The Martial Saint begins by collecting corpses.

In a restaurant across from the county government office, Zhao Meng stood quite elegantly by the window in a private room on the second floor, looking at the county government office across the street, gently waving a folding fan in his hand.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a burly man in his thirties with a dark complexion entered. He frowned and said:

"The county government has taken him in."

Zhao Meng paused, his hand still holding the folding fan, and asked with some confusion, "Why would the county government accept him?"

The burly man pondered and said, "All we know is that he went to the small mountain temple, where there is a ghost. However, our men also saw a high-ranking official from the Night Guard come out of the small mountain temple at the same time."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Meng suddenly realized:

"It turns out it was all by accident. The county government probably wanted to test his abilities, but he went there recklessly and was eventually rescued by the Zhenye Division."

He shook his head: "That guy's lucky. Has the Blackwater Gang found anything wrong with him?"

The burly man said, "He set up a trap in his courtyard. Most of the idiots in the Blackwater Gang fell in and were killed by bamboo spikes."

"So that's how it is." Upon hearing this, Zhao Meng immediately lost interest.

He originally thought that Lu Ming had a powerful backer, otherwise, how could the four of them, ordinary people without cultivation, have wiped out the Blackwater Gang?

In retrospect, it turns out that it was nothing more than some underhanded tricks and a bit of luck.

Even so, Zhao Meng still said:

"Send a few martial artists to keep watch on this street. Once there is an opportunity, kill Lu Ming immediately."

"He is still quite clever; we mustn't let him cause any trouble and ruin our grand plan."

"Of course, don't take action near the county government office."

"Yes," the burly man nodded.

……

"What? Zhao Meng is abandoning the matter?" The brokerage manager, slightly plump with a round face, slammed his fist on the table in anger upon hearing the news from Zhao Meng's side brought by his subordinate.

What's the point of having someone watching you?

"That Lu Ming is ruthless and extremely capable. I heard that after the magistrate of the Night Town returned, he said that he was able to deal with the ghost at Xiaoshan Temple thanks to Lu Ming."

"If we let him grow up peacefully in the county government, and after a while he has accumulated enough power..."

"Zhao Meng has guards and is a martial arts expert, so he's not afraid, but I'm just an ordinary person."

"I betrayed him twice. I leaked information about Monkey's shabby little house and Lu Ming's secluded courtyard. How could he let me get away with this?"

He couldn't help but stand up, pacing back and forth, thinking carefully for a while, then beckoned to his subordinates and said:

"Isn't Sun Dazhi of the Blackwater Gang a brother who practices martial arts at the Kaishan Martial Arts School? It's said that his martial arts skills have long surpassed his brother's. Immediately send him the news that Sun Dazhi was killed by Lu Ming."

"Yes." The subordinate responded and left.

The brokerage manager slowly sat back in his chair, gradually calming down, and gave a slight, cold smile:

"In this way, there will be no chance of anything going wrong."

County government office.

Chen Yihui said, "Come to the martial arts training ground at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow," and left somewhat displeased.

Lu Ming looked at Da Hu with a mixture of relief and regret: "Why didn't you agree just now? This martial arts master's identity must be extraordinary; becoming his disciple would be very beneficial."

Da Hu said sullenly, "He looks down on my older brother, won't let him become an apprentice, and only wants him to call him 'Instructor.' Why should I become his apprentice?"

Lu Ming shook his head and said, "I'm fine. If you become his apprentice, you'll definitely receive better guidance, and you'll be able to help me when you become stronger. If he brings up the apprenticeship again next time, you must agree."

Da Hu reluctantly hummed in agreement.

Lu Ming nodded, then turned his gaze to the monkey, whose fists were clenched and whose face was full of excitement. Chen Yihui had just said that he could train with them too.

However, Ah Lang's face was stiff and he looked dejected. Chen Yihui wouldn't let him practice with him.

Because he was only of inferior aptitude.

He considered himself stronger than Da Hu and Monkey, but Da Hu was physically stronger and had higher martial arts talent than him, so why was Monkey also better than him?

He felt a deep sense of resentment rising within him.

Just watching Lu Ming and Monkey talk, it was clear that the three of them had formed a circle. Tomorrow they would go to practice martial arts, and he would be left alone here, feeling out of place.

He said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Brother, I suddenly remembered that I haven't taken some things yet. I'll go back and get them."

"Stop!" Lu Ming shouted, stopping him.

Ah Lang stopped, turning his head with some confusion, only to see Lu Ming looking at him with a serious expression: "Are you planning to abandon your brothers and run away alone?"

Upon hearing this, Monkey and Tiger were greatly alarmed and exclaimed, "Wolf, are you leaving?"

"Big brother, I didn't..." Ah Lang was about to explain when Lu Ming interrupted him.

"You think you can just sit around doing nothing? Even if you don't practice martial arts, you still have to work!"

"Didn't you hear what Coach Chen said? Monkey and I are only considered to have average physical attributes, not much better than you, and we won't achieve anything great."

In the end, we will inevitably have to resort to some means to win.

"We all need to practice martial arts. I have some throwing knives and some poison here. I need you to help me find someone to refine them."

"When it's ready, I'll teach you how to use it."

"Who cares what kind of martial artist he is? As long as the throwing knives are sharp enough and the poison is potent enough, the four of us brothers can throw them together. We're not afraid he won't submit."

"Previously, we were just collecting corpses together, but a few days ago I was ambushed by Zhao Meng's men. If it weren't for you, I would have died long ago."

"We've been through life and death together now, we're bound together by fate, so don't overthink it, just listen to me."

These words not only made Ah Lang blush, but also excited Monkey and Tiger.

At that moment, all of Ah Lang's resentment disappeared, and he returned, never mentioning leaving again.

Lu Ming has eleven taels of silver left. He keeps five taels for emergencies and gives the remaining six taels to Ah Lang, asking him to find someone to forge throwing knives and purchase materials for making poison.

As for him, Monkey, and Tiger, they weren't idle either. He went to chat with Li Xiu and inquire about various situations inside the county government.

For example, which places you can go to, which places you can't go to, and so on.

The monkey and the tiger then went to find the servants, under the pretext of helping with chores, to try to integrate into the community and inquire about various matters.

After all, the county government is not an ordinary place. If one accidentally violates certain taboos and causes all efforts to be in vain, that would be terrible.

Compared to the fear they felt a few days ago, they are now much more relaxed, even though they are busy.

However, tomorrow at Chenshi (7:00 AM), everyone will be practicing martial arts at the training ground, and everyone will go to bed early tonight.

Having rested and recharged, Lu Ming, along with Monkey and Tiger, arrived at the training ground early the next morning, only to find that Chen Yihui had already arrived and seemed to have just finished a training session, standing quietly after finishing his practice.

At this moment, he was wearing a white training uniform, with a robust build, a angular face, a serious expression, and sharp eyes, giving people a sense of pressure.

Upon seeing Da Hu, his eyes lit up slightly, and the oppressive feeling dissipated considerably.

"Come here." Chen Yihui beckoned to Da Hu.

Da Hu followed Lu Ming and came up to him.

Chen Yihui took a step to the right and stood in front of Da Hu, about to speak.

But then Da Hu gave him a strange look, then stepped back and stood behind Lu Ming.