Chapter 181 - 23: Reflection
Lin Minghai waved his hand. A moment later, a servant brought a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone and placed them in the pavilion. Instead of waiting inside, Lin Minghai went to stand just outside.
A hundred breaths later, Lin Yan finished writing.
"Finished?"
"Yes, it’s done. Just send it to the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall in Guangping County Town."
Lin Yan had written this letter to his master. Ma Sheng had dispatched two Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists, but as long as his master was forewarned, he wouldn’t have to worry about the safety of his aunt and little brother.
"Alright, head to the Yantian Mountain Range tomorrow. Once a reply comes from Guangping County Town, I’ll arrange for someone to deliver it to you."
"Thank you for the trouble, Brother Hai."
Lin Yan took his leave. As he walked out, he reflected on the situation. ’The reason for such a huge blunder this time was my failure to cut the weeds and pull up the roots.’
’Back at Qingfeng Stockade, when I couldn’t find Ma Xiong’s family, I should have been more careful.’
’Fortunately, it didn’t result in any irreversible consequences this time, but this is a lesson I must remember.’
Lin Minghai watched Lin Yan’s departing figure with a thoughtful expression. However, he wasn’t thinking about the two Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists Ma Sheng had sent to Guangping County Town.
With the Cloud-Breaking Kite, the letter was guaranteed to arrive several days before those two men.
When those two Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists reached Guangping County Town, they would just be walking into a trap.
What he was pondering was, just how much strength was that kid, Lin Yan, hiding?
Back when Lin Yan had asked him about Qingfeng Stockade, he had even told him to demand compensation from them.
He’d never expected this would be the kid’s method of "demanding" it.
To think he actually slaughtered everyone in Qingfeng Stockade, top to bottom, all by himself.
Qingfeng Stockade’s two Village Chiefs were no different from trash in his eyes, but they were still veteran Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists. With their underlings, even clansmen like Mingyu who were at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing couldn’t have pulled it off so easily.
But afterward, he received no reports from his servants that Lin Yan had been injured.
’Go on and hide it. I refuse to believe you can keep it hidden forever. When the branch family competition comes around, are you really going to forfeit the matches just to conceal your strength?’
Lin Minghai didn’t even realize it himself, but he had subconsciously assumed Lin Yan would participate in the branch family competition. He had completely forgotten his earlier declaration that the Third Branch had no need for branch clansmen like Lin Yan to win them any honor.
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「Guangping County Town.」
After clocking in at the Inspection Bureau, Zhuang Zheng walked out the main gate. He scanned the street, his gaze lingering for half a breath on a vendor at a corner. He then strode to his left. Upon reaching the street corner, he turned into an alley and came to a stop.
Soon, the sound of footsteps approached.
"Speak. What’s the situation?"
"Sir, two unfamiliar Martial Artists entered the city today. They checked into Laiyun Inn. According to the inn’s attendant, they’ve been asking about Young Master Yan."
"Asking about Senior Brother Lin?"
Zhuang Zheng’s expression turned cold. "Are they staying in one of the inn’s private courtyards?"
"Yes. They chose the rearmost courtyard at Laiyun Inn, which has direct access to the back gate."
"I understand. You may go."
Waving away the secret informant he had cultivated, killing intent flashed in Zhuang Zheng’s eyes. ’If I’m not mistaken, these two must be the Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists mentioned in Senior Brother Lin’s letter—the ones hired by the remnants of Qingfeng Stockade to deal with his family.’
Three days ago, their master had summoned him and Senior Brother Hao to the Martial Arts Hall to discuss Senior Brother Lin’s situation.
From the moment he learned that two Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists were planning to harm Senior Brother Lin’s family, he had already sentenced them to death in his mind.
Openly, Senior Brother Hao had mobilized men from the Inspection Bureau to keep an eye on the city gates. In the shadows, Zhuang Zheng had activated the many secret informants he’d been cultivating.
Most of these people were not Martial Artists, just ordinary citizens of Guangping County Town. Many were merely peddlers and porters.
But it was precisely these people whose daily travels took them all over Guangping County Town, allowing them to gather a great deal of useful information for him.
Relying on this information, he had discovered many hidden gang strongholds, wiping them out late at night without ever being exposed.
The idea to cultivate secret informants had come from something Senior Brother Lin said before he left.
If the fact that he was using Refinement on other Martial Artists was ever exposed, he wouldn’t just be hunted down himself—his master and all his senior brothers would be implicated as well.
The county’s Inspection Bureau, the powers behind it, and even the Profound Celestial Sect would never let him live. These forces wouldn’t care that he only targeted gang-affiliated Martial Artists; his Blood Transformation Technique was, by its very nature, a threat to them.
So, for his own sake, as well as for his master and senior brothers, he had to be cautious.
’What a pity... I can’t refine the Qi Blood of these two.’
A look of regret was on Zhuang Zheng’s face. With his current strength and methods, he was confident he could deal with two Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists, but the key problem was that he couldn’t leave their bodies to be discovered. Otherwise, two shriveled corpses would cause a major stir in the county town.
But if their bodies weren’t discovered, his master would have to remain on constant alert, and Senior Brother Lin would likely be unable to rest easy either.
’Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists...’
To avoid causing a commotion in the county town, he had only targeted Single-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists, and a few at Second-Time Skin Smoothing. He had yet to use Refinement on a Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist.
’Senior Brother Lin slaughtered Qingfeng Stockade... I can learn from his example. It’s difficult to target Martial Artists in the city, but I can go after those mountain bandits and Water Bandits.’
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「Half a month later.」
In the Yantian Mountain Range, Lin Yan received two letters delivered by a man sent by Brother Hai. After reading their contents, he was finally able to put his mind completely at ease.