Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Li Yuan's gaze swept across Ghost Hand Zhang's face, finally settling on the three corpses on the ground.

"Ghost Hand Zhang," he said calmly.

Ghost Hand Zhang chuckled and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Manager Li, I was just about to explain to you."

He pointed to Ding Xun's corpse on the ground: "This little beast was one of my men. He seemed loyal all the time, but I never expected him to secretly join the White Gang and almost harm Brother Chen."

"I was patrolling the area tonight when I saw the fire. I rushed over and saw these three beasts attacking Brother Chen."

He paused, a hint of anger flashing across his face: "I killed those two traitors on the spot, but unfortunately it was too late, and Brother Chen was injured."

Li Yuan didn't reply, she just stared at him.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under that gaze, Ghost Hand Zhang chuckled dryly twice: "Manager Li, you... don't believe me?"

Li Yuan asked calmly, "Why were you in the vicinity tonight?"

Ghost Hand Zhang was taken aback, then explained, "I heard there was some strange activity in Blackwater Village, and I was worried that something might happen to the gang, so I wandered around the area a few more times."

Li Yuan nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He turned to Chen Ping: "How badly are you injured?"

Chen Ping shook his head: "It's nothing."

Li Yuan glanced at the wound on his side, then at the corpse split in two on the ground, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"You killed him?"

Chen Ping nodded.

Li Yuan was silent for a moment: "This person is at the Blood Refining Realm."

"Um."

Ghost Hand Zhang chimed in from the side: "Manager Li, Brother Chen's strength is truly remarkable. He's already capable of severing the Blood Refinement stage right after breaking through the Tendon Refinement stage. Given time, he's sure to achieve great things."

Li Yuan ignored him and said to Chen Ping, "Let's treat the wounds first."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Ghost Hand Zhang: "Let's go to the council hall and explain to the sect leader what happened tonight."

Ghost Hand Zhang's smile froze slightly, then he recovered and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It's my duty, it's my duty."

"Wait," Chen Ping suddenly spoke, "The news from this courtyard can't be leaked right now. I need to go and capture someone alive."

Ghost Hand Zhang's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't speak.

Li Yuan glanced at Chen Ping: "Do you need me to back you up?"

"I beg my master to cover for me."

Li Yuan nodded and turned to Ghost Hand Zhang: "Go to the council hall and wait."

Ghost Hand Zhang glanced at Chen Ping and smiled, "No problem. Brother Chen, please be careful."

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Only Chen Ping and Li Yuan remained in the courtyard.

Li Yuan lowered his voice: "Who are we going to arrest?"

Chen Ping glanced at Ding Xun's corpse on the ground: "Two months ago, Ding Xun sent a distant relative into the Alchemy Hall, named Xiao Ding, to study pharmacology. Ding Xun was the mole, and this Xiao Ding is probably not clean either."

Li Yuan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Go, capture them alive."

......

The lamplight was dim, and a musty smell of herbs filled a small house outside West Street. In the corner, there were several tattered bundles, a low table, two long benches, and an oil lamp on the table, its flame flickering in the night wind.

Xiao Ding sat at the table, opposite two men in black, both outer disciples of the Hua Sect, his companions who had infiltrated Qingkou Town with him two months ago.

The three were supposed to go their separate ways tonight, but Ding Xun hadn't sent any news back, so they had to meet up urgently.

Xiao Ding's palms were sweating.

Ding Xun went out to handle some business tonight. Logically, whether he succeeded or not, there should be some news coming back. The fact that there has been no news for so long means either something went wrong or he has been targeted.

He had only accepted a mission from the sect to infiltrate the Pill Hall to investigate a certain matter and deliver messages. He thought it was a safe task, but he never expected to get so deeply involved.

If things go according to tonight's plan and things escalate, and he gets caught, these gang members won't care whether he's Dan Tong or not; he'll probably really die here.

We need to leave quickly.

One of the men in black stood up, pointed at Xiao Ding, and said in a low but urgent voice, "We have to leave now. If you don't leave, we have to. You're a formal disciple of the Pill Hall, so you can at least try to negotiate if you're caught. We're just two outer sect servants; if we're caught, we'll definitely die!"

Another man in black stood up, his eyes filled with anxiety. He glanced back and forth at the doorway, cursing through gritted teeth, "What the hell bad luck we've ever had! To risk our lives in this backwater for that worthless amount of merit promised by the deacon! Let's get out of here!"

Xiao Ding stared at the man, remained silent for a moment, and suppressed the thoughts of tonight.

They are right.

And then there was Chen Ping's comment.

That day in the front hall of Dantang, Chen Ping asked Qian Yaoguan when Xiao Ding had arrived.

When he heard those words, his heart sank.

An ordinary person wouldn't ask such a question without a reason. Chen Ping's question shows that he already had suspicions.

"Walk."

Upon hearing this, the two men got up and walked towards the wooden door.

The person in front raised his hand, his fingers just touching the door panel.

boom!

The gate was blown apart, and debris flew everywhere.

Xiao Ding instinctively stepped back, but before he could see clearly, a fist suddenly burst through the flying wood chips without warning!

puff!

The sound was muffled, not like hitting a person's face, but like hitting a piece of rotten wood.

The man in black didn't even have time to let out a scream before his head collapsed and deformed instantly.

His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, and with a loud "bang," the back of his head smashed through the mud wall.

The body was stuck in the crack in the wall. Its legs twitched violently twice as if it had been electrocuted, and then it fell silent completely.

Xiao Ding's throat tightened, and his feet felt like they were nailed to the ground, unable to move.

"Ah! I'll fight you to the death!"

The other drew a short sword from his waist and lunged at the figure in the dust!

Amidst the smoke and dust, the tall figure merely took a half-step forward with utter nonchalance.

boom!

Another extremely dull thud!

Then, the man casually slammed out his other hand.

Click!Click!

The man's chest cavities collapsed completely to a visible degree, his knees buckled, and he knelt heavily on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. He collapsed and never got up again.

The entire process takes no more than two breaths.

Xiao Ding had only one thought in his mind: run.

He desperately shrank back, reaching his right hand into his pocket to touch the bottle of poison.

However, just as his fingers touched the porcelain bottle in his arms...

A large hand had already gripped his wrist tightly.

Click, click.

"Aaaaaah!!"

The sound of bones cracking came from his own arm, and the pain was like a lightning bolt striking from his fingertips to his shoulder. Xiao Ding knelt on the ground, crying out in a sob, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I don't know anything! I'm just a lowly alchemist! Please! Please spare me..."

Waves of pain washed over him, and when he looked up, he saw that face.

Chen Ping.

The next moment, everything went black.

The porcelain bottle rolled out of his arms, fell to the ground, and shattered.

Chen Ping glanced down at the powder, his eyes darkening slightly: "Jade Powder."

Li Yuan walked in from behind him, glanced at the two corpses, then looked at the unconscious Xiao Ding, and said indifferently, "Not bad, clean and efficient. Two Bone Refining cultivators. If it were ordinary Tendon Refining cultivators, it might have taken a few more punches."

Chen Ping didn't say anything, picked up Xiao Ding, and walked towards the door.

It was late at night, and the streets of Qingkou Town were deserted.

Chen Ping carried Xiao Ding along the alley, his footsteps silent. The wound on his side was still throbbing, but the effect of the water-stabilizing stake was already taking hold. Blood and qi slowly gathered at the wound, and the pain gradually subsided.

The lights in the council chamber were still on.