Hearing the two men's words, the surrounding members of the Great Fortune Gang were all stunned.
"Mingjin? How could you have possibly run into a Mingjin expert?"
"Yang Jing? Which Yang Jing?"
"I've never heard that name before..."
Several gang members frowned; they had clearly never heard of this Yang Jing.
"This guy borrowed money from our gang half a year ago. We thought he was just some ordinary kid, but we never expected him to be such a good fighter." The short-haired man sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, his words coming out disjointed.
The courtyard was in chaos.
As they were talking, a man wearing a black short jacket with a saber at his waist walked out of the main house. His expression darkened. "What's all the noise?"
He glanced at the two injured men and said coldly, "The Gang Leader is inside. He wants you two to go in."
The expressions of the short-haired man and the tall, thin youth tightened simultaneously. They exchanged a look, and both saw a hint of apprehension in the other's eyes.
"Yes."
The two nodded in unison and walked toward the main house.
The lighting in the main house was somewhat dim.
Just as they entered, a thick smell of alcohol mixed with sweat assaulted their nostrils.
The Great Fortune Gang's leader, Xu Tai, was sitting in a Grandmaster's Chair.
This man was nearly eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back. A set of knotted muscles strained against his black short jacket, making it bulge. A scar ran down his face from his brow bone to his jaw. When his gaze swept over them, it carried a terrifying, fierce aura.
BAM!
Xu Tai slammed the wine bowl in his hand onto the table and asked in a gruff voice, "What happened? Who beat you into this sorry state?"
The short-haired man and the tall, thin youth shivered in fear and quickly recounted what had just happened.
They added some embellishments, describing how "bizarre" Yang Jing's moves were and how they were "no match" for him. Finally, one of them added in a trembling voice, "Gang Leader, that kid... I'm afraid he's broken through to Mingjin. Otherwise, there's no way he could've taken us both down so easily."
Xu Tai's brow furrowed sharply, and he tapped his fingers on the table.
He himself had been stuck at the Peak of Mingjin for many years. His two attempts to break through to Anjin had both ended in failure at the last moment. However, he knew just how formidable a Mingjin Martial Artist was.
Never mind two burly men; even another three to five of them wouldn't stand a chance.
"Mingjin?"
he said in a low voice, a hint of wariness in his eyes. "You dare to make a move without finding out who you're dealing with? Are you tired of living?"
The short-haired man and the tall, thin youth trembled in fear and hastily explained, "Gang Leader, we looked into this kid's background before. He's just an ordinary boy from a farming family, with a very common background."
The tall, thin youth quickly continued, "The kid used the money from selling his family's land to join a Martial Arts Hall. But his natural aptitude is terrible. We inquired back then—his aptitude is awful, and he wasn't dedicated to his training. It should have been impossible for him to achieve anything."
"We just never expected... that he'd be so strong now. We don't know if he's broken through to Mingjin..."
After the tall, thin youth finished his explanation, he and the short-haired man beside him shrank back, not daring to make another sound.
Xu Tai glanced at the saber-wielding man standing by the door. "Heizi, go investigate that Yang Jing. Find out if he's really reached Mingjin, where he's staying, and who he associates with. I want a clear report on everything."
"Yes, Gang Leader." Heizi bowed and replied, the scabbard at his waist tapping lightly against his thigh.
Xu Tai then turned back to the two men before him, his voice growing colder. "If this kid has really reached Mingjin, we'll need to plan this out carefully. I'll devise a foolproof plan and handle him myself."
He paused, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fist. "But if he hasn't reached Mingjin and still dares to default on a debt to my Great Fortune Gang, then I'll tear off his arms and legs and throw him to the dogs in the Chaotic Burial Mound!"
The short-haired man and the tall, thin youth nodded hastily, cold sweat dripping down their cheeks. They didn't dare say another word.
...
Early the next morning, just as dawn broke, Yang Jing ate over a pound of horse meat at home before leaving Datong Square for Sun's Martial Arts Hall in Chengping Square.
Yang Jing took off his shirt, baring his arms. He started with his warm-up, lifting a ninety-jin stone lock over his head. Sweat slid down the lines of his taut muscles, hitting the ground and leaving dark marks.
Lately, he had been supplementing his diet by alternating between bear and horse meat, and the benefits of this rich diet were becoming more and more obvious.
Yang Jing could clearly feel that he had grown even stronger than before. He could now lift heavier stone locks, and with much more ease.
After finishing his warm-up, Yang Jing walked to the center of the training ground, sank into his stance, and the whoosh of the Mountain-Shattering Fist immediately followed.
An indescribable energy circulated within his body. Each punch carried a WHOOSH that split the air. His movements had transitioned from awkward to fluid, achieving what his master Sun Yong and Senior Brother Liu Maolin had previously described as 'power permeating the muscles'.
"Junior Brother, you're up early."
Just then, Liu Maolin's voice came from the direction of the courtyard gate.
He was dressed in moon-white workout attire and walked in with light steps. Seeing Yang Jing training so intensely, a smile touched his lips. "Your punches carry more weight now. It seems that bear meat wasn't wasted on you."
"Fourth Senior Brother." Yang Jing stopped his punches and nodded, a bead of sweat from his temple dripping to the ground. He looked at the approaching Liu Maolin and nodded with a smile. "You're here too."
"Mhm, I just stopped by the apothecary and came over to stretch my legs."
After speaking, Liu Maolin walked to a spot not far from Yang Jing and also began practicing the Mountain-Shattering Fist.
He was already an Anjin master. Across all of Yuhe County, aside from the very few Huajin Powerhouses, Liu Maolin was considered a top-tier expert.
At his current level, making any further progress was exceedingly difficult.
As for the so-called hope of breaking through to Huajin, that was even more remote.
Under these circumstances, Liu Maolin had begun to divide his focus. He no longer devoted himself entirely to martial arts as he had before, and was instead slowly starting to take over the family business.
Because of this, he spent much less time at the Martial Arts Hall than before. However, he still made it a point to spend some time there almost every day. Compared to the bustling and scheming life at home or in business, he much preferred the pure and lively atmosphere of the Martial Arts Hall.