Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 97 The Curtain Falls

The wind on the riverbank never stopped.

The withered grass trembled in the wind, and corpses lay scattered on the ground. Blood seeped into the mud, staining the roots of the withered grass dark red. The thin mist on the river in the distance had dissipated, and the water was grayish-white, reflecting the low-hanging clouds.

Sui Guan placed his hands on Qi Renwu and the old man's shoulders, leaned out, and had a half-smile on his face.

Lu Cheng stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Sui Guan waved his hand and said, "It's nothing."

The old man lowered his head, trembling, and called out, "Lord Sui."

Sui Guan smiled, raised the hand that was on the old man's shoulder, patted the old man's face, and said, "You still know how to call me Lord Sui."

Qi Renwu's face turned pale, his knees buckled, and he knelt down. He spoke, his voice trembling, "My lord, I didn't mean to interfere in the affairs of the prefecture. I beg you to spare my life. I will never dare to do it again. Please spare me this time, considering that everyone in my Huamen Sect is risking their lives on the battlefield."

Sui Guan looked down at him for a moment without saying a word, then placed his large hand on his face.

Upon seeing this, the old man immediately cried out, "Lord Sui, please spare his life! All the masters of my Hua Sect have gone to the battlefield, and this is the only heir left in the Qi family!"

Sui Guan laughed and said, "You know that your family's masters are all on the battlefield? Then why don't you juniors just behave yourselves? Why do you have to cause them trouble? People from sects are all the same."

Then, Sui Guan squeezed his large hand.

Qi Renwu's head exploded instantly, and his headless body collapsed to the ground.

The old man knelt on the ground, looked up at Sui Guan, and said, "Sir, do you even want the inheritance anymore?!"

Sui Guan reached out and grabbed the old man by the neck, lifting him off the ground, saying, "I don't care about anything else, secrets, or inheritances. After all, what doesn't Cangwu Terrace have?"

The old man's feet were dangling in the air, his face ashen, and he made faint, gurgling sounds in his throat.

Sui Guan looked down at him and said, "Your Huamen Sect's interference in the affairs of the prefecture city is one thing, but you also tried to bribe officials of the imperial court, which is an even greater crime. Go back and select twenty-four Yuan Gang Realm martial artists to go to the battlefield. If there aren't enough spots, use your sect's inheritance to make up for them. You know the rules."

The old man flew into a rage and shouted, "You heartless bastards! You court officials are draining the Hua Sect of its foundation built up over the years!"

Sui Guan scoffed: "Insulting an official of the imperial court is an even more serious offense."

Then, he struck the old man with a palm strike. The protective aura around the old man was as fragile as paper, shattering instantly. The old man was sent flying, rolling twice on the ground, coughing up blood. He struggled to his feet, his knees braced against the muddy ground, and looked up at Sui Guan, his eyes filled with despair and hatred: "You actually crippled me!"

Sui Guan nodded and said, "I will spare your life so you can go back and inform others. If the old man is unable to walk, I can arrange a carriage for you."

The old man was overcome with anger and rage, vomited a mouthful of blood, and fainted, falling face down into the mud, motionless.

Sui Guan clapped his hands and turned to Lü Cheng, saying, "This old bastard won't die so easily."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ping stepped forward and asked, "Sir, what should we do if he doesn't give up his treacherous intentions?"

Sui Guan waved his hand and said, "Then you may kill him, but I will have to put in some effort to punish him by sending him to the Hua Sect."

Lu Cheng saw through Chen Ping's thoughts, said nothing, stepped forward, and slashed down with his long sword, killing the old man.

The blade struck the ground with a dull thud.

Sui looked at Lü Cheng, smiled, and said, "You seem to have guessed that I would come. Did Bai Chongshan inform you?"

Lu Cheng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "No, I just think that with Chen Ping's talent, if we report this to Cangwu Terrace, it will definitely attract an instructor."

Sui Guan stepped forward and looked at Lü Cheng, saying, "It seems you know a lot about Cangwu Terrace. So, are you interested in joining? Although you look older, you are already at the Transformation Realm, so you can skip the entrance test and go directly to the battlefield. If you survive, you can directly obtain an official position. The intensity of the battlefield is not high during this period, so with your abilities, you should have no problem surviving."

Lu Cheng remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings and the Qingyi Society members standing behind him. He spoke calmly, "My lord, I know my strength is insufficient. Now I only wish to stay here and spend the rest of my life here."

Sui glanced at him, nodded, and didn't try to persuade him further.

He turned around, looked at Chen Ping, and said, "You're quite good."

He reached out and pinched Chen Ping's arm. His palm was rough, like tree bark. After pinching for a moment, he said, "Bone age nineteen. Able to create martial arts on his own. Excellent comprehension."

He became more and more satisfied as he looked around. Then, his gaze swept over the members of the Green Robe Society, and he said, "It's amazing that such a genius could emerge from such a small place. You all deserve credit for his safe growth. Protecting his growth will also be rewarded by Cangwu Terrace."

He thought for a moment and said, "This land will be protected by my Cangwu Terrace, and the affairs of the canal transport will also be under your jurisdiction."

After he finished speaking, the riverbank fell silent for a moment.

Huang Ci stood in the crowd without speaking. He knew that Huai'an Prefecture would no longer be able to tolerate the Dahe Gang. It would either be swallowed up by the Qingyi Society or purged. There was no third way.

He spoke first, his voice low: "The Great River Gang is hereby disbanded. Everyone, go home."

With a dim look in his eyes, he walked out of the place.

Knowing that their cause was lost, the members of the Great River Gang silently followed them away. No one spoke, and their footsteps pounded on the withered grass, growing thinner and thinner until they faded into the distance.

Lu Chengye walked at the back. When he passed Chen Ping, he paused, glanced down at him, said nothing, and then turned and followed him.

Sui Guan looked around and said to Chen Ping, "It's getting late. An official boat will come to pick you up tomorrow. I know you have things to take care of right now. Go ahead."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the riverbank. His footsteps pounded on the withered grass, steady and powerful, growing farther and farther away until they disappeared into the gray-white sky at the end of the riverbank.

The room fell silent.

The stench of blood mingled with the river breeze, spreading through the air. Corpses lay scattered on the ground, tables and chairs were overturned, teacups were broken, and bloodstains stained the withered grass.

The members of the Green Robe Society stood there, looking at Chen Ping, and slowly bowed down. No one spoke; they just remained bent over for a long time without straightening up.

Chen Ping stood still, staring at these people, completely motionless.

The river breeze swept across the water, blowing over the riverbank, lifting the hems of everyone's clothes before letting them fall back down.

After a long while, everyone sat up.

Li Yuan spoke, her voice calm: "Thank you."

Rouge Tiger didn't speak, but just glanced at Chen Ping and turned away.

Yellow Teeth squeezed the silver talisman in his hand, chuckled twice, and said nothing. He then looked down at the wound on his arm.

Chen Ping glanced at the group of people, said nothing, and turned to walk towards Qingkou Town.

night.

The streets of Qingkou Town have quieted down. Occasionally, a breeze blows, causing the strips of cloth hanging on the street to sway gently. The oil lamps cast a dim yellow light through the cracks in the doors, illuminating the stone pavement with a long, thin shadow.

Chen Ping pushed open the courtyard gate.

Old Liu was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard. When he saw him return, he got up and went to the kitchen. Without asking any questions, he brought out the food, put it on the stone table, and said, "Eat quickly, it's still hot."

Chen Ping sat down and glanced out of the corner of his eye to see that his belongings had been tidied up in the courtyard. There weren't many things: silver, a change of clothes, and some medicinal herbs. They were neatly arranged in a small bundle and placed under the eaves.

The two ate in silence.

The night wind blew across the courtyard wall, dimming the flame of the oil lamp for a moment before stabilizing it.

Old Liu put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, took a sip, glanced at Chen Ping, and said in a low voice, "Have a safe journey. You'll have to walk the rest of the road alone."

Chen Ping put down his bowl, stood up, bowed deeply to Liu Laoguo, straightened up, walked to the corridor, opened his bundle, took out one hundred taels of silver, walked back, placed it on the table, pushed it in front of Liu Laoguo, and said nothing.

Old Liu glanced down at it, then looked up at Chen Ping. He didn't push it back, but instead placed his hand on the silver and hummed in agreement.

Chen Ping turned and went back into the house.

Old Liu sat in the courtyard, his hand on the silver, holding a teacup, staring at the closed door without moving. The night wind lowered the flame of the oil lamp for a moment, then steadied it.

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