Chapter 89: A tall tree attracts the wind

"Blood Tiger Gang..."

Li Rui sighed lightly.

"A tall tree attracts the wind."

Becoming a Deputy Branch Master is equivalent to entering the vision of the Qinghe high level; you get the benefits, but you also have to get involved in the corresponding disputes.

Qinghe region.

Besides the county government, the only one that can wrestle with the Heaven and Earth Alliance is the Blood Tiger Gang, one of the two gangs.

Friction and communication between the two sides have never been lacking.

The gang boss you think of: smashing the field, armed fighting.

The actual gang boss: digging corners, inviting guests to dinner.

Say it again.

The Heaven and Earth Alliance and the Blood Tiger Gang are gangs registered with the imperial court; they are long past being Jianghu thugs. They have industries, fields, and thugs.

No matter how high your martial arts are, you only have one life.

Who would like to make enemies everywhere for no reason?

Someone who sees someone on the street and stabs them to death isn't a Jianghu boss; they are mentally ill.

Don't look at the fighting below the two gangs.

The upper levels—deputy incense masters, deputy branch masters, and even higher levels—actually have good relationships.

Drinking and visiting pleasure quarters are common occurrences. Branch Master Dao Xiong has always turned a blind eye to these things, as he does the same himself.

After all, who knows when you might jump ship, and if you find that everyone who came is an enemy, wouldn't that be awkward?

The Jianghu is not just about fighting and killing.

The Blood Tiger Gang's Deputy Incense Master Ma inquiring about his whereabouts could have two possibilities.

One is for friendship, such as meeting by chance on the street and then inviting him to drink.

The other could only be plotting something wrong.

The former has a higher probability.

"But I have to guard against it."

Dealing with this kind of thing, Li Rui doesn't feel tired, nor does he feel bored.

Do your job in your position.

The moment he decided to expose his strength, he had already thought that he would become a noble person in the eyes of others; unless his family background was hard enough, he had to experience it.

This is the heart of the strong.

Returning to Li's residence.

Just crossing the threshold, he smelled a fragrance of food.

"Very good."

A look of enjoyment flashed in Li Rui's eyes.

Old people.

The Qinghe branch has a cafeteria, and the Deputy Branch Master has a special small stove, but Li Rui is not used to eating it; he still likes the old craftsmanship.

"Old Li, dinner is served."

Yang Yong and Wang Zhao saw Li Rui return and happily brought out the dishes one by one.

Stir-fried green vegetables, stewed tofu balls, and a small plate of stir-fried pork.

If this were when he was a servant in the Zhu family back then, he would laugh in his dreams and could talk about it for several years.

"Sit down, let's eat."

Li Rui sat down and picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks; only then did Yang Yong and Wang Zhao start eating.

Since practicing martial arts.

Li Rui's eating speed has become slower.

Chew slowly and swallow slowly, a hundred-year-old immortal.

"The mouth is the drum of the heavenly gate; peck thirty-six times, rinse with the sweet spring, swallow three times, this is called ringing the heavenly drum, storing the body of ten thousand gods."

This "peck thirty-six times" means chewing thirty-six times per mouthful.

Every drink and every peck is learning.

Wang Zhao and Yang Yong don't have these requirements; they eat in large mouthfuls, and if it weren't for considering Li Rui, they would probably have finished eating long ago.

Li Rui doesn't have the habit of liking to be a teacher.

This kind of thing is just strictly required of himself.

Eating.

Yang Yong suddenly opened his mouth: "Old Li, tell you something, this morning Zhu Zhongfu, that steward of the Zhu family, came to me, saying that Master Zhu is grateful for your previous gift of elixir and wants to thank you in person."

"Hmm, help me refuse it."

Li Rui didn't lift his head.

After the Zhu family suffered a disaster, Master Zhu Ping lost his spirit, and the business was not as good as before.

It should be that he wanted to take this opportunity to climb up the relationship.

Not to mention that after that elixir, the two sides had no more connection; even if there were still interactions, Li Rui would definitely not attend the appointment.

A leaf falls and one knows autumn.

The Blood Tiger Gang's Deputy Incense Master Ma, and Zhu Ping were just the beginning; the invitations would become more and more frequent.

If not restrained, it would definitely lead to trouble.

Li Rui had already drunk a round of those who needed to be entertained, and drinking more would be overdoing it.

"Retreating bravely."

These four words are simple to say, but not so easy to do.

Refusing to see people.

The lost benefits make anyone's heart ache when they see it.

Otherwise, everyone is a smart person; how could they do stupid things? Of course, it's for benefits.

But long pain is worse than short pain; if you are indecisive, you will definitely suffer chaos.

On this point, Li Rui is very clear.

"Old Yang, Little Zhao, from now on, if anyone comes to find you, just refuse them all."

"Uh, okay."

Yang Yong and Wang Zhao nodded.

They just felt that Li Rui was a bit heartless, but they didn't dare to say it out loud.

And what Li Rui wanted was to be heartless.

Otherwise, in the future, it would be watching him build a high building, watching his building collapse.

It would be too late to regret it then.

His own elder brother who was almost an immortal did the same thing at about the same age.

Advancing certainly needs research, but sometimes taking a step back is the real learning.

After another month.

Li Rui was just as he said, staying in Hun Tian Yi Hall all day, and except for the people in the branch, he didn't see anyone else.

At first, some people had complaints.

But when they saw that Li Rui didn't see anyone at all, their hearts instantly balanced, and the complaints gradually subsided.

Everyone said that this Deputy Branch Master Li was old and had reached the age of self-cultivation.

Gradually, his prestige became even higher.

On the other side.

Qinghe branch.

Qian residence.

"This Ma has some meaning."

Qian Cai looked at the hot gold invitation in his hand and chuckled.

The Blood Tiger Gang's Deputy Incense Master Ma invited him to drink at his home and also invited Deputy Alliance Leader Tang.

"I've heard of it; Ma Chao and Deputy Alliance Leader Tang are both from Stone Monkey Ditch in Qinghe, fellow villagers; maybe they really have a relationship."

Isn't the relationship used here?

Qian Cai rubbed his hands.

Staying in this damn Qinghe branch is really boring.

He is the second oldest, and his martial arts can probably only beat the newly promoted Old Man Li.

He had long since had the idea of returning to the general headquarters.

It's just that he has been suffering from not finding a way.

He likes to make friends in the Jianghu, and Ma Chao is one of them; if he can use this line to get on with Deputy Alliance Leader Tang, then the matter of transferring back to the general headquarters will be half done.

More friends, more paths.

This is the benefit of going out more.

The Deputy Alliance Leader Tang seen in the Qinghe branch is a superior; seeing him at a banquet, that is a friend, a good big brother.

The essential difference.

"Take out the Daughter Red I've hidden for ten years, open it first."

This Daughter Red doesn't refer to a kind of wine.

It's just that people who like to hide wine will bury a few jars of wine when their daughter is born, and then dig them out to celebrate when the daughter gets married.

Hence the name, Daughter Red.

Using Daughter Red to treat guests shows full sincerity.

Qian Rui has no daughter, only a son; these wines are for climbing relationships.

Holding two jars of wine.

Qian Rui walked out of the house happily.

Early morning.

Li Rui, who had finished his morning practice, came to Hun Tian Yi Hall as usual.

Just as he walked into the building.

Yang Deliu ran over anxiously: "Master Li, something happened, something big happened."

Li Rui frowned:

"What matter?"

"It's Deputy Branch Master Qian, he... he's dead!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 90 =====