Behind the Lin Family's back mountain lay a vast, sprawling forest. If one was lucky enough, they might occasionally stumble upon a spiritual herb or two within its depths. Consequently, during their spare time, many of the Lin Family's younger generation would frequent this place, hoping to strike it rich with sheer dog-shit luck. Thus, this forest had become quite a lively spot within the Lin Family.
At this moment, a crowd had gathered at one of the forest's path entrances. These youths appeared to be only in their early teens, clearly members of the Lin Family's younger generation.
Peering through the wall of people, one could see several relatively stocky figures standing tall right in the middle of the path, completely blocking the entrance. In front of these figures stood a young girl dressed in simple, light-colored clothes.
The girl had delicate, picture-perfect features and skin as white as snow. Though young, she already exuded a beautiful and refreshing charm. At this moment, her bright, spirited eyes were filled with anger as she glared at the figures blocking her path. Her hands, slightly stained with mud, tightly clutched a fiery-red plant that emitted a faint, subtle fragrance.
"Lin Shan, don't go too far!"
Qingtan glared at the leader of the group, her soft voice laced with anger.
"Hehe, we discovered this Red Sun Grass yesterday and were just waiting until today to harvest it. You took our things, and yet you claim I'm going too far?" The leader was also a youth, looking to be around fourteen or fifteen years old. He crossed his arms, looking at the angry Qingtan as he spoke.
"You're talking nonsense!"
Hearing Lin Shan distort the truth, Qingtan grew even more furious, her small face flushing red. She had spent a great deal of effort to find this Red Sun Grass; how could he have discovered it first? Besides, if he really had found it first, why would he have left it there? Was he intentionally waiting for someone else to harvest it for him?
"I'm not talking nonsense..."
Seeing how adorable Qingtan looked even when she was angry, Lin Shan gave a cheeky grin and said, "Qingtan, hand over the Red Sun Grass, and I'll let you go."
"In your dreams!"
Qingtan clenched her small, pearly white teeth. She had witnessed Lin Dong's desperate training during this period, and she knew that the Lin Family's clan competition was only a few months away. If Lin Dong did not perform well compared to the other Lin Family youths, not only would he suffer a devastating blow, but his parents would also be unable to bear the shame.
Therefore, she had been frequently running to this forest lately, hoping to find a spiritual herb or two to help Lin Dong train a bit faster. Today, she had finally managed to find this Red Sun Grass with great difficulty. How could she possibly hand it over to this despicable person!
"In that case, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here today!" Lin Shan chuckled, casting a glance at Qingtan. "That kid Lin Changqiang ran off just now; he must have gone to find Lin Dong, right? That's fine too. I didn't get my fill of beating him up last time anyway."
Hearing this, Qingtan's small face finally paled slightly. She knew that Lin Dong and Lin Shan had never gotten along and would fight the moment they met. And every time they fought, Lin Dong would always end up on the losing end.
"Give me the Red Sun Grass, and I won't beat him up. How about it?" Seeing the change in Qingtan's expression, Lin Shan laughed heartily, speaking with smug satisfaction.
"You bastard!"
Qingtan bit her lip tightly, the rims of her eyes turning red. Her pitiful appearance brought heartache to many of the onlookers. Although Qingtan was not a blood relative of the Lin family, she was already strikingly beautiful despite her young age. Not to mention within the Lin family, even in Qingyang Town, there were many young boys who admired her.
However, despite their discomfort, many of them hesitated for a moment and chose to remain silent. Among the younger generation, Lin Shan was a little tyrant. Not only was his own strength decent, but his father also managed the Lin family's finances, so no one wanted to offend him. Even if they reported this to the elders, he would at most be punished with a day or two of confinement, and once he got out, he would secretly take revenge on whoever snitched. Over time, very few among the younger generation dared to clash with him.
"Are you going to hand it over or not? If you don't, I'm afraid Lin Dong will be here soon," Lin Shan said, intentionally peering into the distance as if eagerly anticipating Lin Dong's arrival.
"Take it."
Tears of grievance welled up in Qingtan's eyes, but she stubbornly held them back. Her small hand tightly gripped the Red Yang Grass before she gritted her teeth and threw it fiercely toward Lin Shan.
"Hehe, how obedient."
Seeing this, Lin Shan was instantly overjoyed. He stepped forward quickly, reaching out to catch the flying Red Yang Grass. However, just as he was about to grab it, a figure suddenly burst through the crowd and slammed heavily into him. The sheer force of the impact sent him rolling several times across the ground before he finally came to a halt.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone. They quickly turned their gazes to see who the newcomer was, and looks of sympathy immediately filled their eyes.
"Bastard!"
Lin Shan scrambled up from the ground. Without even taking the time to brush the dust off his clothes, he glared at the figure standing before him, a fierce look rising in his eyes. "Lin Dong? Good. I haven't seen you for a few days, and your courage seems to have grown quite a bit, hasn't it? It seems the beating I gave you last time was too light to teach you a proper lesson!"
"Lin Shan, I already gave you the Red Yang Grass! What else do you want?" Seeing Lin Shan's hostile expression, Qingtan's face paled. She quickly picked up the Red Yang Grass from the ground, threw it at him, and shouted angrily.
"I'll take the herb, and I'll beat the person too!" Lin Shan sneered as he caught the Red Yang Grass.
"You..." Qingtan's face flushed red with anger, her small hands clenching into fists. She had not expected Lin Shan to be so utterly shameless.
Seeing Lin Shan's tyrannical and shameless behavior, Lin Dong couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. He pulled Qingtan behind him, stepped forward, and mimicked Lin Shan's tone: "I'll take the herb, and I'll beat the person too!"
"Haha!"
Hearing Lin Dong's words, Lin Shan was momentarily taken aback before bursting into loud laughter. He looked at Lin Dong mockingly and said, "It seems that last beating broke your brain, didn't it?"
The onlookers also stared at Lin Dong with strange expressions. Having a bit of backbone was admirable, but overestimating oneself was simply asking for trouble. The two of them had fought many times in the past, but every single time, Lin Dong had been beaten black and blue.
"Brother Lin Dong, don't fight him. I don't want that Red Yang Grass anymore," Qingtan whispered urgently, tugging at his sleeve as she saw him confronting Lin Shan.
"That's right, Lin Dong. A wise man doesn't fight against impossible odds. Wait until you've cultivated for a bit longer, then come back and teach him a lesson." Even that kid Lin Changqiang hurriedly spoke up.
"Want to leave? It won't be that easy!"
Lin Shan sneered. His body lunged forward, and in just a few steps, he appeared right in front of Lin Dong. Clenching his fingers into a tight fist, he punched directly at Lin Dong's chest, accompanied by the faint, rushing sound of wind.
*Crack!*
Looking at Lin Shan's powerful punch, a cold smile played on the corner of Lin Dong's mouth. He neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, he reached out his hand, and under the astonished gazes of the onlookers, met Lin Shan's hard fist head-on.
As fist and palm clashed, a sound like two rocks colliding rang out. However, what shocked everyone was that Lin Dong had actually managed to block this punch.
"Fourth Layer of Tempered Body?!"
From this brief exchange, Lin Shan felt that something was wrong. The other boy's skin felt even tougher than his own.
Only someone who had reached the Fourth Layer of Tempered Body could possess such tough skin.
"How is this possible? Half a month ago, this kid was only at the Second Layer. How did he suddenly rise to the Fourth Layer?" An expression of disbelief flashed in Lin Shan's eyes. But then he gritted his teeth. Even if you have reached the Fourth Layer of Tempered Body, don't think you can match me!
"Falling Rock Fist!"
Lin Shan pulled back his fist stance and suddenly let out a sharp shout, blue veins bulging on his arm. Several fist shadows instantly materialized, raining down fiercely toward Lin Dong's head like a shower of falling rocks. The momentum was indeed like a barrage of flying stones.
"The Lower-tier Level One martial art, Falling Rock Fist? I didn't expect Lin Shan to have already started practicing martial arts. Lin Dong is in trouble now." Seeing Lin Dong's situation, the surrounding crowd immediately erupted into a commotion.
Lin Dong's gaze locked onto the fist shadows flying toward his face. Although the momentum Lin Shan displayed with his Falling Rock Fist was decent, for some reason, in Lin Dong's eyes, it was full of flaws. Without any hesitation, he immediately assumed the stance of the Penetrating Back Fist.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
His sleeves whipped against his arms, quickly producing crisp and loud popping sounds. At the same time, Lin Dong's fist collided with Lin Shan's fist shadows.
*Bang!*
The moment their fists connected, Lin Shan's body shuddered as a powerful force surged from his fist. He then felt a wave of pain shooting through his fists, which were supposed to be as hard as wood and stone, filling him with dread.
"Penetrating Back Fist, three echoes? How is this possible?!"
At this moment, the shock in Lin Shan's eyes grew even deeper. He had naturally heard of the Penetrating Back Fist. This martial art was quite outstanding among Level One martial arts. Originally, he had also wanted to practice it, but after ten days of training without being able to produce a single echo, he had given up. Who could have imagined that Lin Dong, who had never been his match, had actually mastered it?
"It's not three echoes, but four!"
Lin Dong smiled, his gaze suddenly turning cold. With a jerk of his arm, another crisp popping sound rang out. He unleashed another heavy punch, slamming it directly onto Lin Shan's arms.
*Thud!*
Faced with the Tongbei Fist and its four distinct echoes, Lin Shan's Luocheng Fist was instantly shattered. His footing gave way as he retreated rapidly, finally stumbling. All around them, the onlookers stared open-mouthed, watching Lin Shan nearly tumble to the ground.
However, just as Lin Shan was about to fall, a hand suddenly reached out, grabbing his shoulder and lifting him gently, allowing him to regain his balance.
"Brother!"
Lin Shan quickly turned his head. Seeing the figure that had appeared behind him, he was instantly overjoyed. Meanwhile, the expressions of the onlookers shifted drastically, fear flickering in their eyes.