This Martial Saint is Too Cautious

Chapter 113: Chapter 7: Whereabouts

Qin Yin’s pretty face was filled with conviction. She believed Lin Yan would ultimately accept.

Even if the main family wouldn’t train him for free, the shared surname still made it a better option than any other power.

The reason she was willing to give this opportunity to Lin Yan, rather than the younger disciples from the other branches of her own family, was twofold. First, the Martial Arts talent of her own young clan members was not strong enough to meet the Qing State Lin Family’s requirements. Second, she feared it might impact her daughter’s future control over the Lin Family.

No matter how strong Lin Yan became, he would have no pretext to seize the Lin Family’s estate. Her own clan members, however, were a different story. If one of them truly achieved greatness, they would likely win the support of many in the clan.

She had already heard many clan members whispering amongst themselves lately, saying that as someone with a different surname, it was inappropriate for her to be in charge of the Lin Family.

If she gave this opportunity to Lin Yan, he would surely acknowledge the favor. In the future, if those clan members went too far, her daughter could turn to Lin Yan for support.

...

「Yang Family Martial Arts Hall.」

As Lin Yan stepped through the main gate of the Martial Arts Hall, he saw dozens of new disciples in the front courtyard. Some were practicing stances while others practiced their punches, creating a bustling scene.

’What’s going on here?’

’It’s only been a few days. How can there be so many new disciples?’

"Junior Brother Lin!"

Li An, who was teaching the new disciples, saw Lin Yan enter and immediately walked over with a smile.

The number of disciples seeking to join had skyrocketed in the past few days, so he had resigned from his position as a guard for the Cai Family and returned to the Martial Arts Hall to help their master teach the new students.

The new disciples on the training grounds turned their gazes to Lin Yan. When they saw his youthful appearance and the three-star emblem on his disciple uniform, their eyes lit up with fervent admiration.

The main reason they chose to join the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall was because it had produced a certain Zhao Linyuan.

However, after they joined the Martial Arts Hall, they heard more from Senior Brother Li about a senior brother named Lin Yan.

Only then did they learn that the Martial Arts Hall had another genius whose strength was only a step behind Senior Brother Zhao’s.

He came from an ordinary background, but in less than two years, he had reached the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing.

If Senior Brother Zhao was a figure so legendary they couldn’t dream of aspiring to his level, then the story of this Senior Brother Lin gave them motivation.

Senior Brother Lin’s background was humbler than theirs, yet he had reached the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing in under two years. Didn’t that mean they might have a chance to do the same?

"Senior Brother Li, what’s the situation?"

"It’s a long story..."

"Then make it short."

Lin Yan sighed in resignation. Senior Brother Li was a great guy—enthusiastic and kind—but he was just too long-winded.

He had been patient in the past, but he couldn’t afford to be now.

"Junior Brother Zhao reaching the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing caused a city-wide sensation. Plus, with both Lingyun Martial Arts Hall and Juying Martial Arts Hall taking a huge hit recently and our hall remaining untouched, many clans have started sending their disciples to us."

’The power of a big name!’

Lin Yan understood. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Senior Brother Li and confirming their master was in the hall today, he walked toward the rear courtyard under the fervent gazes of the many young disciples.

In the rear courtyard of the Martial Arts Hall, Yang Qingfeng, who was trimming branches, heard footsteps. He turned, saw it was Lin Yan, and smiled. "You rarely come to the hall these days. Is something the matter?"

"I was wrong, Master. As long as you don’t find me a nuisance, I’ll come every day to pay my respects and listen to your teachings."

Lin Yan chuckled to himself. ’With Junior Brother Zhao gone, Master must be lonely.’

Yang Qingfeng shot him a glare. "Enough with the smooth talk. Go on, what do you need me to explain?"

Yang Qingfeng had indeed been feeling a bit empty lately. Last year, he had poured all his energy into Linyuan. Now that Linyuan was gone to the Profound Celestial Sect, he was left with nothing to do.

Although the Martial Arts Hall had received many new disciples recently, none had met his standards.

"Master, Madam Lin told me something today..."

Lin Yan told his master about the Qing State Lin Family. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Qin Yin, but that he had his own concerns.

’Why would the Qing State Lin Family send a message to a branch family, especially one they haven’t contacted in at least a hundred years?’

’Is the Qing State Lin Family facing a shortage of new talent and in urgent need of promising new blood?’

’Or is there another reason?’

’The former would be fine. It’s the latter that he fears.’

"The Qing State Lin Family... I’ve heard of them."

A look of reminiscence appeared in Yang Qingfeng’s eyes. Back when he broke through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing at thirty, he had also traveled to Qing State.

"Qing State is jointly governed by the Four Great Clans. Each clan is evenly matched in strength, and the Lin Family is one of them."

At this point, Yang Qingfeng’s interest was piqued. He asked, "Let me test you. In a situation like this, would the four clans have any intention of annexing each other? And how would they handle disputes over resources?"

Faced with his master’s test, Lin Yan pondered for a moment before answering, "The desire to annex the others... each clan certainly has it. But unless one has the absolute power to crush the other three, no one would make a rash move, lest they create an opening for the other two. As for disputes over resources..."

He paused. ’My master wouldn’t test me for no reason.’ Connecting this to his reason for seeking out his master, a flash of understanding lit up his eyes.

"I understand now. None of the four clans would dare to start an all-out clan war, so they would control their conflicts within certain limits. The best way to do that would be to use the strength of the younger generation to decide the allocation of resources."

"Why do you think so? What’s so good about that method?" Yang Qingfeng didn’t directly confirm if his guess was correct, but pressed him further.

"First, it can control the scope of the conflict so it doesn’t escalate into a full-scale war."

Lin Yan raised one finger, then a second. "Second, it also motivates the younger generation of the clan to cultivate diligently—not just for themselves, but to bring honor to the entire clan."

"Third, you wouldn’t test me without reason, Master. It was that, along with the question I came here to ask, that made me consider this possibility."

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