The Heavenly Court is gone, I don't want to be a True Lord.

The fruit of the chicken-head ginseng is very large, about the size of a peach, moist and soft, and feels like a cherry.

Perhaps because she had left the mother's womb, the fruit's condition deteriorated after only a short while.

"Brother Qi, eat it quickly, this stuff doesn't seem to keep for long."

Ni Heng quickly replied.

Zuo Qi handed one to him, "One for each of you."

Ni Heng waved his hand, "You can eat it all. Once you break through to the third level, we'll kill that giant tortoise and then we'll eat our fill together."

Zuo Qi didn't stand on ceremony either.

The fruit has a delicate and rich aroma, and the flesh is snow-white.

Not wanting the juice to drip, Zuo Qi stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

Cool and sweet, the fruit bursts in your mouth, turning into countless cool streams that flow into your stomach.

"Brother Qi, you're glowing!"

Ni Heng was greatly alarmed.

Zuo Qi waved his hand, not sensing anything amiss.

He opened his third eye between his eyebrows and looked towards his abdomen.

Countless pale white rays of light were surging wildly into the lungs.

The changes in his body began. His lungs became stronger and his breathing became more steady, to the point that even Jin Yigong's breathing technique became faster.

At the same time, some white light surged into the third eye between the eyebrows.

Zuo Qi understood that this fruit primarily strengthens the lungs, provides a small amount of qi and blood, and also increases the spiritual energy slightly.

This was the first time Zuo Qi had ever seen a treasure that could enhance one's spiritual power, and he was quite surprised.

Those white lights that flooded into the Heavenly Eye, I wonder what changes they might bring to me.

After about a quarter of an hour, the transformation was complete. His breathing became stronger, and the bone-refining qi and blood in his body increased by about six levels. Most importantly, the Heavenly Eye, which Zuo Qi had been looking forward to the most, finally underwent some changes.

It is a further enhancement of the ability to perceive truth.

He looked down and took the remaining spirit fruit.

【Ginseng Fruit, born from a rare 300-year-old chicken-head ginseng, is an essential spiritual object for cultivating water-based techniques.】

Zuo Qi was overjoyed; it had achieved an effect similar to that of an inanimate object identification.

He then looked at the rocks on the ground.

[Lianghe Reef, eroded by river water for thirty years]

Not very detailed.

Let's call this ability "Dongzhen·Jianbao".

Zuo Qi hesitated for a moment before swallowing the remaining ginseng fruit.

The spirit has improved slightly, the blood and qi have increased again, and the lungs are stronger, but the third eye remains unchanged.

"Unfortunately, it seems it only works the first time you take it."

Zuo Qi sighed inwardly.

However, the gains have already been significant. Leaving aside the improvements in his qi and blood and spiritual essence, his lung function has become stronger, allowing him to hold his breath underwater for longer and exert greater power.

Before consuming the ginseng fruit, he could only exert about 50% of his combat power in the water, but now he should be able to exert more than 60%.

This treasure is priceless on the black market.

The alligator snapping turtle and the remaining sea cucumber must be well protected.

Hopefully, breaking open the ginseng head earlier didn't cause any harm to the baby.

Then I thought of that sunken ship; it might belong to a previous dynasty.

However, he was a bit tired today. The shipwreck was at the bottom of the river, so he would look for the treasure again in a while.

……

Fish enclosure.

Sun Bao was practicing standing meditation, and He Xiao would occasionally offer some pointers.

His purpose in joining Zuo Qi's group wasn't actually that complicated; it was simply to learn martial arts. However, the Golden Ease Technique belonged to the Lin family, and Zuo Qi and the other two wouldn't teach it to him without Lin Yuchan's permission.

Just like the Ice Sea Fist Seal, Zuo Qi didn't teach it to He Xiao and Ni Heng, and neither of them wanted it.

They all acted with great discretion.

The technique that He Xiao taught Sun Bao was the one that Ni Heng had found in the Green Robe Gang. It was a second-rate technique with a slow cultivation speed and more than 70% loss in the conversion of qi and blood.

But Sun Bao practiced very diligently.

Another young man who was working in front ran in.

"Brother Xiao, someone's looking for us outside."

As she spoke, she glanced at Sun Bao with envy.

He didn't know what Sun Bao had done, but he knew that the three bosses of the fish market had suddenly become very nice to Sun Bao, treating him as one of their own, and even making Sun Bao practice martial arts.

He and Sun Bao were from the same village. These past few days, after returning home, the villagers' attitudes towards Sun Bao had changed. Some young women always looked at Sun Bao with teary eyes.

Very envious.

Upon hearing this, He Xiao asked, "Who's here?"

"It's Chief Li of the fishing gang."

He Xiao was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

A few days ago, Li Bo came by, wanting to give the three brothers a treasure fish. He knew what Li Bo was thinking, because of Qi Ge's example of making an example of them, there were very few people on the dock who dared to provoke them recently.

As he had thought, accepting the precious fish from Li Bo would be considered an agreement to keep to himself and not interfere with each other's affairs. He wondered why Li Bo had come to his door at this time.

But Li Bo had already come to their door, and hiding from him wasn't an option.

He got up and went outside to greet them.

"Brother He, you're still as dashing as ever after just a few days."

Before you see him, you hear his voice; Li Bo's voice is very loud and can be heard across the front yard.

He Xiao greeted him with a smile.

"Chief Li looks great, his energy and blood are flowing smoothly, good things are coming soon."

Li Bo stepped aside, revealing the middle-aged man behind him.

He Xiao was puzzled.

"I'm only bothering you today because Brother Yin Jiu wants to get to know a few of you brothers. I also have some connections with Brother He, so I've taken the liberty of acting as an intermediary."

Li Bo said with a smile, and then introduced the person to He Xiao.

"Brother Yin Jiu used to practice martial arts in Taizhou City. He returned a few years ago after completing his training and is now affiliated with the Wang Family Zhenwei Escort Agency in the city. We are both from the same hometown, so why don't we get to know each other?"

He Xiao was displeased. Li Bo was being too informal. He wanted to act as a middleman, but he didn't inform him beforehand. What did he mean by bringing people directly to his door?

Did he want Yin Jiu to know that the three brothers were Li Bo's subordinates, or did he want to tell Yin Jiu that Li Bo was the one in charge at the docks?

Yin Jiu stepped forward with a smile, "Brother He Xiao, please don't be offended by my unannounced visit. I am here today because I asked Chief Li for help. It was not Chief Li who made the decision on his own. I was just doing my job in the city and had no choice but to accept it. I hope you will forgive me."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a man walked out from behind him, carrying a tray with two bolts of black and gold floral cloth inside.

Fabric, an industrial product that only became abundant in the industrial age, was highly valuable in this era. In some poor families, the whole family shared a single set of clothes, and whoever went out wore it.

This gift is not insignificant.

"One cannot hit a smiling face," He Xiao declined with a smile.

Unable to refuse, he had no choice but to let Sun Bao accept it.

"Brother Yin, what brings you here?"

Yin Jiu smiled and said, "What your brother has done is admirable. He would go to great lengths for his brother. I have always admired such a hero and have come here to make your acquaintance."

He Xiao smiled and shook his head, "Brother Qi took Third Brother out a few days ago and hasn't returned yet."

Yin Jiu was slightly disappointed, but he was very good at talking. After chatting with He Xiao for a while, he felt that He Xiao was a man of extraordinary insight. "Brother He Xiao does things in a reasonable and well-founded way. Although I did not meet Brother Zuo today, I can tell from Brother He Xiao that Brother Zuo must have an extraordinary demeanor."

When Yin Jiu left, he left an address, telling Zuo Qi to visit him when he returned.

He really wanted to get to know Zuo Qi.

He Xiao smiled and agreed.

……

Not long after Li Bo and Yin Jiu left, Zuo Qi returned with Ni Heng.

He Xiao told Zuo Qi about Yin Jiu's visit, and Zuo Qi frowned slightly.

"Brother Qi, do you know this Yin Jiu?"

Zuo Qi recounted his previous encounter at the River God Temple and his speculation that Yin Jiu might be involved in running a black market.

He Xiao looked enlightened upon hearing this.

"No wonder I always felt that Yin Jiu wasn't that strong, but he always gave off a feeling of being rich and powerful."

Do you think he's a friend or foe?

He Xiao recalled the scene when he chatted with Yin Jiu, "I heard that to open a black market for martial artists, in addition to having enough strength, you also need connections, connections with the government and connections in the martial arts world. I think this Yin Jiu should not have any ill intentions."

Zuo Qi nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Everyone is tempted by fame and fortune. He is now a somewhat famous person, and people come to him to befriend him. One of them is even the head of a black market for martial arts practitioners. He feels quite proud of himself.

night.

The three hadn't seen each other for several days. They bought two sheep at home, and Chunniang came over to help cook. They had a big meal together.

"Brother Qi, do you still remember Zhang Ming from the Lin family manor?"

"That illegitimate son of the escort agency?"

"The day before yesterday, Aunt Zhang came to deliver this month's financial aid, and he came along too, still as arrogant as ever." He Xiao said this with a hint of disdain in his eyes. He wasn't interested in Zhang Ming, but the other party seemed to dislike him and made a few sarcastic remarks.

He was jealous of the fact that Zuo Qi and the other two were appreciated by Lin Yuchan, and wanted to show off in front of his colleagues.

He Xiao has never been an impulsive person. His style of doing things is quite similar to Zuo Qi's: either he doesn't do it at all, or he does it to the extreme.

In reality, among the three, Ni Heng, who always had a fierce expression, was the most soft-hearted.

Zhang Ming should be grateful that he didn't do anything more outrageous that day.

After a pause, He Xiao seemed to remember something, "Oh right, the Autumn Festival is coming soon, and Aunt Zhang said that Miss wants us to go back to the city to celebrate the festival."

Zuo Qi nodded with a smile.

He was just thinking to himself, "Should I get some water ghost spirits to give to Lin Yuchan? She's treated us well and doesn't ask for anything in return."

But we can't just accept all the benefits without a second thought, can we? When we have the means to reciprocate, we shouldn't be stingy.