Yang Qingfeng stood smiling to one side. Among this batch of disciples, there were three he favored most.
Linyuan, Lin Yan, and Zhuang Zheng.
There was no need to mention Linyuan's talent in martial arts. He had a proud spirit, but wasn't arrogant.
Lin Yan had exceptional talent for the Mountain Splitting Fist and was sincere by nature.
Zhuang Zheng was introverted and a little timid, but he was the most diligent in martial arts. He had also broken through to the second skin-polishing stage, which was proof enough that his talent was no worse.
Among this batch of disciples, excluding Linyuan, Lin Yan and Zhuang Zheng were undoubtedly the ones most likely to reach the third skin-polishing stage within three years.
On the training ground, Lin Yan and Zhao Linyuan stood facing each other.
"Senior Brother Lin, watch out."
Zhao Linyuan instinctively started to clasp his fists, but remembered that the two had just shaken hands. He reached out, then lowered his hand.
He pushed off with one foot, crossing the one-zhang distance in an instant. His right fist struck toward Lin Yan's face with the force of a mountain splitting apart!
The wind howled around his fist, sharp and threatening.
Lin Yan neither dodged nor retreated. He met it with a punch of his own.
Thud!
Their fists collided, and a muffled boom burst out.
Lin Yan's arm went slightly numb. He had lost out in strength. Zhao Linyuan had already used the rebound to draw back his right fist, and his left fist immediately swept across.
Facing Senior Brother Lin, Zhao Linyuan didn't dare underestimate him. Since Master had said Lin Yan's mastery of the Mountain Splitting Fist surpassed his own, he would give it everything he had.
Lin Yan shifted to the side, his right fist striking toward Zhao Linyuan's ribs.
The punch came from a tricky angle. It was a variation of the "splitting" form in the Mountain Splitting Fist, designed to target the opponent's weak points in defense.
A flash of surprise crossed Zhao Linyuan's eyes. He hadn't expected Senior Brother Lin to react so quickly and immediately find the weakness in his attack. He had no choice but to draw back his fist and retreat.
The two traded blows, their fists weaving through the air.
Thud, thud, thud!
Muffled booms, like pounding drums, burst one after another across the training ground.
Yang Qingfeng stood beneath the covered walkway, his gaze moving between the two as he nodded slightly.
The longer Zhao Linyuan fought, the more ferocious he became. His punches were fierce and domineering, each carrying an unstoppable momentum, as if he meant to crush his opponent outright.
Lin Yan seemed to be constantly defending, but in truth, he gauged the angle, force, and timing of every punch to perfection. He unraveled Linyuan's fierce attacks one by one, like a boulder in a raging torrent, standing firm no matter how the waves crashed against it.
That was the advantage of mastering the Mountain Splitting Fist to an exceptional degree. Lin Yan had anticipated every one of Linyuan's attacks.
If nothing changed, Linyuan was bound to lose.
Fifty moves.
Seventy moves.
Ninety moves.
The two moved faster and faster, their fists nearly covering the entire training ground.
Suddenly!
Zhao Linyuan let out a shout. His fist, which had begun to slow, suddenly turned fierce again as he drove it forward.
Hearing Zhao Linyuan's roar, Lin Yan understood that Junior Brother Zhao meant to decide the match with one punch. He instinctively started to summon his fist momentum, but forcibly held back.
Thud!
Their fists collided.
Zhao Linyuan stood completely still. Lin Yan took two steps back.
"Junior Brother Zhao, your qi and blood are abundant. I lost."
Lin Yan stopped, but Zhao Linyuan shook his head. "Senior Brother Lin, your fist technique is superb. If this had been a real fight to the death, I'd have lost long ago."
By the latter half of the fight, Zhao Linyuan had also realized something was wrong. Lin Yan had anticipated every punch he threw, and many of them had missed entirely.
With that last punch, if Senior Brother Lin had chosen to evade, Zhao Linyuan would surely have been the one to lose.
"You each have your strengths. Linyuan has the advantage in abundant qi and blood, while Lin Yan's fist technique is superb, allowing him to strike after his opponent. I had you spar so that you could learn from each other and make further progress in martial arts."
Yang Qingfeng spoke with a smile. He was mainly addressing Zhao Linyuan. Martial arts wasn't just about differences in cultivation stages; it was also about differences in mastery of one's techniques.
He was very pleased with Lin Yan's performance. Compared with last time, Lin Yan's understanding of the Mountain Splitting Fist had clearly advanced.
"Master, we'll remember your teachings," Lin Yan and Zhao Linyuan replied in unison.
"Master, what level are Junior Brother Zhao and I at among second-stage skin-polishing martial artists?" Lin Yan asked curiously.
"Upper-middle."
Hearing his master's answer, Lin Yan was dumbfounded.
He had just assessed it for himself. If he didn't use fist momentum, he could defeat Junior Brother Zhao in thirty moves if he fought seriously. If he used fist momentum, he would beat him in under ten. And with Stone Waist Savage Spine, three punches ought to be enough.
Didn't that mean he could take down an ordinary second-stage skin-polishing martial artist with a single punch?
Did second-stage skin-polishing martial artists become little kids in front of him?
Was he really this strong?
"What are you thinking about, Senior Brother Lin?" Zhao Linyuan asked when he saw Lin Yan fall silent.
"I was wondering how strong the top second-stage skin-polishing martial artists must be."
"Senior Brother Liu from the martial arts school failed to break through to the third skin-polishing stage, but he's still one of the top second-stage martial artists. I fought him once and lost in ten moves."
Lin Yan: ???
After leaving the martial arts school, Lin Yan finally confirmed one thing: among second-stage skin-polishing martial artists, he should count as one of the best.
Next, following the secret-medicine recipe he had memorized, he went to several Tang Family pharmacies around the city to buy the ingredients separately. Besides what the recipe called for, he also bought some medicinal ingredients to nourish the body—partly to help his aunt regain her strength, and partly to keep the Tang Family from working backward from his purchases to figure out the recipe.
Perhaps he was judging others by his own mean standards. The Tang Family might not do such a thing, but it was always better to be careful.
His master had given him the recipe because he trusted him. He couldn't betray that trust.
Back home, Lin Yan lit the stove and began preparing the medicinal paste. While it simmered, he started teaching his younger brother to write.
From time to time, Lin Mo's agonized cries rang out from the study. Liu sat inside, mending clothes, smiling as she listened to the brothers.
The Tang Family.
"Miss, here is the list of all the medicinal ingredients Lin Yan bought. They came to a total of two hundred and sixty taels."
Tang Tang took the list from the steward and quickly scanned it. The Tang Family didn't normally pay special attention to a martial artist with an honorary position at the school buying herbs from a pharmacy. This time, one of the pharmacy managers had reported it because Lin Yan had spent so much money in one go.
Martial artists with honorary positions at the Tang Family could buy herbs and pills from its pharmacies at just seventy percent of the original price.
But this benefit wasn't unlimited. Otherwise, some honorary martial artists might use their positions to help others buy medicinal ingredients and make a little profit from the difference. The Tang Family wouldn't lose money, but it would make far less.
Second-stage skin-polishing martial artists were allowed a maximum monthly quota of one hundred taels. The Tang Family had set that limit according to their expenses.
"Miss, should we send someone to remind Lin Yan?"
"No need!"
Tang Tang set the list down. "Five bottles of Muscle-Generating Pills are something a second-stage skin-polishing martial artist can use. The other ingredients... he must be preparing some kind of secret medicine. This alone doesn't prove Lin Yan is buying pills and herbs for someone else. If there's a next time, investigate then."
She had dismissed many martial artists in the family who lacked ambition and recruited young ones instead. Wasn't the point to cultivate—or build ties with—a group of driven martial artists?
If Lin Yan really had spent all that money on his own training, then the Tang Family wouldn't stop him from buying however many herbs he wanted from its pharmacies.
But if he was using his honorary position to buy low and sell high as a middleman, he would be dismissed immediately if they found out.
After finishing the secret medicine, Lin Yan said goodbye to his aunt. With his younger brother gazing at him expectantly, he walked out through the courtyard gate and headed to a Rare Meat Pavilion in the city.
The Rare Meat Pavilion sold all kinds of rare game that nourished qi and blood. Its customers were martial artists.
A shop assistant eagerly led Lin Yan inside. Not far away, a young man looked over. As soon as he recognized Lin Yan, he hurried over. "Junior Brother Lin?"
"Senior Brother Zhang?"
When Lin Yan saw Zhang Liang, he initially thought Zhang Liang had come to buy rare meat too. But then the shop assistant called him "Young Master," and Lin Yan realized that the Rare Meat Pavilion belonged to Zhang Liang's family.
"Junior Brother Lin came to buy venison, right? He's my junior brother. From now on, charge him only ninety percent of the listed price."
Zhang Liang gave the shop assistant his instructions. He knew Lin Yan had reached the second skin-polishing stage. At that level, snake meat and venison no longer did much to improve one's qi and blood. Only venison could still have a noticeable effect.
"Junior Brother Lin, don't think I'm being stingy by not giving you a bigger discount. My family may run a rare-game shop, but this rare meat—especially venison—is all brought in from other counties. We have to grease plenty of palms along the way. We only make money through hard work."
"Those dressed in silks from head to toe are not the ones who raise silkworms," Lin Yan replied.
"Those dressed in silks from head to toe are not the ones who raise silkworms... Junior Brother Lin, that's well said. Exactly. I may be the young master, but I can only eat venison a few times a month. And ours isn't the only shop in the city selling rare meat. The competition is fierce."
Lin Yan thought Zhang Liang was exaggerating a little, but it probably wasn't a hugely profitable business. He asked curiously, "Senior Brother Zhang, has no one in the city considered raising and breeding deer?"
"They can't be raised here. Plum Deer eat Half-Moon Grass, and that only grows in Sanshan County. There are mountains and forests all over that region, and besides Plum Deer, there are other rare game and precious medicinal ingredients. But those are all controlled by a few major families in Sanshan County. The Tang Family is the only one in all of Guangping County with a foothold there."
Zhang Liang shook his head with a bitter smile. He had spoken without thinking, but Lin Yan heard something that caught his attention, and his eyes lit up.
Ever since he had started studying the Earth Vein True Interpretation, he had searched all the mountains and forests around Guangping County, but hadn't found much.
It wasn't that the Earth Vein True Interpretation was useless. Even the cleverest housewife couldn't cook a meal without rice. There were no tall mountains around Guangping County. Even Great Fog Mountain was little more than a range of hills.
The mountains weren't high, and the forests weren't deep, so there couldn't be many wild beasts or precious medicinal ingredients.
If he got the chance in the future, he could go take a look around Sanshan County.