Chapter 40: Rapid Progress! The Return of Hong Zhengdao

"The Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique is ready for a breakthrough."

Zhang Lingshan noticed the change on his panel.

However, having learned his lesson previously, he decided not to break through just yet. If he exhausted all his energy points at once and encountered a fatal danger, he wouldn't have the energy to repair himself.

Secondly, he estimated that the commotion from breaking through the Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique would be significant. It would be relatively safer to wait until tonight had passed and he was back home.

As the night deepened, sleepiness began to set in.

But to avoid any accidents, Zhang Lingshan forced himself to stay awake. Instead, he would occasionally take out the white porcelain bottle, pull out the wooden stopper, and take a sniff.

Instantly, his spirit would be revitalized!

Finally, the night was nearing its end.

Zhang Lingshan calculated the time, took a fire starter from Li Fu's house, and bundled up some straw, firewood, candles, and rags.

Then, he quickly rushed out, climbed over the wall, and slipped back into his own home.

He meticulously arranged the prepared straw and other materials, piling his bloodstained, dirty clothes and shoes onto Fang Qiuyue's corpse.

Then, he lit the fire starter.

Burn!

Burn it all clean.

Just as the flames were about to take hold, Zhang Lingshan immediately scrambled back into Li Fu's house.

He actually had to thank Li Fu for creating this "haunted house"; otherwise, things wouldn't have been this convenient.

'That whistle yesterday wasn't heard by me alone.

'Even a fool knows there was fighting in the city, so it wouldn't be surprising if any accidents occurred.

'Moreover, Fang Qiuyue escaped!

'It is obvious that the person who set the fire was Fang Qiuyue, doing it to cover her tracks. Could I, Zhang Lingshan, really burn down my own ancestral home?'

Zhang Lingshan traced the logic and felt it was flawless.

Next, he just had to wait for everyone to come out to fight the fire. In the chaos, he would sneak out of Li Fu's house, blend into the crowd, and pretend to have just arrived. No one would suspect a thing.

Even if someone truly pressed him on how he arrived so quickly, he could explain that he was heading back to the ancestral home to pick something up and just happened to be passing by.

In short, burning it was better than not burning it. If he didn't burn it, disposing of the corpse and the bloodstains would be a problem; burning it would destroy the evidence and settle everything once and for all.

"Fire!"

"Quick, save the house!"

The neighbors finally woke up. It happened to be dawn, so everyone got up to help.

Someone shouted, "It's the Zhang family's house that's on fire! Quick, go notify them!"

"What! My house is on fire? How could my house be on fire!?"

Zhang Lingshan appeared out of nowhere, looking panicked and lost. "Uncles, please help fight the fire! It must have been Li Fu's family! They saw that I moved away and set fire to my house out of spite!"

"Xiao Shan is back! Quick, quick!"

The neighbors immediately called out to one another, carrying buckets of water to fight the flames.

They worked for a long while before they finally managed to extinguish the fire.

"The yamen is here!"

Suddenly, someone shouted.

Everyone immediately made way. A middle-aged man with a large frame and prominent cheekbones walked toward them, accompanied by three bailiffs.

Zhang Lingshan noticed that the man's footsteps were steady, his gaze was sharp, and his shoulders were high. The blue robes of the bailiff were stretched tight, revealing how full his muscles were.

'At least a peak Copper Skin stage within the third realm of Skin Grinding. Most likely a Flesh Refining expert,' Zhang Lingshan analyzed silently.

"Who is the owner of this house?" the middle-aged bailiff asked.

Zhang Lingshan hurried forward to meet him. "Greetings, Excellency. I am Zhang Lingshan, a disciple of the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall. This is my ancestral home; it has been uninhabited for a long time, yet it mysteriously caught fire. I beg Excellency to investigate thoroughly, catch the culprit behind this, and seek justice for this humble one!"

"Hmm."

The middle-aged bailiff, Ma Hong, nodded.

He had heard the name Zhang Lingshan before. When Zhang Lingshan had successfully completed Skin Grinding, the news had reached him, and he had even considered recruiting him as a bailiff.

On one hand, he was indeed short-handed, and on the other, it would be a way to build a relationship with Hong Zhengdao.

However, the Feng Clan Pharmacy had beaten him to it, so he had put the matter out of his mind.

He hadn't expected to see this Zhang Lingshan today.

Ma Hong sized Zhang Lingshan up and found his aura to be steady. The skin on the back of his hands was slightly grayish, indicating the formation of calluses.

Particularly when he cupped his hands in greeting, there were rich traces of blood color at his finger joints, showing that his Red Line Fist was practiced with considerable skill.

Ma Hong couldn't help but be surprised. Had the boy only recently completed Skin Grinding? Was his progress really this fast?

By comparison, the three brutes under his command were practically useless.

"So you are a disciple of the Hong Clan. Don't worry, I will investigate thoroughly."

Ma Hong patted Zhang Lingshan on the shoulder and then led his three subordinates into the courtyard.

He took a wooden stick, poked around the ashes a few times, and said, "It seems to be an accident. Come in and see for yourself."

Hearing this, Zhang Lingshan immediately stepped forward.

Ma Hong leaned in and whispered, "Did you not hear that whistle last night? This matter is definitely related to the criminals from yesterday. Hurry up and clean this place up. Don't come back to live here for a while to avoid trouble."

"Understood, understood. Thank you for your guidance, Excellency. A small token of my gratitude."

As he spoke, Zhang Lingshan fished out some broken silver and pressed it into Ma Hong's hand.

Ma Hong smiled slightly. "You're too polite. If you ever decide you don't want to work at the Feng Clan Pharmacy, you can come work under me."

"Excellency honors me! I certainly will!"

Zhang Lingshan saw Ma Hong out.

Seeing Zhang Lingshan chatting and laughing with the bailiff, the neighbors' eyes immediately changed.

They didn't know what Skin Grinding was, nor could they discern Zhang Lingshan's strength; they only knew that since he could whisper to the bailiff, he was no longer on the same level as them.

Thus, they spontaneously began helping to clear the ashes and ruins, flattering Zhang Lingshan to build rapport.

Zhang Lingshan was happy to let them help, and he secretly pushed the unburned bones into the ashes to bury them.

Because there were no night watchmen in Jincheng, to prevent one house's fire from spreading to its neighbors, there were sandy, empty spaces between houses and courtyard walls, acting as isolation zones.

This prevented the fire from spreading uncontrollably.

Aside from the house Zhang Lingshan had intentionally burned, the rest of the area had barely been touched.

Soon, everything that needed cleaning was buried in the sandy isolation zones.

Many hands make light work.

If they wanted to continue living here, the small side rooms could still be inhabited after some minor repairs.

However, Zhang Lingshan had no such intention. He waved his hand and said, "I'll treat everyone to a meal later."

Then, he left without looking back.

'It went surprisingly smoothly.'

On the way, Zhang Lingshan felt a sense of pleasure.

It seemed the people of Jincheng were quite wise; no one would bother asking too many questions out of boredom.

Today, not only had he dealt with the trouble of Fang Qiuyue, but he had also dealt with the Li Fu family.

He felt completely relieved!

It just so happened to be time for the martial arts hall to serve meals.

Zhang Lingshan grabbed a meal, then returned home and sat down in his room.

Even though he hadn't slept all night, his good mood meant his excitement outweighed his drowsiness.

He immediately opened his panel and, with a thought, clicked heavily on the "+" next to the Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique.

*Swish!*

40 energy points were instantly consumed!

A massive surge of power suddenly exploded within his body.

Zhang Lingshan felt as if he were holding an axe, frantically performing the first form of the Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique against the air.

Every strike made his entire body tremble, and his acupoints and meridians felt a numbing, itchy sensation, as if countless ants were crawling over him.

Yet, he remained tireless, striking with all his might, regardless of day, night, or season.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

The sweat beneath him had soaked the floor. The imagery of the strikes was projected onto his physical body, and his muscles were growing at a visible rate.

To Zhang Lingshan's shock, because the muscles were growing so fast, they actually caused his skin to crack.

The bloody streaks were startling, causing him to grimace in pain, wishing he could just die.

"Xiao Yu, quick! Quickly prepare a Skin Grinding medicinal bath for me!" Zhang Lingshan shouted urgently.

If he had known the improvement from the Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique was this extreme, he would have prepared in advance.

Who would have thought this technique could actually refine flesh?

No wonder martial arts cultivation required Skin Grinding before Flesh Refining—if the skin wasn't hard enough, the growth of the muscles would tear the skin apart!

Today's bloody lesson gave Zhang Lingshan experience.

Fortunately, it wasn't a major problem.

Because the Perfect stage of the Primordial Yang Stance had once remodeled his body, his recovery ability was stronger than that of an average person.

He had also later broken through to the Stone Skin stage.

He treated these injuries as if he had simply overdone his Skin Grinding; with a few days of medicinal baths, he would surely recover.

Thus, for the next few days, he soaked in medicinal baths every day while consuming Snow Silver Flower decoctions.

Compared to Spirit Root Grass, the Snow Silver Flower itself had healing properties; drinking it could both accumulate energy and promote bodily recovery.

It was killing two birds with one stone!

Just as Zhang Lingshan expected, his injuries had healed in just four days.

Feeling the massive power within his body and his muscles, which were as robust as hills, Zhang Lingshan knew that this progress was another earth-shattering change.

His height had grown to 1.8 meters, and his physique was as sturdy as an ox!

By his estimation, he should be able to lift a 600-jin stone lock with one hand!

That was 400 jin more than the 200 jin he could lift when he first started Skin Grinding.

It was a meteoric rise!

This was all due to the special effect of early Flesh Refining.

The benefit was that his muscular strength was much higher than that of a Skin Grinding martial artist.

The downside was that because his body had undergone Flesh Refining without a breakthrough, future breakthroughs would require even greater stimulation.

In other words, it would be harder for him to break through than for an ordinary person.

But none of that mattered.

As long as he had enough energy points, he had no bottlenecks. What was there to fear?

"The medicinal baths and Snow Silver Flowers have exhausted my spare change. I need to find a way to break that two-hundred-tael banknote. Since a few days have passed, I can just go to the Feng Clan Pharmacy to spend it; there shouldn't be any issues."

Zhang Lingshan planned to go out to buy some medicinal herbs and some good food and drink to reward his mother and sister.

If they hadn't been busy preparing the medicinal baths for him, how could he have been so relaxed?

It was good to have family.

If he were alone, having to buy medicine and brew it for himself while injured would be incredibly difficult.

So, next, Zhang Lingshan bought cooked meats, candied fruits, walnuts, and dried fruits—basically everything he had seen before but couldn't afford to eat.

"Brother, did you rob a bank? How much money is this!?" Zhang Linyu asked, her mouth hanging open in surprise.

Zhang Lingshan smiled. "I told you before, the good days are yet to come. Now that your brother is stronger, there will be many more ways to earn money. People will bring money to me without me even having to rob a bank."

"Hmph! Bragging." Zhang Linyu stuck out her tongue and then began stuffing handfuls of dried fruit into her mouth.

Mother Zhang said with a mix of laughter and helplessness, "Be careful, don't choke."

She then turned to Zhang Lingshan with earnest advice, "Even if you have money, don't spend it recklessly. I don't have high demands for food; as long as I'm full, it's fine. This money was earned through your hard work; you must save some to nourish your body. Look at how your skin was cracking before; it was terrifying."

"Don't worry, Mother. One must endure hardships to become a person of standing. We are going to move to the Inner City in the future. When that time comes, I'll buy you a few maids so you won't have to work so hard."

"Oh, I don't want anyone to serve me," Mother Zhang waved her hands repeatedly.

Zhang Linyu burst out laughing. "Mother, you're too funny. You're declining before things have even happened; it's not like it costs money to think about it."

"That's true. In that case, I want a hundred maids to peel walnuts for me," Mother Zhang said playfully, abandoning her usual serious demeanor.

"Hahaha!"

The air was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

The family was harmonious.

But something was missing.

Zhang Lingshan thought of his father, and his younger brother, Zhang Lingfeng, whom he had never met.

To say they had never met meant he hadn't seen him since transmigrating.

However, this brother was very important to him.

If his brother hadn't been taken away by the Jiang family of the Inner City, he wouldn't have transmigrated.

Back then, the Jiang family had taken his brother to be a book boy for their young master, tossing ten taels of silver as a way of a forced purchase.

It was precisely because of those ten taels that his father, after adding the ten taels the whole family had scrimped and saved, was able to find someone to help his predecessor find a carpenter to apprentice under.

Then, his predecessor was caught stealing money to practice martial arts and died of shame by crashing his head into the ground...

The events that followed were what Zhang Lingshan had personally experienced.

'Even though I have money now, redeeming my brother from the Jiang family in the Inner City is still a pipe dream.'

A sense of powerlessness and frustration rose in Zhang Lingshan's heart.

He was still too weak.

With his current strength, identity, and status, he didn't even have the qualification to enter the Inner City, let alone redeem his brother.

If he couldn't get his brother back, what about his father?

'I don't know where Golden Light Temple is, but it's definitely further than Red Leaf Temple. I'm afraid I won't be able to return to the city in a single day and will have to spend the night outside. Therefore, if I want to go to Golden Light Temple, I must follow a security bureau. They travel outside frequently and should have maps of the outskirts.'

Zhang Lingshan made a plan in his heart.

After the New Year, if there was an opportunity, he would go to Zhenwei Security Bureau to take a mission from Lyu Feng and his group to ask about the location of Golden Light Temple.

If possible, he would make a trip there.

For now, before the New Year, it was impossible; everyone wanted to spend the holiday in peace and wouldn't be running around outside the city.

'If I ever reach the strength of someone like Li Ziming, where I can run around in the dark without fear of any ghosts or evil spirits, then I won't need to follow any security bureau to leave the city.'

Thinking this, Zhang Lingshan decided to go to Wu Zheng tomorrow to learn the leg techniques following the Dingfeng Stance.

He had rested and recovered enough over the past few days; he could no longer be lazy.

But plans change.

The next day.

Before Zhang Lingshan could even find Wu Zheng, he heard two pieces of news.

The first: Hong Zhengdao, the master of the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall, has returned!

The second: Hong Zhengdao is seriously injured; one of his arms is crippled, and his strength has greatly declined!