Delivered to Your Door

"This kid must be crazy! That's a young master of the Qin Household, and he actually threatened him."

"Now there's a show to watch. Guess what'll happen to the boy? Beaten to death on the spot, or tortured to death..."

"Wait, isn't he the younger brother Song Wanyan took in...?"

"Song Wanyan? The one who..."

Hushed discussion suddenly rose around the Martial Arts Hall, buzzing like a swarm of flies that never stopped beating their wings.

"Young man, striking him like that could bring serious trouble." Senior Brother Tao's voice rang out.

He looked at the unruffled Lin Xiaotian, at a loss for words.

Lin Xiaotian glanced at him and smiled his thanks, then turned his gaze back to Young Master Qin, who was clutching his nose as blood streamed out.

By now, the fury in the young master's eyes was almost tangible.

He shrieked at the top of his lungs, sounding like a bitterly wronged wife:

"You dare hit me? You're in deep trouble... The Qin Household will make you wish you were dead."

Lin Xiaotian listened to the young master spew abuse and shook his head.

"Young Master Qin, you already know who my sister is. By asking you for silver, haven't I handed you a reason...?"

"A reason? Screw you! You think I'm an idiot? Today I'll... Hm. A reason!"

Lin Xiaotian gave him a half smile and held out his hand.

"Hand over the silver. Young Master Qin is a clever man. Wasn't that a good reason I gave you? Once I pass the first Initiation test, perhaps I'll have to borrow another twenty taels from you."

"Hahaha!" Young Master Qin burst out laughing.

"Good, good, good! You really are the younger brother she took in. You've got a few tricks up your sleeve. Fine, I'll give you five taels. It's not a loan; they're yours."

"Your young master isn't short of a little silver."

"Then you have my thanks," Lin Xiaotian said calmly.

The onlookers stared, dumbfounded. Someone muttered:

"Did that blow knock the young master senseless? Who gets hit and then hands over silver?"

"I'd say Song Wanyan is a great beauty of the town. This boy must be something special, or why would she take him in as her brother?"

The whispers started up again.

Young Master Qin swept his gaze around the crowd, wiped the bloody mucus from his nose, and spoke coldly.

"Your young master is plenty smart. Keep gossiping, and the Qin Household won't spare you."

The whispers stopped dead.

Young Master Qin turned to leave.

Senior Brother Tao called after him:

"Young Master Qin, didn't you come to learn martial arts? The first Initiation test is about to begin. Why not...?"

Young Master Qin did not even look back. He waved a hand.

"Stay out of my way. You're wasting your young master's time."

Senior Brother Tao watched him go in a daze, then let out a long breath.

He turned back to the boy, his eyes conflicted. Lin Xiaotian had given him too many shocks today.

"You were that sure Young Master Qin wouldn't cause you trouble? That he'd even give you silver?"

Lin Xiaotian smiled, revealing two faint dimples.

"I wasn't sure."

Senior Brother Tao's eyes widened again.

"Weren't you afraid Young Master Qin would go after your sister?"

"Hahaha!" Lin Xiaotian laughed.

"I wasn't sure about anything else, but Young Master Qin definitely wouldn't dare trouble my sister."

Senior Brother Tao calmed down and realized he had just asked an idiotic question.

If Young Master Qin had dared cause her trouble, he would have done so long ago.

Still, he wanted to hear what the boy had to say.

"Why wouldn't he trouble your sister?"

Lin Xiaotian gave him a puzzled look before replying:

"You really want to hear me say it aloud? All right. You've cleared up plenty of things for me, after all."

Senior Brother Tao felt a little choked up.

"Young Master Qin has probably had designs on my sister for more than a year or two."

"His legs looked unsteady, and his face had that hollowed-out look. You could tell he was a habitual womanizer."

Senior Brother Tao nodded and could not help adding:

"That's right. Everyone in Long River Town knows how promiscuous and spoiled he is. He's ruined quite a few women."

"Also..." Lin Xiaotian continued.

"Given what a playboy he is, he must have harassed my sister before. But in all the time I've stayed with her, I've never seen him come by."

"That means someone has put a leash on him..."

Senior Brother Tao was listening with relish, but when Lin Xiaotian fell silent for a long while, he could not help asking:

"That's it?"

"Yes, that's it."

Senior Brother Tao threw up his hands.

"But you still haven't gotten to the point!"

Lin Xiaotian rolled his eyes at him.

"Senior Brother Tao, hitting him gave him an excuse to visit my sister and try to get closer to her."

"He just let his impulse get the better of him. Once it comes to actually visiting my sister to get closer to her, he wouldn't dare, even with ten times the courage."

"Heh." Senior Brother Tao caught on and smiled.

"Forgive me, young man. It took me a moment. Yes, once he comes to his senses, he definitely won't dare go."

"Master Qin really would break his legs."

Lin Xiaotian smiled and started to place the silver he had received in Senior Brother Tao's hand. He asked casually:

"What, has someone in the Qin Household had his legs broken before?"

Senior Brother Tao said wistfully:

"Yes. Another son of the Qin Household was once beaten to death. That's why the household became so strict."

Hm?

Lin Xiaotian's outstretched hand paused.

That's quite a revelation!

He paused only briefly before placing the silver in Senior Brother Tao's hand.

"Senior Brother Tao, I can take the first test now, the Initiation test, right?"

This was no time to investigate the death of a son of the Qin Household. Entering the Martial Dao was what mattered.

Senior Brother Tao took the silver, looked at it, and laughed.

"Of course you can, young man."

"Also, I wasn't talking with you because of your sister."

Lin Xiaotian waved a hand.

"I know, I know. You seem to be in charge of everything inside and outside the Martial Arts Hall, Senior Brother Tao. Of course you know what matters."

Senior Brother Tao nodded in satisfaction and led him to the stakes.

Quite a few people were already standing before them.

Who came to learn martial arts hoping for nothing more than a few showy moves, rather than becoming a true disciple?

Senior Brother Tao looked around at the crowd, then lowered his voice and called out:

"Listen carefully! I'll demonstrate it three times. Learn as much as you can. If you can just about complete the sequence within three days, you'll qualify for Initiation."

With a whoosh, Senior Brother Tao leaped up and stretched his legs, planting one foot on each post in an almost perfect split.

Without blushing or missing a breath, he declared loudly:

"I'll say it again. Watch closely, everyone. This Stake Skill is our Martial Arts Hall's Entrance Stake Method. It centers on the circulation of Blood Qi."

"Pay close attention to how the Blood Qi moves."

"If you can grasp the subtleties of its circulation, and your physique isn't too poor, you can pass Initiation and become a true disciple of the Huang Family Martial Hall."

"That's enough talk. Watch carefully."

With that, Senior Brother Tao began going through the movements atop the posts.

Every stance and move flowed smoothly, without the slightest hitch, as though he were performing an ordinary dance.

Quite a few people began whispering.

"It doesn't look that hard. It's pretty simple."

"Right. None of those moves are difficult or complicated. A few rounds of practice, and I'm sure I can do it."

As Lin Xiaotian listened to the people around him, faint smiles appeared on their faces.

Even the children's fathers were smiling.

Hearing their children speak with such confidence blew away much of their worry like sand in the wind.

For a moment, a trace of ease settled over what had been a solemn training ground.

But Lin Xiaotian did not see it that way.

He saw the difference. Those movements looked smooth only because Senior Brother Tao was the one performing them.

Put someone else up there, and they certainly would not flow so smoothly. He would be impressed if they could perform them at all.

Because he could clearly see that many of those movements defied the way the human body was meant to move.

Anyone who attempted them would suffer serious damage, even if nothing snapped.

No wonder Senior Brother Tao warned us so carefully... Entering the Martial Dao really is incredibly hard for ordinary people.