Chapter 4: Promote, Promote Immediately
Wharf, Warehouse.
“Brother Lin, are we really doing this?”
Wu Yong held the wooden stick, somewhat at a loss as he looked at Lin Fan, who had taken off his upper clothes to reveal his toned upper body. He was patrolling the wharf, but who would have thought that as soon as Brother Lin returned, he pulled him into the warehouse, handed him a stick, and asked him to strike with the stick.
He was dumbfounded by this.
“Mm, come on, wait a bit.”
Lin Fan seemed to think of something. He took the stick, ran his hand over it once—it was smooth and even, with no splinters—then handed the stick back to Wu Yong.
“Use force.”
After saying that, he took a deep breath, stretched both arms straight forward as if channeling energy, then looked at Wu Yong without speaking. His eyes clearly said: come on.
Chen Niu’s words had given him some inspiration. And thinking about how wildly swinging a stick had led to comprehending Beginner Staff Technique, what if someone struck him with a stick, using external force—could he comprehend an external training method similar to Iron Shirt or Golden Bell Cover?
He couldn’t access martial arts now, so he could only rely on the advantage of his cheat to bolster himself first.
If it didn’t work, he’d suffer at most a bit of pain.
But what if it really worked?
Wu Yong had never heard such a request before, but seeing how serious Brother Lin was, he gripped the stick with both hands. “Brother Lin, I’m really coming then. If it hurts, don’t blame me.”
“I won’t blame you. Hurry up.”
“Alright, here I come.”
“Come on.”
“I’m really coming then.”
Lin Fan anxiously turned his head, about to say not to be so nagging, when he saw Wu Yong let out a low roar and swing the wooden stick ferociously toward his back with both hands.
Holy crap!
This situation scared Lin Fan into quickly turning back. He took a deep breath and arched his back.
Bang!
The stick landed, making solid intimate contact with his back. A dull thud echoed through the warehouse, and Lin Fan’s face visibly turned red. His cheeks trembled as he let out a pained grunt.
It hurt—so much it hurt.
His whole skeleton felt like it had fallen apart.
“Brother Lin, how is it? You okay?” Wu Yong asked with concern.
“N-No, I’m fine.”
Lin Fan endured the pain, stubborn as ever.
He hadn’t expected being struck by a stick to hurt this much. No wonder when he had struck Zhao Er before, it made him cry for his father and mother. This pain was real.
“How could you be fine? Look, it’s swollen. Such a clear stick mark.” Wu Yong was genuinely afraid Brother Lin would get mad and turn the stick on him.
Nonsense.
How could it not swell?
It’s not made of iron.
But when he looked at the panel, there was no change.
It was useless.
Or maybe not enough?
Thinking it over, it definitely wasn’t enough. It couldn’t be that one strike would lead to comprehension.
“Continue, come on.” Lin Fan eased the pain a bit and let Wu Yong strike on his own. For such a request, Wu Yong seemed hesitant.
“Brother Lin, stop messing around. If this causes a problem, I’ll feel bad. There’s no hurdle in this world we can’t get over. No need for this.”
Wu Yong tried to persuade him, thinking Brother Lin must have been hit hard by something.
For a man to punish himself like this, the only possibility was heartbreak. But he didn’t recall Brother Lin being close to any girl.
“Messing around? This isn’t messing around, this is martial arts practice. We’re gang members—getting ambushed is common. If you want to be strong, you have to endure hardship. No more nonsense, just strike.” Lin Fan urged.
Martial arts practice?
Wu Yong sighed inwardly. He knew Brother Lin had always talked about martial arts and such, but that stuff was just from storybooks. There was no such thing as martial arts—it was just idle fiction.
Seeing how insistent Brother Lin was, he said no more, raised the stick, and struck toward Brother Lin’s back again.
Bang!
Bang!
Dull stick sounds echoed in the warehouse.
Gang members who heard the noise followed the sound curiously. When they saw Wu Yong furiously striking Lin Fan with a stick, their expressions varied, but they all thought the same: Lin Fan must have gone crazy.
“What are you doing?”
A majestic voice rang out.
The gang members turned back. Upon seeing the newcomer, they immediately straightened up and said respectfully, “Hall Master.”
Wang Changhai frowned. “Not properly patrolling the wharf, slacking off all day. What if Fierce Tiger Gang comes to make trouble?”
“Hall Master, it’s not that. Look…” One gang member pointed at the situation in the warehouse.
Wang Changhai looked over in confusion. He wanted to ask about the sounds inside, but when he saw the situation, he was stunned in place.
What the heck is this?
In his eyes, shirtless Lin Fan had a flushed face and gritted teeth, letting a gang member strike him with a stick. Seeing the force of the swings and the grunts of pain, his own gums ached.
Wouldn’t this hurt to death?
Bang!
Crack!
A crisp sound rang out. The wooden stick, two fingers thick, snapped in two.
Wang Changhai was dumbfounded. He had never seen someone so ruthless to themselves. He immediately stepped forward and asked.
“What are you all doing?”
Wang Changhai was utterly confused and just wanted to understand the situation.
“H-Hall Master.” Wu Yong jolted to attention and greeted respectfully.
At this moment, Lin Fan’s breathing became slightly rapid. Inwardly, he was ecstatic: it worked, it really worked. Just now, the panel had changed, and a notification appeared in his mind.
【Comprehended Beginner Body Refining】
【Beginner Body Refining Proficiency +1】
【Beginner Body Refining（Not Beginner 1/100）】
“Hall Master, Wu Yong is helping me train.” Lin Fan suppressed his inner joy and responded very respectfully to the Hall Master’s question.
The Hall Master was a man of face. Outside, face mattered most, especially the respect from the low-level thugs around him.
“Train?”
Wang Changhai’s mouth hung open, his eyes bewildered. He had never seen anyone train their body like this.
Lin Fan said, “Yes, Hall Master. As one of your men, I hope to have a toned body to clear away all the petty villains blocking your path. When the Hall Master faces danger, I hope to use this body of mine to buy you enough time to escape.”
Sure enough, when he said this.
Wang Changhai’s gaze toward Lin Fan changed.
“Good, good, good. I never thought that by my side, Wang Changhai, there would be a gang member like you.”
Wang Changhai saw the sincerity in Lin Fan’s eyes—no pretense, all genuine.
The surrounding gang members’ gazes toward Lin Fan changed.
Huh?
Brother, when did you get so good at talking?
Saying it like that makes us seem useless.
At this time, Wang Changhai noticed the muscles on Lin Fan’s body and couldn’t help stepping forward to touch them. “Such solid muscles. Only a body like this has power, has fighting strength.”
Then he looked at the gang members nearby.
“Lift your clothes.”
The subordinates lifted their clothes—some revealing little potbellies, others skin and bones.
Wang Changhai shook his head. “Look at you all, then look at Lin Fan. How can bodies like yours work?”
Disappointment, full of disappointment.
When he saw Lin Fan’s back, full of red swelling and even seeping blood beads, he sucked in a breath. “Oh man, this back—how much pain must that be?”
Lin Fan said firmly, “Only by enduring hardship can one gain the ability to let the Hall Master sleep soundly. For the Hall Master, this subordinate is willing to go through fire and water.”
“Ah…” Wang Changhai tilted his head back at forty-five degrees. Moved by Lin Fan’s words, he didn’t want tears to fall, and let out a sigh. “Good, well said.”
Then he seemed to make some decision, his expression turning serious.
“From now on, you’re the leader of Jili Wharf. Everyone here reports to you. For any matters, you just report to me.”
Promote him, must promote him.
Where to find a subordinate like this? Clearly capable at a glance.
Wang Changhai truly had no usable hands under him.
As Hall Master of Loyalty Hall, yet the weakest one, without even one presentable subordinate.
As the saying goes, use people without doubt, doubt people without using. He trusted his own judgment—this kid was absolutely reliable.
Uproar, shock.
The surrounding gang members looked at Lin Fan in shock. He became leader just like that?
Looked like he was now the Hall Master’s favored one.
Hadn’t he joined Loyalty Hall less than two months ago?
This promotion speed was a bit fast.
At this moment, everyone’s eyes were filled with all sorts of emotions.
Envy, jealousy, admiration.
