Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

"The head of the underworld, the leader of bandits in thirteen provinces across the south and north, and the leader of the Unloading Ridge Warriors..."

Zhang Jingqing pondered these titles and smiled, "They sound quite impressive. As for the specifics, you'll have to figure out the right approach yourself."

"Don't worry, Master, I will definitely handle this matter with dignity," Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile. "Even if he doesn't want to be dignified, I will help him to be dignified."

Zhang Jingqing smiled upon hearing this, but he dared not accept his apprentice's use of the word "respectable." However, dealing with a bandit leader did indeed not require too much formality.

"When do we leave?" he asked.

Zhang Zhiwei glanced at the setting sun and said, "Tomorrow, there's no rush."

"Should I allocate a few people to you?" Zhang Jingqing asked again.

Zhang Zhiwei shook his head and said, "Huaiyi went down the mountain to train and hasn't returned yet. Xiaotian is in charge of the operation of Tiantong Temple, and the other fellow disciples also have their own things to do, so I won't trouble them. Besides, with my strength, they can't help me much. Sometimes, they are more likely to get into danger themselves."

“You’re quite blunt, but it’s the truth.” Zhang Jingqing paused, then continued, “Take Lü Ci with you. It’s not that he’s particularly strong, but he’s not stupid and he’s also ruthless. Sometimes, you can let him do what you can say but not what you can do.”

As soon as Zhang Jingqing spoke, Zhang Zhiwei immediately understood: "Master, do you mean one of us plays the good cop and the other the bad cop, using a carrot and stick approach? A combination of kindness and severity?"

Zhang Jingqing nodded: "Bandits, a bunch of guys who live on the edge, risking their lives. For these people, sometimes face is more important than life, but you can't give them too much face."

"So you have to suppress their arrogance and blunt their spirit, but too much of a good thing can be bad. You can't suppress them too harshly either. After all, you still have to get them to do things. It's very important to find the right balance. That kid from the Lü family is definitely better at finding the right measure than you are. Do you understand what I mean?"

“Disciple understands!” Zhang Zhiwei replied.

Zhang Jingqing nodded, then walked away with her hands behind her back.

Zhang Zhiwei went to Tianmen Peak and carried out his daily practice under the crooked tree, breathing in the last rays of sunlight, as well as the nascent starlight and moonlight.

His body is now almost flawless, so he no longer needs to greedily absorb the essence of heaven and earth every day. He only needs to breathe in and out a few times to maintain his body's balance.

After finishing his breathing exercises, Zhang Zhiwei opened his eyes and looked at the crooked tree behind him.

In recent years, the growth of the crooked tree has also entered a bottleneck period. It no longer grows wildly like in previous years, but the Qi in its body has accumulated deeper and deeper. Because of its huge size, in terms of quantity alone, the Qi of dozens of people combined is not as high as its size.

This is a common phenomenon after a spirit obtains Qi. If it cultivates for a few more years, the Qi in its body will continue to increase, even becoming so concentrated that it turns black, which can be seen with the naked eye even by ordinary people.

“Focus on your cultivation, and concentrate more on your life force rather than on the amount of Qi,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

Even a tree has its own "nature" and "life," and the trials of nature and life are equally important to them.

However, most elves are unaware of this, and coupled with a lack of systematic inheritance, their achievements are very limited.

"Whoosh!" The crooked tree gently shook its branches in response to Zhang Zhiwei.

With Zhang Zhiwei's reminder, the crooked tree realized the importance of "life," but like ordinary spirits, it had no systematic method of circulating qi and could only absorb it instinctively.

The biggest difference between it and ordinary spirits is that it follows Zhang Zhiwei and absorbs high-quality Qi, which is the purest Qi of the three realms in the world.

This allows it to grow quickly and establish a solid foundation, but without specific cultivation methods, it loses the possibility of continuing to build upon that foundation. This is also why elves are rare, especially plant-type elves.

As for the Nathan Tree... it is perhaps a very special exception.

In fact, Zhang Zhiwei had considered learning from the Divine Tree, but the Divine Tree followed the alchemy system, while the Crooked Neck Tree followed the Qi cultivation system; their origins were completely different.

Moreover, he didn't believe in the Divine Tree. If he really followed the Divine Tree's path, he was afraid he would become a puppet of the Divine Tree like those Nasen Guards and Nasen King.

"Try to figure it out yourself, or I can work out a solution for you when I have some free time!" Zhang Zhiwei said.

"Crash!"

Upon hearing this, the crooked tree shook violently, appearing quite excited.

"Practice well!"

"Cultivate diligently." Zhang Zhiwei patted the tree trunk, leaped down the peak, and flew with the wind, landing on a field ridge halfway up the mountain.

In the field, Lü Ci was hoeing the soil. Unlike the laborious hoeing of ordinary farmers, his movements were light and fluid, his hoeing as smooth as flowing water, even carrying a touch of freehand brushwork.

Zhang Zhiwei landed silently behind him.

Lu Ci was extremely focused while hoeing the ground, his energy and spirit were highly concentrated, and in this state, his attention was focused on nothing but the land in front of him.

However, if any unusual energy approaches him, he will immediately exit this state.

However, Zhang Zhiwei was always in a state of harmony with nature, and his vital energy was in sync with the heavens and earth, which Lu Ci could not detect.

Zhang Zhiwei did not disturb Lü Ci's practice; he simply stood behind her and watched quietly.

When Lü Ci finished plowing and was about to finish work, he turned around and suddenly saw a figure standing behind him. Startled, Lü Ci instinctively swung the hoe in his hand to smash it down!
People react differently when they are startled. Some people will be terrified, some will run away, some will scream on the spot, and some will instinctively hit someone.

It is clear that Lü Ci was the latter.

However, after recognizing Zhang Zhiwei, Lü Ci abruptly stopped, his hoe hovering less than an inch from Zhang Zhiwei's forehead.

Lu Ci quickly put away his hoe: "Senior Brother Zhang, why do you always appear and disappear so mysteriously? You scared me!"

“Go ahead and smash it, why aren’t you smashing it anymore?” Zhang Zhiwei laughed.

"How could I dare? If I really hit you, wouldn't you find an excuse to beat me up?" Lü Ci thought to himself, then asked:

"What does Senior Brother Zhang want with me?"

"I'm planning a trip to Xiangyin and Chongqing. You'll come with me," Zhang Zhiwei said.

"Another job?" Lü Ci immediately became excited and asked, "Senior Brother Zhang, who are we going to work on this time?"

Although the days of quiet cultivation on Longhu Mountain were peaceful and undisturbed, allowing for better spiritual practice, he still preferred the days when he and his senior brother Zhang traveled all over the country, fighting and killing each other, living a life of joy and sorrow.

"What do you mean by 'doing something'? Why are you all thinking about fighting and killing? It makes us sound like gangsters. This time we're going to win people over with virtue!" Zhang Zhiwei said.

Lü Ci: "…………"

"Then...who should we submit to?" "A triad boss," Zhang Zhiwei said.

"The head of the underworld?" Lu Ci looked at Zhang Zhiwei, paused, and said, "Senior Brother Zhang, shouldn't you be the head of the underworld?"

“When did I ever get involved in organized crime?” Zhang Zhiwei said. “Although my master often says that we are Taoist priests, not gangsters, and that I should keep a low profile, you can’t take those words seriously.”

Lu Ci said, “Of course I know that, but Senior Brother Zhang, you’ve forgotten that you’ve subdued the three tycoons of Shanghai, and also taken over Yongxin Company, as well as the Caoqing Gang behind Yongxin Company. The Caoqing Gang, the Hongmen and the like, aren’t they the biggest underworld organizations? It’s not an exaggeration to say that you are the head of the underworld.”

"Nonsense!" Zhang Zhiwei said, "Just because I subdued the underworld doesn't mean I became part of the underworld myself?"

He corrected, "Yongxin Company and the Caoqing Gang should be considered as having been recruited and reformed, which is a different matter."

Lu Ci readily agreed: "Yes, yes, yes! So which underworld boss are we going to recruit this time?"

"Have you heard of Chen Yulou, the leader of the Unloading Ridge sect at Changsheng Mountain?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

"Never heard of it." Lü Ci shook his head repeatedly.

In the past, he was very knowledgeable about the affairs of the martial arts world, but in recent years he has been cultivating in seclusion on Mount Longhu and rarely gets involved in the martial arts world, so he naturally pays less attention to its affairs.

Moreover, as the young master of one of the four great families, he rarely paid attention to bandits and thieves, groups that were not respectable.

Since Lü Ci didn't know, Zhang Zhiwei told him about this person's background and what he was going to do this time.

"So it's about taming a bunch of punks." Lü Ci rubbed his hands together, eager to get started. "Senior Brother Zhang, when do we set off?"

“If we set off now, we might be able to catch the morning market in Changjun,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

"Changjun" Lü Ci said, "Are we going to see that Zhang Dafoye?"

“Yes, we still need him to act as a go-between and make an introduction. Going there directly would be too abrupt, since we’re not going there to kill them. Let’s try diplomacy first, then force.” Zhang Zhiwei said.

Lu Ci nodded and then asked, "Just the two of us? Should we call Lu Mang?"

He still couldn't forget Lu Jin.

"Didn't Lao Lu go back to go on blind dates?" Zhang Zhiwei said, "Let's not disturb his important life event."

“Alright, Senior Brother Zhang, let’s go.” Lü Ci said eagerly, “When Lu Mang finds out, he’ll be green with envy.”

To avoid trouble, Zhang Zhiwei did not bid farewell to his fellow disciples and planned to directly open the "Lightning Passage" to leave.

Lu Ci quickly shouted, "Not here! I just plowed the land!"

Zhang Zhiwei understood immediately, lifted Lü Ci by the shoulder and ascended straight into the sky. When they reached mid-air, their bodies shone with silver light, transforming into a bolt of lightning that shot straight into the sky and disappeared, leaving a trail across the horizon that pierced the clouds.

Meanwhile, in Changjun City.

A black convoy of cars sped through the streets, and the morning rush hour crowds stopped to watch in awe.

Inside the black sedan, Zhang Qishan silently watched the envious glances from passersby outside the window, listening to the commotion and chatter outside.

“Buddha, you seem to have something on your mind lately,” his adjutant Zhang Rishan said. “Even if the Little Celestial Master is coming, you shouldn’t be like this.”

Zhang Qishan was silent for a moment: "The situation lately... is quite strange."

The adjutant nodded: "That's true. The stability of Changjun City is thanks to your painstaking efforts, but I can sense that there are undercurrents beneath the surface, and I don't know when they will erupt."

Zhang Qishan nodded and said, "Especially at this critical juncture, the Little Celestial Master suddenly came out of the mountains, specifically asking me for help and also wanting to find Chen Yulou. The Little Celestial Master wouldn't abandon me without reason, which further indicates that something big is about to happen."

"It's truly a storm brewing!" the adjutant sighed. "Should we summon all the families of the Nine Gates for a joint discussion?"

Zhang Qishan shook his head: "The Little Celestial Master only said he was going to see Chen Yulou, without mentioning them, which means they are not important. Moreover, the stability of the underworld in Changjun City needs them to maintain it. It would be better to transfer them away."

"What brings the Little Celestial Master to Chen Yulou?" the adjutant asked, puzzled. "I heard years ago that the Little Celestial Master wiped out the bandits of King Mountain. Could it be that he wants to...?"

“The bandits of Dawang Mountain…” Zhang Qishan pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered and said, “It’s that Liao Huzi, right? Back then, he asked me to help him move a heavy cannon to the top of the mountain. Was he killed by the Little Celestial Master?”

"Yes!" the adjutant said. "The deaths were extremely gruesome. The entire village was slaughtered, leaving no one alive. It was a true bloodbath. Only after some of the kidnapped women escaped down the mountain did the outside world learn of this. Your Majesty, do you think the young Celestial Master will repeat the same method on his trip to Changsheng Mountain?"

Zhang Qishan shook his head: "It shouldn't be that bad. If the Little Celestial Master wants to destroy Changsheng Mountain, he can just do it directly. He doesn't need to go through me. Besides, I don't have any close relationship with Changsheng Mountain."

He paused for a moment: "This time, he must want Chen Yulou to do something for him."

"With Little Celestial Master's abilities, what would he need Chen Yulou's help with?" the adjutant asked, puzzled. "It can't be because of his family's reputation as tomb raiders and the gangster boss, can it?"

Zhang Qishan said, "They probably didn't come because of his reputation as a gang leader. They're just a bunch of rabble, useless. Besides, it's just a hollow title. It's hard to say how many bandits would actually listen to him."

"The only valuable background Chen Yulou has is the title of leader of the Unloading Ridge faction. Although I look down on the Unloading Ridge warriors, who are just tomb raiders who only know how to use brute force to forcibly dig graves, sometimes I have to admit that they do have some skills."

Zhang Qishan said, "I reckon... the Little Celestial Master might need them to dig up something!"

"The young Taoist priest sought out the Buddha and Chen Yulou. Could it be that they're tomb raiding?" the adjutant asked.

“We definitely won’t hire him for tomb raiding. He’s all talk and no action. In reality, he’s just average. When it comes to tomb raiding skills…” Zhang Qishan sneered and didn’t continue.

The adjutant understood; the Buddha was probably referring to the Zhang family, who were also from their own clan and lived far away in Changbai Mountain.

The convoy arrived at the city gate. At this time, the sky was just beginning to lighten, with a sliver of dawn appearing on the horizon.

"Your Excellency, the sun rises in the east, and a single spark can start a prairie fire—it's a good omen!" the adjutant said.

"The sun for the living cannot shine into the graves of the dead," Zhang Qishan said indifferently.

The adjutant was taken aback, not understanding what he meant.

Just then, a deafening roar came from the sky! In the still dim sky, something seemed to be rapidly approaching with the force of wind and thunder!

Zhang Qishan suddenly snapped out of his daze: "Get out of the car and greet me!"

The group had just stepped out of the car when a bolt of lightning struck from the sky! In the intense flashes of light, two figures, one tall and one short, appeared! (End of Chapter)