The next day!
East City was in an uproar, and so was the Martial Arts Community of Guangping County Town.
Wang Family Patriarch Wang Heng and his nephew Wang Hao had been killed. Most of the family’s Skin Smoothing Martial Artists were annihilated, with only a few who were away from the estate last night managing to survive.
While the major powers of Guangping County were reeling from the news, in North City, Xu Ping and his father from the Xu Family had also been awake all night.
The father and son stared at a bag of silver on the table, sitting in silence from dawn until noon.
At dawn, Father Xu had heard a noise in the courtyard. He got up to check, only to find an extra bundle there. Upon opening it, he discovered it contained a full two hundred silver coins.
"Ping’er, who do you think left this silver? Could they have tossed it into the wrong courtyard?"
"Father."
Xu Ping cut his father off, a decisive glint in his bloodshot eyes. "Don’t worry about who left this silver. We’ll act as if this never happened. Don’t mention it to anyone, and that includes Mother."
He had practiced martial arts, after all, and was a quick thinker.
’A hundred silver coins is no small sum; it couldn’t possibly be a mistake.’
’Whoever left the money did so late at night and left no trace. They clearly don’t want their identity known.’
「Qingtian Town.」
Lin Yan was very satisfied with last night’s haul.
Eight hundred in silver banknotes, over two hundred in silver, and some Martial Arts Elixirs—the total value was nearly one thousand five hundred.
He was the one who had left the two hundred for the Xu Family.
Xu Ping had been crippled by the Wang Family’s schemes on his account, so attacking the Wang Family was also a form of revenge for Xu Ping.
The two hundred was compensation for Xu Ping, as well as a thank you for letting him have the position offered by the Tang Family.
North City was a rougher area. This sum was enough for the Xu Family to buy a house in a less bustling part of East City or South City. They would still have a good bit left over—enough to cover their expenses for several years.
It wasn’t that Lin Yan didn’t want to give more, but his own cultivation required money. If an opportunity arose in the future, he would send the Xu Family more.
’Besides, if I gave the Xu Family too much, they would just save it. It’s better for me to use it for my cultivation for now.’
’No one knows about my breakthrough to the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing yet. Nobody will connect the deaths of the Wang uncle and nephew to me. In a few days, when things have quieted down, I’ll go back to town and announce my breakthrough.’
「Seven days later.」
Yang Family Martial Arts Hall.
Lin Yan entered the Martial Arts Hall and couldn’t help but frown at the few youths scattered across the front courtyard. When he had first come to become a disciple last year, there had been over a dozen students here. Every visit since, the number had always been above ten.
Puzzled, Lin Yan crossed the Central Courtyard to the rear courtyard. There weren’t many disciples in the Central Courtyard either, but thankfully, a few senior brothers were present in the rear courtyard.
"Junior Brother Lin."
Lü Qianfan and the others cultivating in the rear courtyard quickly stopped to greet Lin Yan when they saw him enter.
Lin Yan nodded in reply. "Senior Brother Lü, is Master in?"
"Master’s in the main hall."
"Then I’ll go pay my respects to Master. We can chat later."
Lü Qianfan and the others watched Lin Yan’s retreating back as he headed for the main hall, their expressions complicated.
Junior Brother Lin had reached Single-Time Skin Smoothing later than they had, and they had once looked down on him for his humble origins. They never imagined that in the blink of an eye, he would already be a Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist—and one of the best, at that.
’And as for what Junior Brother Lin said about "chat later," that was just a polite formality.’
’Li An, on the other hand, is very close with Junior Brother Lin. If Li An were here, Junior Brother Lin would have actually stopped to talk for a bit, instead of just offering a polite "chat later."’
In the main hall, Yang Qingfeng was reviewing an account book. A smile spread across his face when he saw Lin Yan walk in.
"This disciple pays his respects to Master."
Lin Yan bowed and said directly, "I’ve come today to share some good news with you, Master."
"What good news?"
Yang Qingfeng’s gaze instinctively swept over Lin Yan, sizing him up. After a moment, his eyes lit up. "The Third-Time of Skin Smoothing?"
"Your eyes are truly sharp, Master. I knew I couldn’t hide it from you."
Lin Yan chuckled. Yang Qingfeng stood up from his chair, stepped forward, and gripped Lin Yan’s arm. He exerted a bit of force, sensing the surging Qi Blood within Lin Yan, then let go, his face full of relief and pride.
"Excellent. I originally thought it would take you another six months to break through to the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing. You’ve truly given me a pleasant surprise."
Yang Qingfeng was incredibly pleased with Lin Yan.
At first, he had merely thought Lin Yan had a good disposition. In Martial Arts cultivation, however, resources were what truly mattered. He never expected Lin Yan to surprise him time and time again. From the Single-Time, to the Second, and now the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing—with such cultivation speed, he had already surpassed ninety percent of the Martial Artists in the county town.
However, beneath his satisfaction, Yang Qingfeng also felt a pang of guilt.
As the master of the Martial Arts Hall, he naturally hoped his disciples would be geniuses. Yet now that he truly had two such talents before him, he felt both happy and ashamed.
Since opening the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, he had always treated his disciples fairly. Aside from the initial apprenticeship fee, he only marked up Secret Medicines and meals by twenty percent over cost. As a result, he hadn’t accumulated many silver coins over the years.
With the resources at his disposal, he could manage to train Second-Time and Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists. But the cost required to quickly push for the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing was an astronomical figure.
By pooling all their resources, he and the Zhao Family could barely cover the expenses Linyuan required. As for Lin Yan, he couldn’t afford to provide him with many more Martial Arts Resources.
This was why he had tried to arrange a marriage for Lin Yan back then, and why he had later given him the secret formula for the Secret Medicine.

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