Bounty

When Shen Mu arrived at the valley entrance, a portion of the Guardians had already gathered there.

Not far away, Ren Yunzhao's expression appeared somewhat gloomy; clearly, his days of late had not been peaceful.

As for the two Market Masters, Kong Mingyuan and Lin Xiao, they stood behind Ren Yunzhao with sheepish expressions, looking as if they had just been raked over the coals by him.

Seeing this scene, Shen Mu could not help but feel a secret delight.

This was quite different from what he had seen a few days ago, when Ren Yunzhao had just harvested the tiger whip and was brimming with high spirits.

He had not expected the situation to change so drastically in just a few short days.

"What do you think the Incense Master is gathering everyone for?"

"Probably about those thieves stealing our Origin Mulberry Fruit here in Emerald Cloud Valley."

"Damn it, we used to turn a blind eye when those guys came to steal the fruit; even if some were taken, it wasn't a big deal. At most, we'd just fire a Signal Arrow to drive them off. Who would have thought they'd lure a demonic beast to fall into the valley and cause such chaos, killing so many of our brothers? Isn't this just spitting in our faces?"

"Just to steal some Origin Mulberry Fruit, these rats that can't see the light of day truly deserve to die!"

"I think every one of us Guardians should be equipped with a bow from now on. The moment we spot any thieves sneaking into the valley, we should just shoot them dead with a volley of arrows!"

"Isn't shooting them dead a bit too much? They're just stealing some fruit; it doesn't warrant that, does it?"

"Hmph, just stealing some fruit? What about all the brothers we lost a few days ago because that group lured the Dark Gold Red Tiger to its death?"

"In my opinion, shooting them isn't enough. We should capture them alive and subject them to the hammer—crushing them to death, one blow at a time!"

"If we take the law into our own hands and the government finds out, what then?"

"Heh, once they're hammered to death, we just bury them somewhere in the valley. Who would know someone died? Even if these thieves report it to the authorities, let the yamen officials come looking themselves."

"..."

The Guardians who had gathered early were all whispering among themselves, clearly still harboring resentment over the incident from a few days ago.

Shen Mu stood in the crowd, listening quietly without participating in the debate.

"Brother Shen."

Luo Tao arrived at the valley entrance, craning his neck to scan the crowd. Once he spotted Shen Mu, he hurried over to greet him.

He couldn't help but ask, "Brother Shen, what is the higher-up gathering us for?"

Shen Mu shook his head and said, "I'm not sure either, but we'll likely know in a moment."

Upon hearing this, Luo Tao stopped talking and, like Shen Mu, waited in silence.

About half an hour passed, and all the Guardians of Emerald Cloud Valley had arrived at the entrance.

"Ahem."

Lin Xiao gave a dry cough, stepped forward, and said respectfully, "Incense Master, everyone has arrived."

Ren Yunzhao looked around the circle and cleared his throat; the previously noisy scene fell silent at once.

"I have gathered everyone here today, and I imagine you all have your own guesses as to why."

"A few days ago, a First-Rank demonic beast, the Dark Gold Red Tiger, fell off the cliff unexpectedly, causing many of our Firewood Gang members to lose their lives."

"Investigations have revealed that the incident was not an accident. Someone deliberately set a trap above the cliff to lure the Dark Gold Red Tiger into falling, creating chaos so they could sneak into the valley to steal the Origin Mulberry Fruit."

Ren Yunzhao declared loudly, "This incident has caused the Firewood Gang a loss of at least fifty thousand taels of silver."

"Whoa~"

Hearing the sum of fifty thousand taels, the crowd erupted in an uproar, and everyone began whispering to one another.

Shen Mu, standing in the crowd, curled his lip; he understood that Ren Yunzhao was deliberately inflating the loss.

Based on his own estimates, the loss from the Dark Gold Red Tiger incident wouldn't have exceeded twenty thousand taels, even at the absolute maximum.

That figure would have included the stolen Origin Mulberry Fruit and the compensation paid to the families of the fallen members.

The carcass of the Dark Gold Red Tiger alone could be sold for at least ten thousand taels, which would have offset a portion of the losses.

However, Shen Mu could also guess why Ren Yunzhao was inflating the numbers—how else could he balance the books?

"Silence!"

Kong Mingyuan shouted angrily, and the noisy scene instantly quieted down again.

Meeting everyone's gaze, Ren Yunzhao continued, "This incident has infuriated the Gang Leader, who has ordered a strict investigation. We must find the true culprits within a month to serve as a warning to others!"

"I will be the person in charge of this investigation, and the Gang Leader has entrusted me with full authority to handle the matter."

"However, this group of thieves is like rats hiding in a hole. If we want to drag them out, we need everyone in Emerald Cloud Valley to work together."

"Therefore, I hereby announce: anyone who provides a lead that helps find these thieves will be rewarded with one hundred taels!"

"Anyone who can capture a person involved in that night's incident will be rewarded with five hundred taels!"

"There is no upper limit to this reward. If you can catch two thieves, you will receive one thousand taels!"

"Whoa~"

Upon hearing Ren Yunzhao's words, the crowd erupted into an uproar once more; some people's eyes even turned red on the spot.

Shen Mu could not help but click his tongue in secret.

Ren Yunzhao had truly spared no expense this time in order to apprehend those involved in that night's incident.

A mere valid lead was enough to earn one hundred taels of silver; the reward could hardly be described as anything less than generous.

"It seems the Dark Gold Red Tiger incident from a few days ago has truly incensed the higher-ups."

"But will investigating this matter through bounties really be enough to drag those scoundrels out?"

Shen Mu could not help but feel a sense of curiosity.

However, he also knew that for Ren Yunzhao, this was certainly a viable method.

After all, the higher-ups had only given him one month to investigate the matter.

Although he did not know what fate awaited Ren Yunzhao if he failed to catch this group of rats within a month, the outcome would surely be grim.

This was likely the primary reason why Ren Yunzhao's expression looked so unpleasant.

As for their group of Guardians, they were currently in a state of having nothing to do.

Ren Yunzhao mobilizing them to investigate this matter could be considered making the best use of their talents.

"For the next month, you are all permitted to leave Emerald Cloud Valley to pursue leads."

Ren Yunzhao announced in a loud voice, "As long as the leads you provide are confirmed, you will receive the bounty."

"Whether or not you can make a fortune depends entirely on your own abilities."

Having said this, Ren Yunzhao said no more, leading Lin Xiao and Kong Mingyuan away.

Once Ren Yunzhao had departed, the gathered Guardians all began to howl and cheer with excitement.

"Brother Shen, are we going to participate in this investigation?"

Luo Tao's face also revealed an eager expression, though he still turned to ask Shen Mu.

"No."

Shen Mu shook his head; rather than wasting time on an investigation, he would be better off using that time to temper his body and increase his blood energy.

Seeing the Firewood Gang conducting such a massive, widespread investigation, those fellows would surely be hiding themselves away very tightly.

Shen Mu did not want to waste a month in vain, pinning his hopes on making this windfall.

Converting the silver currently in his hands into cultivation was the most urgent matter for him right now.