Chapter 13: Killing and fleeing

Tonight's commotion was quite significant.

Twenty to thirty people died, and even Lu Shan, the leader of the Strongmen Gang, perished.

You know, some of these Boat Towmen also had families, wives, and children.

If these young men died, their families would definitely report it to the authorities.

So, the aftermath still needed to be handled.

He hurried back, not bothering to rest, gave some instructions to Sixth Uncle, and then coordinated some testimonies before burying himself in writing.

As a modern person, Li Qi deeply understood the importance of learning cultural knowledge.

Although the characters in this world were different from his original world, they seemed to be all Chinese characters, largely similar, and he had learned most of them over the past three years.

Writing essays was probably out of the question, but plagiarizing a few lines of poetry was no problem; unfortunately, it was useless, as no one would listen to a Lifter ramble on so much.

However, now it could be put to use.

He picked up a piece of rough cowhide paper, which was a Material used by boatmen friendly with the Paibo Gang to make oil paper, typically laid on boats for waterproofing.

This kind of cowhide paper was very strong, difficult to tear, and when made into oil paper, it became waterproof and fireproof, making it a very useful Material.

It was precisely because of this property that Li Qi chose cowhide paper.

Holding a piece of coal in his hand, he rapidly wrote something on the paper.

If one looked closely, they would discover that he was writing down the key points of the Ox Strength Technique!

It included how to circulate Qi, how to activate it, its nature, characteristics, how to quickly get started, and how to Cultivate – every detail was written on it.

After learning the Ox Strength Technique through the progress bar, though he didn't know why, he already had a complete grasp of this technique; every detail was clearly imprinted in his mind.

Is it a good thing?

Perhaps.

At least it's a good thing now.

The night passed without a word.

He stayed up all night, writing about how to Cultivate the Ox Strength Technique, filling four sheets of cowhide paper completely.

He knew the principle of this technique, but he had no idea what “principle” meant.

For example, the principle of black powder is 2KNO3+3 C + S ignited K2S + N2+3 CO2.

He clearly knew this string of characters.

But what is 2KNO3? And what is 3CO2?

He didn't understand.

Anyway, he would just write it like this; all in all, it shouldn't be wrong.

If it were wrong, his Ox Strength Technique shouldn't work.

After he finished writing, he summoned Sixth Uncle.

“Sixth Uncle, this is that technique; it doesn't matter if you don't understand the principle, there are Cultivation methods at the back,” Li Qi said, tossing the folded cowhide paper to Sixth Uncle.

Even if one didn't understand the principle, it wouldn't hinder Cultivation; not understanding the principle of black powder didn't prevent one from making firecrackers by following the steps of one sulfur, two nitrates, and three charcoals.

“Little Li, are you really leaving?” Sixth Uncle put away the cowhide paper, carefully placing it close to his body, and looked at Li Qi with concern.

Three years ago, when he picked up Li Qi, he never thought this young man would be so useful.

For so long, he had grown accustomed to seeking his advice when encountering problems; now that he said he was leaving, Sixth Uncle was truly at a loss.

“Don't worry, Sixth Uncle, I'm just going out to avoid the limelight. Having killed so many people, the government won't find it easy, and they'll definitely come to investigate, but it's a mixed bag here, making it hard to catch people,” Li Qi said.

There was one more thing he didn't say—that even if the government used divination methods, they probably wouldn't be able to catch him.

He remembered very clearly that the young man who taught him the technique had said...

“Things of the Outer Dao are strange and unpredictable; divination methods find it difficult to track their whereabouts.”

If things of the Outer Dao were hard to track, then what about him, a person of the Outer Dao?

If divination couldn't pinpoint his location, then relying solely on reasoning, he felt it should be very difficult to find him.

Yes, not to be discovered, but to be found.

He was prepared to take all the blame and then decisively flee, leaving this place.

He didn't know where to go, but he would run away with the blame first.

Because, if they couldn't find him within a short period, the government might not even file a case, as unsolved murder cases would affect their year-end evaluations, and the constables wouldn't be happy with that.

As long as it wasn't filed, it would be a cold case, and people would forget about it in a year or two at most.

This was very dangerous, because if he was caught, he would definitely be finished.

But there was no other way; killing someone couldn't come without any risks, could it? He had already gambled with his life last night, so doing it again was fine.

“Next, I'll be fleeing as a fugitive, but I will definitely come back, don't worry,” Li Qi told Sixth Uncle.

“Remember, you must insist that it had nothing to do with you; it was all my doing,” Li Qi emphasized.

“I understand… but you must take care. Oh, this is the money rewarded from the river opening, plus some savings from the gang; you can use it outside. Also, remember to buy some good clothes; people outside judge others by their clothes the most, don't let them look down on you.”

“When a person leaves their hometown, they are as lowly as a dog. Your life outside the gang will definitely be difficult. Endure things you encounter outside, and when the storm passes, come back,” Sixth Uncle muttered, then took out a bag of copper coins and handed them to Li Qi.

Li Qi watched Sixth Uncle ramble on, then took out a heavy bundle, full of copper coins, some new, some old, but no clothes or dry food.

He knew the reason for no clothes: the gang simply couldn't find any new clothes. As for dry food, it was because his escape route wouldn't allow him to carry it.

“Don't worry, Sixth Uncle, I will definitely come back as soon as possible,” Li Qi took a breath, took the bundle, and tied it to his back.

Killing and leaving his hometown, it truly had the air of a chivalrous person from the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period, though he was no chivalrous person, merely a broken-down Lifter.

But there was no other way; if he hadn't taken the initiative, he would have been the one dead tonight.

Li Qi had always been a decisive person; without much hesitation, he merely promised Sixth Uncle that he would return, then immediately set off, not through the city gate, but by clinging to the bottom of a cargo ship, preparing to drift out with the current.

Although the Li River had not completely thawed yet, as long as there were Boat Towmen willing to pull, ships could still sail.

As for the cargo ship, it was information provided by the boatmen.

Li Qi carried two clay pots, their mouths covered with oilcloth; they were empty, but Li Qi only needed to invert the pots, then open the oilcloth underwater to suck in the air inside.

Combined with Wave-Breaking Force, the air in these two pots could allow him to last an extra hour underwater.

The other Boat Towmen of the Paibo Gang, meanwhile, took on the lowest-priced towing order for that cargo ship, the price almost amounting to working for free, just to ensure they got the job.

They would tow the ship where Li Qi was hiding out of the city.

Everything was arranged. Li Qi took a deep breath, filling his lungs, then submerged himself and clung to the bottom of the cargo ship.

Hidden beneath the cargo ship, he heard the Lifter brothers of the Paibo Gang outside begin to shout their work chants.

“Rope on shoulder, oh, ninety-three feet! Ho-hey!”

“Toil's fate, oh, tied to the shoulder! Ho-hey!”

“Feet push stone, oh, hands scoop sand! Ho-hey!”

“Don't say upstream, no ship can sail! Ho-hey!”

This continued until the cargo ship left the city, departing Li Prefecture.