Just after Adam Brooks had mastered the third level of the Iron Bone Technique, Henry Clark found an excuse, saying he needed to go down the mountain to investigate the details of a big deal, and insisted on naming Adam Brooks to accompany him. Adam Brooks, having made great progress in his martial arts and eager for a chance to test his skills, thought nothing of it and followed Henry Clark away from the main stronghold on Tianma Mountain.

Although Henry Clark was a martial artist, he had the nickname “Double-Yin Scholar,” and his appearance was somewhat refined. He wore a long robe, hid his usual short sword inside a bamboo staff, and disguised himself as a down-and-out scholar. Adam Brooks also put on a set of old clothes, pretending to be his servant boy, carrying a shoulder pole with some random luggage to avoid suspicion. Fearing someone might see through their disguise, he did not bring his usual steel saber.

Adam Brooks had grown up in the main stronghold on Tianma Mountain and had never really left the area within a few hundred miles of the mountain; the farthest he’d ever been was a county town nearby.

Henry Clark took Adam Brooks and set out at dawn. By nightfall, they had already traveled over a hundred miles. The two did not look for a place to stay but instead lit a campfire in the wilderness, prepared some food, and rested there.

Traveling with Henry Clark, Adam Brooks did not practice the incantations from the three pages of the golden book he had obtained. After eating some dry rations, he began to practice the Iron Bone Technique he had learned from the chief of the stronghold. Having acquired the three pages of the golden book and cultivated true qi, his progress in the Iron Bone Technique was now twice as fast with half the effort. The Iron Bone Technique was an external martial art and did not require meditation or qi cultivation. There was a set of boxing forms to practice, and after long training, one could invigorate the muscles and bones, gaining various marvelous uses. Eventually, by refining true qi from the outside in, one would be considered a first-class expert in the martial world.

Adam Brooks practiced three to five rounds, each punch generating wind. Henry Clark watched with some alarm, secretly thinking, “How has Adam Brooks’s Iron Bone Technique improved again? He’s made much more progress than when I saw him a few days ago. Judging by his current skills, even if I tried to ambush him, I’m not fully confident of success. I’d better switch to another plan.”

Henry Clark had several schemes in mind when he brought Adam Brooks out. Now, seeing that Adam Brooks’s martial arts were even better than expected, and not knowing if the chief had taught Adam Brooks any other skills, he was not confident in making a move. So he changed his mind. Smiling before he spoke, he said, “Adam Brooks, your Iron Bone Fist is already at sixty or seventy percent of the chief’s level. Maybe in a few days, he’ll promote you to sixth chief, or even fifth chief—it’s not impossible.”

Adam Brooks was a clever person. Hearing the second chief’s words, he smiled and replied, “Second chief, you must be joking. There’s never been such a precedent in our stronghold. Besides, being the fifth or sixth chief is no different from being the seventh chief for me—it’s all the same happiness.”

Henry Clark chuckled and suddenly said, “You’re the only smart one in our stronghold. Although you’re still young, you definitely have a bright future ahead. The reason I brought you out this time isn’t for any big deal, but because there’s something important I want to discuss with someone. After thinking it over, only you can help me plan.”

Adam Brooks exclaimed in surprise, “Second chief, you must be joking. I’m still so young—how could I discuss anything important with you?”

Chapter Four: Bamboo Branch Gang, Flower Drum Hall, Three Mountains Sect

Henry Clark truly had a plan. He spoke unhurriedly, “Although our Tianma Mountain is a strategic location with many passing merchants and business has always been good, and the terrain is dangerous enough that the authorities have trouble attacking us, it’s not a long-term solution. I want to persuade your master to join a major gang, but he refuses to listen.”

Hearing this, Adam Brooks immediately perked up.

There were three major gangs around Tianma Mountain: the Bamboo Branch Gang, the Flower Drum Hall, and the Three Mountains Sect. The Three Mountains Sect was a martial arts sect with master-disciple inheritance, which need not be discussed here. The Bamboo Branch Gang and the Flower Drum Hall had fought several fierce battles over territory. The main stronghold on Tianma Mountain was located between the three, able to play them off against each other. Since none of the three gangs had any real designs on this area, the stronghold had enjoyed a carefree existence.

Henry Clark truly lived up to his nickname “Double-Yin Scholar.” Though not a silver-tongued orator, he had a sharp and unyielding tongue, and in just a few words, he clearly analyzed the situation on Tianma Mountain.

“We’re caught between the three gangs. If they keep each other in check, they won’t have time to bother us and will even try to befriend us. But recently, the Bamboo Branch Gang’s chief disciple, Samuel Grant, has had a stroke of luck and gotten involved with the female disciple of the Three Mountains Sect’s grand elder, Logan Wood. The two are about to form a marriage alliance. If these two gangs unite, the Flower Drum Hall will soon be in big trouble. That’s their problem, but our Tianma Mountain stronghold will no longer be able to play both sides. We’ll likely be pressured by the two allied gangs. Our only option is to join the Bamboo Branch Gang now, become their people ahead of time, and gain the trust of both sides in the coming power shift. Not only will we avoid destruction, but we can also take the opportunity to grow stronger.”

At first, Adam Brooks thought being a bandit chief on Tianma Mountain was quite enjoyable, but after hearing the second-in-command’s detailed explanation, he began to feel a sense of unease. Still, he asked in puzzlement, “Second chief, what’s the point of telling me all this? We’d need the chief’s approval before making any moves.”