Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

A tall, refined figure, bathed in moonlight, slowly stepped across the threshold.

Li Yuan.

One of the five managers of the Tsing Yi Society.

However, despite being in charge, their statuses were worlds apart.

This is because Li Yuan is a genuine master of internal energy transformation!

In the path of martial arts, the transformation of internal energy is an insurmountable barrier.

With this strength, Li Yuan's influence within the gang was actually a whole head higher than that of Ghost Hand Zhang and the others, second only to the innkeeper.

He was wearing a blue robe, with a narrow-bladed longsword hanging at his waist.

He looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with gentle features and even a scholarly air about him.

But at this moment, no one dared to mistake him for a scholar.

Because his right hand was holding a boy by the back of his collar, just like he was lifting a chick.

"Big...Big brother..."

Gouwa's face was deathly pale, and his limbs hung limply, clearly indicating that he had suffered a severe fright.

Li Yuan walked into the hall and casually tossed it aside.

"Bang."

Gouwa fell onto the blue bricks and groaned in pain.

"alright."

Li Yuan's voice was gentle and soothing, yet it instantly suppressed all the irritability and murderous intent in the hall:

"This farce should end now."

When Ghost Hand Zhang saw Gouwa, he was first stunned, then his eyes flashed with wild joy and extremely vicious resentment.

He abruptly turned his head and stared intently at Chen Ping, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked:

"You little beast! Is this your trump card for reporting to the authorities?!"

He took a step forward, his blood and qi exploding outwards, about to smash Chen Ping's head with a single palm strike.

"Step back."

Li Yuan didn't turn around, but simply said something.

The moment those two words were uttered, Ghost Hand Zhang, who was about to go berserk, froze on the spot.

His chest heaved violently, and the murderous intent in his eyes was almost overflowing, but in the end he gritted his teeth and reluctantly retreated to his original position.

Gouwa scrambled over to Chen Ping's side, his lips trembling, just about to say something.

Chen Ping raised his left hand and made a downward pressing motion.

Gouwa immediately shut his mouth.

Chen Ping leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the dog that had been thrown on the ground, and then looking behind Li Yuan.

There was no one else.

Only Gouwa.

Is Li Wenxiu not here?

Chen Ping's previously tense nerves completely relaxed at this moment.

A chilling smile suddenly appeared on his pale, blood-stained face.

The worst is yet to come.

The initiative is still in our own hands.

Li Yuan's gaze swept across the hall, passing over the limp leopard and the murderous Ghost Hand Zhang, finally settling on the slender right hand of the Rouge Tiger.

Or rather, it landed on the Rakshasa corpse core in her hand.

"Rouge Tiger"

Li Yuan nodded slightly, his tone businesslike: "The Greywater Farm is under your name. The brothers in the gang were set up in your territory and almost lost their lives."

He extended his right hand, palm up, his tone flat:

"You also made a mistake. Don't keep this corpse core for now. As for your losses, the gang will provide you with appropriate compensation later."

The smile on Rouge Tiger's face faded slightly.

She stared at Li Yuan's outstretched hand, pursed her lips, and a hint of boredom flashed in her eyes.

The corpse core was a freebie for her; it would be great if she had it, but it wouldn't matter if she didn't. There was no need to risk offending a master of internal energy for it.

"Alright."

Rouge Tiger loosened his grip.

"Whoosh."

The corpse core traced a parabola in the air and landed steadily in Li Yuan's hand.

Seeing this, the leopard's eyes deepened with despair.

The change of ownership of the corpse core means that the last bargaining chip that could save his life is gone.

Li Yuan played with the corpse core in his hand, feeling the chill, and nodded in satisfaction.

Then, his gaze turned to Chen Ping, who was sitting in the armchair.

"You're Chen Ping?"

Chen Ping did not get up, but simply cupped his hands casually in a gesture of respect while still seated on the chair.

"Greetings, Lord Li."

Before Li Yuan could speak, Chen Ping leaned forward slightly and said:

"Lord Li, your arrival is timely. Leopard has been secretly raising demons and falsely issuing orders to murder his fellow disciples. May I ask, Lord Li, according to the rules of the Green Robe Society, how should this be dealt with?"

Li Yuan looked at him, her eyes deep and calm:

"Three cuts and six holes."

Chen Ping nodded and gestured for him to proceed: "Then I would like to ask Lord Li to take action and clean house."

Li Yuan smiled.

He shook his head, his tone gentle yet tinged with mockery:

"Let matters of the martial world be settled within the martial world. Chen Ping, you have already broken the rules by sending people to beat the petition drum at the Shanyang City government office."

He tucked the corpse core into his sleeve and stood with his hands behind his back:

"As for the leopard, he's one of Ghost Hand Zhang's men, so naturally Ghost Hand Zhang will handle it. As for you..."

Li Yuan's eyes turned extremely cold: "If you have no one to protect you, you'd better start preparing for your funeral now."

This is a blatant death threat.

If it were an ordinary gang member, they would have already knelt down and begged for mercy by now.

But Chen Ping did not.

Instead, he burst out laughing.

The laughter aggravated his wound, and he coughed up a mouthful of bloody saliva.

"There's no rush yet."

Chen Ping wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, raised his head, and his eyes were unusually bright:

"Lord Li, how do you know that...only this child went to report to the authorities?"

This statement came out.

Li Yuan paused for a moment.

Ghost Hand Zhang's anger, which he had just suppressed, surged again, and Leopard stared wide-eyed as if he had seen a ghost.

Chen Ping leaned back in his chair, his voice drawn out:

"If you don't believe me, sir, you can send someone to find out if Li Wenxiu is still here."

"If you don't know who Li Wenxiu is, sir... just ask your men."

Li Yuan frowned slightly and turned to look at Rouge Tiger.

Rouge Tiger immediately gave a wink to one of her trusted servants: "Go and investigate."

The hall fell silent once again.

A moment later, the servant ran back, covered in sweat, and whispered a few words in Rouge Tiger's ear with a grim expression.

Rouge Tiger's eyes narrowed as she looked at Li Yuan: "Li Wenxiu and his child, Ah San... have both disappeared."

Li Yuan's expression finally darkened.

Chen Ping dusted off the hem of his clothes, his face calm and even slightly mocking.

"I've heard there's been a lot of turmoil in the north lately, and there have been a few more refugee camps outside Shanyang City, haven't there? The camps, big and small, are all connected, and even if there are only a few refugees, there are still several thousand. If Lord Li is feeling bored, would you like to take the time to search them all one by one?"

Whether we can find it or not is another matter, but I guarantee that as soon as the sun rises tomorrow, the petition drum will sound.

The deadlock has been reversed.

Li Yuan fell silent.

His deep eyes were fixed on Chen Ping, as if he wanted to get to know this country bumpkin who had climbed up from the bottom.

Ruthless, decisive, meticulous, and with a deep understanding of human nature and rules.

He forcefully seized back the initiative.

"What do you want?" Li Yuan finally spoke, his attitude shifting from a condescending pronouncement to an equal negotiation.

Without hesitation, Chen Ping pointed at the leopard:

"Execute him."

"As long as he dies, my survival is enough."

Li Yuan didn't answer directly, but turned to look at Ghost Hand Zhang: "This incident started because of Leopard. He broke the rules first. Ghost Hand Zhang, are you going to protect him or not?"

Ghost Hand Zhang forced out a single word through gritted teeth: "Protect!"

Li Yuan nodded and looked at Chen Ping again:

"Since he wants to protect you, and you want him dead, then the only way to pay for it is with compensation."

"Leopard is a Blood Refining Realm martial artist," Li Yuan calmly stated the price. "In exchange, Ghost Hand Zhang needs to provide you with all the resources you need to break through from the Skin Refining Realm to the Blood Refining Realm."

Upon hearing this, Ghost Hand Zhang's eyes flickered, but he quickly settled the score in his mind.

A lot of resources are indeed expensive, and could even drain most of his wealth, but resources are ultimately inanimate objects.

No matter how many resources you accumulate, you might not be able to create a Blood Refining Realm cultivator.

The leopard is not only a ready-made Blood Refining Realm cultivator, but also only one step away from stepping into the Dirty Refining Realm.

Most importantly, if he spends a fortune to buy the leopard's life tonight, the leopard's life will be completely his, which is equivalent to having another Refining Realm assassin.

This deal is actually not a loss.

"Fine!" Ghost Hand Zhang gritted his teeth and glared at Chen Ping. "I'll give it to you!"

"Do you accept this condition?" Li Yuan turned to ask Chen Ping.

"I don't accept it."

Chen Ping sneered, his tone full of mockery:

"Which is more valuable, a ready-made Blood Refining Realm expert or a bunch of inanimate objects whose value is uncertain? I don't need to say more, right? I'm not doing this deal."

He held up five fingers, his gaze intense:

"In that case, besides the resources, I'd like five more travel permits. Once this is settled, I'll leave."

Li Yuan shook her head and resolutely refused:

"no."

"At the very least, you must tell me Li Wenxiu's location first, and none of you are allowed to leave Qingkou Town before the inspector departs!"

"hehe."

Chen Ping exclaimed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world: "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"What if I tell you his location now, and you turn around and kill him, then go back on your word and chop me up? Don't talk to me about any code of honor..."

Chen Ping pointed at the leopard on the ground: "I almost died at the hands of my own people. I stopped believing in that thing a long time ago."

Li Yuan's eye twitched slightly.

He thought for a moment, then patiently probed, "Tell me Li Wenxiu's location after the inspector leaves. How about that?"

"After the inspector left?"

Chen Ping scoffed coldly: "Once the inspector leaves, what use is Li Wenxiu's position to you? In the end, won't you get to decide how I die? I don't accept this condition."

Negotiations have stalled.

Li Yuan frowned.

If he does not agree, Chen Ping would rather die than surrender.

At daybreak tomorrow, Li Wenxiu will strike the Dengwen Drum, and the Qingyi Society will surely be destroyed. We must keep him calm.

"Alright then," Li Yuan spoke again, "You first try to tell Li Wenxiu not to report this to the authorities. In exchange, I will personally protect you until the inspector leaves."

Chen Ping shook his head, refusing to budge an inch:

"Making Li Wenxiu shut up will cost a different price; we'll have to raise it."

Li Yuan's face darkened: "You want to exchange it for a corpse core?"

"Corpse core, travel permit, resources."

Chen Ping spoke slowly and deliberately, looking directly at Li Yuan: "Also, you have to protect me for six months to prevent Ghost Hand from doing anything underhanded. That's my condition. If you don't agree, none of us will have a chance."

The hall was deathly silent.

Li Yuan was about to lash out and refuse, but the words caught in her throat for a few seconds.

He quickly started calculating in his mind.

If you agree to Chen Ping's request, the corpse core was retrieved from Rouge Tiger, which was originally gang property. The travel permit was just a small favor for him, and the resources were paid for by Ghost Hand Zhang out of his own pocket.

Upon careful calculation, Li Yuan could avert a major disaster and save the entire gang without having to pay any price.

cost-effective.

Li Yuan nodded, and the murderous aura emanating from him dissipated.

"The corpse core and the travel permit are fine. As for my protection... I have another form of protection, but it requires a test. Are you willing?"

Chen Ping's eyes flickered slightly: "I'd like to hear the details."

Li Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Chen Ping:

"I've heard about you from Yellow Teeth's mouth."

"You broke through to the Skin Refining Realm in just one and a half months. That speed is even faster than mine back then. This proves that you have great talent in the path of martial arts."

"The Green Robe Society has few martial artists, and even fewer talented ones. I'll give you a test."

He stared into Chen Ping's eyes: "If you pass, I'll take you as my apprentice. With that status, I guarantee you'll be able to do whatever you want. If you fail, you can take your travel permit and get out of here, but you'll have to leave everything else behind. How about it?"

Chen Ping's mind raced.

He knew that Li Yuan was trying to save face and was also using the master-disciple relationship to bind him.

However, under the current circumstances, this is already the best solution that can be achieved.

"What kind of test?" Chen Ping asked.

Li Yuan slowly spoke:

"You need to spend six months cultivating the Vast Ocean Blade Technique to the minor completion level."

Although Chen Ping had no idea what the "Vast Ocean Saber Technique" was, he didn't hesitate at all and promptly clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Alright! I promise. I'll tell Li Wenxiu not to beat the drum for now. He'll come back after the inspector leaves."

Li Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

He turned to look at Ghost Hand Zhang, his tone returning to its icy tone: "Go and prepare the resources."

Ghost Hand Zhang, seething with rage, glared at Chen Ping, grabbed the limp leopard, and strode away.

Li Yuan looked at Chen Ping again:

"Come to my residence at noon tomorrow, and I will give you the things."

"Thank you, Lord Li," Chen Ping replied calmly.

Li Yuan turned around and looked at Rouge Tiger: "Rouge Tiger, I'm sorry to bother you tonight."

Rouge Tiger nodded slightly, without replying.

Li Yuan gave Chen Ping one last deep look, then turned and stepped out of the hall, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

Until the unsettling footsteps completely disappeared.

Inside the hall, only Chen Ping, Gouwa, and Rouge Tiger with a complicated expression remained.

Chen Ping watched Li Yuan's departing figure and lightly tapped his finger on the armrest of the chair.

Half a year... "The Vast Ocean Saber Technique"...

With Gouwa's help, Chen Ping stepped out of the gate of Rouge Tiger's mansion.

A cool night breeze swept over me, dispelling the stench of blood and the chill of death that clung to me.

The broken ribs still throbbed with pain. Chen Ping coughed up a mouthful of bloody saliva, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light in the darkness.

Tonight, he recklessly tested the waters, risking half his life to extort money from the three most powerful figures in Qingkou Town.

but……

Rakshasa corpse core.

All resources from the Skin Refining Realm to the Blood Refining Realm.

Customs clearance permit.

The protection of a master of internal energy for six months.

Chen Ping wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and facing the cold wind, a carefree smile slowly crept onto his lips.

The immense wealth earned by risking one's life.

This game was worth it.