9: Xu An has suffered a terrible fate!
"Useless!"
Gao Qiang kicked over a dilapidated wooden stool nearby.
"Can't even keep an eye on things!"
The deed to the house was missing, which made Gao Qiang's suspicions grow deeper.
Drunkenly falling?
I'm afraid it's not that simple!
Gao Qiang was fuming with rage but couldn't find an outlet for it.
He suddenly remembered something and shouted at the people around him.
"Did Zhao Si go to that kid Xu An yesterday to collect the debt?"
"Yes, Brother Qiang. I heard he even gave Xu An a beating."
"Hmph, Xu An."
A fierce glint flashed in Gao Qiang's eyes.
"Let's go, to Xu An's house!"
A group of people aggressively marched toward Xu An's house.
At Xu An's doorstep, his wife was weeping and cursing something. When she saw Gao Qiang's group of thugs, she was so scared she collapsed directly onto the ground.
"Where's Xu An! Get the hell out here!"
Gao Qiang roared.
Xu An crawled out of the house with his clothes in disarray. Seeing Gao Qiang, he fell to his knees with a thud, his whole body shaking like a leaf.
"Q-Qiang, Brother Qiang."
"Brother your mother!"
Gao Qiang grabbed Xu An by the hair and dragged him forward.
"Speak! Did you kill Zhao Si? Is the Li family kid's house deed in your hands?"
Xu An's Soul was Flying Away and his Spirit Scattering. He spoke incoherently, "No, it wasn't me! I... I was beaten by Fourth Brother—no, by Zhao Si—yesterday. How would I have the guts!"
In the face of Gao Qiang's overwhelming Evil Qi, Xu An spoke with a tremble.
Seeing his cowardly appearance, Gao Qiang didn't think he looked like someone who would dare lay a hand on Zhao Si.
But that wicked fire in his heart had nowhere to be released.
"Hmph, I suppose you don't have the dog guts for it!"
Gao Qiang sneered.
"However, anyone who dares to owe me, Gao Qiang, money must pay the price!"
He gave his subordinates a look.
"Break one of his legs! Let everyone in this Slum see what happens when you offend Gao Qiang!"
"No! Brother Qiang, spare me!"
Xu An let out a shrill scream.
Two subordinates stepped forward with cruel grins. One pinned Xu An down while the other raised an iron ruler and smashed it down hard!
*Crack!*
The sound of a bone snapping rang out, accompanied by Xu An's heart-wrenching howl.
Gao Qiang didn't even look. He turned to the surrounding crowd, who were as quiet as cicadas in winter, and spoke sternly.
"Listen up, all of you!"
"Zhao Si was one of my, Gao Qiang's, men!"
"Whoever dares to touch my people, I'll make them wish they were dead!"
"If I find out who did it, I, Gao Qiang, will surely tear them into ten thousand pieces!"
"And as for that house deed, if anyone finds it, you'd better hand it over obediently. Otherwise, Xu An will be your example!"
After saying that, he led his subordinates away.
The Slum fell back into a deathly silence, with only Xu An's screams and his wife's crying echoing through the air.
Hiding behind the crack in the door, Li Qing secretly felt lucky that he had acted covertly last night; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Gao Qiang's brutality caused alarm bells to ring in his heart.
Returning to the room, Li Qing carefully checked all the doors and windows. Only after confirming it was safe did he start a fire to cook.
He washed the newly bought brown rice and put it in the pot to cook.
There was also half a fish; he would make a fish soup to eat today.
After eating, Li Qing once again sank his consciousness into the body of his Spiritual Patterned Turtle Clone.
Xiao Jia was resting in a patch of aquatic grass at the bottom of the river.
Come on, time to take over.
After a morning of independent hunting, its evolution value had grown again.
[evolution value: 32.5/500]
Li Qing controlled Xiao Jia as it glided through the small river.
His hunting efficiency seemed to have improved slightly.
He was using the Water Control Talent more skillfully; some small fish that previously required effort to catch could now be easily trapped by water currents.
The afternoon passed, and evening arrived.
[evolution value: 35/500]
Li Qing withdrew his consciousness with satisfaction.
Although the growth was slow, it was stable.
Over the next few days, the Slum remained shrouded in the shadow cast by Gao Qiang.
In the streets and alleys, the most discussed topics were Zhao Si's death and Gao Qiang's reward.
"Have you heard?"
"Gao Qiang privately put out the word that anyone who can provide a lead on Zhao Si's killer or find that house deed will get a reward of ten taels of silver!"
"Ten taels?"
"Good heavens, that's enough for us to live on for a year!"
"Shh! Keep it down! Do you want to die? What kind of person is Gao Qiang? You dare think about his money?"
"Will you even be alive to spend it?"
Li Qing learned this news from his neighbors' discussions, and his heart grew even more cautious.
It seemed Gao Qiang hadn't given up the investigation.
He decided to minimize going out for the time being and focus all his energy on improving Xiao Jia's strength.
The resources in the small river were limited after all; to evolve quickly, he had to go to the Great River.
A thought gradually became clear in his mind.
Perhaps he could take advantage of the dead of night to let Xiao Jia sneak into the fringes of the Great River.
To try out some hunting.
Although it was dangerous there, the opportunities were even greater.
The Great River, that was the battlefield where a Spirit Beast should roam!
...The night was as dark as ink.
The clamor of the Slum gradually quieted down, with only a few dog barks and insect chirps intertwined.
Li Qing lay on the bed, looking at the System panel before him.
[Host: Li Qing]
[Age: 15]
[Cultivation: None]
[Clone: Spiritual Patterned Turtle (Low-rank Spirit Beast)]
[Clone Talents: Water Respiration (Breathe underwater for two hours), Armor Defense (Can withstand attacks from low-rank Martial Artists), Longevity (500 years), Water Control (Can create small whirlpools or water shields), Great Strength (Strength of nine bulls and two tigers)]
[Shareable Talents]
[evolution value: 47.54/500 (Evolution can be initiated when the value is full)]
It had been three days since Xu An was beaten.
Xu An: Are you being polite?
During these days, besides scouting for information and buying daily necessities during the day,
He spent the rest of his time familiarizing himself with the talent powers shared by his Clone.
Sometimes he would secretly observe the entrance where the small river joined the Great River.
Gao Qiang's reward was like a sword hanging over his head, making him not dare to relax in the slightest.
He had visited Old Man Ma's grocery store twice in the past few days.
Now Old Man Ma looked at him with a strange expression.
He had to hurry up and improve himself.
The resources in the small river were ultimately limited; to quickly increase his strength, the Great River was the only choice.
"Wealth is found in danger. Xiao Jia, tonight we'll take the plunge," Li Qing decided in his heart.
A dark, windy night was the perfect time for action.
Li Qing controlled his Clone, moving silently through the water.
The Clone's body length was now nearly one point four meters.
It avoided all areas where human activity might exist and followed the route in his memory toward the confluence of the small river and the Great River.
The closer it got to the confluence, the louder the sound of the water became, carrying a majestic Aura.
Finally, Li Qing dove headfirst into that much broader expanse of water.
*Boom!*
A current far more rapid than the small river's slammed into Xiao Jia.
Li Qing felt his vision shake for a moment.
He was almost washed away by this sudden force.
He hurriedly steadied his mind and activated the Water Control Talent, barely managing to adapt to the current.
The Great River!
Unlike the tranquility of the small river, the underwater world of the Great River was more complex and profound.
The current was swift, hidden reefs were everywhere, and the aquatic plants were also lusher and taller.
Fortunately, as soon as Li Qing opened his eyes, he saw big fish flashing past him constantly.
His mood instantly became pleasant.
"What a great place!"
Li Qing secretly rejoiced.