Does It Taste Good?

It was already past midnight.

Ghostly Qi surged into the sky above the Zhao Residence, and a mist of blood spread everywhere.

Moonlight spilled across the ground like liquid silver.

In the hazy night, Zhao Huaian arrived on his Flying Sword, slicing through the air before hovering above the Zhao Residence.

Looking down at the bloody scene below, Zhao Huaian remained expressionless. Only the Spiritual Energy in his eyes shimmered as he scanned every corner of the residence.

Soon, he flew toward one of the side rooms.

The room was thick with Ghostly Qi.

The Split-Mouthed Evil Ghost was ravenously devouring Layman Zhao's flesh. Its rotten face, crawling with maggots, was alight with pleasure.

"Delicious... so delicious..."

The ghost gorged itself.

It had discovered that Layman Zhao's flesh was more delicious than anyone else's. Every bite seemed to elevate its Ghostly Qi.

That was why it couldn't bear to drain Layman Zhao's blood and vitality all at once. Instead, it had kept him alive, savoring him one bite at a time.

Just as the ghost was gorging itself, the door slowly opened, and a voice rang out.

"Does it taste good?"

The ghost jerked its head up, licked its gaping mouth, and turned to look behind it.

The speaker was Zhao Huaian.

He wore a white robe, and beneath the moonlight, he looked refined and mild-mannered, every inch the cultivated scholar.

Looking at the ghost, Zhao Huaian gathered a Fireball in his hand and said calmly, "If it tastes good, eat a little more. Once you're full, I'll send you on your way..."

"Fragrant... You're even more fragrant. You smell better..."

The ghost drooled, opened its cavernous maw, and lunged at Zhao Huaian.

"There's something even more fragrant..."

Zhao Huaian gave a cold laugh. "We'll see if you can stomach it!"

The moment the words left his mouth,

as the ghost lunged toward him, the Fireball shot from Zhao Huaian's hand and grew in an instant, like a meteor from beyond the heavens, crashing into the ghost and exploding with a thunderous blast.

The ghost's cultivation was only around Qi Refining Layer Three. Against a Grandmaster-level Fireball Technique, it had no power to resist.

As the Fireball exploded, the ghost was hurled backward, flames roaring over its body as its dense Ghostly Qi began to dissipate rapidly.

The ghost screamed again and again as souls kept spilling from its gaping maw.

Zhao Huaian watched coldly.

In just a few breaths, the ghost had been burned to nothing, its soul scattered and its body reduced to ashes.

As the ghost was reduced to ashes, something clattered to the ground.

A pair of scissors!

A pair of scissors stained with fresh blood!

They were the ghost's token, as well as the object that had accompanied it when it became a ghost.

Spiritual Energy surged in Zhao Huaian's hand, and a force of suction swept outward. The bloodstained scissors flew straight into his palm.

"With this... I've completed every task I took on for this trip down the mountain."

Holding the scissors, Zhao Huaian smiled, knowing that his mission was complete.

But he didn't leave right away.

Instead, he set about dispelling the Ghostly Qi throughout the Zhao Residence.

There was simply too much Ghostly Qi here.

If he left it untreated, there was a good chance that some of those who had died tragically tonight would become ghosts.

Since he was already here, Zhao Huaian might as well take care of it.

As he dispelled the Ghostly Qi in the Zhao Residence, he also continued searching every corner.

He had seen Layman Zhao take out four Low-grade Spirit Stones to pay the Rogue Cultivator at Qi Refining Layer Three.

That meant there had to be more Spirit Stones somewhere in the residence.

He drove away the Ghostly Qi as he searched.

By the time all the Ghostly Qi in the Zhao Residence had been purified, he had found more than thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones.

With this haul,

Zhao Huaian was more than satisfied. He mounted his Flying Sword and soared away.

Greenwood Sect, Outer Sect.

Mission Hall.

Three days had passed.

Zhao Huaian returned to Greenwood Sect without a hitch and went straight to the Mission Hall to turn in his tasks.

"Senior Brother Lei, these are the tasks I completed. Sorry for the trouble, but could you check and verify them?"

Zhao Huaian walked into the Mission Hall looking exhausted and took out the proofs for more than ten tasks from his Storage Bag.

Seeing Zhao Huaian's travel-worn appearance, Lei Yangwen glanced at the proofs for more than ten tasks on the counter. After inspecting them and confirming everything was in order, he nodded approvingly.

He smiled, gave Zhao Huaian a thumbs-up, and praised him. "Not bad. These proofs are all in order. Junior Brother Zhao, you really get things done. In just twenty days, you've completed so many tasks. I have to hand it to you."

Lei Yangwen wasn't just being polite. He genuinely admired Zhao Huaian's efficiency.

There were plenty of people in the Outer Sect of Greenwood Sect who took on several tasks at once.

But they were nowhere near as efficient as Zhao Huaian. Some of them took two or three months to finish even when they accepted multiple tasks at once.

Zhao Huaian smiled, unable to hide his exhaustion as he said, "I'm about to break through to Qi Refining Layer Five, so I wanted to take the chance to earn more Spirit Stones and buy myself a longer stretch of time to cultivate in seclusion."

"That makes sense!"

Lei Yangwen did the math and nodded, as if it were only to be expected. "With your talent, this is indeed about the time you'd be on the verge of breaking through to Qi Refining Layer Five."

As he spoke, Lei Yangwen made a quick calculation and took a large pile of Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag.

He pushed them toward Zhao Huaian and smiled. "Junior Brother Zhao, these are the rewards for your tasks. One hundred and seventy-nine Low-grade Spirit Stones in total."

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Zhao Huaian nodded calmly and put the one hundred and seventy-nine Low-grade Spirit Stones into his Storage Bag.

Then, after a moment's thought, he took out twenty-nine more Low-grade Spirit Stones and respectfully handed them to Lei Yangwen. "Senior Brother, weren't the two bottles of Elixir Pills you sold me last time worth twenty-nine Low-grade Spirit Stones?"

That had been Zhao Huaian's promise.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have received so many tasks, most of them unusually easy and highly rewarding.

Lei Yangwen smiled knowingly, but didn't take the Spirit Stones Zhao Huaian offered. Instead, he looked him up and down and said, "You've got it wrong, Junior Brother. It should be forty-nine Low-grade Spirit Stones. Did you forget that besides those two bottles of Elixir Pills, there was also a Dharma Artifact?"

Clearly, Lei Yangwen wasn't satisfied with twenty-nine Low-grade Spirit Stones. He wanted more.

For one thing, he had indeed arranged many easy, high-profit tasks for Zhao Huaian this time.

For another, Zhao Huaian had earned a total of one hundred and seventy-nine Low-grade Spirit Stones from these tasks.

By comparison, twenty-nine Low-grade Spirit Stones as a token of appreciation clearly weren't enough to sate his appetite.

That was how people were. The desires in their hearts were never satisfied.

If Zhao Huaian had earned only a few dozen Low-grade Spirit Stones from these tasks, then it would have been a different matter.

And according to Lei Yangwen's calculations, he was already going easy on Zhao Huaian because he had Three Spiritual Roots.

Otherwise, for another low-cultivation cultivator completing this many tasks at once, he would have demanded at least sixty Low-grade Spirit Stones.

At that, Zhao Huaian's expression barely changed. He merely gave an awkward smile and said, "That was my oversight, Senior Brother. I almost forgot."

As he spoke, Zhao Huaian took out another twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones and respectfully handed them to Lei Yangwen.

"Just remember next time, Junior Brother. You and I may be on good terms, but some things still have to be done by the book. Without rules, the good things won't come your way."

Lei Yangwen spoke meaningfully.

"I only just joined the sect, Senior Brother, and I still don't understand a lot of the rules. I'll have to rely on your guidance."

Zhao Huaian stood to the side, smiling ingratiatingly.

"Hahaha, just make sure you get it right next time. If there's anything you don't know, I'll tell you!"

Lei Yangwen burst out laughing, then paid Zhao Huaian no more attention.

His attitude had clearly changed from before.

Zhao Huaian smiled and nodded. His smile grew ever more amiable as he slipped out of the Mission Hall without a sound.