Grand House, Big Carp!

The moonlight was bright and clear.

Liang Qu looked around and saw a total of twenty strong men working for him.

Cut planks, lay roof beams, and mix clay.

In the dead of winter, everyone was covered in sweat, and the smell of sweat was very strong.

In winter, it's not easy for ordinary people to take a bath. They have to chop firewood and boil water, and they can easily catch a cold if they're not careful. That would be a huge loss, so everyone tries to take as few baths as possible, Liang Qu doesn't mind either.

He had become quite successful, and he wore a sachet on his waist that smelled of perfume even though it wasn't odorless.

He was covered in fishy smell just like before, but the eldest brother didn't mention the second brother.

Have you eaten yet?

"We've eaten, and the rice is plentiful, and the dishes even have minced meat in them. No other family has ever been as hospitable as you."

"Yes, there's no work in winter, and we're all running out of food. To have food to eat and money to earn is a great thing."

"Minced meat?" Liang Qu shook his head. "Next time, tell Chen Tongmin to use large slices of meat instead. Every time you stew a dish, you have to put three catties of pork in with it."

Everyone was so surprised that they forgot to do their work.

Liang Qu then took out another tael of silver and stuffed it into Liu Quanfu: "Tomorrow New Year's Eve. Go back and rest early today. I'll give you three days off. Come back to work the day after tomorrow. Uncle Fu, could you help me buy some pork? Two catties each. Pick the fatty kind so that everyone can have more meat on the New Year's table."

Pork in Da Shun costs only about 20 coins per catty, while chicken and duck cost more than 50 coins each.

Save the money, spend it.

Liu Quanfu's hand, which had just touched the silver, recoiled as if it had touched charcoal, repeatedly saying, "No, no, you mustn't!"

"What's wrong with that? One part flesh, one part strength; ten parts flesh, ten parts strength. Don't argue with me here. All this polite talk is a waste of time!"

Before Liu Quanfu could reply, the man on the roof cheered.

"Master Liang is so generous!"

"Good!"

"The main house will be secured and completed before the start of spring!"

The joyful shouts attracted the attention of the neighbors, who opened their windows and peeked out to see what was going on.

"Master Liang, let's not rush back. It's sunny today, there's plenty of light, we can work a little longer!"

"That's right, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, let's go all night! It'll be worth the meal Master Liang gave us!"

Liang Qu laughed loudly, "Whatever you want."

That's exactly the effect he wanted—to be more motivated so he could move into the grand mansion as soon as possible.

Once the house is built, use the remaining money to hire two more maids.

Eat whatever you want, live however you want, and in the end, everything will be neat and tidy for you.

Liang Qu stretched out his legs, sat on the wood, and yawned lazily, looking quite content.

The dream that couldn't be realized in my past life has been easily achieved in this one. Just thinking about it makes me feel comfortable.

"Okay, that's settled then. I'm leaving now."

"Take care, Master Liang."

Liu Quanfu saw Liang Qu off respectfully all the way, watching him walk out of the courtyard halfway over the wall before turning back to shout to the crowd.

"One by one, don't slack off! Raise the main beam! Get all the main beams in place tonight! Install the rafters too, and the roof panels for the main house must be laid before dawn!"

"Alright, I'll listen to you, Uncle Fu!"

Under the moonlight.

The long oars stirred up the water, creating whirlpools, while an invisible current surged from back to front, propelling the Black Awning Boat to a certain body of water at an extremely fast speed.

Liang Qu estimated that if there were any dragon boat races, he could win the top prize all by himself.

The three beasts that had been waiting there surfaced to provide assistance.

Liang Qu grabbed Fubo and Azure Wolf and jumped into the water to measure his lotus root.

Since the Crab Monster's shell and the unknown Martial Artist's remains were buried, the lotus root's growth rate has noticeably increased.

Its growth area has become larger, showing a tendency to completely fill in the areas previously destroyed by the Crab Monster.

Having confirmed that burying something would bring benefits, and with the lotus roots growing very healthily, Liang Qu and the three beasts explored further afield, mainly to the bottom of the water.

Many Water Beast have the habit of digging burrows to live underwater, and these species, such as the Fat Catfish, the Zhu Po Long, and even the Fist, are not easy to find.

First, they are difficult to spot. Treasure Fish are clever and will cover the entrance to their holes with silt, making it impossible to tell the difference without careful observation.

Secondly, they are enormous in size, but all have short arms, so finding them won't help unless you wait for the creatures in the cave to come out on their own.

But this is not a problem for Liang Qu at all.

His perception range is twenty meters, with a detailed range of ten meters. Although his perception of the mud and sand is somewhat impaired, he can still probe to a depth of about one meter.

Liang Qu has a much greater advantage in exploration than the three beasts, but he usually doesn't want to waste time looking for resources. He'd rather spend that time driving more stakes himself.

Feeling along the bottom of the water, when they saw the entrance to the Liang Qu, they sent the Heavenly Water Centipede in to explore. Some were empty, and occasionally they could drive out some small fish, all of which were common species.

Half an hour later, an unusual cave entrance appeared within Liang Qu's perception range.

The cave's interior is extremely long, with sections as thick as a person's leg, and the deepest part is beyond the range of perception.

Most fish don't have that much strength, so there might be a surprise.

Having experience digging for eels in his youth, Liang Qu did not act rashly. He first searched the vicinity and successfully found two equally large mud holes, where he had the Fat Catfish and the Zhu Po Long lie in ambush outside the holes.

All places were blocked, Liang Qu allowed the Heavenly Water Centipede to enter the cave.

The Heavenly Water Centipede is small in size but incredibly powerful. When it's in a critical moment, it curls up, its hard shell and metal ball making it difficult even for Treasure Fish to bite, making it ideal for exploring caves.

Upon receiving the order, Awei shook his two whiskers and Centipede along the large hole.

In the Mental Link, Liang Qu could sense that Awei was moving deeper and deeper. After reaching a depth of about three meters underground, it suddenly stopped and then quickly retreated.

"They're here!"

Liang Qu, wielding the Fubo, stood ready at the cave entrance.

Just as Awei retreated to less than a meter off the ground, a tall, slender figure entered his sensory field.

Good heavens, it's an eel!

An eel as thick as a forearm!

Could it be Treasure Fish? Liang Qu looked delighted. Just as the Heavenly Water Centipede crawled out of the hole and the giant eel poked its head out, he thrust his spear in.

The spearhead of the Subduing Waves Spear was extremely sharp. It cut through the water without causing any ripples. The giant eel was completely unaware when its head was pierced through. Due to inertia, it was even pushed forward a short distance. A large gash was cut from its head to its neck, and the blood that overflowed spread with the ripples.

The giant eel realized what was happening too late. It curled up and struggled frantically, but the spear didn't move at all, yet its entire head was sliced off.

Liang Qu: "."

Sometimes being too sharp isn't good either; it can't guarantee the prey's integrity, and with a little struggle, it might dislocate its own head.

Liang Qu grabbed the eel's half-body, which was still inside the hole, with his "Fist" and pulled it out. Upon seeing the seven purple spots on the eel's body, Liang Qu was overjoyed.

"Seven Star Eel!"

He was no longer a novice; he recognized many common Treasure Fish.

The Seven Star Eel is one such species. It is slimy, strong, and lives in burrows, making it more difficult to catch than ordinary Treasure Fish.

However difficult to catch, its buff effects are almost identical to those of the Tiger Head Grouper.

The one in front of me weighs about two pounds; it's still unknown whether it can help the "Cannot Move" creature evolve first.

Liang Qu let "Cannot Move" come over and threw all the Seven Star Eel to it.

"Cannot Move" swung its tail and strode forward, opening its mouth wide to swallow the whole eel without even chewing.

The Fat Catfish watched with envy, its Long Whiskers waving incessantly.

Liang Qu shrugged. "There's nothing I can do. A Fei, you need eight points, but if Cannot Move, you only need six. If it eats you, it might evolve. You don't get any. Just bear with it for now, and next time it'll all be yours."

Since the gods had spoken, A Fei had no choice but to endure it. It swam around, wagging its tail, and caught two Big Grass Carp to satisfy its craving. While eating, it didn't forget to share two fish heads with its unfortunate brethren.

Fist and Awei didn't mind, each grabbing a fish head and gnawing on it.

Communicate with Ze Cauldron.

[Can consume 1.2 points of Marsh Essence to evolve Taihua Crocodile into Jiaomu Crocodile]

Liang Qu let out a soft sigh.

really.

Even though I was mentally prepared, it was still very upsetting to see it in person.

The effects of the Seven Star Eel are similar to those of the Tiger Head Grouper Red Blood Perch. Eating a small two-pound eel completely provides about four or five points of Marsh Essence.

We can only keep searching.

Liang Qu was not discouraged and continued to search with several Water Beast. They searched until dawn but still couldn't find the Treasure Fish and were exhausted.

Uncle Chen should go out fishing at this time; it's not good for him to stay any longer.

Liang Qu had told Chen Qingjiang that he didn't need to go out fishing in the middle of the night; with his bait, there was no difference between night and day.

Chen Qingjiang insists that fish are more active at night, so baiting will be more effective, a valuable experience passed down from generations of fishermen.

Logically, there was nothing wrong with it, and Liang Qu couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he could only let him do as he pleased.

Let's go back to the Martial Arts School and sleep!

the next day.

Liang Qu had cooked meat and guessed that Uncle Chen was still fishing in the morning, continuing his sparring with his senior brother, and would only head to Yi Xing City around noon.

Hu Qi flexed his muscles and said, "Master's Wife invited us over for dinner tonight, don't forget."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely be back before 4:45 PM!"

Liang Qu's voice disappeared outside the door, Hu Qi shook his head helplessly.

"Today we will definitely be able to make the Cannot Move evolve!"

Liang Qu rowed his boat with great confidence. Just as he passed the dock, he heard cheers coming from the street, as if a crowd had gathered.

He stopped the boat and pricked up his ears.

"Treasure Fish, it must be Treasure Fish! I've never seen such a beautiful Treasure Fish before!"

"This fish is huge! How did you catch it?"

Treasure Fish! Another fisherman has caught Treasure Fish? Liang Qu was overjoyed.

Yes, besides myself, there are other fishermen too.

At a wharf, there are always a few Treasure Fish every month; I'm really stuck in a mental dead end.

He was Martial Artist too, and he had money. If he couldn't catch it himself, he could just buy one from someone else! Liang Qu couldn't wait to see what the Jiaomu Crocodile looked like. He didn't even bother to greet the villagers before rushing into the crowd, only to find an old acquaintance surrounded by them! "Chen Qingjiang, you're lucky!"

"Old Chen, could you lend me some of your bait?"

"Hahaha, Old Li, you're dreaming! You want to get on the good side of Martial Master?"

"Never mind Old Li, just tell me how you caught him?"

Surrounded by the crowd, Chen Qingjiang was soaking wet, his face flushed, seemingly oblivious to the cold. He was extremely excited and laughed breathlessly.

"After I finished fishing today, on my way back I saw a fish floating on the water to breathe. From a distance it looked like a carp, but I had never seen its back before. It was green and mottled, and it was incredibly beautiful."

Carp are expensive to begin with, and I thought it might be Treasure Fish, so I quickly rowed after it, my palms were all rubbed raw. Afraid of the net breaking, I even cast two nets at once, but they were both torn to shreds.

I was so anxious at the time that I impulsively grabbed the oar and jumped into the water. I hit the fish on the head several times, and only managed to stun it after it was half-dead from the cold. Then I grabbed it and got it onto the boat!

Liang Qu, standing outside the crowd, listened in a daze.

My goodness!

The opportunity for the two beasts to evolve must lie with Uncle Chen!