I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 73 Conspiracy
As night deepened, the entire city seemed to fall asleep, save for the sound of the night watchman striking his clapper as he walked through the streets and alleys.

A fire was still burning in a courtyard in the city.

Sun Shicai, dressed in black, had a gloomy face and seemed to be talking to himself as he said, "How did that good-for-nothing Lu Chi find out about this?"

Two people stood in front of him, heads bowed, barely daring to breathe.

One of the taller men said cautiously, "Could it be that the news leaked from over there?"

Sun Shicai shook his head, "Even if the news leaked over there, it shouldn't be that good-for-nothing Lu Chi who got the information first."

Another, shorter man asked, "Senior brother, what do you mean?"

"Someone must be trying to use Lu Chi to get rid of me." Sun Shicai's eyes flashed with a cold light. "We must find that rat hiding in the shadows!"

He was furious. He was always the one scheming against others, but now he had been outmaneuvered and suffered a great loss.

Originally, he was a pawn secretly planted by Commander Yu, and no one knew about their relationship. At crucial moments, he could play the role of a surprise weapon.

Now, however, he has been forced to be exposed to the public eye, which naturally diminishes his value.

Sun Shicai was determined to find the person who was secretly plotting against him to prevent future troubles.

The tall man asked, "Senior brother, do you know who that person is?"

Sun Shicai said, "The fox will always show its tail." He stopped talking about it, "I called you here because there is something else I want you to do."

The two hurriedly replied, "Please give your orders, senior brother."

Sun Shicai said, “There’s a pharmacy in the city called Chunhetang. Tomorrow, have someone go there to buy medicine, then kill the person and say they died from taking medicine from their pharmacy. Make a big scene.”

Chunhetang?
The two immediately looked at each other.

The tall man cautiously reminded him, "Senior brother, Chunhe Hall is owned by Chen Ming's family..."

Sun Shicai narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning dangerous. "What, are you scared?"

The two men felt a chill run down their spines. They dared not utter a word of dissent and quickly pledged their loyalty, saying, "With Senior Brother here, who have we ever been afraid of? We just don't know if Senior Brother is trying to scare him or kill him?"

They wouldn't dare do it if they didn't get to the bottom of it.

Immortals fight, mortals suffer.

Chen Ming is a seventh-rank official. If Sun Shicai only wanted to teach him a lesson and then reconciled afterward, what will happen to the two of them in the future?
Chen Ming was going to take his anger out on the two of them, so Sun Shi was willing to turn against the other party for their sake?

Sun Shicai sneered, "What do you all think?"

The short man said, "Are you stupid? Since Senior Brother wants to deal with Chen Ming, he will definitely not let him live and let the tiger return to the mountain."

The tall man chuckled sheepishly, "It was my mistake."

"Okay, please step back."

Sun Shicai sent the two men away.

After a moment, he said calmly, "Since you're here, show yourself. There's no one else in the house but me."

With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside.

A masked man in black walked in, his voice icy, "Why use a coded message to summon me here before the appointed time?"

Sun Shicai snorted and said, "Today, someone reported to Zhao Shouchang that I was colluding with pirates. How exactly was this leaked? You must give me an explanation."

The man in black sneered, "What does it have to do with us if you your actions are not discreet and you are discovered?"

Sun Shicai said coldly, "Since that's the case, there's nothing more to discuss between us. Go back and inform your boss that our cooperation ends here."

The man in black said impatiently, "Stop pretending, what kind of compensation do you want?"

He had long seen through this Six Doors inspector; he was greedy and insatiable, and his behavior was nothing more than an attempt to extort benefits.

Sun Shicai's expression softened, and he said, "I've run into some trouble and need your help to deal with someone. Don't worry, he's not a powerful expert, just a seventh-rank one."

The man in black, upon hearing that the person was a seventh-rank martial artist, didn't take it seriously and asked directly, "Who are you?"

"Chen Ming lives on Xiushui Street. You should have heard of him."

"Chen Ming? Isn't that your fellow disciple?"

The man in black's tone became somewhat strange.

From his words, it's clear he's quite well-informed about Qingfeng City, even knowing something about the recently rising star, Chen Ming. Sun Shicai calmly said, "I want him alive, as long as you can capture him. I can help you get rid of that last batch of goods."

"It seems you have a deep grudge against your junior brother."

The man in black said with a hint of sarcasm, "When?"

"The sooner the better."

"it is good."

After the man in black finished speaking, he flipped over and leaped out of the door.

Sun Shicai looked at the empty hall and pondered whether there was anything he had overlooked.

He always prepares for both possibilities when doing things.

Now that he knew that the thing had passed on its mantle to Chen Ming, he naturally wouldn't hold back. However, it wasn't convenient for him to personally deal with Chen Ming.

Therefore, the only option is to ask the pirates for help.

The scheme to frame Chunhetang was to capture Chen Ming's elder brother.

With a hostage in hand, Chen Ming will have no choice but to submit.

Sun Shicai felt a surge of heat in his heart when he thought of this.

With the sect's legacy left by the old man, he will soon be able to break through to the sixth rank and thus join the ranks of experts.

The difference between the seventh and sixth ranks is only one realm, but there is a fundamental difference between them.

Sun Shicai was exceptionally talented; he had already reached the peak of the seventh rank before the age of thirty. If the old man had been willing to pass on the secret techniques to him earlier, he would have already broken through to the sixth rank.

……

Early in the morning, before dawn, Sun Shicai had already gotten up to practice his exercises. He never missed the two hours of stance training he did every morning, which he learned from Huo Chengkun's "Dragon and Tiger Stance".

He had just finished his practice when the tall man from last night stepped forward and flattered him, saying, "Senior brother, you have already achieved perfect Qi and blood, yet you still persist in practicing every day. I admire your perseverance."

Sun Shicai wiped his sweat with a silk handkerchief. "Let's get down to business."

"The person has been found. We're just waiting for noon. Once the person dies, we'll take them to Chunhe Hall."

"it is good."

Sun Shicai nodded, and seeing that he didn't leave, asked him, "Is there anything else?"

The man rubbed his hands together and said, “Senior brother, my skills have not improved at all in the past few months, so I would like to ask you for some guidance.”

Sun Shicai glanced at him and said, "It's very simple. You switched to practicing the Dragon Tiger Stakes too early. If you don't solidify your foundation, it will be more and more difficult to improve as you go on."

"Why?"

"My senior brother once said that the Iron Horse Stance is for building a foundation. The stronger the foundation, the greater the future achievements. Is it possible that you haven't reached the fourth level of the Iron Horse Stance?"

The man said sheepishly, "The Iron Horse Stance technique is too slow to master. My senior brother said it would take me at least another year or two to reach the fourth level. I can't wait that long..."

Sun Shicai said calmly, "This is the price you have to pay for taking shortcuts back then."

The man then asked, "Senior brother, what level did you reach in your 'Iron Horse Stakes' cultivation back then?"

"Just reached the fifth level. It's a pity I haven't been able to cultivate to perfection." Sun Shicai's tone was full of regret.

"Why?"

“At that time, I was over twenty years old. My master said that there was no point in continuing to practice the Iron Horse Stance, so he taught me the Tiger Stance. I made rapid progress in my practice.”

"Does that mean that if one cultivates the Iron Horse Stakes to the fifth level of perfection before the age of twenty, there will be great benefits?"

Sun Shicai's face turned cold. "Who knows? When will our master tell us these things?"

Just then, someone ran over, saying in a panic, "Master, something terrible has happened..."

Sun Shicai said unhappily, "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"

"Someone has gone to the governor's mansion to accuse you of murdering your master—"

"what?"

(End of this chapter)