Starting as a dockworker

Chapter 17 The Rat Spirit's Past, the Invisibility Technique!

"Is this rat skin a magical artifact?"

Li Xiao reached out and picked up the rat skin from the ground.

Immediately, a vast and long memory surfaced in my mind...

Long, long ago, a mouse ate a magical herb and began its path of cultivation.

[Once, while out foraging for food, it was nearly eaten by a wild animal but was rescued by a young woman.]

[The young woman was surrounded by many animals: rats, lynxes, foxes, wild boars, tigers, wolverines, weasels, squirrels...]

Time flies in the mountains; a century passes in the blink of an eye...

[“Mother, can I speak now?”]

[“Mother, Little Fox, Big Tiger... how did they manage to take human form? When will I be able to?”]

[“Mother, you said that receiving offerings in the mortal world can help me in my spiritual practice?”]

[“Mother, once I cultivate myself into an immortal in the mortal world, I will return to Fragrant Mountain to be with you…”]

[“Huang Shoucai ordered me to kill someone, saying someone was after the Huang family! But Mother won’t let me kill anyone…”]

[“Huang Shoucai gave me so much good food, killing one shouldn’t be a problem, right?”]

[“Killing, killing... can quickly increase my cultivation level....”]

The last thing I remember is a series of recent events.

The rat demon's ability is to become invisible in the dark using its rat skin, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. However, it is not actually very strong in combat. The reason it was able to injure the three martial arts masters, Zhao Liqun and his companions, was that it exhausted all its cultivation and spat out its life essence.

Once this life essence was expelled, not only was all the cultivation gone, but the life itself was also over.

"It's all my fault for coming up with this crazy idea, which made it reveal itself."

"Otherwise, the rat demon could have simply hidden for a few days, and everyone would have naturally dispersed."

"No, you can't really blame me... It had already fallen into the demonic path and couldn't turn back. This was its inevitable fate. Otherwise, the Fate Woman would definitely have saved it..."

"In my memory, that young woman was actually a fortune teller! She had lived for hundreds of years!"

After absorbing these memories, Li Xiao took a deep breath. This world was more complex than he had imagined.

"This rat spirit was good at heart; it was Huang Shouchai who caused it to kill and fall into the demonic path!"

"Having accepted your gifts, I will find a way to avenge you!"

Thinking this, Li Xiao's gaze fell on the rat skin.

[Rat Spirit Skin: A rat skin on the verge of falling into demonic ways, now imbued with supernatural powers. This skin can grow larger or smaller, and can grant invisibility when wrapped inside, but prolonged use will instill murderous intent within.]

[Equipment Effect: Greatly increases Comprehension; Gains the "Enter Darkness" spiritual technique]

"This thing has amazing effects even when not equipped!"

Upon seeing the efficacy of the rat skin, Li Xiao was greatly surprised.

In other words, anyone else can also use the rat skin to cloak themselves and achieve invisibility.

However, it has side effects; excessive use can lead to murder.

But I won't. After equipping it, I will directly obtain the "Darkness Escape Technique". I don't need to hide in the rat skin. Instead, it becomes a spell that I can use at any time, just like closing my eyes to watch a fire.

"equipment!"

Li Xiao silently chanted in his heart, and the rat skin in his hand disappeared.

The tattered shoes were replaced with rat-skin shoes.

However, the vitality brought about by eating while wearing tattered shoes these days will not disappear.

It's just that some of the original vitality attributes have disappeared.

Instead, Li Xiao's comprehension improved, and he acquired a spiritual technique.

"Brother Rat, there's no time like the present. Today I'll avenge you."

Li Xiao picked up the rat demon's corpse and hid it in a corner of the rice warehouse.

With a thought, his figure began to blur and then disappeared in a short while.

It was a very strange feeling. Even he couldn't see his own body. It felt like he was looking around from a third-person perspective, with a wider field of vision.

Then, Li Xiao ran towards the direction where the incident had just occurred.

Today is the perfect opportunity to avenge Brother Rat; he's being besieged by a swarm of rats right now, so it's the perfect time to strike.

The rat spirit is dead, and Huang Shoucai will recover in a while.

The Huang family is powerful; if they want revenge, who knows when they'll get it?

But when Li Xiao arrived inside, he found that the rats had already retreated.

It's estimated that once Brother Rat died, he couldn't control the rats, and they scattered and fled.

Many people were lying on the ground, groaning in pain, and Li Xiao stood nearby to investigate.

Many people were injured, but most are still alive...

A rat is a rat after all; it's quite difficult for it to kill someone.

Just when Li Xiao thought he could not get revenge, things took another turn for the better!

"The rat suddenly retreated; the rat demon must have died!"

The shopkeeper, dressed in a suit, shouted, "Now it's time to settle our accounts!"

The words fell.

The shop assistants and guards grabbed sticks and surrounded Huang Shoucai and his family.

The burly man with the thick beard and his men also pointed their guns at Huang Shoucai's group.

These people were all arranged by Manager Huang; those who disobeyed were not in today's group at all.

It turns out that they had planned to eliminate the demons first, and then the humans.

The only ones unaware of the situation were Zhao Liqun, three martial arts instructors, and the remaining laborers.

Huang Shoucai exclaimed in surprise, "You, you want to rebel! You wolf in sheep's clothing, don't forget who gave you food! Are you going to team up with outsiders to turn against me?"

Shopkeeper Huang roared, "Heh heh heh, my dear cousin... it's not rebellion, it's revenge! You've brought this upon yourself, instigating this rat demon to kill my wife and her entire family. Didn't expect it, did you? You've finally suffered the consequences. I've been waiting for this day for a long time, and today is it!"

The burly man with a thick beard said, "You old bastard, I didn't believe the Huang family had a rat demon before, but tonight I do. My sister's whole family was killed by you, you old bastard!"

A year ago, the Zhang family, who owned a rice shop, died under mysterious circumstances.

It even made it into the newspapers, making it known to everyone.

The police investigated thoroughly but found nothing.

The truth has finally come out: it was Manager Huang who instructed the rat demon to do it.

Meanwhile, the daughter of Zhang's Rice Shop owner and Manager Huang had secretly pledged their lives to each other and were about to get married.

The militia captain with the thick beard's older sister was the first wife of the Zhang family's rice merchant family...

But the entire Zhang family died.

So, after dealing with the rat demon, they had to deal with Master Huang.

Manager Huang had helped manage the Huang family business for many years, so it was only natural for him to take over the business.

"So there's a grudge involved here?"

At this moment, Zhao Liqun walked over and said, "I came here today to exorcise the demon, so I have nothing to do with this. Now that the demon is dead, who will settle this score?"

He looked at Master Huang, then at Manager Huang.

Manager Huang immediately smiled and said, "Since you are the person I invited, it is natural for me, Huang, to settle the score."

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket, took out a silver note, and handed it over.

"light and spacious!"

Zhao Liqun counted the silver notes and found that the amount was doubled, so he left without looking back.

They, as martial arts masters, would not get involved in such internal struggles.

"And us too..."

Old Gang mustered his courage and led the other laborers over to ask for their money.

"Tie it all up."

Manager Huang smiled and handed out silver notes to the laborers, two hundred silver dollars each.

The laborers went to receive the silver notes with great joy.

With this money, they can basically turn their lives around!

"Hey, where's Ah Si?"

Old Gang said, "We also have a Li Asi who we don't know where he went. You've met him before. He came here to help out, so you need to give me his share. I'll take it to him for him."

"Yes, I, Huang, keep my word."

The shopkeeper, Mr. Huang, dressed in a suit, was very trustworthy, or perhaps he didn't want to cause any trouble at this critical juncture, so he handed over another two hundred silver dollars to Lao Gang.

After all, once tonight is over, the entire Huang family will belong to him, so he doesn't need to worry about this little bit of money.

Old Gang accepted the silver notes and immediately left with the laborers.

After dismissing the irrelevant people, Manager Huang turned to look at Master Huang.

Manager Huang's smile vanished, and he said coldly:

"Old man...hand over the land deed, and I might spare your family's lives!"