After lunch, Lin Yan left Cai Mansion with his aunt and little brother.
Before they came, he had already wanted to bring his little brother, since he had expected them to stay for lunch at Cai Mansion. However, his aunt felt the boy was still too immature and left him at home.
In the end, a servant from Cai Mansion personally went to their home and brought the boy over.
"Yan'er, from now on, you'll be in charge of everything at home."
Some distance from Cai Mansion, Liu took the initiative to speak. Even now, she still had not quite recovered from today's visit.
Master Cai went without saying; she had never met him before. Third Mistress's attitude had also changed completely from the past. She knew it was all because of Yan'er, but she still found it difficult to adapt.
She thought back to how Yan'er had said before leaving that he wanted to bring Mo'er along. She had refused then, and Mo'er had looked aggrieved, while Yan'er comforted him by saying someone would come for him later.
At the time, she had assumed Yan'er was merely saying something offhand to comfort Mo'er. But now, it was clear that Yan'er had long since predicted that Cai Mansion would send someone to fetch him.
Only now did she understand. Yan'er had become a martial artist, and the situation at home had completely changed. She was merely an ordinary woman who knew little about many matters. From now on, it was better to let Yan'er make the decisions.
That way, she would not muddle through things and cause trouble for Yan'er.
"You're my elder, Aunt. You should be the one in charge at home."
Lin Yan smiled. Knowing why his aunt had said that, he reassured her, "Just carry on as you did before. There won't be any problems."
"Really?"
"Would I lie to you, Aunt?"
Hearing her nephew's answer, Liu smiled and agreed. In her heart, however, she had already decided that she could continue handling the household trifles as before, but anything outside the home—especially anything involving Yan'er—had to be left to him.
The next day!
His aunt took his little brother back to her parents' home. Lin Yan had nothing to do at home, while Zhang Wei and Monkey were also visiting relatives.
After thinking it over, Lin Yan decided to visit Great Fog Mountain again.
This time, Lin Yan left the city in another direction. He had nearly finished searching the side of Great Fog Mountain near Qingtian Town, but he had never explored the other side.
After leaving the city, he did not take the official road. Instead, he deliberately followed mountain paths through the woods, hoping to discover some precious wild medicinal herbs.
Unfortunately, after crossing two ridges in succession, he found nothing.
Lin Yan was somewhat helpless. As the saying went, those who lived by the mountain ate from the mountain.
These hills had probably long since been combed through by the nearby villagers. Even if there had been precious wild medicinal herbs, they had likely already been picked clean.
The reason Great Fog Mountain still yielded harvests was the miasma within it. Even martial artists did not dare to venture in carelessly, allowing him to gain something each time he entered.
"The Tang Family has territory in Sanshan County and grows medicinal herbs there. If I get the chance, I should make a trip to Sanshan County."
Lin Yan had also learned the origin of Guangping County's precious beast meat. Most of it came from Sanshan County.
Sanshan County was surrounded by three mountain ranges, and its mountains teemed with wild beasts and rare birds. But the forests in this world were not ownerless. If outsiders entered Sanshan County to hunt, the local martial artists would certainly stop them.
Only by relying on the Tang Family's influence might it be possible.
Just as Lin Yan was preparing to head down the mountain, several figures appeared in the woods ahead.
There were five of them, all dressed in matching green robes.
Though it was the first month of the year and the mountains remained bitterly cold, their clothes were thin. They were clearly all martial practitioners.
"Who are you, and why have you come up this mountain?"
The five men immediately spread out when they saw Lin Yan, forming a fan-shaped encirclement. The man in front looked him up and down and questioned him sternly.
"I came up to gather medicinal herbs."
Lin Yan's tone was calm. Although all five were martial artists, only the man who had spoken possessed a long, steady breath and was a Skin Polishing martial artist. The other four were breathing somewhat hurriedly, clearly struggling to walk the mountain paths. They had not even entered Skin Polishing.
Still, since they had no grudge against each other, Lin Yan did not want to invite trouble.
"Gather medicinal herbs?"
The man in the middle frowned and sized Lin Yan up for a while. Then he waved impatiently. "Leave."
Where Lin Yan could not see, the man made a hand signal behind his back, ensuring his companions could see it clearly.
Lin Yan obediently turned around to leave. But just as he took a step, his waist suddenly exploded with force, and his body twisted strangely.
Instead of walking away, he lunged forward!
He had clearly caught the man's act of putting his right hand behind his back. Although he did not know what signal the man had made, the changes in the other four men's breathing told him everything.
The other four had held their breaths. This was clearly the prelude to an attack.
Since the other side had never intended to let him leave, he could only strike first.
Lin Yan could not be sure whether they had more men nearby. He had to end the fight quickly.
Stone Waist Savage Spine erupted in an instant!
His entire body was like a taut bowstring suddenly released. The distance of two zhang vanished in a single blur!
"You—!"
The leader's pupils shrank. Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yan's fist was already before his eyes.
He had also realized that Lin Yan was no ordinary person. He had intended to let his guard down, then attack from behind with his brothers. He had never expected Lin Yan to strike first.
In his panic, he could only raise his arm to block.
Boom!
The crisp sound of shattering bones rang out, accompanied by the man's face twisting in pain.
Lin Yan's punch held no flourish. It was the purest Mountain Splitting Fist, backed by the strength of second-stage Skin Polishing and the explosive force of Stone Waist Savage Spine. It shattered the man's arm, leaving it hanging limply, then slammed into his face.
Bang!
The sound of his skull breaking was as dull as a ripe watermelon being smashed apart.
The man did not even manage to scream. His body flew backward, broke a tree as thick as a bowl, and collapsed limply onto the ground.
The remaining four froze.
They had not even understood what had happened before their hall master was sent flying.
"Kill him!"
One of them finally recovered and shouted harshly.
All four drew their blades, but Lin Yan was faster.
After killing the leader with one punch, Lin Yan did not stop. Borrowing his momentum, he charged straight into the middle of the four.
Bang!
Another punch struck the man on the left in the chest. His chest visibly caved in, blood spraying from his mouth. By the time he hit the ground, he was already dead.
The remaining three finally panicked. They abandoned their blades and turned to run.
"Run!"
One of them turned and tried to flee.
Lin Yan shifted his step, caught up to one, and punched him in the back of the heart.
The man pitched forward, twitched twice, and went still.
The other two used the opening to run more than a zhang away.
Lin Yan drew a deep breath, pushed off with his feet, and caught them in a few steps, striking left and right.
Bang, bang!
Two bodies fell.
From the first attack to the end, less than five breaths had passed.
Lin Yan stopped and adjusted his breathing until the qi in his body settled. Only then did he walk to the leader's corpse, crouch down, and search him.
Broken silver, copper coins, and a wooden token.
A character was carved into it: "Qing." The back bore a bamboo design.
"What a coincidence. They're members of the Green Bamboo Gang?"
Seeing the token, surprise appeared in Lin Yan's eyes.
Yesterday, Senior Brother Li had asked him to negotiate with the Green Bamboo Gang. Today, he had run into members of the Green Bamboo Gang himself.
The Green Bamboo Gang had been driven out of the city and become bandits in the mountain woods outside. These five had immediately wanted to kill him. Could it be because the Green Bamboo Gang's base was nearby, and they feared that letting him go would expose its location?
Lin Yan's eyes flickered. The next moment, he looked left and shot forward at the same time.
In the woods to the left, a man was fleeing frantically. He had just been relieving himself because of a stomachache and had fallen behind the hall master and the others. He had never expected to return and witness the hall master and his companions dying.
This man had killed the hall master in one move. He was certainly not someone the fugitive could oppose.
Yet only three breaths later, hearing the wind howl behind him, the man's face filled with despair. He rolled and threw himself onto the ground, shouting, "Don't kill me! I can tell you one of the gang's secrets."
"Speak."
The man raised his head and looked at Lin Yan standing before him. Trembling, he said, "Our gang master was gravely wounded by your gang's vice gang master last time. He died within three days. The vice gang master was injured too. The vice... vice gang master led everyone to occupy the mountain and collect tolls. It's only a front. Once we've made enough money, he'll take us away from Guangping County."
The man had not heard Lin Yan's conversation with the earlier group. In his mind, Lin Yan had specifically come to investigate the Green Bamboo Gang's whereabouts. The only people who would do that had to be members of the Four Seas Gang.
To save his life, he spilled everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.
"Actually, I've wanted to pledge allegiance to your gang for a long time. But the vice gang master and hall master watched me closely, so I never had the chance."
Looking down at the man and his ingratiating words, Lin Yan's expression did not change. Inside, however, he marveled at the vice gang master's schemes.
He had concealed the gang master's death and demanded an outrageous fifty percent toll from the merchants, waiting for them to use their connections to negotiate. In the end, under pressure from the martial artists those merchants brought in, he would likely lower the toll to ten or twenty percent, then claim that such a reduction made him lose face and demand a year's toll in advance instead.
Neither the merchants nor the martial artists they hired would find that demand strange. They would only assume that the Green Bamboo Gang was trying to preserve the last shred of its dignity.
Sure enough, every organization had a talented deputy.
As for how this man knew, it was because the vice gang master had revealed the plan to rally the gang's remaining members and prevent them from fleeing.
Since they could make a fortune quickly, the gang members naturally would not leave.
"How many people remain in your gang?"
"Aside from the vice gang master, there are... three more hall masters... No, there are only two left now. There are fifteen gang members. Many fled when the vice gang master led us out of the city."
Listening to him, Lin Yan calculated the Green Bamboo Gang's strength. One injured second-stage Skin Polishing martial artist, two first-stage Skin Polishing martial artists, and more than a dozen gang members. It seemed... something might be arranged.
The prerequisite was that this man was telling the truth.
"Is there only one patrol group?"
"N-no. There are two groups. Another team is patrolling a different mountain."
"How long is each patrol?"
"One shichen."
Lin Yan glanced at the opposite mountain. With his speed, he would not need much time to reach it.
"How long has your vice gang master been in second-stage Skin Polishing?"
"H-half a year."
Bang!
Lin Yan kicked the man's heart and killed him outright. From beginning to end, he had never promised to spare him.
He dragged the corpse into the bushes and piled it with the other five bodies, then turned and sped toward the opposite mountain.
The mountain path was rugged, but to Lin Yan, who had reached second-stage Skin Polishing, it was as flat as a road.
After the time it took to brew tea, he reached the opposite mountainside.
Voices came from ahead.
Lin Yan slowed his steps and quietly approached under the cover of the trees.
Behind a large rock, five figures were sitting or standing and chatting.
"Hall master, why do you think the vice gang master wants to take us away? Other gangs have had their territories seized by the Four Seas Gang. At worst, we could simply find another territory."
"Where could we go? Do you think the Four Seas Gang will stop after occupying the western part of the city? Once it unifies the west, it will sooner or later attack the north. As for the east and south... do you think there will still be room for us to survive?"
The man sitting on the rock gave a cold snort. Just as his voice fell, wind howled behind him.
"Not good!"
The man's expression changed drastically. He tried to stand, but it was already too late.
A terrifying fist wind struck. In the next moment, he felt unbearable pain in his back and crashed to the ground.
Lin Yan's sneak attack killed him on the spot.
Only then did the other four react. One grabbed a spear, while another reached for the blade at his waist.
Bang, bang, bang!
After several punches, only one person remained alive.
"Don't... don't kill me..."
Lin Yan looked down at him. "I ask. You answer."
After the time it took to brew tea, a muffled sound rang out. Lin Yan was the only living person left.
After completing the familiar corpse-searching routine, Lin Yan began considering what to do next.
After two interrogations, he could confirm that the earlier Green Bamboo Gang member had not lied. The gang master really was dead, and the vice gang master really was injured.
A vice gang master who had only entered second-stage Skin Polishing six months ago and was injured on top of that...
It was hard not to be tempted!
Lin Yan looked inward into his mind. Several fruits now hung from the Martial Dao Tree, enough to exchange for twelve years of cultivation in total.
With his current strength, he might not be able to eliminate the Green Bamboo Gang. But what if he poured twelve more years of cultivation into Mountain Splitting Fist?
With a thought, Lin Yan swallowed all the Martial Fruits.
Boom!
Twelve years of painstaking cultivation surged into his mind like a tide.
They were not memories, but experiences branded into his body.
Every punch, every tensed inch of muscle, every breath drawn and released—all transformed into instinct at this moment.
Spring passed and autumn came. Cold and heat alternated. Twelve years of splitting mountains, shattering stones, and breaking wood exploded deep within his consciousness.
Fist shadows. Fist shadows filling the sky.
No one knew how long had passed.
One breath? Or one quarter-hour?
Lin Yan opened his eyes.
He threw a punch!
There was no technique and no buildup, only the most ordinary straight punch.
Yet wherever the fist passed, the air thundered.
The punch landed on the mountain rock.
Bang!
The massive boulder split apart, and shattered stone sprayed like rain.
Lin Yan drew back his fist and stood where he was, looking down at it.
His skin was unchanged, his bones unchanged, but Lin Yan knew something was different.
The power of this punch was far beyond anything he could have unleashed before.
Lin Yan looked inward at the leaf in his mind that belonged to the Mountain Splitting Fist. It had now turned completely golden.
He had achieved mastery of the Mountain Splitting Fist!
Twelve years of arduous training had turned the Mountain Splitting Fist from a set of moves into instinct, and from instinct into imposing force.
Before the fist struck, its force arrived.
After the fist withdrew, its force lingered.
"Mastering the Mountain Splitting Fist really did boost my strength enormously, just as I expected."
A smile played at the corners of Lin Yan's mouth. His plan had been to use these two patrols from the Green Bamboo Gang to bring his Mountain Splitting Fist to mastery.
If mastering the Mountain Splitting Fist increased his strength enough, he would strike at the Green Bamboo Gang.
If the increase fell short, he would immediately head down the mountain and abandon any designs on the Green Bamboo Gang.
He had never expected that mastering the Mountain Splitting Fist would actually develop an imposing force behind his punches. His strength had practically skyrocketed.
He could ask his master what came after that imposing force the next time they met. Now was not the time to ponder such things. He had to head to the Green Bamboo Gang's hideout; otherwise, once the deputy gang leader discovered that the patrolling gang members had not returned, he would surely realize something was wrong. Given how calculating the man was, he might well take his money and flee.