Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

As night deepened, Qingkou Town fell into a deathly silence, with only the distant Huai River lapping against the riverbank.

Chen Ping pushed open the courtyard gate.

The dim, yellow oil lamp at the entrance of the courtyard illuminated the figure sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard.

Old Liu was slowly puffing out smoke, a pipe in his hand.

The pungent smell of tobacco mixed with the unique fishy odor of the riverbank permeated the courtyard.

Old Liu raised his eyelids, his cloudy old eyes sweeping over Chen Ping, a very faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"You're back?"

"Hmm." Chen Ping nodded, turned around and closed the courtyard gate, then bolted it.

Old Liu tapped his pipe, the embers flickering in the night.

He glanced at the empty alley behind Chen Ping and asked with some surprise, "Where are Gouwa and the others? Didn't you bring them back?"

Chen Ping walked to the stone bench opposite him and sat down. The stone surface exuded a refreshing coolness.

He picked up the rough porcelain teapot on the stone table, poured himself a bowl of cool tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"I didn't bring it." Chen Ping put down his teacup, his tone calm. "Li Wenxiu is a teacher at a school in the western part of Shanyang City. I told them to stay there. Shanyang City is safer than here."

Old Liu paused, squinted at Chen Ping for a moment, then chuckled twice, two puffs of smoke billowing from his nostrils like long snakes: "That's good, the docks are getting more and more chaotic, staying here is not a good thing."

"Shouldn't you make up for the resources that Ghost Hand Zhang owes you?" Old Liu changed the subject.

"That's right." Chen Ping nodded. "Huang Ya was also at Chunfeng Tower at the time. He said he would squeeze the principal and interest out of Ghost Hand Zhang."

"That old dog may be greedy, but he doesn't dare to bare his teeth in front of Li Yuan," Liu Laoguo muttered in response, then took two more puffs of his cigarette.

After a moment of silence, Liu Laoguo suddenly put down his pipe and looked at Chen Ping: "The matter is settled, the travel permit has been obtained, and the backup plan has been laid out. What are your plans for the future?"

Chen Ping looked up and met the old man's gaze: "Naturally, I should continue to improve my strength. Although Li Yuan was willing to accept defeat and gave me an identity, such borrowed power is ultimately unreliable."

A hint of approval flashed in Liu Laoguo's eyes, and he nodded: "It's good that you think that way. In this world, you can't rely on anyone except the knife in your own hand."

At this point, Liu Laoguo's expression turned serious.

He pointed outside with his pipe and lowered his voice: "You were right to leave them in Shanyang City, because things are probably not going to be peaceful at Qingkou Wharf from now on."

Chen Ping frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"

Old Liu took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "In one year, it will be the 'Dragon Head Festival' held on this Huai River once every three years."

"Dragon Head Sacrifice?" Chen Ping repeated the term.

"On the surface, it's a day to worship the river god, invite the dragon king, and pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests," Liu Laoguo sneered. "But on this Huai River, it's a day for the Green Robe Society, the Great River Gang, and the White Gang to hold a martial arts competition, a day to redefine the territory for the next three years with blood."

Chen Ping's eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward slightly.

Old Liu continued, "The profits from this Huai River are limited. Which section is under which company's control, and who gets a cut of the goods from which area—all of this is decided on this day. The winner takes all, and the loser is kicked out."

"Now our Qingyi Society is in the lead." Old Liu paused, "That's because at the last Dragon Head Ceremony, Li Yuan suddenly appeared and single-handedly suppressed the Dahe Gang and the Bai Gang, making them unable to raise their heads."

Chen Ping frowned and asked, "Since we have an expert like Li Yuan protecting us, isn't this territory still ours?"

"The rules have changed."

Old Liu shook his head, his tone heavy: "As you know, Li Yuan is now a master of the Transformation Realm. In the martial arts world of Huai'an Prefecture, the Transformation Realm is the highest level. If he goes into battle alone, the other two gangs have no chance unless their respective leaders personally intervene."

"Therefore, the leaders of the Dahe Gang and the Bai Gang couldn't sit still. During your seclusion, the leaders of the two gangs joined forces to put pressure on the leader of our Qingyi Society, giving the impression that 'if you don't change the rules, we'll fight to the death and go to war.'"

"In order to stabilize the situation, our leader had no choice but to compromise. So the three gangs finally agreed on a new agreement: this time, the leaders of each gang and even the masters of the Transformation Realm are not allowed to participate in the Dragon Head Festival. Only the 'Red Flower Stick' level of each gang can set up the arena."

"Set up a challenge, life or death is irrelevant, and the profits for the next three years of the river section will be distributed based on the ranking of the winning matches of each Red Flower Stick."

Chen Ping remained silent.

Liu Laoguo stared at Chen Ping and dropped a bombshell: "Our gang's manager, Hu Qian, who is also the one in the business hall, is getting old and has wanted to retire for a long time. The higher-ups have already spread the word that whoever can make a big splash at this Dragon Head Festival and win the biggest benefit for the gang can directly take over Manager Hu's position."

"This is a rare opportunity to rise to the top and become the head of the business hall. After all, compared to challenging Rouge Tiger or Ghost Hand Zhang, who have mastered internal strength, it is much easier to compete with someone of the same level."

Chen Ping's heart skipped a beat.

The head of the business hall is a truly powerful figure who controls the path to wealth.

But then he realized the danger behind it.

"There's only one spot, but there are twelve red flower sticks," Chen Ping said coldly.

"That's right." Old Liu's voice was even lower, carrying a hint of coldness. "Moreover, among these twelve Red Flower Sticks, you have the least seniority, and your strength... at least on the surface, is the lowest."

"In order to ensure that the Dragon Head Festival can win more benefits, there will be a purge and screening within the gang. If any gang members below you think they are better than you and issue a 'challenge to take over', you can't refuse, because it concerns the gang's interests in the Dragon Head Festival. Even Li Yuan can't openly stop it."

At this point, Liu Laoguo looked at Chen Ping with a complicated expression: "Li Yuan took you as his apprentice because he really cherishes talent. You mastered the 'Han Hai Sword Technique' in four months. Your talent is probably even better than his back then."

"Because of his connection, they wouldn't dare to secretly harm you or resort to underhanded tactics."

"But openly challenging you is within the rules."

Old Liu paused, his tone turning icy: "On the ring, fists and feet have no eyes. If you are injured or crippled, Li Yuan can't say anything."

"Here, the fate of someone who has lost their status and value is self-evident."

Liu Laoguo's words were very straightforward and also very cruel.

Li Yuan values ​​Chen Ping's talent, but if he were to die halfway through his journey, he wouldn't break the gang's rules for the sake of a useless person.

At that time, those whom Chen Ping had offended will pounce on him like sharks smelling blood.

Chen Ping was well aware of the consequences.

He stood up expressionlessly and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Liu Laoguo: "Thank you for the reminder, Uncle Liu."

No matter how the rules change, there is only one way to break the deadlock: become stronger, strong enough to shut everyone up.

Old Liu waved his hand, picked up his pipe again, seemingly ready to continue enjoying this moment of peace.

Just as Chen Ping turned around and was about to push open the door, Liu Laoguo seemed to suddenly remember something and casually added a sentence.

"Oh, right, there's something else."

"The leopard just broke through to the Refining Realm two days ago."

Chen Ping abruptly stopped pushing the door open.

Refining the Dirty Realm...

Chen Ping stood with his back to Liu Laoguo for a moment.

"understood."

He replied calmly, his voice completely devoid of emotion.

Then, he pushed open the door, stepped over the threshold, and shut out all the darkness and chill.