Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

The Bai family's gate slowly opened.

Bai Ming stood inside the door, dressed in a blue robe, with a piece of mutton-fat jade hanging from his waist.

With a slight smile on his face and a calm, unhurried voice, he skillfully eased the awkward silence outside the door: "Gentlemen, you have come from afar. My father has prepared a simple feast in the main hall to welcome you. Please come in."

The gloom on Hu Qian's face dissipated, replaced by a friendly smile. He nodded and led the Qingyi Society members to step over the high threshold.

Xie Xiao and Shi Haobo snorted coldly and followed the White Gang members inside.

The Bai family mansion has a spacious inner courtyard paved with bluestone, with several old plum trees planted on both sides. The flowering season has passed, leaving only bare branches.

Passing through the corridor, a banquet had already been set up in the main hall, with a long mahogany table, lacquered cups warming wine, incense and candles burning, and smoke drifting upwards.

Bai Ming led the members of the Green Robe Society and the White Gang to sit down on either side.

Just as everything was arranged, another commotion broke out outside the door.

Before long, another group of people strolled in.

The man at the front looked to be nearly fifty years old and was slightly overweight.

With a broad smile, he greeted everyone with familiar gestures as soon as he entered, like a wealthy old man from the countryside visiting relatives in the city.

However, the five red-flower sticks following behind him, although their steps seemed undisciplined, were far less orderly than those of the White Gang.

Lu Bai leaned close to Chen Ping's ear and whispered, "He's from the Dahe Gang. That fat guy is Lu Chengye, the top of the three leaders in the Dahe Gang. Don't let his honest appearance fool you; he's actually very cunning."

The three groups settled down, clearly distinguishing themselves.

Just then, Bai Chongshan, the main character of the day, walked out of the inner hall unhurriedly.

He looked to be around fifty years old, with a round face, smile lines at the corners of his eyes, wearing a long silk robe, and twirling a string of walnuts in his hand.

He walked to the head seat and stopped, glancing around the hall. His gaze lingered on Chen Ping for a moment before he smiled broadly: "It is truly an honor for the Bai family to have you all grace us with your presence today! Come, come, this old man is the host today. Let's not talk business, but only reminisce about our friendship! Let's drink!"

The wine cups were clinked and toasts were exchanged several times.

Chen Ping held his wine glass, not in a hurry to drink, his gaze sweeping over the tables in the hall without making a sound.

On the White Gang's side, Xie Xiao, Shi Haobo, and the four Red Flower Sticks only touched their lips to the glass each time they raised it, and the wine in their glasses was hardly reduced.

Lu Chengye of the Dahe Gang looked generous and downed two cups in a row, but Chen Ping noticed that his lips were slightly pursed before he drank and his Adam's apple barely moved.

The few red-flowered sticks behind him barely touched their cups.

The same was true on his own side. Hu Qian smiled and greeted them, tapping the edge of the table with his folding fan, but the wine in his cup remained untouched.

The whole room is full of shrewd people.

Halfway through the banquet, Shi Haobo spoke first, raising his glass to Bai Chongshan in a distant toast: "Master Bai, I've heard that the Huai River has been quite stormy lately, disrupting grain transport and causing grain prices to rise considerably. Our Bai Gang has set up several escort outposts, so from now on, the Bai family's grain ships will travel along our route safely."

The words were spoken politely, but the seasoned veterans in the hall all understood what was going on.

The White Gang set up roadblocks on the main channel of the Huai River to stop ships and charge fees. Now they say they want to escort ships, but that's just a different excuse.

Hu Qian chimed in unhurriedly, "Master Bai, the Qingyi Society has opened three new granaries in Qingkou Town, doubling their capacity. If the Bai family's grain reserves become insufficient, feel free to move them to our facilities; our fees are 20% lower than the market rate."

Lu Chengye clicked his tongue, smiled, and patted his stomach: "Both managers are right. We, the Dahe Gang, aren't good at such things. Just one sentence: Master Bai, for the northern route that the Dahe Gang has contracted for the second half of this year, we'll cover the likin fees along the way for the Bai family, and we won't charge a single penny."

The room fell silent for a moment after these words were spoken.

The amount of money involved in paying the interbank tax is not small; the Dahe Gang has gone to great lengths in this matter.

After listening, Bai Chongshan's smile remained unchanged. He spun the walnuts at a steady pace, nodding repeatedly and saying a few polite words.

No sooner had the words been spoken than the time came for each gang to present their birthday gifts.

The Dahe Gang carried in a vermilion lacquered wooden box. Upon opening it, they found a complete set of official kiln porcelain fired in the southern kilns. The glaze was lustrous, and each piece was an item whose price would leave people speechless.

The White Gang brought in two jars of Shaoxing wine aged thirty years, along with a landscape painting supposedly by a famous artist, the scroll ends of which were wrapped in pure gold—extremely luxurious.

Hu Qian and Huang Ya exchanged a silent glance.

The two whispered for a moment, then Hu Qian stood up and said with a smile, "Master Bai, the gifts prepared by our Qingyi Society are just simple, humble gifts for commoners. They are not as generous as those from the Dahe Gang and the Bai Gang, but we in the Qingyi Society are practical in our dealings."

He surveyed the room, his voice suddenly rising: "On behalf of the Qingyi Society, I hereby declare that in the second half of this year, the Qingyi Society guarantees to purchase at least 20,000 shi of the Bai family's old grain! The price will not be lowered; it will all be at market price, with cash payment, not a penny less! Master Bai, you can rest assured and have no need to worry about the grain rotting in your hands after the autumn harvest!"

Bai Chongshan's eyes flickered.

The others in the hall also understood the significance of the message.

Imperial porcelain and aged carved porcelain, no matter how valuable, are still inanimate objects; the sales of 20,000 shi of grain are what truly bring real money.

Just as the atmosphere became tense, a middle-aged man who looked like a butler quietly entered through the side door, bent down and whispered a few words anxiously into Bai Chongshan's ear.

Bai Chongshan's smile faltered for a moment, then he waved his hand, stood up, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the hall: "Please forgive me, esteemed stewards. Just now, the steward reported that some unruly servants in the kitchen stole some of the longevity peaches that were about to be served! I will go to the inner courtyard to see what's going on and give these unruly servants a good scolding. Please sit for a moment and have a few more drinks. I'll be right back."

After saying that, he didn't wait for the others to exchange pleasantries. He smiled and put his hands behind his back, then hurriedly followed the steward into the inner courtyard.

As soon as the main person left, the atmosphere in the hall immediately relaxed a bit, and people at each table began to whisper and chat among themselves.

Bai Chongshan walked through the corridor and turned into the side courtyard behind an artificial hill.

A cleverly designed moon gate is located here, partially concealing the entrance.

Standing here, you can take in the entire scene inside the main hall without missing a single detail.

He stopped, and the walnuts in his hand ceased to fall.

Bai Ming followed behind, waiting with his hands at his sides.

Bai Chongshan observed the commotion in the hall for a while, his smiling expression fading as he became shrewd and calm.

He didn't turn around, his voice extremely low: "That young man, is he the disciple of Li Yuan you mentioned?"

"Exactly," Bai Ming said. "My son met him once at the blacksmith's shop, and later, Manager Hu Qian introduced him to me, saying he was Li Yuan's personal apprentice."

Bai Chongshan nodded, his gaze lingering on Chen Ping for a moment before turning to Shi Haobo's table.

"At the last Dragon Head Ceremony, Brother Shi Haobo died under Li Yuan's blade, and he's held a grudge ever since." Bai Chongshan's fingers, which were turning a walnut, slowly tightened. "Today, Li Yuan's disciple is sitting right across from us; he won't let this opportunity slip by."

He paused, then turned his head to glance at Bai Ming.

"Go and give him a nudge, stir things up, and test this young man's abilities. With the new rules for the Dragon Head Ceremony, even though the Green Robe Society has Chang Shan on its side, I think their chances of winning are extremely slim. But Li Yuan has taken on a disciple at this time. If he's really a character, the future variables are hard to predict."

He clenched the two walnuts in his palm. "We must find out everything about this kid tonight, lest our Bai family choose the wrong side and misjudge him!"

Bai Ming's eyes sharpened, and he respectfully replied, "Your son understands, Father's insight is profound."

Before long, Bai Ming returned to the main hall carrying a plate of longevity peaches, smiling as he explained that his father was scolding the servants who had stolen some food, and asked everyone to wait a moment.

The atmosphere at the banquet warmed up again.

Lu Bai, who was sitting next to Chen Ping, put a piece of food in his mouth, quietly leaned close to Chen Ping's ear, and chuckled: "Don't be fooled by Bai Chongshan's seemingly convincing act just now. Right now, he's probably hiding in some dark corner, secretly watching us."

Chen Ping's brow twitched slightly, and he turned his head to the side: "Why?"

"There's a rule for this birthday banquet before each Dragon Head Festival." Lu Bai tapped the edge of the table with his chopsticks and lowered his voice. "Old Bai would leave the table under the pretext of needing to urinate or scolding his servants, just to make room for the three gangs. The more the three gangs compete, the more important they are in his heart. If someone is outstanding, this old man might even secretly give them something good, as a way of betting in advance."

He gestured with his chin towards the table across from him, where Shi Haobo of the White Gang was sitting: "You wait, that bastard Shi Haobo will be yelling about a sparring match after a couple of drinks."

Chen Ping glanced at the table and said calmly, "Just a friendly spar?"

"It's just a friendly spar, we're at the same level, so we'll stop when we've made our point." Lu Bai waved his hand, then chuckled, "However, swords have no eyes, and fists are merciless. It's not uncommon for people to be crippled or even killed accidentally."

Chen Ping frowned: "Someone died at Bai Chongshan's birthday banquet?"

"Yes, there have been." Lu Bo shrugged dismissively, "but it's rare. Firstly, even if you go all out against someone of the same level, it's not something you can resolve in a short time."

"Secondly, the managers were all watching. They went all out, and the managers just jumped in, pulled the person out, and that was it."

"However, if someone really dies, we can't turn against them. We can only suppress our anger and settle accounts at the Dragon Head Festival. The Bai family is very shrewd. Since Bai Chongshan isn't here, he can just pretend he didn't see it. The body will be taken out, and two new dishes will be served. It won't affect his birthday celebration at all."

The voice just fell.

Stab it!

From Shi Haobo's side came the sound of chair legs dragging on the bluestone floor.

Shi Haobo stood up, holding his wine glass, and laughed loudly, "Gentlemen, we've drunk our fill of wine and offered our gifts. Why don't we take advantage of the gathering of the three gangs today to have a friendly spar? That way, when Master Bai returns, he can see the skills of our brothers. What do you all think?"

Lu Chengye slapped his thigh and stood up: "Great idea! My old bones are getting a bit sore from sitting, so I'll let my boys stretch their muscles."

Hu Qian twirled his teacup and said with a smile, "Since both of you managers are in such high spirits, the Qingyi Society will gladly keep you company."

"good!"

Before Hu Qian could finish speaking, a lithe figure at the White Gang's table suddenly stood up.

The man pushed off with his feet, leaping over the long table and landing steadily in the center of the hall.

In the dim yellow light of a dozen or so thick red candles, Chen Ping could make out the man's face.

He was a man in his late twenties, with a lean build, slightly high cheekbones, and a wicked smile on his lips.

His gaze passed over Lu Bai, Fang Xiao, and Ding Xun, landing directly on Chen Ping's face.

The man's voice, neither loud nor soft, carried an extremely arrogant and provocative tone, clearly echoing throughout the hall:

"I've heard that you are the newly accepted disciple of Steward Li Yuan? I am also at the Bone Refining Realm. Brother Chen, would you dare to step forward and offer me some guidance?!"