Guang’an Square.
In the courtyard of the Yiqi Gang headquarters, weapons lay scattered across the green-brick ground. Several bare-chested n were training, their shouts so loud they made the paper-paned windows tremble.
As the man with the triangular eyes who had been on surveillance lifted the door curtain and entered the room, he saw Gang Leader Zhao ng and Vice Gang Leader Qian Bao sitting in the main hall with at and wine laid out before them.
Zhao ng was burly, with a ferocious scar on his left arm. He was an expert at the Peak of Mingjin. Qian Bao, in contrast, was as lean as a monkey, with sinister eyes. He too had been stuck at the Peak of Mingjin for many years, his Horizontal Training Skills exceptionally solid.
"Gang Leader, Vice Gang Leader!" The man with the triangular eyes bowed and recounted what he had seen at the tea stall. "That kid was standing at the entrance to Guang’an Square for quite a while. The look in his eyes was off, like he was sizing up our n."
"Yang Jing?" Zhao ng set down his wine bowl, his scarred face darkening. "The sa Mingjin Martial Artist who had a grudge with the Great Fortune Gang?"
Qian Bao sneered. "Looks like we weren’t wrong. There’s a ninety percent chance he’s the one who killed Xu Tai. Why else would he take a detour through Guang’an Square on his way to Sun’s Martial Arts Hall? He must have a guilty conscience and wanted to scout our movents."
A few days ago, the gang’s investigation had led them to Yang Jing. They knew he not only had a feud with the Great Fortune Gang but was also a Mingjin expert himself, perfectly capable of finishing off the heavily injured Xu Tai.
The n sent to investigate Tongyi Square last night had returned, reporting they couldn’t dig up anything concrete. Now, hearing that Yang Jing had proactively appeared in Guang’an Square made him seem all the more suspicious to the two of them.
Zhao ng slamd his palm on the table, making the wine bowl jump. "Search! Send soone to sneak into his little courtyard and search it thoroughly! We must find that stash of valuables from the Great Fortune Gang!"
As far as Zhao ng knew, Xu Tai had once co into a windfall, so the Great Fortune Gang’s accumulated wealth was no small sum—at least several hundred taels of silver.
"And if we don’t find it..." Qian Bao licked his lips, a vicious glint in his eyes. "Then they can’t bla us for being impolite. He’s just a brat. Even if he’s a Mingjin, does he really think he can turn the world upside down?"
Zhao ng grinned, revealing yellow teeth. "Aren’t we both at the Peak of Mingjin? Even if he has a few tricks up his sleeve, I could capture him in a one-on-one fight. If we team up, he won’t even have a chance to struggle!"
The two exchanged a look, each seeing the certainty in the other’s eyes.
In their eyes, a young Mingjin Martial Artist stood no chance against two veteran masters at the Peak of Mingjin.
"Go, get two of our nimble guys and have them scout out Tongyi Square this afternoon." Zhao ng waved his hand. "If they can’t find anything, we prepare to make our move!"
The man with the triangular eyes took his leave. The aroma of at and wine still filled the room. Zhao ng and Qian Bao raised their bowls and clinked them together, as if they already had Yang Jing completely in their grasp, victory assured.
...
When Yang Jing arrived at the Martial Arts Hall, a few early disciples were already in the front courtyard, warming up and stretching their muscles.
He knew that Sun Yong was usually still resting in the inner courtyard at this hour, so he didn’t disturb him. Instead, he went over to the stone locks to warm up and temper his qi and blood.
After warming up, he moved to a wooden stake and began practicing the Mountain-Shattering Fist.
But as he practiced the fist form now, his state of mind was completely different.
Anjin flowed through his ridians. Every punch he threw carried a deep, restrained power. When his fist swept past, it left no obvious mark on the stake’s surface, but a faint, subtle tremor could be felt from within.
The more he practiced, the more engrossed he beca, integrating the insights from his breakthrough into the fist routine. The once-familiar moves gradually began to show new variations.
When the sun had risen higher in the sky, a stir ca from the inner courtyard.
Sun Yong erged, followed by Xu Hong, Lin Yue, and several others, all dressed in training attire. They were clearly heading out.
Yang Jing stopped his practice, about to step forward and speak.
But he saw Sun Yong lead the group briskly out of the Martial Arts Hall. They were likely on their way to a sparring competition with another hall.
Yang Jing watched them leave, swallowing the words he had been about to say.
He smiled, turned, and resud his training. ’They’ll be back eventually,’ he thought. ’No need to rush.’
...
That afternoon, in the Martial Arts Hall’s front courtyard.
Yang Jing’s Mountain-Shattering Fist now flowed like moving clouds and flowing water.
His Anjin was restrained, and the wind from his fists seed gentle, yet when they landed on the wooden stake, the internal wood fibers would snap silently. This was the brilliant application of Anjin’s "penetrating" principle.
Although Yang Jing didn’t have the subsequent training thods for the Mountain-Shattering Fist, he often sparred with Liu Maolin and had so understanding of Anjin as a result.
Just then, the sound of footsteps ca from outside the main gate. A glance from the corner of his eye told Yang Jing that his master, Sun Yong, had returned with the disciples who had gone out for the competition.
Sun Yong’s expression was calm and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised; he was clearly in a good mood. Behind him followed Xu Hong, Qi Yun, Lin Yue, and the others. The group walked straight into the inner courtyard, apparently to hold a short eting and summarize the day’s events.
Yang Jing stopped his training but didn’t follow them right away.
The inner courtyard was crowded at the mont, and he didn’t want to get in the middle of the excitent. He stayed where he was, regulating his breath and waiting for the right mont.
Before long, Xu Hong, Qi Yun, Zhao Wenzheng, and Lin Yue erged from the inner courtyard.
The disciples in the front courtyard imdiately sward around them, chattering excitedly as they asked about the results.
"First Senior Brother, how did the competition go today?"
"Did Senior Brother Lin win again?"
Qi Yun, a smile on her face, announced loudly, "Our Martial Arts Hall won a sweeping victory today! Especially Junior Brother Lin Yue—he defeated three of their Anjin masters in a row and completely crushed the people from Weiyuan Martial Arts Hall and Iron Fist Hall!"
"HISS! He took down three Anjin masters in a row? Damn, that’s Anjin we’re talking about! Senior Brother Lin is amazing!"
"As expected of our Martial Arts Hall’s number one genius!"
Praise rose and fell from the crowd. Lin Yue stood in the center, a faint, reserved smile on his face, his gaze sweeping over everyone with a touch of self-satisfaction.
Yang Jing paid it no mind. Seeing that most of the people had co out of the inner courtyard, he dusted himself off and walked toward the inner courtyard’s Moon Gate.
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