Qingtian Town, Great Fog Mountain.
A figure darted through the fog, stopping now and then to search the area.
It was Lin Yan. A bamboo basket was strapped to his back, already filled with quite a few medicinal herbs—all of them gathered on this trip into the mountain.
"Three ten-year-old ginseng roots, four five-year-old Soul Returning Grass plants. With this haul, I've made more than twenty taels of silver."
After checking the contents of his basket, Lin Yan looked toward the dense fog ahead. He was already close to the heart of Great Fog Mountain.
The deeper one went into Great Fog Mountain, the thicker its poisonous miasma became, and the more potent its poison.
He didn't dare go any farther!
"The Earth Vein True Interpretation really is useful."
Lin Yan marveled inwardly. This wasn't his first trip into the mountain, but his third this month.
The fog in Great Fog Mountain was dense and obscured his vision. He had relied entirely on the skill he'd learned from the Earth Vein True Interpretation—to observe the flow of the earth's energy, examine the terrain beneath his feet and the growth of the vegetation, and search for herbs.
"With these herbs, I should be able to reach my second Skin Polishing within three days. After that, I'll focus on cultivation and break through in one fell swoop."
Once he reached his second Skin Polishing, he would venture deeper into Great Fog Mountain.
After returning to his courtyard, Lin Yan set down his basket, washed the herbs, then boiled and drank them.
The medicinal brew slid down his throat. Lin Yan didn't dare waste a moment; he stood in the courtyard and began to cultivate.
In his mind, the Martial Dao Tree had already grown to a little over one chi and nine cun.
He was nearly at two chi!
Lin Yan drew a deep breath, stood in a stance, and began the day's cultivation.
Two days later.
Night.
Faint moonlight spilled across the courtyard.
Lin Yan stood in the middle of it, his upper body bare.
Today, he'd applied three times as much Muscle Strengthening Paste as usual.
The qi and blood within him surged like boiling water. The flesh beneath his skin throbbed faintly, as though countless ants were crawling over it.
Lin Yan raised his hand and struck with the Mountain Splitting Fist.
Once, twice, three times...
The Martial Dao Tree in his mind slowly grew taller. The moment it reached two chi, it shuddered and swayed violently!
At the same time, the surging qi and blood within Lin Yan seemed to find an outlet and rushed into the flesh throughout his body.
In just a few short breaths, his body rapidly swelled, like a balloon being inflated.
Who knew how much time had passed...
Boom!
A muffled clap of thunder seemed to ring beside Lin Yan's ears.
Then everything settled into stillness.
Lin Yan opened his eyes.
The moonlight was the same, the courtyard was the same, but everything looked different to him now.
He could clearly see the faint sway of several weeds at the base of the wall three zhang away. He could feel the direction of every current of air as the night breeze brushed his skin.
Lin Yan lowered his gaze to his hands. His skin was tighter than before, but it hadn't turned into a rough layer of thick calluses. Instead, it felt like a supple, thin hide. When he pressed his fingertip against it, he could feel the surging power beneath.
Smack!
He threw a punch. The air cracked like a bullwhip.
Where the wind of his fist passed, several dead leaves lying on the ground were blown along the dirt, rolling more than a zhang away.
This was the strength of the second Skin Polishing.
If the first Skin Polishing made the skin tougher and stronger, then the second drove that power from the skin into the flesh.
His punches were now two or three times stronger than before.
More importantly, his senses had become much sharper. When fighting someone, he would be able to catch their movements more quickly and react with greater precision.
The difference between the second and first Skin Polishing was one of every aspect: strength, speed, reaction, perception...
"Stone Waist Savage Spine!"
Lin Yan murmured inwardly. His waist and spine arched up in an instant, and the muscles throughout his body bulged. His entire frame grew by nearly thirty percent.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
He threw several punches in a row. The wind howled around them, and they were even more terrifying than before.
"This Stone Waist Savage Spine bone structure really is powerful. It's boosted my strength by another thirty percent."
Lin Yan had no intention of revealing his Stone Waist Savage Spine bone structure. It was one of his trump cards.
But he didn't plan to hide the fact that he'd broken through to the second Skin Polishing.
The faster he broke through, the greater his potential seemed. Perhaps his master would be pleased and reward him again. Besides, the Tang Family paid different monthly allowances to retain martial artists at the first and second Skin Polishing.
He'd learned from Zheng Xun that martial artists retained at the second Skin Polishing received an extra bottle of Muscle-Generating Pills from the Tang Family every month, worth thirty taels at market price.
Only the Tang Family knew how much they cost to make.
The next day.
Lin Yan went to where Ji Ming lived. Ji Ming was leisurely drinking tea with Zheng Xun and another martial artist.
"Lin Yan, what's brought you out today? Did the sun rise in the west?"
Zheng Xun was the first to speak when Lin Yan arrived.
In the months since Lin Yan had come here, he'd spent every day patrolling and practicing martial arts in his courtyard during his free time. He never visited anyone, and rarely even stepped beyond his courtyard gate.
"Oh!"
Ji Ming studied Lin Yan for a good while, then suddenly stood up. "Lin Yan, have you broken through to the second Skin Polishing?"
At those words, Zheng Xun spat out the tea he'd been drinking. He didn't even bother wiping it away, fixing his eyes on Lin Yan. "Lin Yan, you've really reached the second Skin Polishing?"
The other martial artist also set down his teacup, shock plain in his eyes.
"Captain, you have a keen eye." Lin Yan smiled and admitted it, then asked curiously, "How could you tell?"
Ji Ming smiled faintly and pointed at Lin Yan's exposed neck and wrists. "Right after breaking through to the second Skin Polishing, your qi and blood flow into your flesh, making your veins stand out. Your body also looks a little more swollen than usual. After three to five days, once everything settles, it won't show anymore."
Zheng Xun leaned closer to scrutinize Lin Yan's face, muttering, "How come I can't see anything...?"
Ji Ming shot him a glance. "You're only at the first Skin Polishing. What could you possibly see?"
He turned to Lin Yan, a smile spreading across his face. "Going from the first to the second Skin Polishing in less than five months—that pace would put you near the top even among martial arts school disciples."
Lin Yan smiled. "I was lucky. I have you to thank for looking after me."
"Spare me that." Ji Ming waved a hand. "What did I do to look after you? I treat all of you equally. Reaching the second Skin Polishing this quickly is entirely down to you."
The four of them sat down again.
Zheng Xun was still staring at Lin Yan as if he were some kind of monster. "Lin Yan, come clean. Have you been secretly taking some kind of precious medicine? I've been at the first Skin Polishing for almost a year, and I haven't even touched the threshold of the second."
"I ate a few more ginseng roots," Lin Yan replied casually.
Zheng Xun rolled his eyes. He'd eaten plenty of ginseng himself. But compared to Lin Yan, he'd been stuck at the first Skin Polishing for ten months, and still hadn't come close to breaking through.
"If you trained as hard as Lin Yan every day, you'd be nearing the second Skin Polishing too," Ji Ming interjected, deliberately cutting off Zheng Xun's questions. Every martial artist had their own opportunities and private matters. Some wouldn't even tell their own brothers. Pressing someone for details was taboo.
Ji Ming poured Lin Yan a cup of tea, his tone warmer than before. "The employer will increase the benefits for those retained at the second Skin Polishing. But with the end of the year approaching, there's no need to make changes now. I'll write a note to the employer explaining your situation, so you can start receiving the second-stage benefits. We'll deal with everything else after the new year."
"Thank you, Captain."
Lin Yan raised his teacup and toasted Ji Ming. That was the reason he'd come.
"Don't thank me. The employer's generous too. Another employer might have waited until next month to change your benefits. Let's all raise a cup to the employer."
On the road back from Qingtian Town, Lin Yan headed back with Zheng Xun again.
"Lin Yan, no matter what you say, you're coming out with me to enjoy yourself this time."
"I'm broke."
Lin Yan spread his hands. "I spent all my money on herbs and training."
"Fine, I'll treat you. We'll celebrate your breakthrough to the second Skin Polishing."
Zheng Xun was a little exasperated. Each of the three stages of Skin Polishing that came after the first was a major hurdle. Whenever someone broke through, their excitement was plain to see; they'd call their friends together and celebrate in grand style. But Lin Yan acted as if breaking through were as easy as drinking water, without a hint of excitement.
Listen-to-Spring Pavilion.
Zheng Xun looked at Lin Yan helplessly. "How am I supposed to enjoy my wine with you acting like this? If you don't like her, I can find you a virgin."
"If you can, just give me the money instead. I'll appreciate the thought."
Lin Yan picked up a piece of snake meat and put it in his mouth. After swallowing it, he felt a faint warmth in his belly. The meat clearly helped nourish his qi and blood.
"Forget it. Let's just drink."
Zheng Xun rolled his eyes at Lin Yan. The woman sitting with them showed no sign of offense. Smiling sweetly, she poured Zheng Xun another cup. "Perhaps Young Master Lin simply doesn't care for women like us."
"Lin Yan, you don't happen to prefer men, do you?"
Zheng Xun jolted, as if something had suddenly occurred to him. He quietly shifted his chair farther away.
"If I preferred men, would a delicate, handsome young master like you still be sitting here drinking with me?"
Lin Yan paused with his chopsticks and shot back irritably. Zheng Xun considered that, then relaxed. "That's true. Xiao Ru, you scared me."
"Young Master Zheng, I never said Young Master Lin preferred men. You can't blame me for that."
The woman's tone was half playful, half coy. Zheng Xun asked in confusion, "Then what could it be?"
"Men can be awfully adventurous. Some like them young, some like them older, and some like pregnant women. A few days ago, a customer came here—he was the vice gang leader of the Three Heroes Gang. He specifically asked for a pregnant girl."
"People really have tastes like that?"
Zheng Xun's mouth fell open. Though he was a frequent visitor to brothels, he'd always kept things proper.
"Don't they just? I heard the madam say that this customer had hit a bottleneck in his martial cultivation and wanted to find some pregnant women to turn his luck around. He asked for ten in one go. Oh dear... Why am I talking about such filthy things in front of you two? Please forgive me, Young Master Zheng, Young Master Lin."
Lin Yan's expression didn't change. He continued eating the snake meat and asked mildly, "Do you have any pregnant girls here?"
"Lin Yan, don't tell me you're into that too?" Zheng Xun stared at him in disbelief.
"No. I was just curious."
"Young Master Lin, how could we have pregnant girls here? They're all untouched young women. At least, they are today..."
The woman shot him a flirtatious glance, but Lin Yan paid it no mind and didn't ask any more questions. Still, a thoughtful look lingered in his eyes.