Double Repayment

On the morning of the fourth day, Lu Chen finally stirred awake.

He pushed open the door of the meditation chamber, and a mounted guard who had been waiting for some time immediately stepped forward, respectfully handing him a set of brand-new clothes and a Darksteel Token.

It was a set of black Imperial Guard combat attire with gold patterns, made of fine materials and exquisite craftsmanship. On the chest, a ferocious Demon Suppression Division emblem was embroidered with gold thread.

And on that token were carved two bold, flowing characters—Imperial Guard.

"Guard Lu," the mounted guard said with a bow. "Captain has ordered that, once your injuries heal, you are immediately a member of our Demon Suppression Division's Imperial Guard Camp, temporarily serving as a Little Banner, with authority over five subordinates. This is your identity token and new uniform."

From a Corpse Handler reeking of foul luck to a Little Banner wielding life-and-death authority—

Lu Chen had truly risen to the heavens in a single step!

Changing into the new clothes, Lu Chen felt his entire spirit lift.

He walked to the mirror. The youth reflected there stood tall, with a clean, handsome face. His deep-set eyes, set against the black garment, gleamed with a piercing sharpness, leaving no trace of the cowering, servile air he once carried.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the door.

"Little Banner Lu! Little Banner Lu! You've finally come out of seclusion!"

The two surviving Warriors stood at the door, their faces full of fawning smiles. Behind them followed three younger Warriors, equally tense and deferential.

"We have been sent by Deputy Commander Liu to await Little Banner Lu's orders!"

Lu Chen looked at the five subordinates before him, each with a different expression, and understood in his heart.

It seemed Leader Liu had already arranged everything for him.

"Come in, all of you," Lu Chen said calmly.

He took the seat of honor, his gaze sweeping over the five with quiet composure.

The two Warriors who had survived the bloody battle at Willow Creek Town had eyes full of fervent admiration.

The other three newcomers, however, were filled with curiosity and a hint of defiance.

A lucky bastard who rose by awakening his bloodline—what right did he have to become their Little Banner right off the bat?

Lu Chen said nothing. He simply placed his newly acquired Hundred Refinements Saber casually on the table.

Clang.

A soft sound, yet it struck like a hammer against everyone's hearts.

He picked up his teacup, gently blew on the steam, and spoke in a flat tone that carried an undeniable authority.

"I don't care who you belonged to before, and I don't care what's on your minds. From today, you belong to me. I have only one rule—obedience."

"Those who obey get meat to eat and merits to claim."

"Those who don't..."

He lifted his eyes, sweeping them one by one over the three defiant newcomers, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"I'll personally send them back to the Corpse Handling Room."

The three newcomers shuddered under his gaze, feeling a bone-piercing chill shoot from the soles of their feet straight to their crowns, dousing every last spark of defiance in an instant.

They no longer saw a youth before them, but a god of slaughter stepping out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

"Yes! We will follow the Little Banner's orders!" the five shouted in unison, their voices shaking the roof tiles.

Just as Lu Chen had finished winning over his first batch of subordinates, a cold, grating voice sounded untimely from outside the door.

"Oh, quite the show of authority, Little Banner Lu. Barely in office, and already laying down the law for your men?"

Everyone turned to look. Foreman Wang was leaning against the doorframe, his smile not reaching his eyes as he surveyed the scene inside.

Behind him stood Zhang Mazi, a red handprint still visible on his cheek, his gaze venomous.

"Steward Wang," Lu Chen said slowly, setting down his teacup, his face unreadable. "What advice do you have?"

"Advice? Hardly," Foreman Wang said, strolling in leisurely. His triangular eyes glinted like a viper's. "I'm just here to remind Little Banner Lu not to forget your roots. You came out of my Corpse Handling Room. This skill of yours, in the end, was cultivated by yours truly."

He deliberately stressed the word cultivated, the threat and warning unmistakable.

Lu Chen stood up, a bright smile suddenly spreading across his face.

"Steward Wang is right. If not for your cultivation back then, handing me one perfect assignment after another, how could Lu Chen have come this far?"

He walked step by step toward Foreman Wang, now nearly matching him in height. The invisible pressure he exuded made Foreman Wang instinctively take half a step back.

"For this great kindness and virtue, Lu Chen... will never forget it."

He stared into Foreman Wang's eyes, speaking each word slowly, his voice gentle—but deep in his gaze lay a frost cold enough to freeze the soul.

"If the day comes, I will surely... repay it in full!"

A terrifying surge of Killing Intent burst forth from Lu Chen's body.

Foreman Wang's face turned even paler than a corpse's.

He stared fixedly at Lu Chen, the venom churning in his triangular eyes nearly solidifying into substance.

He had thought Lu Chen was a wolf in sheep's clothing, but now he realized—this was no wolf. This was a primordial beast, lurking in the abyss, just now baring its fangs!

"Good... a fine 'repay it in full'..."

Foreman Wang's lips trembled as he forced those words out through clenched teeth.

Ever since he learned that Lu Chen had awakened his bloodline and slain a demon of official rank, Foreman Wang knew his own strength was no match for Lu Chen's.

He no longer dared to meet Lu Chen's eyes. Turning around in a fluster, he all but fled, and behind him Zhang Mazi, whose face had long since lost all color, scrambled out in a panic, pissing himself as he went.

Inside the room, the three newly arrived Warriors didn't dare breathe too loudly. The looks they gave Lu Chen had shifted from earlier defiance to utter reverence.

The chill on Lu Chen's face vanished in an instant, returning to that placid, well-like calm.

He sat back down in the seat of honor, picked up the cup of tea that had already gone lukewarm, and took a light sip.

"All of you, sit."

Hearing this, the five men felt as if pardoned from a death sentence, yet they only dared to perch half a buttock on the chairs, each sitting ramrod straight.

Lu Chen's gaze fell on the two Warriors who had survived the bloody battle at Willow Creek Town.

"What are your names?"

"Reporting to the Patrol Captain! This subordinate is Zhao Da Niu!"

"This subordinate is Sun Monkey!"

The two immediately stood and answered in loud voices.

Lu Chen nodded, then took a small porcelain bottle from his bosom—the Foundation Elixir awarded by Captain Li.

He poured out four pills, wrapped them in oil paper, divided them into two portions, and pushed them across to the two men.

"These are Foundation Elixirs, a hundred times more precious than Qi and Blood Pills. Two pills for each of you. Consider this your due for the Willow Creek Town mission."

Zhao Da Niu and Sun Monkey stared at the pills before them, which exuded a penetrating medicinal fragrance, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

They had only assisted from the sidelines, surviving by a hair's breadth. They thought coming back alive was the greatest fortune—never in their wildest dreams did they expect such a reward!

"My Lord! This... this is too much! It's far too precious!" Zhao Da Niu stammered, his face flushed with excitement.

"Yes, my Lord, we didn't contribute much. It was all thanks to you..." Sun Monkey waved his hands repeatedly.

"What I say is the rule. Take them. Go back and train hard, lay a solid foundation. My men cannot be useless."

The three newly arrived Warriors watched this scene, their eyes turning red with envy, their guts twisting with regret.

If only they had known, back at Black Wind Gully and Willow Creek Town, they should have clung to this powerful thigh for dear life!

Zhao Da Niu and Sun Monkey exchanged a glance, then stopped refusing. With solemn expressions, they carefully put away the pills and bowed deeply to Lu Chen.

"We swear to serve the Patrol Captain unto death!"