7: A gentleman does not hold grudges overnight!

Li Qing controlled the Spirit Turtle to sweep back and forth in the small river, its turtle eyes flashing like two sapphires in the dim underwater.

From time to time, he used the Water Control Talent, creating small whirlpools in the water.

[Devoured small shrimp, evolution value +0.01]

[Devoured crucian carp, evolution value +0.01]

[Devoured Silver-spined Fish, evolution value +0.5]

...System prompts rang out continuously in his mind, and Li Qing tirelessly chased every fish he could see.

Although there weren't many fish and shrimp in the small river, there was a rich variety.

Especially those Silver-spined Fish; each one provided a considerable amount of evolution value.

"Two more Silver-spined Fish, and the evolution value will Breakthrough 30."

Li Qing calculated in his heart, controlling the Spirit Turtle to hide behind a rock covered with algae.

A few small fish were foraging there, one of which had a faint silver light flashing on its dorsal fin.

The Spirit Turtle suddenly lunged out, and under the guidance of the Water Control Talent, the water flow formed a small vortex, trapping the Silver-spined Fish in place.

The sharp turtle beak accurately bit the fish's body, easily tearing it in half.

It swallowed the fish in just a few bites!

[Devoured Silver-spined Fish, evolution value +0.5]

[evolution value: 27.6/500]

As the sky gradually darkened, underwater visibility became worse and worse.

After capturing a few more ordinary small fish, Li Qing decided to end today's hunting.

Through the Spirit Turtle's perception, he confirmed there was no danger around, then hid today's harvest—three Silver-spined Fish—in the reeds by the riverbank.

"I'll come back for them later." Li Qing withdrew his consciousness and opened his eyes.

It was completely dark outside, and the Slum had fallen into silence, with only occasional barking dogs breaking the quiet of the night.

Li Qing sat up from the bed and stretched his limbs.

After sharing the talent, his body had undergone obvious changes.

His originally thin arms now had muscle definition, and the veins under his skin wound like small snakes.

At this moment, he felt he could easily flip a roof.

"A gentleman doesn't let a grudge last overnight!" Li Qing muttered in a low voice, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

The scene during the day where Zhao Si not only snatched the deed to the house but also humiliated him was still fresh in his mind.

He moved lightly to the corner of the wall and dug out the money bag he had buried earlier.

"Zhao Si's home is in the Outer City, some distance from the Slum." Li Qing recalled the memories of the original owner.

Although Zhao Si was just a thug, he had extorted a lot of wealth from the people over the years by acting as Brother Qiang's lackey.

He lived alone, and his biggest hobby was visiting brothels.

Li Qing found an old piece of clothing and tore off a piece of cloth to mask his face.

Risks in the Slum multiplied at night; though it was deserted now, it was better to be safe than sorry.

He checked the wood-cutting knife tucked into his back waist again, ensuring it could be drawn at any time.

"Let's go."

Li Qing took a deep breath and gently pushed open the door.

He traveled along the narrow path by the moonlight.

The Slum at night was not quiet.

Drunken howls came from afar, a child's cry from some house, and the chirping of unknown insects rose and fell in the grass.

Li Qing moved along the base of the walls, avoiding places where people might be.

Passing by Xu An's house, he heard a woman's sobbing from inside.

"What a sin! That was the last of the family's money. How are we going to live now?"

Li Qing paused for a moment but soon continued forward.

Although Xu An was pitiful, his behavior of stealing the family's money to gamble was equally detestable.

The priority now was to settle the score with Zhao Si.

After passing through several narrow alleys, Li Qing reached the border between the Slum and the Outer City.

The houses here were significantly better than those in the Slum, at least made of brick and wood rather than adobe.

Zhao Si's home was among them, a single-story house with a small courtyard.

Li Qing hid in the shadows to observe.

Zhao Si's house was dark; it seemed the owner hadn't returned yet.

The courtyard wall wasn't high, about two meters, which was no problem for the current Li Qing to leap over.

"Scout first."

After confirming no one was around, Li Qing leaped lightly and cleared the wall.

The Great Strength talent made it easy for him, but currently, he could only perform simple jumps like this.

Li Qing was still unable to achieve more refined movements like precise jumping.

He squatted on the wall to observe the courtyard.

A water well, a few pots of withered plants, and some clothes hanging on a laundry line.

Landing softly, Li Qing crept toward the main house.

The windows were tightly shut, and the door was locked.

He tried pushing it, but it didn't budge.

"Looks like I have to wait for the owner to return."

There was a pile of firewood in the corner of the courtyard, which could serve as cover.

Just as he hid, he heard familiar cursing from afar.

"Hehe, that girl's screams tonight were really something..."

Li Qing held his breath behind the woodpile, watching the thug who had been so arrogant during the day.

Zhao Si's face was flushed, and he reeked of alcohol, clearly having drunk a lot at the brothel.

With a "clank," the iron lock was opened.

Zhao Si pushed the door and entered, walking unsteadily toward the main house.

A smug expression appeared on his face.

"Damn, collected two taels of silver from that loser Xu An today and got the deed to the house from the Li kid. Brother Qiang will definitely be happy."

Zhao Si muttered to himself.

"I'll get the martial arts hall slot tomorrow, and then Brother Qiang will surely reward me handsomely!"

martial arts hall slot?

Li Qing clenched his fists in the shadows.

This bastard not only stole his deed to the house but also wanted to use it to exchange for a martial arts hall admission qualification.

This was cutting off his path to the martial way!

Zhao Si walked to the water vat in the courtyard and bent down to scoop up water to wash his face.

"Now!"

Li Qing leaped out from behind the woodpile, his steps light.

Originally, he wanted to try using the Great Strength talent to deal with Zhao Si directly, but seeing that large water vat, he suddenly had another idea.

Water Control Talent!

With a thought from Li Qing, the clear water in the vat began to ripple slightly.

At first, it was just small ripples, then it turned into a noticeable rotation.

"Eh?"

Zhao Si noticed something strange and looked down at the water surface.

The alcohol made his reactions sluggish.

Just then, Li Qing fully activated the Water Control Talent.

"Whoosh!"

A column of water as thick as a bowl's mouth suddenly flew out of the vat, wrapping around Zhao Si's head like a long snake.

The water flow covered his mouth and nose, forming a transparent water mask.

"Mph! Mph-mph!"

Zhao Si's eyes widened, and he struggled desperately.

He waved his hands wildly, trying to grab the water flow binding him, but his fingers passed through the water column like they were catching air.

Li Qing stood in the shadows, focused on maintaining the Water Control Talent.

This was his first time controlling water so precisely; he didn't expect the effect to be so good.

Under his mental control, the water was as easy to use as his own limbs, tightly wrapping around Zhao Si's face.

Zhao Si's face quickly turned red, then purple.

He staggered backward, knocking over the flower pots in the courtyard.

"Want a reward? Go ask the King of Hell!"

Li Qing looked coldly at the struggling Zhao Si.

This bully usually oppressed the good, and tonight he was finally going to pay for his evil deeds.

Li Qing felt no pity; instead, he felt incredibly satisfied.

Zhao Si's movements became slower and slower, and his legs began to go soft.

He tried to call for help, but the water flow blocked his vocal cords, allowing only faint gurgles to escape.

"Is this the power of the Water Control Talent?" Li Qing marveled inwardly.

Compared to the simple and crude Great Strength talent, the Water Control Talent was clearly more flexible and versatile.

Killing invisibly and silently was the perfect means of revenge.

A minute later, Zhao Si's body went completely limp.

His eyes rolled back, and after a few twitches of his limbs, he stopped moving.

The water ball on his head also dispersed.

Li Qing approached cautiously and gave Zhao Si's body a light kick.

No reaction; he was completely dead.

"Serves you right."

Li Qing spat on the corpse.

He began to search Zhao Si's body.

He untied a bulging money bag from his waist; weighing it, there were at least ten taels of silver.

He also pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from the chest pocket—it was indeed the deed to the house!

"It's finally back."

Li Qing unfolded the deed to the house and checked it carefully. After confirming it was correct, he tucked it away carefully.

He didn't dare show this deed to the house yet.

If he brought it out, Brother Qiang would definitely know he killed Zhao Si.

But he couldn't let Brother Qiang benefit either.

He would hide it as soon as he got back.

Besides the deed to the house and the silver, Zhao Si also had a short knife and a few copper coins on him.

Li Qing didn't want the short knife; the risk of exposure was too great.

He took all the money; dead people didn't need these things.

After finishing the looting, Li Qing looked around.

Aside from the overturned flower pots in the courtyard, there were no signs of a struggle.

Zhao Si's cause of death would look like he accidentally fell into the water and drowned while drunk, which was very logical.