Chapter 5

(La la la, I'm here asking for votes again, be more proactive!)

"Lin Xiao, if you don't get the monthly fee, you'll be demoted to a regular member." Zhou Xiwen called out in a shrill voice, feeling refreshed. He just couldn't stand Lin Xiao, who always had a calm demeanor and showed no respect to him, his senior.

Wang Daqiang and his brother didn't say anything. They had no conflicts with Lin Xiao, nor did they have any close relationship.

"Let you down, did I?" Lin Xiao suddenly smiled slightly, took out some silver, and placed it on the table: "Boss Wang, I've got the monthly fee."

Wang Tiegeng glanced over and saw that it was indeed ten taels of silver, and couldn't help but draw a sharp breath: "How did you get the monthly fee?"

"I just asked for it, and he gave it to me. The hall master is very easy to talk to." Lin Xiao responded with a smile, looking calm and collected.

"Impossible, when Brother Wang and I went to collect it, we even..." Zhou Xiwen exclaimed in disbelief, clearly not buying it.

"Shut up." Wang Tiegeng's face darkened as he scolded Zhou Xiwen. Zhou Xiwen realized and quickly shut up. He and Wang Tiegeng had gone to Qinghu Martial Hall to collect the monthly fee, only to be forced to beg and crawl out. Fortunately, there was no one else in the hall at the time, or they would have lost all face.

Realizing that Qinghu Martial Hall was a tough nut to crack, Zhou Xiwen had urged Wang Tiegeng to assign this task to Lin Xiao, planning to demote him if he failed. He never expected Lin Xiao to actually succeed.

"Lin Xiao, you didn't actually pay out of your own pocket, did you?" Zhou Xiwen suddenly questioned.

"Having a brain is a good thing, I hope you have one too." Lin Xiao glanced at Zhou Xiwen with a faint look, almost making him explode with anger.

"Lin Xiao, since you've collected the monthly fee, according to the gang rules, one tael of silver will be your reward." Wang Tiegeng cleared his throat, realizing he was about to win the bet. In his excitement, he even refrained from cursing and spoke more politely.

...

After handing over the monthly fee, Lin Xiao let out a sigh of relief.

"Let's exchange this tael of silver for copper coins. Two hundred each for you, and four hundred for me. No objections, right?" Lin Xiao said to his three subordinates.

"Brother Xiao, you collected the monthly fee, we didn't do anything, we can't take it." Zhou Dazhu said methodically.

"We can't take it." Wang Daniu quickly added.

"No... no... no..." Wang Xiaohu stammered, clearly excited.

"Dazhu, you handle this." Lin Xiao handed the tael of silver to Zhou Dazhu: "Remember, since you chose to follow me, I, Lin Xiao, will not let you down."

"Thank you, Brother Xiao." Zhou Dazhu finally took the silver, speaking sincerely.

"Brother Xiao, my life is yours." Wang Daniu patted his chest excitedly.

"I... I... I... am... too..." Wang Xiaohu was equally excited.

"Are your lives so cheap? Anyway, you've worked hard today, go home and rest. We'll talk about the money tomorrow." Lin Xiao said, leaving without a worry that Zhou Dazhu would keep the silver for himself.

If Zhou Dazhu really kept the silver, it would only mean he was shortsighted, and that Lin Xiao had misjudged him, which would only mean he was suitable for a bit of punishment.

Oh, thinking about it, it's quite exciting. Just two more and it would be thirty consecutive wins. What if Zhou Dazhu and Wang Xiaohu both kept the silver?

As for Wang Daniu, he had already provided a bit of punishment.

With these thoughts, Lin Xiao felt secretly pleased, and remembering the thirty-three points of achievement he had gained from Qinghu Martial Hall, he realized he now had thirty-five points of achievement.

This made Lin Xiao more excited than getting a tael of silver.

"Achievement points: thirty-five, Horse Stance to Mastery, Basic Sword Technique to Mastery."

Back home, Zhou Zheng had already returned.

"Second Egg, scold me, hit me."

Seeing Zhou Zheng, Lin Xiao suddenly said.

"Brother, are you crazy?" Zhou Zheng's face darkened: "And don't call me Second Egg."

"Scold me harder, and hit me if you can." Lin Xiao's eyes lit up as he said.

Zhou Zheng left with a dark face.

"Looks like Zheng's points of achievement are really gone." Lin Xiao rubbed his chin, feeling a bit regretful.

Forget it, if they're gone, they're gone. There are so many enemies, a few points of achievement don't matter.

"Enhance Horse Stance to the limit." Lin Xiao muttered. His consciousness seemed to be pulled into a dark space by an invisible force, and he vaguely saw a figure standing in the Horse Stance.

In the next moment, the figure shattered, and countless shadows rushed towards Lin Xiao. He grunted, feeling his head swell as if a stone had been forced into it, about to burst.

Time passed.

"Brother... Brother... What's wrong... Brother..."

A voice called out, as if from a distant sky, stretched and deep, like a dream.

Gradually, the voice became faster and clearer, filled with anxiety, concern, and worry.

"I'm fine." Lin Xiao quickly responded.

"You scared me to death, I thought you were unconscious again." Zhou Zheng sighed with relief.

"How long have you been calling me?" Lin Xiao asked casually.

"About fifty to sixty breaths." Zhou Zheng replied.

"Fifty to sixty breaths..." Lin Xiao fell silent for a moment: "I'm fine, I was just thinking."

His head still felt a bit blocked, as if the Horse Stance had been crushed, and countless secrets surged into his mind, stirring his thoughts.

Slowly organizing and absorbing, the blocked feeling in his head gradually eased.

"Consume twenty points of achievement, Horse Stance to Mastery."

At night, Lin Xiao lay on his bed, continuing to ponder. The Horse Stance had transcended its original constraints, no longer bound by form, but... ingrained in his bones, deep in his body, becoming instinct.

Realizing this, Lin Xiao adjusted his sleeping position slightly and immediately felt a sense of harmony, an indescribable harmony. A warm sensation began to grow within him, initially subtle but gradually intensifying, making him feel as if he were soaking in warm water.

In this comfort, Lin Xiao gradually fell asleep.

Late at night, it was silent except for the chirping of insects.

In the civilian area, the nights were not so lively. Everyone went to bed early to wake up early for their daily work.

At dawn, Lin Xiao woke up from hunger, his stomach completely empty, feeling extremely hungry, making him dizzy and weak, as if he could eat himself.

Stumbling out of bed, he found a pancake, his mouth watering, and quickly took large bites, stuffing his mouth, chewing quickly, and swallowing. His intestines, like dry land, began to move.

His stomach rumbled like thunder!

After eating a few large pancakes and drinking several bowls of water, Lin Xiao felt better.

A warm sensation began to grow within him, gradually intensifying. Lin Xiao moved slightly and was startled. This feeling was as if he had a new body, feeling stronger and lighter.

Walking, sitting, lying down, Lin Xiao discovered that he could maintain the Horse Stance at any time, as the Mastery-level Horse Stance was no longer limited to the posture but could be maintained in any position.

This meant he could practice the Horse Stance continuously, twenty-four hours a day, far surpassing the previous limit of two hours a day.

...

Wuli Street was the most prosperous area in Qingtong Township, the so-called rich district. A few months ago, the gang war between Baiyun Gang and Heitu Gang was over the control of Wuli Street, with Baiyun Gang emerging victorious.

Every day, Baiyun Gang members patrolled to prevent troublemakers, especially from Heitu Gang, from disrupting business.

If business was disrupted, where would they get the monthly fees? After all, the monthly fees were a significant part of the gang's income.

Patrols on Wuli Street were on a rotating basis, with the four major leaders each taking a month.

This month, it was the turn of the major leader Zhou Xingmu, who assigned the task to his four sub-leaders, who in turn divided their elite members to patrol specific areas.

"Xiaohu, Brother Xiao can eat even more than you." Wang Daniu, watching Lin Xiao eat meat buns, whispered to Wang Xiaohu.

"More... more... more... than... me..." Wang Xiaohu stammered in shock.

"Just nod." Wang Daniu found this way of communication too tiring and said. Zhou Dazhu watched Lin Xiao, wondering if there was something wrong with his body.

After all, these past few days, he had been eating non-stop, as if he could never get full.

At any moment, Lin Xiao could feel himself getting stronger. With a thought, his strength could be focused, making him feel he could punch a bull to death.

The only downside was the cost.

Martial arts training required constant replenishment, and Lin Xiao's continuous practice was extremely demanding, requiring frequent replenishment.

How to replenish?

Eat!

One coin could buy two large meat buns. Lin Xiao ate one every hour, spending about a hundred coins on meat buns alone each day, and nearly two hundred coins in total. Even if he had a mine, he couldn't afford this.

Finishing the meat bun in his hand, Lin Xiao finally let out a sigh of relief. Recently, to save money, he had been eating buns every day, to the point where he now felt resentment at the sight of them. He secretly decided to earn more money to buy other things, preferably to feast at Zhenwei Tower, the best restaurant in Qingtong Township, with Zhou Zheng.

The patrol point for the four of them happened to pass by Zhenwei Tower.

"Zhenwei Tower, I heard the head chef is from the county, and his specialty is medicinal dishes, both nourishing and delicious." Wang Daniu licked his lips: "I wonder when I can have a feast there."

Wang Xiaohu's eyes sparkled, almost drooling.

"Don't even think about it, it's expensive. A meal can cost several taels of silver, and to eat the chef's personally prepared dishes, you need to pay in advance and reserve a few days ahead." Zhou Dazhu said calmly: "I heard a small portion of the medicinal dish costs five taels, a medium portion ten taels, and a large portion twenty taels."

"Pay in advance and reserve a few days ahead." Wang Daniu and Wang Xiaohu's eyes widened: "Is this just for the rich?"

"When I was alive, I saw this a lot." Lin Xiao said very calmly, but Wang Daniu and the others were shocked, huddling together, looking at Lin Xiao as if he were a ghost.

What year was "back then"?

What did "when I was alive" mean?

Could it be that Brother Xiao is now...

For a moment, Wang Daniu and the others felt the sun on their backs turn cold.

"Free meal!"

"Someone's fighting!"

A commotion suddenly erupted from inside Zhenwei Tower.

Wang Daniu and the others immediately looked at Lin Xiao, waiting for instructions.

"Go." Lin Xiao thought for a moment, took the lead, and rushed towards Zhenwei Tower.