Yang Jing smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just ran into a couple of guys yesterday who claimed to be from the Great Fortune Gang, and it made me a little curious."
He didn't go into detail about the high-interest loan.
But Liu Maolin frowned. "Did they cause trouble for you? Do you want me to have someone look into it? My family's medical hall has a pretty wide network in the city. It wouldn't be hard to find out a gang's background."
"It's really nothing, Senior Brother, don't worry." Yang Jing waved his hand dismissively. "I just want to understand the situation better, so I know what I'm dealing with. If it's convenient, could you please ask around for me about their strength, what kind of business they're mainly involved in, and the background of their Gang Leader... The more detailed, the better."
Hearing what Liu Maolin had to say about the Great Fortune Gang did put his mind at ease.
As long as the Great Fortune Gang's leader was only a Mingjin practitioner, there was room to maneuver.
But to be cautious, he still needed to thoroughly investigate them to avoid being blindsided by a trivial mistake.
"What's inconvenient about that?" Liu Maolin readily agreed. "I'll have someone look into it when I go back this afternoon. I'll have an answer for you by tomorrow morning."
He looked at Yang Jing, his tone serious. "If you really run into trouble, don't you dare hide it. We're martial brothers; there's nothing we can't talk about."
"Okay, thank you, Senior Brother." A warmth spread through Yang Jing's chest, and he nodded solemnly.
...
The days passed one by one.
Since that day, the Great Fortune Gang hadn't come looking for trouble with Yang Jing again. However, they also showed no signs of wanting to reconcile.
Yang Jing remained on his guard.
The Great Fortune Gang was like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows, ready to leap out and strike him at any moment.
Therefore, Yang Jing never let his guard down when it came to the Great Fortune Gang.
He continuously asked his fourth senior brother, Liu Maolin, to use the Liu Family Medical Hall's channels to gather information on the Great Fortune Gang.
But the Great Fortune Gang was preoccupied with fighting other gangs over territory and profits, and it seemed as if they had forgotten all about Yang Jing.
Besides asking Senior Brother Liu to help keep an eye on the Great Fortune Gang, Yang Jing would also sneak over to their headquarters every two or three days to observe. He focused almost all his attention on their Gang Leader, Xu Tai, who was at the Peak of Mingjin.
The Great Fortune Gang wasn't targeting him for now, but that was because they were too preoccupied with their turf wars and were also wary of his strength.
'Once the Great Fortune Gang's disputes with the other gangs are over, they'll probably come for me.'
When it came to the Great Fortune Gang, Yang Jing was preparing for a rainy day. He gathered all sorts of information in advance, knowing that at the critical moment, this intelligence could play a crucial role.
「In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.」
「Chengping Square, Sun's Martial Arts Hall.」
In the front courtyard, Yang Jing was in a low horse stance, throwing punch after punch at a wooden post. The wind from his fists carried an increasingly solid Mingjin.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the center of the courtyard, like a pot boiling over. Immediately after, the chatter of many disciples reached his ears.
"It's Senior Brother Lin Yue!"
"Heavens! Is it true? He broke through to Anjin so quickly?"
"How could it be fake? The Hall Master said so himself!"
"I heard that Senior Brother Lin Yue reached the Peak of Mingjin half a month ago. To increase his chances of a successful breakthrough, he waited until today to make his attempt, and he succeeded in one go!"
"My god, isn't that way too fast? He hasn't even been a disciple for half a year, has he?"
"Sigh, comparisons are odious. I've been at the Martial Arts Hall for half a year and still have no hope of breaking through to Mingjin, but Senior Brother Lin Yue has already reached Anjin. That speed is just terrifying!"
Yang Jing pulled back his fist and looked over. He saw Lin Yue standing in the center of the front courtyard, his features handsome and his bearing extraordinary. A crowd of people currently surrounded him.
"Having superior aptitude really makes a difference. We haven't even touched the threshold of Mingjin, and he's already broken through to Anjin."
"Sigh, I broke through to Mingjin around this time last year. It's been a full year. I tried to make a breakthrough once before but failed and damaged my vital energy. It'll take me another two months to recover, and then I'll try for a second time. If I fail again, I'm just going home. I can't stay at the Martial Arts Hall forever, just draining my family's savings. I'm so envious of a genius with superior aptitude like Junior Brother Lin!"
"I heard the Hall Master specially gave Lin Yue a 'Body Tempering Pill.' The reason he could break through to Anjin so quickly probably has a lot to do with that pill."
"Tsk, tsk. Not only is his talent amazing, but he also has the resources. There's just no comparison."
The discussions were filled with envy and jealousy.
Yang Jing gazed at the figure surrounded by the crowd, unconsciously rubbing the back of his fist.
He didn't feel envious, only that the calluses on his palms had grown a little thicker.
Just as the other disciples had said, Lin Yue's path was paved with talent. His own path had to be forged, one punch at a time.
Just then, Liu Maolin walked over and handed him a clean towel. "Junior Brother Lin's talent is the highest among all the Core Disciples in the Martial Arts Hall. It's only natural that Master values him the most. His breakthrough to Anjin was to be expected."
As he spoke, Liu Maolin's gaze fell on Yang Jing. "Don't let him affect you. You have different aptitudes, so it's normal for there to be a gap in your progress. Besides, your own progress is very steady. It's not like you have no hope of reaching Anjin."
Liu Maolin was encouraging Yang Jing, worried that his mindset would be affected by a genius like Lin Yue's performance.
Hearing this, Yang Jing wiped away his sweat and smiled. "I know. Everyone has their own pace."
Liu Maolin was a bit surprised to hear that, though he was glad Yang Jing's mindset was so stable.
He was quite close to Yang Jing, so he knew that Yang Jing was also doggedly pursuing the realm of Anjin. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the first to arrive and the last to leave every day, training so diligently.