Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Lu Cheng's figure disappeared behind the curtain.

The council chamber fell silent for a moment.

Hu Qian spoke first, unfolding his folding fan and gently shaking it twice: "How many Red Flower Sticks are left in the gang?"

No one responded, but everyone knew the answer.

Yellow Teeth raised his head, placing both hands on the table, his voice heavy: "Nine months, and this is all the men we have? How are we going to fight in the Dragon Head Festival?"

Hu Qian didn't look at him, twirled his folding fan in his palm, and said slowly, "So it needs to be repaired."

"How do we fix it?" Yellow Teeth frowned. "Of the gangsters at the docks, the ones who can fight are already Red Flower Stick fighters; everyone knows what the rest are."

Rouge Tiger leaned back in her chair, tapping the table twice with her long, slender fingers: "Recruit from outside?"

"Outside?" Yellow Teeth shook his head, letting out a short, cold laugh. "The people coming from outside are of unknown background. What if an inside man infiltrates?"

Chen Ping, seated at the end of the table, spoke calmly: "Have Scarface disperse his vagrants around Qingkou Town as spies. The vagrants should monitor each other, and anyone acting suspiciously should be reported. There will be a reward within the gang. This way, outsiders won't be able to hide easily."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Hu Qian paused in his fanning motion, glanced at Chen Ping, nodded, and did not object.

Yellow Teeth scratched the back of his head and said in a muffled voice, "Okay, this method is reliable, I have no objection."

Hu Qian picked up his folding fan again and said calmly, "Alright, the Merchant Hall will take care of this."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I do have an idea about hiring people. Let's learn from the White Gang."

Several people looked at him.

"Raising Gu," Hu Qian said. "We accept all comers, and when it comes to a duel, we risk our lives to develop our skills, so no one can say anything against us."

Rouge Tiger frowned and said coldly, "There has to be a plan for how to raise them. Bringing in useless trash with poor aptitude is just a waste of food and medicine."

"Body physique?" Yellow Teeth waved his hand. "That method is too slow. I think it's all about strength. Carrying sacks of grain, the one who can carry the most, is naturally strong."

Rouge Tiger glanced at him, said nothing, and her expression said it all.

"So what?" Yellow Teeth retorted, "Didn't Chen Ping come from the docks back then?"

"Chen Ping is Chen Ping," Rouge Tiger said calmly.

The two argued, each sticking to their own version of events, their voices growing louder and louder. Hu Qian sat in the middle, fanning himself with a folding fan, occasionally interjecting a comment, sometimes remaining silent.

Li Yuan sat in the shadows to one side, without saying a word.

After the two had discussed the pros and cons, he slowly spoke, his voice calm, with only one definitive statement: "Win the arena and you'll receive money and supplies, and be recruited into the gang. Losers will be left to fate, their lives or deaths are in the hands of destiny. Participation is not mandatory."

Yellow Teeth paused for a moment, then nodded: "This one, perfect."

Rouge Tiger wanted to speak, but paused, and finally kept quiet.

Hu Qian unfolded his folding fan and nodded: "The lowest cost."

The negotiations have concluded.

The crowd gradually stood up, and the heavy footsteps faded away.

Li Yuan did not leave.

He reached out and pressed on Chen Ping's shoulder without saying a word.

Rouge Tiger stood still, without moving.

The three waited quietly until the hall was completely empty before lifting the curtain and entering the inner hall.

The inner room was small and dimly lit.

Against the wall stood an old, low table, on which two memorial tablets were placed neatly.

The candlelight flickered dimly in front of the memorial tablet.

Chen Ping's gaze fell on the memorial tablet, which bore two names.

He Geng.

Liu Qinghe.

He didn't know the two people, but he silently memorized their names.

Lü Cheng sat behind the low table.

With his back to the memorial tablet, he looked at Li Yuan and said in a deep voice, "That sect expert in white robes, is that Qi Renwu?"

Li Yuan nodded: "It's him."

Qi Renwu.

Chen Ping went through the name in his mind.

A scholarly face then appeared.

That day in the front hall of the Dan Hall, it was this man in the blue robe who held the Gu Yuan Dan and examined it closely, subtly inquiring about Rouge Tiger's teacher.

At that time, he hid in the shadows, only feeling that this person was not simple.

I've figured it out now.

Qi Renwu is a member of a sect and supports the White Gang. His goal is not the interests of the docks. So what he is really after here is...

Chen Ping's gaze slowly fell on Rouge Tiger beside him.

Lu Cheng was silent for a moment, then sighed and turned to look at Rouge Tiger: "Make preparations as soon as possible."

He paused, his voice still steady, but with a hint of ruthlessness: "However, if Qi Renwu thinks he can devour us without relying on the Cui family or the sect, he'll have to see if his teeth are strong enough."

Rouge Tiger nodded, her voice calm and still: "Okay."

The hall was silent for a while.

Lu Cheng didn't speak again. He turned around and looked at the memorial tablet. The candlelight reflected on his face, making it impossible to discern his expression.

The group left the inner hall.

The night wind blew through the corridor, carrying the fishy, ​​damp smell of the river. Chen Ping stood under the corridor for a moment, the wound on his side throbbing faintly in the night wind.

He glanced down, said nothing, and then walked out.

Back in the courtyard, the cold wind rustled the leaves.

Chen Ping assumed a horse stance under the tree and began practicing his stance.

He went through the information for tonight in his mind.

Qi Renwu, Ghost Hand Zhang, nine months.

Thinking about this, he understood somewhat.

The White Gang's real target tonight isn't him. He's only at the Tendon Refining Realm, not even at the Dirty Refining Realm yet. The White Gang doesn't need to focus their main target on a Tendon Refining Realm cultivator. Ghost Hand Zhang is the core of this game; he's just an afterthought.

Chen Ping lowered his head, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Nine months is enough to give the White Gang a surprise.

With this in mind, he cleared his mind of distractions, focused his energy in his dantian, and continued practicing.

After standing for about half an hour, my blood and energy flowed smoothly through my muscles and bones, noticeably better than yesterday.

Feeling that he had enough Qi and blood in his body, he sat down cross-legged and assumed the posture according to the stretching manual, tensing all the major tendons in his body.

My legs, back, shoulders, and even the base of my fingers were all pulled by a fine, tingling sensation.

Blunt, deep, like meridians being stepped on and stretched outwards.

He stood up only after completing a set of movements and confirming that his muscles and tendons had hardened.

Chen Ping finished practicing his stance and slowly walked around the courtyard a few times to calm his surging blood and qi.

It was completely dark.

With a creak, Li Yuan pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in.

Chen Ping was finishing his practice when he turned around.

Li Yuan said, "We've found an armorer to repair the armor, but he wants a piece of black iron."

Chen Ping glanced at him: "Is it safe to go to Shanyang City now?"

Li Yuan said calmly, "I've dealt with most of the White Gang's traitors tonight, and I don't plan to waste any more time with them. Tomorrow morning I'll go to lie in wait around Xiahe County. I'll kill every White Gang member who comes out. You can take this opportunity to go to the black market and see if there's any Xuan Tie."

Chen Ping nodded and said nothing more.