He had sensed that something was amiss in Guangping County Town.
"The three gangs we were backing have been wiped out. It’s highly likely the Four Seas Gang and the Inspection Bureau already know our Wang Family was behind them. Staying in Guangping County Town will bring more harm than good."
"Uncle, we have their families under our control. For the sake of their families’ lives, they shouldn’t expose our Wang Family."
"Foolish."
Wang Heng chided, "When your own life is on the line, what do family members matter?"
"I have been taught a lesson."
Seeing his nephew bow his head in admission, Wang Heng nodded, satisfied. He didn’t linger on the subject, but changed tack and asked, "Are there any leads on Housekeeper Li’s killer?"
"Not yet. The only one even slightly suspicious is Lin Yan, but you, Uncle, think it’s impossible."
"Lin Yan couldn’t have possibly killed Housekeeper Li. But for someone from such a common background to have cultivated to Second-Time Skin Smoothing so quickly, he must be hiding a secret. Since we’re leaving anyway, we can make a move in secret and torture that secret out of him."
A murderous glint flashed in Wang Heng’s eyes. If the Wang Family were to remain in Guangping County Town, he naturally wouldn’t be so rash; he would still have to be wary of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall behind Lin Yan. But since he had already decided to move the entire family, there was nothing left to fear.
Hearing his uncle’s words, Wang Hao’s face lit up with joy. For some reason, he had always been deeply suspicious of this Lin Yan. It wasn’t just Housekeeper Li, but also the Qingshui Gang incident before. Lin Yan was nearby both times—it was just too much of a coincidence.
Now that his uncle had decided to move against Lin Yan, he could interrogate Lin Yan himself. If it really was Lin Yan, he was confident the man wouldn’t be able to hold out under his brutal torture and would surely confess.
"Uncle, this Lin Yan is now..."
"Who’s outside the door!"
Wang Heng abruptly cut his nephew off, his gaze fixed on the doorway. There, illuminated by the candlelight, stood a figure clad in black, their face hidden by a mask.
Beneath the black mask, a hint of surprise showed in Lin Yan’s eyes. He had planned to launch a sneak attack from the shadows but hadn’t expected the Wang Family Patriarch to have such sharp hearing that he could detect his presence.
He was, after all, known as the number one expert of the Second-Time Skin Smoothing Realm in Guangping County Town. He certainly had some skill.
But now that he had been discovered, Lin Yan had no intention of hiding. As long as his opponent hadn’t broken through to the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing, he had nothing to fear. He just needed to be cautious. Old veterans like this always had a few dirty tricks up their sleeves.
Lin Yan’s appearance stunned both Wang Hao and the middle-aged man. To dare trespass in the Wang Mansion late at night—wasn’t that just courting death?
Wang Heng sat in the master’s seat, his eyes locked on the dark figure in the doorway.
’Something’s not right.’
’My strength as a peak Second-Time Skin Smoothing practitioner is known throughout the Martial Arts Community of Guangping County Town. For this person to not only come but to reveal himself, he must be well-prepared. There’s no way he’s here to just throw his life away.’
"Hao’er, take him down."
"Yes!"
Wang Hao responded and sprang into action. With a push of his foot, he lunged at Lin Yan like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. Although he had yet to break through to Second-Time Skin Smoothing, he had been immersed in the Single-Time Skin Smoothing Realm for many years and believed that few in the county town at the same Realm could defeat him.
He thrust out a claw, the wind from it whistling as it aimed straight for Lin Yan’s face.
Instead of retreating, Lin Yan advanced. He sidestepped the attack, his right arm sweeping out like a whip. He didn’t even make a fist, simply slapping forward with an open palm.
Startled, Wang Hao quickly dropped his shoulder and tucked his neck. At the same time, his left hand shot out from his waist, its five fingers clawing toward Lin Yan’s ribs.
The claw was fast and vicious—it was the killing move he had painstakingly practiced for years.
Unfortunately, the killing move he was so proud of was riddled with openings in Lin Yan’s eyes. Without dodging or evading, Lin Yan twisted at the waist, spinning like a top for half a rotation. Not only did he avoid the claw, but he used the momentum of the spin to slam his elbow viciously into the back of Wang Hao’s heart!
THUD!
The dull thud was like the beat of a war drum.
Wang Hao spat out a mouthful of blood and pitched forward, crashing heavily to the ground. He twitched twice, then went still.
From the moment they engaged to Wang Hao’s death, only three breaths had passed.
The middle-aged man in the hall stared at Lin Yan, his pupils shrinking and his face filled with terror. He failed to notice that his Patriarch was already gone.
It turned out that the very instant Wang Hao had lunged forward, Wang Heng had made his move.
Not toward Lin Yan, but toward the side door behind the screen. He didn’t even spare his own nephew a single glance.
’Hao’er, don’t blame your uncle for being ruthless.’
After rushing through the side door, Wang Heng whispered this in his heart. The reason he had survived this long was not just his ruthlessness, but more so his ability to see things clearly.
’To come here so late at night to kill... as long as the opponent isn’t an idiot, he must be confident in his ability to defeat me.’
’If I don’t run now, I’m just waiting to die. The reason I sent Hao’er out instead of my other subordinate was a gamble—a bet that the opponent wouldn’t spare a member of the Wang Family.’
’If I’d sent my subordinate, the attacker might have just ignored him and chased me. But Hao’er is different. He’s my own nephew. Whether out of hatred for the Wang Family or to prevent future retaliation, the attacker would have to cut the weeds and pull the roots. He couldn’t possibly let Hao’er go.’
’And that would buy me time to escape.’
From the corner of his eye, Lin Yan caught sight of the rapidly retreating figure and frowned. ’This old bastard is so decisive. He hasn’t even gauged my strength, yet he’s already sending his nephew to die just to create a chance to escape.’
’What an absolute animal!’
He hesitated no longer. Taking a single step, he vaulted over Wang Hao’s body on the floor and chased after him toward the back door.
The middle-aged man stood frozen, not yet realizing what had happened as the dark figure shot past him. Before he could even feel relieved, a sharp pain erupted in his chest, and he instantly lost consciousness.
Chasing out the side door, Lin Yan’s gaze swept across the courtyard and saw Wang Heng had already reached the courtyard wall, about to leap over it.
’Trying to run?’
Lin Yan pushed off the ground, his body shooting forward like an arrow. The twenty-foot distance was covered in an instant. He gathered power in his right fist and, with no fancy moves, threw a single punch.
Fist Momentum erupted, the wind from his punch roaring like thunder.
Wang Heng’s expression changed drastically. Forgetting about climbing the wall, he spun around abruptly and thrust out both palms to block.
Fist met palm.
"BANG!"
A heavy thud echoed like a sledgehammer striking the earth. Wang Heng felt a cataclysmic power surge from his palms. With a sickening CRACK, his arms gave way, the bones feeling as if they were being ground to dust. He was sent flying backward, slamming hard against the courtyard wall. Bricks shattered, and dust rained down.
"PUH!"
Wang Heng spat out a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale. He looked down at his hands; his arms hung limply, impossible to lift.
"Fist... Fist Momentum?"
His voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with terror and despair, but most of all, confusion.
’To possess the Third-Time Skin Smoothing Realm plus Fist Momentum... There are only two such Powerhouses in all of Guangping County Town, but neither of them match his height. And most importantly, there’s no way I could have offended a Powerhouse of this caliber.’
"Sir, can you at least let me die knowing why!"
Lin Yan didn’t speak. He stepped forward, raising his right fist once more.
The fist fell!
The sound of a shattering sternum exploded in the night. Wang Heng’s body, embedded in the broken courtyard wall, slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant. He was silent forever.
Lin Yan walked up to Wang Heng’s corpse. Looking down at the pale white powder on Wang Heng’s right thumb, a scornful smile touched his lips.
’Just as I expected. An old veteran like Wang Heng was bound to have some dirty tricks.’
’Wang Heng thought he was being subtle, trying to stall for time with his words. He had no idea that after my Third-Time of Skin Smoothing, my Perception was greatly enhanced. I saw every one of his subtle movements with perfect clarity.’

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