldened—or at the very least, Tang Ruiyang did.

In the past, he wouldn't have dared to call Xu Yang "A-Yang"; originally, he had always addressed him as Brother Xu.

Even after Xu Yang had a falling out with Lu Ren, he had continued to call him Brother Xu whenever they spoke.

Although no one was optimistic about Xu Yang's prospects, deep down, they all hoped he could successfully gather qi and give them a glimmer of hope.

"What's there to regret? If a person is timid, they won't be able to seize an opportunity even if you give it to them ten times," Luo Dehu said with a sarcastic sneer.

Now that he had money, he felt he could become a martial artist after all.

Two taels might be a small amount, but it wasn't as if this was a one-time deal; if they did this two or three more times, becoming a martial artist would be a certainty.

Xu Yang wanted to mention that he had received ten taels two days ago and was drinking Body-Strengthening Soup every day, but after a moment's thought, he decided not to show off.

"You disappoint me," Zhang Yong said.

He had always viewed Xu Yang as a rival and vowed to surpass him, but he hadn't expected Xu Yang to lack even this bit of ruthlessness.

Xu Yang was speechless; he hadn't expected Zhang Yong to speak to him again over something like this.

"We're heading into the mountains again in a few days. If you're willing, I'll speak to Senior Brother Xue Fangsheng to let you join. I don't want to surpass you by relying on resources."

A look of genuine seriousness appeared on his cold, stern face.

"I disagree. If there's one more person, I'll get a smaller share. If you want him to join, give him a portion of your own share."

Before Xu Yang could speak, Qian Jiaxing had already voiced his opposition.

They had agreed on a three-to-seven split with Xue Fangsheng, with the seven of them splitting thirty percent; adding another person would mean splitting it eight ways.

"I object too!" Tang Ruiyang chimed in immediately.

He was already regretting his decision; had he known making money was this easy, he wouldn't have invited so many people in the first place.

Following a martial artist into the mountains was practically like picking up free money.

"I..."

Zhang Hong was about to state his position when Xu Yang cut him off: "I object as well. Fine, go show off to someone else. I need to practice; I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."

The group felt as if they had punched empty air, leaving them feeling incredibly frustrated.

Xu Yang wasn't envious in the slightest, nor was he tempted.

"Keep acting tough. You'll regret this eventually."

Tang Ruiyang sneered, convinced that if not for his opposition, Xu Yang would have jumped at the chance, and that his lack of interest was merely a pretense because he knew it was impossible.

Xu Yang didn't care about them at all.

Picking up free money?

There was no such thing in this world.

Even Xu Laoer only wanted to suck him dry, let alone these distant relatives who had nothing to do with him.

He didn't know the specific reason, but he was certain Xue Fangsheng had an ulterior motive. Whether that was true or not, he would surely find out in the future.

Xu Yang immersed himself in the practice of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance. Every day, he would secretly take out some copper coins to give to Xu Qing for purchasing meat, gradually spending the funds.

Seven days later!

After Tang Ruiyang, Zhang Yong, and the other five spent seven days training frantically with their share of the silver, they followed Xue Fangsheng back into the mountains to hunt exotic beasts.

They left, and even after three days, they had not returned.