Two Treasures

Shen Zhui's request caught Lin Ze and Wang Long off guard, but neither of them thought much of it.

Wu Gu was going to die anyway. Since it did not interfere with Lin Ze, it made no difference who killed him.

As a constable, it was perfectly normal for him to show such a hatred of evil.

Wang Long knew Shen Zhui's background very well. In Heyuan County, Shen Zhui had only his adoptive father, Shen Shan, left as family. Though his action had been unnecessary, it was understandable that he would act out of righteous indignation.

As for Lin Ze, he naturally had no objections either.

Instead, Wei Wenhe, who had remained silent all this time, glanced at Shen Zhui thoughtfully.

"Very well, Brother Shen. You may carry out Wu Gu's execution." Lin Ze stepped aside.

Wei Wenhe nodded lightly. Wang Long produced another token and handed it to Shen Zhui. A blood-red character for "execution" was carved onto it.

The moment the Execution Order appeared, it began to hum incessantly, drawing Shen Zhui toward Wu Gu. At the same time, a faint red radiance enveloped Wu Gu's head, revealing his sins.

"Wu Gu, formerly captain of the Fire Dragon Squad in the Wu'an Army, a high-stage Xiantian. Three years ago, he was expelled from the Wu'an Army for killing his comrades while seizing their treasure."

"Afterward, he sought shelter with the Guiyuan Sect and cultivated an evil art. In three years, he killed a total of six hundred and eighty-two people. He has committed murder, treason, and robbery. His crimes are unforgivable!"

"According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty—execution!"

A cold shout rang out as Shen Zhui raised the steel saber high overhead!

"Wh-wh-wh!!" Wu Gu's eyes spun wildly. At this final moment, waves of red light erupted from his body, and he began to tremble violently, only to be bound once more by the azure chains.

"Swish!" Shen Zhui no longer hesitated. The saber swept across Wu Gu's neck.

"Smack~" His head fell to the ground. Wu Gu's eyes were wide open, his death unwilling and unresigned, endless resentment filling them.

He never would have imagined that he would ultimately fall into the hands of a Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm martial artist.

"Go." Another token appeared in Lin Ze's hand. A blue radiance shot out from it.

The blue light swept across Wu Gu's body like water. In the next instant, it suddenly burst into flames, and Wu Gu's corpse vanished.

Joy could not help but show on Lin Ze's face.

At the same time, a system prompt appeared in Shen Zhui's mind.

Congratulations, Host. You have slain a high-stage Qi Cultivation True Person of the Xiantian Realm. Reward: 60,000 Merit Points.

After returning the Execution Order, Shen Zhui cupped his hands and said to Lin Ze, "Brother Lin, I'd like to choose the Flowing Gold Mask and the Bright Light Armor from these items."

"Very well." Lin Ze waved his hand. The pale-gold mask and antique soft armor on the ground were wrapped in a piece of black cloth and floated before Shen Zhui.

The Flowing Gold Mask was something the county magistrate and Wang Long had subtly hinted that Shen Zhui should choose. Lin Ze had naturally understood as well.

Although Lin Ze was also extremely tempted by the two items, he did not hesitate in the slightest.

Lin Ze understood that if the county magistrate had wanted to, he could have first stripped all the treasures from Wu Gu's body. Even if he had only handed Wu Gu's corpse over to Lin Ze, Lin Ze would have had nothing to say and would still have been grateful.

But that would have made him look rather greedy.

Now, however, it was different. The few most valuable items had all been left for Lin Ze. This was a tremendous favor!

"Shen Zhui, continue residing at the City God Temple for now. I'll leave a sliver of divine sense here to watch over your adoptive father. Make good use of these two treasures," Wei Wenhe instructed.

"This subordinate thanks you, my lord." Delight appeared on Shen Zhui's face, and he hurriedly expressed his thanks.

He had been afraid he would suffer the same fate as He Tong. Now that the county magistrate had given his guarantee, his adoptive father's safety was assured.

"Haha, Brother Shen, until we meet again." Lin Ze laughed happily as well.

"Goodbye, Brother Lin."

The three of them vanished into thin air. Shen Zhui found that he could once again hear the faint cries of peddlers hawking their wares in the distance, and immediately realized that apart from the few of them, no one else had probably been able to see what had just happened here.

"The county magistrate and Brother Lin didn't ask how I discovered Wu Gu. I wonder whether they simply didn't want to ask, or whether I really managed to bluff my way through." Shen Zhui pondered this thoughtfully.

Wu Gu had been injured and leaked his aura, which he had detected from close by... The explanation seemed perfectly sufficient. But when all the hidden treasures on Wu Gu's body were found and Lin Ze introduced them, Shen Zhui realized that he had still been far too naive.

"It seems the county magistrate and the others simply didn't want to press me." Shen Zhui smiled faintly. "The county magistrate truly is broad-minded. This will save me a lot of worries in the future."

"And besides..." Shen Zhui returned to his room, opened the bundle, and looked at the two treasures.

"The county magistrate didn't have me choose the two most valuable treasures. Instead, he specifically had me choose these two, which were slightly less valuable. Clearly, he believed they were the most suitable for me."

The main purpose of the Spirit-Concealing Robe was to conceal one's crimes. Although it was more valuable than the Bright Light Armor, it was useless to Shen Zhui.

The Spirit-Connecting Compass could use the City God Temple's Divine Law to investigate intelligence, as well as sense the Execution Token Dao Plaque, so its effects could not be displayed either.

Only the Spirit Gathering Mirror, which could accelerate cultivation, truly tempted Shen Zhui. Combined with the Yuanpin Pearl bestowed by the county magistrate, it was undoubtedly the best choice for Shen Zhui, who was wholeheartedly striving to reach the Xiantian Realm.

"The Bright Light Armor contains an array formation. It normally absorbs Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and stores it away. At a critical moment, it can block the full-force strike of a high-stage Xiantian. Even without activating the formation's defense, its material alone can reduce the power of attacks below the high-stage Xiantian level by half."

"The Flowing Gold Mask can conceal my aura. Even Xiantian Masters will have difficulty detecting me. It can also alter my appearance and physique."

"One conceals, while the other defends. On top of that, I'm already close to the Second Summon of Deity level. For the county magistrate to tell me to make good use of these two treasures, clearly..."

"He hopes I can slay a Xiantian martial artist?"

"Thinking more deeply... Could it be that the county magistrate also believes that, with these treasures, I'll have a chance of killing a Xiantian martial artist?" Shen Zhui felt faintly excited.

As the saying went, one trained soldiers for a thousand days to use them for a single moment. The county magistrate would not have bestowed so many treasures on him for no reason.

But Shen Zhui did not resist this arrangement.

He, Shen Zhui, wanted to become stronger and protect his family, while the county magistrate gave him treasures to help increase his strength.

These benefits were not obtained for free. He would have to fight for them!

To receive as much as one gave was only right and proper!

The Li Family had committed every kind of evil and tried to kill him time and again, while the Punish Evil System also required him to constantly capture criminals to obtain Merit Points.

Even if the county magistrate had not bestowed anything on him, Shen Zhui still would not have let the Li Family off!

"There's no need to think too much for now. I'll first try to see how these two treasures work."

Shen Zhui first put on the Bright Light soft armor.

The soft armor was extremely light and shaped like a vest. After Shen Zhui put it on, he channeled a stream of Essence of Vital Energy from his body into it.

"Crackle~"

After being stimulated by the Essence of Vital Energy, the Bright Light soft armor rapidly spread outward. In the blink of an eye, its coverage expanded from his chest and back to his entire body!

Aside from the parts above his neck and his hands and feet, nearly every inch of him fell within the Bright Light Armor's protection.

"No wonder it's called a treasure. Even Lin Ze was reluctant to part with it." Shen Zhui felt wisps of coolness spreading from the armor across his body, while spiritual energy continuously seeped into the Bright Light Armor from the world around him.

An abstruse array formation on his chest was also operating on its own, accumulating spiritual energy.

"Now I'll try the Flowing Gold Mask." Shen Zhui picked up the mask, three chi long and three chi wide, with a texture like special leather, and pulled it over his head.

"Hum~"

The moment the mask was activated, it rippled like water and melted into his skin.

With a thought from Shen Zhui, his face immediately twisted. The bones throughout his body then underwent slight changes as well.

A strange, itchy sensation spread through him. Shen Zhui paced over to the bronze mirror.

A weathered, ancient face appeared in the mirror, bearing seven or eight parts resemblance to his adoptive father, Shen Shan. Even his build had become broader and shorter.

"My heavens, this is far too exaggerated." Shen Zhui looked at the unfamiliar face in the mirror and could not help sighing.

To be able to become anyone at will—this was simply the perfect treasure for hiding and assassination!

"Hmm? No, that's not right. It still has flaws."

Shen Zhui sensed it for a moment and quickly discovered the Flowing Gold Mask's shortcomings.

"Although it can change freely, the moment I use Essence of Vital Energy, the concealment effect disappears."

"Moreover, once the Flowing Gold Mask is used, it completely hides my aura. Pretending to be an ordinary person is fine, but pretending to be a martial artist or a Qi Cultivation True Person is impossible."

Shen Zhui felt somewhat regretful.

The Flowing Gold Mask provided complete concealment, presenting only the aura of an ordinary person. Moreover, the moment he used his strength, he would be exposed.

Clearly, disguising himself as another martial artist was completely impossible. Even if he took on the appearance and physique of an unfamiliar martial artist, his aura would vanish, and others would immediately sense that something was wrong.

"That makes sense. If it could even disguise one's realm, the value of this treasure would probably be impossible to measure."

"Still..." Shen Zhui smiled faintly. "With the Flowing Gold Mask, it'll be much more convenient for me to leave the city now. It'll be nearly impossible for the Li Family's people to tail me."

After removing the Flowing Gold Mask and returning to his original appearance, Shen Zhui looked into the distance and murmured to himself.

"Endure it. Just endure it a little longer... Once I reach the Second Summon of Deity level, Li Family, it will be time for you to pay the price for all your evil deeds."

There had been an earlier setting that Qi Cultivation True Persons and the Spiritual Inspiration Realm were equivalent to the Xiantian Realm.