Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

The next day at dawn, Chen Ping finished practicing the Bengshi Jin technique as usual and then stopped.

The weighted standing posture compresses the blood and qi, sending it to the extremities, causing the panel to bounce at a steady pace.

Standing until Chenshi (7-9 AM), he unloaded the weight, stretched his limbs, took out the small porcelain bottle from his bosom, and glanced at it in his palm.

The safest course of action is to take this to the Pill Hall and have Rouge Tiger examine it.

He changed into a light blue short shirt, wrapped himself up tightly, locked the courtyard gate, and headed towards the alchemy hall.

The morning market in Qingkou Town had just closed, and vendors carrying loads on their shoulders were still slowly packing up their stalls. Chen Ping slowed his pace as he walked to the entrance of Dantang Street.

A wooden platform was erected on the open space across the street.

The platform was quite large, with a thick wooden pillar at each of the four corners, bounded by hemp ropes. The wooden planks on the platform were worn smooth and shiny from being walked on, with chipped edges. A crowd of people surrounded the platform, packed tightly together in layers, occasionally erupting in shouts and cheers.

Two men are fighting on the stage.

The guy on the left is burly and shirtless, with an old scar on his chest running diagonally from his collarbone to his ribs. He throws heavy punches and takes a head-on approach.

The one on the right was lean and agile, always looking for openings. The two fought back and forth, locked in a fierce battle.

A wooden sign stood on the side of the platform, with three characters written on it: Qingshan Society.

After observing for a moment, Chen Ping understood and turned to walk towards the Pill Hall.

The front hall of Dantang smelled strongly of medicine.

When a waiter saw him come in, he looked up, recognized the red ribbon around his waist, and quickly got up to go inside and announce his arrival.

Before long, Rouge Tiger came out from the inner room, her hands still covered in medicine stains. She wiped them off with a cloth and glanced at Chen Ping: "What is it?"

Chen Ping placed the small porcelain bottle on the counter in front of her.

Rouge Tiger glanced down, picked it up, examined the wax seal carefully against the window for a moment, then gently peeled it off with her slender fingers and brought it close to her nose to smell it.

Her eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Where did it come from?"

"Found on the body of the White Gang's Red Flower Stick."

Rouge Tiger placed the porcelain bottle back on the counter and looked up: "Blood Cleansing Pill."

"What is your background?"

"It's for washing away impurities," Rouge Tiger said calmly. "After refining it, the flow of qi and blood in the body will be smoother. It's a good thing. It costs twenty taels on the market. Ordinary Red Flower Sticks can't afford this. Those Red Flower Sticks of the White Gang either have made some great contributions or have a wealthy family."

She glanced at Chen Ping: "Keep it for later use, don't waste it."

Chen Ping put the porcelain bottle back into his pocket, nodded, and turned to leave.

As they reached the door, Rouge Tiger's voice caught up from behind, calmly saying, "Next time you find something you don't recognize, bring it over early. Don't just keep it to yourself and sniff it around."

Chen Ping didn't stop walking and went straight out the gate.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the Dan Hall. Lu Bai strode across the threshold, a smile on his face, and before he could even stand still, he exclaimed, "Ha! Manager Li Yuan slaughtered two White Gang Red Flower Sticks outside Xiahe County early this morning. That's the latest news; things are probably in complete chaos there right now!"

He clapped his hands, grinning from ear to ear.

Rouge Tiger leaned against the counter, tapped the tabletop lightly with her fingers twice, and said nothing.

Chen Ping stood at the door, listened, hummed in agreement, and stepped out.

......

Xiahe County, Baibang Council Hall.

Two oil lamps were lit in the hall, casting a dim, yellowish light.

Xie Xiao sat to the left of the main seat, while Shi Haobo and the other two managers sat separately. By the window, Ghost Hand Zhang sat with his legs apart, his hands on his knees, his back straight, and his expression calm, revealing nothing about him.

Qi Renwu sat beside him, dressed in white, holding a chess piece in his hand, slowly turning it, without saying a word.

Yan Hai sat in the central armchair, glancing at the two men before putting on a smiling face. Xie Xiao cupped his hands towards Ghost Hand Zhang, forcing a smile, "Ghost Hand Zhang, it's an honor to meet you here. Don't worry, you'll be a manager here just like you were in the Green Robe Society!"

Ghost Hand opened his mouth, about to move.

Qi Renwu stopped playing chess.

He didn't stay.

Qi Renwu's voice was not loud. The chess piece started spinning again. He didn't even lift his eyelids. "The Pill Hall lost a formal disciple. I have to go back and report. He will become an outer sect elder. After the matter is settled, he will come back with me."

The managers in the hall exchanged glances, lowered their heads, and remained silent, but their shoulders relaxed slightly.

Xiahe County is only so big; the more people there are, the more money they can make.

Xie Xiao coughed lightly and nodded repeatedly in agreement: "Since Mr. Qi has made arrangements, that's naturally the best, and it's only right."

Yan Hai sighed and changed the subject: "Now that the mole is out, there's still Li Yuan watching us from the outside. That's the real problem. Mr. Qi, why don't you and I join forces and kill him?"

Qi Renwu chuckled, spinning the chess piece in his hand twice: "Master Yan, you make it sound so easy."

He raised his eyes: "It's not easy for martial artists at the Transformation Realm to fight to the death. If Li Yuan were an ordinary person, the two of us could surround him and kill him. But Li Yuan has some talent. If he wants to run away, we can't stop him."

Yan Hai frowned: "Then what should we do? The boats can't get off the ship, and food is ridiculously expensive. We can't just keep waiting like this. Should we ask the Great River Gang to step in?"

Xie Xiao waved his hand and, before Qi Renwu could speak, interjected, "This is not a good idea. The Dahe Gang has been standing by and watching. We've been fighting the Qingyi Society for so long, and they haven't made a move. The Qingyi Society must think that the Dahe Gang isn't cooperating with us. This move only has one chance; once it's used, it's wasted. We have to save it for when we need it most."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Since Li Yuan is keeping an eye on Xiahe County, let him keep an eye on it. He'll get tired of it sooner or later, and we can afford to wait."

Yan Hai sighed, his fleshy face drooping: "If I keep going like this, I'll be the one who dies first."

"Don't worry about the food." Qi Renwu put the chess piece into his palm. "If you're willing to spend the money, my Huamen Sect can send over several batches of food."

Yan Hai's eyes lit up, and he was about to speak when he heard the next sentence.

"But enduring is indeed the right path," Qi Renwu said calmly, "and the longer we endure, the closer the Qingyi Society will be to its demise."

Yan Hai perked up and leaned forward: "Mr. Qi, what do you mean by that?"

Qi Renwu tapped the table lightly with his fingers.

"How many years has Prefect Qian been in Huai'an Prefecture?"

Yan Hai thought for a moment: "Twelve years."

"Twelve years. He did do some work in the early years, but in recent years, he's been unremarkable." Qi Renwu's lips slowly curled into a smile. "I have received definite news that he will be promoted and transferred away from this place around the time of the Dragon Head Festival next year."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Yan Hai suddenly looked up: "Transfer? Prefect Qian is leaving? Doesn't that mean the canal transport...?"

"No rush." ​​Qi Renwu waved his hand. "Prefect Qian has been transferred and the new prefect has not yet arrived. In this gap, my Huamen Sect will take action, quickly in and out, to help you take down the Qingyi Society."

He slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the window, his voice neither hurried nor slow:

"The Great River Gang will be wiped out in due time. Your White Gang will gain power. The new prefect has just taken office and is unfamiliar with the area, so he will not dare to easily take over the canal transport. At that time, my Huamen Sect will mediate, and the canal transport will still be yours."

No one spoke in the hall.

Yan Hai stared at his back, remained silent for a moment, and then a smile slowly appeared on his face.

Ghost Hand Zhang sat in the corner, his hands resting on his knees, motionless, his gaze fixed on a piece of wood grain on the ground, lost in thought.