The Eternal Way

Despite being ambushed, Li Qi didn't make a fuss and returned home quietly.

The Paibo Gang's headquarters was located by the riverside, next to the shipwrights.

Similar to how the Lizhuang Gang had good relations with tailors, the Paibo Gang also maintained strong ties with the shipwrights.

The Paibo Gang often helped the shipwrights pull new boats out for free, while the shipwrights would repair old, decommissioned boats and gift them to the Paibo Gang. This mutual assistance fostered a positive relationship between the two groups.

As the second-in-command of the Paibo Gang, Li Qi was greeted warmly by people along the way as he returned.

"Brother Li is back! They've already slaughtered one of the pigs and are cooking it!"

"The boat captain is here too, and he brought wine! It's said to be a gift from important figures on the boats! Brother Li, hurry up, or there won't be any left!"

Boat workers and boat pullers gathered together, smiling and greeting Li Qi. Practically everyone held a bowl of stewed meat, slurping loudly as if they couldn't wait to finish the meal.

Five fat pigs had been brought back, and one was immediately slaughtered. Each pig weighed over a thousand catties (around 2,000 pounds), and after removing the bones, the remaining organs and meat added up to over a thousand pounds. With only three to four hundred people in both gangs combined, each person could have two to three pounds of meat—more than enough.

For the boat pullers, Opening River Day was like New Year's Day.

The Lizhuang Gang, unable to secure an Opening River qualification, would essentially go without meat for a year.

However… Li Qi now knew that what they wanted wasn't just a few pigs—they coveted the Ox Strength Technique, a genuine cultivation technique.

And now, they had discovered that he had stolen their technique.

But clearly, they hadn't expected Li Qi to master the Ox Strength Technique overnight.

Not even Li Qi himself had anticipated this!

Nonetheless, Li Qi had already made his plans.

He pretended everything was normal, greeting people along the way but deliberately showing off his wet appearance, as if he had just come out of the water, with his hair still damp.

Because he indeed came straight from the water.

Moreover, there were some bloodstains on his clothes, which he had intentionally smeared.

Casually walking into the crowd, he suddenly limped and fell to the ground.

"Brother Li?!" A nearby boat puller quickly put down his bowl and rushed over to help him up.

"It's nothing, I just slipped!" Li Qi immediately stood up by himself, pushing others away. Then, under the hesitant gazes of everyone, he quickly walked into his house and closed the door.

This left the boat pullers and boat workers looking at each other in confusion.

"Does Brother Li seem injured?"

"I think I felt blood, and didn't he stay dry today? How could he be soaking wet?"

"I'll go find Uncle Six!" One of the boat pullers reacted quickly and ran off.

Meanwhile, Li Qi sat on his bed and waited for a moment.

As expected, soon there was a knock on the door, accompanied by Uncle Six's voice asking if he was okay.

Li Qi immediately got up, opened the door, pulled Uncle Six inside, and then closed the door with a bang.

These wooden shacks originally had no windows, so closing the door meant complete darkness, preventing anyone from peeping in.

Uncle Six, who had been happily eating meat and drinking wine, was startled when someone told him Li Qi had returned and was injured. He immediately swallowed the meat in his mouth, finished his wine, and hurried over.

He knew Li Qi had stolen a technique from the Lizhuang Gang, so he was extra cautious.

However, upon entering, he saw Li Qi looking energetic with no signs of injury.

"What's going on?" Uncle Six was puzzled.

After confirming the door was closed and blocking it with a wooden stool, Li Qi looked at Uncle Six: "Uncle Six, don't make a sound, keep your voice low, listen to me."

Hearing this, Uncle Six immediately quieted down, putting aside his doubts and waiting for Li Qi's explanation.

"On the way, I was ambushed by members of the Lizhuang Gang. Two of them, armed with a staff and a dagger, tried to kill me," Li Qi said.

"Huh?! They've already found out about you?" Uncle Six's expression turned serious, his tone rising.

"Shh!" Li Qi immediately raised his finger.

Uncle Six immediately stopped talking, lowering his voice: "What happened? How did they know?"

"I'm not sure, but clearly, they already know and specifically set up an ambush for me. I suspect our base isn't safe either, but we're not easy targets, so they won't dare start a full-scale war for now." Li Qi explained his guess.

"So, that's why you pretended to be injured?" Uncle Six thoughtfully.

"Yes, I suspect they have someone watching our place right now, keeping an eye on us," Li Qi said.

He could sneak into the Lizhuang Gang's base, and they could do the same. However, the discipline among the boat pullers was poor, making it hard to maintain long-term vigilance, especially since they were exhausted from work and couldn't spare manpower for constant surveillance.

"Should we search for them then?" Uncle Six suggested.

"No, don't alert them. I acted injured on purpose. Uncle Six, you should go out later and quietly spread the news about my injury to reassure the Lizhuang Gang," Li Qi instructed.

"But… what's the point?" Uncle Six was confused.

Certainly, pretending to be injured could deceive the enemy, but what was the use of deceiving them?

"Of course, it's useful… We can — strike first," Li Qi clenched his fist and punched the air fiercely!

The leader of the Lizhuang Gang was named Lu Shan.

Members of the Lizhuang Gang usually called him Boss Shan, while other gangs referred to him as Big Strong Shan.

True to his name, his cultivation technique gave him an extremely strong physique, capable of lifting two thousand pounds and pulling a small boat alone. Even some strongmen in the city weren't as powerful as him.

However, those who knew him well understood that he wasn't just physically strong; he was also quite intelligent.

A few years ago, he nearly drove the Paibo Gang to ruin, but then someone named Li Qi appeared out of nowhere and revived the Paibo Gang.

And recently, it was again this Li Qi…

"Li Qi… Li Qi." Lu Shan rubbed his temples and touched his bald head.

He had made up his mind and sent people to intercept and kill Li Qi, but they hadn't returned yet.

Earlier that day, he received divine intent inheritance from a high-ranking figure, and the entire Lizhuang Gang participated, but somehow an outsider was present.

That person wore a mask, but his build seemed familiar.

Lu Shan immediately pursued him but failed to catch up; the person ran very fast.

Later, the Lizhuang Gang found another strongman who reported being hit by a seemingly crazy person on the road, who tore off his mask and punched him hard in the face.

After questioning that person thoroughly, Lu Shan finally confirmed that the attacker must have been Li Qi!

Again, it was Li Qi!

Damn it! Always Li Qi!

This guy just wouldn't stop. If it weren't for him, there would only be one gang of boat pullers in Lizhou City!