Rewards

After making all the arrangements one by one, Fang Ming finally had some free time. He returned to his room, sat down in a chair, closed his eyes to think, and tapped his fingers against the table as he considered several matters.

The trouble in Qingxi Township had surely been a warning from the Ancestral Spirit, Zhang Qingyun, prompting the living world to stay alert. But affairs in the mortal realm were for its own believers to handle. Li Dazhuang had done a fine job this time; Fang Ming could go praise him in a bit.

Thinking of Li Dazhuang brought Divine Strike Technique to mind. Whenever it was used, the caster had to call out the deity's name, with something like, "I invite such-and-such deity to possess me." Fang Ming had casually imagined Li Dazhuang, a hulking, brawny man, shouting, "I invite the Land God to possess me!"... and gotten goosebumps all over. The image was too beautiful; he couldn't bear to look! It might have worked if it were a pretty young temple maiden instead. Ahem, he was getting sidetracked...

So he had changed the activation phrase to, "I invite the Land God's Divine Power to possess me." That worked, too. After all, it was only an incantation; what mattered was whether Fang Ming chose to respond.

Zhang Qingyun had bridged the worlds of yin and yang, and must have lost a great deal of spiritual power. He was surely having a hard time. Whether Fang Ming should take advantage of his weakened state was another question.

Besides, he had only ever given his subordinates a little food to keep them around, then made them work for him without pay. It was like a company in his previous life that paid no wages and only provided room and board, while expecting its employees to work day and night. Compared to that, he seemed even more exploitative than quite a few capitalists! That didn't seem right. Though he held their lives in his hands, he still needed an incentive system to make them more diligent, energetic, and efficient. He was already working on that, with promotions and the like, but those also required Fortune and Divine Power, which he couldn't use recklessly.

What was more, his current subordinates were still low-ranking clerks. To advance further, they would need official ranks, and official ranks required divine positions. Fang Ming had yet to solve that problem.

After thinking it over, perhaps turning Divine Power directly into currency and handing it out as rewards would be a solution.

But that would leave him short on Divine Power. This time, he still had rewards and promotions to grant, which would cost him more.

When all was said and done, it was a matter of worshippers. Fang Ming now had only four villages under his care, and supporting so many people while improving himself was becoming difficult. Expanding his territory and increasing the incense offerings was the only way forward.

Just then, a voice came from outside. "My lord, He Dong requests an audience!"

"Come in." Fang Ming was a little puzzled. He usually handled business in the main hall, where He Dong would report to him. He rarely came to Fang Ming's room.

He Dong entered, followed by a small figure who crept along behind him, moving very cautiously.

As soon as she came in, she knelt and kowtowed. "Greetings, my lord!" Her voice was clear and sweet. She was a girl. On closer inspection, the young girl was quite pretty, about fifteen or sixteen, and dressed as a maid. She hadn't quite grown into her figure yet; her face still had a little baby fat, and a faint smile touched her cherry-red lips, making her a charming sight.

Fang Ming's expression darkened. "He Dong, what is the meaning of this?"

He Dong hurriedly knelt and bowed. "My lord, your humble servant has settled the old and weak wandering souls in Qingshan Village's Divine Domain. Each has a room, and I selected a clerk to help with the work... But since my lord is still alone and has no one to look after him, I took the liberty of choosing a maid to attend to your daily needs!"

Fang Ming smiled wryly to himself. He Dong's flattery truly knew no bounds. In this world, the sons of wealthy households always had a few maids to attend them. Fang Ming had seen female wandering souls before, and Wang Liulang had told him that several wanted to join his service, seeking protection and hoping to become maids or the like. But his Divine Power was precious; how could he spend it on something like that? Naturally, he had refused. This time, He Dong had finally found his chance.

Fang Ming wasn't one to make himself suffer. Since he had taken in those old and weak souls, he had naturally been thinking of finding them some work. After all, even if they spent all day in the Divine Domain, they still cost Fang Ming half a thread of Divine Power every day! Now there was a maid, and since she was quite pleasing to look at, there was no harm in keeping her. He just couldn't set a precedent and make his subordinates think he was a lecherous fiend, prompting them to scour the land for beauties to offer him. That would leave him laughing and crying at once.

So he darkened his expression. "He Dong, what kind of person do you take me for? Instead of attending to proper business, you spend your time on such crooked schemes. You have utterly failed in your duty!" He was a deity, with all power resting in himself. As he grew angry, the air around them seemed to turn colder.

He Dong broke out in a cold sweat and kowtowed repeatedly. "Your subordinate would never dare. Your subordinate knows his fault..." The maid beside him looked ready to burst into tears, but she clenched her teeth and bowed low to beg forgiveness as well.

Fang Ming snorted. "Since this is your first offense, I'll let it go for now. Leave."

He Dong kowtowed again and was about to take the maid away when Fang Ming spoke once more. "Wait. Since she's already been brought here, it wouldn't do to send her straight back. People might start talking. We may not fear gossip, but it would be bad for the maid. Leave her here for now to clean the main hall."

He Dong nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes... My lord is merciful!" He was secretly delighted, though also a little regretful. He seemed to have acted too hastily. But his lord had a point: ghosts lived much like humans. If a maid from a wealthy household were sent away without cause, the rumors could drive her to her death.

Fang Ming waved his hand. He Dong and the maid bowed respectfully to thank him, then backed out.

A little while later, Zheng Kuan came to report that he had settled the Yin Soldiers and recorded their merits. He came to give his report, and Fang Ming nodded, ordering the three of them to wait in the main hall.

After a while, Fang Ming arrived in the main hall. Wang Liulang, Xie Jin, and Zheng Kuan bowed respectfully. "Greetings, my lord!"

Fang Ming raised a hand. "At ease." He picked up the documents on the hall table and looked them over. Then he said, "Zheng Kuan, tell me what happened."

"Yes!" Zheng Kuan accepted the order and reported, "In this campaign against the bandits, our army lost eight men and wiped out the bandit leader, Peng Chun, along with 103 Ferocious Ghosts under his command. It was a great victory. In calculating the merits, Xie Jin, who killed Peng Chun, earned the greatest merit. The other Yin Soldiers also each took several heads. Wang Liulang shot the most, with eight. The rest of the kills have also been recorded..."

He handed over the register. Seeing Fang Ming nod, he continued, "In addition, my lord recruited eleven wandering souls as Yin Soldiers. Our unit now has thirty-three Yin Soldiers, plus two squad leaders, for a total of thirty-five."

Fang Ming nodded. "Good. Xie Jin has earned merit, so I'll reward you by letting you form another squad and command two squads in total. Use the newly recruited Yin Soldiers to make up for our losses. With the three remaining, go recruit seven more and form another squad."

Xie Jin kowtowed to thank him. Fang Ming thought for a moment, then added, "If any of the eight who died had relatives or friends among the dead, invite them to Qingshan Village as well, and provide for them together."

His subordinates all knelt and cheered, "My lord is merciful!" From their reaction, Fang Ming could tell he really had neglected this consideration before. Even if his current subordinates had no family or friends, he had to think about the future. Doing this would win people's hearts, though it would cost him more.

He continued, "Zheng Kuan, you've done well. I'm promoting you to Order Clerk." Zheng Kuan bowed and thanked him.

Fang Ming looked around at the others. "Everyone, come with me outside the village. I'll hand out the rewards there!"

Outside the village.

Thirty-three Yin Soldiers stood in a row. He Dong called out, "Those who took one head, step forward!"

Twenty-two of the original Yin Soldiers stepped forward. Fang Ming nodded. "Five large coins as a reward!"

Guo Sheng and Zheng Kuan came forward to hand out the money. The soldiers took a look: five large white coins, shaped like those in the mortal world, but without any writing. They shone with a mysterious white light. Yin Soldiers had no need for money, so they hadn't thought much of it, but since their lord had bestowed it, they accepted it respectfully.

He Dong called out again, "Those who took two heads, step forward!" Eighteen of the twenty-two came forward this time, and each received another five white coins.

Next, those who had taken three heads stepped forward. There were only ten of them, and each received five coins.

Then he asked about four heads. Three stepped forward, and each received five coins as well.

Finally came those who had taken five. Only one stepped forward, and this time he received ten coins.

He Dong nodded and bowed to Fang Ming. "My lord, all the rewards have been distributed!"

Fang Ming nodded. Some Ferocious Ghosts had been trampled to death in the chaos or chopped to pieces in the melee, making them impossible to count. He could only let it go.

Fang Ming waved a hand, and everyone fell silent at once. His voice rang clear as he said, "These large coins were formed from my Divine Power. They can sustain an ordinary wandering soul for one day, and can also repair damage to the soul. You receive food every day to replenish your strength and maintain yourselves, but you can also absorb these coins to increase your spiritual power and strengthen your bodies."

The words caused an uproar below. All the Yin Soldiers immediately stopped looking down on the coins. After all, they would need to provide for their families in the future. Even those with no family to worry about could use the coins to strengthen themselves, making them extremely valuable. The hands holding the money tightened. The newly recruited Yin Soldiers looked on with envy, their eyes nearly turning red.

Fang Ming smiled faintly at the sight. These coins had naturally been formed from a thread of his White Divine Power. In Great Qian, one small coin was worth one wen, ten small coins made one large coin, and a hundred large coins made one string. One string was worth one tael of silver, the monthly salary of a Subordinate Ninth Rank official. Of course, officials didn't live on their monthly salaries; they received all sorts of gifts.

Fang Ming had originally planned to make the coins worth one wen. But then he thought: if a soldier took one head and he gave him five wen, it would be like saying, "Kill a man for me and I'll reward you with five coarse-grain buns." Why did that sound so wrong? Better to make them large coins. As for making them silver, that seemed like a good idea, but it would be hard to manage later. Remembering the inflation in the underworld in his previous life, where a single yuan could buy several million spirit bills to burn, and where unscrupulous sellers might charge a hundred million for just one, Fang Ming shivered. Though the two situations weren't the same, it was worth being vigilant. Otherwise, what would he use to reward his subordinates in the future?

Then he asked, "What is the name of the one who took five heads?"

One of the Yin Soldiers stepped out. He was exceptionally burly and knelt as he said, "Your humble servant is Xie Chun. Greetings, my lord!"

"You killed five. That makes you a true hero. I'm promoting you to squad leader!" "Thank you, my lord!"

Fang Ming issued another order. "Where is Wang Liulang?"

Wang Liulang stepped out and saluted. "At your service!"

"You led the Yin Soldiers in battle and personally shot eight. You've earned merit. I'll reward you with half a string of coins!" That was fifty large coins, strung together.

Wang Liulang bowed in thanks. "Thank you for the reward, my lord!"

Fang Ming glanced at the civil officials, who looked quite envious, and reassured them. "You clerks will receive rewards, too, for your loyal and diligent service!"

He Dong led them in bowing to thank him.

Looking at the Yin Soldiers under his command, Fang Ming waved his hand. White light flashed, and this time he uniformly repaired their armor and bodies.

Once everything had been taken care of, he ordered, "Xie Jin, after you fill out both squads, go station them in the Land God's Divine Domain in Yuanhe Village. Drill them hard and drive out the Ferocious Ghosts. Wang Liulang, send one squad to Qingshan Village to guard the old and weak. They must not harass anyone. We've won a great victory, so I'm granting three days of meat and wine. Go back and enjoy yourselves!"

The civil and military officials all bowed together. "Your subordinates obey!"