3: The property deed is gone!

On his way home, Li Qing heard angry shouting coming from an alleyway.

He hid behind a broken wall to peek and saw Zhao Si grabbing a thin, small man by the collar.

The man was named Xu An, the eldest son of the Xu family in the Slum, known for his indulgence in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling.

"Speak! Who stole my money bag?"

"F-Four, Brother Qiang, I really don't know.” Xu An trembled with fear.

"You were the only one who saw me go to pick a concubine last night. My money bag definitely fell then. If it wasn't you, then who?"

Zhao Si punched Xu An in the stomach.

"Bring ten taels of silver tomorrow, or I'll break your legs!"

"Brother Zhao, where would I get ten taels of silver!"

"Damn it, I don't care! Sell yourself! Steal it!"

"In short, if I don't see ten taels of silver tomorrow, I'll kill you!"

...Li Qing held his breath and quietly took a detour home.

Zhao Si was indeed investigating the money bag. Fortunately, he only took out a little bit today and didn't attract anyone's attention.

Wealth should not be flaunted; burying the rest underground was very safe.

He went home to cook some porridge.

At night, Li Qing held his bowl and drank his porridge.

Seeing the numbers occasionally flickering on the translucent System panel before his eyes, he grinned.

His decision had been correct.

In just this short while, the evolution value on the panel had already reached 0.8.

The growth of the evolution value was rising steadily.

Right, he should try the talent Water Respiration again.

He had only tested Armor Defense last night because he was too tired; activating talents consumed his physical strength.

He hadn't even had the chance to experience Water Respiration.

Action followed thought. Since it was called Water Respiration, he should definitely be able to breathe underwater.

He activated the Water Respiration talent.

A cool sensation flowed from the top of his head throughout his body, and Li Qing felt a subtle change in his lungs.

He fetched a basin of water, took a deep breath, and buried his face in it.

Strangely, not only did he not feel like he was suffocating, but he could actually extract oxygen from the water!

Fifteen minutes later.

Li Qing looked up, water droplets dripping from his chin.

This ability was too useful!

After fifteen minutes, he had to take a breath of air before he could continue using the talent.

The rivers in the Slum connected to the Great River outside the city, and because of the existence of Water Demons in the Great River, very few Martial Artists went down there.

Once Xiao Jia evolved, Li Qing planned to go check out the Great River.

It was said that there were Treasure Fish and Treasure Medicine in the river.

Just as he was thinking, footsteps came from outside the door.

Li Qing quickly wiped his face and saw Chen Shui approaching with a cloth bag through the crack in the door.

"Li boy, open the door."

Chen Shui's voice was very low.

Li Qing pulled back the door bolt, and Chen Shui slipped inside, placing the cloth bag on the table: "For you."

Li Qing opened it to see several coarse grain cakes and a piece of meat.

"Uncle Chen, this..."

"Don't make a sound.” Chen Shui's expression was solemn.

"Gao Qiang has people watching you."

"Someone just saw you wandering by the river. Seeing that you didn't die, they might use other small tricks."

Li Qing's heart raced: "Thank you for the warning, Uncle Chen."

Chen Shui shook his head and sighed.

"I'm taking Meng'er to the martial arts hall for an exam tomorrow. We might be away for a few days."

"If Meng'er passes, she'll be able to protect you then. Be careful these next few days."

"This food is enough to last you a while. Don't go out if you don't have to."

Li Qing's eyes grew warm: "Thank you, Uncle Chen."

Chen Shui waved his hand, walked to the door, and then turned back.

"Right, the riverside hasn't been peaceful lately."

"Fishermen say they've seen black shadows swimming underwater, looking like Vicious Beast cubs. Stay away."

After seeing Chen Shui off, Li Qing fell into deep thought.

Vicious Beast cubs?

Could they have slipped in from outside the city?

If his Clone could eat a Vicious Beast cub, would the evolution value skyrocket?

Once this thought appeared, he couldn't get it out of his head.

But with the Clone's current strength, encountering a Vicious Beast would be suicide.

He had to increase its strength first.

Li Qing looked at the System interface; the evolution value was already at 1.

If he could find more living creatures to feed Xiao Jia, the evolution speed would increase significantly.

He would see how much evolution value he had after tonight.

Under the hazy moonlight, Li Qing set up some small traps in his home and then placed a wood-chopping knife under his pillow.

After finishing everything, Li Qing lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Before dawn, Li Qing suddenly woke up with a start.

He had had a nightmare.

Gao Qiang had burst in with his men, pressing a knife against his throat to demand the whereabouts of the deed to the house.

The cold touch in the dream was so real that he subconsciously touched his neck after waking up.

"Whew~" Li Qing let out a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

It was still gray outside the window; the Slum was shrouded in the silence before dawn.

He couldn't wait to open the System panel.

[Host: Li Qing]

[Age: 15]

[Cultivation: None]

[Clone: Chinese Pond Turtle (Mortal Species)]

[Clone Talents: Water Respiration (Inactive), Armor Defense (Inactive), Longevity (Passive)]

[Sharable Talents]

[evolution value: 9/10 (Evolution can begin when the value is full)]

"Nine points!"

Li Qing almost shouted out loud.

Overnight, the Clone had actually preyed on so many fish and shrimp!

At this rate, it could complete its evolution this morning!

Amidst the excitement, Li Qing suddenly thought of a question.

How long would the evolution take?

Would it be like those written in novels, requiring a deep sleep for several days?

Would new talents be generated after the evolution?

Just as he was thinking, a violent kicking sound came from the door.

"Li boy, get out here!"

It was Zhao Si's voice.

Li Qing's heart tightened. He quickly tucked the wood-chopping knife he had prepared last night into his back waistband and covered it with his clothes.

He deliberately delayed for a few seconds before opening the door, pretending he had just woken up.

Zhao Si and two hoodlums were standing outside the door, all three of them with short knives tucked into their waists.

Zhao Si's eyes were bloodshot; he clearly hadn't slept well all night.

"F-Four, Brother Qiang, is something wrong so early?" Li Qing pulled his neck in, looking cowardly.

Zhao Si grabbed him by the collar.

"Stop playing dumb!"

"I've checked. You were wandering by the river last night."

"Looking so leisurely, you must have been the one who stole the money bag!"

"I didn't.” Li Qing struggled, feeling it was difficult to breathe.

"Search!"

With a wave of Zhao Si's hand, the two hoodlums rushed into the room and began ransacking it.

Broken wooden boxes were overturned, straw mats were torn apart, and even the hidden compartment under the stove was discovered.

Fortunately, there was only that bit of coarse rice inside.

"Brother Qiang, nothing.” The hoodlums shook their heads.

Zhao Si narrowed his eyes and suddenly punched Li Qing in the stomach.

The sharp pain made Li Qing double over, dry-heaving incessantly.

"Where's the money?" Zhao Si pinched the back of Li Qing's neck.

"Daring to steal my money, are you tired of living?"

"Hand over the deed to the house, and we'll let this matter go!"

Li Qing endured the pain, his mind racing.

So this was what they were waiting for.

This Zhao Si had some brains.

He knew how to find an excuse.

But this excuse happened to hit the mark by chance.

At this moment, Li Qing definitely couldn't admit it.

"Brother Qiang, I really didn't take it.” He squeezed out a few tears.

"I went to the river yesterday thinking I'd catch some fish, but I didn't catch anything."

"Bullshit!"

Zhao Si gave another kick, knocking Li Qing to the ground.

"I don't care, you're the one who took it!"

"Hand over the deed to the house, and this matter is over."

Li Qing cursed Zhao Si's shamelessness in his heart, but on the surface, he looked even more terrified.

"Brother Qiang, I really didn't take it! Uncle Chen can testify that I went to the river to catch fish."

Hearing Chen Shui's name, Zhao Si's expression changed slightly.

Chen the Butcher had some prestige in the Slum, and it was said he had connections with a certain martial arts hall.

"Hmph, Chen the Butcher can protect you for a moment, but he can't protect you for a lifetime."

Zhao Si squatted down and patted Li Qing's face.

"Brother Qiang said we must get the deed today. You know, we've already settled things with the government. Even if you die..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Besides, if you give us the deed, we only want the quota to enter the martial arts hall to study martial arts. We don't even care for this crappy house of yours."

Li Qing felt a chill all over.

This wasn't an empty threat; Gao Qiang indeed had that capability.

Were there few people who mysteriously disappeared in the Slum every year?

"I... I'll give it."

A great man knows when to yield.

He would settle this debt sooner or later!

Li Qing stood up tremblingly and walked toward the corner.

There was a loose floor tile there, and he pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from underneath it.

Zhao Si snatched it and unfolded it to check.

The paper delicately depicted the house layout and bore a clear red official seal.

"Counting you as knowing what's good for you!"

Zhao Si patted Li Qing's face and made an obscene gesture.

"This little face is quite handsome. If you really can't make it, you can always go be a slang!"

"Thank you for the guidance, Brother Qiang.” Li Qing shuddered and quickly lowered his head to speak.

Fuck, you're the slang.

Your whole family are slangs!

"Hahaha~" Zhao Si laughed a few times and led his men away.

Li Qing slumped onto the ground, his back soaked with cold sweat.

That was close; he was afraid of being dragged off by Zhao Si to be a slang.

He was short and malnourished, but his face was handsome.

With delicate features and a bronze complexion, he vaguely had some of A-Gu's charm.

This was the only thing he was satisfied with regarding the original owner.