After spending a full month at the martial arts school, Lin Yan chose not to keep eating and lodging there.
The school's fees weren't expensive, but he'd calculated that eating at home would save him about two taels of silver a month.
He only had twenty taels of silver left, so he had to pinch every penny.
The Martial Dao Tree had already reached a height of eight inches. At this rate, even if he stopped using Skin Refining Paste, he could still achieve Skin Polishing in another four months.
Also, the green leaf belonging to Mountain Splitting Fist had unfurled most of the way. It would take only another month to grow completely.
"Senior Brother Ge, Lin Yan has left the school."
"A penniless nobody had the nerve to come train at the school?"
In the disciples' quarters, Ge Hui listened as a junior brother came in to report the news. Disdain showed on his face. While Lin Yan was at the school, he truly hadn't been able to do anything to him.
Now that Lin Yan had left, he had plenty of ways to deal with him.
After years of martial arts training, Ge Hui was a Skin Polishing martial artist, and he had quite a few connections in the city.
Half a month later.
Someone came to Lin Yan's home. It was Zheng Bo, a neighbor who lived on the same street but in a different alley. He was currently working with the Black Tiger Gang.
"Lin Yan, look at you, making something of yourself! You're even training at a martial arts school now."
Zheng Bo was overly familiar. The moment he arrived, he tried to clap Lin Yan on the shoulder. In the past, Lin Yan would have avoided someone like him, but remembering what his Martial Dao Tree could do, he didn't dodge this time.
Still, when he saw the ragged leaf displayed on the Martial Dao Tree, Lin Yan found it a little pathetic.
Zheng Bo was two years older than him and had been with the Black Tiger Gang for three years, yet his Martial Dao Tree hadn't even reached five inches.
Once a person mastered Stance Technique and built up sufficient qi and blood, the Martial Dao Tree could reach a height of five inches.
Had Zheng Bo been starving for three days out of every nine while running with the gang?
The rumors among the neighbors that Zheng Bo was somebody in the Black Tiger Gang turned out to be true in the most literal sense.
"Brother Zheng, what can I do for you?"
"Something good."
Zheng Bo chuckled. "Our Black Tiger Gang is recruiting talent right now. Since you've trained in martial arts, you can get five taels of silver just for joining us."
He wanted Lin Yan to join a gang?
Lin Yan shook his head. "Brother Zheng, I joined the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall. The hall has rules against joining gangs. If they find out, I'll be expelled."
"If the school doesn't allow it, then just don't let them find out."
Zheng Bo waved the concern away. "Lin Yan, since we're from the same street, I even went to see our chief specially for you. If you join the Black Tiger Gang, the gang will cover all your expenses at the school from now on. You'll only need to focus on training, and you won't have to take part in gang business."
"That's so generous. Wouldn't the Black Tiger Gang be losing out?"
"Losing out on what? Our chief says it's an investment in you. Once you've made something of yourself at the school and graduated, it won't matter whether you get expelled or not. By then, you'll be one of the Black Tiger Gang's strongest fighters."
The explanation was convincing. It was an angel-round investment.
If Lin Yan hadn't been certain that Zheng Bo hadn't even succeeded at Foundation Cultivation, he might actually have believed him.
The Black Tiger Gang wasn't a major gang, but it had over a hundred members. How could someone like Zheng Bo, who hadn't even succeeded at Foundation Cultivation, possibly meet the gang chief?
"Lin Yan, just sign this. I'll show it to the chief, and he'll send you the money. You'll get five taels when you join, then twenty taels every month after that."
Zheng Bo pulled out a written contract. Lin Yan glanced at it. It was a document confirming membership in the Black Tiger Gang; all it lacked was a signature.
A local version of a club's membership records!
"Brother Zheng, give me some time to think it over."
Lin Yan looked tempted, but hesitant.
Zheng Bo clapped him on the shoulder again. "Make up your mind soon. There aren't many spots for a deal this good. Once they're filled, you won't get terms like these. I came to you first only because we're neighbors. Why let the benefits go to outsiders?"
"Thanks for looking out for me, Brother Zheng. I'll decide as soon as I can."
After seeing Zheng Bo off, Lin Yan shut the courtyard gate. His smile faded as he considered the matter. There were only two possible reasons Zheng Bo had come to him.
First, the Black Tiger Gang really was short on people, and Zheng Bo was tricking him into joining.
Second, Zheng Bo had been ordered to get him to join the Black Tiger Gang. Once the news reached the school, Lin Yan would be expelled.
Five taels for joining, then twenty taels every month.
The Black Tiger Gang would never offer terms like that. As for the possibility that Zheng Bo was lying about the benefits, if Lin Yan joined and discovered the truth, he would never be loyal to the gang. The Black Tiger Gang's chief would have to be a fool to arrange things that way.
Ruling out the first possibility, Zheng Bo could only have been sent to target him.
Since arriving in this world, Lin Yan had only made one enemy.
Ge Hui!
Ge Hui's face appeared in Lin Yan's mind. He hadn't dared to go after Lin Yan inside the school. Now that Lin Yan had left, he'd gone out of his way to get Zheng Bo to set a trap for him.
If Lin Yan signed, Zheng Bo would probably hand the document to Ge Hui right away. Then Ge Hui would report the matter to the master, and Lin Yan would be expelled from the school.
To confirm his suspicion, Lin Yan went out almost immediately. Before long, he spotted Zheng Bo on the street.
Zheng Bo bought some prepared food from a butcher's shop, carried the bag, and turned into an alley.
He took several turns, then stopped in front of a courtyard gate. He pulled out a key and was about to open it when he suddenly narrowed his eyes and glanced around. After confirming that nobody was following him, he turned and walked to a house opposite, where he gently knocked on the door several times.
The door opened a crack, and he slipped inside. The courtyard gate closed silently behind him.
Lin Yan, hidden in the shadows, saw every move Zheng Bo made.
"Even a small-time nobody can be pretty clever. That was clearly a counter-surveillance trick."
Lin Yan sighed. Zheng Bo's strength was nothing to write home about, but the way he'd handled things was like an old hand who'd spent years in the gangs.
If Zheng Bo had spotted someone in the alley when he looked back, he would probably have pretended not to notice and simply opened the courtyard gate with his key. The person following him would never have guessed that Zheng Bo's real destination was the house across the way.
His caution made Lin Yan curious. He circled the courtyard Zheng Bo had entered, then picked a spot in the corner, planted his feet, and climbed over the wall.
Inside the courtyard.
"Why'd you take so long?"
"Hall Master, I picked up a job and got held up."
A brawny man emerged from the main room. His right hand was wrapped in cloth, and he was clearly nursing an injury.
"Hall Master, let me open that for you."
Zheng Bo deftly opened the package of prepared food and poured him a cup of wine himself.
"Stay cooped up in this courtyard, and my mouth's about to go bland as a bird's."
The man drained his cup. "You picked up a job? What kind of job?"
"There's a guy called Lin Yan who trains at the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall. He lives on the street where I do. Someone came to me and told me to trick him into joining our gang and signing a membership contract. If I pull it off, they'll give me two taels of silver."
"Two taels to ruin someone's life? The person who hired you is pretty stingy."
"Ruin someone's life? Hall Master, I'm not sure I understand what you mean."
"The master of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall doesn't allow his disciples to join gangs. If he finds out, he'll cripple their martial arts and expel them. The person who hired you must be a disciple of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall too. This is a dispute between disciples."
"So that's how it is. I wondered why that person came to me in a mask. You really are sharp, Hall Master. You saw through the whole thing at a glance." Zheng Bo flattered him, then poured the brawny man another cup.
The man downed it in one gulp and smacked his lips. "Go tell that person to pay five taels, and this Hall Master will kill Lin Yan himself."
"Hall Master, Lin Yan's a disciple of the martial arts school. Wouldn't killing him bring the school's investigation down on us?"
Zheng Bo was concerned, but the man couldn't have cared less. "From what you said, Lin Yan's only been at the school for a month and hasn't even undergone Skin Polishing once. He's no core disciple. Besides, people trained at a martial arts school might not know how to dispose of a body, but for this Hall Master, it's as routine as eating and drinking. Let the school investigate all it wants. It won't find anything."
Zhou Wu was confident. Getting rid of a body was an essential skill for gang members.
As the Black Tiger Gang's hall master and a martial artist who had undergone Skin Polishing once, five taels wasn't much to him. More importantly, being laid up with an injury had left him seething with pent-up frustration. Killing someone to let off steam would do him good.
Lin Yan came from an ordinary background, yet he was a disciple of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall. The contradiction in those two things would give Zhou Wu something to take his anger out on.
"With you handling it, that person's getting a great deal. I'll contact him right away."
Zheng Bo readily agreed. Zhou Wu chuckled. "You're a cold-hearted little bastard, aren't you? Not even a thought for your neighbor?"
"Don't joke, Hall Master. What's a neighbor worth? The only bonds that matter to me are the brotherhood between gang members."
"Good. Once I've recovered from this injury, you can stay by my side."
"Thank you, Hall Master. I'll follow your lead in everything."
Zheng Bo was overjoyed. He'd been in the Black Tiger Gang for three years and was still at the very bottom. If he could become the hall master's trusted aide, he'd rise to the top overnight.
A quarter of an hour later,
Zhou Wu finished off the prepared food and drank the last of the wine. After tidying up, Zheng Bo asked respectfully, "Hall Master, shall I go contact that person now?"
"Go ahead."
Zhou Wu waved him off. That wine had been strong; even with his strength as a martial artist who had undergone Skin Polishing once, he felt a little woozy.
Still, a martial artist ought to drink strong liquor. Ordinary wine was no different from water—it was no fun at all.
As Zheng Bo left the courtyard, he grumbled to himself. The Hall Master wanted five taels, which meant there'd be nothing left for him. No, he had to raise the price. He'd tell the other person it would take seven taels. A martial arts school disciple wouldn't miss a few taels of silver.
As for Lin Yan, he could only blame himself for being stupid.
He had no backing and still went to a martial arts school to learn. He even dared to offend the rich kids there. Wasn't that just asking to die?
Thinking about how many extra taels he might get made Zheng Bo's heart burn.
Xiao Hong from Cuihong Pavilion had said last time that if he came three days in a row, she'd let him see some truly impressive moves.
Bang!
A soft thud rang out, and Zheng Bo fell to the ground.
A quarter of an hour later.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Hall Master! Hall Master..."
Zhou Wu was lying on the bed inside the room. Hearing the knocking, he showed his impatience. Still hazy from the wine, he got up and walked toward the courtyard gate.
He assumed Zheng Bo had negotiated a deal with the other person and come back.
Enemy, rival... It never even crossed his mind.
If someone had a grudge against him or the Black Tiger Gang and dared to come after him, they'd have to be at least a martial artist who had undergone Skin Polishing once. Wouldn't it be better for them to sneak into the courtyard and attack him by surprise?
"Have you settled—"
The moment the gate opened a crack, Zhou Wu's words cut off. A cloud of red powder came straight at him.
Zhou Wu reacted fast. He shut his mouth at once. A martial artist's instincts told him not to close the gate; instead, he pushed off hard and sprang backward!
At the same time, he raised his left hand to shield his face, trying to brush the unknown powder aside.
But they were too close, the powder was too fine, and it had been thrown with the wind.
A large amount of red dust had already gotten into his eyes.
"Argh!"
A scorching, unbearable pain exploded in his eyes!
Everything before Zhou Wu's eyes turned blood-red and black. Tears poured uncontrollably from them, and his vision blurred completely.
In the split second while he sprang back, shielded his face, and lost his senses, Lin Yan moved!
Like a leopard that had been waiting for its prey, he seized the perfect opening created by the chili powder and lunged forward!
His right fist shot out without any fancy moves. Fueled by the force he'd built up over a month of practicing Mountain Splitting Fist, it cut through the air and struck straight at Zhou Wu's chest, exposed as he coughed!
The punch was fast, accurate, and vicious, meant to cripple his opponent in one blow!
"Looking for death!"
Although Zhou Wu couldn't see and was coughing nonstop, a martial artist who had undergone Skin Polishing once still had sharp senses and an instinct for danger.
Hearing the wind of the punch as it closed in, he was both shocked and enraged. He knew he'd been ambushed.
Instinctively, he tried to raise his favored right hand to block or counterattack. It was muscle memory kicking in under the pressure.
But his right hand was wrapped in cloth and still healing. His muscles and bones hadn't recovered, so he couldn't put his full strength into it, and his response was half a beat slow.
Lin Yan was already watching Zhou Wu's every reaction with complete focus. The moment he saw him move, Lin Yan abruptly changed the direction of the punch that had been aimed at his chest!
The fist dipped. Instead of striking straight ahead, it swung down diagonally. Rather than aiming for a killing blow, Lin Yan threw his full momentum and the force of his punch into the outside of Zhou Wu's right elbow, which had only just begun to rise!
Crack!
A muffled sound of breaking bone, enough to make one's teeth ache, rang out.
"Argh!"
Zhou Wu let out a scream far more heartrending than before. A piercing pain shot through his right arm, making him stumble backward off balance.
His old injury, combined with the new one, had temporarily crippled the arm!
Lin Yan pressed his advantage. He stepped forward, and his left fist followed right behind, driving a heavy uppercut into Zhou Wu's left side beneath the ribs!
Although Zhou Wu couldn't open his eyes, the muscles in his left arm bulged, and he precisely blocked Lin Yan's sure-to-land punch!
Thud!
The dull sound of fist against flesh and bone rang through the courtyard.
Lin Yan felt as though he'd punched a spring. His arm went numb from the shock, and his attack stalled.
"Mountain Splitting Fist? You're from the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall. I'm Zhou Wu, Hall Master of the Black Tiger Hall. Surely there's been some misunderstanding. The Black Tiger Gang and the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall have always kept to their own sides of the river."
Zhou Wu's left arm was unharmed, but he didn't pursue Lin Yan. Instead, he used the momentum to put a little more distance between them.
"Your bones are tough. No wonder you've undergone Skin Polishing once."
Lin Yan's heart tightened, but he had no intention of retreating. Since he'd revealed Mountain Splitting Fist, Zhou Wu would surely guess his identity. If the man lived, Lin Yan's whole family would be in danger.
"I underestimated you." Lin Yan deliberately made his voice cold, then showed off his Stone Waist Savage Spine constitution. "But you've lost an arm and gone blind. How many more moves can you take?"
"Double Fists Probing the Path!"
With a shout, Lin Yan swept his right leg out.
At Lin Yan's angry shout, Zhou Wu reflexively raised his left hand. But when he felt the wind of Lin Yan's leg rush toward him, his expression changed abruptly. He retreated and cursed, "Coward!"
"Force Splitting the Mountain!"
Lin Yan shouted again, but this time he drove both fists straight forward.
Zhou Wu had recognized Mountain Splitting Fist so quickly, which meant he knew it well. When a person went blind, their hearing grew sharper, and the names of the moves Lin Yan called out would trigger an instinctive reaction.
Call one thing, hit another.
That was the practical fighting style he'd developed by drawing on the experience of those who came before him.
The move Lin Yan called out was completely different from the one he actually used. It was designed for enemies who knew his boxing style.
Thud, thud, thud!
Zhou Wu had taken several blows in a row, and his breathing had grown ragged. He was already injured, and could only bring out six or seven tenths of his strength. Against such a despicable fighting style, he was already stretched to his limits.
The more ragged his breathing became, the duller his senses grew.
"Brother, spare me. All my savings are yours. I can even swear an oath that I'll never seek revenge."
"I've hidden all my money away. There's more than a thousand taels of silver."
But Lin Yan remained unmoved. He kept punching, one blow after another, bolstered by the explosive strength of Stone Waist Savage Spine.
Bang!
His final punch landed on Zhou Wu's right temple!
Thud!
A muffled sound rang out.
Zhou Wu's block froze. His body shuddered, then went limp, his life extinguished.
Panting heavily, Lin Yan backed away and stared at Zhou Wu's corpse. Fighting someone above his level, he had won by the skin of his teeth.
The inspiration for his entire fighting style came from the novels he'd read in his previous life, along with the many comments from his esteemed readers. You could say he stood on the shoulders of those who came before him.
In a martial artist's fight, strength mattered, but technique couldn't be overlooked either.