Becoming a saint begins with apprenticing under the last martial arts champion.

Lu Changqing filled a basin with cold water and washed away the sweat and dirt left on his body from practicing martial arts.

He changed into a clean set of coarse cloth shorts.

That guy from the Tiger Head Gang definitely needs to be killed.

But it can't be like this, where they just show up at your door with a knife.

His understanding of the Tiger Head Gang was limited to fragmented information such as "remaining disciples of Minghao Martial Arts School", "colluding with the Umbrella Cult", "the gang leader's surname is Hu, and he is at the second level of the Bone and Tendon Realm", and "there are about twenty henchmen".

As for where the other party is located, their daily activities, whether they have firearms, and how deeply they are connected with the Umbrella Cult... nothing is known.

To act rashly is tantamount to suicide.

"We need to find out the details first."

The fishermen, laborers, and vendors at the docks are the most well-informed.

Perhaps we can get some information from Lao Chen, Zhou San, and the other brothers on the ship.

And there's Cui Zhen.

Spending every day in nightclubs means you'll definitely come into contact with more people.

But directly inquiring about the Tiger Head Gang could easily alert them.

We need to find a different excuse.

...

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

"Squeak—"

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Liu Bai, carrying an iron fan, strolled in and habitually sat down on the armchair.

His gaze casually swept over Lu Changqing, who was standing in the courtyard, and he was about to speak when he paused.

"Um?"

Liu Bai put down the iron fan, stood up, walked to Lu Changqing, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes, and carefully looked him up and down.

"Your complexion... looks much better overnight..."

He reached out and pressed his fingertips lightly on Lu Changqing's forearm, feeling the firm, smooth, and elastic texture, and his surprise deepened.

"Tight skin, abundant blood and energy...this is the pinnacle of skin resurfacing!"

"You've broken through to the second training level?"

Lu Changqing did not hide anything and nodded, saying, "Yes, I was lucky last night and made a breakthrough."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bai's usual lazy expression vanished, replaced by an extremely serious one:

"I remember clearly, your Tai Chi stance is still far from being mastered. Based on your previous progress, even with nutritional supplements and pills, it would take at least another ten days to half a month to hone it."

"How come it's so fast?"

Lu Changqing truthfully stated, "Yesterday, when we went out to sea, we were extremely lucky and encountered a pale goldfish."

"After being pulled out, I thought about the information I had shared with Young Master Liu, so I cooked and ate it directly. My blood and qi surged, and during my training, I was able to break through the barriers."

After hearing this, Liu Bai understood why Lu Changqing had broken through to the next level, but he was still astonished: "You caught a treasure fish in the sea with your bare hands?"

He was the champion of martial arts.

With a wealthy family background, they had naturally eaten plenty of treasure fish.

But I know all too well that it's hard to catch.

At least for ordinary martial artists at the third level of training, or even those below the level of mastery, it is extremely difficult to catch them.

Not only do you need to be capable, you also need to be a good swimmer.

But Lu Changqing knew that the matter of Baoyu could not be kept secret.

If we keep it a secret now, Liu Bai will only harbor resentment when he finds out later. It's better to be upfront and clear about it.

Lu Changqing: "Indeed, it was done barehanded."

"That fish was exceptionally slippery and had a lot of strength."

"In the end, we had to use the grappling technique from the Arhat Subduing Demon Palm to lock its gills and jaws, and only then were we able to barely subdue it."

Liu Bai stared at Lu Changqing without saying a word for a long time.

Good luck?

Capture the treasure fish with bare hands?

Why use the Arhat Subduing Demon Palm technique, which is only practiced by beginners?

This kid...

Liu Bai took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, looked at Lu Changqing with a complicated expression for a while, and then sat back heavily in his chair, picked up his pipe, and silently took two puffs.

His voice was filled with undisguised emotion: "The treasure fish... for you at this stage, and even in the future, is indeed a rare and precious treasure from the river that you can only dream of."

"You bumped into me...and you even caught me..."

"It's what you were meant to have."

"That's good, go back to your cultivation."

He didn't continue speaking, but his gaze towards Lu Changqing held a deeper, more indescribable meaning than before.

...

...

in the afternoon.

The village port was several times busier than usual.

When Lu Changqing arrived, a crowd of over a hundred people had already gathered on the shore.

Besides the fishermen and laborers who make a living on a daily basis, there are many new faces who are well-dressed and have a sharp and capable demeanor.

The Wang family's rickshaw was parked at the entrance to the dock.

Wang Hao jumped out of the car, looking around excitedly.

Beside him, Wang Fanghua, dressed in a neat and tidy outfit with her long hair tied in a ponytail, was talking in hushed tones with a middle-aged man who looked like a butler.

Further away, Huang Bingkun, the leader of the canal gang, was unusually not sitting in his grand chair today.

Instead, he stood respectfully beside a middle-aged man in a dark blue long gown with a fair complexion.

The middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, calmly scanning the river surface. Occasionally, he would exchange a few words with Huang Bingkun, who would nod repeatedly in response.

Lu Changqing's gaze swept across the room and he spotted several familiar faces.

Beside Zhang's fishing boat, the bald man with the scar from yesterday was pointing to a spot on the river, excitedly saying something.

Standing beside him was a girl dressed in Western-style school uniform, Zhang Jiayu.

She seemed a little impatient, frowning, occasionally raising her hand to fan herself, while her other hand was linked with that of a well-dressed, slick-haired young man.

Lu Changqing recognized the young man as Zhang Mingyuan, Zhang Jiayu's cousin. His family was in the foreign goods business and had always been at odds with Wang Hao and him.

"Changqing! Over here!"

Wang Hao, with his sharp eyes, saw Lu Changqing disembark and immediately waved and shouted, attracting many eyes.

"Why are you here too?" Lu Changqing walked up to Wang Hao and asked.

Wang Hao grabbed his arm, lowering his voice but unable to hide his excitement: "Baoyu!"

"Didn't you see him yesterday too!"

"My dad sent my sister with some people to see if they could catch one! If they could catch one to nourish her body, maybe she could break through to the fourth level of cultivation!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Fanghua not far away, and lowered his voice even further: "My sister has been stuck at the peak of the third training for almost half a year, and she's been waiting for an opportunity."

"If it really works out... hey!"

Lu Changqing followed his gaze.

Wang Fanghua seemed to sense something, turned her head and looked over, her eyes bright. She nodded slightly to Lu Changqing and smiled, which was considered a greeting.

Lu Changqing remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was startled.

Wang Fanghua was only nineteen years old and still a woman.

He's actually reached the peak of the third training session and is almost at the fourth!?

She also excelled academically and took care of the family business...

What a strong woman!

At the same time, looking at his surroundings, Lu Changqing felt very fortunate.

Acting quickly was definitely the right thing to do.

If we wait until today, how could his small fishing boat possibly have a chance to catch the precious fish in this river?

"That's Liu Xiangzhu of the Canal Gang over there," Wang Hao pointed with his chin at the middle-aged man in the dark blue robe, "a figure even Master Huang has to be careful around."

"And the Zhang family too. That bastard Zhang Mingyuan is here too, with his precious little sister. Humph, just joining in the fun."

Lu Changqing hummed in agreement, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Mingyuan.

The other person was also looking over. Their eyes met, and Zhang Mingyuan's lips curled into a faint smile. He raised his hand to push up his gold-rimmed glasses and said something to Zhang Jiayu beside him.

Zhang Jiayu turned to look at Lu Changqing, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She seemed not to have expected him to be here, let alone become the "hero who killed the demon fish" that Wang Hao had mentioned.

But she quickly looked away, her expression returning to its usual aloof and reserved demeanor.

"The Cao Gang and Master Liu didn't used to have much contact with the Wang family," Wang Hao's voice pulled Lu Changqing back to reality. "Recently, they seem to be getting closer to the Zhang family."

"My dad said that there's a lot of pressure from the foreigners, and some old connections are also watching the situation."

Lu Changqing's heart stirred.

This is a signal.

The attitude of the canal gangs may be subtly shifting.

Ultimately, no matter how you look at it, Hong Kong is still ruled by foreigners.

Opportunism is one of the most skillful techniques employed by local tyrants and clans...

Similarly, a sense of unease arose in his heart.

He already knew about the foreigners' attitude towards the Wang family when he first approached Wang Hao to look for work.

Now, changes in the attitudes of forces like the Grand Canal Gang towards the Wang family are becoming apparent...

Behind this, the already chaotic port city will likely become even worse!

Just then, Liu Xiangzhu, the leader of the Canal Gang, suddenly walked towards the Wang family.