Zhang Yu walked up to Lin Fan, his towering figure casting a shadow over him. "You came at just the right time. Liu Rui failed to satisfy Young Master Tang, so you can take his place." Zhang Yu's voice was as cold as a judge pronouncing a death sentence.
Lin Fan's heart sank. This Young Master Tang was clearly no easy customer. By making this arrangement, his eldest senior brother clearly intended for him to follow in Liu Rui's footsteps and spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
He forced a smile. "Eldest senior brother, I'm still unfamiliar with how to act as a Human Stake. I'm afraid rushing into sparring with Young Master Tang might displease him."
His eldest senior brother's gaze turned cold. "Are you accusing me of making arbitrary arrangements?"
Lin Fan lowered his eyes and said, "I wouldn't dare."
His eldest senior brother oversaw the martial hall's outer courtyard and had the authority to expel him. He could only swallow his anger, at least until he obtained a Body Tempering technique.
"Hmph!" Zhang Yu snorted coldly. "I oversee everything in the outer courtyard. You'll do whatever I tell you to do. If you have any more complaints, get the hell out!"
With that, he turned and left. Lin Fan could only follow with a bellyful of suppressed anger, leaving the outer courtyard and entering the martial training courtyard opposite it.
The martial training courtyard was the martial hall's source of income. Wealthy young masters and young ladies from the city studied martial arts here under the hall's instructors, and Human Stakes were provided for their practice.
Upon entering the martial training courtyard, the first thing he saw was a spacious hall, where thirty-four young men and women were following the instructor at the front through a series of strange poses.
Could this be a Body Tempering technique? Lin Fan's eyes lit up. He wanted very much to stop and watch, but now was not the time.
He followed Zhang Yu around the courtyard until they reached the door of a room. Zhang Yu, who had worn a stern expression the entire way, forced a smile and knocked softly on the door.
"Come in," came a somewhat youthful voice from inside.
The smile on Zhang Yu's face deepened into outright flattery, and he gently pushed open the door.
Through the gap in the door, a spacious, antiquely furnished training room came into view. A boy who looked only fourteen or fifteen was practicing a fist technique, his fists whipping up fierce gusts. It was clearly quite powerful.
"Young Master Tang," Zhang Yu greeted him with his head bowed.
Young Master Tang ignored him and continued practicing his fist technique. Zhang Yu kept smiling, showing not the slightest impatience.
Lin Fan gained a deeper understanding of Zhang Yu's character: he bowed and scraped before the strong and lorded it over the weak.
He clenched his fists, his expression resolute. Strength. It all comes down to strength. If I were a martial artist now, Zhang Yu would never dare treat me like this.
"Whew..."
Young Master Tang withdrew his fists and exhaled a breath of stale air. He turned toward Zhang Yu, displeasure in his eyes. "Zhang Yu, if the Human Stake you brought this time fails to satisfy me again, I'll have to have a proper word with Hall Master Mo."
Zhang Yu immediately became fearful and deferential. "Young Master Tang, I'm very sorry that trash Liu Rui failed to satisfy you, but all the junior brothers who've reached greater mastery or perfection in Iron Cloth Shirt have been requisitioned by the county office for disaster relief. Only those at lesser mastery remain in the martial hall. I'm truly sorry."
Young Master Tang frowned and turned his gaze toward Lin Fan. Seeing his thin frame, the displeasure in his eyes deepened.
"Can someone with his build really manage?" He pointed at Lin Fan and questioned Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu lowered his head even further, a crafty gleam flashing through his eyes. "Young Master Tang, he may look thin, but he reached lesser mastery in Iron Cloth Shirt in just five days. He has a talent for external body training and is the most suitable choice."
"Oh?" Young Master Tang raised an eyebrow and sized Lin Fan up again. "Lesser mastery in five days? To think you have such talent for external body training. I hope you won't disappoint me."
He waved a hand at Zhang Yu, who tactfully withdrew. As he passed Lin Fan, he left an indifferent warning by his ear. "You must not disappoint Young Master Tang, or you can get out."
Lin Fan did not answer him. Instead, he cupped his hands toward Young Master Tang. "Young Master Tang, I'm entirely at your disposal."
Young Master Tang pointed at the three taels of loose silver on a nearby table. "If you satisfy me, those three taels of silver are yours."
Lin Fan secretly rejoiced at those words. Three taels of silver! In the past, he would have had to work an entire year without eating or drinking to save that much. Now, all he needed to do was satisfy Young Master Tang. He had to seize this opportunity.
"I'll do my utmost."
Lin Fan stood opposite Young Master Tang, who clenched his fist and drove it toward Lin Fan's chest. Lin Fan held his breath, braced himself, and waited for the fist to land.
Thump...
A dull thud sounded from Lin Fan's chest, and he felt a surge of pain. Young Master Tang's punch was heavy, with an estimated force exceeding five hundred jin. Without at least greater mastery in Iron Cloth Shirt, there was no way to withstand it.
Fortunately, I only came after reaching perfection. If I'd come at lesser mastery, that punch would have been enough to break my ribs. Lin Fan silently congratulated himself on his decision.
Seeing that Lin Fan had not budged, Young Master Tang looked satisfied. "Not bad. Get ready. I'm going all out." As his words fell, his fist struck again.
Lin Fan gritted his teeth and did his utmost to hold steady. The fist landed on his arm, and even fiercer pain swept through his entire body. The force of the punch seemed greater, but it did not exceed Lin Fan's limit. He retreated only a small half-step before steadying himself.
"Hahaha... Good!"
Young Master Tang was delighted. His fists kept landing all over Lin Fan's body. Martial techniques were killing techniques, so using a person as a training dummy was naturally the best way to practice.
Lin Fan endured it silently. Compared to when he had first started practicing Iron Cloth Shirt, this little pain amounted to nothing.
Young Master Tang performed his fist routine once on Lin Fan. Seeing that Lin Fan was still standing firmly in place, his face filled with a smile. He patted Lin Fan on the shoulder. "Very good. Let me practice a few more rounds, and those three taels of silver are yours."
"Thank you, Young Master Tang." Lin Fan beamed.
Young Master Tang squeezed Lin Fan's arm. "Are you really only at lesser mastery in Iron Cloth Shirt?" he asked disbelievingly.
"To answer you, Young Master Tang, I only came over from the rear courtyard today. Perhaps I really do have a little talent for external body training," Lin Fan explained.
Young Master Tang nodded without dwelling on it. "Come on, let's go to the dining hall first," he called.
Meanwhile, in a room in the outer courtyard, a bare-bodied man was enduring blows from three people wielding wooden clubs. The clubs struck every inch of his skin. His whole body was red and giving off steam.
Zhang Yu walked in, his face wreathed in smiles. "Junior Brother Li, you have exceptional talent, yet you still work so hard. You truly put your senior brother to shame."
Li Feng did not stop training. He cast a contemptuous glance at Zhang Yu. "Have you come for something, eldest senior brother?"
Zhang Yu suppressed his displeasure and maintained his smile. "Junior Brother Li, Lin Fan reported in just now, but I assigned him to Young Master Tang. Given the force of Young Master Tang's punches, he's probably had several bones broken by now."
Li Feng's gaze sharpened. He actually only took one day longer than me. Lin Fan, I can't let you stay. He pondered silently.
"Senior Brother Zhang, I don't want to see him again," he said indifferently.
"I'll have someone throw him out in a moment. The martial hall doesn't keep trash." Zhang Yu thumped his chest in promise, then turned and left.
"Heh..." Li Feng gave a contemptuous laugh. "Lin Fan, dealing with you is no harder than dealing with an ant. A hair's difference in talent is the gulf between heaven and earth. I'll become the deputy hall master's disciple, while you can only rot in the mud forever."