Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

The council chamber was brightly lit.

Lu Cheng sat in the main seat, his voice calm, and finished recounting the events of Blackwater Village.

Wei Xiaowu and Lu Qi died. Of the four Red Flower Sticks who went, one was lost, named Chen Liu, who had been with the gang for seven years.

There was a moment of silence in the hall.

Yellow Teeth sat in the corner, his hands resting on his knees, his knuckles white from gripping them tightly, and he didn't say a word.

Hu Qian kept his head down, fiddling with the abacus beads in his hand, his eyes revealing no emotion.

Rouge Tiger leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers lightly on the edge of the table, her expression blank.

Ghost Hand Zhang sat in a chair near the door, his back straight, his expression calm, his hands resting on his knees.

But my palms were wet.

The door opened.

Chen Ping carried Xiao Ding in, stood next to Yang Sen, and put Xiao Ding on the ground.

Yang Sen turned his head and lowered his voice: "Wei Xiaowu and Lu Qi are both dead, and the White Gang has lost two Red Flower Sticks."

He paused, his voice turning somber, "Chen Liu is gone."

Chen Ping glanced at him but didn't say anything.

The gazes of everyone in the hall slowly fell on the limp body on the ground.

Chen Ping squatted down and patted Xiao Ding's face twice.

Xiao Ding slowly woke up, her eyelids trembled, and she opened her eyes. She saw the dim yellow light above her head and the various faces around her. A soft sob escaped her throat.

"Speak," Chen Ping said, pulling him along.

Xiao Ding shakily propped himself up, his crushed arm hanging limply to one side. Even the slightest movement caused excruciating pain. He gritted his teeth and said everything he needed to say.

The Hua Sect's mission, including infiltrating the Pill Hall to steal Rouge Tiger's alchemy techniques, the channels for transmitting messages, and the locations of several outer sect servants who were hiding, were all explained.

Rouge Tiger sat in the chair, and stopped tapping her fingers on the edge of the table.

She stared at Xiao Ding, something shifting in her eyes, and pressed her lips down, but didn't speak.

After Xiao Ding finished speaking, he raised his head, his voice trembling with tears: "I am a formal disciple of the Pill Hall. If I die here, the sect will definitely hold me accountable. I beg you, Sect Leader, to reconsider."

Lu Cheng sat in the main seat, not looking at him.

Their gaze shifted from him and slowly landed on Ghost Hand Zhang's face.

He didn't speak, he just watched.

The council chamber was so quiet that only the faint crackling of the oil lamp flame could be heard.

Under the weight of that gaze, Ghost Hand Zhang broke out in a cold sweat.

He went over the words in his mind, again and again.

It took a full cup of tea to finish.

"Master," Ghost Hand opened his mouth, his voice steady, "I have something to say."

Lu Cheng slightly raised his chin.

Ghost Hand Zhang took a deep breath and straightened his back even more: "After the deposed Empress of Changshan, I felt that the Green Robe Society's head sacrifice was bound to be lost. The White Gang had been trying to win me over, so I agreed."

As soon as he finished speaking, the council chamber erupted in chaos.

Yellow Teeth jumped to his feet, knocking the chair over with a loud crash. He pointed a finger at Ghost Hand Zhang, his voice rasping as if torn from his chest: "What the hell did you say?!"

Fang Xiao grabbed his arm, Huang Ya shook him off, took a step forward, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Zhao Yi sat there, his face ashen, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair tightly, not moving, but his knuckles had turned white from clenching.

Hu Qian put down the abacus, looked up, and glanced back and forth between Ghost Hand Zhang and Lü Cheng without saying a word.

Rouge Tiger stared at Ghost Hand Zhang, her eyes turning cold, and slowly said, "So, Ding Xun, you were the one who made him a traitor?"

Ghost Hand Zhang glanced at her: "Yes."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But Chen Ping's performance at the birthday banquet that day made me change my mind. I think Chen Ping is a genius. There's still a long time before the Dragon Head Ceremony. With his cultivation speed, he will definitely suppress everyone at the Dragon Head Ceremony next year, just like Li Yuan did back then."

Someone inside the hall secretly spit out a curse: "A fence-sitter."

Ghost Hand Zhang turned to look at the source of the voice, his expression calming down as he spoke, "Back when Changshan was crippled, before Chen Ping appeared, you—"

His gaze slowly swept over everyone present.

"Don't you have even the slightest thought of backing down? Don't talk to me about loyalty. Which one of you here didn't work as a laborer on the docks before? Were those days easy? Didn't you all come this far just to live a better life?"

No one in the hall responded.

Ghost Hand Zhang raised his hand and pointed at Yang Sen: "You, Yang Sen, I still remember how you fought with dogs for food at the docks back then. Wasn't your biggest wish just to have a full meal?"

Yang Sen sat still, staring at Ghost Hand Zhang with his one eye, his lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing.

Ghost Hand opened his arms, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: "What are you all talking about loyalty for? Aren't you all just trying to make a better life? I thought the Green Robe Society was doomed, and I wanted to live. What was wrong with that?"

He paused, then lowered his voice slightly: "I'm selfish, I'm greedy, I'm ruthless, but which of you is more kind than me?"

The hall fell completely silent.

No one cursed anymore, and no one spoke up.

Lu Cheng sat in the main seat, looked at Ghost Hand Zhang for a moment, and slowly spoke, his voice completely flat: "You're right, we're all together because of mutual benefit, but you've become a traitor..."

"I will atone for my sins," Ghost Hand Zhang spoke first, his voice steady. "I will find a way to kill Xie Xiao and bring back his head."

Lu Cheng was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Ghost Hand Zhang clasped his hands in a fist salute, stood up, and walked towards the door. His steps were steady, and his back showed no sign of anything unusual.

The sound of the door closing was particularly crisp in the night.

Everyone in the hall watched him leave without saying a word.

Lu Cheng suddenly chuckled softly, as if talking to himself: "You've got a whole set of stories to tell."

He paused, "If Chen Ping hadn't killed a Blood Refiner tonight, he would have stood by and watched Chen Ping die, and then completely sided with the White Gang."

He raised his head and his gaze fell on Li Yuan.

The two looked at each other.

Li Yuan cupped his hands in greeting, turned, and left.

The night breeze was cool, and the streets of Qingkou Town were deserted.

After walking for about half an incense stick's time, Ghost Hand Zhang slowly stopped.

He stood in the middle of the alley, looked up at the moon in the sky, and went through every detail of the council chamber in his mind.

Lü Cheng agreed too quickly.

It's unbelievably fast.

He suppressed the thought of Lü Cheng in his mind. Lü Cheng was not a pushover, never had been. Such a person would not easily forgive someone who had betrayed him.

Ghost Hand Zhang turned around and ran out of town.

His pace quickened, his blood surged within him, and his figure swept across the street like a ghost, reaching the town entrance in the blink of an eye.

He had just stepped out of the town gate when he suddenly stopped.

Li Yuan stood not far ahead, his hands behind his back, his blue robe fluttering gently in the night breeze, his expression calm, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Ghost Hand's throat tightened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Damn Lü Cheng."

Li Yuan said calmly, "I've suspected you for a long time. Even if you really did use a scheme to trick the White Gang into giving you information, you're still going to die."

Ghost Hand Zhang took a deep breath and was about to speak when he heard a very faint sound of footsteps behind him.

He turned around abruptly.

A man in a white robe stood behind him. He had appeared out of nowhere and just stood there, his hands tucked into his sleeves, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Ghost Hand Zhang stared at the man, as if something was stuck in his throat.

He didn't know this person.

But he saw this person standing there, something starting to swirl in his mind, faster and faster.

In an instant, everything became clear.

After Changshan was deposed, the White Gang tried to win him over, and he agreed, thinking he had seen through the situation and made a good move.

Chen Ping appeared, and he hedged his bets, helping Chen Ping kill the assassins, thinking he still held the initiative.

He confessed tonight that he wanted to kill Xie Xiao, thinking he had won the gamble.

Sensing something was wrong, he took off running, thinking he was fast enough.

Every step was a choice I made myself.

But every step of this was precisely within someone else's calculations.

Killing Chen Ping is a trap, not killing him is also a trap, helping Chen Ping kill the assassin is a trap, confessing voluntarily is a trap, and running away is also a trap.

This scheme, which seemed to be targeting Chen Ping, was actually aimed at himself from the very beginning.

It would be best if Chen Ping died, but after Changshan was deposed, Li Yuan and Lü Cheng would definitely protect Chen Ping very closely, so the chances of an assassination succeeding were already slim.

If he doesn't act when the order is given tonight, those spies will die, and eventually they will trace him out.

Even when he tries to kill the assassin, he is forced to flee by Lü Cheng, who already suspects him.

Once you run, the trap tightens.

This assassination attempt, ostensibly aimed at killing Chen Ping, was less about killing Chen Ping and more about making this final move against Ghost Hand Zhang, turning this selfish, greedy man into a dog!

Ghost Hand Zhang stared at the man in white, a metallic taste rising in his throat. Something was burning in his chest, not anger, but something more unbearable—a complete and unventable frustration.

He had practiced martial arts for half his life and walked on the edge of a knife for half his life. When had he ever been schemed against like this?

But what can you do if you feel frustrated?

They calculated his every move, his greed, his self-preservation, his coming here, and all his struggles tonight.

He lost.

They lost completely.

Ghost Hand Zhang lowered his head and gave a bitter laugh.

"Damn it."

The man in white stopped smiling, his voice calm, as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary: "Come with me. From now on, your life is mine, your skills are mine, but I'll guarantee your survival. What do you say?"

Ghost Hand Zhang raised his head, glanced at Li Yuan, and then looked at the man in white.

Without saying another word, he followed the man in white into the night.

Li Yuan stood there, watching the two figures disappear. After a moment of silence, he turned and went back to the town.

The lights in the council chamber were still on.

Li Yuan pushed open the door and came in, then told them what had happened at the town entrance.

After hearing this, everyone in the hall remained silent for a moment.

Yellow Teeth lowered his head, his hands clenched on his knees, and remained silent.

Hu Qian leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, it was unclear whether he was thinking or had already fallen asleep.

Rouge Tiger stood by the window, looking at the night outside, her fingers gently stroking the edge of her sleeve.

Lu Cheng sat in the main seat, listened, and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he looked up and asked, "How much longer until the Dragon Head Festival?"

Li Yuan said, "Nine months."

Lu Cheng nodded, stood up, and walked towards the inner hall.