Early in the morning, the first faint rays of dawn appeared.
Lin Yan said goodbye to his aunt and left the city, heading toward Qingtian Town.
He didn't ride a horse. He made the entire journey on foot.
This time, he brought only Muscle Strengthening Paste, the Blood Ginseng his master had rewarded him, and two or three changes of clothes. Such a little weight was nothing to him now.
An hour and a half later, Qingtian Town came into view.
Once he entered the area around Qingtian Town, Lin Yan saw medicinal herbs growing in the fields on both sides of the road. He stopped a young guard and explained that the Tang Family had sent him to watch over the medicinal fields. The young man grew extremely excited and personally led Lin Yan to his destination.
"Master Ji, the household has sent a new martial master to watch over the fields."
"Come in."
A somewhat gruff voice sounded. Lin Yan opened the door and went inside, where he saw a round-faced, middle-aged man.
"You must be Lin Yan, Brother Lin. Steward Tang wrote to me yesterday."
The middle-aged man was very warm and introduced himself of his own accord: Ji Ming, captain of the martial artist squad tasked with guarding the medicinal fields, and a martial artist who had undergone Skin Polishing twice.
"Qingtian Town is close to Great Fog Mountain, so now and then some fierce beasts come down from the mountain. That's when we martial artists have to step in and deal with them. But you can't count on that sort of thing happening. The last time was two months ago, when we ran into a Fengxi."
A Fengxi was a wild boar.
Lin Yan smiled along with him. To martial artists, beasts like these were just the right kind of tonic.
"But, Brother Lin, don't even think about venturing deep into the mountains to hunt. The land around Qingtian Town is fertile, but there's something sinister about it, too. There's a poisonous miasma in the mountains. Without an antidote, even a martial artist who's undergone Skin Polishing three times won't last long in it."
"Actually, our main duty is patrolling. You've just arrived, Brother Lin, so in a bit I'll give you a ledger. It lists the herbs planted across a hundred mu of fields. Our regular patrols are to make sure no one steals or picks the herbs."
After Ji Ming explained everything, Lin Yan finally understood just how wealthy the Tang Family was.
All the fields outside Qingtian Town belonged to the Tang Family, and most of the townspeople depended on those medicinal fields for their livelihood.
The townspeople did all the odd jobs—planting and harvesting, watering and fertilizing. The martial artists guarding the fields were mainly there to stop people from sneaking off with the herbs.
Keeping out wild beasts was secondary. Their main concern was people.
"Brother Lin, this ledger also lists the past harvests from each mu of fields. Unless there's a natural disaster, the harvest shouldn't fall by more than a tenth. That's about all there is to it. Once the others get back later, I'll arrange a welcome feast for you."
Lin Yan exchanged a few polite words and didn't refuse. Then he took a ledger from Ji Ming and went to inspect the fields.
Each martial artist was responsible for a hundred mu of fields, but those hundred mu weren't all planted with the same herb. Even when the same herb was planted, its harvest season could differ.
Lin Yan spent over an hour checking each of the fields he was responsible for against the ledger. Along the way, he also met the farmers who worked in his assigned area.
That evening, Ji Ming and the squad's other five members held a welcome dinner for Lin Yan.
Everyone drank merrily. Several of them tried to fish for details about Lin Yan's background, but he deftly steered the conversation elsewhere.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the feast broke up.
"Brother Lin, have you still got any energy left tonight?"
Zheng Xun, who lived in the same direction as Lin Yan, patted him on the shoulder and gave him a suggestive look.
"What do you mean?"
Lin Yan didn't understand. The two split at a fork in the road, and Lin Yan headed for his lodgings. But when he reached the courtyard gate, his face turned wary.
With his hearing, he could clearly tell there was someone inside the courtyard.
"Who's there?"
"I... Are you Lord Lin? I... I'm the daughter of a medicinal-field farmer. My father sent me to clean your courtyard, Lord Lin."
A pretty young woman walked out of the house, trembling as she held a broom. Her eyes darted up to Lin Yan's face before quickly dropping. Though it was night, Lin Yan could still clearly see a blush spreading across her cheeks.
"A medicinal-field farmer's daughter?"
Lin Yan furrowed his brow. He had already learned during his patrol that dozens of farming families were responsible for planting and harvesting the hundred mu of fields assigned to him.
From the young woman's bashful expression and Zheng Xun's earlier words, Lin Yan immediately understood why she had come.
She really had come to clean the courtyard, but if he agreed, she could stay the night.
"Thanks for the trouble. I'm going back inside now. You can go home."
The young woman looked pleased when she heard Lin Yan, but then apprehension crossed her face. Before she'd come, her father had already told her that the family's income depended on how things went for her tonight.
"Lord Lin, I..."
"If you have anything else to say, miss, you can tell me tomorrow."
Lin Yan's expression turned cold. The young woman looked flustered and didn't dare say anything more. She put down the broom and hurried away.
"What is this all about?"
Watching her hasty retreat, Lin Yan shook his head helplessly. He went inside, washed his face, then stepped into the courtyard to practice his punches.
After a set of Mountain Splitting Fist, the alcohol in his system had completely worn off.
Then Lin Yan took out the twenty-year-old Blood Ginseng. An ordinary person couldn't withstand the effects of Blood Ginseng that old, but a martial artist had nothing to fear and could chew it raw.
This was the Tang Family's medicinal-field territory. Lin Yan was sure the Wang Family couldn't still be keeping an eye on him here.
For now, the faster he increased his strength, the better.
Holding the Blood Ginseng, Lin Yan focused his thoughts. The four gray Martial Fruits in his mind were instantly consumed.
The muscle memory, instinctive force, and understanding of every inch of power he'd built up through countless punches over eight years all became his.
He closed his eyes, as if he were digesting something—or perhaps waiting for something.
Then Lin Yan took a bite of the Blood Ginseng.
He assumed the opening stance.
It was still the first move of Mountain Splitting Fist. But the instant he thrust his fist forward, the sound of it cutting through the air was no longer a muffled "whoosh." It cracked like a bursting air sac.
His fist hadn't arrived, but its force had already reached its target.
Lin Yan didn't stop.
The second punch, the third, the fourth...
His movements grew faster and faster, until at last the entire courtyard was filled with shadows of his fists. With each thrust, the air seemed to take shape under the pressure, a faint ripple forming at his knuckles, almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
Crack!
Lin Yan swung another punch, but halfway through the thrust, he stopped dead.
Punch out, punch stopped!
He had achieved true control, able to release and withdraw at will.
Only when the Blood Ginseng's effects had been completely absorbed did Lin Yan finally stop. He immediately turned his attention inward, examining his mind.
The silver leaf representing Mountain Splitting Fist had grown a full size larger. The veins and patterns on its surface had all turned gold, like threads of gold inlaid on a green leaf.
He had taken another step toward mastering Mountain Splitting Fist.
At the same time, the trunk of the entire Martial Dao Tree had visibly grown taller. One night's effort was worth half a month of grueling practice.
"If only I could get a few more Blood Ginseng roots like this, I'd be close to undergoing Skin Polishing a second time."
After indulging in the thought for a moment, Lin Yan slapped himself. What am I thinking? This one root of Blood Ginseng is worth around thirty taels. Spending thirty taels a day—what kind of fortune could afford that?
It was getting late. He'd go back to bed. Anything was possible in a dream.
The next day.
Lin Yan practiced in the morning for an hour, then went to Zheng Xun's courtyard at the Chen hour.
Zheng Xun had clearly just gotten up. The ties on his top weren't even properly fastened, and he explained sleepily, "I drank too much last night and got up late. What brings you here so early, Brother Lin?"
"I do have something I'd like to ask you about, Brother Zheng." Lin Yan nodded. "Are the medicinal-field farmers in town in the habit of asking us for favors?"
"Didn't you take that girl to bed last night?"
Zheng Xun looked surprised. When Lin Yan shook his head, he laughed. "Brother Lin, although we're responsible for guarding the fields, we also oversee the harvest. The farmers do the picking while we stand by and watch."
"Whatever grows in the fields is bound to vary in quality. The Tang Family naturally doesn't want the herbs that are poor quality, but those herbs can still fetch a good bit of money for the farmers. And then there are all the extra losses."
By the end, Zheng Xun was clearly hinting at something. Lin Yan understood: the Tang Family only cared about the total yield. As long as it met the required amount, they didn't care if anything shady happened along the way.
If the martial artists guarding the fields didn't bring it up, the Tang Family wouldn't investigate either.
No wonder the farmers he'd seen weeding and watering the fields during yesterday's patrol had been so attentive to him.
"Don't underestimate those losses. They can bring in several hundred extra copper coins a month, which adds up to a few taels a year. That's nothing to us, but for these farmers, it's a considerable sum. As for sending their daughters... well, it gives us something to do while we're stuck here."
Lin Yan fell silent. For a martial artist, several hundred copper coins might only cover a dose of medicine, but it was enough to make an ordinary farming family willingly send their daughter.
This world... It had always been this way.
Zheng Xun patted Lin Yan on the shoulder. "Brother Lin, don't feel burdened. If the girl makes you comfortable, you can take her back to the city as a maid or concubine. If you don't want to bring her back, just leave when you're reassigned."
After leaving Zheng Xun, Lin Yan returned to his lodgings and found the young woman from the previous night there again.
Lin Yan walked right past her and into the courtyard. "Go back and tell your father that I have no other intentions. Let things carry on as they have."
The young woman stood outside the gate, stunned for a moment. Then she looked overjoyed. "I... I'll go tell my father right away."
The Tang Family had been running these medicinal fields for years. They couldn't possibly be unaware of the farmers' little schemes. If even the Tang Family didn't care, why should he?
Still, he didn't want a woman, but he couldn't begrudge them the money for keeping the place cool.
Lin Yan had thought that, after making himself clear, the woman wouldn't come again. But to his surprise, she returned after noon.
"L-Lord Lin, my father asked me to look after you and take care of your daily needs. I can clean the courtyard for you."
The woman stammered, her head bowed the whole time. Lin Yan considered it, then decided not to refuse this time. With someone to take care of the chores, he could focus more on practicing martial arts.