"Uncle Six!" Li Qi stood up, greeting Uncle Six with a broad smile.
But Uncle Six couldn't muster a smile. He punched Li Qi on the shoulder, visibly angry. "You rascal! I told you to return in a year or half a year! It's only been over a month! Why are you back? Do you want trouble? Even if the constables don't find you, do you think everyone from Lizhuang Gang is dead!?"
Li Qi took the punch with a smile, then gently raised his hand, releasing his Inner Qi.
Uncle Six immediately felt his body become weightless as he was lifted into the air, the world spinning around him.
Then, he slowly descended, landing without any jolt.
This move stunned the haulers and Uncle Six.
Silence fell, cooling the previously enthusiastic atmosphere.
Then came a thunderous cheer!
"Brother Li, did you master a technique!?"
"Our gang has a master now! Will we rise to prominence soon!?"
"Hooray!"
The haulers erupted in cheers, delighted beyond measure, their faces glowing with joy.
Seeing this, Li Qi smiled and pulled out a gold ingot.
It weighed about one jin.
He placed the gold ingot on the table. "Everyone, buy some wine and meat today! Tonight, when the other brothers return, let's have a feast!"
Another round of even louder cheers followed.
"Alright, Uncle Six, let's talk in the room." Li Qi ignored the excited haulers and led the hunched figure of Uncle Six away from the crowd.
Uncle Six looked at Li Qi, eyes full of astonishment, unable to speak. However, he knew what was important and followed Li Qi into the room.
Once inside the dilapidated wooden hut, despite its thin walls, Uncle Six carefully closed and locked the door.
Then, he lowered his voice, sternly staring at Li Qi. "What's going on? You've only been gone for half a month, where did all this money come from?! And how did you get these abilities?!"
"You're still young; don't be greedy and bring trouble upon yourself!"
He didn't immediately focus on the gold ingot Li Qi had shown but anxiously looked at him, hoping he hadn't gotten into trouble.
To this old hauler who had labored all his life, one jin was an enormous amount of money, more than he could comfortably handle.
He would rather not have the money if it meant safety for Li Qi.
Seeing this, Li Qi smiled.
It reminded him of two or three years ago when he had trekked through the forest for two days, collapsed into the Lishui River like a corpse, and was pulled out by Uncle Six.
Paibo Gang was the first home he found in this world, and these brothers truly treated him as family.
In this world, blood brothers might not be trustworthy.
But gang brothers were bound by life and death, trusted allies who shared both interests and deep bonds.
Initially, inexperienced Li Qi caused them no small amount of trouble, relying on these already poor haulers for support.
Thus, Li Qi held deep affection for Paibo Gang.
"Don't worry, Uncle Six, listen to me first." Li Qi reassured Uncle Six and began recounting his past month.
He concealed certain details, such as Luo Fu Niangniang, the war between Wu Zhu of the Wu Deity Mountain and Tang Dynasty, and soldiers from Song Kingdom. He only mentioned embarking on the cultivation path, encountering demons, and being deceived by an old woman.
Even so, this information left Uncle Six shaken, repeatedly asking if Li Qi was okay.
After finishing, Li Qi took out five gold ingots, placing them in Uncle Six's palm.
"Now that I'm a cultivator, earning money has become much easier. Don't worry; I can manage this money!" Li Qi said confidently.
Uncle Six looked at Li Qi.
This little rascal really seemed different now.
"I don't know what a cultivator is, but making more means spending more too. I'll take two of these," Uncle Six divided the gold ingots, returning three to Li Qi. "We don't need much money. You'll need elixirs and divine weapons in the future; keep these for yourself. Spend your own earnings on yourself."
"Uncle Six, what's there to argue about? Do you doubt my ability to earn in the future? Besides, I've kept some for myself," Li Qi pushed back, feigning indifference.
Knowing giving too much money wasn't wise, he only presented six gold ingots. One went toward tonight's feast, enough to buy food for several hundred people.
The remaining five were entrusted to the prudent Uncle Six, which was best.
"Now, I can stand shoulder to shoulder with those constables!" Li Qi said proudly.
This statement left Uncle Six momentarily stunned.
Then, the hunched old hauler accepted the money.
Indeed, Li Qi was someone comparable to constables, already a significant figure.
Over decades, Uncle Six clearly understood how lucrative being a constable could be.
Every faction, every gang, gave tribute.
Each contributing hundreds or thousands of qian, just within one city district, across numerous gangs, amounted to hundreds of jin annually.
How did this Li kid become so successful after just one trip?
Before Uncle Six could fully process this, Li Qi continued: "Also, stop practicing the techniques I taught you earlier. I learned from a reliable source that the technique has flaws. Practicing it is fine, but using it without proper guidance can be fatal."
Uncle Six's thoughts were interrupted, shocked by this revelation. He wanted to say something but saw Li Qi had more to share, so he remained silent and listened.
"But don't worry, since it's been only over a month, none of you should have mastered it yet. So, don't panic; just stop practicing it," Li Qi said.
"But... without this, how will we survive?" Uncle Six asked again.
"Don't worry, I've found another set of techniques—a more advanced version of Paibo Power called Carp Flow Intent!" Li Qi explained.
"Carp Flow Intent, is that what you're practicing now?" Uncle Six was curious.
"Yes, I practice it, but it's not my main technique. My primary technique cannot be taught to you, Uncle Six, you understand."
"I understand, I understand." Uncle Six naturally knew the importance of techniques, so further discussion wasn't needed.
However, he quickly realized something else.
Li Qi no longer belonged to Paibo Gang.
With new cultivation techniques, he was part of a new group.
But it made sense; water flows to higher places...
Yes, it should be like this.
"Don't worry, I won't forget about here. Look, didn't I immediately think of you and come back?" Seeing Uncle Six's expression, Li Qi smiled.
As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of hemp cloth, detailing the method of practicing Carp Flow Intent.
Just as they were talking, a sudden explosion sounded outside!