Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

The next morning, before the mist had dissipated, Chen Jianghe had already been standing in the courtyard for half an hour.

When his back was soaked with sweat, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Su Derong strolled in, fanning himself with a fan.

"Third Senior Brother." Chen Jianghe slowly stopped his movements and bowed.

Su Derong walked closer, closed his fan, and tapped it lightly twice on his palm: "There's news about the people you wanted to inquire about."

Chen Jianghe straightened his expression and said, "I'll trouble you, Senior Brother."

Su Derong looked around and lowered his voice: "Li Gouzi took over Wang Biao's position and is now in charge of the 'water lamp fees' for the three streets east of Niqiu Bay."

He paused and continued, "But the Black Tiger Gang has been having a tough time lately. The Iron Hand Gang somehow managed to get in touch with the Zhang family in the inner city and acquired a batch of fine iron weapons. In the past half month, they've already robbed three of the Black Tiger Gang's docks and warehouses. The two sides are locked in a fierce battle, and no fewer than twenty of their men have died. Now, it's rumored in the outer city that the Black Tiger Gang won't last more than a few months."

Chen Jianghe's breath hitched slightly.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. In gang wars, the losing side always makes sure their underlings grab one last bit of money before fleeing. And people like Li Gouzi, who have just climbed up and have no real power base, have to be the first to run away, because if the Black Tiger Gang really falls, they'll be the first to be dealt with.

"Thank you, senior brother," Chen Jianghe said in a deep voice.

Su Derong glanced at him and waved his hand: "No need to thank me, we're all brothers. I've delivered the message. I don't know Li Gouzi's exact whereabouts either. After all, he's just a low-level boss, and my friends won't bother with too much."

"However, Jiang He! Let me just say something—"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Jianghe had already turned around and strode towards the side door of the martial arts school.

"Hey? Wait a minute—" Su Derong called out from behind him.

Chen Jianghe didn't stop walking, he just waved his hand: "Senior brother, I have urgent business to attend to, I'll thank you when I get back!"

The person had already disappeared outside the door when the sound ended.

Su Derong stood still, his fan hovering in mid-air.

He squinted, staring in the direction Chen Jianghe had disappeared, and shook his head: "That kid..."

.....

Chen Jianghe hurried along, as he needed to get back to Mudfish Bay immediately.

But going back directly isn't a safe bet. If Li Gouzi and his two companions were truly determined to succeed, they wouldn't leave empty-handed. Besides, he hadn't even mastered the basics of "changing energy," so fighting three against one was unrealistic.

Chen Jianghe turned and disappeared into a narrow alley. He squatted down against the back wall of the martial arts school, pulled a small cloth bag from under a pile of bricks, and then touched the butcher knife at his waist.

Finally, he took a deep breath and ran towards Mudfish Bay.

......

As the sun began to set, Chenjiang River was already approaching the outer edge of Mudfish Bay.

The area was more desolate than usual, with piles of garbage along the roadside emitting a stench, and several beggars huddled in a corner.

Further ahead was an abandoned fishing gear yard. Broken boat planks and tattered fishing nets were piled up like small mountains, with several winding paths running through the middle.

This is a shortcut back to Mudfish Bay, and few people walk on it during the day.

Chen Jianghe stopped in his tracks as soon as he turned into the storage yard.

About twenty paces ahead, three figures were swaying and walking towards them from the opposite direction.

The man in the lead, with a scar across his face, was none other than Li Gouzi. Behind him were two henchmen, all three carrying sticks, looking around as they walked.

We can't fight it head-on.

Chen Jianghe instantly shifted to the side, slipping behind a partially collapsed earthen wall. He held his breath and peered out through a crack in the wall.

"Hey Dog, going to Mudskipper Bay again today? It's a lucrative business there," the tall, thin guy on the left asked.

Li Gouzi spat: "Go! Why not? Every little bit counts! The gang's in turmoil lately, we need to save up some money for our escape."

He hefted the bulging money bag in his arms, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Those poor fishermen haven't paid their wages for the month yet. Anyone who doesn't pay today, we'll drag them away! The women will be taken to pay off their debts, and the boys' legs will be broken and they'll be thrown into the river!"

The short, chubby guy on the right chuckled and chimed in, "Brother Dog really understands! In this world, whoever is ruthless survives!"

As expected. Li Gouzi had already planned to abscond with the money and acted without any scruples. If he were let go today, countless families in Niqiu Bay would be ruined, and Mother Lin would certainly not escape unscathed.

Can't wait any longer.

Chen Jianghe took a slow breath in and then slowly exhaled.

Then, he first went around from behind the wall, lowered his head, and pretended to be in a hurry, walking towards Li Gouzi and the other two.

"Hey! Isn't that the kid?" Li Gouzi's eyes lit up, and he grinned. "What a coincidence!"

The two henchmen immediately scattered, blocking the retreat route from the left and right.

Chen Jianghe quickly stepped forward, bowing and smiling obsequiously, "Master Gou! What a coincidence! I was just looking for you!"

"Looking for me?" Li Gouzi raised an eyebrow, his hand resting on the short knife at his waist.

Chen Jianghe hurriedly reached into his pocket and said, "Oh right, Master Gou, I've finally managed to scrape together enough money to pay that debt at the end of the month! I was just about to look for you, but I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Oh?" Li Gouzi raised an eyebrow, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes. "Have you saved enough? How much?"

"Principal and interest, every penny will be paid!" Chen Jianghe replied.

A gleam of joy flashed in Li Gouzi's eyes, and he straightened up: "Give it to me."

Chen Jianghe didn't take out the money. Instead, he took a half step closer and lowered his voice: "Master Gou, can I hand this money to you personally? My mother said that we were very grateful for your leniency last time, and we should remember your kindness."

Chen Jianghe then paused, his face earnest: "From now on, we will have to rely on Master Gou's help. This world is chaotic, and we are a widow and her children, without any support, we feel insecure. Now that Master Gou has been promoted, if we can get your protection, we would be willing to pay even more 'tribute' each month."

Li Gouzi was overjoyed and laughed loudly, "You little rascal, you're quick to understand! Alright! From now on, I'll protect your family in this area! I'll keep you and your mother safe!"

"Thank you, Master Dog! Thank you, Master Dog!" Chen Jianghe bowed repeatedly, reaching into his robes. "I'll give you this month's payment, along with the one I owed last time."

Two henchmen surrounded him with grins.

One person joked, "Brother Dog, this kid knows what's good for him!"

Another person said, "Exactly! If he had been this sensible earlier, Brother Biao wouldn't have ended up like this..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Gouzi glared at him.

Chen Jianghe fumbled in his pocket, his movements slightly clumsy.

With a smile plastered on his face, his eyes swept over the three men's positions—Li Gouzi was in front, his follower on the left was slightly closer, and the one on the right was a little further away, brushing mud off his trouser legs.

Right now.

Chen Jianghe suddenly pulled out his right hand, and threw a small bag of quicklime wrapped in coarse cloth at the faces of Li Gouzi and the other two!

"What is that—ah!!" Lime powder hit him head-on, and Li Gouzi screamed, covering his eyes and staggering backward.

"My eyes! My eyes!!!" Li Gouzi screamed like a pig being slaughtered, curling up on the ground and rolling around frantically.

Chen Jianghe sidestepped the onrushing man, his right hand already drawing a butcher knife from his back waist; the blade flashed—

The blade sliced ​​across the man's neck, and blood gushed out like a fountain. The man gurgled twice and collapsed to the ground.

The other henchman was so frightened that he turned and ran away. Chen Jianghe quickly caught up with him, grabbed him by the back of his collar with his left hand, and stabbed him in the back with the tip of his knife.

The blade sank half a foot into the ground, and the henchman froze, collapsing limply to the ground.

Within three or four breaths, the two were dead.

Li Gouzi rolled in the mud, howling in pain, his eyes red, swollen, and ulcerated. Hearing something was wrong, he endured the excruciating pain and groped his way to his feet.

Chen Jianghe walked up to him and squatted down.

Li Gouzi roared hoarsely, "Chen Jianghe?! I'm from the Black Tiger Gang! If you dare touch me, my brothers in the gang will kill your whole family!!"

Chen Jianghe raised his knife, the tip pressed against Li Gouzi's chest.

Li Gouzi froze, his voice trembling: "Master Chen... Master Chen, spare my life! You can have all the money! I have silver in my pocket! Let me go, I promise I won't tell anyone..."

Chen Jianghe applied slight pressure to his hand.

The tip of the knife pierced the skin and flesh, slowly sinking in.

Li Gouzi convulsed violently, his throat gurgling and leaking air, his struggles gradually weakening.

Chen Jianghe quickly searched him—three money pouches containing a total of ten taels of silver. It seemed he had been making quite a bit of money lately! This was just the right amount of silver to buy some tonics.

Then, he used the butcher knife to make several more cuts near the wounds on Li Gouzi's neck and chest.

The blades were of varying depths and directions, creating the illusion of a chaotic hacking attack. Then, the short knife was shoved back into Li Gouzi's hand, arranging the scene as if he had died after a fight.

After finishing everything, he immediately turned around and strode quickly toward Mudfish Bay.