Martial arts immortality begins with upgrading buildings.

No sooner had Chen Qing left than an elderly man with gray hair and a wrinkled face, supported by a young woman in modern clothes, walked shakily into the hall with a cane.

The old man was none other than Liu Boqian, the patriarch of the Liu family, and the woman was Liu Shuyao, the daughter of Liu Jingheng.

"That little beast refused?"

Liu Boqian asked with a cold face.

"Father, this boy is really ungrateful. He immediately asked to learn martial arts from Master Huang. When I disagreed, he turned around and left."

Liu Jingheng complained.

"Hmph! He's not satisfied with a stable life, yet he dares to dream of learning martial arts? With his worthless bones, he's just daydreaming! I think he should just starve to death on the docks."

Liu Boqian raised his cane and slammed it heavily on the ground, speaking sternly.

"After all, he is the child left behind by my younger sister. Can you really bear to watch him die out there?"

The docks are a mixed bag of people; you never know when someone might die a violent death on the street.

Even if he remains safe and sound, how long can he live, carrying heavy labor every day?

Liu Jingheng sighed, glanced at Liu Shuyao, and continued, "Shuyao, go and get to know this kid better. It would be best if he were willing to work at the Liu residence. If he really isn't, give him some money and help him start a small business."

"Dad, I understand."

Liu Shuyao nodded in agreement.

Liu Boqian, who was standing next to him, snorted coldly again, but didn't say anything more.

......

After leaving the Liu residence, Chen Qing headed straight out of the city, relying on his memory of the journey there.

When I reached the South Gate Bridge, I suddenly noticed several familiar figures squatting against the wall of a roadside shop.

"Brother Aqing."

One of the boys also saw Chen Qing and quickly stood up to greet him.

Several teenagers nearby stood up and called out, "Brother Aqing!"

"Big Ox, what are you guys doing here?"

Chen Qing asked.

"It's all because those damned Qilu gang stole our jobs. Changji's goods were all delivered long ago. Uncle Zhou and the others went to reason with Master Qin. We had nothing to do, so we came to the city to try our luck."

The boy named Da Niu replied, cursing.

All the work at Micangdu was controlled by the foreman, Qin Gen. Each section of the dock had its own fixed loading and unloading personnel, and different groups were not allowed to compete for work with each other.

Once the rules are broken, armed conflict is inevitable.

But whether they win or lose, they must obtain Qin Gen's approval to gain the right to load and unload.

At the Micangdu Wharf, no one dared to disobey Qin Gen, because he represented the Yihe Gang.

Unlike the Shangquan Gang and Qilu Gang, which are small groups of people from the same hometown, the Yihe Gang is a real underworld force.

They control various industries such as docks, opium dens, brothels, and casinos. The gang has many martial arts masters, as well as many extraordinary individuals who have honed their skills to perfection and acquired special abilities.

Their strength is second only to the Ningjiang government and a few powerful families, so ordinary people like laborers dare not provoke them.

Chen Qing figured there would be no work at the dock, so he decided to squat by the wall with Da Niu and the others to see if they could find some odd jobs.

The area around the South Gate Bridge is a gathering place for unemployed men. Besides Chen Qing and his group, there were about a dozen other men squatting around.

The afternoon sun was scorching, and everyone's coarse cloth jackets were soaked with sweat. The scorching heat made people feel uneasy.

But in order to earn those few copper coins, they could only silently endure it.

Two hours passed quickly, and no employer came to hire anyone to do the work.

That's how it is with freelance work; there's no stable job, and whether you can make money depends entirely on luck.

Sometimes you wait all day and end up going home hungry.

As the sun was setting, Chen Qing was about to head back when he suddenly saw a man in a coarse cloth jacket walking quickly toward him.

A dozen or so casual laborers quickly got up and surrounded the worker, bombarding him with questions.

"Young man, are you looking for someone to do some work?"

"Choose me, buddy, I'm strong."

"Pick me! Pick me! We can discuss the pay!"

The waiter stretched out his hands and pressed them down, "Quiet down, listen to me!"

Once the group of casual laborers quieted down, he continued, "Tongyu Grain Store needs five people to deliver goods. The wages are 30 copper coins, and payment will be made upon completion of unloading."

"I'll do it!"

A middle-aged man with a fierce face spoke first, then turned to the other casual laborers and said coldly, "My brothers and I will take two spots. Any objections?"

Standing next to him was a man who looked somewhat similar, who glanced contemptuously at the other casual laborers.

None of the casual laborers present uttered a word, seemingly acquiescing to the man's words.

These two brothers are ruthless. They will beat anyone who dares to take their jobs, so whenever there is casual work, these casual workers always let these two brothers take the job first.

Normally, the two brothers would definitely have gotten this job, but today they ran into Chen Qing.

Chen Qing stepped forward and calmly addressed the group of casual laborers, saying, "We brothers will take care of this job!"

"Where did this brat come from, daring to steal jobs at the South Gate Bridge? Doesn't he know this is the Wang brothers' territory?"

A middle-aged man with a fierce look walked up to Chen Qing, glared at him, and said menacingly.

"You dare steal our brothers' jobs? You're asking for death!"

His brother also rushed forward aggressively, looking ready to fight.

Seeing that Chen Qing and the others were young, the two men didn't take them seriously at all.

But at that moment, Chen Qing suddenly raised his leg and kicked the burly man with a fierce look in the crotch.

"what!"

Caught completely off guard, the burly man was kicked squarely, letting out a painful howl as he clutched his groin and collapsed to the ground, his body arched.

Chen Qing immediately stepped forward and kicked him hard in the head.

Da Niu and several other shackling boys rushed forward and beat the man's brother.

Chen Qing kicked the man more than a dozen times, leaving him bleeding from the head, before stopping. He squatted down and coldly asked, "Do you have any more objections?"

"No objection, no objection, you gentlemen will take this job."

The burly man was filled with fear and said repeatedly.

"Stop hitting us, we don't want this job anymore."

His brother also quickly begged for mercy.

Chen Qing stood up, turned to look at the other casual laborers, and asked, "What about you?"

"I have no objection."

"I have no objection either."

The dozen or so casual laborers immediately dispersed and retreated to the base of the wall.

Although everyone was unwilling, they were aware of the unspoken rules of this industry.

Whoever is more ruthless and better at fighting will be able to eat their fill.

If you can't beat others, you can only pick up the scraps they leave behind.

Seeing that no one was arguing, Chen Qing put on a smiling face, walked up to the grain shop clerk, and said with a smile, "Brother, the four of us will take this job. It's still 30 copper coins, and it won't take up much time."

The waiter felt uneasy under Chen Qing's gaze and immediately said politely, "No problem, please follow me."

After saying that, he led Chen Qing and the others toward Tongyu Grain Store.

Upon arriving at the grain store, the group immediately began working.

Four thin boys each carried a bag of rice and followed the grain store clerk to deliver it to a wealthy household half a mile away.

This sack weighs about 130 pounds, and it's very heavy to carry on my shoulder.

Every step they took was difficult, but they gritted their teeth and persevered, silently moving forward.

After carrying the rice for a while, Chen Qing suddenly felt something and adjusted his posture slightly, immediately feeling that it was easier to carry.

At the same time, a line of small print appeared before his eyes.

Porter Experience +1

"Is the meditation room working its magic?"

Chen Qing was overjoyed.

This trip carrying goods allowed him to verify the effectiveness of his "golden touch."

With the blessing of the meditation room, he found better skills in carrying goods and gained some professional experience.

As long as he keeps taking on work every day, he'll surely accumulate enough experience as a porter in no time.

I wonder what kind of special abilities I will gain at that time.