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

Nankou Bay.

The elder's face flushed as he looked at the grain that the young men had brought back.

"Did Mr. Zuo really give this to you?"

"Yes, elder, if you don't believe me, wait until Abao comes back and ask him."

The young man at the head of the group was somewhat exasperated, clearly because the clan elders had asked this question many times before.

"Mr. Zuo... is truly benevolent!"

Everyone nodded.

A hint of sorrow appeared in the elder's eyes. "Mr. Zuo has been so good to us. How can we, Nankou Bay, ever repay him?"

"Mr. Zuo said that if you see anything you haven't seen before, you can go to him."

"What kind of repayment is this!"

The clan elder abruptly interrupted.

Finally, a young man who had been to the city came up with an idea.

"I saw a stage set up for a theatrical performance in the city before, it was quite a lively affair. I heard that some important figures in the city enjoy it. How about... we turn Mr. Zuo's story of capturing the dragon at the ferry into a play?"

The elder's eyes lit up. He had been an apprentice in a theatrical troupe when he was young, which was exactly his forte!

He couldn't help but fantasize about leading the whole village in an opera performance, and then putting on a show for Zuo Qi when he came next time...

……

The taste of snake meat is not pleasant; it is so chewy that it is difficult for an average person to chew.

Chunniang stewed it for almost a whole day, but neither Chen Xun nor she could chew it properly.

It can only be said that they are not fortunate enough to enjoy it.

However, it was very effective at filling their stomachs. Zuo Qi, who had the biggest appetite among them, ate about half a pound in one meal and felt full.

Of the more than 1,000 catties of snake meat, more than 300 catties were given to Yin Jiu, and the rest were dried into jerky, which resulted in 600 catties of jerky.

This product has an astonishingly high meat yield; it's recognized as having the highest meat yield among beef jerky, with a saying that three pounds of fresh beef yields one pound of jerky.

This also shows that the snake meat is extraordinary.

For the next ten days, Zuo Qi recuperated from his injuries, cultivated, and processed the gains he had obtained from the giant snake.

Martial arts training begins with achieving a superhuman physical body. Zuo Qi's injuries healed quickly, and within ten days, they were almost completely healed.

In terms of cultivation, with the help of the precious flesh near the snake's heart, Zuo Qi's bone-refining blood and qi finally accumulated to one hundred strands, and his bone-tempering progress reached eighty percent.

With ample resources available now, we can attempt to clear the stage within the month.

sunset.

He Xiao saw off Sun Bao and the others who had come to help.

Upon returning to the courtyard, Zuo Qi asked a question.

"Have you finalized the arrangements for returning to the city?"

"I've already spoken to Aunt Zhang, and she's helped arrange a carriage."

This time when he returned to the city, Zuo Qi planned to take Chen Xun into the city. Chen Xun was old enough to attend a private school. The teachers at the docks were good for elementary education, but the private schools were not so satisfactory.

The private schools in the city not only taught people to read and write, but also imparted some basic martial arts skills.

He spent his youth on the streets and naturally didn't want his older sister's only child to end up like him.

If possible, he would prefer Chen Xun to live the life of those young masters from aristocratic families.

"Alright, the Autumn Festival is over, and winter is almost here. We should put aside things at the docks. Xiao'er, what are you planning to do then? Come with me to Fushan Garrison, or stay at the docks?"

Since He Xiao had Chunniang, Zuo Qi asked her a question.

"Of course I'll follow you. I plan to hand over the dock business to Sun Bao. Firstly, he can keep the business running, and secondly, he can send us information about things like the giant snake."

He Xiao said it as a matter of course, and then naturally stated his plans and arrangements, clearly having prepared them in advance.

"Where is Chunniang?"

He Xiao looked at Zuo Qi with some confusion. "Brother Qi, weren't you planning to send Ah Xun to school in the city? Why don't you let her go to the city to take care of Ah Xun too?"

Zuo Qi: ...

"Whatever you want, I'm taking Ah Xun fishing."

Chen Xun, who had been waiting nearby, jogged over. This was Chen Xun's routine during the nights that Zuo Qi had been recuperating.

He really enjoyed the time he spent with his uncle.

The days of recuperating were quite pleasant. Zuo Qi's cultivation had also reached a bottleneck. It had been a long time since he had been close to Chen Xun, so he would take some time each day to go out and play with Chen Xun.

He didn't teach Chen Xun anything else, only how to fish, which is something that requires patience to do.

Because his parents died before his eyes, Chen Xun always wanted to take revenge. He was somewhat impatient for quick success in his studies and work, so he thought of using fishing to temper his temperament.

He Xiao shook his head slightly, and said to Zuo Qi with a mischievous smile, "Brother Qi, I think you should find Chen Xun an aunt too."

After saying that, he turned and ran without waiting for Zuo Qi to speak.

Zuo Qi stood there, speechless with amusement.

He Xiao has become quite mischievous since he got together with Chun Niang.

……

The sound of horses' hooves shattered the darkness and stirred up gusts of wind.

Xu Dong, looking travel-worn, stood by the river, gazing at the dark dock in the distance, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the houses along the riverbank.

During this time, he went to Taizhou City on the orders of Miss to do some things, contact people who had a past relationship with the Xu family, and handed over the investigation of the Water-Avoiding Pearl to Xu Feng and his team.

He learned of Zuo Qi and his group from Xu Feng, and then learned about Zuo Qi's deeds from some ordinary people.

They stormed the Green Robe Gang and captured the dragon at the ferry crossing...

He certainly didn't believe in the story of catching a dragon at the ferry crossing; ignorant commoners were prone to spreading rumors, and he figured it was just a small snake.

Actually, the young lady didn't care about the loss of the water-repelling pearl; what she cared about were the people and things that had come out of her control.

But he cared a lot about it. He had spent a fortune to buy the water-repelling pearl, intending to use it to achieve great things. However, he lost it before he could even put it to use. You can imagine his anger.

The trip to the prefectural city was extremely difficult. The Xu family had been gone for sixteen years, and those old connections avoided them like the plague.

Xu Feng is becoming increasingly cautious in his actions, while the Lin family's retainers outside the family don't even have the courage to take action.

Why don't he take matters into his own hands and test the true quality of Zuo Qi?

Thinking to himself, he took out a black cloth and covered his face, determined to do this cleanly and efficiently.

Miss wouldn't let him provoke the Lin family, but he's been feeling stifled lately and needs to vent. As long as he does it cleanly, those people probably won't be able to find anything.

……

On the riverbank, Zuo Qi rolled up his trousers and got off the boat with Chen Xun.

How are you feeling today?

Zuo Qi asked softly.

Just as Chen Xun was about to answer, a sinister voice suddenly came from the side.

"Gentlemen, come with me."

Zuo Qi turned around and looked at the middle-aged man in black who was slowly walking towards him. The man was about forty years old, with a well-maintained physique, prominent temples, a long knife in his hand, and a fierce glint in his eyes.

He lowered his head slightly, his long, loose hair obscuring his forehead, and a crack appeared between his brows.

Life Points: 71

Zuo Qi's pupils contracted instantly. A master of the third level! And not like Yang Nuo, whose blood and energy were declining, but a master of the third level who was in his prime and maintaining his peak condition.

Because of his life bone, his physical and life attributes have always been very high. Although he has not broken through to the third level of cultivation, his physical and life attributes have reached 73 points.

He had secretly observed Yang Nuo's life force, which was only 58 points.

He felt that a normal master of the third level should have a physical attribute of over sixty points. Yang Nuo was too old, his qi and blood were declining, and his physical attribute had dropped a lot.

For ordinary people, it's below 10 o'clock.

Practice 11-30.

Practice 31-60 (Second Exercise)

The growth of physical and life attributes also follows a pattern.

As Zuo Qi became more familiar with the ability of the Cave Truth, he also gained a deeper understanding of the attributes of body and life.

The normal range of physical strength for a master of the third level of training should be 61-100.

He silently activated the Thousand Mountains' Breath, a simple and honest smile appearing on his face.

"Brother, we went fishing, and we didn't bring any money with us..."

As she spoke, she even took a timid step back.

Xu Dong looked at Zuo Qi and his nephew. Because of fishing, the two were dressed in very worn clothes, especially Zuo Qi, who had just gone into the water and now looked like a fisherman.

"You must be from this dock, right?"

"Brother, please speak."

"Do you know Zuo Qi?"

Xu Dong said softly.

The words fell.

The surroundings quieted down, leaving only the sound of the wind.

Zuo Qi's gaze fell on Chen Xun.

Xu Dong, not understanding what was going on, turned his head slightly and looked at Chen Xun as well.

The next moment, the hairs on his body stood on end, as if he were being stared at by some extremely terrifying beast.

Before he could react, a figure as fast as lightning rushed towards him with the force of wind and thunder.