Chapter 3. Chased out
"Lin Ming, it was quite rash of you to challenge Zhu Yan like this. He is known for being vengeful and cruel. We are commoners, so before we are admitted into the Seven Profound Martial House it's very easy for us to lose our lives," Lin Xiang commented plainly as he walked down the road with Lin Ming and Lin Xiaodong, returning from the registration site.
In the Sky Fortune Kingdom the lives of commoners and nobles aren't equal. Unless the two brothers gained the protection of the Seven Profound Martial House, no one would care if they died.
As a noble, even if Zhu Yan killed them on the street in public, he would only end up being confined as punishment. After that, all he had to do was pay a compensation of two hundred gold taels for each of them and he would be released.
For Lin Xiang, he would rather cultivate in secret without provoking those stronger than him, and then only step over them once he's strong enough, even if he had to endure humiliation. There is nothing shameful about this. In his mind those shonen protagonists who find challenges just to prove their bravery and risk their lives to fight to the death with strong enemies, this is the real stupidity.
However, even though Lin Xiang hypocritically said all this, he was satisfied that Lin Ming had a confrontation with Zhu Yan. He didn't propose coming early precisely because he wanted Lin Ming to bump into Zhu Yan just like in the novel!
As a consequence, Lin Ming and him would be chased out from their lodgings by Zhu Yan friend's underling and would begin to work and live in the Grand Clarity Pavilion.
Lin Xiang didn't rely on the fact that the Magic Cube would be found in the stomach of a Goldback Pangolin in the Grand Clarity Pavilion restaurant, but on the fact that destiny would place it waiting there for Lin Ming. By emulating the events from the novel, Lin Xiang would only appear at the last step, snatching the Magic Cube.
Lin Ming remained quiet. After a while he said, "When Zhu Yan looked at us with his condescending look I felt a strong urge to say everything I did and I don't regret it. I'm afraid that If I didn't do it, I wouldn't stay true to my heart of martial arts."
Lin Xiang sent Lin Ming a look and didn't respond. In this world exists a concept called the 'heart of martial arts'. It is believed that if a martial artist doesn't act according to their principles and desires, then their heart would not be at ease and their cultivation wouldn't progress smoothly.
He didn't share this superstitious view, but he felt that the 'heart of martial arts' might be more mystical and elusive than simply a person's set of beliefs and their determination, and it might have to do with the rules of this world.
Although Lin Xiang didn't approve of Lin Ming's attitude, he couldn't judge it. Furthermore, Lin Ming was still very young, so it was normal for him to be a bit reckless. Of course, Lin Ming growing up to be similar as in the novel greatly satisfied Lin Xiang in terms of his goals. He only said, "We'll just have to be careful."
Lin Ming nodded. "En."
In regards to surpassing Zhu Yan, it would be extremely difficult for Lin Ming to do it. The amount of effort that would be required to pay would be colossal.
He had no fear of hard work or bitterness, but the same could not be said for internal injuries. Medicinal herbs were needed to heal those injuries and those medicines were undoubtedly expensive.
After seeing his expression, Lin Xiaodong was able to guess what Lin Ming was thinking and said, "Two brothers, all you need to do is train hard. As for the financial side of things, I will figure it out for you. Just be rest assured, even though my grandfather's position in the family is not high, it is still nothing to scoff at. Taking out a few hundred gold taels is not impossible for me."
Lin Ming stopped walking and turned around to face Lin Xiaodong. In life, there are many fair weather friends, but those who would offer help in times of need are rare. Between brothers, saying thanks would be hypocritical. Yet, Lin Ming still stopped and said in a serious tone, "Xiaodong, thank you."
"Enough, stop this. This is too much for me. I am not someone who pursues much in life. Taking the entrance assessment for the Seven Profound Martial House is simply a way to protect my father's reputation. Two brothers, I will bet on you. After you become masters in the future, you must help cover my ass a bit, hahaha."
Lin Ming gave a hearty smile and laughed. "En! With a brother like you, we will definitely persevere on the Martial Path."
Lin Xiang faintly smiled. At that moment he only hoped that plot armor was on his side.
…
By the time Lin Ming and Lin Xiang returned to their dwelling place, it was already evening. This was a room that they had rented.
During this period of time, from the day that Seven Profound Martial House began its registration for entrance assessment until the day of its assessment, all the dwelling places within Sky Fortune City would be packed and inns full. The rental rates would undoubtedly increase by half. Thus, many applicants would choose to rent a room.
Naturally, that in itself was not a cheap option, but the two brothers decided to share a room to reduce the cost.
The single room they rented was only ten square meters in area with a very simple set up. One brother would sleep on the bed, while the other on the floor, and they would rotate every other day. Because it was the height of summer, there was no problem of it being too cold even on the floor. Since he shared a room, their living expenses were not high.
Just as the two brothers closed the door, someone knocked.
Lin Xiang stepped forward first and opened the door. He then saw the landlady standing there.
The landlady is a roughly fifty years old woman with a somewhat obese body. Her face is usually fierce and harsh, but today she was sporting a pleasant looking smile, causing one to feel that something was off.
"Landlady, do you need anything?" Lin Xiang asked, already prepared for what would happen next.
"This… little fellows, I am sorry, but can you please vacate this room," the Landlady said in a tone that was more of a command than a question.
"En?" Lin Ming frowned as he stepped closer. "Why?"
"Hehe, sorry, but I have rented this room," a harsh sounding male voice interjected.
Lin Xiang and Lin Ming turned around and found a man with huge monkey-like ears walking in from the hallway. The man was smiling in a seemingly playful manner.
Looking at him for a moment, they recognized him as one of the underlings that had followed along behind Zhu Yan and the other young man. It appeared that he is the underling of the other young man. Back then, the other young man had remained silent and only looked at the Lin family trio with an expression of contempt.
No doubt, the young man was currently trying to get in the good books of Zhu Yan by sending his own underling to cause problems for them. All he needed to do was offer a rental fee several times higher than what the Lin brothers had and the Landlady would naturally be willing to force them out.
Presently, the Seven Profound Martial House is holding its registration event, leading to difficulty in searching for a dwelling place. Finding another place to rent would be easier said than done. But even if they did, there was no guarantee that this underling would not appear to cause problems for them again.
Lin Xiang's eyes secretly flashed. Finally, the events started catching up to those of the novel.
According to the novel, the man that came here was an underling of a noble young master called Wang Yigao. If the two Lin brothers beat him up today, which is what Lin Ming did in the novel, then Wang Yigao would try to assault them in a deserted alley later on with his bunch of goons, aiming to cripple them in revenge.
As long as Lin Xiang had the Magic Cube, then it would be a great chance to earn a lot of gold from a duel wager with Wang Yigao emulating the novel, but if he didn't, then he wasn't fully confident in winning a fair fight against a Second Stage young master who learned martial skills and owned a flexible armor. After all, his cultivation was only at the peak of middle First Stage, there was a difference of three small boundaries between them!
As a result of being assaulted, the two brothers might become crippled for life, or at the very least would need to be very careful in avoiding secluded places for the next few months.
It was a really tricky situation…
Lin Ming's face turned heavy and he gazed coldly at the landlady. He said, "Back then we had agreed that we will be renting for five months. We have also paid you the five months' rent in advance. Currently, there are still three more months until the deadline. But, you want us to leave now?"
The landlady smiled apologetically, "This… Naturally, I am aware of this. How about this? I will return the rent for the three months back to you. How about that?"
"Ah! Return me the three months' rent? You have quite the calculative mind!" Lin Ming's anger had begun boiling. If this landlady had been forced to evict them due to the pressure of the other person, then Lin Ming would accept simply leaving. However, her current actions and words have made him furious.
"Hey, what are you talking about? Back then, we had only talked about it and not signed off on anything. This room is mine. Who I choose to rent it to is up to me! I'm already doing you two a favor by allowing you to live together!"
Considering Sky Fortune City's status as the capital city of Sky Fortune Kingdom, all the property owners here have a subconscious sense of superiority. To them, all those who came from the outside are but country bumpkins; they would look down upon them while speaking in tones of disdain towards them.
Furthermore, this man beside her was obviously someone sent by a rich and powerful family. With someone like this backing her up, the landlady became more courageous.
At this moment, the man with monkey-like ears laughed out arrogantly. "Hehe, if you are sensible, then just get out immediately. I will tell you something else. This Young Master has my eyes on you. Even if you manage to find another place to rent, I will still be able to throw you out. Within these three months before the entrance assessment for the Seven Profound Martial House begins, you should just resign yourself to sleeping in the streets, haha!"
The man laughed.
For those who were born within the circle of elites, it was only natural for them to form an arrogant sense of superiority. However, even when they were expressing their arrogance, they would still maintain a certain bearing of grace and speech, just like Zhu Yan. This person standing before them, on the other hand, was revealing a naked form of arrogance, one befitting those of bullies who could only depend on others.
Lin Ming walked over to Lin Xiang, standing beside him. He stared at the man with monkey-like ears, his eyes turning colder with each passing moment.
"What are you looking at? Are you thinking about hitting me? Let me tell you, my Young Master is the second son of the lord of the Defence Army for Sky Fortune City. If you dare beat this Young Master, then this Young Master will-…"
Bam!
At that moment Lin Xiang suddenly threw out a lightning-fast sucker punch, smashing his fists right into the man's solar plexus.
With a pitiful groan, the man's eyes bulged out as breath was pushed out from his lungs and his entire body became paralyzed due to pain. He instantly dropped down to the ground and curled up like a shrimp, clutching his stomach and shrieking while gasping for breath.
An arm capable of swinging a 100 jin iron spear (60,4 kg) as if it was a stick struck the man accurately in his weak point. The result could be imagined, mucus was flying out of the man's mouth as he nearly fainted.
Even though Lin Xiang's early First Stage of Physical Training was only the beginner territory of the martial path, it was by no means worthless.
After all, many people within Sky Fortune Kingdom are unable to train in martial arts. Lin Xiang, on the other hand, was a good talent to begin with. In addition, he was very hard working in his training.
The landlady was shocked, her eyes bulged out for several moments. Perhaps if there was a ferocious expression on Lin Xiang's face, then she would have screamed and run away, but Lin Xiang was expressionless and calm, and it caused her to swallow the words in her throat as she stood there frozen.
"Since you're breaking the agreement, then return us five months' rent. This is only fair, isn't it?" Lin Xiang calmly asked as he looked at the Landlady, ignoring the tall man who was desperately gasping for breath on the floor.
The Landlady blinked her eyes. She saw a furious look on Lin Ming behind Lin Xiang who looked at her calmly and waited for her answer.
"Y-yes, it is fair." The Landlady mumbled and with shaking chubby hands took out a few banknotes. It was ten gold taels in total, which was the rent that Lin Xiang and Lin Ming originally paid for the room.
Lin Xiang received the ten gold taels and looked at Lin Ming. He said, "We're leaving."
He knew that in the novel, because of his pride and anger, Lin Ming trashed the room and didn't accept the Landlady's return money for three months. However, Lin Xiang didn't want to miss this chance. If he failed to acquire the Magic Cube, then every bit of gold would matter. A mortal with decent skills would need to work hard for two whole months to earn ten gold taels.
Lin Ming nodded expressionlessly. The two picked up their backpacks and other belongings. Lin Xiang also picked up his iron spear and held it in his hand.
As the two brothers began walking out of the room, the man with monkey-like ears on the ground seemed to have regained some of his breath as he pointed his finger at them and dryly hissed out: "You… You dare hit me, you… You are finished."
"Still full of energy?" Lin Xiang looked over and fiercely kicked the curled-up man in the abdomen.
"Yiii!" The man with monkey-like ears groaned out and his already curled-up body pathetically curled up further. Although he should have no real injuries, he wouldn't be getting up from the ground and fighting back in the next few minutes. At the same time, it was certainly a quite humiliating experience for him.
Lin Xiang then placed his foot on the man's head and pressed down. The wooden floor started emitting creaking noises under the pressure.
Eyes of the man with monkey-like ears bulged out. He felt as if his head would burst at any moment. He looked up at Lin Xiang and only saw an expressionless look as if he wasn't even worth stepping on.
The man felt rage and fury rising in his heart, but the fear of his skull cracking at any moment overwhelmed him. He stared at Lin Xiang in fear while pitifully groaning, his eyes wide open.
Suddenly, the pressure from the man's head disappeared as Lin Xiang lifted his head. His goal of humiliating the man without causing him any serious injuries was accomplished.
He didn't spare him even a second glance as he walked out after the brief pause.
Watching this scene, the landlady watched tongue-tied while holding har hands in front of her mouth, nearly fainting.
Lin Ming behind him snorted at the man and turned away his head, following Lin Xiang. He was well aware that after beating up this man, the person behind him would never let this go and would certainly bring upon them no small amount of trouble.
However, Lin Ming felt no regret in regards to what happened. In Lin Xiang's shoes he would have done the same.
As a man, there is a need to endure. If the person who had come today was a martial artist, Lin Ming would not advocate acting like this and would choose to endure. This loss was one that must be endured.
However, the one who appeared before them was a worthless underling, one who could only depend on the backing of his master. If they had to endure what this kind of person had to say, then what was the point of them learning martial arts? That was simply incompatible with the Martial Path within Lin Ming's heart.
Thus, Lin Xiang and Lin Ming left the neighborhood.
"We'll have some trouble coming our way," Lin Ming casually said as they walked.
"Hn," Lin Xiang replied noncommittaly. In the end, he aimed to initiate the events from the novel for a chance to earn some money. He wasn't reckless, but he wasn't timid and afraid of taking risks either.
He didn't act without careful consideration either. He didn't cause the man with monkey-like ears any injuries, so it was always a way out. Although he greatly humiliated the man and he would surely seek revenge, if Lin Xiang had to duel Wang Yigao without the Magic Cube then he might still have a decent chance of winning as long as he prepared concealed weapons and played dirty. In addition, the two brothers could also be careful and avoid deserted alleys in the future.
"So where do we go?" Lin Ming asked.
As of now, all the inns were full; in addition, the prices were also far too expensive for them. Even though Lin Ming has no objections to sleeping in the wilds, Lin Xiaodong would probably throw a fuss and insist on bringing them to his own abode.
If they were to do so and the second son of the Army Lord sends his men there, Lin Xiaodong himself can forget about sleeping in his house. He will have to accompany Lin Xiang and Lin Ming and sleep on the streets.
Moreover, Lin Xiang had just provoked a dangerous trouble. There was no guarantee that the Army Lord's second son would not send some thugs over. In these people's eyes, causing others to become crippled was no big matter. Lin Ming did not want to bring such a kind of problem to Lin Xiaodong.
If that is the case, then where could they go?
"I already have a place in mind." Lin Xiang faintly smiled.