At that time, Xu Di was traveling around the martial arts world and had nothing to do. Seeing that Ma Pingting's parents were generous people, he helped them fight back to the headquarters of the Cao Gang and regain the right to control the Cao Gang.
The events that happened back then sound simple, but those who experienced them still feel a chill run down their spines when they think about them. Xu Di, a teenager, used his wisdom to quell the internal strife of the number one gang in the world, the Cao Gang, and helped the gang eliminate traitors and spies. Most importantly, Xu Di helped the Cao Gang establish some rules and regulations, and it was precisely because of these rules and regulations that the Cao Gang has been able to develop smoothly in recent years.
Ma Pingting's father died a few years later due to poor health. Originally, the position of gang leader was to be passed on to Ma Pingting's younger brother, but since he was still young, the gang elders discussed the matter and decided to let Ma Pingting's mother take over as gang leader.
At that time, Ma Pingting, who was fifteen or sixteen years old, was in love. Xu Di was not only handsome and skilled in martial arts, but most importantly, he was unparalleled in wisdom. Ma Pingting inevitably fell in love with Xu Di. Unfortunately, her feelings were unrequited. Xu Di made it clear to Madam Ma that he was already engaged and would return to the capital to get married soon.
Madam Ma admired Xu Di's wisdom and thought that if her daughter married Xu Di, it would be extremely beneficial to her family and the entire Cao Gang. Unexpectedly, Xu Di refused. Madam Ma did not want to sever her relationship with Xu Di, so she arranged for Xu Di and Ma Pingting to become sworn siblings, since Ma Pingting was a year older than Xu Di.
After this incident, whenever Ma Pingting looked at other men, she could always find something that made them inferior to Xu Di. She dragged it out until she was over twenty years old, but still couldn't find someone she liked to marry.
As Ma Pingting walked along, she felt a pang of sadness. She kept remembering the first time she saw Xu Di, the feeling of being amazed by him. If she were to get married, Ma Pingting felt that she should at least find someone who gave her that feeling back then. Unfortunately, many years had passed, and she had met many, many people, but none of them had given her that feeling. She had married just anyone, but she was still somewhat unwilling to accept it, so she kept putting it off.
Madam Ma had urged her before, and Ma Pingting wasn't an ordinary girl. She had been learning kung fu from the gang since she was a child. Although her skills weren't top-notch, she still had some reputation in the martial arts world. Later, Madam Ma didn't dare to urge her anymore, fearing that if she pushed her too hard, Ma Pingting would run away from home. Back then, because she had urged her too hard, Ma Pingting simply packed her bags and ran away from home. A girl alone outside always makes her family worry.
The Cao Gang's office in Linqing was located on the street near the canal, in a large mansion. Many of the gang's brothers lived there. In the past, some brothers would bring their wives and children to live with them after they got married. Over time, the mansion became quite full.
The gang was wealthy, and it was always inconvenient for the brothers to live together with their families. So they bought several houses and distributed them to the brothers with families, so that they could have a quiet place to live.
After entering the courtyard, Ma Pingting went directly to the study in the outer courtyard, which was the office of the head of the branch stationed in Linqing.
The head of the hall and Ma Pingting's father are sworn brothers, surnamed Zhao. When Ma Pingting sees him, she calls him Uncle Zhao.
When Master Zhao saw Ma Pingting return, he smiled and said, "Pingting, did you see anyone?"
Ma Pingting sat opposite Master Zhao, nodded, and said, "I saw them, and I also saw Xu Di's wife and children. Xu Di's wife is really capable; she gave birth to twins."
Upon hearing this, Master Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "This kid is better than everyone else at everything, even at having children!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Pingting burst out laughing and said, "The child was born to someone else's wife, so you can only say that Xu Di married a good woman."
Upon hearing this, Master Zhao smiled and nodded. Many people in the gang knew about Ma Pingting and Xu Di's affair back then. Some people said that Ma Pingting hadn't married because she still had feelings for Xu Di. Master Zhao didn't think so. Ma Pingting was someone who could let go easily. The fact that she hadn't found someone else could only mean that Ma Pingting had left a very deep impression on Xu Di back then, so deep that she couldn't find anyone better than Xu Di.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Master Zhao said to Ma Pingting, "Xu Di has our token and this is the first time he's asked us for help. I've already made arrangements, and we'll be heading to Tongzhou the day after tomorrow."
Ma Pingting said, "Uncle Zhao, I'll go with the ship and escort them all the way to the capital."
After hearing this, Master Zhao hesitated for a moment and said, "Pingting, if you go with her, won't your mother be unhappy?"
Ma Pingting said, "Uncle Zhao, Xu Di is my sworn brother. This time I'm escorting Xu Di's mother, wife and children. Xu Di's mother is my godmother. Don't you think I, as a junior, should escort them home?"
For a moment, Master Zhao didn't know how to refute, so he could only nod and say, "Go to the ship tomorrow and check again. It is said that they have been attacked several times on their way from Penglai. It should not be an ordinary person trying to assassinate them. The journey from Linqing to Tongzhou will be even more dangerous."
Upon hearing this, Ma Pingting frowned and thought for a while before saying, "Uncle Zhao, write to my mother now and ask her to send some of the gang's secret guards to accompany me to the capital the day after tomorrow. Our gang owes Xu Di a great debt of gratitude, so we should do our utmost to escort him this time." Master Zhao then wrote a letter to Madam Ma, instructing her to send it to the gang's headquarters via a fast ship. Madam Ma received the letter in the afternoon. After reading it, she slammed her hand on the table. A boy of about ten years old next to her saw this, took out the letter, looked at it for a long time, and said, "Mother, what do you mean?"
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