Ge Hui is dead?

The next day.

During a break from his martial arts training, Lin Yan studied the Earth Vein True Interpretation.

The book was incredibly obscure, but fortunately, his focus was exceptional. Having pushed through the initial cryptic passages, he became completely engrossed in the text.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Is Junior Brother Lin in?"

A knock came from outside the door. Lin Yan tucked the book into his robes, stood up, and opened the door.

"Senior Brother Zhang?"

Looking at Zhang Liang standing at the threshold, Lin Yan felt a flash of confusion. Why would this man come to his home?

Senior Brother Zhang was a powerful martial artist who had completed the second stage of skin-toughening. They had no real friendship within the martial arts hall, so it was impossible for him to be paying a social visit.

"Junior Brother Lin, which room do you live in?"

Zhang Liang's tone was indifferent. Although Lin Yan didn't understand the purpose of the visit, he answered truthfully, "I live in the side room on the right."

"Trouble yourself to lead me inside for a look, Junior Brother."

"Senior Brother Zhang, is there something the matter?" Lin Yan didn't move; he wanted a reason.

"Early this morning, the body of Junior Brother Ge Hui was found by the river. You had conflicts with Ge Hui while he was alive, so the Master has sent us to investigate."

Lin Yan was startled. "I did have conflicts with Ge Hui, but we are both disciples of the same hall. I wouldn't go so far as to commit such a brutal act."

"Don't be anxious, Junior Brother Lin. It isn't just you; others in the hall who had conflicts with Junior Brother Ge are also being investigated. This is by no means targeted at you alone."

Zhang Liang offered this explanation, though his expression was somewhat strange.

He hadn't realized it before starting the investigation, but it turned out that quite a few disciples in the hall had grievances with Ge Hui.

"Since it is the Master's arrangement, I will take you inside."

Lin Yan didn't persist. Fortunately, there were no secrets in his room; the clothes he had worn during his previous kills had long since been burned.

"I had to follow the Master's orders, Junior Brother Lin. Please don't take offense."

Coming out of the room, Zhang Liang's attitude had softened considerably. Ge Hui hadn't been well-liked among his fellow disciples, but regardless, brothers in the same hall shouldn't be killing one another.

Now that Lin Yan's suspicion was largely cleared, Zhang Liang's demeanor naturally shifted.

"Where were you last night, Junior Brother Lin?"

"I was at home."

"Is there anyone who can verify that?"

"At the hour of the Rooster, I visited the teacher who once taught me to read. Around two quarters past the hour of the Dog, the teacher came to my home as a guest and stayed for about a quarter of an hour."

Zhang Liang nodded. If Lin Yan wasn't lying, he could be cleared of suspicion.

The coroner's estimate for the time of Ge Hui's death was precisely around the hour of the Dog.

"Thank you for telling the truth, Junior Brother. However, you still need to accompany me to the hall to see the Master."

"Understood."

Lin Yan agreed. He was full of questions himself and very much wanted to know who had killed Ge Hui.

In the back courtyard of the martial arts hall.

By the time Lin Yan arrived with Zhang Liang, over a dozen disciples had already gathered. Each wore a grave and angry expression; regardless of their actual relationship with Ge Hui, in front of the Master, they had to display the posture of brothers united against a common enemy.

Lin Yan scanned the crowd and, as before, found Senior Brother Li An and quietly moved toward him.

"Senior Brother Li, what is the situation?"

"Last night, Ge Hui was drinking with some people on a river boat. He disembarked to head home at the hour of the Dog, but was ambushed by the river. Someone used a heavy object, like an iron rod, to smash his skull. His money was stolen. According to the Ge family, Ge Hui had over a hundred taels in silver notes on him, and they have all vanished."

Lin Yan felt a pang of heartache. Over a hundred taels! That should have been his.

"Did Ge Hui really have that much money?"

"Ge Hui swindled his family, claiming he needed the funds to break through to the second stage of skin-toughening. Ten days ago, his father sold a storefront on the south side of the city and gave the one hundred and thirty taels to Ge Hui. According to Senior Brother Hao's investigation, Ge Hui spent fifty taels on the boats over these past ten days."

Li An lowered his voice. "Many in the hall knew about Ge Hui's profligate spending lately."

Lin Yan suddenly understood. No wonder the Master suspected that a disciple of the hall might have done it.

Ge Hui had conflicts with many people in the hall. Usually, everyone saw each other as fellow disciples and respected the hall's rules, so they wouldn't resort to violence.

But if you added money to the mix, that was no longer certain.

A hundred taels didn't seem like much to some, and these senior brothers had their own savings, but no martial artist ever felt they had enough silver.

There were always ways to spend money on cultivation, and it was never enough.

Soon, footsteps were heard behind the screen, and the crowd, previously whispering, fell silent.

Yang Qingfeng walked out from behind the side hall screen, followed by Zhang Liang and seven other senior brothers.

Seeing these senior brothers, Lin Yan understood that Senior Brother Zhang had not lied; he was not the only one under suspicion. The other senior brothers must have been investigating other suspects and had just been inside reporting their findings to their master.

Yang Qingfeng's gaze was sharp, sweeping across all the disciples as if trying to see into their very hearts. After a long moment, he spoke, "Ge Hui has been murdered. You are all aware of this, so be cautious and prudent when you walk outside in the future."

"Yes!"

Lin Yan and the others answered in unison.

Looking at the many disciples with their heads bowed, Yang Qingfeng's heart was filled with fury. He was angry that his disciple had been murdered, but even more enraged by Ge Hui's rampant behavior.

Among the disciples who had completed the first skin-toughening, four had conflicts with him, and among those who had yet to succeed, there were as many as ten who held grudges against him.

As for outside the hall, after a thorough investigation since early morning, it was discovered that Ge Hui, relying on his status as his disciple and a first-stage skin-toughening martial artist, had frequently bullied the weak.

He had personally visited the scene of the crime, but the killer had left no clues. Since the incident occurred on the riverbank near the pleasure boats, where many martial artists passed by, identifying suspects was extremely difficult.

Under these circumstances, the only lead in the investigation was to start with those who held a grudge, but Ge Hui had too many enemies.

Heaven-sent disasters may be survived, but those of one's own making are inescapable!

Yang Qingfeng said sternly, "To practice martial arts, one must first cultivate the heart. If anyone relies on their status as a martial artist or a disciple of this hall to bully the weak, once discovered, they will be severely punished without exception."

Hearing this, the disciples present all shuddered, knowing that their master was truly incensed this time.

After admonishing the disciples, Yang Qingfeng departed. Only then did the crowd breathe a slight sigh of relief, though their expressions remained grave.

Even those who had conflicts with Ge Hui would not be foolish enough to reveal their true thoughts at a time like this. Even the worst person has a few close friends, and Ge Hui was no exception. If they were to mock Ge Hui for deserving his death now, and those close to him passed the words to their master, it would only invite trouble.

Li An gave Lin Yan a look, and the two walked toward the courtyard exit.

"Junior Brother Lin, I am planning to take on an external assignment."

"Senior Brother is taking an assignment?"

Lin Yan was somewhat surprised. Senior Brother Li had completed his first skin-toughening two and a half years ago and had always stayed in the martial hall to train, never choosing to take an external post.

In his view, Senior Brother Li had intended to stay in the hall until he broke through to the second stage of skin-toughening before considering such work. Why had he changed his mind?

Li An smiled bitterly, his voice low, "I had originally intended to wait until after attempting the second skin-toughening, but unfortunately, I failed a few days ago. To attempt it again will take at least three months, and I need to recover during this time, which will only cost more."

His family background was considered average among the disciples, but after failing the breakthrough, he had no choice but to consider his finances.

When a martial artist attempts to toughen their skin, failure leads to chaotic blood and qi within the body. Recovery requires medicine, causing expenses to skyrocket instantly, and there is no guarantee that the next attempt will succeed.

Each of the four stages of skin-toughening is more difficult than the last.

"Junior Brother Lin, as someone who has been through this, I can only give you one piece of advice: do not rush your breakthrough. Even if you spend several more months polishing your blood and qi, the cost is far lower than the cost of recovering your body after a failure. For me to recover, I need to spend this much."

Li An held up his hand and gestured a number. Lin Yan's pupils contracted; it was so expensive.

"One failure costs a hundred taels of silver to recuperate. A second failure costs two hundred. If you fail a third time... you might as well give up."

This was the cruelty of the Martial Dao; cultivation is difficult, and breaking through is even harder.

Fortunately, he had the Martial Dao Tree. Once his blood and qi were sufficient, he would automatically break through to the next realm.

Otherwise, given his family's circumstances, a single failure would be enough to ruin him.