Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

In the dead of night, the courtyard was deathly silent.

Only the lanterns hanging under the eaves swayed slightly in the night breeze, casting a dim yellow glow that stretched the hunched figure beside the stone table in the courtyard into an elongated silhouette.

"Da, da, da..."

The heavy, dragging footsteps broke the silence of the alley.

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Chen Ping, supporting himself on the door frame, staggered in.

He was soaking wet, his clothes were tattered and mixed with sewer sludge and black blood.

His left arm hung unnaturally at his side, the entire sleeve soaked in black blood, and with each step he took, a bloody watermark was left behind.

Old Liu was puffing on his pipe when he saw Chen Ping's miserable state, as if he had crawled out of a pile of corpses. The old man wasn't surprised at all; he just stood up abruptly and quickly went to meet him.

"You're back?"

Chen Ping leaned against the door frame, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

He looked at Liu Laoguo, his voice hoarse:

"Cough cough... My left arm was infected with corpse poison, and two of my ribs are broken."

Old Liu's expression changed, and he immediately helped Chen Ping sit down on the stone bench, tearing open the sleeve of Chen Ping's left arm with lightning speed.

The wound was as black as ink, and the surrounding skin was an eerie grayish-white color, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench.

"Bear with it."

Old Liu pulled out a small silver knife from his pocket, heated it over a fire, and with a flick of his wrist, precisely gouged out the rotting black flesh from Chen Ping's arm.

"hiss--"

Chen Ping's forehead veins bulged, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

After cleaning away the rotten flesh, Liu Laoguo sprinkled another layer of white medicinal powder, wrapped the wound tightly with bandages, and finally treated the broken ribs.

After doing all this, the old man wiped the sweat from his forehead and was about to ask a question.

Chen Ping suddenly raised his head, his gaze icy.

"Someone set me up."

He reached into his robe with his intact right hand, pulled out a wet cloth bag, and threw it on the stone table.

Then, he placed the black crystal that exuded a chilling aura, along with the seven pale white bone spurs with barbs, all on the table.

The cloth bag was opened, revealing twenty-four Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms inside, which were entirely black with edges that shimmered with a faint blue light.

The surface of the cap has rings of black lines, and it feels cold and hard to the touch.

Liu Laoguo's pupils contracted slightly as he looked at the spoils on the table.

"This is... a corpse core? And a Yin Lingzhi mushroom?"

Chen Ping nodded: "I think I encountered the kind of monster you mentioned, a Rakshasa. That thing was chained underwater with several chains. I estimate that it had just evolved, and luckily it had just evolved, so it only had about the strength of the Flesh Refining Realm, otherwise I would have really died there."

"That creature was raised by humans."

Old Liu's face darkened.

He stared at the corpse core, his tone serious:

"Raising demons...that's a capital offense in the imperial court."

"Since it's a capital offense..."

Chen Ping interrupted him, his voice calm: "That's enough. I'm going to report this to the authorities!"

"Are you crazy?!"

Old Liu suddenly stood up, dropping his pipe to the ground.

"If you report this to the authorities, when those big shots from Shanyang City arrive, the entire Qingyi Society will be investigated, and even other gangs in Xiahe County and Qinghe County might be wiped out!"

"At that time, you will be the public enemy of the entire martial arts world!"

"The Green Robe Society will kill you, the White Gang will kill you, and the Great River Gang will kill you too, because you broke the rules. Jianghu matters should be settled within the Jianghu, but you've dragged the government into it—that's a grave taboo!"

Old Liu lowered his voice and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"If you report this to the authorities, you'll be hunted down and killed wherever you go. That's the rule at Qingkou Wharf. Reporting it to the authorities is tantamount to courting death."

Chen Ping remained silent for a moment.

Suddenly, he let out a cold laugh.

"The code of honor among outlaws?"

He raised his head, his gaze icy: "Uncle Liu, do you think the code of honor in the martial world can save my life?"

Old Liu was taken aback.

Chen Ping pointed to the corpse core on the table:

"Anyone who can raise a Rakshasa must be extraordinary. I'm just a nobody who's barely entered the Skin Refining Realm, and I'm holding a treasure that someone has raised. Even if I don't report it to the authorities, do you think they'll let me off the hook?"

"We all know it's impossible. They'll just kill us to cover their tracks and take back the body core."

Chen Ping's voice was calm, yet it carried a hint of ruthlessness.

"When life is at stake, what does chivalry mean!"

"Can chivalry and honor save my life? No, so why should I talk about it?"

Old Liu opened his mouth, but found himself speechless.

Chen Ping propped himself up on the table, his body swaying precariously, but his eyes shone with an alarming brightness.

"I've never been a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the underworld). I only have a wretched life, a wretched life struggling in the mud, desperately trying to survive."

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "Rules? Those are cages drawn by the strong for the weak. Morality? That's just paper money burned by the winners for the losers!"

Chen Ping pointed to his chest, his voice sending chills down one's spine: "I'm too weak now, so weak that I could be crushed like a bug at any moment."

"Since I'm going to die anyway, why should I care about any damn rules or morality? As long as I can live, I'll do anything, even if it means dragging the authorities into the mess or tearing a hole in the sky."

His gaze swept over the corpse core and Yin Lingzhi on the table.

Since I'm weak anyway, I'll just bring in a more powerful being.

He flipped the table and yelled at everyone.

Chen Ping continued:

Do you remember what Yang Sen told me?

Old Liu was taken aback: "What is it?"

"Shanyang City is sending a high-ranking official down."

Chen Ping's gaze was deep: "Recently, everyone in the Green Robe Society has been on edge. They've cleaned up the greywater site within three days. I guess they're afraid that big shot will find out something."

"If it were just a local official from Shanyang City, I don't believe the Qingyi Society would be so tense. Therefore, this important figure is very likely sent by the imperial court."

Liu Laoguo's pupils contracted slightly.

Chen Ping sneered: "Raising demons is a capital offense! I can guess the court's attitude; they will absolutely not tolerate such things."

"If I report this to the authorities, that big shot will definitely investigate thoroughly. Whoever is behind it, no matter their power or influence, will have to hide from that big shot's gaze like a maggot!"

"Does he dare to act under that big shot's nose?"

Chen Ping said, enunciating each word clearly, "Therefore, reporting to the authorities is actually my only way to survive."

Old Liu remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a wry smile: "You kid... you'd already thought all this through on the way back?"

Chen Ping nodded: "Yes, so it's not that I'm bold, it's that I had no choice."

Since I'm going to die anyway, why not take a gamble?

Bringing the imperial court into the mess will make things difficult for everyone.

He turned around, looked towards the inner room, and called out in a deep voice, "Gouwa!"

"Squeak—"

The door was pushed open, and Gouwa came out rubbing his sleepy eyes.

By the dim light of the lantern, he immediately saw Chen Ping covered in blood.

The sleepiness vanished instantly.

"B-Big brother?! What's wrong with you...?" Gouwa's face turned ashen.

"Shut up and listen to me."

Chen Ping interrupted him, his voice cold and hard.

"I'm giving you a task now. If you fail, we'll all die."

Gouwa trembled, immediately stood up straight, and bit his lip tightly.

Chen Ping picked up two Rakshasa bone spurs from the table, along with a piece of broken silver, and slammed them heavily into Gouwa's hand.

"Take this and go to the greywater field to find Li Wenxiu immediately."

"Also, bring the Indian guy along on the way."

Chen Ping's eyes were sinister.

"Leave him here alone as a hostage. Tell Li Wenxiu that someone is raising demons underground in the Greywater Field. Tell him to take this bone spur and write a complaint."

Chen Ping stared at Gouwa, his tone chilling:

"The three of you must leave immediately tonight, avoiding the main roads, and sneak into Shanyang City."

"Li Wenxiu was once a refugee. He knows better than anyone how to evade officials and sneak into the city through dog holes. Listen to him and don't take the main roads."

Gouwa's hand trembled, and his voice shook: "After...after entering the city? Go straight to the yamen?"

"No, once we're in the city, we shouldn't show our faces."

Chen Ping grabbed Gouwa's shoulder, his eyes as deep and wolfish as ever.

"Find a place where nobody knows you, hide like a rat, and then stare at the sun."

"If I don't send you a message before dawn tomorrow, or if you don't hear that I'm dead..."

He said, slowly and deliberately:

"Then immediately send Li Wenxiu to beat the petition drum! Make the situation as big as possible!"

Gouwa's body jolted violently, his face turning deathly pale: "Big brother, what...what do you want to do?"

Chen Ping released his grip, straightened his collar, and said in a chillingly calm voice:

"I need to find out exactly who set me up."

"If it explodes now, the authorities will come and that person will have to cut off his tail to survive, and I may not survive either. But if this bomb is left hanging, as long as I live, it will be my talisman."

"I need to figure out who started this game during this time, and then survive."

"Do you understand?"

Gouwa gripped the silver and bone spur tightly, nodding heavily: "Don't worry, brother, I'll bring Ah San with me. If we don't hear from him by dawn, we'll beat the drums!"

"Go on, be careful on the road, and don't let anyone see you."

Gouwa took a deep breath, glanced at Chen Ping one last time, and then turned and rushed into the night.

The courtyard gate was closed again.

The courtyard fell silent once again.

Old Liu puffed on his pipe, looking at Chen Ping with an extremely complex expression:

"Holding your tongues still, luring the snake out of its hole... You've even arranged an escape route for those few underlings around you. You're betting your life on the other side not daring to gamble that you'll fight to the death."

"Aren't you afraid of going too far?"

Chen Ping didn't reply, but silently adjusted his breathing, enduring the excruciating pain of his broken ribs.

He sat back on the stone bench, staring at the corpse core, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

There's no way you can guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days.

I won't be able to sleep soundly until I find out who's behind this.

A brief silence fell over the courtyard.

Only the lanterns swayed gently in the night breeze, casting a dim, yellowish glow.

A moment later, Chen Ping suddenly spoke, his gaze falling on the black corpse core.

"Uncle Liu."

Old Liu took a puff of his pipe: "Hmm?"

"Is there any way for me to use this myself?"

Chen Ping stared at the corpse core: "The person who can raise a Rakshasa will definitely come to me for this. Until then, can I use it to become stronger?"

Old Liu was silent for a moment, then sighed:

"Yes, there is, but you need to be prepared..."

As they were talking.

"Da, da, da..."

Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the alley outside the courtyard gate.

Unlike the footsteps that Gouwa had just left, these footsteps were hurried and chaotic, indicating that there were at least a dozen people rapidly approaching the courtyard.

Chen Ping's eyes turned cold, and he clenched his fists.

Old Liu blew out the lantern.

In the darkness, the old man's voice was deep and resonant.

"They've arrived."