Time passed in a flash.
Two months slipped by in the blink of an eye.
With both money and effort poured into it, Lin Yan's Skin Polishing progress continued to climb.
The Martial Dao Tree had grown to seven inches tall.
His progress toward the second round of Skin Polishing had reached seventy percent.
"Over three hundred taels of silver for a twenty-percent increase. Money really doesn't go far."
Lin Yan pursed his lips. At this rate, going from the second round of Skin Polishing to the third would cost nearly two thousand taels if he succeeded on the first try. If he failed...
Fortunately, he wouldn't fail.
He finished his punches, drew water from the well, and wiped himself down.
This year, when he returned to Qingtian Town, he hadn't let Axiu come to the courtyard again, no matter how much she begged.
He had no feelings for Axiu. And no matter how open-minded people in Guangping County were, she was responsible for looking after his daily needs. Given enough time, people were bound to gossip, and he feared it might affect her chances of marriage in the future.
After wiping himself down, Lin Yan changed into clean clothes. He went out and told Zhang Feng and the others that he was heading into the city, then rode away from Qingtian Town.
Once inside the city, Lin Yan headed toward his home. Before he reached the gate, a figure behind him hurried past and ran on ahead.
As the man passed, Lin Yan glanced at him. Wasn't that Steward Yang from his uncle's household?
"Steward Yang?"
Steward Yang heard him and stopped. When he turned around and saw Lin Yan, his face lit up. "Young Master Lin, I was just coming to find you."
"Has something happened with my uncle?"
"The eldest young master got into trouble. The master and Guard Li sent me to find you. If you weren't here, I was to go to Qingtian Town."
At Steward Yang's words, Lin Yan furrowed his brow. The Cai family must have run into a thorny problem.
"Tell me as we walk."
"The eldest young master has a girl he's sweet on at the Fragrant Pavilion. But when he went there today, he found that Young Master Wu had chosen her. The eldest young master flew into a rage and barged into Young Master Wu's private room. He didn't know that Young Master Wu was entertaining a second-round Skin Polishing disciple from the Zhou Family Martial Arts Hall. The eldest young master acted rashly and angered the disciple from the Zhou Family Martial Arts Hall. They've detained him."
Lin Yan glanced at the blazing sun overhead. To go to a place like the Fragrant Pavilion in broad daylight—he was certainly eager.
"Does the Cai family have a grudge against the Wu family?"
"They do. The Wu family also deals in cloth, and there's always been friction between them and our household."
The two families were at odds, the quarrel was over a woman, and a martial arts hall disciple was involved. Lin Yan understood: that Young Master Wu had set a trap.
Whether the disciple from the Zhou Family Martial Arts Hall had been used or had joined in setting the trap would be clear once they arrived.
The street in front of the Fragrant Pavilion was packed with onlookers.
Cai Ming, the eldest young master of the Cai family, knelt on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to get up, but a Wu family servant stepped on his back and pinned him firmly down.
"Father... Mother..."
He called out indistinctly, his voice choked with tears.
Cai Wanlong's face was livid. His fists were clenched, yet he didn't dare step forward.
Several servants stood behind him, all with their heads lowered. Not one of them dared move.
"Master Cai, don't look at me like that."
Young Master Wu, Wu Yan, smiled as he spoke. "Your son barged into my private room and disturbed my honored guest. I only made him kneel and apologize. I've already been very generous."
Cai Wanlong trembled with rage, but couldn't find a word to say.
First Madam was already weeping bitterly. Several times, she tried to rush over and help her son, but Li Min held her back firmly.
"Brother Cheng, is there any need to go this far?"
Li An looked at the young man standing beside Wu Yan with his arms folded.
Cheng Zonghan was a second-round Skin Polishing disciple of the Zhou Family Martial Arts Hall. He had reached the second round three years ago and was quite well-known among the second-round disciples in the county seat.
Like the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, the Zhou Family Martial Arts Hall was one of the county seat's six major martial arts halls.
Cheng Zonghan glanced at Li An and replied coolly, "He ruined my drinking mood. Making him kneel for half an hour isn't excessive. If you don't like it, you can come save him."
Li An was at a loss for words.
He had only completed one round of Skin Polishing. There was no way he could rescue anyone from Cheng Zonghan.
"Master, Ming'er's body can't take this. Half an hour and he'll be crippled..." First Madam cried.
Cai Wanlong knew that, of course. But the Wu family had set a trap and caught him by the handle this time. What could he do?
The crowd around them was whispering among themselves.
"The Cai family has been in business for so many years. Surely they have some connections."
"How can merchants compare with martial artists? Besides, Master Cheng has completed the second round of Skin Polishing."
"The Cai family is finished. How can they keep doing business after offending someone like that?"
Wu Yan listened to the murmurs, his smile growing wider.
This was exactly the effect he wanted. Once word spread that the Cai family had offended someone, the merchants who had been doing business with them would understand that, if they wanted a stable business, they should go to the Wu family instead.
"Master!" First Madam continued to plead.
"Wu Yan, this time..."
Cai Wanlong gritted his teeth. He knew what the Wu family wanted, but he had no choice when it came to his eldest son.
"Uncle."
Just as Cai Wanlong began to speak, a stir ran through the crowd. People parted, and Lin Yan walked in.
Lin Yan surveyed the scene, then went straight toward Cai Ming, who was being held down.
When Cai Wanlong saw Lin Yan, his eyes brightened. "Nephew Lin!"
Li An's face also lit up with delight. "Junior Brother Lin."
Only Li Min looked worried.
Seeing Lin Yan approach, a Wu family servant reached out to stop him. "Who the hell are—"
Before he could finish, a slap cracked across his face.
Smack!
The sharp sound rang out.
The servant flew sideways. The people nearby hurriedly scattered, and he slammed heavily into the ground.
The entire scene fell silent.
The sudden turn of events left many people unsure what had happened.
Lin Yan bent down, hauled Cai Ming up off the ground, and said calmly, "Get up."
Cai Ming's legs were weak, and he could barely stand. Lin Yan simply lifted him and turned to leave.
The Wu family servants nearby saw what had happened to their companion and didn't dare step forward to stop him. Wu Yan was also starting to panic, and hurriedly turned to Cheng Zonghan.
"Stop."
Cheng Zonghan spoke, sizing up Lin Yan's clothes. "You're from the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall?"
Lin Yan didn't turn around. He simply said, "Cai Ming was at fault first, and he's already been punished. Let's end this here."
Cheng Zonghan sneered. He had said Cai Ming would kneel for half an hour. If it ended like this, where would that leave his reputation?
"What if I don't agree?"
Lin Yan ignored him and kept walking.
Cheng Zonghan's expression darkened. He was a well-known figure in the county's martial arts circles. When had anyone ever dared to ignore him like this?
"If you want to take him away, then let me see what you can do."
With a roar, Cheng Zonghan pushed off the ground and shot forward like an arrow, slamming a palm toward Lin Yan's back!
"Look out!"
Li An hurriedly called a warning.
Lin Yan didn't even turn his head.
The moment Cheng Zonghan's palm was about to touch his back, Lin Yan suddenly shifted aside, clenched his right hand into a fist, and struck back with a Mountain Splitting Fist!
Fist met palm.
Bang!
Cheng Zonghan felt a tremendous force surge from his palm. His entire arm went numb in an instant, and shock flashed across his face. How could the other man's punch be so powerful?
Before the shock had even faded, Lin Yan's second punch was already there.
This punch was even faster and more vicious.
The wind howled around it as it smashed straight into his chest!
Bang!
Cheng Zonghan flew backward and slammed into a pillar at the entrance of the Fragrant Pavilion. The wooden pillar cracked with a sharp snap, and a few moments later he slid to the ground.
A deathly silence fell over the crowd.
The Wu family servants, in particular, looked deeply relieved.
Thank goodness they hadn't stepped in to stop him. Even Master Cheng had been sent flying. If they'd gone up against him, they might have lost their lives.
Cheng Zonghan sat collapsed beneath the pillar, clutching his chest as he stared at Lin Yan in disbelief.
How was this possible? He hadn't even managed to block two punches?
He had seen the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall's second-round Skin Polishing disciples before. He knew the few who were stronger than him. But Lin Yan's face had been unfamiliar, and he had clearly looked like a new disciple who had only recently reached the second round. That was why Cheng Zonghan had been so confident and refused to show him any respect.
Could this man be a hidden genius of the Yang family?
Lin Yan didn't look at Cheng Zonghan again. He was afraid that if he did, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from beating him to death.
Ever since he began training in martial arts, everyone he had fought—except for Junior Brother Zhao—had ended up dead at his hands.
Wu Yan stood on the steps, his smile completely frozen.
He opened his mouth as though to say something, but when he looked at Cheng Zonghan slumped beneath the pillar, then at Lin Yan's retreating back, not a single word came out.
Lin Yan carried Cai Ming back over, then greeted Master Cai and Senior Brother Li and the others.
"Junior Brother Lin, your strength has improved so much it's downright monstrous!"
Li An slapped Lin Yan heartily on the shoulder, so excited you'd think he himself had defeated Cheng Zonghan.
Two punches.
Just two punches.
Cheng Zonghan, famous for so long, had been defeated. Junior Brother Lin's strength was terrifying.
Li Min's lips were slightly parted. Even now, she hadn't come back to her senses. She didn't know much about martial arts, but she knew that if Master Cai and Guard Li could only endure Young Master Cheng's arrogance, then he had to be formidable.
Yet someone so formidable had been knocked down by her nephew in just two punches.
Earlier, she'd even worried that her nephew might get hurt.
From Li Min's perspective, Cai Ming was First Madam's son. If he were crippled, that would be a good thing. But she wasn't so short-sighted. The Wu family had been trying to humiliate the entire Cai family today, and the family's business was at stake.
When she saw Lin Yan appear, she had been both happy and worried. She was happy because it would be good if Lin Yan could protect the Cai family's dignity, but she was worried that if he got hurt, it would be bad for both the Cai family and herself.
Fortunately, her nephew had made her proud.
Li Min now felt incredibly fortunate that she had helped Lin Yan back then, for the sake of their family ties.
With Lin Yan around, whether or not Cai Ming had been crippled, as long as her husband didn't lose his head, he would hand the Cai family business to Jun'er in the future.
The people watching nearby didn't even dare look at Lin Yan. Only after he and the Cai family had left did they finally erupt into discussion.
"Who is that...?"
"From the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, and he sent Master Cheng flying with two punches?"
"The Cai family... When did they get acquainted with someone like that?"
"I... I heard Master Cai call him nephew. Is he a relative of the Cai family?"
"With a relative this powerful, the Cai family won't have to worry about anyone tripping up their business in the future."
Wu Yan's face was terribly grim as he listened to them. But when he recalled how Lin Yan had sent Master Cheng flying with two punches, a chill ran through him, and he couldn't bring himself to utter a single word of protest.