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[Taihua Crocodile has been commanded. Evolution is possible.]
Evolution is possible?
Holding his throbbing head, Liang Qu couldn't care less about checking carefully; he promptly surfaced to catch his breath, gasping for a good thirty minutes before feeling a bit better.
"It seems that commanding should not be used carelessly, using it too much might turn one into an idiot, and failure is even more dangerous."
However, the evolution option offered by the Ze Cauldron made Liang Qu very curious. The Taihua Crocodile was nearly two meters long, which seemed like the limit. How could it evolve further?
Communicating again, the Ze Cauldron blossomed with brilliance.
[You can consume eighty Water Ze Essence points to evolve the Taihua Crocodile into a Horned Crocodile.]
Eighty points?
Is that a lot or a little?
Liang Qu had no concept of it, especially since he didn't have any Water Ze Essence in hand; he could only give up for now.
After resting for a while, he went back underwater, eager to check the supposed Treasure Plant lotus root, the highlight of this venture.
Breaking off a section from the mud, Liang Qu let the Zhupo Dragon come close to take a bite.
The Zhupo Dragon paddled over with its small paws, shaking its head and swallowing in big bites.
Liang Qu felt the happy emotions of the Zhupo Dragon through the spiritual link and, combining the eaten marks on the lotus roots ashore, was certain that the lotus roots were genuinely good stuff, non-toxic. The crocodile's presence here wasn't a coincidence.
After confirming this, he no longer hesitated. He broke off a section, wiped off the mud, made sure the water didn't flow into his mouth or nose, and took a big bite.
After such hard work tonight, a piece of pancake had long since digested, and his stomach was rumbling again. If it wasn't for the slight improvement in his physical condition from infusing Ze Spirit, he would probably be as frail as when he first arrived.
Liang Qu didn't want to endure that kind of pain again.
Hunger is the hardest thing in the world to endure.
The deep-water lotus roots didn't have as much slime and threads as normal ones and had a faint vapor, giving a crisp taste quite unlike the typical ones, more like an apple, surprisingly delicious and easily finished in a few bites.
And once eaten, it transformed into a warm current. The three fingers he had wounded while commanding were healing at a visibly slow rate!
It was indeed a Treasure Plant!
Liang Qu was overjoyed, but it seemed that this Treasure Plant was primarily healing. Since he wasn't seriously injured, the energy converted to make up for the deficiencies left by his prolonged hunger.
Even without a mirror, he could still feel an improvement in his vitality. He no longer looked as withered and avoided by others as he had at the beginning.
It's a pity he didn't have a more detailed understanding. Maybe its uses went beyond that?
[Water Ze Essence +0.1]
Water Ze Essence!
Is this the Water Ze Essence?
Liang Qu's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the prompt in front of him, not expecting that the long-coveted Water Ze Essence would be obtained so effortlessly.
He thought that finding the healing Treasure Plant was a pleasant surprise, but he hadn't anticipated that the surprises would not stop there.
Wait, if a section of lotus root is 0.1, then eating all of it would net several, right?
Liang Qu was thrilled and dug up a few more sections to eat all at once, but the experiment didn't turn out as he had hoped.
While Water Ze Essence could indeed be gathered repeatedly, not all lotus roots had it. Only the roots near the area where the Zhupo Dragon rested contained it; further away, there was none.
The really useful ones added up to about twenty-three sections. Counting the two sections eaten, that amounted to 2.5 Water Ze Essence. Unfortunately, a section of lotus root was rather large, and after trying a few segments, he couldn't eat any more now.
"Let's try what 0.2 Water Ze Essence can do to increase the integration level," Liang Qu thought to himself.
So far, the help from the Ze Spirit Water Monkey had been immense. Just after fusing, it was so powerful. He had gone from utter destitution to not worrying about food and warmth. After achieving 100% integration, what more would he gain?
As for the evolution of the Zhupo Dragon...
Being a fierce beast in the water, evolving would certainly be good, but with the lotus root as a comparison, Liang Qu now knew how extravagant eighty Water Ze Essence points were, barely a drop in the bucket, and he could only look for opportunities in the future.
With a thought from Liang Qu, the Ze Cauldron suddenly trembled, and a few faint blue dots of light drifted up.
A spirit monkey shadow appeared behind him, and the light dots seemed to find their destination, flowing out of nothingness and merging into it.
[Cauldron Master: Liang Qu]
[Refining Ze Spirit: Water Monkey (White) (Integration Level: 5%↑)]
[Water Ze Essence: None]
[River's Favor Level: None]
[Water Beast Command: Taihua Crocodile (Evolution possible)]
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[Evaluation: Water Monkey Ze Spirit, originating from the great Lord Huaiwo, can inspire the insignificant, with a faint destiny and fragile life.]
"It doesn't increase immediately?"
Liang Qu looked at the arrow on the fusion degree, slightly frowning, but relieved that he indeed felt closer to the aquatic environment. He figured that the fusion wouldn't take too long, which was somewhat satisfactory.
Acquiring Water Ze Essence was easier than expected, and as long as it could be obtained, there was no need to panic. Sooner or later, he would fill it up.
If Zhang Shun, known as the Dominator of Rivers, could stay underwater for seven days and nights, surely his Water Monkey could manage three days and nights without being too excessive, right?
With this thought, most of Liang Qu's anxiety about being in a new world dissipated.
In his previous world, no matter how indifferent people were, if they saw someone starving, giving away a steamed bun or two wasn't a big deal. But here, the scarcity of resources meant apathy was the norm. Plus, without family or friends nearby, he initially felt very lost and anxious.
A famous centenarian once said that living is all about peace of mind.
Liang Qu, relying on his ability to control water, had found a means to secure a living.
Breaching to get some fresh air, Liang Qu looked at his newly acquired underling—the Zhupo Dragon!
Thick-skinned and fleshy, it took a heavy stone hit without sustaining any real damage. Now laying still in the water, it was no different from a family dog—even more understanding of human nature through the mental link.
Evolution was impossible, as eighty units of Water Ze Essence was too much, but being a Zhupo Dragon, it must be a good hunter!
The result...
Looking at the sluggish Zhupo Dragon, Liang Qu smacked his forehead. "Damn, it's really going into hibernation!"
Success and failure both derived from the same cause.
The new underling, slowed by the cold weather and sluggish blood, conveyed an extremely languid emotion. It wasn't that it couldn't burst into action, but rather that this lethargy was its normal state. Helping with fishing seemed unlikely.
"The cold makes you Unable to Move, so that shall be your name. Well then, just continue to lie here, be a guard, and bite to death any small fish or shrimp that come to steal food!"
After receiving its name, the Zhupo Dragon wagged its tail and burrowed into the mud. Once the muddy water settled, the place looked no different from before—nobody would guess that a Treasure Plant was hidden underneath.
At the edge of Marshland.
Liang Qu surfaced and glanced around to make sure no one was there before grabbing the yellowfish and heading home.
The Marshland yellowfish weren't like the saltwater fish of his previous life, which died once out of the water. Liang Qu tied their heads and tails with reed leaves, a technique akin to using fish bowstring, ensuring the fish remained fresh even after a long time out of water.
Walking on the road, Liang Qu felt joyful, as if he wasn't carrying a fish but rather a heavy string of Copper Coins.
If you want to thrive, you indeed need an edge. Just hours before, he had felt alone and lost. But now, life didn't seem so bad. At the very least, he was already better off than the vast majority of ordinary citizens in Yixing City.
Eighty Copper Coins was not a small amount, but winter was approaching, and he needed two sets of clothes since his were all tattered. Then there were salt, grain, soap nuts, stools, pots, bowls...
...hmm, Liang Qu suddenly felt eighty Copper Coins might not be that much after all.
But with the capability he now had, life would surely get better.
Another key issue now was—he had no boat!
Those without long-term plans inevitably have immediate worries.
After merging with the Water Monkey Ze Spirit, his underwater capability had greatly improved. He could catch good game without a boat, but without a boat for cover, once or twice was okay, but over time, it would surely arouse suspicion.
Even if your fishing talent was exceptional and you knew the fish migration patterns, it couldn't be that exaggerated, right?
Without even a boat, was he supposed to rely entirely on diving to catch fish in the cold weather?
His family originally had a boat, but unfortunately, it was stolen by a local thug, Scabby Zhang.
Scabby Zhang was a notorious rascal in Yixing City. Relying on a few days of training at the Martial Arts School, he bullied and intimidated people, and no one dared to provoke him.
After Liang Qu's "father" died, the family's most valuable possession—a Wupeng Boat—naturally caught his eye. He took it away under the pretense that Liang Qu's father had once borrowed Silver from him for drinks, and now it was time to repay the debt.
A fishing boat was a fisherman's lifeline, almost a home to live in, with the family's earthen walls at home only because so many belongings were on the boat!
Who in their right mind would borrow money for drinks from a local thug?
But due to Scabby Zhang's Fist, no one would risk their neck for an orphan, and he could only let it happen.
What was even more infuriating was that afterward, Scabby Zhang came back, claiming the boat wasn't enough to cover the debt, and took away the remaining three pecks of grain he had!
Such behavior was akin to devouring someone's livelihood, wasn't it?
All his dire straits had been forced upon him by that wretched man!
"I'll have to find a chance to get my things back. That way, it'll be easier to conceal my edge, and once I've saved enough money, I'll go to town to learn martial arts. I want to see what's so special about being a martial master. Once I have a good identity, everything will be much simpler."
As Liang Qu pondered, he unknowingly arrived at his doorstep, only to find someone already waiting for him there.
"Young master, how are you coming along with your decision?"
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