Martial arts immortality begins with upgrading buildings.

Two rickshaws stopped directly in front of Chen Qing.

After getting off the bus, Liu Shuyao looked around among the group of laborers and quickly locked her gaze on Chen Qing, then strode towards him.

Another girl followed behind Liu Shuyao, her expression aloof.

Chen Qing and Liu Shuyao had met a few times four years ago and got along fairly well.

Half a month ago, Chen Qing came to the Liu residence, and Liu Shuyao was sitting in the garden when she saw what he looked like.

Although Chen Qing's body had changed a lot, his appearance hadn't changed much, and Liu Shuyao recognized him at a glance.

"Aqing, do you still recognize me? I'm your cousin, Liu Shuyao."

Liu Shuyao walked up to Chen Qing and smiled gently.

"Shuyao has changed a lot. She's even prettier than when she was little. I almost didn't recognize her if you hadn't told me."

Chen Qing said with a smile.

Liu Shuyao was the only relative on his mother's side who had goodwill towards him.

The two had briefly played together when they were children.

Therefore, Chen Qing did not treat him coldly.

"You've changed a lot too, you've become so handsome, I almost didn't recognize you."

Liu Shuyao also smiled and praised her.

She wasn't lying.

Chen Qing was born beautiful. Now he is 1.8 meters tall, with a strong and muscular physique, smooth muscle lines, and three-dimensional facial features with distinct angles.

Aside from his somewhat shabby clothes, he was a handsome young man.

She showed no outward signs of surprise, but was actually very astonished inside.

I remember the last time I saw him, he was very thin and bony.

When did you get so muscular?

Could it be that I misread it back then?

Liu Shuyao quickly suppressed her doubts, pretending that she hadn't seen clearly at the time.

She then asked Chen Qing, "Is now a convenient time? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What brings you here, Sister Shuyao? If it's to send me back to the Liu residence, then forget it."

Chen Qing said calmly.

"Let's talk over there."

Liu Shuyao glanced at the laborers around her, then pointed to an open area by the river.

Chen Qing nodded and walked to the riverbank with Liu Shuyao and another woman.

"My father does want you to return to the Liu family, but he also said that if you don't want to, he'll help you start a small business."

You are our family, and we can't just watch you suffer on the docks forever.

Grandpa cares about you too, but he's been holding a grudge because of what happened back then.

He was rigid in his thinking and still held onto the ideas of the previous dynasty.

His aunt is his most beloved daughter. I hope you can understand what happened back then.

Liu Shuyao spoke slowly.

"What kind of business is my uncle going to help me with?"

Chen Qing smiled and did not refuse.

My mother's greatest wish before she passed away was to receive the recognition and blessings of her loved ones.

Therefore, Chen Qing always regarded her mother's last wish as a goal that she had to fulfill in this life.

Once he becomes strong enough, it will prove that his mother's choice was correct.

This would also make the Liu family willingly acknowledge that the marriage was the right thing to do.

Moreover, his mother had specifically instructed him before she died not to sever ties with the Liu family.

Although he was unwilling, he did not intend to completely sever ties.

If the Liu family were to face a crisis someday, he would not stand idly by out of respect for his mother.

He was short of money at the moment, and he felt there was nothing wrong with accepting the Liu family's financial assistance.

"I know you don't want to go back to the Liu residence, so I've already made arrangements for you."

I wanted to come see you a while ago, but our student council was busy organizing disaster relief fundraising, running around the school and streets every day, so I just couldn't find the time."

Liu Shuyao sighed with a worried look on her face, "Yingchuan is suffering from a severe drought. The crops have failed completely, and the people have even started digging up clay to fill their stomachs. Our donations are really just a drop in the ocean."

She looked at Chen Qing and continued, "I've already finalized the deal for the shop. We were supposed to go and pay this afternoon, but I have something important to do this afternoon, so you'll have to go by yourself."

He then took out three hundred-yuan bills from his pocket, handed them to Chen Qing, and instructed him:

"The shop is at No. 58 Nanmen Street. When you get there, just look for a guy named Lao Jin and tell him you're from the Liu family."

I've already negotiated everything else. You just need to pay the money, and he'll tell you what to do.

I'll come see you after I'm done with this busy period.

"Okay, thank you, Sister Shuyao."

Chen Qing took the three 100-yuan bills, and two messages suddenly popped up in front of him.

The training room can be upgraded; an upgrade costs 500 silver coins.

[Effects: 1. Enhances cultivation effectiveness by 100%. 2. Guaranteed improvement with each cultivation session.]

[Can activate the Spirit Beast Circle; activation requires 500 silver coins]

[Effects: 1. Increases the growth rate of spirit beasts by 50%. 2. There is a certain probability that the raised spirit beasts will evolve.]

"Can we activate the new building now?"

Chen Qing was delighted, but as he looked at the effects of the two types of architecture, he fell into deep thought.

He made his decision quickly.

Based on the experience gained over the past two weeks, the effectiveness of a meditation room depends on a sufficient supply of nutrients.

Only when the body has sufficient nutrition can the full effect be achieved.

Eating meat and eggs is the best way to supplement nutrition.

Therefore, activating the spirit beast circle is the best option at present.

Chen Qing put his hands in his pockets, and with a thought, the three hundred yuan banknote in his hand disappeared instantly. Of the two hundred silver dollars stored in the meditation room, only 25 remained.

At the same time, behind the meditation room, the originally gray mist slowly dissipated, and a lush green meadow of about five acres appeared in Chen Qing's mind.

Chen Qing's consciousness returned to reality, and he began to think about which type of livestock to raise next.

After much thought, I still think raising chickens is the most cost-effective option.

Not only can they eat meat and lay eggs, but they also reproduce quickly.

The key is that it's cheap; one dollar can buy about a hundred chicks or two laying hens.

With the help of the spirit beast circle, I believe I can not only meet my daily nutritional needs, but also make a profit.

Chen Qing immediately decided that after finishing his training today, he would go to the market to buy some chicks and hens to raise in the spirit beast enclosure.

He snapped out of his thoughts, looked up and around, and found that Liu Shuyao and another woman had left the dock at some point.

Thinking about how Liu Shuyao came to see him again not long after and found that he hadn't paid for the shop, he couldn't help but feel guilty.

At this moment, on the river, that familiar large sailboat was slowly approaching the shore.

Chen Qing put aside his distracting thoughts and headed towards Changji Rice Shop's warehouse to start doing odd jobs and gaining experience as a porter.

......

On the official road from Micangdu to the county town, two rickshaws traveled side by side.

Liu Shuyao, who was in one of the cars, smiled at the girl in the other car and said, "Ling Yue, thank you for coming with me today."

She heard that the dock was in chaos, so she asked her classmate and best friend Su Lingyue to go with her.

Despite being just a girl, Su Lingyue is a genuine internal energy martial artist.

In a fight, even thirty to fifty strong men couldn't get close to him.

With her by her side, Liu Shuyao felt completely safe and wasn't afraid of anything going wrong.

"Why are you being so polite with me?"

Su Lingyue said casually, then added with a hint of curiosity, "Your cousin doesn't seem like an ordinary porter."

The moment he saw Chen Qing, he realized that the man's physique and demeanor were far beyond what an ordinary laborer could possess.

They might have some special skills.

To be able to hone one's skills in an environment like a dock is quite remarkable.

"Really? I also think Aqing has changed a lot, but we rarely see each other, so I don't know much about his situation."

Liu Shuyao said casually.

At this moment, she was thinking about the fundraising and didn't pay attention to Chen Qing's changes. Instead, she started talking to Su Lingyue about the fundraising.