Senior Brother Li, Let's Just Support Each Other

After the master left, Lin Yan was led by the senior brother who had guided him earlier to tour most of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall.

The front courtyard, the middle courtyard, and the back courtyard.

The front courtyard was for the foundation-building disciples, the middle courtyard for those who had yet to undergo their first skin-toughening, and the back courtyard for those who had completed at least one round of skin-toughening.

The bathhouse, kitchen, medicine room, and disciple dormitories—everything one could need was provided.

"Junior Brother Lin, that's the general layout of our hall. In a moment, you can head to the chores office to collect your training uniform and disciple identity token."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Li."

"We're all fellow disciples, no need for formalities. The master often says that we must support one another; a single tree cannot make a forest."

Senior Brother Li was very enthusiastic, though his bushy beard made Lin Yan shift his feet almost imperceptibly.

Support was fine.

But with Senior Brother Li's appearance, perhaps they didn't need to support each other quite so closely.

After collecting his training uniform from the chores office, Lin Yan bid Senior Brother Li farewell and headed to his dormitory. Once he had changed into the uniform, he didn't rush to the training grounds to practice, but instead left the martial arts hall.

He intended to go home and share the good news of his successful apprenticeship with his aunt.

On the way home, Lin Yan bought some maltose. It wasn't expensive, but it was a favorite among children.

The maltose wasn't for his little brother, but for the children of the other neighbors.

He used the act of handing out candy to let the neighbors know he was now training at the martial arts hall.

With his aunt having fallen out with her own family and only the two of them left at home, he feared someone might harbor malicious intentions.

Letting the neighbors know he was training at the hall would, at the very least, make them think twice.

In this world, there weren't many fools. Even the most ignorant of the lower classes knew not to bully a poor youth, let alone one who was learning martial arts.

Anyone wanting to bully his aunt and little brother would now have an extra layer of hesitation.

"Snot-nose, come have some candy."

"Blackie, why are you running? Here, have some maltose."

Lin Yan handed out candy to every child he saw on the street, quickly drawing the attention of the neighbors.

"Where did you get those clothes, Little Yan? You look so imposing."

"Little Yan, don't tell me your aunt found a matchmaker to introduce you to a wife? You're so happy?"

"Auntie, I went to the martial arts hall today to become an apprentice. This is the disciple uniform they issued."

Just as Lin Yan had expected, the moment he mentioned the martial arts hall, the expressions of the aunts and matrons changed; some even saw the smiles on their faces stiffen.

"Apprenticed to a martial arts hall? That's truly remarkable. Little Yan is going to be a big shot one day."

"I heard people say the apprenticeship fee for a martial arts hall is dozens of taels. Your family must be quite wealthy, Little Yan."

A few idlers watched Lin Yan walk away, regretting their past actions so much they slapped their own thighs.

Had they known Widow Liu's family had so much money, they would have found a way to squeeze some out of them back then.

"Old Xu's eldest son from down the street also went to the martial arts hall. With Little Yan, that makes two from our street. When you both make something of yourselves, you'll have to look after us neighbors."

Listening to the neighbors' mix of surprise and flattery, Lin Yan smiled and echoed their sentiments all the way home. Regardless of what they were thinking, his goal had been achieved.

His aunt, Liu, had heard the commotion outside. By the time Lin Yan stepped into the courtyard, she had already set aside her work and walked out of the house.

"Auntie, I've successfully become an apprentice."

"That's good, that's good." Liu was overjoyed, though she immediately asked with concern, "Is the master a good person?"

"The master is very responsible. However, I'll have to live at the hall this month. The first month of meals at the hall is free."

"Living at the hall is fine. Don't worry about things at home; just focus on your training."

Liu called Lin Yan into the house and brought out several pairs of layered-sole cloth shoes. "I heard that those who practice martial arts wear through shoes quickly. I've been sewing these for you for a while now. See if they fit."

White soles, black uppers—they were brand new.

Seeing the shoes, Lin Yan felt a surge of emotion. He had often seen his aunt sewing by the oil lamp lately and had assumed it was extra work from her employer; he never imagined she had been preparing shoes for him.

His aunt treated him not just like a mother, but better than one.

"How are they?"

"Auntie, they fit perfectly. They feel so warm. I wouldn't trade these shoes for a thousand gold pieces."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Liu laughed and scolded him, "As long as they fit. I was afraid you'd have a growth spurt and outgrow them soon, so I didn't make too many. Try on the other two pairs while I go pack your clothes."

Given the Lin family's circumstances, it was impossible to discard a pair of shoes after only a few months. Even though his aunt had always doted on him, she used to sew them a size too large, and he would just add extra insoles if they were loose.

"Brother, you're back!"

Outside the courtyard gate, his little brother came running, panting for breath. As soon as he entered the room, he locked his eyes on the maltose on the table, clearly having heard about it from his playmates on the way home.

"Little brother, I'm going to the martial arts hall to learn martial arts and will be living there. Don't make Auntie angry while I'm gone. If anything happens, come to the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall to find me. It's on the east side of the city; if you can't find it, just ask someone for directions."

Lin Yan stared intently at his younger brother. If he were away from home and the family suffered any bullying or grievances, his aunt's nature of avoiding trouble meant she might not necessarily tell him.

"Brother, don't worry, I will definitely take care of Mother."

Lin Mo patted his chest, though his gaze remained fixed on the table, never once shifting away.

In a household not far from the Lin residence.

"Did you hear? Lin Yan has gone to the martial arts hall to learn martial arts. Does the Lin family even have that much money?"

A woman chatted with the man beside her, who was puffing on a pipe while mending clothes.

"If you ask me, Liu must have sold the last of the Lin family's property; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to scrape together the apprenticeship fee."

"The house is sold? Then our Da Ya..."

"Stop thinking about it. Give up that notion. Go ask Granny Chen and see if there's anyone suitable to arrange a marriage for Da Ya."

"Sigh, what kind of situation is this? I originally thought that since Lin Yan was literate and worked as a clerk, he was stable. If Da Ya married him, there would be no parents-in-law to deal with, and she could be the mistress of the house immediately... How could he just go off to learn martial arts out of the blue?"

The woman's tone was filled with disappointment and a hint of resentment. She had been quite fond of Lin Yan; he had no parents but owned a house, and Liu was not the type to play favorites, so she surely would have prepared a dowry, ensuring Da Ya wouldn't suffer any grievances after marrying in.

"Master of the house, since Lin Yan is learning martial arts, could he and Da Ya still..."

"Don't even think about it."

The man struck his pipe heavily against the ground. "Is martial arts something so easy to learn? The young master of my employer is also learning at a martial arts hall. I don't know how much silver he's spent in two years. My mistress used to make several sets of clothes every month, but now she only dares to make new ones during festivals. They've even dismissed several day laborers. If my employer is struggling like that, let alone the Lin family."

"Sigh, why be so stubborn and insist on learning martial arts?" The woman sighed softly, her tone full of regret.

"Hurry, don't provoke this group."

"Move aside, move aside."

On his way back to the martial arts hall, Lin Yan saw pedestrians ahead scurrying to both sides, so he followed suit and moved to the edge of the street.

Up ahead, a group of men dressed in black walked by with fierce, menacing expressions. At the very front were several flatbed carts, each covered with white cloth.

Corpses.

Wherever these men passed, all the pedestrians fell silent, terrified that making a sound might draw their attention. Only after the men in black had walked far away did the crowd finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Those must be people from the Black Tiger Gang."

"The major gangs in the city have been fighting quite fiercely lately. I heard the mass graves outside the city are already piled high with bodies."

"Good riddance. The more of these animals that die, the better."

Lin Yan listened to the pedestrians whispering, a thoughtful look appearing in the depths of his eyes.

He had previously felt very fortunate that he hadn't transmigrated into a chaotic world where order had collapsed and his family couldn't even afford a basic meal.

From the memories of his predecessor, Guangping County had always had gangs, and the major ones would collect "peace fees." However, this was only targeted at merchants at the docks, fish markets, meat stalls, and market streets; they hadn't yet reached out to harass the ordinary commoners in the city.

Although the major gangs fought over territory, they rarely caused fatalities so frequently.

Most people in the underworld were just looking to make money. Not only was it difficult to recruit new members if too many people died, but more importantly, for those who died in gang conflicts, the gang leaders had to pay a hefty compensation to the families, or else they would lose the loyalty of their subordinates.

But with these gangs fighting so viciously lately, it was feared that the power structure in the city had undergone some changes. He just hoped it wouldn't spill over onto ordinary folks like them.

"Thinking about it so much won't help. For now, the most important thing for me is to focus on practicing martial arts and making a breakthrough. Even if there is turmoil in the county later, I will have the ability to protect my aunt and younger brother."

Back at the martial arts hall, Lin Yan began practicing the Mountain Splitting Fist on the training grounds.

Practice a punch a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself.

Looking at the new, tender leaf that had appeared on the strange tree in his mind, a look of satisfaction appeared on Lin Yan's face.

The tender leaf vibrated, and the cooling sensation reappeared. Lin Yan followed the flow of this energy to practice his punches once more.

Guided by this sensation, his Mountain Splitting Fist could now be considered officially initiated.