Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

Upon returning to the main headquarters, He Wanjun's first act was to ring the Gathering Bell.

The bell tolled for three blocks, and all the Iron Fist Gang leaders who were still breathing rushed back.

The hall was packed with people, and the wooden floorboards creaked underfoot from the soles of their boots.

Several old flags hung on the wall, their corners dusty, but no one paid them any attention.

He Wanjun sat in the main seat, his shoulders and back still aching from the pressure of the gravity array; with every movement, his joints emitted a dull creak.

He reached for the teacup, ran his fingertips along the warm porcelain surface, and tilted his head back to gulp down a large mouthful of slightly bitter tea.

"From now on, half of the goods routes and markets in the East Market will be given to the Jiangning Guild Hall. Li Ping's affairs are my affairs, He Wanjun's affairs."

The hall was quiet for a while.

The head of the hall, Wei Shanhe, spoke first.

He was in his forties, with a scar on his face running from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth. He had taken a knife for He Wanjun in his younger days, and everyone in the gang respected him.

"Big Brother, when our Iron Fist Gang was running rampant in the south of the city, that kid wasn't even born yet. He's just a Qi Refining stage cultivator, what gives him the right to ride roughshod over us?"

He Wanjun put the teacup back on the table: "He didn't make the Iron Fist Gang bow down."

"On the prefecture-level platform, hundreds of eyes are watching."

Wei Shanhe stared at him. "You knelt down in public, after all."

The people next to them lowered their heads even further.

Everyone knows these words are hurtful, but Wei Shanhe is the only one qualified to say them.

He Wanjun looked at him and said, "I lost."

Wei Shanhe's lips twitched, and his fingers, which were resting on his knees, clenched tightly, his nails scratching harshly against the rough fabric.

Second Master Luo Jin took over the conversation.

This man was tall and thin, with a mustache, and he managed the gang's gambling den and accounts. He was usually very good at calculations.

"We brothers can tolerate giving up 30% of the profits, but is our leader really going to stake the entire Iron Fist Gang's future on a newly opened club?"

"If he wanted to make a move, you wouldn't even have a chance to kneel."

He Wanjun said

Third Master Jiang Lie slammed his fist on the table.

He had the worst temper, managed the gang's thugs, and still had strips of cloth wrapped around the back of his hand.

"The Golden Core cultivator lost to a Qi Refining cultivator; the Iron Fist Gang has completely lost face! That kid only benefited from the arena's formation; outside of that arena, he's nothing!"

He Wanjun did not answer immediately.

He recalled Li Pingtai's appearance, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his hands still firmly pressing down on the array seal.

That kid was able to win, of course, thanks to the Xuan Stone Platform, but he used a few array nails and his Qi Refining cultivation to completely deplete the Golden Core cultivator's spiritual energy.

What's more troublesome is that this kid never intended to kill anyone from beginning to end.

A fighter isn't scary.

Those who know how to leave an opening are the most difficult to deal with.

Jiang Lie

He Wanjun's voice turned cold, "Are you more stubborn, or is Su Wan's left-handed sword faster? If it really comes to a fight, are you planning to be the first to die?"

Jiang Lie's chubby face twitched, but he didn't answer.

He Wanjun stood up and glanced at the three men: "I called you here to inform you, not to discuss anything. Anyone who dares to ruin the cooperation, I'll personally cripple them."

He walked out of the hall, leaving everyone inside with their own thoughts.

Once the footsteps had faded into the distance, Luo Jin took half a step closer to Wei Shanhe and said, "Master, has the gang leader been scared off by that kid?"

"Shut up"

Wei Shanhe stared at the door.

Did I say something wrong?

Luo Jin lowered his voice, "The Iron Fist Gang relies on its fists for a living. Now, having a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator guard the place makes the brothers furious. They can suppress it for a day, but not for ten."

Jiang Lie gulped down the tea on the table, a tea stalk getting stuck between his teeth. He spat it out onto the ground and said, "If you ask me, tonight we should take some men, smash up the clubhouse, and leave. Let's teach him a lesson. The gang leader can't kill his own brothers for outsiders."

Wei Shanhe turned his face away, the scar appearing even more pronounced in the candlelight.

"How many people are you bringing?"

Luo Jin's eyes lit up: "I have thirty-six old brothers under my command, all of whom have seen blood. If Master Jiang's men climb over the wall from the back alley, and the head of the gang blocks the front door, smashes the accounting office, and destroys the mahjong table, we can at least avoid killing the guests. The incident won't escalate too much, but it will certainly sting our reputation."

"Who will go scout ahead?"

Wei Shanhe asked

"I've had someone keep an eye on things."

Luo Jin said, "Li Ping fought two battles during the day and is injured. Su Wan is guarding him. There are at most two of them. We have more than thirty people. What are we afraid of?"

Jiang Lie grinned: "That's settled then."

At the alleyway outside the headquarters, Ah Si took a bite of the last hawthorn coated in glistening sugar, the sweet and sour juice exploding on his tongue.

He casually twirled the empty bamboo skewer halfway between his fingers, the cool bamboo thorns brushing against his fingertips.

He was wearing a patched short jacket, his face smeared with ash, and his stall was set up against the wall.

The Iron Fist Gang members came and went, but none of them paid any attention to the boy selling candied hawthorns.

The door to the hall wasn't closed tightly, and a lot of what was being said inside was leaked out.

Ah Si didn't stay any longer.

He gave the remaining strings of candied hawthorns to the children playing in the mud nearby, then picked up his empty carrying pole and disappeared into the crowd.

Walking to the second street, he turned into the alley where fish were sold, changed out of his short jacket, and climbed over the wall into the backyard of the guild hall.

Qian Duo was tightly clutching a thick stack of account books when a dark shadow suddenly descended from the wall. Startled, he trembled, slipped, and the account books scattered in his arms with a clatter. The top book barely came to rest on the edge of the water vat.

"Oh my little darling, would it kill you to come in through the front door?"

"There's someone watching the door."

Ah Si caught his breath. "Where is the master?"

Li Ping sat at the stone table in the backyard, the wound on his palm having just been dressed.

The short sword lay on the table, and the broken nail in two was beside it.

Su Wan sat under the eaves sharpening her sword; a layer of fine powder had already accumulated on the stone surface.

Ah Si recounted everything he had heard in one breath.

Upon hearing the word "thirty-six old brothers," Qian Duo's face nearly contorted in pain. "Sir," he said, "should we... report this to the authorities? There are over thirty of them! What if they smash up the guild hall? What will happen to my account books then?"

"Report to the authorities?"

Li Ping looked at him and said, "By the time you bring the yamen runners here, even this ruin will be completely deserted."

"Should I go and call Da Niu and Er Hu, and gather all the neighbors?"

"Why are you calling out to the neighbors? Are you telling them to get beaten up?"

Shut up if you have too much money

Li Ping looked at A-Si: "What time did they agree to meet?"

"Enter through the back alley after midnight."

People split into two groups: one from the front gate and the other from the back alley.

A-Si nodded: "Wei Shanhe is going to block the main gate. Jiang Lie climbed over the back wall, but Luo Jin didn't show up. He should be waiting outside."

Li Ping picked up the broken pin and rubbed his thumb across the crack.

The gravity array has been used up too much; this thing can no longer be used.

The guild hall is surrounded by bluestone, and there are layers of soil left from the renovations a few days ago at the base of the walls, enough to set up a trap.

"Let them do it."

Qian Duo was stunned: "Huh?"

"They want to teach the association a lesson, and I have to teach them something too."

Li Ping stood up. "First, persuade all the guests to leave, and refund their money. Da Niu and Er Hu will guard the inner courtyard; beat anyone who enters. Ah Si, go to the back alley and turn off all the lights."

Su Wan sheathed her sword: "You're leaving the main gate to me?"

"Main Gate"

Li Ping said, "Wei Shanhe is smart. He'll back down if he realizes something's wrong. You stay there and don't rush to draw your sword. Let him see clearly."

Where is Jiang Lie?

"Leave it to me"

Before the afternoon was even over, the Jiangning Guild Hall had already hung up a wooden sign saying it was closed.

The customers who came to drink were swearing and cursing, while Qian Duo was all smiles as he saw them off.

After nightfall, the card table was cleared away, the wine jars were put away, and only one lamp remained in the usually bright front hall.

Li Ping walked around the outer wall of the guild hall.

He pressed a wisp of earthy yellow spiritual energy into the muddy ground at the base of the wall, in the back alley, beside the abandoned well, and outside the stable.

The texture is so fine that it's completely invisible when mixed with dust.

The key to the formation was hidden under the stone table in the backyard, using the poisoned needle that had been smuggled back from the jade steps.

Poison needles are worthless; the poison on them has long been washed off.

A sharp, thin iron object buried in the ground is perfect for drawing in spiritual energy.

As night fell, the night watchman's drum in the East Market sounded twice.

Ah Si, lying on the roof ridge, gestured towards the back alley.

People have arrived

More than thirty dark figures spread out along the base of the wall, their sticks wrapped in cloth, moving almost silently.

Jiang Lie led the way, turning back to wave before scaling the back wall.

Li Ping crouched in the shadows inside the wall, his fingers pressing against the ground.

The poisoned needle in the soil trembled slightly.

Outside the wall, a faint rustling sound of fabric rubbing against the wall approached.