Let's Get Rich Together

Inside Yanbin Tower, Hu Dongxing and the squad captains sat in a private room.

Shen Lin, who had only just become a Martial Artist, had also been invited.

The wine and meat had all been laid out, but Hu Dongxing did not rush to begin. Instead, he raised his cup, his expression solemn. "Gentlemen! This first cup is for the brothers who gave their lives!"

As he spoke, he looked at Shen Lin and explained, "Brother Shen has not been a Martial Artist for long, but you should understand that while Slaying Demons and Exterminating Devils brings generous rewards, the risks are just as great.

"This time, only you and... that one fellow survived from your squad. Last year alone, our County Yamen lost fifty-seven brothers.

"These brothers held no rank and were not even considered clerks. Naturally, the imperial court will not provide any compensation. Their families must therefore be looked after by those of us still alive.

"You should have gained quite a bit from that demon, and with the reward the Demon Suppression Division will issue in a few days, your worth will surpass that of many people in Qiulin County overnight.

"Therefore, you must set aside a portion of those rewards and deliver it to the families of the fallen brothers."

At this point, he pointed at Sun Zhi and the other squad captains. "Do not think I am bullying you. Every one of these captains does the same. It cannot be helped—who told us to become Martial Artists?"

Shen Lin showed no displeasure at all. He nodded. "County Lieutenant Hu, I understand."

Seeing him agree, Hu Dongxing smiled in satisfaction and took the lead in pouring the wine in his cup onto the floor.

For everyone else, the greatest benefit of Slaying Demons and Exterminating Devils might have been the rewards handed out afterward.

But for Shen Lin, the Demon Lifespan he obtained was the most important thing.

As for money, although purchasing cultivation methods and cultivation resources required no small sum, he would not miss this bit of compensation.

He simply had not expected...

Shen Lin gave Sun Zhi a deep look. Though he said nothing, the mockery in his eyes was unmistakable.

Those brothers had all been pushed into the fire pit by this bastard himself.

After they died, did handing over a little worldly wealth make him think he had done right by their families?

"Good! Come, come, come, this second cup..."

After they had paid tribute to their dead colleagues, the atmosphere in the room quickly became much livelier under Hu Dongxing's lead.

Everyone began exchanging cups, enjoying the fine wine and food.

But Sun Zhi was somewhat absent-minded.

Even now, he had not figured out what medicine Shen Lin was selling from his gourd.

At first, he had thought this fellow intended to expose what he had done at the banquet, right in front of the county lieutenant and the others.

Though Sun Zhi had been wary of that possibility, he had already prepared his excuses.

No matter how one put it, Sun Zhi's confidence in returning to the County Yamen came from the fact that he had handled everything cleanly and left behind no clues.

Shen Lin's word alone was not enough to convict him.

Yet Shen Lin sat there in silence, only occasionally sweeping his gaze over him and looking at him with dark, eerie eyes.

This made Sun Zhi increasingly uneasy.

Because he could not make out the other man's intentions.

Just as he was considering finding an opportunity to test him, Shen Lin suddenly rose to his feet, seemingly intending to go to the latrine.

Seeing this, Sun Zhi waited a while before also standing and leaving the private room, intending to sound Shen Lin out alone.

Shen Lin was still young. Naturally, he would not be in such a hurry to relieve himself after just a few drinks.

He had been waiting specifically for Sun Zhi.

When he saw Sun Zhi approach, Shen Lin smiled. "I heard Captain Sun made quite a harvest this time?"

"You should have spared that Mantis Demon's life."

Sun Zhi answered irrelevantly, his voice low and shadowed.

"Captain Sun, you jest. You have spent so many years in Qiulin County. The testimony of a mere demon could not bring you down."

"Good that you know!"

Sun Zhi replied in a heavy voice, but not a hint of relief showed on his face.

If Shen Lin had reported him the moment he returned to the County Yamen, he would not have been as nervous as he was now.

He was confident that he had dealt with every loose end cleanly. The few who had returned alive after colluding with him had also offered their pledges of allegiance back then. If his crimes came to light, they would not escape either.

Even if those demons he had worked with came forward to testify, he could claim they were falsely accusing him.

After all, between a squad captain who had slain countless demons and the testimony of demons, the County Yamen naturally knew whom to believe.

But Shen Lin had not said anything at all. That was what made Sun Zhi most uncomfortable.

Without knowing what the other man intended, he could not prepare a response.

At that thought, he stopped beating around the bush and said directly to Shen Lin, "What do you want?"

Shen Lin smiled with faint amusement. "I do not want much. I only hope Captain Sun can take me along so we can get rich together."

Hearing this, Sun Zhi first frowned, then looked Shen Lin up and down before giving a light laugh. "You want to trade with the Demon Suppression Division for Meridian Opening martial arts?"

He felt that he understood Shen Lin's intentions.

Shen Lin had become a Martial Artist at such a young age, so naturally he wanted to continue advancing.

But going from a Martial Artist to the Meridian Opening Realm was not something one could accomplish simply by continuing to cultivate the Blood Battle Saber Technique.

The Meridian Opening Realm required one to locate the meridians within one's body, then use Blood Qi Power to force them open.

Trying to sense the meridians within one's body through a commonplace martial art like the Blood Battle Saber Technique was far too difficult.

At the very least, aside from veteran soldiers who spent every day fighting on the border, Sun Zhi had heard of few people capable of opening their meridians with the Blood Battle Saber Technique.

Besides, even if Shen Lin's talent was exceptional enough to open his meridians with the Blood Battle Saber Technique, he could at most open two meridians.

Beyond the Meridian Opening Realm, if one wished to take another step forward, one needed to open at least three meridians.

Shen Lin did not know what he was thinking. He paused in surprise at those words, but his expression did not change in the slightest as he answered ambiguously, "Who would not want that?"

The other man's guess was not entirely wrong.

Sun Zhi truly was no human being. Using the lives of his own kind to trade with the Demon Race disgusted Shen Lin deeply.

If he had wanted to kill him, Shen Lin only needed to wait a little longer with the Mantis Demon last night.

But after some thought, he had decided to spare him for now.

Drawing his saber and taking his head would certainly be satisfying—but what then?

Finding demons was no simple matter.

Whether it was Shen Lin, who had only just arrived in this world, or the original owner of this body, who had lived in Qiulin County for years, neither knew enough about demons. He needed someone to lead him into contact with this side of the world.

Sun Zhi was an excellent choice.

This fellow had traded with demons for so long that he surely had his own methods for finding them.

Shen Lin had only one year of lifespan left. He could not afford to waste a single moment.

He had to quickly accumulate Demon Lifespan while finding some higher-level cultivation methods, break through as soon as possible, and extend his life.

For that purpose, keeping this fellow alive for now was acceptable.

More importantly, killing him with a single stroke would be letting him off too easily.

Some wonderful plans had already formed in Shen Lin's mind.

At that thought, he smiled and asked, "Captain Sun, what do you think of my proposal?"