Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

"Finished throwing up?"

Ren Jun brushed the dust off his sleeves and stared at the puddle of acidic water beside the water tank.

"I've thrown up. All that brown rice I ate last night was for nothing."

Li Ping's face was somewhat pale. Leaning against the earthen wall, he used a broken bowl to scoop up some water and rinse his mouth.

"This is how it is the first time you see blood; you'll get used to it."

Ren Jun spoke casually.

Li Ping threw away the broken bowl.

"If my senior brother had sent the county soldiers earlier, I wouldn't have had to endure this whole night of fright."

"If we had sent people to guard this alley earlier, how would Sun Er and his thieves have dared to show their faces?"

Ren Jun pointed to the straw mat being carried out outside the courtyard gate.

Commander Lin, accompanied by two burly men, was carrying away the bodies of Sun Er and another bandit.

The bloodstains on the door panel had dried in the sun.

"Lift it slowly, don't damage the dried vegetables my sister-in-law is drying!"

Li Ping shouted at the top of his lungs towards the outside of the courtyard.

The black-armored soldier carrying the door slipped and turned around to give Li Ping a very strange look.

In the end, he didn't dare to say anything and quickened his pace to leave.

Sister-in-law Zhang was peeking out from a neighbor's house, being held tightly by her elder brother Li Da.

Li Da still held a rusty wood-chopping axe in his hand, his large, copper-bell-shaped eyes filled with fear.

The sheer power of the clash of divine magic last night nearly scared the soul out of this honest blacksmith.

Li Ping looked at his own fence.

Half of the pigsty collapsed, and the straw piles in the woodshed were scattered all over the ground; they had been set on fire last night, and some areas were still emitting charred smoke.

"Senior brother, this courtyard is rented."

Li Ping tugged at his aching sleeve and slowly calculated...

"The collapsed pigsty is worth two taels of silver, the burned timber is worth one tael, and there are also my sister-in-law's treasured dried green beans, so let's say it's worth ten taels of silver in total."

"Will the county government reimburse me?"

Ren Jun looked at him

"You've already reached the Qi Refining stage, why would you care about ten taels of silver from ordinary people?"

Even immortals need to eat.

Li Ping curled his lip.

"Although I've obtained the cultivation technique, what about spirit sand and talismans? They all cost money. Even though prices are low in this small town, a packet of lime powder still costs two coins."

Ren Jun chuckled, took out a ten-tael ingot of official silver from his sleeve, and tossed it over.

Li Ping reacted quickly, catching it in one swift motion. He wiped it with his sleeve to make sure there was no blood from a dead person before putting it in his pocket.

"Hu Guan's matter is settled, and the official document has been stamped with the official seal."

Ren Jun stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the dilapidated, narrow courtyard.

"Tomorrow I will set off with Commander Lin and the others to escort Hu Guan back to Jiangning."

Li Ping felt a slight sense of relief.

This jinx is finally leaving.

"Zizhi, come with me."

Ren Jun suddenly said a sentence

Li Ping was about to put the broken bowl back on the table when he heard this, and his hand froze in mid-air.

"Teacher is now the Prefect of Jiangbei. Although his position is not yet secure, the Prefect's office still wields considerable power."

Ren Jun's expression became more serious.

"We were classmates, and you're quite clever."

"Come back to Jiangning with me, and I will ask my teacher to find you a respectable and prestigious civil service position."

"Once the official documents are issued, you'll rise to the top in the county town in one step, and you'll no longer have to stay at the foot of the mountains and deal with these mountain bandits and peasants."

Li Ping withdrew his hand, and the broken bowl made a soft "clang".

Going to Jiangning?

His mind raced.

This is truly an immense temptation.

Jiangning Prefecture is the capital of Jiangbei County, rich in spiritual energy, and home to many high-level cultivators.

More importantly, there's the powerful connection of Chen Boyong, the cheap teacher.

Going there means becoming a disciple; even as a minor clerk, one is still considered a superior to the local magistrate.

but……

Li Ping glanced at Li Da and his wife, who were secretly watching him from the wall next door.

The eldest sister-in-law was still wiping away tears, and the eldest brother's calloused hands were still trembling slightly.

"Thank you for your kind offer, senior brother."

Li Ping sighed softly.

"But the water in Jiangning is so deep that even a turtle could drown there."

"My rudimentary breathing technique wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap if I went there."

"With me and the teacher here, who would dare to touch you?"

Li Ping harbored some resentment in his heart.

Yesterday, when you arrested Hu Guan, you could have simply launched a massive military offensive.

But they insisted on waiting behind the government office, using me, Li Ping, as bait, forcing Hu Guan to use a deadly move against me before they would make their move.

If I hadn't been lucky, I would be lying under the straw mat with Sun Er by now.

If the powerful families of Jiangning were to fight amongst themselves, and something were to happen to my teacher and senior brothers, I, their nominal disciple who hadn't even reached the Qi Refining stage, would most likely die silently.

"Firstly, my elder brother and sister-in-law both live in this small town."

Li Ping raised one finger.

"My elder brother only knows how to forge iron, and my sister-in-law only knows how to cook. They can't even find a shop to settle down in the big city."

"If I leave alone, leaving them behind, there's no guarantee they won't face retaliation from the remnants of Hu Guan."

Ren Jun nodded slightly

That's the truth.

"But if you've established a firm foothold, then taking them over isn't out of the question."

Secondly, I have achieved nothing and gained no fame in Jiangning.

Li Ping raised his second finger.

"I'm just a mortal who's just opened my meridians. What will the other disciples think of me if I go to the prefect's mansion?"

"No matter how much the teacher cares for me, I'm still just a lackey, constantly on guard against the cold stares of powerful families. It's better to be comfortable here."

"Thirdly..."

Li Ping's gaze turned towards the county government office.

"This small town is right next to the towering mountains. It's a bit poor, but with Hu Guan gone, all those patrol officers and warehouse inventory lists under his command are now empty."

"The magistrate's hand cannot reach into the treasury, and the registrar is also wary of powerful families from all sides."

"My newly initiated local clerk has actually proven to be quite effective here."

Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.

In Xiyun County, he had a reputation for assisting the inspector in solving cases, and he also possessed many secrets of the county.

By taking advantage of this information gap, we can slowly erode the loopholes left by Hu Guan.

If one can establish a foothold in Xiyun County, with manpower and spirit sand at one's disposal, then going to Jiangning will give one more confidence.

Ren Jun gave him a deep look.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"I've made up my mind."

Li Ping smiled extremely brightly.

"I'm a cheapskate; I can't stand the superior lifestyle of those people in the county town."

"It's still more comfortable to walk on this muddy road at the foot of the mountain."

Ren Jun stared at Li Ping for a long time, a hint of admiration appearing in his eyes.

"My mentor said back then that you were thoughtful and prudent in your actions, and now it seems that's indeed true."

Many people, upon seeing an opportunity to rise to the top, don't even bother to put on their shoes, but you can clearly see whether your feet are mud or stone.

Ren Jun took out a jade talisman that emitted a very faint blue light from his sleeve.

This jade talisman has a warm, smooth texture, is only the size of a thumb, and has densely engraved tiny magical runes along its edges.

"Take this talisman."

Ren Jun stuffed the jade talisman into Li Ping's hand.

"There is a Qi-guiding seal that I carved inside."

"If you encounter any difficulties, crush this item, and I will receive your message even if I am far away in Jiangning."

"If you ever find yourself unable to stay in Xiyun County any longer, bring the jade talisman and come to Jiangning to find me."

Li Ping held the jade talisman.

It was a little cold, but it warmed up after I held it in my palms for a while.

This is a life-saving treasure.

"Thank you, senior brother. If you make a fortune in Jiangning in the future, don't forget your junior brother."

Li Ping accepted the jade talisman.

Stop being so sarcastic.

Ren Jun's expression turned serious again, his eyes becoming somewhat sharp.

"There's one more thing I must tell you."

"Please speak, senior brother."

"Hu Guan was escorted away, but his eldest son, Hu Lie, escaped into the deep mountains."

Ren Jun said in a deep voice

"Although this child is young, he has already reached the half-step Qi Refining stage."

"He fled into the mountains to join the bandits, and he will most likely see you as a thorn in his side. Also, the Hu family's trusted henchmen in the city have not been completely eliminated, and they might come out and bite you at any time."

Li Ping suddenly felt that the ten taels of silver in his pocket no longer tasted so good.

"This... Senior Brother, Hu Lie has escaped. Why didn't you lead the county troops into the mountains to capture him?"

"The towering mountains stretch for thousands of miles, teeming with poisonous miasma and haunted by monstrous beasts."

Ren Jun shook his head

"It is highly unlikely that the county soldiers would venture into the mountains to search for a mere half-step Qi Refining bandit."

"That depends on your own fate."

Li Ping, with a bitter expression, silently touched the chipped iron kitchen knife in his pocket.

This is hardly a life-saving jade talisman; it's clearly a hot potato.

"A new county lieutenant will be appointed in the city in the next few days, but he'll most likely be a good-looking but useless fellow."

Ren Jun patted Li Ping on the shoulder.

"If you want to get a share of the pie in this small town, you have to get your hands on the situation in Xiyun County before Hu Lie turns back."

After Ren Jun finished speaking, he flicked his long sleeves, turned around, and strode towards the door.

The sunlight cast a long shadow from his blue official robes.

Li Ping stood in the courtyard, looking at the jade talisman in his hand that emitted a faint blue glow, then glancing at the still-wet bloodstains on the ground.

"Hu Lie..."

Li Ping toyed with the jade talisman, muttering to himself, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"So what if you're only half a step into Qi Refining? I may have just reached the Qi Induction stage, but I'm not out of my mind."

"The mountains are so big, if you're so capable, then never come out of here."

He turned around and waved to his older brother and sister-in-law who were peeking out.

"Brother, stop looking! Go find some strong neighbors to help build up this pigsty!"

"Alright, alright!" Brother Li Ping replied honestly, only then daring to put down his big axe.

Li Ping carefully tucked the jade talisman away, pondering whether he should visit the county government's clerk's office that afternoon, when a familiar face appeared running from the alleyway entrance.

The man, sweating profusely, was Qian Duo, the official in charge of the roster at the county office. He shouted at the top of his lungs even before entering the door:

"Brother Li! Something terrible has happened! Registrar Zhao is in the document room, and he's had your old document cabinet sealed off!"

Li Ping's eyes sharpened.

That registrar Zhao Heng is really quick on the uptake.

I haven't even started a fight with you yet, and you've already started to sabotage my business.

He sneered, brushed the dust off his sleeves, and strode out to meet them.