Meng Qi drew out his long sword and waved it about, making a show of being deep in thought as he pondered the mysteries of his swordplay.

  Before long, a woman dressed as a Muslim wife walked in. She was ordinary-looking but had the advantage of being young, with a youthful and alluring aura about her. Her neckline was cut very low, revealing a plump and tender skin.

  "Did you see the Fourth Master?" she asked in a soft and charming voice. The Fifth Master was handsome, even more so than the Fourth Master, but he always made people feel a little afraid. He would attack without warning, kill without hesitation. When facing the terrifying Sunset Butcher Wang Hong, he would draw his sword and strike without any signs of fear or apprehension.

  Although such a man is irresistible and makes one's legs weak, he still inspires a few more points of awe, and one dares not get close to him.

  Meng Qi furrowed his brow and said impatiently, "Not seen."

  The woman stared blankly, watching Meng Qi carefully practicing his swordsmanship, looking at his handsome appearance with red lips and white teeth. Suddenly, a few degrees of heat rose from the bottom of her heart, and she wished to swallow him in one gulp. So, she mustered up some courage, her voice soft as dripping water: "Fifth Master, we've arrived at Fish Sea, everyone has gone out to have fun, why don't you go out?"

  "Practice your sword." Meng Qi replied coldly.

  "It's not like it's going to take a lot of effort." The female bandit walked slowly towards Meng Qi, her voice becoming increasingly soft and alluring as she asked, "Wu Dangjia, you're still young, have you ever tasted the pleasure of a woman?"

  Meng Qi looked at her coldly, his long sword pointing: "Your steps have seven mistakes, each of which can be killed by me with one sword, such as here, here......"

  He said, while simultaneously pointing out the long sword, its cold light piercing and bone-chillingly cold, scaring away the female bandit's fiery passion, her expression awkward with fear as she forced herself to calm down and say: "My martial arts skills are lacking, thank you, Fifth Master, for your guidance. I will immediately return and practice diligently."

  As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and walked away hastily, her footsteps in disarray, as if an evil spirit was chasing after her.

  "Who would have thought that pretending to be obsessed with swordsmanship could scare them away..." Gu Zhangqing's face was full of "I knew it all along, why bother in the first place".

  Meng Qi sheathed his long sword and smiled at him: "If it were you, it would definitely be impossible."

  It's purely determined by the current image built for others, what you really are doesn't matter, what matters is what others think you are, whether it's bold, generous, cold-blooded, ruthless, or thin-skinned and not good at refusing. As long as a intuitive image is deliberately established through certain things, this image can be used to "deceive" others.

  Gu Changqing thought for a moment, then sighed dejectedly: "You're right, if I do this, they'll just come up to me and say, 'Hey, Fourth Master, your sword skills are amazing! Come teach me, hold my hand and guide me slowly.' Ugh, I should have pretended to be cool and passionate too."

  "It's too late." Meng Qi said with a smile, if you want to establish an image, you have to start from the beginning, only then will it be effective.

  Then he stood up and said to Gu Changqing: "Let's go find Zhong Ya Shuai, you tell him this..."

  Zhong Yajiang and Gong Shuoyue had a fierce battle, feeling refreshed but slightly tired. Looking at the two new masters who came to their door, they asked in confusion: "Little Meng brothers, Little Gu brothers, what brings you to our place?"

  "Chang Qing brought me here." Meng Qi said with a cold expression.

  Gu Changqing smiled and said: "The eldest son of the family, it's just that I thought of some things and need to make preparations in advance, so I came to discuss with you."

  "What preparations should be made in advance?" Zhong Ya was even more puzzled.

  Gu Changqing smiled and said, "The Eldest Young Master doesn't plan on leaving a way out? If the evil knife's wanted poster's little bald donkey is caught by you, Yuan Menger will ask you to hand him over. Will you or won't you?"

  Thinking of being sold by Meng Qi all the way, ruining his image, he gritted his teeth when mentioning the three words "Xiao Tu Zi".

  Zhong Ya Xi took a deep breath: "Reasonably speaking, little brother Gu said it reasonably."

  Although I just came with the idea of trying my luck, what if I really have good fortune? Don't let good fortune come to your door only to lose it because you can't grasp it, or you'll regret it later!

  This is inside Yuhai City, not the oasis or Gobi outside. Once someone is caught, they can immediately ride away on horseback. By then, Yuan Mengzhi will definitely order Bai Ba to seal off the city gate, so we must make preparations in advance.

  "The little bald donkey is cunning and has high martial arts skills. If we want to catch him, our only hope is that Yuan Meng Zhi heavily injured him but didn't capture him on the spot. The hope is really slim." Gu Changqing poured a basin of cold water, and his tone suddenly changed, "But this doesn't mean we'll return empty-handed."

  "The city of Fish Sea is a mixed bag, and this time many horse teams have entered, just like a pile of dry firewood, as long as there's a spark, it will immediately erupt into chaos. This is the perfect opportunity for Little Bald Donkey to rescue people. At that time, taking advantage of the chaos, we can make a fortune. Fish Sea City is one of the most prosperous places in the vast ocean, with countless wealthy families..."

  Zhong Ya was overjoyed and his eyes sparkled as he clapped his hands loudly: "Little Brother Gu, our team is missing someone as clever as you!"

  Gu Changqing began to establish the image of a military strategist, which was not in conflict with his previous image. However, Meng Xiang, who would draw his sword and take action at any time, clearly did not fit this "image".

  He stood up excitedly, pacing back and forth. Yuhai was the core of the southern route, where countless wealth had been accumulated over the years. Although some would be offered to Zeluoju and Shenduxiao, the remaining amount had created a large number of wealthy merchants. Having just failed in his previous venture, he needed a lot of money to recruit new people. After all, not everyone was like Xiaomeng brothers and Xiaogu brothers, who currently valued opportunities and fame more.

  Of course, if one vote can get enough wealth to live a happy life for several lifetimes, then they will divide it among themselves and no longer be bandits!

  Gu Changqing smiled slightly: "So, Master, we should make preparations early and prepare an escape route."

  "Got it." Zhong Ya raised his thumb, "Let's go find some connections and prepare an escape route in advance."

  "Great master, you are a well-known figure in the vast ocean. If you show up yourself, it's easy to attract attention from others, which is not quite proper. Let me and Xiao Meng handle this instead." Gu Changqing hastily intervened.

  Zhongya thought for a moment, that's the reason. We have self-awareness, in the vast ocean, we can't rank among the top, but among our peers, we also have a reputation that is not small. Not to mention others, just Wang Hong alone will definitely pay close attention to himself. When the time comes, if someone with ulterior motives cuts off his retreat route in advance, it will be big trouble.

  He nodded: "Little Gu brothers, you and Little Meng brothers are unfamiliar people, there are advantages and disadvantages, it's not necessarily possible to find a suitable person to entrust this matter to, they may not be willing to believe you either."

  "Isn't there a big boss introduction? As long as you have the big boss's token of trust, I believe they will accept it." Gu Changqing chuckled.

  Chu Ya hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and said: "Two brothers, this matter is handed over to you, it's about the survival of the team, don't mess it up."

  "The master of the house can rest assured." Gu Changqing said with a smile all over his face.

  Zhong Ya Shuai nodded and said: "You go to Lao Cao Hotel on West Street to find..."

  Before he could finish speaking, Gu Zhangqing interrupted him and said, "Find Xie Jiugui."

  "Do you know?" Zhong Ya looked at Gu Changqing in surprise.

  Gu Changqing smiled and said, "A few years ago, I followed my elders to Yuhai. He told me that the thank-you ghost of Lao Cao Hotel is the most just big umbrella in this line. No matter whether it's selling stolen goods, killing people, gathering intelligence, or hiding and escaping, as long as you negotiate with him, there has never been a betrayal. Whether the opponent is Zhen Luoju or Shen Duoluo, he keeps secrets strictly."

  "Yes, Xiejiu Gui has been coming here for over a decade, with an mysterious background. Neither Luo Lao Da nor Shen Du Liao are willing to offend him easily." Zhong Ya suddenly lowered his voice, "It's rumored that Xiejiu Gui himself is a great master of the external world..."

  This phrase sounds somewhat familiar... Meng Qi furrowed his brow in thought.

  After a few words, Zhongya took out a piece of jade from his neck with obvious cracks on it: "We've had dealings with Xiejiu before, and we have some connections. Take this jade, he'll recognize it at a glance."

  Just as the two were about to leave, Zhong Ya suddenly approached Gu Changqing and said in a low voice: "Xiao Meng is too reckless, you have to take care of him. If I weren't afraid that you would encounter danger, I wouldn't even let him out."

  "Dà dāng jiā fàng xīn, wǒ hé xiǎo mèng yě bù shì yī tiān liǎng tiān de jiāo qíng le." Gù cháng qīng zhèng zhòng huí dá.

  Translation: "Don't worry, Master, Meng and I have known each other for a long time." Gu Changqing replied solemnly.

  It's just a friendship of over ten days... Meng Qi's ears moved slightly, and he couldn't help but think to himself, after following him for so long, Chang Qing has also learned how to lie.

  You have a loyal servant who acts as your "backer", even if the wine ghost betrays you, others will not suspect your true identities, at most they will think he is an underling helping the master plan his escape.

  With swords in hand, Meng Qi and Gu Changqing walked through several bustling streets and entered the West Street. The people here were clearly more shabby and their expressions were dull, with a hurried pace.

  The sign "Lao Cao Hotel" hung on a low and humble mud house, with over ten tables inside, dimly lit and extremely noisy.

  Among the sounds of guessing fists, laughing and arguing, Gu Changqing took Meng Qi through the crowd with ease, walking to a square table in the corner, where a man with bird's nest-like hair was lying, reeking of alcohol, with half a jar of wine still in front of him.

  "After all these years, nothing has changed here." Gu Changqing said with a smile to Meng Qi, then knocked on the table in front of him.

  The wine ghost slowly raised his head and said in a muffled voice: "If you have something to say, then speak; if not, please leave."

  His unexpectedly good looks were not bad, if not for his disheveled hair and dirty face, and the smell of wine all over him, he could be considered a handsome man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes.

  "Anytime, anywhere, I can safely send a dozen people out of the fish sea." Gu Changqing said in a low voice.

  The wine ghost fell silent for a moment, took a sip of wine: "Five thousand taels of silver, non-negotiable, pay two thousand first, and when needed, come here at least one incense stick in advance to tell me, after the matter is settled, pay the remaining three thousand."

  Gu Changqing took out a small bag of gems and handed it to Xie Jiugui: "Not just two thousand."

  This is the "activity fund" given by Zhong Ya Shuai, Meng Qi and Gu Changqing will certainly not be polite.

  The wine ghost opened the bag and took a look, finally revealing a hint of a smile on his face. For the first time, he looked at Meng Qi and the others with a straight eye: "Huh, tender skin and delicate flesh, are you from the Central Plains or the snow-capped mountains of the North?"

  He didn't expect an answer at all, and with a drunken glint in his eye, he continued: "Was there ever a 'First House of the Vast Ocean', was Ninth Girl still so beautiful, so fiery?"

  Whenever he mentioned Jiǔ Niáng, his whole demeanor changed, his tone became fervent, his face glowed, and his eyes were gentle, like a young man who had just fallen in love for the first time.

  No wonder it sounds familiar, mysterious background, suspected of being an outdoor scene, just like Qu Jiu Niang! Meng Qi suddenly realized.