Yun Shou's energy and spirit were astonishingly strong, causing him to toss and turn in bed until midnight, unable to fall asleep and staying up all night.

Normal martial artists would not encounter such a situation. Although they are equally energetic, they have already exhausted most of their energy during their daily martial arts training during the day, so they naturally fall asleep as soon as they get home at night.

Yun Shou maintained his usual fishing pace today, leaving him with a large portion of his energy unused.

He didn't feel sleepy until dawn, when a sliver of light appeared on the horizon.

But it's not suitable to sleep now.

"Sleep after the simulation is over, when we set sail."

He picked up his tattered blanket and walked towards the exit of the boat.

However, halfway there, seeing the somewhat dim sky, he turned around and walked back.

It looks like it's going to rain. It's dangerous, and it's not convenient to sleep while on the boat.

"Just stay home and sleep tonight. Anyway, the Qinghe Gang isn't making it so hard for every fisherman to go out on the boat every day."

Those free fishermen only needed to sell their catch to that unscrupulous merchant, while Yun Shou, who had signed a contract of servitude, only needed to pay a certain amount of ransom each month.

There are five days left until the next "payment".

"It seems I won't have to go fishing every day anymore. Surely I can't suppress this little Green Harvest Gang in five days?"

“They’ve gotten too big for their britches.” Yun Shou sighed softly. “The Qinghe Gang, which used to be like a mountain pressing down on me, has now become ‘small’ and I have completely lost all respect for them.”

Then he changed the subject: "But I deserve all of this!"

"Through more than 40 years of ups and downs, I don't even know how many years I've worked for the Qinghe Gang. It's long past the time stipulated in the contract. Now they owe me!"

"Although I didn't actually stay there for that many years, isn't the 'me' in the simulation still me? They are all my own flesh and blood, my own soul, and my own biological counterparts!"

(Hands on hips)

"Third simulation, start!"

[Ding! Foundation -1%, current foundation 128%]

[In the 269th year of the Great Qing Dynasty, a sharp blade in hand easily stirs up murderous intent. The strength of a second-rate martial artist unconsciously imbues your actions with confidence, amplifying your audacity.]

One evening, Shao Erdan, a man with a bad reputation in Qinghe Village, pretends to chat and joke with you, but in reality, his companion Shao Yimao is secretly stealing your catch from behind and claiming it as his own.

You punched them twice, leaving their faces bruised and battered, and took back your catch. But their screams attracted several members of the Green Harvest Gang.

These ordinary members are only third-rate martial artists, but you prioritize stability and don't want any conflict. However, one of them sneered, swept his leg over, and said he wanted to test your strength.

[You realize you're in trouble. After catching the other person's leg with both hands, you glance at Shao Erdan, whose face is bruised and swollen, and notice a cruel smile on his face. You probably know that this member and Shao Erdan have some kind of relationship.]

[You defeated this member in several moves. Although you are far from your peak level in the last simulation, you are at least a second-rate martial artist. When your internal energy is unleashed, few below the second-rate level can rival you.]

[Another person was about to intervene, but you didn't want to cause trouble again, so you explained that Shao Erdan had started it all, and secretly slipped the second member a handful of copper coins.]

"I see," he said understandingly. "It seems my Wang brothers (the first Qinghe Gang member to make a move) were a bit unfair, but you're quite strong."

[You decide to make things up, saying that during one of your boat trips, you encountered an old man with white hair crossing the lake. After saying you felt a connection, the old man sent a strange, warm current into your body, and your strength gradually increased...blah blah blah.]

[Qinghe Gang leader Xu Ruohai summoned you. After examining your bones, he felt that your aptitude was only average, yet you strangely possessed internal strength and matching physical attributes, ruling out the possibility that you had secretly practiced martial arts on your own.]

[It couldn't possibly be some rare medicinal herb, because you still have traces of Iron Body Kung Fu on your body, which medicinal herbs can't replicate (in reality, it's pure Iron Body Kung Fu; they thought an extremely powerful martial artist had transferred the internal energy and even the effects of the technique to you)].

[After pondering for a long time, the gang leader Xu Ruohai saw no problem and decided to let you join the Qinghe Gang.]

With a wave of his hand, he tore up the indenture on the spot!

Yun Shou: "Oh dear, I'm too embarrassed to step on your face in a few days now."

Then, with another gesture, he had his underling fetch a new contract: You are to join the Qinghe Gang, currently as a regular member, for the time being: permanent!

What? The reason for signing this contract?

Why not take a look at the gang leader's massive fist, a fist befitting a top-tier martial artist!

Yun Shou: "After stepping on it, you have to run it over several times."

You have joined the Qinghe Gang and learned about its sphere of influence: including thirteen lakeside villages, including Qinghe Village.

[Several of them share the same name, Qinghe Village, but within the Qinghe Gang, they are further divided, referred to as Qinghe Village No. 1, Qinghe Village No. 2, etc.]

【You no longer need to fish. Your daily work involves guarding the area and collecting rent. For example, most of the houses in the surrounding villages belong to the Qinghe Gang, and the fishermen have to pay rent to continue living there.】

"Damn capitalists!" Yun Shou spat.

[After 270 years of Daqing, the lives of the official members of the Qinghe Gang were far better than those of the fishermen. You were living a comfortable life and couldn't help but lament your own decadence.]

[But you know this isn't your fault; it's all the gang leader Xu Ruohai's fault. He forced you to join; you didn't want to originally join.]

[You took some time to go to Qingcheng. Although you didn't choose to inherit the memories in the last simulation, that brief introduction alone was enough for you to find a suitable person.]

A martial arts school must have a "martial arts master" to be in charge in order to be qualified to open. However, below the martial arts school, there is also a martial arts academy, or martial arts hall for short.

Because "martial arts cannot be lightly passed on" (meaning that mediocre martial arts skills are not worthy of being promoted), only martial arts schools are authorized to freely recruit disciples, while martial arts academies must be regulated and can at most only teach a few true masters; the rest can only teach children physical training.

[But this is really just for show... In remote areas, where there are no other martial arts schools, even a third-rate martial artist can easily recruit a hundred or eighty disciples, making it larger than some martial arts schools.]

On a secluded street in Qingcheng, you see a storefront: "Hun Yuan Sheng Mie" (Primordial Chaos, Life and Death) – four large characters exuding an air of domineering power.