Starting with fishing, I've traversed a chaotic world of demons and martial arts.

During the Republic of China era, handguns were certainly not uncommon, but they were highly concentrated in the hands of specific classes and groups.

Who would have thought that Li Tianxing, a fisherman from the bottom of society, would actually possess a high-end Ma brand pistol?!

This imported weapon is not a homemade pistol; its biggest advantage is its small size and concealment, making it easy to hide.

Li Tianxing tucked the pistol into his pocket; he planned to carry it with him at all times.

Xiao Yuan had already washed the dishes and chopsticks:

"Young master, please be careful when you go fishing. I heard that there have been several deaths in the county recently, and the police are investigating extensively."

"Such a thing happens? At this time of year, the county is usually at its most peaceful?"

Li Tianxing frowned. He suddenly remembered what Wu Da had said: "Wait until things calm down in a few days."

Could it be that it wasn't because of the "worship of the river god," but because of the "murder case" that occurred in the county?

"Did you find anything?"

Li Tianxing sat on the bed, and Xiao Yuan brought him water to wash his feet and helped him wash them.

"No, I heard from the people at the laundry room that the bodies looked like they had been eaten by something, it was terrifying."

The little mandarin duck squatted on the ground, her voice tinged with fear.

The corpses were all eaten; could it be some kind of monster?

Li Tianxing felt that this was very likely, and he looked at the three books on his bedside table.

It seems I cannot afford to slack off in the slightest; I must improve my skills as soon as possible…

Li Tianxing looked down at Xiao Yuan, who was squatting at his feet:

"Xiao Yuan, go wash up and rest by yourself, don't worry about me. Besides, I can wash my feet by myself."

Little Mandarin duck raised her head, her big eyes narrowing into crescent moons:

"It's alright, young master. You've been working so hard outside, as your personal maid, this is what I should do."

Before, when we lived in the manor, the master and mistress treated me very well. Now that the young master only has me by his side, I must serve him even better.

Li Tianxing felt a warmth in his heart. In his previous life, if he wanted to marry such a gentle and considerate woman, wouldn't it cost hundreds of thousands?

Perhaps even several hundred thousand is a conservative estimate...

……

Night had fallen, and a faint candlelight shone inside the room.

Xiao Yuan was already asleep in her own little bed.

What she was holding in her arms was a bag of copper coins that Li Tianxing had given her, for her to use for buying groceries, cooking, and daily expenses.

Li Tianxing exchanged half of his silver dollars for copper coins. Although it was a bit inconvenient, given his current status, it was better to keep a low profile.

"To learn the 'Wave Chasing Skill,' one must first master a certain level of water skills, using water as a furnace to hone oneself..."

The three key points of the Wave Chasing Skill are: the breath follows the waves, the body floats on the water, and the strength does not go against the current...

By the dim light of a candle, Li Tianxing was repeatedly studying the "Wave-Chasing Skill".

Even with the help of reading techniques, Li Tianxing still felt a headache coming on.

"No wonder everyone says you have to go to a martial arts school and find a master to learn martial arts..."

What can you learn just by reading a book?

Li Tianxing rediscovered the feeling he had when solving math problems in his past life. Even looking at the solution explanations, he struggled to understand certain key points...

Li Tianxing rubbed his temples. The book didn't contain much; it was mostly incantations, mental techniques, and a few hastily drawn diagrams.

He memorized it until midnight, and had it all memorized.

Li Tianxing threw off the covers, jumped out of bed, and began practicing the movements and incantations from the book...

……

At dawn, the rooster crowed.

Xiao Yuan rubbed her eyes and opened them.

"Young Master... what's wrong?"

To Xiao Yuan's surprise, her young master was already dressed and had prepared breakfast, which he was eating.

Li Tianxing said, feeling refreshed:

"You're awake? Let's eat. I made porridge and bought some meat buns, come and eat!"

Li Tianxing's efforts throughout the night were not in vain; he managed to succeed by leveraging the perfect synergy between fishing and his wave-chasing skills.

Without even getting into the water, the Wave Chasing Skill was actually recorded into the panel!

[Technique: Wave Chasing Skill (Beginner)]

Progress: (53/100)

[Ability: Listening to the Waves.]

[Listen to the Waves: Hearing is enhanced, allowing you to detect subtler sounds underwater, and also improves your underwater endurance.]

"After going down into the river today, I should be able to master the basics of the Wave Chasing Skill."

Because I was a beginner at fishing, I entered the "Wave Chasing Skill" into the panel overnight.

It seems that all the techniques I have learned, if they are interconnected, can corroborate each other and accelerate my progress in practice.

Instead of starting from scratch like a beginner!

Li Tianxing firmly believed that if he mastered the Wave Chasing Skill, he could probably directly reach the beginner level by learning similar water-based skills!

As the saying goes, a happy event makes one feel refreshed, so even though Li Tianxing hadn't slept all night, he was still full of energy!

This is also related to his increased physical strength...

Xiao Yuan lifted the blanket. She had been eating well lately, so her health and blood circulation had begun to improve.

Xiao Yuan's skin, which was originally a bit yellowish, gradually became rosy.

The two little white rabbits under the thin shirt also began to grow strong and healthy...

"Young Master, thank you. I'll definitely get up early every morning from now on so you won't go hungry!"

After getting dressed, Xiao Yuan obediently sat down next to Li Tianxing.

Li Tianxing picked up a meat bun and placed it in Xiao Yuan's hand.

"Hurry up and eat. I'll come back for lunch from now on. Don't skimp on groceries."

Only when I eat well will I have more energy to make money, you understand?

"Yes, I understand, young master!"

The little mandarin duck smelled the aroma of the meat buns and buried her head in eating them...

……

As Li Tian walked along the road after leaving home, he ran into Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei's family also lived in this shantytown, and the two walked side by side.

Li Tianxing took out two hundred copper coins and handed them to Zhang Wei:

"I'll return the money I borrowed last time for the boat rental and fishing gear."

Zhang Wei took the copper coin: "Not bad, Tianxing. You must be some kind of innate fishing genius."

"It's only been a few days, and you've already paid me back all the money. Do you even have enough to eat?"

Zhang Wei was unaware that Li Tianxing had sold his calligraphy supplies, and even less aware of how skilled Li Tianxing was at fishing.

Li Tianxing said, "I have enough money. By the way, I heard there have been a few deaths in the county recently?"

Zhang Wei is also a fisherman, but he entered the industry earlier and has his own team, so his information network is naturally wider than Li Tianxing's.

Zhang Wei's expression was somewhat grave:

"Yes, even one of the foremen at the fish market, Foreman Zhang, was murdered!"

I heard she was murdered on her way home after drinking at a brothel that night.

"Foreman Zhang? Didn't he know kung fu? How could he die so easily?"

Li Tianxing had heard of Foreman Zhang's reputation and that he was even more capable than Wang Li, whom he had met yesterday.

Zhang Wei nodded and said, "Yes, I heard that Foreman Zhang has already reached the level of 'flesh and skin as armor.' I don't really understand, but that's what everyone on the ship says."

When one foot steps into the flesh and becomes armor, it means the skin forging process is nearing completion.

You've successfully entered the Body Tempering Realm, haven't you...?

He's already become a foreman before even entering the first realm.

I wonder what level of cultivation the Red Stick under the Black Dragon Gang is at?