May I seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and live a long and prosperous life.

Li Heng quickly walked to Su Changsheng's side, staring intently at the two burly men, and asked sternly, "What exactly is going on?"

One of the burly men sneered:

"Hmph, this Su Changsheng behaved improperly, actually stealing the spirit rice of my Evil Tiger Sect. Fortunately, he was discovered in time by the outer sect manager. According to the rules of my Evil Tiger Sect, Su Changsheng's cultivation must be crippled and he must be given fifty lashes! To make a living under my Evil Tiger Sect, he dares to steal chickens and dogs. Don't you think he deserves to die?"

At this moment, the dying Su Changsheng raised his right hand, his fingers trembling as he pointed at them and said, "You... you're lying! I didn't steal... the spirit rice. I was framed by you. You outer sect leaders... you're protecting your relatives... you'll get your... retribution sooner or later!"

"Heh, you're saying our outer sect manager framed you? Where's the evidence? Without evidence, it's a false accusation. You yourself have behaved improperly, yet you dare to maliciously slander others. You truly deserve to die!"

"Alright, you've been expelled from the Evil Tiger Sect. Our mission is complete. We won't waste any more time here. Let's go!"

After saying that, the two burly men transformed into streaks of light and disappeared into the distance.

Li Heng quickly checked Su Changsheng's condition and wanted to help him up, but Su Changsheng raised his hand to stop him, shook his head, and said weakly:

"Fellow Daoist Li, the Evil Tiger Sect... is truly despicable. It's right that you didn't go. In this life... I've lived a truly unsuccessful life. I can say I've accomplished nothing, a complete coward... I hope that in my next life... I will never again embark on the path of cultivation, but will instead be an ordinary... mortal, living a simple and uneventful life..."

At this moment, Su Changsheng had not yet uttered his last word when he died, his eyes still wide open, refusing to close.

Li Heng silently reached out his right hand and gently stroked down Su Changsheng's eyelids, sighing:

"Su Changsheng, you won't live forever! Heaven, do you really have eyes? If you do, you should see how much injustice there is in this world!"

The next day, Li Heng buried Su Changsheng near his cave, erected a memorial tablet for him with the inscription "Tomb of my late friend Su Changsheng," burned paper money for him, and lit three sticks of incense.

"Fellow Daoist Su, rest in peace. I will destroy the Evil Tiger Sect for you."

half a month later.

Yan Bao of the Black Fiend Gang came to Su Changsheng's door again to demand protection money, but found a grave standing next to his cave.

"This Su Changsheng is dead? Damn it, why didn't he die later? We haven't even collected this year's protection money yet! You even have the word 'Changsheng' in your name, bah! You short-lived bastard, you dare to call yourself Changsheng?" Yan Bao cursed at Su Changsheng's grave.

Then, Yan Bao left, cursing and swearing.

……

A year has passed.

Li Heng's cave has endured wind and rain, sun and rain, and the once sharp walls have been worn smooth and rounded.

The vines and unknown wild grasses outside the cave grew increasingly lush, and the grass in front of Su Changsheng's grave was already more than ten feet tall.

Every time Li Heng passed by Su Changsheng's grave, he would remind himself to be extremely careful and to learn from Su Changsheng's mistakes. When he was weak, he should not stand out, lest he incur the wrath of petty people.

It's worth noting that there's an old saying in Li Heng's past life: "It's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings." Su Changsheng was entangled by this underling named Wang Quan, and lacking the strength and background to protect himself, he ultimately died and his soul was destroyed.

That year, Li Heng successfully cultivated to the mid-stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining, and his cultivation steadily improved.

The cave dwelling of Su Changsheng has now welcomed a new owner.

The new owner is a young male cultivator with a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivation.

This man's name is Meng Ji.

In the first few days after arriving, he took the initiative to come over and greet Li Heng, trying to become familiar with him.

During their conversation, Li Heng also talked to Meng Ji about Su Changsheng, the former owner of the cave, and told him his story.

After hearing Su Changsheng's story, Meng Ji also sighed.

"In that case, Su Changsheng really suffered an undeserved misfortune. Just because he helped that lame spirit farmer, he was resented by that villain Wang Quan, who falsely accused him of stealing spirit rice from the Evil Tiger Sect. In the end, he suffered a cruel fate at the hands of the Evil Tiger Sect and lost his life in vain. I must learn from Fellow Daoist Su's lesson. There is no future in being a nice guy."

Li Heng nodded in agreement.

Not everyone can be a "nice guy." Without strong power or a powerful background, being a "nice guy" will only put you in danger.

……

Ten days later, Yan Bao of the Black Fiend Gang came to the door again to demand protection money.

Li Heng was very straightforward; he simply took out fifty spirit stones and threw them to the other side.

Seeing that Li Heng was so sensible, Yan Bao gave up the idea of ​​causing him trouble.

"Heh, Li kid, you're pretty sensible. If all the rogue cultivators in the outer areas of Crimson Cloud Mountain were as sensible as you, I'd have it much easier. Alright, that's all for now. I'll come back next year. You better try your best to survive, don't end up like that short-lived Su Changsheng. I only took three spirit stones from him before he died. What a waste!"

Afterwards, Yan Bao went to the cave next door.

"Is the owner of this cave here? Come out now! I'm from the Black Fiend Gang, in charge of collecting protection money!"

Soon, Meng Ji hurriedly arrived at the entrance of the cave and bowed to Yan Bao, saying, "How should I address you, sir? I am the new owner of this cave."

Yan Bao frowned, looking at Meng Jicai's cultivation level of only the third level of Qi Refining, and said:

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. You're the new master of the cave who's taking over from that short-lived Su Changsheng, right? Well then, let me tell you the rules again. Newcomers get a two-year free period. After that, you have to pay protection money every year. If you don't pay, well, you'd better pray for yourself."

Meng Ji smiled obsequiously and said, "Sir, don't worry, the protection fee will definitely be paid on time in two years. I wouldn't feel at ease without your gang's protection!"

"Well, you're smart enough to remember what you said. Also, you better watch out for the next two years. Go out less and avoid offending people. Don't end up like that short-lived Su Changsheng. Things are chaotic outside lately. If you die, where will I collect protection money?" Yan Bao reminded Meng Ji one last time.

It's practically a no-brainer: play it safe and don't be reckless!

Meng Ji nodded quickly, patting his chest to show that he would absolutely not be reckless.

Yan Bao patted him on the shoulder to encourage him, then turned into a streak of black light and left.

……

The cold comes and goes, the autumn is harvested and winter is hidden.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The stone walls outside Li Heng's cave were worn smoother and smoother, and the vines and wild grasses outside the cave grew more and more lush, completely obscuring the entire cave.

The grass on Su Changsheng's grave has grown an extra 10 feet.

At this time, Li Heng had already cultivated to the fourth level of Qi Refining perfection by relying on a large number of Qi Gathering Waste Pills obtained from the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

Next, he will begin to consume the Qi Condensation Waste Pill to refine the spiritual power within his body to its limit.

On the other hand, after serving as an alchemy assistant at Baicao Pavilion for several years, he became a junior alchemist at Baicao Pavilion this year with the help of Zhao Bingwen.

Therefore, Zhao Bingwen began to entrust some low-grade pills to Li Heng for refining.