After the family split up, I achieved martial arts sainthood.

After calming Li Jinyu and the others down, Gu Xin hurriedly left Ping'anfang.

He temporarily put aside the matter of teaching Li Jinyu and Zhao Baoyin stance training.

With such a distressing situation, Li Jinyu probably won't be in the mood to practice martial arts.

This matter must be resolved!

"Cao Bao..."

Gu Xin's eyes were cold and sharp; he had never had a good impression of this person.

He was originally from a lowly background and emptied his family's savings to learn martial arts at the Biao Ma Martial Arts School for several years.

After completing his apprenticeship, he joined the Green Forest Gang and, relying on the gang's reputation, bullied and oppressed the common people.

They bullied men and women, acted with impunity, and the common people were filled with resentment.

The Qinglin Gang's formidable reputation in Qingyuan County was formed by figures like him aiding and abetting evil.

Thinking of Cao Bao's usual arrogance and the worried faces of Li Jinyu's entire family, they were filled with fear.

The cold, sharp look in Gu Xin's eyes gradually turned sinister.

Cao Bao was also at a stage where he had achieved some success in stance training.

The difference in their strength should not be significant.

If we are well prepared, the chances of a surprise attack should be quite good.

After a moment's thought, Gu Xin decided to fight evil with evil.

Should Yang Wei step in to mediate?

The thought only flashed through Gu Xin's mind.

You wish!

Why should anyone meddle in the affairs of a new apprentice who has just arrived?

Having made the decision, Gu Xin immediately went to the grocery store and bought a can of quicklime powder, and also bought a kettle and filled it with water.

I picked up a bag of pebbles in the streets and alleys.

Having made all the necessary preparations, Gu Xin hurriedly went to Lan Kwai Fong.

Lan Kwai Fong is adjacent to Ping An Fong, a neighborhood where people of some prestige and wealth in Qingyuan County live together.

As a Red Stick thug of the Qinglin Gang, Cao Bao has accumulated a considerable fortune in recent years by taking advantage of the gang's reputation to extort money and bribes.

Therefore, he bought a courtyard house in a place like Lan Kwai Fong.

Gu Xin paid incense money two years ago and went there twice.

Knowing the way, they easily arrived at Cao Bao's residence.

I looked around and found the house empty, dark, and quiet.

Gu Xin pondered that he must be out and about and hadn't returned home yet.

To avoid Cao Bao's overly cautious nature, Gu Xin didn't use the main gate but instead climbed over the wall into the courtyard.

Hidden behind the courtyard gate, he held his breath and waited patiently.

……

Qingyuan County, Xicangfang.

Inside a warehouse, a dozen people are busy taking inventory of the goods.

A young man in his late twenties, with a robust build and rugged features, sat in an armchair, toying with two iron balls in his hands, leisurely urging everyone to get to work.

As night deepened and all was quiet around us.

A young waiter, looking like a servant, trotted up to the young man and greeted him, "Brother Bao, all the goods have been counted and recounted!"

The young man was none other than Cao Bao, a notorious Red Stick thug of the Green Robe Hall of the Green Forest Gang.

Cao Bao picked up a teacup from the small table next to him, took a sip of tea, and instructed, "Make sure all goods are accounted for invoices, in batches. Everything must be complete and accurate."

"Don't worry, Brother Bao, the brothers will make absolutely no mistakes!"

"That's all for tonight. Starting tomorrow, expand the distribution area for loose goods further. Try it out with security escort agencies and martial arts schools. Don't just stay cooped up in carriage shops and pawnshops."

Cao Bao clicked his tongue and said calmly, "I want our distribution coverage to double again within a month. Are you confident?"

"Brother Bao, our goods aren't anything good. The security company and martial arts school are probably keeping a close eye on them. What if we..."

The man looked troubled and didn't finish his sentence, but his apprehension was obvious.

"What's there to be afraid of? The bold get rich, the timid starve!"

Cao Bao scoffed irritably, "Besides, even if the sky falls, the Qinglin Gang will hold it up. What right do you have to worry about it?"

"Yes, yes, Brother Bao is right!"

The waiter hurriedly agreed, not daring to easily refute it again.

"Closed for the day, shut down!"

Cao Bao stopped arguing and stood up, rubbing the iron ball between his hands.

Seeing this, the shop assistant waved to his busy colleagues in the warehouse and then hurriedly followed behind Cao Bao to serve him.

Everyone came out of the warehouse, and the heavy iron gate slammed shut behind them.

A heavy iron chain, weighing over ten kilograms, was wrapped around the doorknob several times, locking the warehouse door tightly.

"Brother Bao, it's done!"

The waiter who had locked the door respectfully handed a key to Cao Bao.

Cao Bao casually took it and carefully put it into the inner pocket of his robe.

Then he took out a small silver coin from his pocket, weighed it in his hand, and tossed it to the waiter serving him.

"Hey, you've all worked hard these past few days. Don't let the boss eat meat while you guys don't get any soup. Take this money and have some fun at the brothel. When the master rewards you later, he'll give you some more benefits."

The shop assistant, beaming with delight, accepted the silver ingot and looked at Cao Bao, asking, "Brother Bao, aren't you going?"

"Those sluts in brothels all like to fake orgasms, but I don't like that. If I'm going to have sex, it'll be with virgins."

As Cao Bao spoke, he couldn't help but rub his crotch.

"Hehe, I understand! I understand!"

The man understood immediately and then smiled ingratiatingly, "Brothers, go to the Li family again tomorrow and tell them to hurry up and send that virgin to Brother Bao."

Upon hearing this, Cao Bao smiled and patted the waiter on the shoulder with great satisfaction.

"If you handle this well, I'll ask the head of the hall later and arrange for you to be in charge."

"Thank you, Brother Bao! Thank you, Brother Bao!"

"Get out of here!"

Cao Bao waved his hand, and the workers left one after another.

Only Cao Bao remained, rubbing an iron ball in his hands, swaying as he walked towards his home in Lan Kwai Fong.

The night was quiet and still.

Cao Bao hummed a little tune as he walked, looking exceptionally dashing.

As night grew deeper, Cao Bao finally arrived home.

Cao Bao, standing at the door, did not rush to push the door open and go in. Instead, he raised his head and looked at the gap above the door frame.

He raised his arm and pulled a leaf out from the gap.

Cao Bao casually tossed the object at his feet before pushing open the door.

After the gate was pushed open, Cao Bao did not rush in. Instead, he looked up and followed the threshold, observing the traces inside the courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet and utterly still.

There was no sign that the furnishings had been moved.

Everything was normal, with no sign of anything unusual.

After repeatedly confirming, Cao Bao's tense body finally relaxed.

No longer suspicious, Cao Bao finally stepped through the door.

After crossing the threshold, Cao Bao turned around to close the door.

At that moment, a chill suddenly swept over him, and Cao Bao instinctively felt a sense of alarm, his hair standing on end uncontrollably.

What kind of bastard came from?

They were surprisingly calm.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately rolled away to the side.

"Bang!"

A loud bang echoed behind the door.

A hard fist struck empty air.

What a quick reaction!

Gu Xin was somewhat surprised when his punch missed.

Cao Bao's stance training, like his, was at a stage where he had achieved some success.

Unexpectedly, his reaction was even better than his.

[Cultivation Level: Not Yet Entered the Realm]

[Skill: Plum Blossom Stake Kung Fu (Slightly Accomplished)]

[Techniques: Flower-Picking Hand (Beginner's Guide), Flower-Chasing Step (Beginner's Guide)]

Cultivation experience: 5 years

Seeing the fish-bubble-shaped message rolling out, Gu Xin's face darkened, and he took a step forward to pursue it without hesitation.

"Whoosh!"

But just as he took a step, Cao Bao, who had rolled away, suddenly turned around and threw an iron ball, which flew straight toward Gu Xin's face with a whooshing sound.

If you get hit by that, your head will be smashed to pieces, right?

Gu Xin's heart tightened, his spine went cold, and he quickly stopped and dodged to the side.

In the instant Gu Xin dodged, Cao Bao did a somersault and got up from the ground.

Then, without looking back, he ran straight into the house.

"Bang!"

The iron ball grazed past Gu Xin's head and slammed into the courtyard wall behind him, denting it.

An iron ball the size of an egg was deeply embedded in the courtyard wall.

Around the dent, cracks spread like a spider web, covering a width of more than a foot.

That was a lot of force...

Gu Xin turned around with lingering fear and saw Cao Bao trying to escape into the house.

This scoundrel is cautious; who knows what kind of trap he might have set up inside the house?

"Look at the escort!"

Gu Xin immediately roared, took the earthenware pot, which was half the size of his head, from his waist, and threw it hard at Cao Bao.

Hearing the commotion behind him and Gu Xin's shout, Cao Bao turned around without thinking and threw the remaining iron ball in his hand again.

"Crack!"

"Clang!"

The iron ball hit the earthenware pot, and the pot shattered violently.

In an instant, a large amount of snow-white quicklime powder sprayed out, splashing all over Cao Bao.

Even though Cao Bao was cautious, he didn't expect Gu Xin to play such a cunning trick.

Caught off guard, he was sprayed from head to toe with quicklime powder, which covered his face.

Cao Bao's eyes were completely closed, his vision was completely restricted, and he couldn't tell which way to escape.

He could only slap his face with both hands, trying to regain his vision.

"Look at the escort!"

But at that moment, another loud roar was heard, and the whistling wind rushed towards them.

Cao Bao was terrified and dared not suspect any trickery.

He instinctively drew his sword again and slashed at the sound.

"puff!"

The kettle was easily split open, and a large amount of clear water poured down, soaking Cao Bao completely.

"Hiss hiss hiss..."

When water comes into contact with quicklime powder, it reacts instantly and becomes scalding hot.

"ah!!!"

Cao Bao screamed in pain from the burn and kept scratching his face and wiping his eyes.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught.

When quicklime powder comes into contact with water, it undergoes a purely chemical reaction, releasing temperatures of several hundred degrees Celsius.

Cao Bao's entire face, including his eyeballs, was steamed and roasted until it was almost cooked through.

As Cao Bao kept wiping, rubbing, and scratching, the skin on his cheeks was forcibly torn off.

Gu Xin witnessed this scene without the slightest pity.

Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward and unleashed a full-force attack with his Galloping Horse Fist. Cao Bao had no chance to react and was struck directly in the chest.

"puff!"

With a single punch, Cao Bao spat out blood and flew away with a scream.

The tall figure slammed against the corner of the wall, his body convulsing, making a gurgling sound in his throat, and blood gushing from his mouth and nose.

It was clear that there was more air intake than exhaust.

Gu Xin showed no mercy, quickly stepped forward, raised his leg and stomped down with all his might, directly crushing Cao Bao's neck into a twisted shape.

The whooshing sound disappeared, and Cao Bao's breath came to a complete stop.