He achieved the pinnacle of martial arts starting with breaking through the limits of Tiger Fist.

He smashed Dao Ge's ankle with one blow, crippling his leg.

Ignoring his screams, Jiang Lin began to grope him.

After searching his entire body, they found a pile of loose silver and copper coins, totaling about five taels.

"What are your plans for those two?"

Chen Sanlang gestured with his chin and looked at the Qian brothers who had fainted on the ground.

"Easy."

Jiang Lin, carrying his knife, walked over.

The screams rang out again, and the surrounding fishermen gasped in horror. This Jiang kid was truly ruthless; he didn't even blink an eye at crippling three legs.

Jiang Lin squatted down as if nothing had happened, searched the two brothers for a while, and pulled out a few more pieces of silver, which together amounted to less than an ounce.

Chen Sanlang's eyes twitched slightly. He had been in the gang for over a year, but compared to Brother Lin, he was practically a newbie. How did the Tiger Martial Arts School teach its disciples?

"I'll give you half the silver."

Jiang Lin was about to divide the money when Chen Sanlang stopped him.

"Go back quickly. Keep the money to nourish yourself. Don't let anyone see it. The fish market will probably be a bit chaotic these next few days, so don't come over."

Jiang Lin didn't stand on ceremony. "Alright, tomorrow's a day off too. You and Hanzi can come to my house for a drink."

……

[Martial Arts] Tiger Soul Stance (Beginner 82/500)

Even on his day off, Jiang Lin didn't slack off; he started practicing his stances as soon as he got home in the afternoon.

Visualizing the progress is indeed very rewarding; every step forward is visible to the naked eye, and Jiang Lin even feels a sense of addiction to it.

"Is Brother Jiang here?"

Jiang Lin had just finished showering and put on his clothes when someone called from outside the door.

He opened the door and saw Uncle Ma, who ran a stall in the fish market, standing slowly at the door, rubbing his hands with a slightly ingratiating smile.

"Why did he come to see me?"

Jiang Lin looked puzzled.

Seeing that Jiang Lin didn't invite him into the house but just watched quietly, Uncle Ma felt even more embarrassed and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Little Jiang... um, please accept this ten taels of silver."

Jiang Lin looked puzzled. "Uncle Ma, what do you mean by this?"

"Well... I was thinking that you must have times when you're short of money while practicing martial arts at the gym. With your skills, it would be a huge loss if your training was delayed because of money."

Uncle Ma paused for a moment, then continued to organize his thoughts, "I can see that you've been smart since you were a child, and you're sure to make a name for yourself. When that happens, the whole village will benefit from your success. You must keep this money; consider it my early congratulations on becoming a martial artist."

The sun is rising in the west; is this miserly man about to lay an egg?

But why not take it if it's free? Wouldn't it be foolish not to take advantage of a good deal? Besides, this was all money he had been ripped off before.

Looking at the money bag handed to him, Jiang Lin accepted it without hesitation.

"Then thank you very much for your kindness, Uncle Ma."

Uncle Ma didn't leave after delivering the money; he continued, "I'd also like to ask Brother Jiang to say a few good words for Sanlang when you meet him."

"I have offended you in the past, please don't take it to heart."

Why are we bringing up Chen Sanlang again? Jiang Lin remained calm and replied, "It's nothing, Uncle Ma. Don't worry, we're all from the same village. I'll definitely talk to Sanlang."

Seeing that Jiang Lin had accepted the money and agreed to his request, Uncle Ma was immediately relieved. "Then I won't bother you any longer. Goodbye, goodbye."

Even after Uncle Ma's figure disappeared into the distance, Jiang Lin still couldn't quite figure it out. Could it be that the fight he had at the dock had scared him like this?

"It's definitely not entirely because of that; we'll have to ask Saburo to find out."

Jiang Lin closed the door, took out all the silver and counted it. He was surprised to find that the total amount was as much as twenty-three taels.

After thinking for a moment, he took out five taels of silver and put them aside, while putting the remaining eighteen taels into a money bag.

With this money, I can successfully pass the test and still have some left over. At that time, I will no longer be that ordinary boy that anyone can trample on.

After a good night's sleep, Jiang Lin practiced his skills at home until noon, and only after having lunch did he set off on his boat to fish.

[Martial Arts] Tiger Soul Stance (Beginner 85/500)

The few fish I specially saved yesterday have all been eaten. If I want to treat Chen Sanlang and Hanzi to a meal today, I'll have to catch some more.

Jiang Lin only went out on the boat for a little over an hour in the afternoon and caught nearly 20 catties of fish, which confirmed to him once again that something had indeed happened in the swamp and that the catch of fish in the outer area was increasing.

Jiang Lin's fishing skills have reached 850 points, and he is about to break through, but he is not in a hurry.

Change means danger, and what he needs now more is the ability to protect himself.

On the way home, they bought some wine. Although it was homemade in the village, the three of them were already used to drinking it.

A large pot was filled with fish, the fish meat was tender, the soup was milky white, and the aroma immediately wafted out when chopped green onions were sprinkled on top.

There were too many fish, so he specially separated half of them, tied them together with straw rope, so that the two of them could take them home later.

Liu Hanzi and his companion knew that Jiang Lin needed to return to the city, so they arrived quite early.

As the wine flowed and the conversation warmed up, the three of them started chatting again.

Jiang Lin told Chen Sanlang about Uncle Ma giving him money yesterday, without deliberately hiding anything.

"Old Ma is certainly well-informed."

Chen Sanlang immediately became smug, "I successfully breached the gate five days ago. This time, I seized the fish market, and the gang leader has already promised me the position of steward."

"Old Ma is smart enough to let him off this time."

Chen Sanlang took another bite of fish and continued, "This time, the gang has found a very powerful backer, and it will only grow stronger in the future."

"The Long family?"

Chen Sanlang was startled. "How did you guess?"

"The Long family's fish stall has only been open for a few days, and your Water Tiger Gang has already taken over the fish market. Is that even a question?"

Then Jiang Lin began to wonder, "I just don't understand, what's the point of the Long family controlling such a small fish market with their power?"

"It's not just this one fish market; there are at least forty or fifty fish markets around Changning County, and it's estimated that they will all be taken down this time."

As Chen Sanlang spoke, he turned to Hanzi and said, "The gang is recruiting a lot of people. Why don't you join the gang? I'll protect you."

Liu Hanzi scratched his head. "My mother said that after this month, she will send me to the blacksmith shop in the city to be an apprentice."

Jiang Lin quickly chimed in, "Hanzi is strong, but not very bright. The forging shop is definitely more suitable for him."

This weapon forging shop wielded considerable influence throughout Changning County. It was no ordinary blacksmith shop; blacksmith shops made mostly farm tools, and at most, some kitchen knives, while weapon forging shops made real weapons.

As he spoke, Jiang Lin took out five taels of silver and returned it to them. Before they could refuse, he said, "Sanlang has just passed the initial stage, but remember not to be complacent. With the money in your hands, you must use it for cultivation and strive to make further progress."

"It's the same for a simpleton to become an apprentice at a blacksmith's shop. The work is hard, and he can't go without food or hurt his body."

Seeing his unwavering conviction, the two could no longer refuse and had no choice but to accept.

After finishing the pot of fish, it was time for everyone to go their separate ways.

Jiang Lin handed the two bags of fish to the two men, saw them off, and then headed towards the county town in the setting sun.