Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

Zhuang Man stormed back to his residence, where he carefully considered his current situation.

Liu Gouzi is dead, Zhao Qianwangwu has not been won over by him, and the Zhang brothers have firmly stood on Shen Chen's side.

My plan to seize power... seems to have failed miserably.

Feeling lost and confused, he got out of bed and hurried to Zhuang Fu's residence.

Zhuang Fu was wiping away at the account book, calculating the village's finances for the month, when he saw Zhuang Man arrive. He put down his pen and looked at the scars on Zhuang Man's face with slight surprise: "What happened?"

Zhuang Man said, "The injury from doing official work is nothing serious."

He exchanged pleasantries with Zhuang Fu for a while, then began to talk about his recent situation: "...That man surnamed Shen is quite capable, and now everyone in the team is on his side. I am incompetent, so I would appreciate it if my cousin could give me some pointers."

Zhuang Fu wasn't surprised. He had asked Zhuang Man many questions and, after learning about Shen Chen's performance, he couldn't help but sigh, "That guy surnamed Shen is indeed stronger than you. It's understandable that you can't beat him."

Zhuang Man clenched his fists, feeling resentful: "Am I just supposed to accept my fate? Brother, the next leader promotion isn't until a year from now. I really don't want to waste another year!"

The difference between being a "leader" who leads a team to work for a year and being a "veteran" who stands guard for a year is like heaven and earth. The former can take a look at the position after working for an extra year, while the latter is no different from ordinary henchmen except for receiving more rewards.

Zhuang Fu glanced at the ambitious Zhuang Man and asked, "Where does Shen Chen fall short of you?"

Without thinking, Zhuang Man blurted out, "His cultivation level is weaker than mine, and his martial arts are inferior to mine."

"Isn't that it?" Zhuang Fu said helplessly. He knew that the other person was smarter than him, but he still insisted on trying to outsmart him. Wasn't that something only a fool would do?

Zhuang Fu said, "Find an opportunity to clash with him, fight him one-on-one, and beat him up. Wouldn't he lose face? How can you not understand such a simple logic?"

Zhuang Man said awkwardly, "But that guy surnamed Shen really has no faults, so I can't really cause him any trouble..."

Zhuang Fu sighed. He couldn't understand why he, a shrewd person, would have a simple-minded brother like Zhuang Man.

"Well, I'll deduct a portion of your salaries next month. Then you can go and question Shen Chen about whether he embezzled the brothers' wages," Zhuang Fu said. "Shen Chen recently bought four of my salt wells and doesn't have any spare money. Only you have the ability to cover the brothers' salaries. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhuang Man suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly, "Brother, you are truly talented!"

This is the right way to suppress the leader's prestige and enhance one's own reputation. What kind of lousy tricks did he come up with before?

Zhuang Man then asked, "So Shen Chen bought your four salt wells?"

Zhuang Fu laughed and said, "That's right, this kid is really a victim of injustice. The government is currently selling off government-owned salt, causing salt prices to plummet. This kid actually dares to buy salt wells at this critical juncture. He's probably going to lose a fortune."

Zhuang Man frowned. He had known Shen Chen for some time and knew that the other party was definitely not a fool.

"Will the price of salt go up later?" Zhuang Man asked, seriously suspecting that his cousin had been swindled by Shen Chen.

Zhuang Fu waved his hand: "Absolutely impossible, unless war is about to break out soon. Heh, that old emperor just recalled Yuan Long, the general guarding the northern border, to the capital and imprisoned him not long ago. Even if the old emperor is stupid, he wouldn't interrogate his commander-in-chief when a major war is about to break out, would he?"

"Shen Chen is a fool after all. He tricked Qin Pi into giving me a large sum of money. I think Qin Pi should change his flag." Zhuang Fu said calmly. "After you become the leader, you should join Boss Mo's team. He is exceptionally talented and has a bright future. I have high hopes for him."

"Yes," Zhuang Man replied respectfully.

……

"You've already reached the Internal Organs Realm?" Qin Pi looked at Shen Chen in front of him and asked in surprise.

"Hmm." Shen Chen nodded. His change was not hidden from Qin Pi at all, and the latter noticed it as soon as they met.

"Your breath is long and powerful, like a raging fire. You have also mastered the Extreme Yang Breathing Technique." Qin Pi pinched Shen Chen's ribs and said with admiration, "For someone with your physique to make such rapid progress, you must have put in unimaginable effort."

Uh... could you please stop bringing up my genetic makeup issues?

Shen Chen handed Zhang Xiaohu the medicine box: "This was given to you by Zhang Xiaohu from my team. He heard that Brother Qin had been unwell recently, so he copied an ancient prescription from a book and made it himself."

Qin Pi said with satisfaction, "Little Tiger is very thoughtful."

"He heard it from Zhuang Man. Brother, news about your health has already spread throughout the village," Shen Chen said. "How is the poison in your body now?"

"It's alright. I've mastered the breathing technique to perfection, so the poison can only accumulate in my arm and can't invade my internal organs," Qin Pi said. "The doctor said that if we find a potent medicine to strengthen my vital energy, the poison will basically have no effect."

"Strengthening Qi" means to enhance true Qi, which is completely different from ordinary Qi-boosting medicines. There are very few medicines that can directly enhance true Qi. Their effects can even enable martial artists in the Visceral Realm to generate true Qi and break through to the True Qi Realm. Therefore, such medicines have always been in high demand but not available on the market.

"There's always a way out, Brother Qin, no need to worry," Shen Chen said.

Qin Pi sighed: "The village competition is in a month or so, and I'm sure many people are waiting for me to make a fool of myself."

After chatting with Shen Chen for a few minutes, he said, "I didn't expect you to reach the Internal Organs Realm so quickly. Now you can learn my swordsmanship. Come with me."

Shen Chen followed Qin Pi outside. The moonlight was bright, and the open ground looked as if it had been covered with frost.

"This sword technique is a martial art I created myself, and its name is rather vulgar: Five Skinning Moves," Qin Pi said. "It consists of five moves: stab, shave, slice, chop, and gouge. Watch carefully, and you can comprehend as much as you can."

He drew his short sword from his waist; the blade gleamed silver, appearing like a flock of black and white swallows fluttering up and down in the moonlight.

The moment the blade was drawn, Qin Pi's entire aura changed. He was now filled with murderous intent, yet within that intent lay a righteous spirit, as if he were about to judge the injustices of the world.

In just a few seconds, five slashes had been delivered.

The ground within three feet of Qin Pi was spotless, and the sword aura emanating from the strike was so fierce that everything within its range retreated.

Qin Pi lowered his arms, looked up at Shen Chen, and asked in a gentle voice, "Did you see clearly?"

It took Shen Chen a couple of seconds to come to his senses. He shook his head with a wry smile: "I didn't see it clearly at all, and I can't understand the posture of drawing the knife."

Qin Pi chuckled: "It seems that the sword technique I created is not so easy to comprehend after all."

He tried twice more, but Shen Chen still gained nothing, not even a trace of the sword intent.