Tonight's commotion had been enormous.
Two or three dozen people had died; even Lu Shan, the boss of the Mighty Gang, was dead.
Some of those trackers had families too, wives and children.
Now that these able-bodied men were dead, their families would surely report it to the authorities.
So the mess afterward still had to be dealt with.
He hurried back. Without stopping to rest, he gave Uncle Liu a few instructions, coordinated some testimony, and then bent over to write.
As a modern man, Li Qi understood full well how important it was to learn knowledge and literacy.
Though the writing in this world differed from that of his original world, it seemed to be the same type of Chinese characters. They were broadly similar, and after more than three years, he had learned seven or eight tenths of them.
He probably could not write an essay, but copying a few lines of poetry was no problem. Sadly, it was useless—no one wanted to hear a tracker ramble on about that much.
But now, it could finally come in handy.
He picked up a sheet of rough Parchment. It was the material used by boatmen friendly with the Wave-Pushing Gang to make oiled paper, which was generally spread over boats to keep out water.
This kind of Parchment was extremely tough and difficult to tear. Once made into oiled paper, it could even resist water and fire, making it a highly useful material.
It was precisely because of these properties that Li Qi had chosen Parchment.
Holding a piece of Charcoal, he rapidly wrote across the paper.
A closer look would reveal that he was writing down the key points of the Ox-Strength Technique!
How to circulate qi, how to activate it, its nature, its characteristics, how to get started as quickly as possible, how to learn it—every last detail was written down.
After learning the Ox-Strength Technique through the progress bar, he did not know why, but he had become intimately familiar with the spell technique. Every detail was clearly imprinted in his mind.
Was that a good thing?
Perhaps.
At least, it was a good thing for now.
The night passed without incident.
He stayed up the entire night, writing out how to learn the Ox-Strength Technique. He filled four whole sheets of Parchment to the brim.
He knew the principles behind this spell technique, yet he had no idea what "principles" actually were.
For example, the principle of black powder was 2KNO3+3C+S, when ignited, became K2S+N2+3CO2.
He clearly knew that string of symbols.
But what was 2KNO3? What was 3CO2?
He did not understand.
Still, he would just write it down like this. In any case, it should not be wrong.
If it were wrong, he should not have been able to use the Ox-Strength Technique.
After finishing, he summoned Uncle Liu.
"Uncle Liu, this is that spell technique. It doesn't matter if you can't understand the principles; the training method is written afterward." Li Qi tossed the folded Parchment to Uncle Liu.
Even without understanding the principles, it would not hinder cultivation. Just as not understanding the principles of black powder did not stop one from following the steps—one sulfur, two saltpeter, three charcoal—to make firecrackers.
"Little Li, are you really leaving?" Uncle Liu put away the Parchment, carefully tucking it close against his body as he looked at Li Qi with concern.
Three years ago, when he had picked Li Qi up, he had never imagined this young man would become so useful.
For so long, he had grown used to seeking the other man's advice whenever something happened. Now that Li Qi said he was leaving, Uncle Liu truly did not know what to do.
"Don't worry, Uncle Liu. I'm only going out to lie low for a while. I killed so many people, so the authorities cannot just ignore it. They will definitely investigate, but this place is a mixed bag of dragons and fish. It won't be easy to catch anyone," Li Qi said.
There was one more thing he did not say—that even if the authorities used Divination Methods, they likely would not be able to catch him.
He remembered clearly what that Young Scholar who had taught him the spell technique had said...
"Outer Path Artifacts are strange and unfathomable; Divination Methods find it difficult to trace their tracks."
If even Outer Path Artifacts were difficult to trace, then what about him, someone of the Outer Dao?
Divination could not determine his location. Without that, relying on deduction alone, he believed he would be difficult to find.
Yes—not discovered, but found.
He planned to take all the blame, then flee without hesitation and leave this place.
He did not know where he would go. He would first run away carrying the charges, then worry about the rest.
Because once they failed to find him in a short time, the authorities would very likely decline to open a case. An unsolved murder would affect their year-end evaluations, and the constables would not be pleased about that either.
As long as no case was opened, it would become an unsolved mystery. At most, people would forget it after a year or two.
It was dangerous. If he were caught, he would certainly be finished.
But there was no helping it. After killing people, how could there be no risk at all? He had already gambled with his life once last night; doing it once more made little difference.
"Next, I'll be fleeing out of fear of punishment. But I'll definitely come back, so don't worry," Li Qi told Uncle Liu.
"Remember, insist that it had nothing to do with you. I did it all," Li Qi emphasized.
"I understand... but take care of yourself. Oh, and this is the money awarded for River Opening, along with some of the gang's savings. You can use it outside. Also, remember to buy yourself a decent set of clothes. People outside judge others by what they wear; don't let them look down on you."
"When a man leaves his homeland, he is as lowly as a dog. Once you leave the gang, life will surely be hard. If you run into trouble outside, endure it. Once the heat dies down, come back," Uncle Liu muttered as he took out a bag of copper coins and stuffed it into Li Qi's hands.
Li Qi watched Uncle Liu prattle on, then took out a heavy bundle filled entirely with copper coins, some new and some old. There were no clothes, nor any dry provisions.
He knew why there were no clothes: the gang truly could not scrape together a single new garment. As for dry provisions, it was because his escape route could not carry them out.
"Don't worry, Uncle Liu. I'll definitely be back as soon as I can." Li Qi took a breath, accepted the bundle, and tied it onto his back.
Killing someone and leaving his homeland—it really gave him the air of a chivalrous man of Chu from the Spring and Autumn period. Though he was no chivalrous man, merely a worthless tracker.
But there was no choice. If he had not struck first, he would have been the one dying tonight.
Li Qi had always been decisive. He did not hesitate any longer. After merely promising Uncle Liu that he would return, he immediately set off. Rather than leave through the city gates, he clung to the underside of a cargo ship, preparing to drift downstream out of the city.
Though the Li River had not yet fully thawed, boats could still travel as long as trackers were willing to pull them.
As for the cargo ship, that was intelligence provided by the boatmen.
Li Qi carried two clay jars on him, their mouths covered with oiled cloth. They were empty, but as long as he turned their mouths downward and opened the oiled cloth underwater, he could breathe the air inside.
Combined with Wave-Pushing Strength, the air in those two jars could let him last another Chen beneath the water.
The other trackers of the Wave-Pushing Gang had taken the contract to tow that cargo ship at the lowest possible price, practically working for nothing, solely to ensure they got it.
They would tow the ship Li Qi was hiding beneath out of the city.
With every arrangement in place, Li Qi took a deep breath until his lungs were full, then slipped into the water and gripped the underside of the cargo ship.
Hidden beneath the cargo ship, he heard the tracker brothers of the Wave-Pushing Gang outside begin shouting their work chant again.
"Rope upon our shoulders, nine zhang three! Ho-hai!"
"Hard-luck lives bound to our shoulders! Ho-hai!"
"Feet kick stone, hands claw sand! Ho-hai!"
"Never say boats can't sail against the current! Ho-hai!"
Until the cargo ship left the city and departed Li Prefecture.
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