Mysterious Yin Bone-Scrambling Hand

He darted forward, his hand curled into a claw. A gust of force swept toward Lin Qing's shoulder as he struck.

With a thought, Lin Qing equipped Perfect Mastery in both Lone Swan Reflecting Shadow and Water Skimming.

He raised a fist to meet Chai Rang's "claw." Fist and claw collided.

The impact drove Lin Qing backward. He frowned. Chai Rang's strength seemed boundless, and his arm felt cold as iron. Lin Qing's blow could not budge it.

Chai Rang lunged again, pressing his advantage without mercy. Lin Qing immediately changed tactics, using Perfect Mastery in Water Skimming to slip aside.

With the movement technique behind him, his footwork became extraordinarily nimble. Chai Rang's claws struck empty air again and again.

Lin Qing soon spotted an opening. He drew his saber and slashed. Bolstered by Perfect Mastery in Lone Swan Reflecting Shadow, the stroke was fast and vicious. It traced an arc through the air, struck Chai Rang's arm, and severed it cleanly.

Chai Rang tried to dodge, but it was too late. The blade flashed like moonlight. He could not escape it.

Agony hit. Chai Rang let out a scream that shook the heavens and staggered back, clutching his arm as blood poured from it.

Lin Qing pressed forward and swung again, taking Chai Rang's head clean off.

"Master Chai is dead!"

At Chai Rang's death, many of the people nearby panicked. They scrambled up and fled the courtyard.

Of the seven thugs, two had been knocked unconscious by flying stones. The other five were wounded but could still move, and now they ran for their lives.

Lin Qing did not give chase. He searched Chai Rang's corpse first, but found only a few taels in loose silver.

"Another pauper."

He took a small dark-green bottle from his robes. It contained Corpse-Dissolving Water supplied by the yamen for disposing of bodies when necessary.

He pulled the stopper and poured a generous amount of dark-green liquid over Chai Rang's corpse. In moments, the body dissolved into a puddle of filthy water.

Then he tossed a lit taper into the puddle. The liquid caught fire, turning to ash in a handful of breaths.

As it burned, information appeared before Lin Qing: Chai Rang's basic details. The salvation progress rapidly climbed from 0 to 100.

In an instant, Lin Qing plunged into a torrent of memories. Fragments of Chai Rang's life flooded his mind.

Now that the Rebirth Record had reached the second tier, he could see far more memories than before.

When the final scene faded, Lin Qing drew a deep breath. The sheer amount of information in those memories shook him.

First came Chai Rang's identity. He was not only the leader of the Three Harmonies Gang; in secret, he was also a menial disciple of Yinyuan Sect.

That was how a shiftless street thug had become the leader of the Three Harmonies Gang in just a few years: Yinyuan Sect had backed him.

Then there was Chai Rang's martial arts. He had reached Bright Force Perfection and brought a technique called Mysterious Yin Bone-Scrambling Hand to Perfect Mastery.

That explained why Lin Qing had lost so badly in their first clash of strength.

Last, and most crucial, after Yin Muhua arrived, Chai Rang had become one of her most capable subordinates.

Chai Rang had targeted the General Store because Yin Muhua had been secretly gathering intelligence. She had identified several important locations where the Wooden Idol might be hidden, and the Lin Family's General Store was one of them.

Chai Rang's task was to determine whether the General Store held the Buddha Statue. If he found it, Yin Muhua could recommend him to become an Outer Disciple of Yinyuan Sect.

Menial disciples held the lowest status. In Yinyuan Sect, they were little more than outsiders—and cannon fodder.

Outer Disciples were different. They could enter Yinyuan Sect's headquarters to study martial arts and enjoyed many other privileges.

So Chai Rang had insisted on searching the shop despite knowing Lin Qing had someone powerful behind him. It had cost him his life.

They still haven't given up. If they keep searching like this, sooner or later something will go wrong, Lin Qing thought.

"Cao Family Village," Lin Qing murmured.

Chai Rang's memories clearly showed that Yin Muhua was hiding in Cao Family Village.

Only her most trusted aides knew that. Chai Rang had been one of them.

Without the Rebirth Record to search his memories, Lin Qing would never have uncovered this vital clue.

Now he had two choices: keep it secret or report it.

Lin Qing decided quickly. He would report it. As long as Yin Muhua lived, he could neither eat nor sleep in peace. It felt as though a sharp sword hung over his head.

He could not deal with her himself. He would have to rely on the yamen.

I'll find Master first thing tomorrow morning, Lin Qing decided.

More information appeared before him.

[Please choose one martial art, skill, or Talent to copy]

1. Mysterious Yin Bone-Scrambling Hand (Perfect Mastery)

An unranked martial art passed down in Yinyuan Sect of the Shu Region. It combines training and combat. Its vicious moves can wrench tendons and dislocate bones, causing unbearable pain. At Perfect Mastery, the practitioner can reach the peak of Bright Force and unleash Cold Marrow Force. Its power circulates through the body, strengthening the physique, greatly hardening certain body parts, and shutting off pain.

2. Talent: Poison Resistance (Excellent)

The body has resistance to ordinary poisons far beyond that of most people. After poisoning, symptoms are milder and take longer to appear.

3. Gambling Tricks (Minor Mastery)

Skilled in handling all manner of gambling implements and adept at cheating to win money.

4. Wandering Soul Steps (Minor Mastery)

An unranked movement technique passed down in Yinyuan Sect of the Shu Region. Its nimble footwork allows rapid dodges and shifts over short distances, giving a Martial Artist a major advantage in confined spaces.

Lin Qing immediately chose to copy the first martial art, Mysterious Yin Bone-Scrambling Hand.

It was the second technique for training the body that he had encountered at Perfect Mastery, after Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake. Both Lone Swan Reflecting Shadow and Water Skimming had been Combat Arts.

The distinction mattered. Body-training techniques strengthened the physique; Combat Arts improved fighting ability.

He did not know what equipping a body-training technique at Perfect Mastery would do to him—or how much it would increase his fighting strength. He could hardly wait to find out.

First, though, he took a thick hemp rope and tied up the two unconscious thugs in the courtyard.

After all this commotion, people from the yamen should be here first thing tomorrow morning.

Lin Qing decided not to go home. He would spend the night in the General Store.

With a thought, he equipped Perfect Mastery in Mysterious Yin Bone-Scrambling Hand.

Hum!

His body jolted. It felt as though a force had been driven into him, making him tremble. Intense pain followed.

Equipping Combat Arts such as Lone Swan Reflecting Shadow—or even Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake at Minor Mastery—had never caused such a powerful reaction.

But Lin Qing was tough as nails and could endure a great deal of pain.

He drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, absorbing the flood of details and techniques pouring into his mind.

After a while, his body began moving beyond his control. In the small courtyard, he practiced the martial art move by move—all twelve moves of it.

Lin Qing soon completed the entire sequence and absorbed much of the information.

"This martial art has twelve moves, but it's nowhere near as complex as Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake. There are few finer points. Overall, it's rather crude."

Lin Qing compared the two in his mind and quickly reached a conclusion.

But that was only natural. Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake was taught to every Constable in the Shu Region's yamens. The imperial court had carefully selected it from countless martial arts. It was not first-rate, but it was certainly above average.