"Over a dozen people, all dead!"
"Back in the day, Qian Ming was a monster who cut down over a dozen men with his saber. To think he's been killed."
"I wonder who was brave enough to cross the Sanhe Gang. Aren't they afraid of retaliation?"
"I heard it was the Sishui Gang."
"What do you mean, 'you heard'? It was the Sishui Gang, for sure. Other people might fear the Sanhe Gang, but the Sishui Gang doesn't. After the killings, they left a taunt written in blood at their hall."
"Looks like the two gangs are about to go to war."
"A war would be great. It'd be best if they all wiped each other out."
...
The morning sun rose. Normally at this time, most of the residents of Bai Shi Workshop would just be waking up. But today, the place was buzzing with activity. The alleys were filled with discussion about the Sanhe Gang's hall being wiped out.
"Be on your toes. If there's any trouble, just say my Martial Arts Talent is exceptional and that I've earned the favor of the Huang Family. Tell them the Huang Family has already paid to send me to a Martial Arts Hall to train."
Xu Yang advised Xu Qing before he left.
It was unlikely they'd trace it back to him, but with so many dead, there was no telling what the Sanhe Gang might do. They might even lash out at innocent people.
"You be careful too, Brother. With so many people dead, I'm afraid things are about to get chaotic."
"I know!"
Xu Yang left only after seeing Xu Qing nod.
As he left Bai Shi Workshop, the sound of wailing reached his ears.
Looking from a distance, he saw the location of the Sanhe Gang's hall. The families of the members he'd killed were a mess of tears; at least a hundred people were crying together.
He felt not a shred of sympathy or pity. Those men had followed the Sanhe Gang in their evil deeds, ruining who knows how many families. They deserved to die.
'Their families enjoyed the money. It's only right they now suffer the consequences.'
'I hope they actually fight.'
He had deliberately left behind the name 'Si Shui', hoping to pit the Sishui Gang against the Sanhe Gang. Whether it would actually work was up to fate.
[Turtle and Snake Grand Posture - Introduction (32/100)]
[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 15]
Last night's haul was substantial. In addition to nearly ten taels of silver, he had also received a reward of fifteen points this morning.
'From now on, I need to focus on practicing the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture.'
'If I want to reach Qi Gathering and become a Martial Artist this month, I have to advance my Turtle and Snake Grand Posture. Otherwise, it won't keep pace with my Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.'
'And with last night's haul, I don't have to worry about nutrition. I can train without restraint.'
When he arrived at Weiyuan Hall, he found that besides himself and Lu Ren, Zhang Yong, Luo Dehu, Tang Ruiyang, and the others were all absent.
'They must have gone to hunt Exotic Beasts!'
Xu Yang was surprised. They had only just mentioned it to him yesterday, and today they were already in the mountains.
"Brother Xu, the Sanhe Gang incident... that was you, wasn't it?"
Just as he was thinking, Qiu Wenjie sidled up to him secretively, his face a mask of shock and uncertainty.
Xu Yang gave a slight nod. He had used Muscle Relaxing Powder, and any experienced coroner would identify it instantly. It was perfectly normal for Qiu Wenjie to have figured it out.
He just hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly and reach the city already.
"Be careful. My dad told me Li Sanhe has already reached Qi Gathering Great Success. He's an extremely tough opponent."
Li Sanhe was the Gang Leader of the Sanhe Gang, a Martial Artist who had been famous for many years. You could say that Xu Yang had grown up under the shadow of Li Sanhe's brutal reputation.
Then he added with a smile, "But once you become a Martial Artist, with the reputation of our Weiyuan Hall backing you, he wouldn't necessarily dare to come after you, even if he knew you were responsible. Besides, you didn't leave any glaring holes in your plan."
'Once I become a Martial Artist, it won't be a matter of if Li Sanhe comes looking for me.'
"Do you think the Sanhe Gang will fight the Sishui Gang?" Xu Yang asked in a low voice.
Qiu Wenjie shook his head. "Your methods were a bit clumsy. They probably won't fight. They'll likely suspect a third party is scheming behind the scenes and become more cautious as a result."
"Li Sanhe and Zhang Sishui are both cunning and cautious men. They won't rush into a fight to the death over a few subordinates."
Xu Yang felt a bit resigned at this.
He knew the frame-up was clumsy, but he'd never had any contact with the Sishui Gang, and he didn't have time to plot things out slowly.
Still, even if they didn't end up fighting, it looked like this would buy him some time.
When he returned home that night, what he heard from Xu Qing confirmed this. The Sanhe Gang and the Sishui Gang hadn't gone to war, but the atmosphere was tense.
The Sanhe Gang didn't send anyone new to their hall. It was unclear if they were afraid of another incident or just waiting a few days.
They did send men to search Bai Shi Workshop, but since Xu Yang had brought nothing back except the silver, the Sanhe Gang came up empty.
「Three days later.」
Zhang Yong and the others returned, all of them beaming and in high spirits.
Following a senior brother from the Inner Courtyard, they had actually managed to hunt an Exotic Beast, and everyone got a cut.
"Ah Yang, it was easy money! Too bad you didn't go. We just took a walk in the mountains and got this much."
Tang Ruiyang held up two fingers. "Two taels! Can you believe it? We each got two taels!"
The money went to their heads. At the very least, it went to Tang Ruiyang's.
Before, he wouldn't have dared to call Xu Yang "Ah Yang." In the beginning, he had always called him Brother Xu.
Even later, after Xu Yang and Lu Ren had a complete falling out, he still continued to call him Brother Xu on the rare occasions they spoke.
Though no one thought Xu Yang would succeed, they had all secretly hoped he would reach Qi Gathering, just to give the rest of them a glimmer of hope.
"What's there to be sorry about? A coward wouldn't seize the opportunity even if you gave him ten chances," Luo Dehu said sarcastically.
With money in his pocket, he once again felt that becoming a Martial Artist was within his reach.
Two taels was still a bit short, but this wasn't a one-time deal. Two or three more hunts like this, and becoming a Martial Artist would be a certainty.
Xu Yang was tempted to mention that he'd made ten taels two days ago and was now drinking Strengthening Soup daily, but on second thought, he decided against showing off.
"You've disappointed me," Zhang Yong said.
He had always viewed Xu Yang as his rival, vowing to surpass him. He was surprised to see Xu Yang lacked even this much grit.
Xu Yang was almost speechless. For Zhang Yong to be speaking to him again, and for this to be the reason...
"We're going into the mountains again in a few days. If you want, I can talk to Brother Xue Fangsheng and let you join. I don't want to surpass you just because I have more resources."
His stern face held a rare look of sincerity.
"I disagree. One more person means my share is smaller. If you want him to join, give him part of your share."
Xu Yang didn't speak, but Qian Jiaxing had already voiced his opposition.
They had agreed on a 30/70 split with Xue Fangsheng. The seven of them would split thirty percent. If one more person joined, it would be split eight ways.
"I object too!" Tang Ruiyang chimed in.
He was kicking himself now. If he had known making money was this easy, he wouldn't have invited so many people in the first place.
Following a Martial Artist into the mountains was like picking up money off the ground.
"I..."
Zhang Hong was about to state his position, but Xu Yang cut him off. "I object too. Now go show off to someone else. I need to train. I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."
The group felt as if they'd thrown a punch and hit nothing but air. It was an incredibly awkward feeling.
To their surprise, Xu Yang wasn't the least bit envious, let alone tempted.
"Just keep up your tough act. You'll regret it."
Tang Ruiyang sneered, thinking that if he hadn't objected, Xu Yang would definitely have wanted to join. He was only acting unimpressed because he knew it was impossible.
Xu Yang paid them no mind at all.
'Easy money?'
'There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.'
'Even Xu the Second only ever wanted to bleed me dry, let alone some distant relative I barely knew.'
'I don't know the reason why, but I'm certain Xue Fangsheng has an ulterior motive. The truth will come out eventually.'
Xu Yang immersed himself in practicing the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture. Each day, he would secretly give Xu Qing some copper coins to buy meat, gradually putting his ill-gotten gains to use.
「Seven days later.」
After seven days of frantically cultivating with the silver they had received, Tang Ruiyang, Zhang Yong, and the other five followed Xue Fangsheng into the mountains once again to hunt Exotic Beasts.
They went. Three days later, they still had not returned.