Top-Tier Treatment

At a thought from Jiang Liu, a deep-blue screen that only he could see flashed into view.

Auxiliary System
Name: Jiang Liu

Realm: Body Refinement (Skin Tempering)

Fierce Tiger Fist (Beginner 24/100)

Alchemy (Beginner 37/100)

Basic Fist Technique (Not Initiated 1/10)

Jiang Liu's face lit up with delight. He had not expected such a surprise—he had gotten seven rounds of experience for free! He wondered whether medicinal soup like the one just now was included in the daily benefits. Another six or seven bowls, and the Fierce Tiger Fist could be raised to minor mastery.

Lin Hai led Jiang Liu across the square and into a large cluster of courtyards next door, heading toward the courtyard with the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall plaque. The moment they arrived at the entrance, a Miscellaneous Affairs Hall Disciple came forward to greet them. "Chief Lin, what brings you to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall today?"

Lin Hai replied irritably, "What? Am I not allowed to stroll around here? Is there something you don't want me knowing about?"

The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall Disciple hurriedly said, "How could that be? It's just that you normally wouldn't come here in person, Chief Lin. This lowly one was merely curious."

Lin Hai waved a hand. "Enough. Cut the nonsense. Register an Identity Jade Token for this new brother. Here are his detailed records. Master Lin will decide his treatment later." With that, he handed over the sheet recording Jiang Liu's test results.

The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall Disciple accepted it and looked over the information. He then took out a jade token, placed it together with the records through the window behind him, and before long, a completed Identity Jade Token was pushed back out.

The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall Disciple took it, checked it over, and handed it to Jiang Liu. "Brother Jiang Liu, welcome to the Fallen Blossom Gang. From today onward, you are one of us."

Jiang Liu accepted the jade token with both hands. The front bore basic identity information: name, age, distinguishing features, affiliated branch hall, and current position. The back was completely blank. Jiang Liu thought, Wouldn't a jade token like this be easy to forge?

Lin Hai said, "All right, let's go." Then he turned and left with Jiang Liu.

As they walked, he explained, "The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall handles all the gang's miscellaneous matters—identity registration, benefit adjustments, collecting monthly stipends, even assigning residences. All of that falls under their responsibility."

"You must keep that Identity Jade Token safe. Replacing it if you lose it is a real hassle. Don't be fooled by its ordinary appearance—look carefully. It has special markings that cannot be copied."

"Our Fallen Blossom Gang mainly has four major branch halls: Rising Eagle, Scattered Eagle, Hunting Eagle, and Dark Eagle! Each of the four branch halls is responsible for its own territory. The Main Hall sits in the central region and provides support."

Lin Hai continued, "We belong to the Hunting Eagle Hall. Our hall has the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, Mission Hall, Technique Hall, Punishment Hall, Protector Hall, Medicine Hall, and Wind Hall!"

"And the Training Hall, which you'll be visiting often at this stage. There are eight halls in all. Nearly every branch hall has roughly the same setup, though some add or remove departments according to their own needs. You only need a general understanding for now. You can familiarize yourself with them slowly in the future."

Lin Hai brought Jiang Liu to a residence and said, "This is where you'll live. Clean it yourself, and if you're lacking anything, apply to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall."

Jiang Liu also learned from Lin Hai that the Main Hall generally did not issue missions directly. Any missions were sent to the Mission Halls of the various branch halls.

The Mission Halls of each branch hall would then issue them specifically, and gang members of every rank could accept them. Completing missions earned points, which were recorded on the Identity Jade Token. Points could be exchanged for techniques and cultivation resources. The Mission Halls of the branch halls could also issue missions themselves.

There were mandatory requirements for how many missions had to be completed each year. If the number of completed missions fell short, benefits would be reduced.

Other than sudden combat missions, most were routine tasks such as patrolling, hunting exotic beasts, and gathering herbs. Dedicated personnel handled spying on and collecting intelligence about the various Gangs and forces; it had nothing to do with ordinary gang members.

Holding Jiang Liu's test results, Lin Hai entered the courtyard residence assigned by the Main Hall to the Hunting Eagle Hall. He walked to a room and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A booming voice sounded from within.

Lin Hai pushed the door open and entered. Respectfully, he said, "Master Lin, these are Jiang Liu's test results. Please review them." He handed over the paper.

"Mm." Master Lin took it and swept his eyes over it. Jiang Liu's talent was decent, though his body was somewhat frail. When he saw the final line, he froze for a moment. "A drug-receptive constitution?"

"Yes, Master Lin. Uncle Hai said that after practicing medicine for many years, he had only seen a few like it!" Lin Hai said, his voice carrying a trace of envy.

"I see. It seems I'll have to use a special quota. But whether this Jiang Liu is worth cultivating still requires further observation."

"Pay special attention to him during this period. See whether there is anything suspicious about him. Report his movements to me at any time. Be careful not to let him notice."

"Yes, Master Lin!"

"For now, issue him resources according to the standard cultivation allocation. If it is later confirmed that there are no problems, then give him resources according to top-tier treatment."

"Remember to tell those below not to stir up any trouble!" Master Lin cautioned uneasily. A constitution this rare was hard to come by; he could not let the people below ruin things.

"I understand, Master Lin!" Lin Hai replied. Secretly, he felt envious. When ordinary gang disciples were recruited, when had he ever needed to personally lead them around like this?

It was only because Master Lin had personally instructed him that he had taken Jiang Liu running about. Then the test had revealed a special constitution—this was truly like picking up a treasure. Since Jiang Liu had been brought in by Master Lin, he was naturally close to him. Once he grew stronger, he would also become one of Master Lin's trusted inner circle.

Jiang Liu looked over the residence. The furnishings were simple: a wooden bed, a table against the wall, a candlestick on the table, and two long benches beside it.

The bedding and pillow on the bed were complete. He leaned closer and sniffed; fortunately, there was no musty smell. They had probably just been replaced. Washing supplies had also been placed in one corner of the room.

Jiang Liu had not expected the arrangements to be so complete. After looking around, he found nothing missing.

Just as he was about to sit down and rest for a while, someone knocked at the door. Jiang Liu rose and opened it, only to see a sturdy youth standing outside, nearly a head taller than him.

"You are?" Jiang Liu asked.

The sturdy youth scratched his head and said somewhat sheepishly, "You're the new arrival from today, right? I live next door, and I haven't been in the gang for long either. I was the only one living in this little courtyard before, bored to death. Now that you're here, I've got company. My name is Wang Zhuang. What's yours?"

"My name is Jiang Liu. I joined the gang today as well. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?" Jiang Liu asked.

"No, I just came over to say hello. Rest first. I'll call for you later, and we can go to the Dining Hall together?" Wang Zhuang said.

"All right, thank you. I just arrived and don't know the way," Jiang Liu said gratefully.

"What are you thanking me for? We newcomers should help each other. Otherwise, we'll get bullied by the older disciples!" Wang Zhuang said with a sigh.

"Oh? The older disciples bully newcomers? Doesn't the hall do anything about it?" Jiang Liu asked.

"No one bothers with minor matters. After all, the new disciples from our four branch halls train together in the basics. Only after meeting the requirements will we be taken back by our respective halls to continue cultivating," Wang Zhuang explained.

"Then are the initial cultivation resources provided separately by each hall for their own disciples, or are they provided collectively by the Main Hall?" Jiang Liu asked.

"The basic cultivation resources are provided by the Main Hall. After that, each hall supplies its own. Any special treatment is also provided by the individual halls," Wang Zhuang answered.

"I see. Thank you for clearing that up, Brother Wang Zhuang," Jiang Liu said.

"Hehe, no problem! No problem!" Wang Zhuang scratched his head and said honestly. "Rest for a while first. I'll come find you later." With that, Wang Zhuang left.

"All right. See you later!" Jiang Liu said, closing the door.