Trouble

The poor pursued letters; the rich practiced martial arts.

Even a landowning household like the Zhang family.

Found it extremely taxing to support a single person's martial training. Children from ordinary households could save up all they had only to buy a few months of grueling practice, often with little to show for it.

Sun Yan and Hei Hu were both in precisely that position.

Within days of arriving at the martial arts school, Zhang Lingfeng had brought the two under his wing with nothing more than a few pounds of meat and a large flatbread he could not finish.

The two saved him a great deal of trouble, giving him more time to devote to serious training at the school.

Once a circle formed.

And preferential treatment emerged.

Others would look for ways to join.

Quite a few apprentices from poor families wanted to follow Zhang Lingfeng and receive his rewards, but how could he have enough meat to reward everyone?

Yet he did not need to reward every single person. As long as people knew that following him brought benefits and status, they would find ways to squeeze into his circle.

Sun Yan and Hei Hu would also take it upon themselves to bring the newcomers into line, imperceptibly raising their own standing in the outer courtyard. By then, whether Zhang Lingfeng gave them meat or not, the two would still center themselves around him.

If the meat kept coming and his strength far surpassed theirs, they would only support him more devotedly, and this circle would become even more solid.

After a brief rest.

Zhang Lingfeng continued practicing the Twelve-Routine Iron Mountain Fist.

"Thud!"

Hei Hu became Zhang Lingfeng's punching bag.

When he returned home for lunch, Zhang Pingping had already stewed a pot of horse meat and bone broth, waiting for him to come back and enjoy it.

Sun Yan and Hei Hu sat at another table. Zhang Pingping served them another pot of lighter bone broth and a bowl of meat stripped from the bones.

"Thank you, Sister Pingping."

Sun Yan and Hei Hu thanked her gratefully.

"Take your time eating."

Zhang Pingping smiled faintly and returned to sit at Zhang Lingfeng's table. Seeing that he had finished the broth in his bowl, she took the initiative to ladle him another bowl.

"How are things going over in Stone Village?"

Zhang Lingfeng asked casually.

Zhang Da had not visited again over the past month. He had heard that his father was busy with the land reclamation in Stone Village. He distinctly remembered that the water supply issue had already been resolved. Had something happened there that required his father to keep an eye on things for Third Uncle?

"Father sent Xu Laiyi over with money this morning. Xu Laiyi said a troublemaker had cropped up in Stone Village, and Wang Dashan might not be able to keep him under control."

Zhang Pingping spoke offhandedly.

"A troublemaker?"

Zhang Lingfeng frowned.

He distinctly remembered Wang Dashan saying that he had dealt with practically everyone in the village. How had a troublemaker suddenly appeared to disrupt the water supply? Could Wang Dashan be deliberately making trouble?

"Yes. Apparently, Wang Dashan pushed a brother and sister too far. They actually sold their fields. The older brother went to the county town to learn martial arts, while the younger sister washed clothes for people in town. Supposedly, the brother seems to have learned some real skills."

Zhang Pingping explained.

Zhang Lingfeng put down his bowl and chopsticks. He knew that a cornered dog would leap over a wall, and even a rabbit would bite when driven too far.

For a brother and sister who depended on each other to dare to sell their fields in times like these, the brother must have had complete confidence that he could acquire real martial skills.

Once the man grew stronger and stopped Stone Village's water from flowing out, all the family's initial investment would go down the drain.

The Lineage had just spent several hundred taels of silver supporting his martial training. If something went wrong with the land reclamation, everyone at home would be thrown into turmoil, and it might affect his subsequent training.

"Find out which martial arts school he's training at. Tell Father I'll make a trip home in a while."

Zhang Lingfeng said.

Given another month, he would be able to develop ming jin.

Once he mastered ming jin, he would count as a true martial artist. Would dealing with one troublemaker not be easy? Of course, it would be best if he could deal with the man before he grew stronger.

"Don't do anything reckless."

Zhang Pingping reminded him.

"Brother Feng, do you need our help?"

Hei Hu asked.

"Don't worry. There'll be plenty of opportunities."

Zhang Lingfeng said mildly.

"If there's anything you need us for, just say the word."

Sun Yan chimed in.

"Mm."

Zhang Lingfeng nodded, scooped out most of the meat in the pot, and pushed the remainder toward Zhang Pingping. She then carried the meat over to Hei Hu and Sun Yan.

She said, "Lingfeng will be making a trip home in a while. You two should go back with him."

As she spoke, Zhang Pingping scooped the meat from the pot into Hei Hu's and Sun Yan's bowls.

"We'll go wherever Sister Pingping tells us to!"

Hei Hu's mouth glistened with grease.

"We'll do as Brother Feng and Sister Pingping say."

Sun Yan held his bowl beneath the rim of the pot.

Zhang Pingping nodded in satisfaction, scooped the meat into their bowls, and poured a ladle of braising broth over it. Their appetites whetted, the two polished off every scrap of meat and grain of rice in their bowls.

Time hurried by.

In the blink of an eye, another half month had passed.

[Twelve-Routine Iron Mountain Fist Upper Part: (450/600)]

Zhang Lingfeng trained day after day, steadily advancing his fist technique and drawing ever closer to developing ming jin.

Over that half month, Zhang Lingfeng also found out exactly who the troublemaker Wang Dashan had mentioned was.

A fellow named Chen Sanshi.

He usually farmed at home and occasionally went hunting in the mountains to supplement the household income. Life was hard, but he could get by. Perhaps Wang Dashan really had pushed him too far, giving him the idea of learning martial arts. He had sold his family's fields and scraped together enough to pay for four months of training at a martial arts school run by a man surnamed Liu.

Half a month earlier, he had returned to the village intending to sell the house as well, only to run into Wang Dashan. The two had grappled with each other. Had Wang Dashan's underlings not arrived in time, he would have nearly died at Chen Sanshi's hands.

The man had fled back to the county town, having threatened to tear Wang Dashan into ten thousand pieces. Lately, he had stayed holed up inside the Liu martial arts school, leaving Wang Dashan unable to sleep at night.

That was why the land reclamation had been affected.

"Brother Feng, that Chen fellow has gone back."

Just as Zhang Lingfeng sat down to rest, with Hei Hu beside him kneading his shoulders and legs, an outer courtyard apprentice surnamed Ma ran back and reported.

"Good."

Zhang Lingfeng nodded slightly.

After confirming which martial arts school Chen Sanshi trained at, Zhang Lingfeng had sent people to keep a close watch on him. He had also learned that Chen Sanshi actually possessed middling aptitude, had not yet passed the ideal age for martial training, and had earned the appreciation of that master surnamed Liu.

Perhaps he could develop ming jin within four or five months.

That afternoon.

Zhang Pingping brought a girl surnamed Chen in from outside.

"Little sister, have a bowl of hot broth first!"

"I'll teach you needlework in a bit."

Zhang Pingping brought the girl surnamed Chen a bowl of hot broth.

"Thank you, big sister. You're so kind, letting me wash your family's clothes and even being willing to teach me needlework."

The young woman surnamed Chen was somewhat reserved.

But after Zhang Pingping repeatedly reassured her, especially once she learned that Zhang Pingping also came from near Stone Village, she gradually relaxed and began chatting with her of her own accord.

"The embroidery on this pouch of yours is quite nice, little sister, but the pattern is a little plain. Here, let me touch it up for you."

Zhang Pingping took a faded pouch from the young woman's waist.