Bang!
Lin Yan picked up a stone stool from the courtyard and smashed it hard into Zhou Wu's head. Blood sprayed everywhere.
Only after confirming Zhou Wu was well and truly dead did he start searching the body.
"A Hall master of the Black Tiger Gang, and he's this poor?"
After searching for a while, he found only a silver token engraved with the words "Black Tiger." Lin Yan couldn't help cursing.
The token weighed five or six taels, but it had too many impurities, and he couldn't take it to a pawnshop to exchange for money.
Leaving Zhou Wu's corpse alone, Lin Yan went inside. The floor was tiled, and the furnishings were simple: a table and chairs, and a bed.
He let his gaze sweep inch by inch across the room, finally settling beneath the bed.
He lifted the bed board. The floor below was spotless.
Lin Yan smiled.
A man like Zhou Wu would never clean beneath his bed. It was far too clean to be normal; something was definitely amiss.
After searching around, he found that one of the floor tiles was hollow.
He slipped two fingers into the crack and heaved. The tile flipped up, revealing a wooden box underneath.
When he opened it, a snowy gleam of silver reflected across his face.
"So much silver... Is this a secret stash for the Black Tiger Gang? Or Zhou Wu's private hoard?"
Lin Yan's eyes lit up. Whoever it belonged to, it was his now.
He picked up a few ingots and examined them. His satisfaction grew: they were ordinary silver ingots in circulation on the market, without the Black Tiger Gang's mark. He could spend them without any risk.
"Fire!"
In the dead of night, flames blazed high above the courtyard.
When the fire was finally put out, several figures stood before the ruins, their faces grim.
"Boss, Hall Master Zhou was beaten to death. Unfortunately, the body burned up, so we can't tell which family's fist technique was used."
The Black Tiger Gang's leader's face was livid.
This courtyard had been a secret base for the gang. He was the only one who knew about it; even the other hall masters had been kept in the dark.
Zhou Wu had been wounded in a sneak attack and had plenty of enemies, so he had arranged for him to stay here. The gang members who brought Zhou Wu his meals were all low-ranking members. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't have attracted attention.
"Who else could it have been? Our Black Tiger Gang has only three enemies. It had to be one of them."
Another hall master said coldly, "If you ask me, someone spotted the member bringing him food and followed him here. That fellow called Zheng Bo is dead, which proves it—the enemy tailed him right to our doorstep."
"Zheng Bo? He had an old mother and a younger brother at home, right?"
"Yes."
The Black Tiger Gang's leader said calmly, "The brothels are short on pretty boys lately. Send his younger brother over."
While his aunt was out, Lin Yan hid the silver, changed out of his clothes, and took them outside to burn.
"I didn't have many clothes to begin with. At this rate, I'll have nothing left to wear. I'll have to get a few more outfits made at the tailor's."
Every time he killed someone, he had to burn a set of clothes.
If he didn't come away with something each time, he could barely afford to keep killing people.
As before, Lin Yan began reviewing what had happened.
First, he had to admit that he had underestimated the strength of a first-stage Skin Polishing martial artist.
Zhou Wu had been wounded, his right hand crippled, and both eyes blinded, yet Lin Yan had still only won with great difficulty. If he had faced a first-stage Skin Polishing martial artist in peak condition, he would have lost without a doubt.
When a martial artist was injured, it didn't just affect one hand. The flow of qi and blood throughout the body became sluggish, and their overall strength plummeted.
From now on, he absolutely couldn't pit the weak against the strong. He had to rely on overwhelming force.
Second, tricks like pepper powder and lime powder had still let Zhou Wu react quickly when he was caught off guard. They would probably be of limited use against a prepared martial artist. They could only serve as minor tricks, not trump cards.
As for the Black Tiger Gang, he didn't need to worry too much.
Ge Hui's contact with Zheng Bo had never been revealed to anyone. Zhou Wu, the only one who knew, was dead.
As long as Ge Hui wasn't stupid, he wouldn't hand the Black Tiger Gang evidence that he had harmed his fellow disciples.
Ge Hui!
A flash of killing intent crossed Lin Yan's eyes.
He wasn't bloodthirsty. He had killed Zhang Dahai and the other man because they had set a trap for his predecessor and caused his death; that was a debt of vengeance he had to repay. He had killed Zhou Wu and Zheng Bo because if he hadn't struck first, Zhou Wu would have come after him.
And Ge Hui, the culprit behind it all, had to die too.
Mencius had said, "One who harms his fellow disciples is no human being."
Having finished his review, Lin Yan turned his attention to the strange tree in his mind.
Two gray fruits hung quietly from its gray branches.
[Martial Fruit: 3 years, 5 months, 7 days]
[Martial Fruit: 5 months, 4 days]
"As expected of a first-stage Skin Polishing expert. He contributed three years and five months."
Lin Yan's gaze flickered. Although Mountain Splitting Fist was a fist technique, it could also nourish qi and blood. He should be able to use a Martial Fruit on it.
"Swallow."
At a thought, the Martial Fruit from Zhao Chuan vanished.
In an instant, an ocean of information flooded his mind: images of himself practicing Mountain Splitting Fist for months on end.
It was more than just memories. It was like a brand, etched deep into his body.
Five months of hard practice, understood in a single flash.
Lin Yan closed his eyes. If he fought Zhou Wu again, he wouldn't drag it out for so long.
His understanding of Mountain Splitting Fist and the angles of his punches had both leaped forward qualitatively.
What delighted him even more was that after he practiced Mountain Splitting Fist once in the courtyard, the Martial Dao Tree in his mind had grown taller.
Not by much, but before, he'd had to practice ten times to see the same result.
The more proficient he became in Mountain Splitting Fist, the faster his qi and blood grew.
A gleam flashed in Lin Yan's eyes. Without hesitation, he swallowed the second Martial Fruit.
Boom!
An information torrent several times greater than before surged into him. Spring turned to autumn, cold gave way to heat, and day and night passed in ceaseless practice.
Punches, footwork, bursts of power...
When Lin Yan came to, he was drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.
But his eyes shone brightly.
Three years had passed in an instant, like a dream of millet.
He raised his hand, twisted his waist, and punched. His body obeyed like an extension of his arm, without a single unnecessary movement or a wasted ounce of strength.
After completing a set, Lin Yan examined the inside of his mind.
The Martial Dao Tree was still growing slowly, but what excited him more was that the Mountain Splitting Fist leaf had fully formed, changing from emerald green to silver.
At the same time, new information appeared.
A moment later, Lin Yan murmured with sudden understanding, "The color of a Martial Dao Tree leaf corresponds to a technique's level of proficiency."
A bud meant beginner.
A green leaf meant proficient.
Silver meant minor accomplishment.
Gold meant great accomplishment.
Now that his Mountain Splitting Fist had reached minor accomplishment, his skill was comparable to that of a senior disciple who had studied it for years.
He still had to work hard!
After calming himself, Lin Yan continued practicing.
He soon discovered that Mountain Splitting Fist at the minor-accomplishment stage generated qi and blood much faster. At this rate, the time it would take him to reach the first stage of Skin Polishing would shrink once again.
But half an hour later, he stopped.
It was a happy predicament.
The essence of Mountain Splitting Fist was to use inner breath and the circulation of qi and blood during each punch to turn the body's nutrients into qi and blood. A small portion of those nutrients came from the body's own processes, but most had to come from food.
Before, he wouldn't feel hungry until he'd practiced for two hours. Now, after only half an hour, his stomach was already empty.
"Qi and blood don't appear out of thin air. Now that Mountain Splitting Fist has reached minor accomplishment, I'll have to keep up my progress by spending more on food."
Three days later, Lin Yan received some good news.
The Black Tiger Gang had been wiped out by another gang.
"The Black Tiger Gang was wiped out?"
When he heard the news from Zhang Wei, Lin Yan was a little dumbfounded.
He had only killed one of the Black Tiger Gang's hall masters.
"It happened last night. The Four Seas Gang wiped them out. No one from the gang leader down to the hall masters got away. The lower-ranking members were either killed or injured, and some of them switched over to the Four Seas Gang outright."
Zhang Wei told the story with such vivid detail that it was as if he had been there, though in truth he had only heard it from other guards at the escort agency.
"You know Zheng Bo, from our street? Apparently, he died too. At least he had a younger brother, or his family line would've ended."
Lin Yan wasn't interested in gang warfare. But the Black Tiger Gang's destruction was good news for him: he could use those silver ingots without worrying about attracting the gang's attention.
"You came to my place just to tell me this?"
"Of course not. I'm off work today, and I've arranged to go see a performance at the Wu Family Opera Troupe with Monkey."
Seeing Zhang Wei's eagerness, Lin Yan swallowed the refusal that had been on the tip of his tongue. He had been devoting himself to martial arts and keeping himself wound tight. It would do him good to relax for a change.
The Wu Family Opera Stage.
It was an open-air venue with more than a dozen tables. The performances were free to watch, and a pot of tea with a plate of melon seeds cost only ten coins—a pastime even ordinary townsfolk could afford.
By the time Lin Yan and Zhang Wei arrived, a skinny young man had stood up and waved. "Stone, Wei, over here!"
"Monkey, why are you here so early?"
"My uncle went out today."
The skinny young man was called Wang Tao. He had been frail since childhood, earning him the nickname "Monkey." The three of them came from similar backgrounds, but Wang Tao had an uncle who managed an apothecary. Wang Tao worked there as an assistant too, earning five hundred coins a month—the highest income of the three.
"Stone, Zhang Wei said you've been studying martial arts at a school. What's it like in there?"
"What else? A bunch of people practicing martial arts."
Lin Yan sat down at the tea table. The opera onstage was nothing but a collection of civil plays, hardly captivating. People came to watch for the lively atmosphere and the diversion.
"Stone, our apothecary makes Qi-Nurturing Soup for people who practice martial arts. I picked out these ingredients from the leftovers at the shop. They aren't the best quality, but they should still be useful to you."
Wang Tao handed him the bundle from the stool. Afraid Lin Yan would refuse, he added, "Don't be embarrassed. I heard from Wei that even the guards at the escort agency praised your talent for martial arts. Once you make something of yourself, you'll have to look after me."
"Sure. Once I make something of myself, I'll make everyone call you 'Lord Monkey.'" Lin Yan looked at the bundle on the table and accepted it outright.
"Lord Monkey? Not bad. What about me?" Zhang Wei chimed in.
"You... How about 'Brother Wei'?"
"Brother Wei... Not as imposing as Lord Monkey, but it'll do."
Lin Yan smiled. Brother Wei was more than just decent—it was a man's most precious treasure.
Zhang Wei had interrupted because he was afraid Lin Yan might feel awkward about accepting Monkey's gift. And when Monkey said the ingredients were "leftovers" from the apothecary, that was only an excuse to put Lin Yan at ease. He had bought Qi-Nurturing Soup before and knew that even the apothecary's worst ingredients wouldn't be thrown away. They'd either be passed off as better quality or sold cheaply.
Lin Yan understood. Rather than Zhang Wei having invited them all out to watch a performance, it was more likely the two brothers had discussed it and found a roundabout way to help him out. The ten packets of Qi-Nurturing Soup had probably been bought with their combined money.
There was no need to pry. He only had to remember their kindness.
Halfway through the performance, the crowd suddenly grew restless.
Several burly men in blue robes appeared, drawing plenty of eyes.
"Aren't those men from the Green Snake Gang? What are they doing here?"
"Who knows? Be careful. These gang members are vicious."
Hearing the commotion, the opera troupe's manager hurried out from backstage.
"Have you gentlemen come to watch the show? Please, take a seat."
"No need."
The blue-robed man in the lead surveyed the crowd. "From today on, you'll hand over thirty percent of the earnings from every performance. If you try to cheat us, just wait and see your Wu Family Opera Stage torn down."
The manager turned pale. "Sir, isn't thirty percent too much?"
"Too much?" The man sneered. "Since you don't want to pay thirty percent, make it forty."
"Thirty percent... No, forty percent it is! The Wu Family Opera Stage promises to pay in full."
The manager didn't dare protest again.
Watching the blue-robed men swagger about, Zhang Wei gave a quiet snort. "They're a bunch of bullies who only pick on the weak. I heard from the escort guards that a new gang called the Four Seas Gang has appeared in town recently and seized the territory of a lot of old gangs. The Green Snake Gang doesn't dare go after the Four Seas Gang, so they just bully ordinary people."
"Keep your voice down," Monkey interrupted in a low voice. "We can't afford to provoke these people. Don't go looking for trouble."
After the Green Snake Gang's disruption, the audience got up and left one after another. No one wanted to invite trouble. Only the opera troupe's manager remained, sitting dazed on a bench, his face full of dejection.
"Let's go too."
The three of them got up and left. They felt sorry for the manager, but all they could do was keep it to themselves.
After parting ways with Zhang Wei and Monkey on the road, Lin Yan furrowed his brow.
The Green Snake Gang had lost territory, so they were squeezing the common people to maintain their income. What about his own neighborhood? There hadn't been any gangs there before, but that didn't mean there never would be.
It seemed he couldn't afford to save money and grind his way to the first stage of Skin Polishing anymore. He had to speed things up.
Fortunately, Zhou Wu had come to his rescue, leaving him more than a hundred taels of silver. He could go to the martial arts school and buy the secret medicine for Skin Polishing.