The Zhou Family.
Zhou Shu kept her head down. By now, she had no idea what to say.
She admitted she was filled with regret.
If Lin Yan had only reached the Second-Time Skin Smoothing, she would still be worried about losing face in front of her friends.
But Lin Yan had achieved the Third-Time Skin Smoothing. Going back on her word was nothing in comparison.
Likewise, those friends of hers wouldn’t mock her; they would only envy her, perhaps even feel jealous.
The other members of the Zhou Family were just as silent. Beyond regret, what they felt most was worry.
The county town was only so big. With Lin Yan breaking through to the Third-Time Skin Smoothing, he would enter the sights of all the major families. The matter of the Yang Family’s Martial Arts Hall master arranging a matchmaker for Lin Yan couldn’t be hidden either; sooner or later, it would spread throughout the entire town.
When that happened, their Zhou Family would not only face ridicule but, more importantly, it could affect their clan’s business.
Who could guarantee that Lin Yan didn’t harbor resentment toward the Zhou Family for looking down on him back then?
Many families who did business with the Zhou Family would have to take this into account.
It might not matter in the short term, but as Lin Yan’s strength grew, the impact would become greater and greater.
However, the only comfort for the Zhou Family was that they weren’t the only ones who had rejected Lin Yan.
Being one of four families getting mocked was better than being the only one.
CRACK!
The Jade Hairpin in Li Yu’s hand snapped in two. When Lin Yan hadn’t attended her flower-viewing party, she had lost all interest in him, and she didn’t feel she had done anything wrong.
’A Martial Artist from a common family who can’t even endure the slightest provocation, with such a fragile ego... He’ll never achieve anything great in Martial Arts.’
’So how did he succeed in the Third-Time Skin Smoothing?’
Li Yu could already imagine that with Lin Yan achieving the Third-Time Skin Smoothing, the magnanimous and straightforward image she had cultivated in public would inevitably crumble.
This image she had built had made her very popular among the young Martial Artists of the county town. It was also the reason her family allowed her to choose her own husband. Now that this image was gone, she feared her family would start meddling in her marriage affairs.
「The next day.」
When Lin Yan walked out of his home, he could clearly feel that the way his neighbors looked at him had changed. Their gazes were now filled with awe.
Most people who could afford a house in East City were relatively well-off. Even if they didn’t have a Skin Smoothing Martial Artist in their immediate family, they likely had relatives who were. They were well-informed.
Besides, the stream of guests coming and going from the Lin Family residence yesterday hadn’t stopped. A few casual inquiries were all it took to know what had happened.
A Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist. A truly important figure.
Lin Yan’s attitude remained unchanged. Just like always, he would give a smiling nod to people he met as a greeting. Once he was out of the alley, he headed for his destination.
For a Martial Artist in the county town, breaking through to the Third-Time Skin Smoothing was a joyous occasion worthy of a celebratory banquet. But Lin Yan had no intention of hosting one.
’Hosting a banquet costs money.’
’Wouldn’t it be better to save that money for Bone Tempering Pills?’
He had little interaction with the major families and merchants who had sent gifts yesterday. Why host a banquet just for the sake of face?
As for his senior brothers from the Martial Arts Hall, Lin Yan hadn’t accepted their gifts. Junior Brother Zhao hadn’t accepted any back then either, so he couldn’t bring himself to shamelessly take them. The only thing he accepted was the silver banknote for two hundred taels sent by his master’s Steward yesterday. Today, he was going to the Martial Arts Hall to thank his master in person.
He knew without thinking that his master must have been the one who arranged for the news of his Third-Time Skin Smoothing to be spread.
With one thousand four hundred taels from congratulatory gifts, plus the two hundred taels sponsored by the Wang Family and supplemented by the Lin Family, and another two hundred taels from his uncle, the silver coins he had on him was now close to three thousand taels.
This sum seemed enormous, enough to buy a three-courtyard residence in the county town, purchase dozens of acres of fertile land, and even hire a dozen servants to live the comfortable life of a landlord.
But when it came to Martial Arts, it was only enough to cover a few months of his expenses.
Junior Brother Zhao took one Tiger Bone Tempering Pill every day; he definitely couldn’t afford that. He opted for one Leopard Bone Tempering Pill a day instead.
On top of that, there was eating Treasure Meat and applying Secret Ointment—all of which cost money.
It was only after leaving the Martial Arts Hall that Lin Yan understood why the major families of the county town had sent him congratulatory gifts. This tradition had persisted in Guangping County Town for several hundred years.
The tradition arose because a genius Martial Artist had once appeared in Guangping County Town, who had also achieved the Third-Time Skin Smoothing at a young age.
That genius senior came from a poor family. After reaching the Third-Time Skin Smoothing, he had no money for Cultivation and chose to leave Guangping County Town. Unexpectedly, a little over a decade later, his name would shake the entire Shandong Dao.
When the Martial Artists of Guangping County Town later made inquiries and learned of this, they were kicking themselves in regret.
After leaving Guangping County, that genius senior went to Jin Chuan County. An old Martial Arts senior in Jin Chuan County saw his potential and called upon the major families there to help him out. They eventually raised several thousand silver taels for him. And that genius senior did not disappoint. Not only did he step into the Blood Exchange Realm within two years, but he also went on to become one of the top Powerhouses in Shandong Dao.
To repay the kindness of the Jin Chuan County families, that genius senior exempted the county from thirty years of taxes. Furthermore, he would personally give guidance to any rising star from Jin Chuan County.
Besides these obvious benefits, there were many hidden ones as well.
During those decades, the merchant caravans of Jin Chuan County traveled unhindered throughout Shandong Dao; no mountain bandits or Water Bandits dared to touch them. Jin Chuan County also got a piece of the pie in many Martial Arts Resources trades that were originally only accessible to Prefecture City Influences.
When the news reached Guangping County Town, all the major Martial Artist Clans there fell silent.
It was in that same year that the major families made a pact: for any Martial Artist who reached the Third-Time Skin Smoothing before the age of twenty, every family had to give a monetary gift.
In the beginning, the stipulated amount was one hundred taels from each family, and everyone gave willingly.
Unfortunately, these Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists under twenty all ended up stalling at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. Over time, the families’ enthusiasm waned, but the tradition itself remained.
The only change was that the agreed-upon amount of silver coins dropped from one hundred taels to fifty, and now, it was down to twenty or thirty taels.
After hearing his master’s story, Lin Yan could only marvel. ’What a farce,’ he thought.
Lin Yan didn’t humiliate himself by asking how much Junior Brother Zhao had received in gifts; it was certainly much more than his own.
With the brilliant precedent set by Junior Brother Zhao, the families were more optimistic about his prospects, giving him larger gifts while his own were smaller.
「Three days later.」
Lin Yan bid farewell to his aunt, carrying the silver banknotes and Bone Tempering Pills as he rode out of the city.
After reaching the Third-Time Skin Smoothing, he had volunteered to the Tang Family to go to Sanshan County and oversee their territory there. The Tang Family had agreed.
He chose Sanshan County for a simple reason: the long mountain ranges there were the perfect place to make use of the True Understanding of Earth Veins.
Secondly, the conflict between the county’s Inspection Bureau and the Four Seas Gang was currently intense. The major powers in the city were all choosing sides. As a Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist, he would definitely be targeted by both factions. Going to Sanshan County was also a way to avoid the current turmoil.
But before leaving the city, he had to make a trip to the Lin Mansion first.
Lin Yan arrived at Lin’s Iron Shop and was escorted into the front hall by the steward. Qin Yin was already waiting there.
"Young Master Lin, here is the weapon you requested."
In front of Qin Yin was a scabbard with a handle protruding from it. Lin Yan grasped the handle and drew out a long saber. At the same time, his right hand gripped the mouth of the scabbard again, and a Longsword sprang out from within.
"What exquisite craftsmanship."
Feeling the smooth release of the Longsword and how well it was hidden within the scabbard, Lin Yan was very satisfied.
This was the request he had made to Qin Yin yesterday: to forge a scabbard, but one with a hidden mechanism inside that could conceal both a saber and a sword.
His reason for doing this was simple: to hide his true strength.
Anyone unfamiliar with him, upon seeing the scabbard on his back, would jump to the conclusion that he was a bladesman. When he drew his sword, it would be a nasty surprise for them.
’Pulling a sword from a saber’s scabbard seems perfectly reasonable.’
The extra saber was for camouflage. His gray Martial Arts Tree destined him to expose his Swordsmanship as little as possible, allowing him to move in the shadows.
"This was forged by our Lin Family’s best Blacksmith according to your requirements, Young Master Lin."
Qin Yin watched Lin Yan examine the saber and sword, a faint smile playing at the corners of her eyes. She recalled relaying Young Master Lin’s request to the master craftsman in the mansion three days ago. She remembered his grumbling face, complaining that he had never seen anyone request such a scabbard.
She didn’t know why Young Master Lin wanted such a strange scabbard, but since it was his request, she was determined to fulfill it completely.
The mansion’s craftsman might have grumbled, but he still managed to forge it within three days.
"Madam Lin, how much for the saber, sword, and scabbard?"
Lin Yan sheathed the weapons and asked. Qin Yin’s face broke into a gentle smile. "With the relationship between you and our Lin Family, Young Master Lin, talking about money would be too distant."
"In that case, thank you."
Since she wasn’t charging, Lin Yan didn’t stand on ceremony. Ever since he reached the Third-Time Skin Smoothing, the Lin Mansion would publicize their connection to him. In the future, if the Lin Family ran into any trouble, he would be responsible for helping them resolve it.

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