At noon, the sun hung high in the sky.
Lin Yan crouched by a stream. Amidst a patch of ferns before him, several plants with heart-shaped leaves and reddish stems stood out. He carefully dug around their bases with a small hoe, pulled the Blood Ginseng out by the roots, shook off the dirt, and placed them into the cloth pouch at his waist.
His harvest from the past three days in the mountains had been quite good.
Besides the few stalks of Blood Ginseng from the stream, he had also found a ten-year-old Polygonum multiflorum, a small patch of Golden Thread Orchid, and several mature Lingzhi mushrooms.
Including the Rare Birds and game he had hunted over the past few days, his haul was worth nearly one or two thousand silver.
Adding the silver banknotes from the three Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists who had tried to assassinate him, his funds had already surpassed ten thousand silver. He could be considered quite wealthy, but Lin Yan would never turn his nose up at a small gain.
Always be mindful of lean times during days of plenty, lest you have nothing when you need it most.
He hadn’t forgotten the days back in Guangping County Town, when he’d had to stretch every last bit of silver.
No profit was too small, just as even a mosquito’s leg was still meat, and a copper plate was still money.
While he no longer had to worry about a few pieces of silver, a single trip into the mountains now yielded over a thousand silver in earnings—a sum he couldn’t have even dreamed of before.
As for not finding any Treasure Medicine, he wasn’t discouraged.
If Treasure Medicine were that easy to find, it wouldn’t be called "Treasure."
Standing up, Lin Yan glanced at the sun and dusted the dirt from his hands, preparing to find a spot to eat his midday meal.
Suddenly, birds burst from the forest ahead, squawking as they flew over his head.
Lin Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Birds scattering like this meant one of two things: either predators were fighting, or people were.
After surveying the surrounding terrain, Lin Yan paused, then headed toward the mountaintop. Once there, he leaped into the nearest large tree, concealing himself within its canopy.
It was the tallest tree in the area. From the canopy, he could see what was happening ahead while the dense branches hid his figure from distant eyes.
Gazing into the distance, Lin Yan soon spotted two groups of people facing off in a clearing in a mountain hollow several miles away.
’Qian Wanli and Zhao Zixuan?’
Although they were too far away for Lin Yan to make out their faces, he was a Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist, and the silhouettes of two of the figures felt familiar.
After staring for a moment, Lin Yan grew certain. It was definitely them.
Aside from Zhao Zixuan and Qian Wanli, the other figures seemed unfamiliar; they were definitely not the Martial Artists who guarded the entrance.
If this was exposed, he would be implicated for dereliction of duty.
Initially, upon sensing the two groups, Lin Yan had planned to steer clear and take a detour. He hated getting entangled in trouble more than anything.
But now that he had identified Zhao Zixuan and Qian Wanli, he could no longer choose to avoid them.
With this in mind, Lin Yan descended from the canopy and moved toward them.
In the clearing, the two groups stood no more than a hundred feet apart.
Qian Wanli and Zhao Zixuan looked grim, and the three men behind them gripped their weapons, their gazes fixed warily on the four people opposite them.
The four people opposite them were young, and their leader wore a brown sash around his waist.
In Boshan County, or rather, in the entire Qing State Prefecture, Qian Wanli and Zhao Zixuan knew exactly what a brown sash signified.
They never expected to have such bad luck and run into people from the Lin Family’s Fourth Branch.
The entire Yantian Mountain Range was jointly guarded by the First, Third, and Fourth Branches, and encountering the First Branch would have been better than running into the Fourth.
"Young masters," Qian Wanli began, suppressing his unease, his voice low. "We are the Martial Artists from the Boshan County region, responsible for guarding the Yantian Mountain Range. May I ask why you are blocking our path?"
"Guards of the mountain range?"
A sneer played on Lin Chengji’s lips. "Just because you say you’re the Martial Artists who guard the mountain range, that makes it true?"
"This is my Identity Token. The young master can inspect it."
Qian Wanli took a Pass Token from his robes. These were issued by the Lin Family specifically for the Martial Artists guarding the mountain entrances. Their purpose was to prevent misunderstandings and conflict if patrols from different regions were to cross paths.
Lin Chengji glanced at his companion, who stepped forward, took the token, and after a brief inspection, nodded. "It is indeed a Token from the Boshan County side."
Hearing his Identity Token confirmed, Qian Wanli and Zhao Zixuan breathed a small sigh of relief. Even with the friction between the Fourth and Third Branches, they wouldn’t take it out on mere Martial Artists guarding a mountain entrance.
At worst, they would just have to endure a bit of humiliation, like they were now.
"Identity’s correct. Mm, that’s fine then."
Lin Chengji nodded, his tone flat. Just as Qian Wanli was about to cup his fists and take his leave, suddenly—
Three streaks of black light shot through the air, heading straight for him.
There was no warning, no signal, not even a meaningful glance. The three men behind Lin Chengji had already lunged forward like tigers uncaged.
The three streaks of black light had been fired by one of them.
The man flipped his hands over, revealing three black Iron Lotus Seeds cupped in each palm. With a flick of his wrists, six streaks of black light shot out with a sharp whistle, aimed not only at Qian Wanli but at Zhao Zixuan as well.
At the same time, the other two men drew the long blades from their waists and flanked them from the left and right, their figures moving so fast they left afterimages in the forest.
Caught completely off guard, Qian Wanli desperately threw himself backward at the last second, but he was a step too slow.

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