Rewards!

Guan Yutian came over to Zhang Qing and patted him on the shoulder.

"Get ready to head back."

"Yes, Captain."

Zhang Qing got to his feet, his face still carrying a faint trace of sorrow.

Guan Yutian could not help but say,

"When fighting specters, death is unavoidable."

"If one day I fall, don't waste time saving me. Keep fighting!"

Zhang Qing looked at Guan Yutian's health bar, which stood at over four hundred points.

Then he said firmly,

"Captain, I'll definitely save you! Definitely!"

Guan Yutian patted Zhang Qing on the shoulder again.

Then he turned and left.

Zhang Qing followed.

There had been six people in the squad when they came.

Now that they were heading back,

only four remained.

And every one of them was injured.

Guan Yutian: 245/475!

Pusan: 179/264!

Feng Ze: 145/255!

And himself:

Blood Volume: 570/696!

Tsk, tsk. His health was the highest again.

Besides that,

more than six Attribute Points lay in Zhang Qing's panel.

Yu An had truly fed Zhang Qing well.

She had let him mooch off that much.

With six Attribute Points, I can try learning a few more Cultivation Techniques.

Especially combat-related ones, like saber techniques, archery, and movement techniques.

Otherwise, I'm always fighting guerrilla-style and mooching off others everywhere.

Only with Cultivation Techniques can my attack power rise. Otherwise, relying purely on Strength to chop away won't produce any real damage.

Only with damage output would he have a higher chance of landing the final blow.

Mooching off others everywhere only earned him twenty percent of the Attribute Points.

But if he landed the final blow, he would get one hundred percent!

That was a fivefold difference.

Besides,

there was still one crucial part missing from his persona.

That was being a martial arts prodigy!

Once he added that,

the whole loop would be complete.

There would be almost no loopholes.

After all,

before he had taken over this identity, Zhang Qing had been too ordinary.

A few years ago, after being sold to the Chuan Family by human traffickers, he had become a contract guard thanks to his large build.

For years, he had lived the same routine.

The real change had begun only after Zhang Qing took over.

Once he casually proved that he was a martial arts prodigy,

all the logic would form a complete loop, and his identity would be firmly established!

That way,

he would truly have integrated into the Dark Realm!

Now,

he had Attribute Points.

But what about Silver Coins?

Even the cheapest Cultivation Technique cost ten Silver Coins.

Hmm...

Should he squeeze some out of Chuan Fa, now that they were on bad terms?

Or...

"The net-closing operation is over. Everyone worked hard this time."

"Once we're back, I'll distribute your rewards."

Guan Yutian suddenly spoke.

After a net-closing operation, money was always handed out immediately.

The purpose was to stabilize morale.

After all,

a net-closing operation was bound to leave plenty of dead and wounded!

"Oh, right, Zhang Qing, you get a share too!"

"Me?"

A pillow delivered just when he got sleepy?

No!

Guan Yutian would not suddenly grow kind-hearted. It was no problem for him to say a few nice things.

But when it came to Silver Coins, that was another matter...

It should be because of Yu An. A socially savvy person like him must have noticed Yu An talking to me, Zhang Qing thought.

"Captain, I'm from the Chuan Prefecture. Wouldn't it be against the rules for me to take this money?"

"How about you collect it on my behalf?"

Zhang Qing said.

He needed the money, and he also knew that if this was because of Yu An, Guan Yutian would definitely not dare to withhold it. He... would refuse his suggestion.

But he still had to say it.

"What kind of joke is that?" Guan Yutian pretended to be angry.

"After a net-closing operation, the money must be handed to every person. Those are the rules."

"Even if you're from the Chuan Prefecture, you can't break the rules."

Just as expected.

He did not dare pocket Zhang Qing's money anymore.

"Th-then, thank you for your support, Captain," Zhang Qing said.

Guan Yutian smiled.

At the same time, he secretly wondered what exactly Miss Yu An had said to this fellow.

Still, it was better to be careful. Missing out on one share of this money would not kill him. It was best not to leave any leverage for those above.

Nothing happened on the way.

After all, everyone was stained with specter blood.

No specter would be so suicidal as to ambush patrollers on the trade route.

Thus,

before long,

they returned to Zi City.

The Razor members guarding the city gate greeted Guan Yutian and let them through without conducting any thorough inspection.

As for specters replacing Razor members?

Give him a break. If that were enough to get them inside, then so be it.

After all, specters among Razor members were the easiest to expose.

Soon,

they arrived at the entrance of Razor Hall.

Guan Yutian collected a considerable amount of Silver Coins from the gatehouse registry office.

Then he distributed them one by one.

When it came to Zhang Qing's share,

there were actually as many as fifty.

"Captain, let me pay for my meals," Zhang Qing said.

After saying that, he counted out ten Silver Coins and handed them to Guan Yutian.

Guan Yutian narrowed his eyes and accepted them.

"Perfect. It's noon already, so let's go eat together," Guan Yutian said.

There were plenty of tricks involved in meal fees.

Ordinary meals contained a tiny amount of Spirit Medicine.

But people could pay for extra dishes.

A special Spirit Medicine meal cost one Silver Coin per serving.

Since Guan Yutian had taken the money, he would naturally give Zhang Qing the extra meals.

But that was only if Zhang Qing could keep eating them for ten consecutive days.

If he could not, whatever remained would become Guan Yutian's.

And no one could find the slightest fault with it.

All one could say was that Zhang Qing knew how to conduct himself.

Zhang Qing did not want to fall out with Guan Yutian.

What happened with Yu An was still uncertain, so he could not rely on her as a backer.

The King of Hell was easy to deal with; petty demons were hard to handle.

The Silver Coins would not be spent for nothing.

Sure enough,

they were not spent for nothing.

Zhang Qing ate the best meal he had had since entering the Dark Realm.

The bonus Attribute Points added up to a full one point!

Guan Yutian said these Spirit Medicine meals could at most push someone to the second stage of Glimmer.

No wonder most Razor members have health in the two hundreds.

With this kind of dietary supplementation, as long as they survive for a few months, they can naturally reach the second stage of Glimmer.

For me, ten Silver Coins for one Attribute Point... heh heh, maybe it's more than one!

What a steal!

At the entrance,

"Zhang Qing, that's it for today. You can head back now!" Guan Yutian said.

"Don't forget tomorrow!"

"Got it, Captain. I'll be going, then," Zhang Qing replied.

This counted as getting off work early.

That morning's mission had been too dangerous.

Getting off early was only natural.

After returning to the Chuan Prefecture, he entered through the side gate.

Zhang Qing saw Chuan Fa again.

"Chuan Leader, what are you..."

"Tsk, tsk. You actually survived the net-closing operation, Zhang Qing. I think highly of you!" Chuan Fa said with a smile.

A family like the Chuan Family had countless channels for gathering information.

Therefore,

even a minor guard leader could obtain certain confidential news.

"Chuan Leader," Zhang Qing said with a smile.

Then he counted out another ten Silver Coins and handed them over.

"Those who survived today's operation received rewards."

"I want to take a look at the Scripture Pavilion and see whether there are any Cultivation Techniques I can learn to increase my strength."

"Please, Chuan Leader, show me the way and help make an exception!"

Chuan Fa was startled. Looking at the Silver Coins Zhang Qing offered, his mind raced.

A disposable meat shield sent by a family like this to Razor Hall could actually receive rewards?

Then...

It was highly likely that some important figure had taken a liking to Zhang Qing!

That was why his captain had not dared to withhold his reward.

Otherwise, given the character of those captains...

Wherever there were Silver Coins to be had, there was a Specter!

So—

"Little brother, what are you doing?" Chuan Fa's smile grew even gentler as he hurriedly pushed the Silver Coins back. "As for the Scripture Pavilion, I'll take you there myself."

"There's no need for this between us brothers."

"Then I'll have to trouble Chuan Leader!"

"Why call me Chuan Leader? You're a Glimmer Realm Warrior now. You might even become a leader like me someday. I'm a few years older than you, so just call me Brother Chuan."

"Then thank you, Brother Chuan!"

Zhang Qing sighed inwardly.

The early Dark Realm had been so difficult in his previous life, so why had it still become such a massive hit?

It was because everyone here was not some formulaic NPC!

Just look at Chuan Fa.

He had made his way through a great family.

His brain was definitely stronger than his strength!

From ten Silver Coins alone, he could infer many things.

Better to suspect when there was reason to suspect, and not when there was none.

First, give the other party plenty of face.