Sister

"Knowledge changes destiny..." Qing Chen murmured.

He felt that he and Yi were in a strange relationship. He didn't know why, but he always felt that this Artificial Intelligence was secretly competing with him...

You made the other person feel uncomfortable.

Then the other party retaliated.

"First, I'm very curious," Qing Chen said earnestly, "Were your parents human? I'm really asking sincerely, what were their names?"

Yi felt strange. "My parents are indeed human, but why are you asking this? This is the second time you've asked the same question."

"I just want to know, what kind of person could teach such an infuriating Artificial Intelligence like you?" Qing Chen said.

"Oh," Yi replied seriously, "This is indeed a family heirloom. My father almost angered a lot of people to death back then, so I've been exposed to it since I was a child, learning it through his words and deeds."

"Who are your parents?" Qing Chen asked again.

"Now that you're a knight, it's not that you can't say it. My father's name is Ren Xiaosu and my mother's Yang Xiaojin," Yi replied. "You've seen their names before, on the Green Mountain Cliff."

Qing Chen was stunned. It turned out that Yi's parents were actually the son and daughter-in-law of Ren He, the founder of the Knight Organization.

No wonder Yi and Li Shutong had such a good relationship; it turns out they were family friends!

Perhaps it is because of this relationship that Ichiya has a natural affinity for the knight.

Seeing that Qing Chen remained silent, Yi suddenly added, "Oh, right, there's something else... According to federal law, the boxing match winnings you receive are subject to personal income tax."

Qing Chen suddenly had a bad feeling. "Wait, personal income tax? Do we have to pay taxes for fighting in underground boxing matches?"

"Of course," Yi said, "The tax audit system is very powerful and can trace your money transfer records unless you always settle dividends in cash. It is precisely because the tax audit system is so powerful that many small vendors only accept cash payments."

"No wonder the Federation still keeps paper money even though technology is so advanced," Qing Chen said helplessly.

Yi continued, "These days, the people you absolutely shouldn't mess with outside of conglomerates are the IRS. There's an old saying in the Federation: if you mess with a conglomerate, they won't confront you openly to maintain their image, but the IRS will..."

The way conglomerates operate is that even if they are very angry, they will still act all cheerful and joking with you on the surface, and then send their subordinates to wipe out your entire family when they get home.

The IRS is different; whenever you evade taxes, they'll catch you red-handed.

"What is the tax rate?" Qing Chen asked.

"Personal income tax is a tiered tax system, with a maximum tax rate of 55%," Yi said.

At this moment, Qing Chen hesitated slightly before asking, "Is there any legal way to avoid...?"

"Don't worry about it, I've already paid for you," Yi said calmly.

In an instant, Qing Chen felt a surge of blood rushing to his head, almost rupturing the blood vessels in his brain.

Qing Chen calmly asked from inside the car, "Did I break some heavenly law that God needed to send an Artificial Intelligence like you to punish me?"

He earnestly advised, "Even legal tax avoidance is dangerous in the federal government; those people are completely unreasonable. I'm doing this for your own good. You're still too weak to provoke such a powerful national machine as the IRS."

In Qing Chen's original calculations, two boxing matches a month would be enough to pay off his loan, but now that taxes are due, he has to fight four matches.

In fact, the entire Begonia Boxing Gym doesn't have such high-intensity events. After a fight, a boxer needs one or two months to recover from an injury. An average boxer is lucky if he can fight two fights a season.

In other words, Qing Chen's future match schedule must be six or seven times higher than that of other boxers.

He cannot suffer a serious injury during this period, because a serious injury would require him to suspend the competition, which would mean no income and no way to repay the loan.

Then, the house and car he owned all went to the bank.

The loan amount must have been calculated by Li Shutong; the other party hoped to hone Qing Chen's fighting skills through high-intensity combat.

"I know Master wants me to continue in the boxing ring and solidify my fighting foundation," Qing Chen asked from the depths of his soul inside the hovercar, "But this is too much of a rip-off! How can they treat their disciple like this? And the tax rate is way too high!?"

Just then, a fire suddenly ignited in Qing Chen's heart, as if it were burning his blood.

His blood vessels were dilating, and because his blood was too hot, a fine layer of sweat formed on his forehead.

This inner fire is more like magma that suddenly erupts from a crevice in the abyss!

So much so that even without using Breathing Technique, Flame Markings flickered and appeared on Qing Chen's face!

However, the flames came and went quickly. Somehow, the Flame Markings that had faintly appeared on Qing Chen's face turned from red to blue, and the inner fire from the abyss was also extinguished.

Inside the hovercar, someone murmured, "You didn't awaken when your master faked his death, but you almost awakened when he mentioned paying half the tax?"

Qing Chen asked in confusion, "Did I almost awaken just now? But why didn't I?"

Yi said, "I'm not quite sure either. Awakening... it's not in the scientific realm I can explain; it belongs to the mystical. However, what you've experienced is at most a sign of awakening. A true awakening would have far more dramatic consequences than what you've described."

Qing Chen frowned, feeling somewhat regretful. If he could awaken directly, his combat power would likely increase significantly.

He asked, "If I awaken, what will happen to my physical abilities?"

"Your physical fitness may improve again," Yi said.

Each time a knight is promoted, they become the strongest of their class. So, if Qing Chen could awaken again, what level would he reach?

"Has anyone ever suddenly awakened while cultivating?" Qing Chen asked curiously.

"I don't recall it. After all, my potential was already released during cultivation, so I shouldn't have the potential to awaken," Yi replied.

Qing Chen remained silent.

Yi asked curiously, "Aren't you sad? You almost awakened. It's such a pity."

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "The road ahead is long, and there will definitely be other opportunities. There's no need to waste time lamenting what's already missed."

One: "Tsk tsk."

Qing Chen didn't actually walk to the boxing gym, after all, City No. 18 was too big.

By the time he walks to the Fourth District, it will probably be dawn.

At this moment, news of Prison No. 18 being destroyed by the Qing family has spread throughout the entire Federation.

However, no conglomerate reacted excessively; instead, everyone remained silent as if nothing had happened.

When Qing Chen's hovercar landed on the helipad of the Begonia Boxing Gym, he could already hear the cheers erupting inside the gym.

It seems that nothing that happens in the outside world has affected this place.

These gamblers didn't care about the student protests or whether a demigod had died tonight; all they cared about was whether they had won money.

Upon learning that Qing Chen had arrived at the boxing gym, Jiang Xiaotang immediately went to the entrance and carefully examined him. "You... what brings you here?"

After getting out of the car, Qing Chen greeted her warmly, "Sister!"

The images on the screen inside the hovercar suddenly became distorted.

Qing Chen called out "sister," Jiang Xiaotang was taken aback. Then, she suddenly laughed in the night, like a gardenia in full bloom.

The smile was no longer so alluring, but rather somewhat innocent, even giving one the illusion that a delicate fragrance wafted through the night.

That was a genuine smile.

Jiang Xiaotang circled around Qing Chen: "Are you only calling me 'sister' because of the profit-sharing ratio of the Land Cruiser Class Boxing Champion?"

Qing Chen said sincerely, "Whether or not we get dividends is not important. I just feel that you are very kind to me and I want to call you 'sister'."

Inside the car, Yi sighed in a very low voice, "The Knights have finally produced a ruthless character who can completely put aside his pride."

"Whatever your reason, I'm happy that you call me 'sister'," Jiang Xiaotang said with a smile. She turned to her subordinate in a black suit and said, "Tell the referee that no one is allowed to die at Begonia Boxing Gym tonight."

"Received," the subordinate nodded.

Jiang Xiaotang pulled Qing Chen's sleeve and led him inside, casually asking, "Are you alright... I was asking if your injury from the boxing match is okay?"

"It's nothing," Qing Chen said with a smile, shaking his head.

"Shall I arrange a boxing match for you tonight?" Jiang Xiaotang asked again.

Qing Chen hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "I'll just watch the game tonight."

Although he desperately wanted to earn money to pay off his debts, he also calmly knew that he had already been through too much tonight and it was not appropriate for him to do anything unnecessary.

To avoid having certain details discovered.

Right now, there are probably people in the boxing gym already waiting to do a behavioral analysis on him.

Moreover, the proceeds from a boxing match are far from enough to cover his debts...

Li Shutong specifically left him more than ten million yuan, probably to give him some buffer time so that he could continue to improve himself.

Qing Chen has never lacked patience and caution, so he will definitely wait until the time is right before he re-enters that Octagon Cage.

Jiang Xiaotang walked along in her high heels, the sharp heels creating a cheerful gait.

"Want to go to a private box to watch the boxing match?" she asked. "VIP box 001 is still reserved for you. By the way, Li Yinuo is also at the boxing gym tonight. You two seem to know each other. Shall we go find them?"

"No need," Qing Chen shook his head, "I'll just go watch the stands."

Tonight, he must appear in the public eye.

Jiang Xiaotang seemed lost in thought as she walked, and didn't try to persuade her any further, "Alright, from now on, Begonia Boxing Gym is your home. Just tell the staff what you want to do."

After Qing Chen entered the stadium stands, the alluring woman returned to her office and looked at the holographic surveillance video on the table in front of her.

At the center of the image is Qing Chen, who is standing calmly in the stands, his figure tall and well-proportioned.

She rested her chin on her hand and watched silently.

Jiang Xiaotang knew very well that Qing Chen was the next generation of knight leader; otherwise, Li Shutong wouldn't have gone to such lengths to hint at it to her.

Of course, she was also well aware that Li Shutong had suddenly brought Qing Chen to the Begonia Boxing Gym because he wanted her to help look after him.

However, news of Li Shutong's death has spread throughout the Federation's underworld tonight, and many people are eager to take action against Heng Society and seize the profits held by Li Dongze.

However, at this critical juncture when the storm was brewing, Qing Chen, as the next generation leader of the knights, appeared at the Begonia Boxing Gym to watch the boxing match as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Xiaotang couldn't understand why Qing Chen was so calm.

Does this mean that Li Shutong actually did not die?

The woman leaned back in her chair and lit a cigarette, a slight smile playing on her lips, "Having a younger brother seems pretty good."