Encounter

The small riverbank beside the Li River should have been the base of the Wave-Pushing Gang.

This place was just an ordinary riverbank islet with only a dozen or so bamboo houses, thatched huts with earthen walls. You could fish right outside the window. It was surrounded by reeds and rushes, so only poor boatmen and rich people who liked 'quiet cultivation' would live in such a place.

Looking around at the shallow waters, although they have been blocked, they still leak from time to time, and water will flood into the house.

The brothers are very attentive to their living conditions and always repair and Wave-Pushing Gang the water outlets. How could they let the riverbed be broken like this?

Something went wrong?

Li Qi looked more closely at the riverbank and discovered that people still lived there, but...

They weren't from the Wave-Pushing Gang; they were unfamiliar women and children. The children were playing, while the women were beating clothes.

Have the brothers recently found new wives? After all, they are all boatmen, and except for a few, the rest are all bachelors. I gave them the Cultivation Method, so they should live a better life. At least everyone can get a wife.

With that, Li Qi told Old Ma to stay where he was and walked into the riverbank.

As soon as he entered, he saw the women who were washing clothes by the river suddenly become alert. They immediately stood up, called the children to their sides, and then looked at Li Qi.

However, the moment they saw Li Qi, they immediately lowered their heads again.

With clean clothes and a tall horse behind him, his attire clearly indicated that he was of much higher status than them.

Looking at themselves, they are all big and burly, with dark skin, large hips and thick waists. They are good at working, but they are not good-looking at all.

However, Li Qi didn't care about any of that. Instead, he took the initiative to step forward and asked, "Sisters, is this Wave-Pushing Gang's territory?"

The women trembled, then immediately knelt down and began to wail, "Honorable sir! Honorable sir! We didn't take the land without permission; they left on their own!"

This reaction made Li Qi break out in a sweat.

But thinking about it, it's quite normal.

It looks like the Wave-Pushing Gang left, and this place has been taken over by others.

"Sisters, don't be afraid. I'm just looking for some old friends. There used to be a Boatman Gang here called the Wave-Pushing Gang. Do you know where they went?"

Upon hearing this, the burly women stopped crying, exchanged glances, and then one of them said, "Are you referring to Paibo Gate, sir? They've already moved out."

Then another woman immediately added, "I, I heard that some of them have become capable, able to rival the head constable of this street, so they stopped being boatmen and went outside the city to build Paibo Gate. Now they are prominent figures and no longer live here."

"We only came here after everyone else had left, and we never tried to take over the place!" the women repeatedly emphasized, seemingly genuinely afraid.

Li Qi also understood that a stronghold was very important in such a place.

When it comes to territory, if it's seized, then it becomes a fight to the death.

So he nodded. "Sisters, don't worry. I'm not here to interrogate you. I just want to ask for directions. You said the Wave-Pushing Gang... Paibo Gate went outside the city. Where outside the city is it now?"

"In response to your question, we have heard that Paibo Gate is located at the South Gate. If you go straight for about twenty li, they also have some business there, but we don't know anything about it," a woman said while kneeling.

"Alright, then thank you very much, sisters-in-law." Li Qi didn't force them to stand up, after all... even if they stood up on their knees, their hearts were still kneeling.

This place is unlike Chang'an, where even those without cultivation stand up with their backs straight. Regardless of the cultivation level of the person in front of them, they all have confidence because they know that there are laws governing them.

After expressing his gratitude, Li Qi took out a string of copper coins, about several dozen in total, placed them on the ground, and then left.

It wasn't a lot of money, but it was enough for them.

If you give them too much, it's easy for things to go wrong, and it won't be good for them.

Li Qi ignored the gleeful woman behind him and found Old Ma: "They're outside the city. Let's fly for a while, otherwise it'll be too much trouble to get out from here."

Old Ma gave a loud thud.

Li Qi can now understand what Old Ma means. He is saying, "Aren't you afraid of local officials?"

Yes, flying through the city does indeed show a bit of disrespect for the government's authority. After all, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, and the Prefect of Li Prefecture is a seventh-rank official in the area, so he has to give him some face.

But Li Qi shook his head. "Don't worry about those things. Authority isn't given by others. They don't even care about this land of Li Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Old Ma said nothing more.

That makes sense. Even from Old Ma's perspective, this land relies almost entirely on grassroots self-governance. It's visibly that the law is ineffective, the government has lost all face, and all they do is harvest popularity and use them as a component of their rituals.

Using their existing violence, they forcefully suppress the lower classes, allowing them to maintain order on their own. They are only responsible for dealing with those who cause too much trouble, ensuring that order does not collapse.

This attitude is neither in line with orthodox Shaman Path nor with orthodox Human Path; it is somewhat akin to that of a 'demon'.

But he is not entirely a demon, because the demonic path, with its unrestrained and capricious attitude of treating the world as its playground, is detestable, but also unrestrained and wild. His cautious and timid demeanor here is not like that of a demon.

It can only be described as 'one's own path,' only mixed with some ideas from other Dao Path.

In reality, this is the current situation for most cultivators. Not everyone is a member of the Dao Lineage. Many Dao Lineage follow their own paths, but they are inevitably influenced by the Dao Lineage, becoming neither fish nor fowl.

For example, the old Elder Li was the first 'ghost' Li Qi encountered. He himself collected various fragments and groped his way forward.

However, Li Qi had lived in this place before and experienced the predicament of not being able to find a way out, so he had some opinions about the local government.

Old Ma understood this and said nothing more. He let Li Qi ride on his back, and with a thunderous roar, streaks of blue lightning erupted from his hooves as he leaped into the air.

He flies with such great momentum, and it's hard to contain him.

As can be seen, the local government reacted immediately. From somewhere, someone suddenly made a move, unleashing the power of an eighth-rank official. An invisible ripple rushed towards Li Qi.

Li Qi turned around and glared at him.

The eyes are called "bright eyes," which are the dwelling place of the Sun Moon Heavenly God in the microcosm of the human body.

With just one glance, the ripple dissipated instantly.

Meanwhile, in a magnificent mansion in the capital city of Li Prefecture—

This appears to be a stronghold of a powerful force in the city. As you can see, many disciples are practicing their skills diligently in the outer courtyard, sweating profusely.

Inside was a grand hall, where sat a prominent figure from Lizhou City, the leader of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, who was also the Minister of Works of Li Prefecture, a dignified eighth-rank official, and a highly skilled expert in Lizhou City.

He sat upright in the room, motionless.

It's not that I don't want to move, it's that I'm afraid to move.

A mark resembling a gaze was branded on his hand, pinning it firmly to the table.

I was drenched in cold sweat and dared not move.

What kind of power is that?

Only the strongest person he had ever seen, the Prefect of Li Prefecture, could have accomplished this!

Could this be a prefect-level expert?!

As for the ruler-level, he didn't even dare to think about it. It was said that those were powerful beings who could roam freely beyond the realm and control countless worlds!

The other party simply flew into the no-fly zone and left Lizhou City.

We must report this to the prefect!

Flying in the sky, the Old Ma strolled leisurely without speeding up, so even a distance of only a few dozen miles would take several minutes to cover.

After all, it was just a walk.

As he ran, he kept saying, "Luffy luffy luffy~".

Hearing this, Li Qi understood that he meant, "Aren't you afraid someone will catch up with you?"

So he laughed and said, "It's good that they caught up. That's why we made our move."

Old Ma shook his head.

What's that scoundrel up to now?

Forget it, why should I worry about it? I'm just a horse.

A few minutes passed in the blink of an eye, Old Ma quickly landed outside a mountain gate.

It wasn't that he knew the way; it was mainly because there was only one mountain gate within a dozen miles, behind which were some large houses, surrounded by walls. Several thousand people lived in these large houses in the mountains, some working and some practicing martial arts.

It really does look like a martial arts sect, and there's even an inner courtyard where you can see some women and children living.

Li Qi did not fly directly into the mansion in the mountains, but instead had the Old Ma land outside the mountain gate.

After all, they were once brothers, so there was no need for him to act superior. Therefore, he decided to go up to them and give them a surprise.

However, when he led Old Ma to the outside of the mountain gate, Li Qi suddenly Body Merged with Nature and covered himself up.

Because he saw what appeared to be a wedding taking place outside the mountain gate.

You can see a very festive red sedan chair, surrounded by lanterns, with drums and music playing, creating a joyous atmosphere.

Some people carried wedding candles and couplets, while others set off a flurry of firecrackers.

The groom rode a large horse at the head of the procession, swaggering along. However, the horse was not very obedient, so he held on tightly with his legs to avoid falling off.

It's clear that this horse wasn't tamed; it was just being forcibly pushed forward. After all, there's no way to tame animals in Li Prefecture, and these naturally born spirit beasts are hard to control.

Li Qi recognized the groom, Huang Si, a hardworking young man in the Wave-Pushing Gang. He was very respectful to Li Qi and Uncle Liu, and it seemed they were getting married today.

If things were normal, Li Qi should show up now to congratulate his former brothers.

However, Li Qi's expression was a little off, because he noticed that the bride's face showed no joy, and instead she was sobbing under her veil.

The bride's family members followed behind, and although they were smiling, it was obvious at a glance that they were forcing a smile.

The brothers from the Wave-Pushing Gang, on the other hand, were all smiles and chatting amongst themselves.

You could even see a young man chatting with the bride's family. "Father-in-law, I'm not married yet either, what do you think?"

It seems that this is not just a simple family member from her mother's side, but the village chief of a certain village.

"Uh... is the gentleman not yet engaged?" the old man immediately forced a smile and asked.

"I already have a wife, so I don't need one for now." The young man replied, "But I have a cousin who's in need of a concubine. What do you think, sir?"

"That's perfect! I have a daughter named Linhua who is not yet engaged. I would like to find your younger brother to be my son-in-law. What do you think?" the old man said hastily.

The young man chuckled, but then adopted a serious tone, speaking in broken classical Chinese: "That lad has practiced some martial arts and joined my Paibo Sect, but he hasn't made any progress yet. How dare he presume to be associated with your esteemed establishment?"

The old man then replied, "Brother, you are mistaken. In my opinion, your younger brother will be extremely wealthy and powerful in the future. I beg you to grant my request."

From the conversation between the two sides, it is clear that the old man speaks with refined manners and is indeed a learned man, while the young men of the Wave-Pushing Gang have a pretentious air about them, and their elegant language is full of errors, mixing classical and vernacular Chinese.

However, seeing the old man pleading with him, the young man smiled even more broadly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, brother. I dare not refuse. May I ask your daughter's age? We can choose an auspicious day for the betrothal and then come to marry her."

The old man replied, "My youngest daughter... is fifteen years old, born in the 632nd year of the Great Deer, her birth chart is Yi Chou, Ding Hai, Wu Wu, Ren Zi—"

Then, the two continued to discuss the wedding arrangements.

Li Qi listened for a while, then led the Old Ma to block the mountain gate, and then broke free from the state of Body Merged with Nature.

The convoy, which was moving forward, did not notice at first, but when it reached the mountain gate, it found that it was blocked by a man and a horse.

The attendant beside him immediately shouted, "How dare you! Who do you think you are? Today is Master Huang's big day at Paibo Gate, how dare you block the gate?!"

Before Li Qi could even speak, the attendant raised both fists, and a surge of Martial Dao Inner Qi rose up, flowing through his legs and connecting with his Dragon Bone. Power surged from the ground, and he lunged at Li Qi!

This punch was powerful and heavy, with the force of ten thousand catties, and it was clear that it had unleashed twice the power of the Carp Flowing Intent!

With just this skill alone, he has already reached the level of a master who is not at the rank of ordinary. He could be a leader in a large gang in Lizhou City, or even an instructor in a large sect like the Thousand Mechanisms Sect.

However, Li Qi stood still, while the Old Ma took two steps forward, then raised its hind hooves and kicked out with a thunderous sound.

Fist and hoof clashed.

This kick sent the aggressive young man flying. The blue lightning spread across his body, but with a cracking sound, his fist went limp, his five fingers turned into soft noodles, and his bones were broken.

For those who don't meet the standards, this kind of injury is enough to prevent them from practicing hand skills or fighting with others for six months.

As the young man screamed in agony, the young people around him drew their weapons or brandished their fists.

Another person stepped forward and shouted, "Which sect are you from? Please state your name and make your grudges clear! Breaking up someone's marriage is a major taboo in the martial world. Aren't you afraid of being punished by your elders?"

Li Qi frowned as he listened, and then stepped forward, wanting to say something.

However, as soon as Li Qi stepped out, Huang Si, who had been sitting high above on his tall horse, was taken aback.

"Brother Li?!" he exclaimed in surprise.