This Martial Saint is Too Cautious

"Very well. You may head back for now, Tributor Lin. As for my Tang Family’s Top-grade Cultivation Method, I will have someone deliver it to you in due time."

...

The butler who escorted Lin Yan out of the mansion returned to the main hall, a look of confusion on his face. He couldn’t help but ask, "Young Miss, since when did our family have a Tributor?"

The family had never had a position for a Tributor before. It was clear that the Young Miss had made the decision on the spot.

’Could it be the Young Miss has taken a fancy to Young Master Lin?’

’In terms of age, the Young Miss is about half a year younger than Young Master Lin. As for their Realm, she’s also at the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing... If one ignores their family backgrounds, they’re actually a pretty good match.’

"Well, we have one now, don’t we?"

Tang Tang said nonchalantly, "What do you make of Lin Yan breaking through to the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing?"

"I can’t make sense of it." The butler shook his head. "There have been Martial Artists from backgrounds like Lin Yan’s who have reached the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing in our county’s Martial Arts Realm before. But that only happens once every twenty or thirty years, and they’re always over thirty when they make the breakthrough."

Tang Tang lifted her teacup and took a gentle sip. "Which means Lin Yan is special."

She lifted her gaze to the doorway, her eyes distant. "Someone like him only appears once every few decades. He’s worth the Tang Family taking a gamble. If we lose, the Tang Family won’t suffer any significant loss. But if we win, and if Lin Yan can continue to be this exceptional, then the Tang Family will have struck gold."

There was one more thing she left unsaid.

’Lin Yan must have a secret, but I won’t pry. As long as he can continue to advance by leaps and bounds in Martial Arts, that’s enough.’

...

After leaving the Tang Family, Lin Yan headed to his next destination.

Lin Yan stopped in front of the Lin Family’s Tieji Store. The shop was sprawling, with stalls out front displaying all sorts of farming tools for common folk.

Inside, the display racks held not farm tools, but row upon row of weapons.

Sabers, swords, spears, maces, axes... there was a complete assortment of weapons.

"Are you looking to buy a weapon, sir?"

A middle-aged man stepped forward to greet Lin Yan as he entered the shop.

"My name is Lin Yan. I’m here to see Madam Lin."

"You’re Young Master Lin?"

The man had obviously heard of Lin Yan. He hurriedly led the way. "Young Master Lin, please follow me."

「The Lin Mansion’s Main Hall.」

Qin Yin sat in a chair, reviewing the month’s accounts. Her simple white robes outlined an exquisite figure; her waist was slender but not frail. A single white flower was pinned in her jet-black hair, lending her face an even more ethereal beauty.

When she heard the Shopkeeper’s announcement, she put down the ledgers, rose to her feet, and looked toward the entrance. "Young Master Lin... you’re a rare guest. Please, have a seat."

Watching Lin Yan follow the Shopkeeper inside, Qin Yin let out a soft laugh. Her pretty, makeup-free face held an unwitting allure.

"To be called a ’rare guest’ by you, Madam Lin, I’m quite embarrassed."

Lin Yan smiled faintly. "I’ve accepted your family’s silver coins, so I can’t just do nothing in return. I came today to ask if you, Madam, have encountered any trouble lately."

’My agreement with the Lin Family was that they wouldn’t come to me for help, no matter the trouble, until I had reached the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing.’

’Surely, Madam Lin can understand the subtext of my words.’

Qin Yin did indeed understand Lin Yan’s hidden meaning. And precisely because she understood, her almond-shaped eyes first narrowed, then seemed to fill with a thousand unspoken words, along with a flicker of unconcealable surprise.

’This Madam Lin has very expressive eyes.’

"Young Master Lin... you’ve already reached the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing?"

Her voice trembled with disbelief. When she saw Lin Yan nod, her almond eyes instantly lit up, shimmering with a radiance that made her seem almost girlishly bright.

"The Lin Family’s annual sponsorship for Young Master Lin will be increased to six hundred taels of silver."

Qin Yin’s face was flushed, and her voice couldn’t help but rise in her excitement. But just as she finished speaking, a voice called out from the doorway, "Sister-in-law, this is improper!"

A burly, broad-shouldered man strode in. His eyes on Qin Yin held a hint of greed, but when his gaze landed on Lin Yan, it was filled with clear jealousy. "Six hundred taels a year? Big Brother’s body is barely cold in the grave, Sister-in-law. Isn’t this a little too obvious of you?"

Watching Zhang Xiong enter, Qin Yin frowned. Her tone was light, yet laced with distance. "You may be my husband’s sworn brother, but you are not a member of the Lin Family. This matter does not concern you."

Zhang Xiong’s expression darkened at her words. He and Lin Xiao had been sworn brothers. When Lin Xiao was alive, Zhang Xiong had no ulterior motives. But ever since Lin Xiao’s death, visions of his beautiful sister-in-law, Qin Yin, and the Lin Family’s fortune had frequently filled his mind.

’When an older brother dies, the younger brother takes his place, after all.’

’I may only be a sworn brother, but it just so happens that my big brother only had one daughter—and she’s just four years old.’

"Sister-in-law, even if you were to hire a Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist as a retainer, that’s how much you’d pay them for a year. But he gets to take six hundred taels for doing nothing? If word of this gets out, it’ll start rumors. People might think you have... other intentions. I’m afraid Big Brother wouldn’t be able to rest in peace. As his brother, I must stop this, for your reputation and for his."

Zhang Xiong’s words were dripping with insinuation, and Qin Yin’s expression instantly turned cold. After her husband passed away, she had considered sponsoring Zhang Xiong. But after a few interactions with him, her intuition warned her that he was a man of bad character. She feared it would be like letting a wolf into her home.

’When my husband was alive, Zhang Xiong was always respectful to me. Now that he’s gone, the man’s words have become flippant and disrespectful.’

"The Lin Family’s business is not for an outsider to interfere with."

"Sister-in-law, Big Brother and I burned incense and became sworn brothers. That hardly makes me an outsider."

The atmosphere in the main hall suddenly grew tense.