A man in a green shirt stood outside the courtyard gate. Next to him was the third child, Xu Lei, whom he had met several times.
Far behind them, there was another group of monks from the first and second levels of qi training waiting respectfully.
Meng Zhou just took a casual glance and found that there were two or three more people than last time.
"This Mr. Li is very good at what he does. He actually has some die-hard loyalists."
Meng Zhou was thinking this in his heart, but his face remained calm. He just looked at the man in blue shirt and long robe, the second in command of the Baijiang Gang, Li Heng.
Li Heng stepped forward and said respectfully: "Brother, we are patrolling the river today."
Meng Zhou nodded, but said: "I haven't seen you in the past few days, has the third child told you what I mean?"
Li Heng looked apologetic and explained:
"Brother, there is indeed a reason why I haven't been here these days.
Mo Guanshi, who we often cooperate with, was celebrating his birthday, and since you were not here when I sent you the letter, I took a few of my brothers and made a trip in person.
Every time I came back, I was delayed for several days."
Meng Zhou nodded and accepted this explanation.
At that time, that is, a few days before his soul came through, the original owner was indeed not there. He took his own savings and a large sum of public funds saved by the Baijiang Gang to buy water and nourish the art.
What Li Laoer said sounds reasonable to a rough listen. But it can only be heard "roughly" and cannot stand up to careful scrutiny.
However, Meng Zhou had no interest in careful consideration in the first place, and his requirements were not high. As long as the other party could maintain a superficial respect for him and allow him to continue to develop, that would be fine.
I am very weak now, but because of this, my strength is improving the fastest, and it really changes every day.
No matter what Li Laoer has in mind, every day that passes, his strength becomes stronger. This can never be faked.
It's not like Meng Zhou never thought about leaving, abandoning this identity, leaving far away, and cutting off the relationship between his former boss, especially the Baijiang Gang.
Find a suitable place to stay for a while and rely on your own abilities, and you won't have to worry about getting ahead.
But after a little in-depth analysis, he gave up the idea.
First of all, at his current level, without a boat or a boat, it would be very difficult to leave quietly without attracting the attention of the Baijiang gang and without leaving any traces.
This can easily reveal one's true strength, which cannot be explained by the breath-containing technique.
If the situation really comes to this point, I really can’t think deeply about what will happen.
Even if he successfully leaves, he will be completely cut off from the Baijiang Gang, and what will come to him will not be a beautiful new life.
He is at the first level of qi training, has no special skills, is over fifty years old, and is not bullied to death because he has accumulated good deeds in his previous life.
It is even more delusional to want to get such a first-level mid-grade cultivation quiet room.
All of this was saved by the former master through his strength in the middle stage of Qi training and careful planning.
After leaving here, he would be unable to reach such resources and conditions even if he stood on tiptoe.
Therefore, as long as the situation permits, staying here to develop is the best solution.
…
"Third brother has already told me what eldest brother means. If eldest brother asks me for my opinion, I will not agree."
"Oh? You don't agree?" Meng Zhou raised his eyebrows.
Li Hengdao: "The Baijiang Gang was founded by my eldest brother. From top to bottom, he is the only one who can convince everyone.
No one can hold this position of leader except you.
If you force yourself to sit on it, the Baijiang Gang will fall apart soon!"
When Li Heng said this, his expression was firm and his eyes were not squinting, but Xu Laosan next to him moved his eyes frequently.
Meng Zhou stared at him carefully and thought, Brother, you are sober, and you haven't become unconscious yet.
Meng Zhou shook his head and said:
"Lao San and I have made it very clear that the Baijiang Gang's ship is so big, and it is now so full that it is about to sink.
For me, it's gradually changing from a help to a drag.
I have made up my mind to leave this ship. It is the best choice for me and the Baijiang Gang.
As for the question of whether people are convinced or not, this is something you need to find a solution to.
However, don’t worry too much, even if I decide to withdraw from the gang, it will only be done slowly, and I won’t leave a mess behind.”
Li Heng looked at Meng Zhou with a vague look.
Meng Zhou waved his hand, "Okay, aren't you going to patrol the river? Go quickly and don't delay here. From now on, you should pay more attention to the affairs of the gang. If there are any problems, try to learn to deal with them yourself."
Li Heng pondered for a moment, nodded slowly and said: "Since the elder brother said so, I will give it a try."
Meng Zhou nodded and looked at Xu Lei beside him.
"Third brother, I have spent a lot of money in retreat these days. Remember to send some fresh rice, grains and vegetables regularly. Well, the wood is not enough. Remember to send more."
After hearing this, Xu Lei, who was still feeling a little disappointed, suddenly became much more excited and immediately agreed loudly.
…
Watching everyone go away, Meng Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.
"But I don't know how long such a stable life can last."
Although the original owner was very careful to conceal the fact that he had mistakenly practiced the Blood Demon Technique and had no potential at all, but after so many years of getting along with him, it was not difficult for a shrewd person like Lao Er to judge that his strength had not improved much over the years.
After all, with the methods and style shown by the original owner when he formed the Baijiang Gang, if his strength increases, he will definitely seek greater development and benefits.
For casual cultivators, if you have the strength, you must cash it in as soon as possible, so that the road ahead will become wider and wider.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the second child, Li Heng, has some judgments in his mind.
And his strength has continuously improved over the years, and he is expected to break through to the fourth level of Qi training within this year.
Compared to the third level of Qi training, this is an important watershed. Taking this step, both strength and status will be greatly improved.
For monks of his age, time is precious and every second counts. Every year he gets older, his physical condition will decline a lot.
If you don’t seize the time and rush forward now, your chances will become smaller and smaller in the future.
In the past few years in the Baijiang Gang, both the second and third eldest sons have aroused more ambitions in their hearts, and the original owner cannot rely on the kindness of the past to keep controlling them.
The tighter you squeeze, the easier it is to cause rebound, with unpredictable consequences.
…
Although the improvement of the fundamental skill Water Nourishing Technique did not bring immediate changes to Meng Zhou's cultivation and his magic power did not increase significantly, the nature of his magic power has changed a lot.
The nature of mana is warmer, longer, and the recovery speed is faster.
This reaction is not obvious in the practice of water crossing step. After one day of practice, the result is still +40 experience.
But reflected in the practice of finger sword and palm sword, the changes are very significant. The daily income is increased from +30 experience to +50, which is nearly doubled.
In addition, the master-level water-stepping step has completely become the instinct of the body, and the master-level finger sword and palm knife can also be sent and received by the heart, without the need for deliberate control, telekinesis, manual movement, and mana movement. It is almost a matter of course. .
While taking steps to cross the water with his feet and wielding the finger sword and palm knife with his hands, he also "draped" the turtle and snake energy on his body at the same time.
The experience of this martial art increases in the same way as the water step. Every quarter of an hour the experience increases automatically by 1.
What makes it different from the water-crossing step is that it does not require a water environment to practice it. Except when practicing and sleeping, he can "wear" it on his body like a special lined armor at all times.
As long as it is not actually attacked, the mana consumed to maintain its existence is minimal, and the daily experience is +50.
On this day alone, the strength of the turtle and snake improved twice, crossing the threshold from entry level to small success.
The three martial arts practitioners were practicing together, but they did not interfere with each other, and they all improved by leaps and bounds.
The next day, the water-crossing step was reached, or it could be said to be restored to the master level. After all, the original owner's mastery of the water-crossing step was also at this level.
There is no need to move, the feet can stand in the water without sinking, just like on flat ground.
Another day passed, and the turtle and snake strength became a small success and a big success.
The next day, Master Jin made Dacheng the sword and palm sword.
During this period, Xu Lei sent another batch of wood and many fresh meat and vegetables.
While putting these fresh ingredients into the kitchen, he also cleaned away the unused ingredients that were delivered last time.
He explained with a smile: "Brother, you don't want anyone to take care of you. From now on, I will send you a batch of fresh ingredients every other day."
"Third brother, you are interested." Meng Zhou nodded with a smile and accepted Xu Lei's suggestion.
Therefore, Xu Lei would visit him every other day on the pretext of bringing him fresh ingredients, and would also "casually" talk about the current situation of the gang.
It stayed like this for a few days, during which time Guishejin made another breakthrough and reached a master level.
Early that morning, as soon as Meng Zhou left the quiet room, there was a familiar knock on the door outside the courtyard.
Soon, Xu Laosan walked to the kitchen carrying fresh meat and vegetables. What attracted Meng Zhou the most were the two fish that were still jumping alive in his left hand. The scales on the gills were slightly reflective. They were two souls.
fish.
Meng Zhou was not happy, but frowned and said, "Third brother, is the gang so unruly now?"
When the former leader founded the Baijiang Gang, he established a rule that no spiritual fish caught by the gang could be kept for private use and must be sold into spiritual stones.
Although Meng Zhou also wanted to taste the spirit fish, he was even more unlikely to slap himself in the face.
Xu Lei had already put two spiritual fish into the kitchen water tank. When he saw Meng Zhou preparing to wash rice for cooking, he immediately grabbed it.
"Brother, I'll come."
Even though he was a tall and strong man, he was more skilled than Meng Zhou in doing this. He quickly got everything done and sat down in front of the stove to light a fire.
Usually, in order not to disturb his practice, Xu Lei would come and go in a hurry, deliver things, and leave after saying a few words at most.
"Lao San, what's wrong with you?" Meng Zhou asked directly.
Xu Lei ignited the fire with hay, added some flammable pine branches to the stove, and then added a few large firewood sticks that could withstand burning. The flames made his face glow red.
After doing all this, he looked at Meng Zhou and said, "Brother, Li Heng went to see Na Guanmo again. He left early yesterday and hasn't come back yet."
This time, he didn't even call him "second brother" and called him by his first name.
Meng Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly, guessing Li Heng's motives for frequent contact with Manager Mo.
But he said:
"Oh, I don't know his specific intention, but he should be doing this to prepare for officially taking over the Baijiang Gang in the future.
Since I have made it clear that he is the next leader of the Baijiang Gang, there is nothing wrong with him doing this."
Having said this, he looked at Xu Lei who was lighting the fire in front of the stove and said with some sincerity:
"Lao San, I know my decision makes you a little uncomfortable, but this is the rule of the spiritual world.
The second child will break through to the middle stage of Qi training this year, but you will have to wait until two or three years later.
If I jumped over him and let you take the position, would you be able to hold on?
The Baijiang Gang will fall apart immediately!
Is this what you want to see?"
Xu Lei said angrily:
"I have a problem with him, but it's not because of this.
If he can manage things well like you, even if he is a little selfish, I can tolerate it.
But now, he has no intention of running the Baijiang Gang properly!"
"Oh, what does he want to do?"
Meng Zhou was curious.
He was really curious about this.
"He wants to pack up the Baijiang Gang and sell it!"
"Ah? How come?!"
Meng Zhou said in shock, with a look of disbelief on his face.
But in my heart, I have to give Li Laoer a thumbs up, this TND is a talent!
Xu Lei said: "Brother, do you know Na Guanshi's background?"
Meng Zhou's thoughts were spinning rapidly, and he quickly sorted out the memory of his previous master, "Oh, what is his background?"
"Cuiyu Lake Mo Family, do you know?" Xu Lei asked.
Meng Zhou nodded:
"Of course, it is said that it is the strongest family in Cuiyu Lake and occupies the most elite area of Cuiyu Lake. The number of foundation-building monks can be counted on one hand, and there are even fake elixir masters sitting here.
If they are the rocs in the sky, we are just the little loaches in the gutter."
Having said this, his pupils widened slightly and he looked at Xu Lei: "That Mo manager, is this the Mo family?"
Xu Lei said: "Not directly related to the main family, but also a side branch that has not yet emerged from the fifth server."
"That's it." Meng Zhou held his left elbow with his right hand and his chin with his left hand, his eyes showing deep thought.
Xu Lei opened his mouth and wanted to say that Li Lao Er could become so wanton and arrogant because of your connivance, big brother.
However, this was just a momentary emotion, and he quickly suppressed the thought of committing suicide.
Meng Zhou was working hard to sort out everything related to it based on the memory of the original owner.
The purpose of the original owner's founding of the Baijiang Gang was very clear: to collect spiritual stones and buy water to nourish the secrets.
As long as this goal can be achieved, it doesn't matter to him even if the Baijiang Gang falls apart in the next moment.
He was not greedy for the position of leader of the gang.
Therefore, in terms of management of the Baijiang Gang, apart from keeping a close eye on the entry and exit of spiritual stones, other aspects are very relaxed.
Otherwise, with his familiarity and skills in gang affairs, as well as the huge prestige of the Baijiang Gang that he single-handedly founded, it would not be difficult for the gang members to be devoted to him, and there would be no chance that Li Laoer would develop a die-hard loyalist.
Before secretly selecting the casual cultivators to join his gang, he had a rough idea of their positioning.
The third child, Xu Lei, is strong and burly, has good fighting ability at the same level, and has a straightforward personality. His positioning is similar to that of a "double-flowered red stick".
If the Baijiang Gang wants to beg for food in Baijiang, it is inevitable that they will have conflicts with other casual cultivators. Whether it is for the prestige of the gang leader or the original owner's physical condition, it is inappropriate to do everything personally.
Xu Lei's status and prestige in the gang were really gained along the way.
Li Heng, who is shrewd and meticulous and has the highest level of cultivation besides the original owner himself, was his chore assistant from the beginning, managing trivial tasks on his behalf.
In addition, he also has another important responsibility, which is to sell the spiritual fish harvested each time and deliver the spiritual stones to the original owner.
Because the spirit fish that can be caught in Baijiang are all very common species, and some can only be regarded as "semi-spiritual fish", and the prices are transparent, the former owner has no worries that the second son, Li Heng, will enrich himself.
In the original owner's position, he was a tool man.
All along, the situation has been as he expected.
Meng Zhou was also familiar with the Mo Guanshi mentioned by Xu Lei.
Baijiang and Cuiyu Lake are connected by a large body of water, and there is an obvious pattern in the distribution of spiritual energy. The closer you are to Cuiyu Lake, the more abundant the spiritual energy will be, and the more spiritual materials there will be for the spiritual fish.
However, that is only compared to Baijiang, and compared to the real Jade Lake, it is still a barren land of spiritual energy.
There are many casual cultivators in the middle stage of Qi training who make a living there by fishing. When the former master was determining the location of the Baijiang Gang, he also considered that water area, but in the end he gave up rationally.
With his strength, he could go there alone and establish a foothold, but if he wanted to insert a member of the Baijiang Gang, he would be a little out of his depth.
Since there are fishermen in that water area, there are naturally fishmongers. Everyone likes to call them stewards, and Mo steward is an inconspicuous one among them.
Meng Zhou remembered that there was no fixed buyer for the Baijiang Gang’s catch, and they would sell it to anyone they encountered.
He really didn't expect that this Manager Mo was actually a branch of the Mo family in Cuiyu Lake. After all, there were quite a few monks surnamed Mo who were active around Cuiyu Lake, but not many could be related to the Mo family. At the level of the former master, there were not many of them at all.
I have never met him before, so I naturally didn’t think about it.
To put it bluntly, even a dog raised by the Mo family is not something that a monk at his level can easily come into contact with.
He even didn't expect that the second child, Li Heng, could hook up with him.
Meng Zhou also gradually understood in his heart.
This is Li Laoer's greatest reliance on daring to have trouble with his former master and engage in arm wrestling.
He looked at Xu Lei and asked, "What else do you know?"
I have signed a contract and am asking for monthly tickets and reading. Starting from tomorrow, I will strive to update two to six thousand words a day. This is the limit of the new book period. I hope everyone can support it!
This chapter has been completed!