Rewards

The resolute silhouette of Liu Ruyan vanished at the edge of his vision, yet the lingering chill in the air refused to dissipate.

Zhou Xuan stood rooted to the spot, his expression darkening.

"Since you want to die, I won't stop you."

This sentence echoed repeatedly in his mind.

What does she mean? Is she planning to find someone to cripple me?

Zhou Xuan's brows knitted together, a dozen possibilities flashing through his mind in an instant.

In a place like the Chore Servant Courtyard, the death of a person was even more common than the death of a dog.

As long as the deed was done cleanly, who would bother standing up for an insignificant chore servant?

A powerful sense of crisis instantly gripped his heart.

He had to become stronger!

Right now, immediately!

Only by possessing enough power to protect himself could he deal with whatever methods Liu Ruyan might unleash next.

"Brother Xuan!"

Just then, the excited shout of Zhou Ye interrupted Zhou Xuan's thoughts.

Carrying two heavy sacks like an indefatigable ox, he appeared in his line of sight.

"Brother Xuan, I found ten more bags of Poison Rice, but it seems there aren't any more left after that. I searched for a long time..."

The gloom in Zhou Xuan's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a calm as still as an ancient well.

He nodded at Zhou Ye without saying much, silently taking the two sacks and dragging them into his thatched hut.

Liu Ruyan's threat had instead become his most powerful catalyst.

The passion in his heart was not extinguished; rather, this sudden sense of crisis compressed and refined it, transforming it into an even more intense, more resolute ambition and drive.

The time that followed fell into a cycle that was both monotonous and filled with hope.

Zhou Ye traveled back and forth between the deep pit and the hut time and time again, the sweat on his body drying and soaking through repeatedly.

He looked as if he had been fished out of water.

His footsteps grew heavier and his breathing sounded like a broken bellows, yet a raging fire continued to burn in his eyes.

He did not know what Brother Xuan wanted with this Poison Rice, nor did he want to know.

He only knew that this was a task assigned by Brother Xuan, a matter of the utmost importance concerning his future destiny!

He had to complete it, no matter the cost!

When the final ray of dawn pierced the darkness, Zhou Ye finally dragged his legs, which felt as though they were about to snap, and completed the final trip.

"Brother Xuan, I've brought them all back!"

He leaned against the doorframe, gasping for air, his body swaying unsteadily, yet a smile uglier than a grimace hung on his face.

"Good."

Zhou Xuan looked at his state and nodded with satisfaction.

He stepped forward and patted Zhou Ye on the shoulder, channeling a pure force into him that allowed Zhou Ye's sore, weak body to recover slightly.

"You've worked hard." Zhou Xuan's voice was flat, but to Zhou Ye, it sounded like music to his ears.

"It's no trouble! Working for Brother Xuan is my duty!"

Zhou Ye's spine straightened instantly.

Zhou Xuan said nothing more. He turned and walked into the hut, leaving a few bags behind while locking his thoughts onto the others.

"System, convert!"

[Ding! Large quantity of convertible items detected. Converting...]

The next moment, a storm of numbers seemed to erupt within Zhou Xuan's mind!

[Gold Touch Value +0.2!]

[Gold Touch Value +0.3!]

[Gold Touch Value +0.25!]

The numbers on the panel began to soar upward at a terrifying, unprecedented speed!

One hundred!

One thousand!

Five thousand!

The leaping digits were like the most beautiful symphony.

Zhou Xuan watched as the mountain of Mutated Spirit Rice collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning into a pile of white powder devoid of any spiritual energy.

As the final system notification faded, Zhou Xuan's gaze remained locked firmly onto the final number on the panel.

Gold Touch Value: 9888 points!

Nearly ten thousand points!

Even though Zhou Xuan had been mentally prepared, he was still shocked by this number.

He was rich!

This massive sum was enough for him to do so many, many things!

He forcibly suppressed the urge to immediately upgrade his Spirit Root.

No, now was not the time.

Upgrading his Spirit Root was certainly important, but that required an even larger amount of Gold Touch Value, and distant water could not quench a near thirst.

Right now, the threat from Liu Ruyan was imminent; the top priority was to break through to the Qi Refining Realm as soon as possible and possess true self-preservation power!

He withdrew his focus and his gaze fell upon the few remaining bags of Mutated Spirit Rice in the room.

Then, a thought stirred in his mind.

"System, perform Enlightenment on the rice in this bag."

He took an inconspicuous small cloth bag from the side, untied the burlap sack, scooped out about two jin of rice, and put it into the cloth bag.

A faint, almost imperceptible golden light flashed across the cloth bag and vanished.

Zhou Xuan tied up the Enlightened cloth bag, turned around, and walked out, handing it to Zhou Ye, who was still panting at the doorway.

"Take it."

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment and subconsciously took it; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.

He looked at Zhou Xuan in confusion: "Brother Xuan, this is?"

"For you."

Zhou Xuan's tone remained indifferent.

"You performed well this time; this is the reward you deserve."

"How can I! I..."

Zhou Ye hurriedly tried to decline.

"Take it!"

Zhou Xuan's tone was unquestionable.

"I don't like repeating myself; serve me well in the future, and there will be no shortage of benefits for you."

Feeling the authority in Zhou Xuan's words, Zhou Ye dared not say anything more and had no choice but to grip the cloth bag tightly in his hands.

He curiously untied the opening of the bag and took a peek inside.

With just one glance, his breathing suddenly hitched!

What was inside the bag was no longer that Poison Rice filled with violent energy!

They were grains of rice, crystal clear and translucent, as if carved from white jade!

Each grain emitted a soft, faint glow, and a pure, gentle spiritual energy rushed toward his face.

Just by taking a single whiff, he felt the exhaustion in his entire body dissipate significantly!

"Brother Xuan, this is..."

Zhou Ye's voice was trembling; he widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

Although he had never eaten this stuff, he had heard the old-timers in the Chore Servant Courtyard talk about it countless times!

Spirit Rice!

This was definitely the true Spirit Rice that only inner sect disciples, or even personal disciples, were qualified to enjoy!

He had only helped move some things, and Brother Xuan had actually rewarded him with something so precious?

This small bag contained at least one or two jin, and its value was probably comparable to several Qi Gathering Pills!

Zhou Ye felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head; he fell to his knees with a thud and slammed his forehead heavily against the ground.

"Brother Xuan, great kindness needs no thanks! From this day forward, my life belongs to you!"

"If you tell me to go east, I will never go west! If you tell me to kill, I will never even frown!"

His voice carried a sob, a sense of fanaticism, and even a determination to dedicate his body and soul entirely!

Struggling for so many years in this living hell of the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, he had finally seen the light for the first time!

And this light was given to him by Zhou Xuan!