Why So Aggressive?

"Young Master Lin, this is bad!"

Xia Mingtang pushed the door open once again. Hearing the footsteps, Lin Yan had already sheathed his long sword, a look of helplessness on his face.

Why is Old Xia just like my Second Senior Brother? One is always shouting, "Young Master Lin, this is bad!" and the other, "Eldest Senior Brother, this is bad!"

"Old Xia, what is it this time?"

"Young Master Lin, I just received news. The Wei Family is threatening the traveling merchants again. This time, they've issued a direct ultimatum: no matter how high our offer is, if they dare to sell medicinal herbs to us, they should prepare for their families to be ruined and their lives to be forfeit. The merchants are terrified and no longer dare to sell us anything."

Hearing Xia Mingtang's words, Lin Yan frowned. He only wanted to practice his martial arts and explore the mountains in peace; he had no desire to be dragged into these disputes.

Why must the Wei Family be so aggressive?

"Does the Sanshan County Patrol Bureau not care?"

"The Patrol Bureau never interferes in business disputes or territorial conflicts. It's not just Sanshan County; the Patrol Bureaus in Guangping County and all the other counties are the same."

It was only then that Lin Yan remembered: in this world, at the end of the day, it is the law of the jungle.

Although the Patrol Bureau's duties were identical to the police of his past life, the purpose behind their existence was entirely different. The Patrol Bureau was established to rake in tax revenue and grease palms; maintaining public order was only a means to ensure the tax collection remained uninterrupted.

If a major family lacked the strength to hold their territory or protect their business, the Patrol Bureau wouldn't lift a finger. To them, it made no difference who paid the taxes.

Madam Lin had chosen to sponsor him after her husband's passing for this very reason.

"When is the next time the traveling merchants are scheduled to deliver herbs?" Lin Yan asked.

"These merchants usually visit each village once a month to collect goods. It will be more than half a month before the next batch is gathered."

"I understand. What is the Wei Family's reputation like?"

Xia Mingtang was taken aback, not expecting such a question from Lin Yan, but he replied, "The Wei Family's reputation among the common folk of Sanshan County is abysmal. They treat martial artists and commoners differently; the price of medicinal pills sold to martial artists is comparable to what the Tang Mansion offers, but the herbs sold to commoners are marked up by fifty percent. Furthermore, they often prey on families with sick members, trapping them with high-interest loans. When the families can't pay back the principal and interest, they force them to sell their own children."

Lin Yan nodded and said nothing more. Xia Mingtang had anticipated this reaction; in his heart, he knew Lin Yan had no desire to provoke the Wei Family. Fortunately, he had already sent word to the Tang Mansion, and the mistress should be sending someone to handle it.

If they could even get Master Zhang to return, the Wei Family wouldn't dare to be this brazen.

Guangping County, Tang Mansion.

Tang Tang listened to the steward's report, a look of exhaustion appearing on her delicate face.

"Eldest Miss, should we send word to Lin Yan and have him go to the Wei Family to negotiate?"

"Lin Yan has only been at the third stage of Skin Refining for a month, while the head of the Wei Family has been at that stage for eight years, and his son reached it last year. Lin Yan won't gain anything by going to the Wei Family."

Tang Tang waved her hand. The Wei Family's targeting of the Tang Family at this moment wasn't just because Zhang Xin had left.

It was likely that the Wei Family had caught wind of the situation in Guangping County.

Otherwise, let alone Lin Yan, even if they sent Xia Mingtang to negotiate, the Wei Family would have to tread carefully.

Because behind Xia Mingtang stood the Tang Family; he represented the Tang Family.

To make the Wei Family submit, one had to beat them into submission with raw power. While the Tang Family possessed that strength, there was no need for it right now.

"Set the matter of Sanshan County aside. If those herbs are lost, so be it. Tell Lin Yan and the others to just keep a close watch on those few mountains."

She had no time to spare for Sanshan County anymore.

Through the connections her family had at the prefectural level, she had gained some insight into why such a massive upheaval was occurring in Guangping County.

As the leading family of Guangping County, one wrong step or a moment of carelessness could lead to the annihilation of their entire clan.

Compared to the survival of the family, the loss of profits in Sanshan County was no longer a concern for Tang Tang.

Half a month later, the Martial Dao Tree reached a height of three feet and two inches. Lin Yan pulled himself out of his deep immersion in the sword intent.

These past dozen days of study had allowed him to fully master the Silk-Entwining Sword Intent. To progress further would not be a matter of a single day or night.

That night.

Lin Yan changed into night-traveling gear, vaulted over the wall, and his figure vanished into the depths of the moonlight.

The urban area of Sanshan County, surrounded by mountains on three sides, was only half the size of Guangping County, with a stark divide between the rich and the poor.

The river served as the boundary; west of the river were rows of low, flat houses, while east of the river stood elegant, well-spaced residences with blue bricks and dark tiles.

Lin Yan had already scouted the location of the Wei residence a few days prior. As a third-stage Skin Refining martial artist, he was already considered a person of status. He had only wanted to practice his martial arts in peace and maintain the dignity of a martial artist.

Unfortunately, the Wei Family would not allow him that dignity.

Fortunately, according to Xia Mingtang, the Wei Family were not good people either; they were beyond the pale of humanity.

Late at night.

The inner courtyard of the Wei residence, the martial arts arena.

Wei Shaoyou finished a set of spear techniques and set the long spear down. A beautiful maid immediately stepped forward with water to wipe the sweat from his body.

"Lao Dao, how did it go?"

Wei Shaoyou reached into the bosom of the beautiful maid, kneading her wantonly. The girl trembled all over but dared not stop him.

The old man waiting to the side heard this and hurried forward, saying, "Young Master, the person has already been delivered to the room. I guarantee you will be perfectly satisfied."

"Too fragile, I have no interest. This Young Master only likes the stubborn ones."

Wei Shaoyou laughed brazenly. A few days ago, he had taken a fancy to a rather attractive woman in the city and had his steward, Lao Dao, arrange for someone to poison her husband. To pay for the husband's medical treatment, the family had fallen into debt to the apothecary for fifty taels.

If they couldn't come up with the money, they would have to pay with their bodies.

In the main room of the middle courtyard, hearing the sobbing coming from inside, a look of excitement appeared on Wei Shaoyou's face. However, just as he was about to push the door open, a scream suddenly erupted from the direction of the backyard.

"There's a thief..."

But the next moment, the voice cut off abruptly. Wei Shaoyou's footsteps paused: "Give me the long spear."

"Hurry up and give me the long spear!"

The steward hadn't reacted at first, but upon hearing the second roar, he hurriedly handed over the long spear he had been holding with both hands.

Wei Shaoyou gripped the shaft, the spear tip pointing straight at the courtyard entrance, his aura surging abruptly.

Under the night sky, a black-clad, masked figure appeared at the gate, holding a severed head in his hand.

When he clearly saw the face of the head in the black-clad man's hand, Wei Shaoyou's pupils shrank: "You killed my father?"

Lin Yan did not answer, simply walking toward him.

He hadn't spent much time killing the head of the Wei Family. He had laid an ambush in the shadows beforehand and struck the moment the man sensed danger. Although the man had perceived the threat, his reaction was still not as fast as Lin Yan's sword.

Lin Yan's pace was not fast, yet every step felt as if it were treading on Wei Shaoyou's heart. That composed and unhurried momentum made Wei Shaoyou instinctively tighten his grip on the spear.

"You killed my father, you're courting death!"

Wei Shaoyou roared, shaking his spear. However, this strike was not aimed at Lin Yan, but swept toward the steward at his side. The steward's body was launched into the air toward Lin Yan, while Wei Shaoyou himself used the recoil to dash rapidly toward the courtyard wall behind him.

Upon seeing his father's head, Wei Shaoyou had already made his judgment: he was no match for the black-clad man before him.

His father had been at the third stage of Skin Tempering for eight years, yet he had been killed without a sound. This black-clad man was likely a top-tier expert among those at the third stage of Skin Tempering.

If he didn't run, he would die.

"Good grief, another one using his own people as bait."

Watching Wei Shaoyou use the steward's corpse to block him while turning to flee, Lin Yan was speechless for a moment.

What kind of people was he running into?

Wang Heng of the Wang Family was like this, and now this Wei Shaoyou was the same. His first thought wasn't to avenge his father, but to run away.

Mencius once said: A person without filial piety toward his father is not a human, and may be killed!

Lin Yan sidestepped, directly avoiding the steward's body, his long sword transforming into a brilliant, whistling arc of light.

Although he didn't look back, the perception of a third-stage Skin Tempering martial artist allowed Wei Shaoyou to sense the lethal danger behind him. Looking at the courtyard wall two zhang away, he finally gritted his teeth and turned back.

"I don't believe it!"

Wei Shaoyou gripped his spear tightly. At this moment, his blood and qi erupted with full force. The instant he turned, he thrust the spear out violently, meeting the brilliant sword light under the moonlight.

Clang!

The spear tip trembled, and Wei Shaoyou felt a flicker of joy. However, the next moment, his entire body froze in place, maintaining his spear-wielding posture. Three breaths later, a jet of blood sprayed from his throat, and the long spear fell to the ground.

How could he be so fast?

Is he a fourth-stage Skin Tempering martial artist?

Could he be an old enemy of Father's, who broke through to the fourth stage to take revenge?

Father has doomed me!

Lin Yan walked to Wei Shaoyou's corpse and subconsciously delivered a few more stabs. He didn't know what Wei Shaoyou was thinking; he only saw that the man's expression was very complex.

Can't understand it!

After rummaging through Wei Shaoyou's body for a moment, Lin Yan picked up a money bag and walked toward the door of the middle courtyard room.

Pushing the door open, a woman inside wearing only thin gauze was curled up tightly, her hands over her chest, looking at him in panic.

Seeing the woman, Lin Yan froze for three breaths, seemingly not expecting anyone to be inside. The next moment, his figure flashed, appearing behind the woman, and he used his palm as a blade to strike her neck with precision.

Looking at the woman who had collapsed to the ground as her gauze slipped, Lin Yan's eyes held a faint look, and he immediately began to search the room. A few dozen breaths later, he walked out of the room, feeling satisfied.

Returning to the courtyard.

Lin Yan wiped the blood from his long sword, placed it back on the weapon rack, and then burned his night-traveling clothes.

In the room of the Wei father and son, he had found three thousand taels in silver notes. Beyond that, there was a bottle and a half of Tiger Bone Tempering Pills, totaling fifteen pills.

It seemed the head of the Wei Family had already given up on breaking through to the fourth stage of Skin Tempering, using all his money on his son, only for it to benefit him in the end.

"This matter shouldn't be traced back to me."

Before striking, Lin Yan had calculated the situation, and now he had reviewed it once more.

In the eyes of outsiders, he had only just broken through to the third stage of Skin Tempering; he could not possibly be a match for the Wei father and son.

And even if they did suspect him, he had left a contingency plan—that woman was the one he had left behind to clear his name.

Relying on his Stone Waist Savage Spine, he could stretch his height by half a foot, which would not match his normal stature.

As far as he knew, he had never heard of any martial arts technique that could alter one's skeletal structure.

Perhaps one existed, but it was certainly not something a Skin Tempering martial artist could achieve.