Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

The next day at noon.

Inside the main hall of Li Yuan's residence, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Chen Ping stood in front of the desk and took a book with both hands.

On the cover, four large characters in regular script are written neatly: Hanhai Knife Technique.

"Keep this 'Han Hai Sword Technique' safe." Li Yuan picked up his teacup, gently skimmed off the foam, and said in a calm tone, "The inspector has finished his inspection of Shanyang City and is coming early today. He is led by the Cui family from the capital and Qi Renwu from the Huamen Sect. Don't do anything foolish."

Chen Ping tucked the manual into his robes and said calmly, "Alright."

After leaving Li Yuan's residence, Chen Ping walked through two streets and alleys and stopped in front of a spacious courtyard.

The plaque above the door reads "Dan Tang" in a bold and elegant style. Even before entering, a strong and bitter herbal smell wafts over you.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, Chen Ping stepped into the front hall.

The front hall was extremely spacious, with tall wooden shelves on both sides against the walls, densely packed with porcelain bottles labeled with red paper tags such as Hemostatic Pills, Bone Tempering Powder, and Vitality Strengthening Pills.

Behind the long wooden counter sat a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue silk shirt.

The man was fiddling with an abacus, looking down at a thick ledger.

Hearing footsteps, the man stopped what he was doing, looked up and sized up Chen Ping.

"Brother Chen," the man spoke first, a friendly smile plastered on his face.

Chen Ping paused slightly, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

The man noticed Chen Ping's wariness, smiled, stood up from behind the counter, and cupped his hands in greeting: "I am the deputy head of this Pill Hall. My surname is Qian. The brothers in the underworld all call me Qian the Medicine Pot. I heard the head of the hall mention Brother Chen a few days ago. Brother Chen, is there any business you need to do for me today?"

Chen Ping's expression softened slightly, and he returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Vice Hall Master Qian."

"Just call me Old Qian. All this talk about deputy hall master is too formal." Qian Yaoguan waved his hand, his gaze falling on Chen Ping's arms.

Chen Ping walked to the counter, took out a small gray cloth bag from his pocket, and carefully untied it.

Inside the cloth bag, fourteen Ganoderma lucidum plants were neatly arranged.

Qian Yaoguan's previously casual gaze instantly lit up.

He quickly moved closer, bent down, and picked up a piece of Ganoderma lucidum with two fingers. He first held it to his nose and smelled it carefully, then gently rubbed the root with his fingertips.

"Good stuff, the quality is really good." Qian Yaoguan nodded repeatedly. "For plants of this quality, I'll give you five taels of silver."

Chen Ping shook his head, his tone resolute: "Five taels is too little, Lao Qian. This is something we risked our lives for. Each plant should be worth at least five taels and eight mace."

Qian Yaoguan paused, tapping his fingers lightly on the counter. After a moment, he laughed heartily: "Brother Chen is a straightforward man, so I won't beat around the bush. Five taels and eight mace it is. These fourteen plants are worth a total of eighty-one taels and two mace. I'll give you the money right now."

Qian Yaoguan turned around, about to take the silver from under the counter, when suddenly a series of chaotic yet steady footsteps came from outside the door.

Qian Yaoguan's expression changed slightly. He immediately put down the cloth bag in his hand and straightened his clothes.

Chen Ping took a half step back to the side of the counter without making a sound, and looked in the light and shadow outside the door.

Rouge Tiger, dressed in a sharp, dark red outfit, led three people across the threshold and into the room.

Among the three, the leader was a man and a woman, both dressed in luxurious clothes and with a somewhat indifferent expression.

Half a step behind was a scholar in a blue robe, with a gentle demeanor, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

Rouge Tiger walked to the counter, his expression cold and stern, and said in a deep voice, "Old Qian, these three are distinguished guests of the Cui family in the capital, as well as Brother Qi from the Huamen Sect. They have come today to inspect our Green Robe Society."

Qian Yaoguan quickly came out from behind the counter and bowed deeply: "Young Master Cui, Miss Cui, Brother Qi, I, Qian, am very grateful."

Young Master Cui simply nodded slightly, his gaze casually sweeping around the room.

Miss Cui stared at the porcelain vases on the shelf, her expression slightly critical.

The scholar in the blue robe, Qi Renwu, nodded politely to Qian Yaoguan.

Chen Ping stood in the shadows, holding his breath.

These three must be the inspectors.

Young Master Cui said calmly, "Bring out the high-grade pills you have here for me to see."

Qian Yaoguan dared not delay and immediately turned around to take out three exquisite wooden boxes from the inner cabinet. He opened them one by one, revealing the hemostatic pill, bone-tempering powder, and vital energy-strengthening pill inside.

Qi Renwu stepped forward and picked up a hemostatic pill.

He held it up in front of him and examined it closely.

"The heat control is extremely precise," Qi Renwu commented softly.

Then, he took a little bit of the bone-tempering powder, rubbed it between his fingertips, and said, "The powder is fine and very well ground."

Finally, his gaze fell upon the Qi-Strengthening Pill.

Qi Renwu picked up the Qi-stabilizing pill, his brows furrowing slightly.

He closed his eyes, his fingers constantly stroking the surface of the pill.

A moment later, Qi Renwu opened his eyes, turned to look at Rouge Tiger, and asked sharply, "Who refined this batch of pills?"

Rouge Tiger's expression remained unchanged. After a very brief pause, he nodded and replied, "It's me."

Qi Renwu took a step closer, staring intently into Rouge Tiger's eyes, and pressed, "Who taught you your alchemy techniques?"

Rouge Tiger met his gaze, her tone completely calm: "My master is deceased; he was merely a hermit in the mountains."

A deep look of doubt flashed in Qi Renwu's eyes.

He glanced at the Qi-stabilizing pill in his hand again, but ultimately put it back in the wooden box.

"This pill is of excellent quality, and the technique used is very standard. There's nothing wrong with it," Qi Renwu said, turning to Cui Gongzi.

Young Master Cui nodded slightly, appearing uninterested: "Then let's move on to the next place."

Rouge Tiger clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, turning to the side: "Please, gentlemen. The business hall is to the north."

The group turned and left, their footsteps fading into the distance until they disappeared at the end of the street.

Only when he could no longer hear any sound did Qian Yaoguan exhale a long breath and wipe the fine sweat from his forehead.

He turned back to the counter, pulled out a heavy cloth bag from underneath, counted out eighty-one taels and two mace of silver, and handed it to Chen Ping.

"Brother Chen, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Qian Yaoguan said to Chen Ping with a smile, "If you have any more good stuff like this next time, please remember to come find me."

Chen Ping took the loose silver, weighed it in his hand, felt its solid weight, and nodded: "No problem."

After saying this, Chen Ping turned and left the alchemy hall.

He had witnessed the entire scene of Qi Renwu questioning Rouge Tiger.

Who would have thought that this Rouge Tiger could refine pills?

He had a vague feeling that there was something strange about Rouge Tiger's alchemy methods, and the scholar in the green robe had clearly seen through it.

But the less you know about these kinds of troublesome matters that involve important figures, the better.

Back in his courtyard, Chen Ping bolted the gate shut.

He placed the "Han Hai Sword Technique" on the stone table in the courtyard and began to read it.

The very first line reads: "The Vast Ocean Saber Technique, a superior martial art, consists of thirty-six forms."

Turning to the next page, one finds an explanation of the core principles of this sword technique: "The core of this sword technique lies in the 'sword momentum.' Before the sword arrives, its power precedes it; before the enemy moves, their heart is already chilled. The three essentials of cultivation are: continuous flow, cumulative power, and the oppressive force of the sword momentum."

Chen Ping silently repeated these words to himself, making sure he understood them.

He turned to the second page, which listed the thirty-six techniques.

From the first move, "The Tide Rises in the East China Sea," all the way to the thirty-sixth move, "The Vast Ocean Returns to Its Origin."

Turn to the detailed illustration of the first move, "The Tide Rises in the East China Sea".

The picture depicts a small figure wielding a knife and slashing, with fine, tiny characters indicating the path of the force, the direction of the footwork, and the rhythm of breathing.

The accompanying text is extremely detailed: "First move, the tide rises from the East Sea. Qi and blood surge from the dantian, flow into the waist and hips, pass to the right shoulder, pour into the right arm, and finally converge on the blade. Twist the waist and slash forward with the right arm. The blade light should be like the rising tide, continuous and unbroken. Remember, the power comes from the waist, and you cannot simply use arm strength to chop."

Chen Ping memorized the words and then closed the book.

He raised his left arm and tried to move it.

The fracture site on my ribs still aches slightly, but it's not as severe as it was a few days ago.

The wound on my left arm has scabbed over, but the muscles are still a bit sore.

Chen Ping secretly made his own plans.

The recovery from this injury is progressing much faster than expected.

It's probably due to the corpse core and the dissipation of blood energy.

He stood up, holding the knife.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, right foot forward, and lower your center of gravity.

Take a deep breath.

He twisted his waist and slashed forward with his right arm.

The force originates from the waist, flows into the right arm, and strikes forward.

The movements were stiff and disjointed.

But this is the first time.

Chen Ping finished his move and repeated it once more.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

……

Time passed slowly, and when the tenth repetition was completed, a line of small print appeared before Chen Ping's retina:

[Vast Ocean Blade Technique, Proficiency +1]

Current progress: Beginner 1/100

Chen Ping stopped what he was doing, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Become!

The moonlight was cold and desolate, and he once again assumed a fighting stance.