Two Treasures

When Shen Zhui made this request, Lin Ze and Wang Long were surprised but didn't think much of it.

After all, Wu Gu was going to die anyway, and as long as it didn't interfere with Lin Ze, it didn't matter who killed him.

It was normal for constables to show such righteous indignation.

Wang Long knew Shen Zhui's background well; in Heyuan County, Shen Shan was his only remaining family. He understood Shen Zhui's righteous anger, even if it was a bit superfluous.

As for Lin Ze, he had no objections whatsoever.

Instead, Wei Wenhe, who had been silent until now, looked at Shen Zhui thoughtfully.

"Alright, Brother Shen, then you shall carry out Wu Gu's punishment." Lin Ze stepped aside.

Wei Wenhe nodded gently. Wang Long produced a token for Shen Zhui. A blood-red character for "execution" was inscribed on it.

As soon as the Execution Order appeared, it began to hum, pulling Shen Zhui towards Wu Gu. Simultaneously, a faint red glow enveloped Wu Gu's head, revealing his sins.

"Wu Gu, former captain of the Fire Dragon Squad of the Wu'an Army, High-stage Xiantian. Three years ago, he was expelled from the Wu'an Army for stealing treasures and murdering teammates."

"He then took refuge with the Guiyuan Sect, practiced evil arts, and has killed a total of 682 people in the past three years. He is guilty of murder, treason, and robbery, and is beyond redemption!"

"According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, execute!"

A cold shout rang out, and Shen Zhui raised his steel saber high!

"Wuwuwu!!" Wu Gu's eyeballs darted wildly. At this final moment, streaks of red light actually erupted from his body, and his body trembled violently, but he was immediately restrained by green chains.

"Swish!" Shen Zhui didn't hesitate any longer and sliced across Wu Gu's neck.

"Crack~" The head fell to the ground. Wu Gu's eyes widened in death, staring unblinkingly, filled with endless unwillingness.

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

"Go." Lin Ze's hand materialized another token, and a beam of blue light shot out from it.

The blue light swept over Wu Gu like water, and in the next moment, it suddenly ignited, causing Wu Gu's corpse to disappear.

Lin Ze couldn't help but show a look of joy.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhui received a system notification in his mind.

"Congratulations to the host for killing a High-stage Xiantian Qi Cultivation True Person. Reward: 60,000 Merit Points."

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

"Alright." Lin Ze waved his hand. A pale gold mask and an ancient-looking soft armor on the ground were wrapped in black cloth and floated before Shen Zhui.

The Flowing Gold Mask was something the County Magistrate and Wang Long had subtly hinted for Shen Zhui to choose, and Lin Ze naturally understood their intentions.

Although Lin Ze was also covetous of these two items, he didn't hesitate at all.

Lin Ze understood that if the County Magistrate had wished, he could have thoroughly searched Wu Gu's body for treasures and simply handed over the corpse to Lin Ze, who would have had no grounds for complaint and would still have been grateful.

However, doing so would have been rather unseemly.

But now it was different. These few high-value items were all left to Lin Ze, which was a great favor!

"Shen Zhui, you shall continue to reside at the City God Temple. I will leave a trace of my divine sense to watch over your adoptive father. Make good use of these two treasures," Wei Wenhe instructed.

"Your subordinate thanks you, sir." Shen Zhui's face lit up, and he quickly expressed his gratitude.

He had been worried about suffering the same fate as He Tong, but now, with the County Magistrate's assurance, his adoptive father's safety was guaranteed.

"Haha, Brother Shen, we'll meet again." Lin Ze also smiled happily.

"Goodbye, Brother Lin."

The three of them vanished into thin air. Shen Zhui found he could once again hear the faint sounds of vendors calling out in the distance, and he immediately understood that, apart from the few of them, no one else could have seen what had happened here.

"The County Magistrate and Brother Lin didn't ask how I discovered Wu Gu. I wonder if they don't want to know, or if I truly managed to deceive them," Shen Zhui mused.

Wu Gu, injured and leaking his aura, was discovered by me at close range... This reason seemed plausible, but in reality, as Lin Ze introduced the various hidden treasures found on Wu Gu, Shen Zhui realized he had been too naive.

"It seems the County Magistrate and the others are unwilling to pry," Shen Zhui smiled faintly. "The County Magistrate is quite open-minded. I will have fewer worries in the future."

"And..." Shen Zhui walked back to his room and opened the package, looking at the two treasures.

"The County Magistrate didn't let me choose the two most valuable items. Instead, he specifically had me choose two items of slightly lower value, clearly believing these two were the most suitable for me."

The Spirit-Concealing Robe's primary function 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, combined with the divine law of the City God Temple for intelligence gathering and the sensing ability of the Execution Token Dao Plaque, also had no apparent use for him.

Only the Spirit Gathering Mirror, which could accelerate cultivation speed, was quite appealing to Shen Zhui. Coupled with the Yuanpin Pearl bestowed by the County Magistrate, it was undoubtedly the best for Shen Zhui, who was determined to advance to the Xiantian realm.

"This Bright Light Armor contains hidden formations. It absorbs and stores spiritual energy from heaven and earth during normal times, and at critical moments, it can withstand a full-power strike from a High-stage Xiantian expert. Even without using its defensive formations, its material alone can weaken the power of attacks below the High-stage Xiantian level by fifty percent."

"The Flowing Gold Mask can conceal my aura, making it difficult even for Xiantian Masters to detect me. It can also alter my appearance and build."

"These two, one for concealment and one for defense. Coupled with the fact that I am close to the level of Second Summon of Deity, the County Magistrate's instruction to make good use of these two treasures clearly..."

"Means he hopes I can kill Xiantian Martial Artists?"

"Thinking more deeply... does the County Magistrate also believe that with these treasures, I have a chance to kill Xiantian Martial Artists?" Shen Zhui felt a flicker of excitement.

As the saying goes, "raise soldiers for a thousand days, use them for one day." The County Magistrate wouldn't bestow so many treasures upon him for no reason.

But Shen Zhui didn't resist this arrangement.

He, Shen Zhui, wanted to become stronger and protect his family. The County Magistrate gave him treasures to help him improve his strength.

These benefits weren't free, and they required him to fight for them!

What you gain is what you give; it's only natural!

The Li family had committed countless evils and had tried to kill him multiple times. The Punish Evil system also required him to constantly apprehend criminals to earn Merit Points.

Even if the County Magistrate hadn't bestowed anything upon him, Shen Zhui wouldn't have let the Li family off the hook!

"Now, I don't need to think too much. Let's first try out these two treasures."

Shen Zhui first put on the Bright Light Soft Armor.

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

"Zzzt~"

Activated by the Vital Energy, the Bright Light Soft Armor rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye, its coverage area grew from his chest and back to encompass his entire body!

Except for the areas above his neck and his hands and feet, almost his entire body was protected by the Bright Light Armor.

"No wonder it's called a treasure; even Lin Ze was a bit reluctant to part with it." Shen Zhui felt a cool sensation emanating from the armor all over his body, with spiritual energy constantly seeping into the Bright Light Soft Armor from the surroundings.

On the chest area, a mysterious magic array operated autonomously, accumulating spiritual energy.

"Let's try the Flowing Gold Mask next." Shen Zhui picked up the mask, three feet long and wide, made of a special leather-like material, and put it on his head.

"Hum~"

As soon as the mask was activated, it rippled like water waves and merged into his skin.

With a thought from Shen Zhui, his face instantly distorted, followed by slight changes in his bones.

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

In the mirror, an ancient and weathered face appeared, bearing a striking resemblance to his adoptive father, Shen Shan. His physique also appeared sturdier and slightly shorter.

"My heavens, this is too incredible." Shen Zhui looked at the unfamiliar face in the mirror and couldn't help but marvel.

Being able to change into anyone he wished like this was a perfect tool for covert assassination!

"Hmm? That's not right, there are still flaws."

Shen Zhui sensed it and quickly discovered the shortcomings of the Flowing Gold Mask.

"Although I can change into anyone, the stealth effect disappears as soon as I use Vital Energy."

"Furthermore, once the Flowing Gold Mask is used, it completely conceals one's aura. It's fine if I'm pretending to be an ordinary person, but I can't pretend to be a Martial Artist or a Qi Cultivation True Person."

Shen Zhui felt a bit regretful.

The Flowing Gold Mask provided complete concealment, making the user appear as an ordinary person. And any use of power would reveal them.

Clearly, if he wanted to disguise himself as another Martial Artist, it would be impossible. If he pretended to be a stranger Martial Artist, even if his appearance and physique matched, his aura would be gone, and others would immediately sense something was off.

"That's understandable. If it could even disguise one's cultivation realm, the value of such a treasure would be immeasurable."

"However," Shen Zhui smiled slightly. "With this Flowing Gold Mask, it's much more convenient for me to leave the city now. It's almost impossible for the Li family to track me."

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

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

Previously, there was a setting where a Qi Cultivation True Person in the Spiritual Inspiration Realm was equivalent to the Xiantian Realm.