"Youâre pretty alert!"
A rough, booming voice rang out.
With the voice, a brawny, square-faced middle-aged man with a rugged face and bronze-spiked bracers strode out.
At his side were two other menâone, pale and beardless, roughly fifty years old; the other was someone Lin Changâsheng had met beforeânone other than He Tieshou, Hall Master of Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall.
"Hall Master He, if Iâm not mistaken, these two must be the masters of Golden Bell Martial Arts Hall and Liuyun Martial Arts Hall, right?"
Lin Changâsheng looked at He Tieshou and spoke faintly.
"Precisely!"
He Tieshou eyed Lin Changâsheng, his gaze gloomy. "Why have you entered my martial arts hall and stolen the Iron Sand Palm technique?"
At that moment, even He Tieshou was puzzled.
The youth before him was so young, his presence barely noticeableâhe didnât look like a second-class expert at all!
Yet Chen Ling claimed he was the one who killed Ma Zhankui!
You had to know, Ma Zhankui was one of the four top experts in Mu City. To kill him, one had to at least be at the second-class realm!
"At your Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall, anyone can learn the Iron Sand Palm for a price. I paid 10 taels of silver, went in openly and above-boardâso whatâs all this talk about stealing?"
Lin Changâsheng gave a faint, cold smile. "I learned your Iron Sand Palm, so thereâs some kind of connection between us. But since youâve still come all this way, thereâs nothing left to say."
"Enough nonsense! You entered my Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall with foul intent. Today, Iâll reclaim the Iron Sand Palm you stole!"
He Tieshou squinted, his voice deep and dangerous.
"Youâre sharp! I am Liao Jinzhong!"
"Ji Liuyun. Iâve been entrusted by someone to take your head. Apologies!"
Just then, the other two stepped forward, forming a three-cornered formation, surrounding Lin Changâshengâkilling intent suffused the air, thick enough to cut!
"Entrusted by who? Chen Ling?"
Lin Changâshengâs eyes narrowed.
"You killed Ma Zhankui, and, I admit, your archery is brilliant. Still, you have no bow in hand now, so death is certain!" Ji Liuyun stared at Lin Changâsheng like he was already a corpse, and stepped forward!
The aura around him kept climbing.
"Heh!"
Lin Changâsheng sneered coldly. "Is that so?"
Heâd already advanced to first-class expert!
Killing three second-class experts? Like picking veggies!
"Arrogant bastard!"
Liao Jinzhong narrowed his eyes, his bowl-sized fist tearing through the air as he smashed it at Lin Changâshengâs head.
At the same momentâ
He Tieshou also struck, slicing his palm toward Lin Changâshengâs neck.
"Shwish!"
Lin Changâshengâs figure flickered; in an instant, he dodged the three-man encirclement.
He unleashed Flying Eaves and Light Body Skill, fueled Iron Sand Palm, and slashed at the nearestâLiao Jinzhongâsâshoulder!
"Golden Bell Shield!"
Seeing Lin Changâshengâs palm coming at him, Liao Jinzhong tensed his arms, his whole body flickering with a faint yellow lightâthe Perfect Golden Bell Shield!
Liao Jinzhong had cultivated Golden Bell Shield for decades, reaching the Perfection Realm!
His body was insanely tough; ordinary blades couldnât scratch him.
This youth before him might have killed Ma Zhankui using archery, but right now, with no bow in hand, he was a tiger with no fangs!
"Crack!"
A burst of crackling bones rang out. Liao Jinzhong felt piercing agony in his shoulder as a tremendous force sent him flying, landing ten feet away!
"Agh~!"
Liao Jinzhong grunted, turned to lookâhis shoulder had caved in, all mangled flesh and bone. Clearly, that arm was ruined for good.
"You... you actually broke my Golden Bell Shield? This... No... Impossible!"
"Wait... youâre a first-class expert!"
Liao Jinzhong stared at Lin Changâsheng, disbelief flooding his eyes.
His heart shuddered at once.
To have broken his Golden Bell Shield, there was only one possibility!
A first-class expert!
He never imagined his famed Golden Bell Shield would be shattered by a youngster not even twentyâwho was somehow already a first-class expert!
How the hell did he cultivate?
Heâd slaved away at Golden Bell Shield for over forty years and was only at the peak of second-class; it had blocked him from entering first-class for decades!
"A first-class expert! This is... bad!"
He Tieshou looked at Liao Jinzhongâs battered shoulder and the sudden burst of terrifying force from Lin Changâsheng, and instantly felt plunged into an ice-cold pit; without hesitation, he turned to flee!
He knew well the gulf between a second-class and first-class expert!
Even if it meant offending the county magistrate Chen Ling, he wouldnât dare face this youth anymore!
Staying alive came first!
"And where do you think youâre going?!"
Lin Changâsheng flickered and appeared beside He Tieshou, unleashing a Perfect Iron Sand Palm!
"Break!"
Seeing there was no escape, He Tieshou bellowed, met Lin Changâsheng with his own Perfect Iron Sand Palm.
"Bam!"
"Crack!"
Qi force roared; the sound of bones shattering split the air.
"You... Perfect Iron Sand Palm!"
He Tieshou stumbled backward four or five steps, staring at Lin Changâsheng in shockâhis right hand utterly shattered, twisted like a pretzel!
Both had Perfect Iron Sand Palmâbut with difference in realm, he was outclassed completely.
But what was truly unbelievableâLin Changâsheng had mastered Iron Sand Palm in less than two months?
Right thenâ
In a matter of moments, Liao Jinzhong of Golden Bell Martial Arts Hall and He Tieshou of Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall had both been crippled. How could Ji Liuyun of Liuyun Martial Arts Hall dare to linger? He flashed away in an instant, suddenly appearing thirty feet off!
Liuyun Martial Arts Hallâs Liuyun Light Body Technique was renowned for lightweight skill.
"Nine-Star Linked Beads!"
Lin Changâshengâs eyes glinted. He grabbed a handful of pebbles from the ground, unleashed the Nine-Star Linked Beads Hidden Weapon Techniqueânine stones, charged with his first-class expertâs inner strength, whistled through the air with deadly speed, angling in tricky trajectories toward Ji Liuyun.
Ji Liuyun, hearing the hidden weaponsâ whistle, spun up a sword curtain, trying to fend them off.
But the Nine-Star Linked Pearl Hidden Weapon Technique poured special inner strength into the projectiles, forming a relentless attacking pattern that shifted angles at the last possible momentâso sly it was almost impossible to defend.
Ji Liuyunâs eyes and back were both struck by the hidden weaponsâhis eyeballs burst from their sockets, and he fell wailing and writhing on the ground.
Meanwhile, Liao Jinzhong and He Tieshou staggered toward Mu City, trying to escape.
"Die!"
Lin Changâsheng used Flying Eaves and Light Body Skill, caught up to Liao Jinzhong, and smashed Iron Sand Palm onto his head. In an instant, Liao Jinzhongâs skull caved in and he died on the spot. After killing Liao Jinzhong, Lin Changâsheng headed for He Tieshou.
"P-please... l-little brother... we can talk this outâ"
He Tieshou could only watch as Liao Jinzhong was slaughtered; realizing he couldnât outrun his fate, terror filled his eyesâhe knelt, kowtowing desperately.
"Since you came, you shouldâve known your end. Die!"
Lin Changâsheng spoke coldly, stepped forward, smashed his palm atop He Tieshouâs head. He Tieshou died with eyes wide and unwilling. Lin Changâsheng then turned toward Ji Liuyun, confirmed Chen Ling was the one behind it, and stomped, crushing his balls.
Lin Changâsheng showed no mercyâif his skills werenât enough, his own fate would be far worse!
"Chen Ling! Youâre courting death!"
Lin Changâsheng looked toward Mu City, his gaze icy and lethal.
From the three hall masters, Lin Changâsheng gathered over 230 taels of silver, and found two bottles of Qi Blood Pillsâa decent haul.
Since Chen Ling had paid these three to take him out, both the three martial halls and Chen Ling himself would be shown no mercy.
Moreoverâ
His Great Dao is Simple panel simplification, and buying Qi Blood Pill ingredientsâall required a huge sum of silver.
The fortunes of the three martial arts halls would do just fine!
"Plop!"
"Plop!"
Lin Changâsheng kicked the corpses of He Tieshou, Liao Jinzhong, and the rest into the Grand Canal. The current swept them away, vanishing without a trace. Only then did he look over behind a big boulder and speak blandly, "Your turn. Come out."
"Villain! You killed my sonâIâll never rest while you live!"
Before Lin Changâshengâs words had faded, a black-clad old man leapt out from the grass behind the boulder, blade in hand; fear and venom twisted his eyes, cursing furiously all the while!
This man was Old Liâheâd shown the three hall masters the way, but since his skills were weak, heâd hidden by the side, hoping to see Lin Changâsheng killed, then sneak up for a couple vengeful stabs and avenge his son a little.
He never expected all three hall masters would be slaughtered by Lin Changâsheng!
Now, he knew he was doomed.
"I killed your son?"
Lin Changâsheng kicked the old man flat on the ground, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
"Bastard, you killed Gang Leader Ma, and over thirty Cyan Snake Gang disciples! My son was among them! I hate you!"
Liu Liâs eyes burned with rage.
"Heh!"
"Cyan Snake Gang were thieves and rats, charging protection money, dumping innocents into the canal, calling it âaccidentally falling inââyouâve killed your share too. Time to go!"
Lin Changâsheng smashed his palm atop Liu Liâs head. His skull shattered; his eyes still held bitter unwillingness as he died.
Killing these Cyan Snake Gang thugs was public service for the people!