After Lv Qianfan and the others grew cooler toward Lin Yan, they exchanged a few words and left. Li An, however, remained as enthusiastic as before, explaining some of the details of second-stage Skin Polishing to Lin Yan.
"Skin Polishing has four stages. The first is skin training, the second is muscle tempering. Without secret medicines, no amount of hard training will ever get you past the second stage."
"A jar of the martial hall's Muscle Strengthening Paste costs twenty taels. It's a little more expensive than what you'll find at outside apothecaries, but if you're not familiar with medicinal ingredients, you'd be better off buying it here. We guarantee its effects; the quality of Muscle Strengthening Paste at outside apothecaries is all over the place."
"Food matters, too. Ordinary poultry meat can barely keep your qi and blood from declining. If you want to build them up further, you have to eat other kinds of rare meat."
"Tigers, bears, deer, snakes, and fish—the five most common kinds of rare meat taken by us Skin Polishing martial artists. The first four need no explanation. As for the last one, fish, I don't mean ordinary fish, but mutated fish. Take the Jian Fish, for example: Jian Fish normally have no whiskers, but a whiskered Jian Fish is a mutated one, and it's a great tonic for qi and blood."
"If you're short on silver, make sure you can afford enough food to keep your qi and blood from declining. Until you can apply secret medicines like Muscle Strengthening Paste, try to cut back on your training."
Lin Yan made a rough estimate of the silver he had on him. If he stuck to the standard regimen, it would only last him four months.
"Junior Brother Lin, have you heard the saying that goes around in martial circles?"
Lin Yan shook his head. Li An chuckled. "Skin Polishing, skin polishing—the word 'polishing' says it all. Take it slowly, like water wearing through stone. You also have to consider the cost of failing to break through. The more impatient you are, the more likely you'll get stuck."
"Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother. I'll remember it."
Lin Yan nodded, then glanced at the other senior brothers nearby and asked curiously, "Senior Brother Li, is Senior Brother Zhang the only one in the martial hall who's reached the second stage of Skin Polishing?"
"Of course not." Li An counted on his fingers. "There are seven senior brothers at the second stage, and three at the third. Those three don't stay at the martial hall; they've taken outside positions. After all, martial arts training costs a fortune. You have to find some way to earn money."
"Even if you've only completed the first stage, you can find a place to take a position. Merchant caravans, escort agencies, apothecaries, grain shops, shipping firms... there's plenty of work, and the pay varies. You can choose for yourself, Junior Brother Lin, but remember one thing: Master forbids us from getting involved with gangs. No matter how much a gang offers you, don't accept."
"Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother. I'll keep that in mind." Lin Yan nodded, then asked, "How do I get one of these positions?"
"Wait!"
"Wait?"
"Our martial hall has good relations with several trading firms, but they don't need any more martial artists for now. So we can only wait for a vacancy, or wait for someone who needs help to come to the martial hall. Of course, you can also look for a position yourself, but the pay will be lower."
Listening to Senior Brother Li, Lin Yan understood the reason.
If you went looking for a position yourself, naturally you wouldn't get as good an offer as if someone came to you.
He frowned. If he had to wait, who knew how long it would take?
"Junior Brother Lin, you've only just completed the first stage of Skin Polishing, so there's no rush to find a position. First, go to the General Affairs Room and collect your new disciple's uniform. If you have time, wear it and walk around the eastern and southern parts of the city."
Seeing Senior Brother Li wink at him, Lin Yan was puzzled. But when he reached the General Affairs Room and collected his new disciple's uniform, he understood what Li An had meant.
A star was embroidered on the chest of the new uniform. It represented how many stages of Skin Polishing he had completed.
A Yang Family Martial Arts Hall disciple at the first stage of Skin Polishing.
Senior Brother Li had told him to wear the uniform around the eastern and southern parts of the city because anyone in the know would be able to tell his status just by looking at it.
As for why the eastern and southern parts of the city, those were the wealthiest and busiest areas in the entire county, where the rich were concentrated.
After changing into his new uniform, Lin Yan spent another twenty taels on a jar of Muscle Strengthening Paste, then left the martial hall.
He didn't hurry off to show himself in the east and south. Instead, he headed straight home.
Completing the first stage of Skin Polishing meant he had officially entered the ranks of martial artists.
Naturally, he wanted to share the good news with his aunt as soon as possible.
But as soon as he turned onto his street, he saw a crowd gathered ahead, and heard a hubbub rising from among them.
Lin Yan frowned and quickened his pace. His home was close by, and he was afraid something might have happened to his aunt and younger brother.
"Xu Ping, just because you're a disciple of the Zhou Family Martial Arts Hall, I've already spared your family the peace money. That's more than enough face for you. Do you really think you're the only one who's completed the first stage of Skin Polishing?"
In the crowd, a burly man and several others glared coldly at the young man in front of them.
Lin Yan knew the young man, Xu Ping of the Xu Family. He had entered a martial hall to study martial arts two years before Lin Yan. The star embroidered on his chest showed that he, too, had completed the first stage of Skin Polishing.
"Gang Leader Cao, all these years, the gangs in the county have only collected peace money from merchants. They've never gone door to door to collect it."
"Just because it wasn't done before doesn't mean it can't be done now. Starting this month, every household has to pay two hundred copper coins in peace money. Not one coin less."
Xu Ping looked grim. He had just completed the first stage of Skin Polishing, and today his family had invited plenty of neighbors over to celebrate. He hadn't expected the Clear Water Gang to show up at just that moment.
He had been at the banquet, basking in the neighbors' praise, so of course he had to stand up and speak for them.
The Clear Water Gang wasn't a major gang, and Cao Peng was only a first-stage Skin Polishing martial artist. But Cao Peng had completed that stage a year earlier, and with all his men behind him, Xu Ping knew he couldn't take them on alone.
Just as Xu Ping was caught between a rock and a hard place, his gaze swept over the crowd. When he spotted Lin Yan, his eyes lit up, and he called out, "Lin Yan, you've completed the first stage of Skin Polishing too?"
He had heard from his father that Lin Yan of the Lin Family had gone to the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall to study martial arts. But he had thought it would take Lin Yan at least three to five years to complete the first stage.
After all, the Lin Family was far poorer than his own. Only those who truly practiced martial arts knew how important money was to the path of martial cultivation.
He hadn't expected Lin Yan to complete the first stage so quickly.
There was no faking a martial hall's disciple uniform. Though he was astonished that Lin Yan had made such quick progress, Xu Ping was even more delighted. He couldn't intimidate Cao Peng alone, but with Lin Yan by his side, that would be enough.
Two first-stage Skin Polishing martial artists, with their martial halls behind them—Cao Peng would have to think twice.
As soon as Xu Ping spoke, everyone turned to look in the direction of his gaze. When Cao Peng saw the star on Lin Yan's chest, his expression shifted. He clasped his hands toward Lin Yan. "Impressive, young brother. To have completed the first stage of Skin Polishing at such a young age! The Clear Water Gang can waive the peace money for your family."
Lin Yan didn't answer. He simply walked over to Xu Ping's side, making his stance clear through his actions.
From a purely personal standpoint, staying out of it would have been best.
But when he saw his aunt and younger brother in the crowd, along with the hopeful faces of the neighbors he knew, Lin Yan ultimately decided to join forces with Xu Ping and put pressure on the gang.
After living alongside those neighbors for so many years, he still felt some affection for them.
Cao Peng looked at Xu Ping and Lin Yan, his expression shifting from one moment to the next. At last, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. Yuliu Alley truly is a place that breeds outstanding people, with two martial artists here. The Clear Water Gang will give up collecting peace money in Yuliu Alley. We're leaving!"
Although he had entered the Skin Polishing realm a year before the two of them, he didn't have much chance of winning against both at once.
But he had lost face in front of all these people, and he wouldn't forget this grudge. He would find a chance to get even.
"Gang Leader Cao, wait a moment."
Cao Peng stopped and turned around to look at Lin Yan as he approached, a puzzled glint in his eyes.
Lin Yan smiled and held out his hand. Although Cao Peng didn't understand why Lin Yan was extending it, he held out his own hand as well.
With so many people watching, how could the dignified leader of the Clear Water Gang be afraid?
Their hands clasped. Lin Yan pulled his back. "That's called shaking hands and making peace. Thank you for showing us consideration, Gang Leader Cao."
Cao Peng withdrew his hand and led his men away. Xu Ping then addressed the crowd. "The Clear Water Gang won't be collecting peace money. Everyone can go home."
"Lin Yan, why don't you come sit at my house?"
"Big Brother Xu, how could I refuse your invitation?"
Lin Yan greeted his aunt and younger brother, then went with Xu Ping to the Xu Family's home first.
Once they arrived, the two naturally exchanged a round of pleasantries.
When they were done, Lin Yan asked curiously, "Big Brother Xu, why did the Clear Water Gang come here to collect peace money?"
"The county's only going to get more chaotic. The newly emerged Four Seas Gang is very aggressive, and it's nearly unified the western part of the city. Many gangs there have been forced to move over to our northern district. The Clear Water Gang moved here from the west. These gangs have lost their territory, so all they can do is collect peace money from ordinary people like us. We managed to intimidate the Clear Water Gang this time, but there may be other gangs coming in the future."
Xu Ping sighed. If he hadn't happened to be there today, he wouldn't have stood up to them.
He and Lin Yan could join forces to intimidate the Clear Water Gang, but what if a stronger gang came along?
"Let's take things one step at a time. Maybe the Patrol Bureau will intervene."
"The Patrol Bureau only maintains order in the southern and eastern parts of the city. As for our side..."
Xu Ping gave a derisive snort. Seeing the puzzled look on Lin Yan's face, he explained, "You can't stamp out gangs. The big gangs have no shortage of experts who've completed the third or even fourth stage of Skin Polishing. The Patrol Bureau doesn't want to provoke them for nothing. As long as they don't slaughter people on a large scale, the Patrol Bureau won't interfere."
A quarter of an hour later, Lin Yan left the Xu Family's home, a thoughtful look on his face.
From what Xu Ping had told him, he now had a better understanding of the situation in Guangping County.
The western district had a city gate, and there were several towns outside it. Mountain goods and medicinal ingredients traded there in abundance, so gangs could make a lot of money by occupying the west. The northern district had no city gate, so it had few merchants and little to skim off the top. Many gangs had little interest in it, and it had instead become a quiet home for ordinary people.
But the sudden rise of the Four Seas Gang had changed everything.
The Four Seas Gang was powerful. With the strength of a single gang, it had wiped out several long-established gangs in the western district. The other gangs either chose to join the Four Seas Gang or had to leave the west and seek opportunities elsewhere.
The Clear Water Gang was in exactly that situation, but both Lin Yan and Xu Ping knew it wouldn't be the last gang to arrive.
"Xiao Yan, you're back."
"What Xiao Yan? He's Lord Lin now."
When Lin Yan returned to his courtyard gate, he saw several neighbors standing in the yard, surrounding his aunt as they chatted.
"Aunt Wang, Aunt Liu..."
Lin Yan greeted the neighbors. They were all considerate enough to leave one after another once he returned.
Before leaving, though, they couldn't help praising Liu. With a promising young man like Lin Yan, she'd have a blessed life ahead.
"Xiao Yan, will today's events cause trouble for you?"
After the neighbors had left, worry appeared on Liu's face. In her eyes, a gang leader was an immensely powerful figure.
No matter how good Lin Yan was at martial arts, deep down she still thought of him as a child.
"Auntie, don't worry. I've made real progress in my training, and I'm a disciple of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall now. The Clear Water Gang won't dare come after me."
Lin Yan narrowed his eyes slightly as he recalled shaking Cao Peng's hand earlier. In his mind, Cao Peng's Martial Dao Tree had been only an inch taller than his own, and the leaves for the technique "Stone-Splitting Claw" hadn't fully grown. His skill hadn't even reached the proficient level.