The Eternal Way

Therefore, he even made up his mind and sent people to directly intercept and kill him!

Killing someone was not a trivial matter.

Overall, Lizhou City was still under the jurisdiction of a country with strict laws. Previously, stealing had already posed a significant risk, but he dared to instruct theft mainly because Li Qi had never shown that strange object.

It was impossible for him to prove that the odd item belonged to him, so reporting it to the authorities wouldn't reveal anything, especially with the backing of an important figure. Thus, he wasn't afraid at all.

But now, things were different. Not only was killing more serious than stealing, but unlike stealing which left no evidence, killing would inevitably attract diviners to investigate clues if the case escalated.

He didn't want to go that far.

However, having his cultivation technique stolen was something he absolutely could not tolerate.

Even if it meant risking exposure, he had to act.

So, he made meticulous plans, repeatedly instructing his capable subordinates to leave no trace, ensuring Li Qi died without any evidence against them. He also arranged surveillance on the Paibo Gang to prevent any unexpected movements.

His plan was to eliminate Li Qi, who had seen their secret technique, preventing its spread, without making it public.

Now was not the time to escalate matters; the divine intent inheritance was too profound, requiring at least a year of study. By then, when those in his gang who received the divine intent gathered together, they could invade other territories!

Relying on this single cultivation technique, he could easily overturn the entire riverside area. In Lizhou City, there could only be one boat puller gang!

The boat pullers' gang could develop into a monopoly like the Fish Stall Gang, controlling the city's business.

Though not considered a major gang, they would no longer be at the very bottom.

By seizing techniques from the other two gangs and acquiring a new cultivation technique, the Lizhuang Gang could definitely rise to a higher level!

For this, bearing some risks was entirely acceptable.

As long as Li Qi was eliminated and they lay low for a year of intense training, everything would fall into place.

This wasn't the first time he had killed. At the lowest levels of gang power, mutual conflicts and killings were common. If no one reported it, even the authorities wouldn't bother.

If the people don't report, the officials won't pursue. At the lowest rung, such struggles were commonplace, beyond the reach of official control.

However, if it came down to reporting, the authorities would still intervene because annual evaluations heavily weighted the clearance rate of murder cases.

For instance, if Li Qi reported that his strange object had been stolen, officers would indeed take action, though whether they could solve the case was another matter. Nonetheless, the authorities would still get involved.

But if the authorities lacked confidence in solving the case, they often turned a blind eye. Failing to solve a murder case was a significant black mark, leading to severe criticism during annual reviews.

Moreover, as long as he could deter the authorities from pursuing the case, he didn't need to worry about the Paibo Gang filing a complaint.

After all, did the Paibo Gang have any fewer skeletons in its closet? If they reported him, others would do the same, dragging everyone down.

Breaking the rules would certainly involve Water Horse Gang, or even the Fish Stall Gang, and the Canal Transport Army!

That would truly be a disaster.

Lu Shan thought this through carefully, leaving no room for error.

But he was growing anxious waiting.

Surveillance was manageable, but why hadn't the killers returned?

Those were the best fighters in the gang besides himself, each with fifteen hundred catties of brute strength, capable of smashing boulders with a single hammer blow.

He knew Li Qi's abilities well.

Paibo Power allowed him to fight two opponents effortlessly in water, even managing counterattacks.

But on land, he could handle at most one opponent. Two attacking simultaneously, especially by surprise, left no chance of survival.

Just as Lu Shan grew increasingly anxious, the awaited person finally returned.

"Boss Shan!" A short, sturdy young man rushed in from outside.

"What happened? Is something wrong with the Paibo Gang?" Lu Shan stood up and asked hurriedly.

This person was one of those he had sent to monitor the Paibo Gang. There were three in total, and seeing only one return suggested this one was here to report, while the other two likely remained on surveillance duty.

"Boss Shan, Li Qi has returned, but it seems he's injured, and quite badly. The Paibo Gang is in chaos, discussing selling pigs to hire a doctor!" The young man said happily, his voice filled with joy.

But Lu Shan's expression darkened sharply.

Injured?

The killers hadn't returned?

Damn it, was Li Qi really that strong!?

"Go back and continue monitoring the situation. Try to find out more about Li Qi's injuries," Lu Shan said with a grim face.

"Boss Shan, we all saw clearly. When he returned, he pretended nothing was wrong, but blood was seeping through his clothes. He even fell after taking a few steps. He must be seriously hurt! Who knows what he encountered, hahaha, serves him right!" The short, sturdy youth laughed heartily.

But this joyous tone sounded grating to Lu Shan's ears.

"Enough, go back and keep watching. Report again if there's anything new!" Suppressing his anger, he waved his hand, dismissing his subordinate.

The short, sturdy youth couldn't understand why his boss suddenly looked so gloomy, but he didn't want to provoke him further and quickly left.

Lu Shan closed his eyes, pondering over the recent intelligence.

Li Qi wasn't dead but might be injured.

Was it an act?

Possible, as this guy was always cunning.

But unlikely. His abilities were clear, and those two were top-notch fighters among the three gangs.

Li Qi couldn't have escaped unscathed.

It seemed the only possibility was that Li Qi used clever tactics to lure the two into the water, where he used Paibo Power to defeat them.

This was the only plausible scenario, leveraging Paibo Power in water to achieve this.

These deductions left Lu Shan sitting uneasily, his expression shifting between light and dark.

"Whether he's injured or not, we can't delay. His survival poses the greatest threat, and we cannot let him master that cultivation technique!" Lu Shan hardened his resolve.

Although he didn't know the name of the technique, divine intent inheritance required self-discovery. It was like having a teacher in your mind, but learning it still depended on oneself.

The important figure told him that with his talent, it might take a year to grasp the basics, and then he'd learn the name of the technique.

But now, waiting a year wasn't an option.

He abruptly stood up: "I'm going all in!"

Then, he walked out and shouted, summoning all the boat pullers around.

Under the cover of night, and with the Paibo Gang currently enjoying food and drink, surely drowsy,

he planned to gather his forces for a night raid on the Paibo Gang, aiming to kill Li Qi!

Even if the authorities pursued the case afterward, he could claim it was retaliation following the theft of their cultivation technique.

This way, as long as there was no indiscriminate killing, the punishment wouldn't be too severe.

If the authorities wanted to dig deeper, it would inevitably involve the important figure.

Though he didn't know who the figure was, anyone capable of casually revealing a cultivation technique and speaking so much about "the Dao" must have enough influence to intimidate the authorities!

He was betting on it!