Hong Qi peered through the window at the cultivating Ling Xiao and couldn’t help but reveal a gratified smile.
Taking in Ling Xiao all those years ago might have been the best thing he had ever done.
He tiptoed away, stepping into the courtyard and gazing at the stars in the sky, tears streaking down his face.
"Your son has grown up and made a name for himself. This old beggar has finally not failed the great trust you placed in me. I only hope that you are both safe and sound."
Ling Xiao was unaware of what was happening outside the house.
He was even more oblivious to the possibility that his parents might still be alive.
His mind was solely focused on breaking through to the Martial Veins Third Layer, using the power of the Breakthrough Pill to continuously assault his third Martial Vein.
After a night had passed.
Ling Xiao suddenly opened his eyes and threw a punch.
A thunderous noise erupted, and the robust brick wall in front of him was blasted to smithereens, leaving a huge hole.
He could feel an astonishing increase in his True Qi throughout his entire body, including his muscles, bones, tendons, and even his blood which all seemed to be greatly strengthened.
This punch had to have the force of at least a thousand catties!
That was the most formidable power a martial artist below the Martial Veins Third Layer could muster.
"Who would have thought that breaking through would be so easy. It seems the Mountain and River Martial Soul really is extraordinary!"
Ling Xiao was well aware that while the Breakthrough Pill was effective, it certainly wasn’t this powerful.
In the end, his success was inseparable from the Mountain and River Martial Soul.
Last night during the breakthrough, whenever he felt on the verge of failure, a mysterious force would always emerge from the Mountain and River Martial Soul, helping him to overcome the barriers.
Furthermore, he had been suppressing the urge to break through for so many days that his power had nearly reached the bursting point.
Now that it was unleashed, naturally, the breakthrough felt much easier.
However, reaching the Martial Veins Third Layer was just the beginning!
Although Ling Xiao felt excited, he also understood that, at present, he was at most on par with disciples like Ling Fei, Ling Feng, and Ling Tieshou.
Compared to Ling Yixue and Li Xingyun, he still fell short.
Moreover, they could break through to the Martial Vein Quadruple Layer at any moment.
The gap between the Third and Four-level Layers might seem like only one level, but the difference was like heaven and earth.
After all, True Qi and Gang Qi were incomparable.
A change in the quality of power meant that all attacks would also see a qualitative improvement.
To put it this way, unless a martial artist at the Martial Veins Third Layer could also use Gang Qi, they would definitely not be able to challenge someone at the Martial Vein Quadruple Layer.
The duel between Li Xingyun and the Howling Moon Wolf clearly illustrated this point.
Hong Qi came over after hearing the loud noise and was utterly dumbfounded, "Kid, did something go wrong in your practice? How did you manage to demolish the house?"
"Grandpa, I told you, we have money now. There’s no harm in not keeping this house. Let’s just build a new one," Ling Xiao said.
Ling Xiao’s goal to grow stronger was not only to prevent being bullied but also to live a better life.
He had enough of living in a house that leaked every time it rained.
"You silly boy, even if we want to build a house, where are we going to live now?" Hong Qi said with a wry smile.
"Don’t worry, there are rental houses inside the Ling Family estate. We can rent one for a while. We can move back once this house is fixed," Ling Xiao replied with a smile. "Grandpa, I’ll go look for a construction team to build our house right now."
After saying that, he ran out full of excitement.
Having just broken through to the Martial Veins Third Layer, he was afraid of no one causing trouble.
Or perhaps, deep down, he actually hoped someone would stir up trouble so that he could test just how strong he had become.
No sooner had he left the Ling Family’s main gate than a figure skulked around the corner and scurried away.
"Senior Brother Cloud, that guy just came out."
This person had arrived at a small grove, where Li Xingyun was conversing with two other middle-aged men.
These two middle-aged men were as powerful as Li Rui, both at the Martial Veins Third Layer.
"Good, I know. Here is one hundred taels of silver. I don’t want any survivors, just kill him! After the deed is done, another hundred taels will be given to you."
A chilling smile spread across Li Xingyun’s face.
"Hehe, Master Li rest assured, our brothers have always been about taking money to eliminate disasters for others. We might not be good at other things, but killing is easy!"
Ling Xiao left the Ling Family and went to the market to find construction workers to discuss building a house, then he headed back to the Ling Family with a light step.
As he passed a small grove, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Friend, since you’ve come, why hide in secrecy?"
He looked towards a tree not far away, his gaze sharp and cold.
"Hahaha, boy, you’re something, you actually found us. Seems like you’re not weak," said a voice.
With that, two men dropped down from the tree.
Both in their thirties, wearing black scarves over their faces, their attire didn’t resemble that of Tianfeng City’s martial artists but looked more like that of bandits.
"Black Scarf Thieves?"
Ling Xiao recognized the attire of these two men.
This was a group of extremely vicious thieves who usually operated around Tianfeng City but didn’t dare to enter the city easily due to the strong presence of the Four Great Families of Tianfeng City.
However, their notoriety was well-known—it was said the group numbered six to seven hundred members, led by thirteen leaders.
They were dubbed the Black Scarf Thieves because they liked to cover their faces with black scarves. Moreover, these people all had a curved knife tattooed on their arms, making them easy to recognize.
"Boy, since you recognize your grandpa, don’t waste words. Hand over all the silver on you, and your life might be spared!"
Even though they were on a mission for Li Xingyun, the Black Scarf Thieves were always greedy for wealth and lustful, committing murder like cutting grass. Naturally, they preferred to maximize their gains.
As the two of them spoke, they spread out to the left and right, taking up positions to prevent Ling Xiao from escaping.
"Hehe, the family had previously offered a reward, one hundred taels of silver for killing an ordinary Black Scarf Thief, and ten points of merit. Since you two have come, you might as well not return!"
Ling Xiao’s face showed a faint smile, calm and composed.
One hundred taels of silver was still a significant amount for him, and merit points were even more important.
Typically, only martial artists who reached the Martial Vein Quadruple Layer or higher were qualified to accept family missions and earn merit points.
Merit points could not only be exchanged for items within the family but could also elevate the family’s status.
For thousands of years, this was how the Ling Family had operated.
Once one achieved one hundred merit points, they could move from a ninth-rank family member to an eighth-rank family member.
Ninth-rank family members had no stipend and could be expelled at any time, not enjoying many privileges of the Ling Clan.
For eighth-rank family members, it was different—they received a monthly stipend and, as long as they did not make a serious mistake, would not be expelled, enjoying the true status of a Ling family member.
Having been a beggar since he was a child, Ling Xiao longed to have a family to shelter him from the storms of the world.
Despite having faced many injustices since joining the Ling Family, he had also reaped many benefits and naturally was not willing to leave.
"Boy, you’re just as arrogant as the rumors say, killing us for the reward? I’m afraid you don’t have the life for it!"
Just like the rumors?
Ling Xiao’s mind raced; the outsiders he had recently come into contact with were none other than the people from the Li Clan.
Could it be that these Black Scarf Thieves were hired by the Li Clan to kill him?
He was inherently intelligent; a slight slip of the tongue from the other party allowed him to guess the outline of the plot.
He had known that the Li Clan wouldn’t let things rest, and he had been waiting for them to cause trouble at the Ling Family. Unexpectedly, there had been no movement.
It was likely that Li Xingyun and his people hadn’t reported the true situation. They wanted to quietly hire someone to deal with him.