Shooting the Eagle: Starting from Iron Palm Peak

After leaving the hillside, Lin Qi and Mu Nianci headed south.

After five days of travel, Iron Palm Peak came into view. The mountain was still the same mountain, and the three characters "Iron Palm Clan" on the blue stone archway were still as vigorous and powerful. The two disciples guarding the gate were new faces. When they saw Lin Qi, they were stunned for a moment, and then hurriedly bowed.

"The gang leader is back!"

The news spread quickly. Before Lin Qi had even reached the halfway point of the mountain, Zhou Mingyuan, Qian Sihai, and Mei Ruolan had already come out to greet him. The three of them had different expressions—Zhou Mingyuan's face was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger; Qian Sihai smiled and said repeatedly, "You've worked hard, Chief"; Mei Ruolan's gaze lingered on Lin Qi for a moment, then fell on Mu Nianci behind him, and her eyebrows twitched slightly.

Mu Nianci, carrying a bundle and with the gun wrapped in cloth, stood quietly half a step behind Lin Qi.

"Boss, who is this...?" Qian Sihai asked with a smile.

Lin Qi said, "Miss Mu is a friend I met outside. She will be living on the mountain from now on."

Qian Sihai said "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions. Zhou Mingyuan nodded and clasped his hands in greeting, "Miss Mu." Mei Ruolan also nodded, her gaze softening slightly.

Mu Nianci bowed but did not speak.

The group went up the mountain. Lin Qi first went to check out the stone building—Qiu Qianren's residence, which was now empty and locked. He stood in front of the door for a while, then turned and went to the side courtyard. The side courtyard was still the same as before, with two stone houses surrounding a small courtyard, and chopped firewood piled up in the corner. He had someone clean it before he left, and the houses were spotless.

Mu Nianci stood at the gate of the courtyard, looked around, her gaze lingered on the stone wall for a moment, and then fell on the old locust tree in the middle of the courtyard.

"Brother Lin, did you used to live here?"

"Okay." Lin Qi took her bundle and put it inside. "You stay in this room for now, I'll stay next door."

Mu Nianci nodded without refusing.

When the news reached the Iron Palm Hall, Han Duanyue did not show up. Lin Qi didn't care; he went to see Zhou Mingyuan first to inquire about the situation within the gang over the past few months.

Zhou Mingyuan told him that things were relatively calm within the gang; Han Duanyue hadn't made any major moves, only placing a few people in the Foreign Affairs Department, which Qian Sihai had turned back. Qiu Qianzhang went down the mountain every few days, supposedly to meet friends, but no one knew what he was actually doing.

Lin Qi listened without commenting. He returned to the side courtyard and saw that Mu Nianci had already tidied up the room, the bed was made neatly, and a bunch of wildflowers were placed in front of the window.

"I picked them from the mountain," Mu Nianci explained, following his gaze.

Lin Qi smiled but didn't say anything.

In the evening, Zhou Mingyuan had someone bring over the food. Mu Nianci sat at the table, eating slowly, occasionally glancing up at Lin Qi. Lin Qi asked her if it wasn't to her liking, and she shook her head, saying no, she was just not very hungry.

After dinner, the two sat in the courtyard. The moon rose from behind the mountain ridge, its clear light bathing the ground. Mu Nianci hugged her knees, gazing at the moon in a daze.

Lin Qi leaned against a large tree, eyes closed, his mind preoccupied with plans for the gang. Han Duanyue's absence indicated he was still observing. Qiu Qianzhang's frequent descents from the mountain were likely not a good sign.

The three officials' attitudes were as follows: Zhou Mingyuan was a conservative, and as long as things didn't get chaotic within the gang, he wouldn't take sides; Qian Sihai was a fence-sitter, and he would side with whoever had the upper hand; Mei Ruolan only cared about internal affairs and didn't get involved in the power struggle.

The only person he could rely on was Zhao Tieshan.

Mu Nianci suddenly spoke up: "Brother Lin, how long do you think it will take to avenge our godfather?"

Lin Qi opened his eyes and glanced at her. In the moonlight, her eyes were bright, but there was no urgency in them, only a quiet waiting.

"It won't be long," Lynch said.

Mu Nianci nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The next morning, Lin Qi summoned the heads of the three departments and the leaders of the various altars for a meeting. There were many people in the main hall. Zhao Tieshan had specially come from the Jinghu Altar. When he saw Lin Qi, he grinned and clasped his hands in greeting, "Chief, you're back." Lin Qi nodded and gestured for him to sit down.

Han Duanyue also arrived, sitting in the seat of the Iron Palm Hall's deputy hall master, his face gloomy, and he remained silent. Several trusted disciples stood behind him, their gazes sweeping over Lin Qi.

Lin Qi glanced at everyone in the hall and said, "Thank you all for your hard work during my absence."

Qian Sihai smiled and said, "You're too kind, Chief. Everything in the gang is going smoothly."

Han Duanyue suddenly spoke up: "Chief, you brought a girl back?"

A moment of silence fell over the hall. Lin Qi looked at him and said calmly, "Miss Mu is the daughter of an elder of mine. Before he passed away, he entrusted her to me. She will live on the mountain from now on, and no one should make things difficult for her."

Han Duanyue snorted but didn't reply.

Zhou Mingyuan said, "Chief, you've come back just in time. There are a few things that require your decision." He opened the booklet in his hand and spoke about them one by one.

Lin Qi listened attentively, nodding occasionally and asking a few questions now and then, handling the situation methodically. Those in the hall observed this and were somewhat surprised.

Before Lin Qi left, although he was already the gang leader, he was still young and somewhat inexperienced in handling gang affairs. Now it's different; he speaks crisply and decisively, as if he were a completely different person.

After the meeting, Zhao Tieshan followed Lin Qi to the side courtyard. He saw Mu Nianci, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Miss Mu." Mu Nianci returned the greeting and went inside.

Zhao Tieshan lowered his voice: "Chief, while you were away, Hall Master Qiu went down the mountain three times, each time bringing back a few people, claiming they were friends, but those people didn't seem like proper martial arts figures. I sent people to follow them, but we lost them."

Lin Qi frowned slightly: "Do you know who they are?"

Zhao Tieshan shook his head: "I don't know. But it's definitely not a good thing."

Lin Qi was silent for a moment, then said, "Keep watching, but don't alert them."

Zhao Tieshan nodded, then looked at Lin Qi's palm and suddenly asked, "Chief, has your martial arts improved again?"

Lynch did not deny it: "I had some extraordinary encounters outside."

Zhao Tieshan grinned: "That's good. As for Han Duanyue, just keep that in mind."

After Zhao Tieshan left, Lin Qi sat in the courtyard and reviewed the situation within the gang once more. Han Duanyue could be easily crushed now and was no longer a threat. Qiu Qianzhang was secretly plotting something, and he needed to investigate him thoroughly. The Three Departments' attitudes were ambiguous, and he needed to gradually win them over.

Mu Nianci came out with a cup of tea, handed it to him, and sat down next to him.

"Brother Lin, is that Han Duanyue dissatisfied with you?"

Lin Qi took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Whether he submits to me or not is irrelevant; he won't be able to keep this up for much longer."

Mu Nianci did not ask any further questions.

Over the next few days, Lin Qi handled gang affairs daily and practiced his martial arts every night. He repeatedly honed the last eight stances of the Iron Palm Technique, and with a single palm strike, a deep palm print was left on the blue bricks of the courtyard wall.

He continued to practice the Yi Jin Duan Gu chapter of the Nine Yin Manual, and his internal strength deepened day by day. Mu Nianci practiced the Xiaoyao You (逍遥游) technique every morning, and her movements became increasingly agile. Occasionally, she would exchange a few moves with Lin Qi. Although she couldn't win, she could handle three to five moves.

The gang members were curious about Mu Nianci, but no one dared to say anything. Lin Qi was the gang leader, and no one dared to neglect the people he brought back. A few bolder disciples secretly looked at Mu Nianci, but were scolded by Zhao Tieshan and never dared to do it again.

Han Duanyue remained motionless. Lin Qi knew he was waiting, waiting for Lin Qi to make a mistake, waiting for Lin Qi to reveal a weakness.

But Lin Qi had no intention of giving him that chance. In the few days since he returned, he had thoroughly investigated the gang's forces, figuring out who he could use and who he needed to be wary of. Rather than passively waiting for someone to make a move, he decided to proactively stir up trouble.

One evening, Zhou Mingyuan came to see Lin Qi and sat in the courtyard for a while. He looked at the palm prints left by Lin Qi from practicing his martial arts, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "Chief, your martial arts have improved a lot compared to before."

Lin Qi said, "I learned some things from people outside."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded without pressing further. He stood up, preparing to leave, but suddenly stopped and turned back, saying, "Chief, Han Duanyue may be quiet, but he won't stay quiet forever. Think carefully before you act, and don't be impulsive."

Lynch glanced at him and said, "I know."

Zhou Mingyuan left. Mu Nianci came out of the house and stood beside Lin Qi.

"Brother Lin, he's worried about you."

"Um."

"So what do you plan to do?"

Lin Qi looked at the moon in the sky and said slowly, "We can't wait any longer. Let him move."

Mu Nianci turned her head to look at him; her eyes were clear in the moonlight. She didn't ask why, nor how to move; she simply waited quietly for a while, then nodded gently.

Lin Qi stood up, walked to the courtyard gate, and gazed at the layers of lights below the mountain. Iron Palm Peak was quiet, but he knew that this quiet wouldn't last long.