Accepting the Mission

After delivering the meat.

Li Yun recalled the scene from moments ago.

Suddenly, a sense of unease washed over him.

According to his conjectures, the emergence of such an organization was generally a harbinger of chaotic times.

To think it had appeared in the Outer City.

He could no longer afford to accumulate blood-qi at such a sluggish pace; he had to find a way to earn money and purchase items that would boost his blood-qi.

With that, he headed toward the Bounty Pavilion to take a look.

Although he had never taken on a mission, Li Yun had visited a few times and was already somewhat familiar with the Bounty Pavilion.

As usual, he went straight to the mission area on the first floor.

The moment he stepped inside, he noticed something different from the norm.

At the entrance, an extra screen had been placed, with a portrait hanging upon it.

Below it was written:

"Two hundred taels of silver, bounty for a lecherous thief.

Physical characteristics: sword-like brows and starry eyes, high nose and thin lips, approximately eight feet tall.

..."

Li Yun glanced at it and lost interest in reading further.

It had nothing to do with him.

He continued scanning the wooden plaques on the wall, searching for a suitable mission.

"Hunting guide for Crow Mountain?"

Li Yun felt a flicker of doubt in his heart:

Could it be that Miss Huang again, wanting to go hunting?

He would ask Senior Sister Yu about it in the afternoon.

After roughly scanning all the plaques on the wall, Li Yun finally found a very good mission.

He noted down the plaque number and walked to the counter:

"Hello, I would like to inquire about '2501'."

The clerk flipped through a ledger, quickly found the detailed record of the mission, and replied to Li Yun:

"Master Zhang of Fortune Lane in the Outer City East District is looking for a miraculous weight-loss remedy.

The reward is one hundred taels of silver, but more specific information requires an in-person meeting at the mansion."

Heh.

It was this Master Zhang again.

Li Yun found it somewhat amusing; it seemed he really had some sort of fate with this square-shaped cousin.

Still, the man truly doted on his daughter to be willing to shell out one hundred taels.

With no danger and a generous reward, there was no reason not to take this mission.

"Fine, I accept this mission."

"You can just head over directly. Master Zhang will keep this mission posted until a miraculous remedy is found."

"Understood."

Li Yun followed the address to the Zhang Mansion.

Two blue stone lions crouched by the gate, looking quite imposing.

No wonder they had so much money to spare for their daughter's weight loss.

Li Yun raised his hand and knocked on the door, the copper ring striking the wood.

Clang, clang~

Before long, the side door creaked open, and a middle-aged man with deep wrinkles etched into his forehead poked his head out.

"Please, inform your master. I accepted Master Zhang's bounty at the Bounty Pavilion and have come to offer a miraculous remedy."

The man didn't respond. Many people had come knocking over the past two days, but they were all swindlers carrying fake prescriptions to scam the reward money.

He looked Li Yun up and down.

He saw that Li Yun stood as straight as a pine, his eyes sharp and spirited, unlike an ordinary person.

It was just that his face looked too young, appearing to be no more than twenty.

The man turned the thought over in his mind, not believing someone of that age could possess any great skill.

However, he didn't say anything further and instead led Li Yun to find the master:

"Please, follow me."

Li Yun followed the man, walking into Zhang Mansion.

After passing through two courtyards, they arrived before a pavilion.

Li Yun saw a somewhat portly middle-aged man, who must be Master Zhang.

Beside him were two maidservants, and also...

A mountain of flesh.

The person was sprawled in a chair, skin and fat hanging in layers, with arms as thick as an ordinary person's waist.

The collar of the garment was stretched to the point of bursting by the rolls of fat. With every breath, the flesh on the body wobbled, and a heavy, wheezing sound rolled from the throat.

For a person to eat themselves into such a state, it truly required a certain amount of talent.

"Master, this person claims to have seen the bounty at Bounty Pavilion and has come specifically to offer a miraculous remedy."

"Hmm."

Zhang Yang's fat hand, which was holding a candied fruit, paused, and he turned his head to look at the newcomer:

So young?

This kid looks like he isn't even twenty yet; what could he possibly understand?

However, the bounty from Bounty Pavilion had been posted for half a month. Those who came were either swindlers looking for money or offered bland, useless prescriptions.

Since he was already here, he might as well listen to what kind of tricks this kid could come up with:

"What method do you have that can help my daughter lose weight?"

Li Yun swept a glance over the food on the table—candied fruits, glistening fatty meat...

With all these high-calorie foods, it would be strange if she weren't fat:

"As long as your daughter follows what I say, you will see results within a month."

To increase his credibility, Li Yun added:

"The bounty can be paid after a month, once the results are visible."

"Oh?"

Hearing Li Yun say this, Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat surprised.

Those who had visited in the past few days either boasted wildly, blowing their prescriptions out of proportion.

Or, before they had even finished two sentences, they were impatiently reaching out for a deposit, their faces growing uglier by the second.

Yet this kid before him not only lacked any vanity, but he even deferred the bounty until after the results were seen.

Based on this alone, the bit of contempt Zhang Yang held in his heart diminished slightly:

"Very well. If results can be seen in a month, I can add a bit more to the bounty. First, tell me, how should my daughter cooperate with you?"

Li Yun naturally wouldn't explain "high-calorie" foods to Zhang Yang.

If he said such words, Master Zhang wouldn't understand them and would only think Li Yun was spouting nonsense.

He gathered his thoughts and said simply:

"Master Zhang, people do not gain weight out of thin air."

His gaze swept over the oily meat and the sugar-coated candied fruits on the table as he pointed to them:

"Weight is tied strictly to what one eats. It's not that I'm forbidding your daughter from eating, but she must be selective. For example, these candied fruits are packed with sugar; eating them causes everything to accumulate in the belly. And that greasy meat—don't even touch it. Starting today, I will first weigh your daughter, calculate exactly how much she should eat daily, and draft a meal plan for her to follow. Then, we will appropriately increase her physical activity. In a month, the results will be clear."

He would calculate the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—the three major nutrients—with absolute precision.

If the calories consumed were less than those expended, the body would naturally burn excess fat to make up for the energy deficit.

As long as she controlled her appetite, she would naturally lose weight.

Hearing Li Yun speak so logically, Zhang Yang felt he might actually have some real skill.

He believed him by thirty percent on the spot.

He then turned his head to look at his daughter, Zhang Meili.

Seeing her father's inquiry, Zhang Meili hardened her heart and nodded in agreement.

Forbidding her from eating these delicacies was truly an agonizing prospect.

However, she is already twenty-five years old and still hasn't been married off.

He was truly anxious in his heart.

Seeing that his daughter also agreed, Zhang Yang consented:

"Fine, write out the prescription now."

"Alright, I will dictate it, and you have someone write it down."

Li Yun was not afraid that Zhang Yang would renege on the debt later.

Not to mention himself, Zhang Yang wouldn't even be able to get past the Bounty Pavilion.

Next, Li Yun had someone go to weigh Miss Thousand-Catty.

Then, he calculated the maximum amount of calories she could consume daily.

He divided it into the three major nutrients according to a specific ratio.

As for the exercise aspect, that was mandatory.

Otherwise, after Miss Thousand-Catty lost weight, the excess skin would not be able to retract.

If that happened, he wouldn't be able to collect the remaining bounty.

High-intensity exercise was out of the question, given her current weight.

The only thing Li Yun could think of was swimming.

Even if she couldn't swim, walking underwater would suffice.

Once she lost weight in the future, she could then swim properly.

Thus, he had Zhang Yang dig a simple swimming pool in the estate.

The other party did not question him and directly ordered his servants to do as instructed.