Early the next morning, Azure Cloud Martial Hall.
The Martial Practice Field was much livelier than usual. Plenty of disciples had no mind to practice their punches and were gathered in groups of three or five, chatting.
"Have you heard? Something happened last night!"
"What happened? Hurry up and tell us!"
"Last night, everyone from the Black Water Gang's West Street branch went out. They surrounded the Zhao Family's grain shop on West Street and their medicine shop on East Street! They even drew their weapons. The two sides faced off across the streets, and it looked like they were about to start fighting!"
Li Pingsheng stood outside the crowd and heard them talking.
He noticed that Zhao Ming hadn't come today. Someone nearby said he had "caught a chill and was resting at home."
Resting?
He was probably too scared to leave the house.
"The Zhao Family isn't easy to mess with, either. Why is the Black Water Gang so furious this time?"
"I heard it's because the Black Water Gang lost two important people. It happened on the mountain behind the martial hall, and they're convinced the Zhao Family did it. They're demanding the Zhao Family hand over the killer!"
"Looks like there's going to be a show!"
Just as everyone was chatting excitedly, a voice rang out above the din.
"Why are you all gathered here? Done with your gossip? Does that mean you've learned your punches?"
Instructor Wu walked onto the Martial Practice Field, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
The disciples scattered at once, each returning to their spot to practice.
Zhao Zhentian had taken the bait after all.
The clues Li Pingsheng had left behind included a Bone Whistle stained with Zhao Ming's blood, traces of corrosion from Corpse Dissolving Powder, and the bodies of two Black Water Gang death warriors.
Everything pointed to the Zhao Family killing people and seizing their treasures in a black-on-black deal.
Given Zhao Zhentian's temperament, he wouldn't believe that Zhao Ming had simply lost the Bone Whistle. He'd only suspect that the Black Water Gang had set a trap.
The conflict between the two sides had officially begun.
Li Pingsheng wiped his sweat and mulled things over.
The Black Water Gang would certainly send out all its elites to put pressure on the Zhao Family. Their lair in the Inner City would be poorly guarded right now.
He'd been worrying about how to get his hands on high-grade demon beast meat. This was the perfect opportunity.
Rather than waste time at the martial hall, he might as well take the initiative.
An idea came to him.
Raid the Black Water Gang's lair!
Tonight was the perfect time.
Late at night.
The heavy rain had stopped. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and there was no moon.
The Inner City lay utterly silent.
A shadow vaulted over the courtyard wall of Azure Cloud Martial Hall.
Li Pingsheng had changed into a tight-fitting black outfit and covered his face with a black cloth, leaving only his eyes exposed.
He activated his Wind Treading talent.
With a tap of his toes against a rooftop, he shot forward more than fifty yards.
His feet made not the slightest sound.
The streets and courtyards below slid past beneath him.
Half an hour later, the Black Water Gang's headquarters came into view.
Li Pingsheng didn't approach. Instead, he hid in a large pine tree a hundred meters away, concealing himself among its branches and leaves as he watched the estate below.
Just as he'd expected, only a few scattered lights shone in the estate. The usual guards had dwindled to a few patrols making their rounds.
Most of the elites had been sent to confront the Zhao Family.
Those left behind were all old, weak, sick, or injured.
Li Pingsheng closed his eyes and activated his Martial Wisdom talent.
He could hear the patrol members' footsteps, their yawns, and even the conversation between two hidden sentries behind the rockery.
Every gap in the defenses, every blind spot in the patrols, was crystal clear to him.
Now!
Li Pingsheng leaped down from the pine tree.
He circled around to the rear courtyard, avoiding three patrols.
Passing the rockery, he flicked two gusts of force at the sleeping points of the hidden sentries.
The two men crumpled to the ground, fast asleep.
The entire process had gone unnoticed.
Soon, he reached the innermost part of the estate, where a detached building made of massive stone blocks stood.
This was the Black Water Gang's treasury.
Not a soul stood guard at the entrance. A heavy black iron gate was secured with a several-dozen-pound lock made of tempered steel.
Li Pingsheng didn't have a key.
He extended his right index finger. Electricity glimmered at its tip as he pressed it against the keyhole.
He compressed his Thunderclap Explosion qi and blood into his fingertip.
The force shattered the inner mechanism of the tempered steel lock.
Not a scratch marked its exterior.
He gave it a gentle push, and the heavy iron gate swung open.
The scents of silver and medicinal herbs drifted out.
Inside the treasury, rows of wooden shelves were piled with boxes of banknotes and neatly stacked gold bars.
He spread open a bundle he'd prepared and swept all the banknotes and gold bars from the shelves into it.
After clearing out the money and gold, his gaze shifted to the depths of the treasury.
Three heavy chests made of black iron stood there, each sealed with the Black Water Gang's stamp.
Li Pingsheng shattered the locks with a flick of his finger, and a surge of qi and blood spilled out.
The chests held two kinds of items.
One was red dried meat: the finest cuts from a second-tier demon beast, the Red-Scaled Pig.
The other was a paste-like substance inside jade boxes: the marrow of a third-tier demon beast, the Iron-Armored Savage Bull.
Both were high-grade cultivation resources.
Li Pingsheng packed away those three chests, too.
As he was about to leave, his Martial Wisdom sense told him something was off about the floor beneath his feet.
He crouched down and knocked on the ground beneath an antique display shelf. One of the flagstones seemed suspicious.
He wedged a fingertip into the crack and pried hard. The flagstone shifted aside, revealing a hidden compartment beneath it.
A yellowed fragment of a manual lay inside.
Three characters were written on the cover: Breath Concealment Art.
Li Pingsheng hurriedly flipped through it.
The manual described a technique for suppressing one's qi and blood and disguising one's cultivation level.
In the past, when he'd sneaked into the Zhao Mansion at night, he'd relied entirely on Wind Treading's silent movement and Martial Wisdom's extraordinary perception to avoid the guards' sight and hearing.
But that only worked against ordinary guards and low-level martial artists.
True experts in this world had sharp senses. They could even track their enemies by detecting subtle changes in the air's temperature and the fluctuations of their qi and blood.
Besides, his strength had been improving too quickly at the martial hall. The thunder-element qi and blood within him surged like a great river.
Without a technique to conceal his cultivation, he would eventually give himself away.
This Breath Concealment Art was just what he needed to make up for his sole weakness.
He activated his Martial Wisdom talent. The meridian pathways and methods for circulating qi and blood in the manual immediately became clear to him. He understood every difficult point.
He grasped the essence of the technique at once.
As he circulated his qi and blood according to the technique, the vigorous thunder-element qi and blood in his body began to ebb and fall silent.
After a few breaths, his entire presence had become that of an ordinary person.
Success.
This Breath Concealment Art was perfect for him right now.
Li Pingsheng bundled up all his spoils and slung them over his back.
He was just about to turn around and leave when the sound of something heavy hitting the ground came from the quiet outer courtyard.
Next came the snap of breaking bones and a muffled cry.
Someone was here!
And there was more than one!
Li Pingsheng held his breath and pushed the Breath Concealment Art to its limit.
He suppressed his heartbeat and breathing, pressing himself into the shadow behind the treasury door.
Footsteps drew closer at an exceptionally fast pace, silent as they touched the ground.
Through the crack in the door, Li Pingsheng saw a figure in a tight-fitting black outfit running toward the treasury.
The person held a slender, flexible sword that was still dripping blood.
The murderous aura coming from him was even stronger than Master Scar's had been before he died.
Another opportunist here to plunder the place?
The black-clad man knew the Black Water Gang's layout well and headed straight for the treasury.
"Bang!"
He shoved open the treasury door. Seeing the empty shelves and the tempered steel lock with its mechanism destroyed on the ground, he froze for a moment before letting out a low growl.
"Damn it! Someone got here first!"
He spun around. His eyes glowed green in the darkness as he looked toward the shadow where Li Pingsheng was hiding.
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