Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

The night was deep, on the south side of Qingkou Town.

Here stands a detached, exquisite mansion.

The towering blue brick walls isolated the noise from the outside world, and a few green bamboos stretched out from the top of the walls, rustling in the night breeze.

A sedan chair stopped in front of the vermilion gate.

Chen Ping was carefully helped across the threshold by two maids.

As soon as he entered, a faint fragrance of perfume mixed with the delicate scent of precious flowers and herbs wafted over him, dispelling the stench emanating from his body.

The courtyard features winding corridors, well-arranged rockeries and ponds, and bright but not glaring lighting, exuding a refined and elegant style.

Chen Ping's left arm was wrapped in thick bandages, and with each step he took, a piercing pain shot through his broken ribs.

But he remained calm, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.

After passing through the corridor, a maid led him to a spacious hall.

Above the main hall, there is a chair covered with a tiger skin.

A woman was sitting in the chair.

She looked to be about thirty years old, wearing a dark red robe with a wide belt woven with gold thread around her waist, outlining her voluptuous yet slender figure.

She has well-defined and dignified features, and her brows exude a heroic spirit that is rare even among men.

Most striking is the shocking scar on her left cheek.

The scar stretched diagonally from her temple to the corner of her mouth, like a centipede lying on her face.

The scar, which should have disfigured her, did not make her look ugly; instead, it added a touch of menace and majesty to her face.

This is Rouge Tiger, one of the five managers of the Green Robe Society.

On the embroidered stool beside the rouge tiger sat a girl of thirteen or fourteen.

The girl wore a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a plain sash. Her skin was as white as snow, and her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll.

She was holding a book, but she couldn't help but look up and secretly peek at Chen Ping, who was covered in blood, with her clear, watery eyes.

Chen Ping's gaze swept over the two of them.

The scar on Rouge Tiger's face, and the aura she exuded, suggested that this woman had fought her way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

And that girl...

Her demeanor was too clean, even carrying a hint of naivety, which was out of place in the blood-soaked town of Qingkou.

Chen Ping instantly made a deduction in his mind: Rouge Tiger protected this girl very well, and it could even be said that he deliberately kept her away from the bloody storms of the martial world.

"sit."

Rouge Tiger put down his teacup, his voice low.

Chen Ping didn't stand on ceremony and, despite the pain, sat down in the chair at the lower end.

A maidservant approached carrying a lacquered tray containing a dark blue pill the size of a longan, which emitted a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

"This is an antidote I made myself."

Rouge Tiger glanced indifferently at Chen Ping's blackened left arm. "Although the corpse poison is troublesome, this one pill can force the poison out as long as it doesn't attack the heart."

Chen Ping looked at the pill but did not reach for it immediately.

In this world, there is no such thing as kindness without a reason.

He raised his head, looking directly into Rouge Tiger's eyes, his voice hoarse: "Madam, are you asking me to owe you a favor?"

"Chen Ping, you're a smart man."

A playful smile curved Rouge Tiger's lips. "Actually, if you really think about it, you already owe me a favor. If I hadn't stopped that person in the manor for two hours this afternoon, you would already be dead before you killed Rakshasa."

Chen Ping's pupils contracted slightly.

"The person behind that Rakshasa was originally going to attack you along with those four assassins."

Rouge Tiger leaned forward slightly, his tone turning colder: "Leopard, Red Flower Stick, a subordinate of Ghost Hand Zhang, Blood Refining Realm cultivator."

"If he had gone, your body would probably be completely cold by now."

Chen Ping's heart stirred.

It turns out that person's name was Leopard.

But what role do yellow teeth play in all of this?

He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out, picked up the pill, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.

As the medicine took effect, a cool sensation instantly flowed throughout my body, and the burning pain in my left arm was greatly relieved.

Chen Ping spoke slowly, but his eyes sharpened: "But... Madam, this task of clearing out the water ghosts was something you forced on me. You could even say that you deliberately pushed me into a pit of fire."

"If I'm not mistaken, you wanted to use me to remove the leopard's 'stab' in the greywater field. But you didn't expect that what was hidden there wasn't a 'stab,' but a Rakshasa."

"So, Madam, at most this is considered a clean break, and we owe each other nothing."

A fleeting look of admiration crossed Rouge Tiger's eyes.

"That's right, I just disgusted the leopard, and at the same time, I disgusted Ghost Hand Zhang."

She frankly admitted, "Before this, I really didn't know it was a Rakshasa. If I had known that Leopard dared to raise demons on gang territory, I wouldn't have needed you to report it to the gang leader, and he would have been stabbed to death."

"I have already cleaned up the bodies of those four people and the Rakshasa."

At this point, Rouge Tiger stood up and walked to Chen Ping:

"Chen Ping, the current situation is that you are guilty of possessing a treasure."

"The corpse core is on you right now, isn't it? We can make a deal; you can give me the corpse core."

Chen Ping didn't speak, but simply clenched his intact right hand.

"Ghost Hand Zhang will be coming to our door soon."

Rouge Tiger's voice was full of temptation: "Give me the corpse core, and I'll help you fend off Ghost Hand Zhang. As long as you hand over the corpse core, I can guarantee your survival, and I might even take you under my wing and give you the best resources."

"Madam, I have a question. The leopard raised this Rakshasa for this corpse core, right? What exactly is the purpose of this corpse core?"

Rouge Tiger took a sip of tea and said, "This thing has only one function, which is to help people break through to the Blood Refining Realm."

Breaking through to the Blood Refining Realm? Then this corpse core is actually of no use to him now.

It's not worth exchanging this corpse core for his life.

At the very least, this leopard must die!

Chen Ping was about to speak.

Just then.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Suddenly, a series of muffled and hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Followed by.

"Bang!"

The thick, vermilion door was kicked open with a loud thud.

Before the two guards could even ask what was wrong, they were blasted away by a tremendous force and crashed heavily onto the gravel ground in the courtyard, spitting out blood.

A burly figure, as imposing as a black tower, strode in.

On a freezing day, the man was shirtless, his muscular physique gleaming under the lamplight.

It was none other than Zhang the Ghost Hand.

Behind him followed a leopard with a gloomy face and venomous eyes, and a dozen or so strong men wielding sharp blades.

"Ghost Hand Zhang, if you don't change your habit of kicking doors, your legs will break sooner or later."

Rouge Tiger didn't even turn her head, she just said something indifferently, picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Ghost Hand Zhang strode into the hall, his violent aura instantly dropping the temperature inside to freezing.

The girl who had been secretly observing Chen Ping turned pale with fright and instinctively shrank behind Rouge Tiger.

Ghost Hand Zhang ignored Rouge Tiger's sarcasm, his gaze fixed on Chen Ping.

"Rouge Tiger, enough with the nonsense."

Ghost Hand Zhang's voice boomed like thunder, causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker: "This brat stole Leopard's things and killed my men. Today, I must take him away."

Leopard stood behind Ghost Hand Zhang, his narrow eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Chen Ping's chest.

"Chen Ping!"

The leopard gritted its teeth, its voice shrill: "That thing is mine! Hand it over, and I might leave you a whole corpse!"

Chen Ping sat in the chair, his expression unchanged, not even lifting his eyelids.

He knew that the current arena did not belong to him, but to the two behemoths, Rouge Tiger and Ghost Hand Zhang.

Rouge Tiger put down her teacup.

"Smack."

The sound of the porcelain cup touching the table was very soft, yet it clearly resonated throughout the room.

"Did they steal your things?"

Rouge Tiger turned around, a cold smile playing on her lips: "Leopard, tell me, what did Chen Ping steal from you? Did he steal that shady stuff from the greywater mine?"

Leopard's expression changed, and he subconsciously looked at Ghost Hand Zhang.

She found out, just as she suspected.

Ghost Hand Zhang stepped forward, blocking the leopard, his blood surging.

"Rouge Tiger, don't try to provoke me. Since that thing is dead, there's no way to prove it, but the core is real!"

Ghost Hand Zhang stared at Rouge Tiger, his tone chilling: "That's a treasure for breaking through to the Blood Refining Realm. What makes this brat think he has it? Hand it over, and I won't make things difficult for you, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

Rouge Tiger slowly stood up.

With her movements, an invisible sense of oppression instantly filled the entire hall.

If Ghost Hand Zhang's aura is like a raging fire, violent and scorching.

So Rouge Tiger's aura is like a bottomless sea, usually calm and undisturbed, but once it surges, it becomes a raging storm.

"Ghost Hand Zhang, you only manage to stand on equal footing with me by relying on a superior family martial art and your meager Ming Jin strength."

Rouge Tiger walked step by step toward Ghost Hand Zhang, and with each step she took, her aura grew stronger.

She didn't have the same explosive energy and bulging muscles as Ghost Hand Zhang, but Ghost Hand Zhang's expression grew increasingly serious as he stood opposite her.

This is a master of internal strength.

Although it hasn't reached the legendary level of being able to injure someone outside the body, this force is contained yet hidden. Once it makes contact, the force will instantly penetrate the body, ignoring the skin and flesh's defenses, and directly eroding the internal organs.

"I might give you some leeway outside, but now that you're inside my door..."

Rouge Tiger stopped three steps away from Ghost Hand Zhang, her eyes as cold as knives:

"If you want to try, feel free to do it!"

Ghost Hand Zhang's face turned extremely ugly.

He could clearly feel a subtle yet relentless killing intent locking onto his major acupoints.

Ming Jin (manifest strength) trains the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, making it powerful and unyielding; An Jin (hidden strength) trains the internal organs and bone marrow, penetrating the body and injuring people.

A difference of just one word makes all the difference.

His chest heaved violently.

The leopard watched from behind, breaking out in a cold sweat.

To fight or not to fight?

Just when the atmosphere was tense.

Ghost Hand Zhang's aura suddenly vanished.

"snort."

He scoffed, "Rouge Tiger, is it worth fighting me to the death for an outsider?"

He may be reckless, but he's not stupid.

He won't gain anything by making a move here.

"I absolutely must have this corpse core today."

Ghost Hand Zhang took a step back, his tone softening slightly, but still firm: "Name your price. What conditions do you want to hand this kid over to me?"

Rouge Tiger raised an eyebrow, about to speak.

Just then, Chen Ping suddenly spoke up.

"etc."

His voice wasn't loud, but it drew everyone's attention to him.

Chen Ping slowly raised his head, his gaze first sweeping over the leopard, then landing on Ghost Hand Zhang, and finally looking at Rouge Tiger.

"Before you discuss terms, I have a question."

Chen Ping's tone was calm, yet tinged with a hint of probing: "Does Master Huangya know about this?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall paused slightly.

Ghost Hand Zhang frowned: "What do you mean?"

Chen Ping did not answer directly, but continued:

"I'm one of Master Yellow Teeth's men. This job of cleaning up the water ghosts at the greywater quarry was arranged by him."

"If Leopard was raising a Rakshasa and plotting to kill me, and Yellow Tooth knew about it beforehand..."

Chen Ping paused, his eyes sharpening:

"Then I'll admit defeat today. I'll give the corpse core to whomever I want, I just want to save my life."

"But what if Grandpa Yellow Teeth didn't know..."

Chen Ping's voice suddenly turned cold, his gaze piercing the leopard like a knife:

"Then I have to ask you, Leopard, who gave you the audacity to use Yellow Tooth's name to have someone set a trap to kill me, you lowly Red Flower Stick under Ghost Hand Zhang?"

The leopard's expression changed, and it instinctively took a half step back.

Ghost Hand Zhang frowned even deeper. He turned to look at the leopard and asked in a deep voice:

"Leopard, you have to tell the truth about this... otherwise, if Yellow Teeth finds out, I won't be able to handle it."

He knew about this, and Yellow Teeth would find out sooner or later.

Cold sweat beaded on the leopard's forehead, and his voice trembled slightly:

"Master Zhang, I... I heard from that scoundrel Zhao Si that Chen Ping's trip to the greywater quarry to clean up the water ghosts was a done deal. Since he was going anyway, why not use Master Huangya's name to set a trap for him..."

The leopard's voice trailed off as it spoke:

"But this was all Zhao Si's idea! He said that Master Huangya wouldn't care about such trivial matters, and as long as Chen Ping died at the greywater field, no one could trace it back to me..."

Ghost Hand Zhang's face darkened.

The crimson tiger looked at the leopard with a half-smile:

"Zhao Si? That low-level errand boy who runs errands for you? He's quite adept at exploiting loopholes, using Huang Ya's name to do his own thing. If Huang Ya finds out..."

Rouge Tiger didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning behind her words was already quite clear.

Chen Ping felt a sense of relief.

Judging from the reactions of Ghost Hand Zhang and Rouge Tiger, Yellow Teeth really didn't know about this.

Whether it was Zhao Si's own idea or not is no longer important at this point.

That being the case...

Chen Ping suddenly relaxed.

He leaned back, his back against the chair, his right hand on the armrest, and a smile playing on his lips.

That posture actually carried a sense of leisure and composure.

Both Ghost Hand Zhang and Rouge Tiger were slightly taken aback.

Chen Ping raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Ghost Hand Zhang, Leopard, and Rouge Tiger.

He spoke slowly:

"A few people."

"Before I came here, I had already sent someone to report to the authorities in Shanyang City."

The atmosphere in the hall froze instantly upon hearing this.