Refining the True from the False: Becoming a God Starting with Devouring a True Dragon

When the water crow landed on his shoulder, Wang Qicai finally got a direct sense of how big it was.

Its wingspan was as long as his two arms, its beak was like an iron hook or a dagger, and its feathers, which shone with a green metallic luster, looked more like iron plates stuck into its body.

Even when he flicks water droplets and shakes his feathers, you can hear a swishing, metallic sound.

I can't imagine it.

Just how much impact would this guy have when he swoops down from mid-air?

No wonder it caught this ten-pound bass in one fell swoop.

"Master Liang, what's the price of sea bass these days?"

Wang Qi picked at the fish's gills with one hand and looked back at Liang Baitou.

"Black River fish are cheap. If it were black carp or grass carp, it would only cost three to five coins per pound. But your ten-pound perch is rarer, so it could sell for ten coins."

"If we had more time, we could probably earn more by selling them at the fish market."

"This ten-pound bass can sell for a hundred coins."

As Liang Baitou spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Wang Qi, searching him intently.

They seem to want to find out the secret of how Wang Qineng can control the water crows.

The only thing he could think of now was that the water crow was actually raised by the young man and was deliberately keeping him in suspense, putting on a little show.

Liang Baitou added, "By the way, you're not a fisherman, so you can only eat it, not sell it... so the fish you catch will have to be discounted."

"What's the explanation for this?"

Wang Qi pressed him further, revealing that he was indeed not very familiar with many of the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty.

"Fishermen have to pay a 10% fish tax, which amounts to at least 500 coins per year," Liang Baitou explained.

Wang Qi did a quick mental calculation and thought, "That fisherman earns quite a lot every year, five taels a year... That's higher than the salary of a regular constable in our yamen."

Liang Baitou gave a bitter smile. "It's at least five hundred coins. Not every fisherman can catch more than a thousand catties of fish every year."

"It's normal for most fishermen to go a few days without any fish. They only catch about 200 to 300 catties of fish all year round."

"If you haven't paid 500 coins, you'll have to make up the difference."

"Only skilled fishermen don't need to replenish water; such skilled fishermen are one in ten on the Heihe River."

Wang Qi then realized that if calculated this way, the annual income of an ordinary fisherman was about the same as, or even less than, that of these clerks and probationaries.

If we calculate based on a fisherman catching 200 catties of fish a year.

The fish tax that needs to be paid will account for 25%!

It's so dark.

"But this is already pretty good," Liang Baitou replied.

"At least fishing isn't as dangerous as hunting. As long as you don't dive to depths of more than 20 meters, you generally won't encounter water monsters. So there's not much danger to your life."

"If it were hunters... sigh, there are hardly any hunter families left in Heihe County now, let's not even talk about it."

When Liang Baitou talked about these things, his mood became noticeably lower.

"It's a scourge of demons every day, when will it ever end?"

As he was reminiscing, he heard the flapping sounds around him increase again.

Looking up,

Above the handsome young man's head, another water crow circled.

Although there were no fish, the scene still made Liang Baitou mutter an exclamation of absurdity.

Wang Qi glanced at the time, then gave the two water crows the order to catch fish before turning and leaving.

I still have to patrol this afternoon, so I can't be late.

He carried the perch, which weighed at least ten pounds, and hurried towards the city.

……

Zhengyu Street.

Individual courtyards are scattered loosely along the street.

This is a residential street in Heihe County with a fairly good environment. Each house has high walls and is very imposing. Through the cracks in the doors, you can see that most of the houses have a small vegetable garden in the yard, and some have even created a sandy area, which is probably used as a place for meditation.

Wang Qi watched with great envy.

This is the street where Zhang Yuan lives.

Following the directions given to him by Ge Daniu, he carefully knocked on a thick wooden door.

The person who opened the door was a sturdy woman wearing a blue and white robe.

Behind her, a little girl was clinging to the woman's leg, peeking out slightly to look at Wang Qi.

"Are you Mrs. Zhang?"

Wang Qi asked tentatively.

"Who are you?" The lady looked at Wang Qi with slight surprise.

"My name is Wang Qi, and I am a candidate for a yamen runner."

Madam Zhang smiled. "Brother Yuan just went out. If you need anything, please come back another day..."

After saying that, Madam Zhang was about to close the door.

"Madam Zhang, please don't misunderstand." Wang Qi quickly stopped him. "This morning, Zhang Zaotou instructed me to go fishing at the mouth of the Heihe River to earn some money and rice. As luck would have it... I made a profit on my first try, and it was a ten-pound bass."

"I think this is a joyous and auspicious sign..."

"So I thought I'd give it to Zhang Zaotou."

Looking at Wang Qi's awkward "maturity," Madam Zhang's smile became more natural.

"There aren't many young men who can catch Brother Yuan's eye. It seems that this young man is both down-to-earth and truly capable... He's a rare find."

"Then I'll accept it on behalf of Brother Yuan. I'll also tell him about your visit."

As she spoke, Madam Zhang took the ten-pound bass from Wang Qi's hands.

"Please wait here for a moment."

Madam Zhang jogged into the house and soon returned carrying a large lotus leaf package.

"This is what Brother Yun left for you before he left."

"Ten pounds of cooked beef."

"There's not much, it's just a token."

boom!

Ten pounds of beef landed heavily in Wang Qi's arms.

"What does this mean?"

Wang Qi was a little confused.

Before Madam Zhang could speak, the little girl who had been following him around said, "Father said that if a handsome older brother brings fish over in the next couple of days, he should give the meat to him."

"My father also said that people should know how to repay kindness. Repaying kindness brings unexpected surprises and helps one go further in life..."

Wang Qi suddenly realized what was going on, quickly took a step back, and bowed deeply to Madam Zhang.

"Thank you, Soap Maker! Thank you, Mrs. Zhang!"

"Wang Qi has remembered."

……

After autumn deepens.

As the chill intensified, the candidates for constables became increasingly busy.

Every day, he wakes up to practice martial arts, and after a quick meal, he begins patrolling and searching for snake demons...

They almost never stopped moving.

If there were a ranking system based on WeChat steps at this time, Wang Qi would guarantee that he would be at the top of the list every day.

Heihekou area,

Wang Qi had originally intended to suppress his 'talent'.

However, as the pressure of time increased, some of the Ding-generation candidates for official duties, having exhausted their family wealth and even started taking on debts, still made little progress in their martial arts training. They eventually broke down, took off their clothes, and left.

Sensing the crisis, Wang Qi decided to give the fishermen of Heihekou a little talent shock.

The number of water crows serving him increased from the initial two to five!

His fishing efficiency gradually improved from thirty or forty coins per day at the beginning to a stable level of eighty coins per day.

The catch of fish he made in a day was equivalent to his monthly salary as a probationary constable.

Also because of their superb fishing skills.

Wang Qi successfully earned the title of "King of Crows in Heihekou".

The kestrel's snake-catching efficiency has declined somewhat, averaging only one snake every two days. Moreover, he suspects that the kestrel has some kind of obsession, as every snake it catches is a green snake without exception.

Fortunately, none of these are serious.

It was a morning a month and a half after Master Huang's decree was issued.

As usual, Wang Qi was practicing the Ox-Snake Saber Technique in the courtyard, sword in hand.

There are fewer people in the courtyard now.

Half of the Ding generation have already passed away, and three more Jia generation members have joined.

Ge Daniu, a member of the "Yi" generation, and Lu Shun, the most talented, successfully entered the external training realm one month and three days and five days ago, respectively. They were promoted to official constables, changed courtyards, and moved to the constables' quarters next to the yamen.

This also proves that no matter how talented you are, it's not as good as having good connections.

Only Wang Qi and Gao Ya remain from the original four.

Wang Qi's vital energy was exceptionally strong because of the superior quality of the meat he used. He felt that his vital energy was even higher than that of many martial artists who had reached the external cultivation level, but he could not see the signs of having mastered the external cultivation for a long time.

This made him slightly annoyed and impatient.

Wang Qi has mastered the Ox-Snake Second Form skillfully.

After thousands of repetitions, Professor Zhang Yuan's training method, which combines cultivation and martial arts, has finally developed muscle memory.

Each time the knife is used,

The techniques, breathing, and moves are all aligned.

a moment,

Wang Qi felt a sudden burning sensation in his right arm, which was holding the knife.

An unbearable itch arose at the base of his thumb.

He frowned slightly and looked at the tiger's mouth.

The skin writhed like boiling water, as if something was about to grow out from beneath the skin!

"It's so itchy... What's about to grow out?"

Wang Qi was somewhat horrified.

Because all he's been eating lately is demonized beef and snake meat.

They are all clearly marked as having a demonic aura.

Is it going to backfire?

clack clack...

Wang Qi stared at the tiger's mouth and saw a layer of dark callus gradually covering and stirring up the area. Then the black color gradually faded and disappeared under the skin.

The burning sensation in my right arm subsided, and everything returned to normal.

"This is... a breakthrough?!"

Wang Qi finally realized the truth.