Not Bad

Why you?

Zhou Baishan curled his lip. "Don't you have any idea yourself?"

With such monstrous combat strength, he could only be called a freak.

How could an old fossil like him compare?

If he went instead, he might only make things worse.

Zhao Hong gritted his teeth. He was going all in.

Zhou Baishan's suggestion greatly tempted him.

If it worked, he could not say it would eliminate all future trouble, but at least no one would dare say anything openly.

Ignoring the envious gazes around him, Zhao Hong looked toward the mysterious lord who had revealed himself.

He appeared to be around thirty or forty.

He was powerfully built.

Yet not the slightest trace of aura could be felt from him.

Compared to the red-robed inspector, he seemed as ordinary and unremarkable as a common man.

But no one dared overlook him.

Beyond the Innate Realm.

He was a powerhouse anywhere.

Golden Bell Guards were gathering people to clear the battlefield.

The red-robed inspector respectfully approached the mysterious powerhouse.

"Thank you for saving us, my lord."

"Had we not encountered you on the road, this trip would likely have suffered devastating losses."

Especially since the Judge's Office had only recently been established.

If word got out, it would deal an enormous blow to its reputation.

The middle-aged man said blandly, "It was merely my duty."

"But this Evil Skin Cult is truly quite bold."

The red-robed inspector revealed a bitter smile.

In the end, their strength was still insufficient.

However, the middle-aged man before him had an astonishing background.

Being able to bring part of his forces here had already resolved their urgent crisis.

"I have already patrolled the area. There are no other issues."

"Once this matter is settled, you should learn your lesson."

"You are right, my lord."

The red-robed inspector was utterly respectful.

"My lord."

Hm?

The middle-aged man and the red-robed inspector both looked over.

Zhao Hong's back turned cold.

One was Innate.

The other was beyond Innate.

Being watched by them like this was truly terrifying.

Especially that lord beyond the Innate Realm.

He looked perfectly ordinary, completely unremarkable.

Yet only when facing him did Zhao Hong feel the terror.

With just a casual glance, though there was not the slightest ripple in it, Zhao Hong felt as if he had been seen through completely. His blood and astral force fell utterly silent, trembling in fear.

The red-robed inspector's eyes flashed as he recognized Zhao Hong.

This was the kid who had dared to take the tiger demon's precious blood while no one was paying attention.

Of course, that was not unusual.

But in such circumstances...

To dare act required real nerve.

He was not angry.

It was only a little precious blood.

Compared to the entire tiger demon corpse, it did not even amount to a drop in the bucket.

He even felt a touch of appreciation.

"A Copper Bell Guard? You've got guts."

Noticing the bronze bell, the red-robed inspector raised his brows slightly.

Zhao Hong smiled awkwardly and respectfully bowed. "This junior is Zhao Hong. Greetings, my lords."

Then he solemnly said, "This junior lost his head for a moment and took my lord's prey without permission. I ask my lord to punish me."

As he spoke,

he obediently took out the four jade bottles filled with tiger demon precious blood from his robes.

At the sight, the red-robed inspector froze before nearly laughing aloud.

This kid had even more nerve than he had imagined.

With this lord's status, he would not even care about the entire tiger demon, much less a tiny bit of precious blood.

The purpose of this act was obvious.

The middle-aged man wore an amused expression.

To be honest, it had been a long time since he had seen such a bold young man.

"How old are you?"

"To be honest with you, my lord, sixteen."

Zhao Hong did not dare conceal anything.

"Sixteen?"

Surprise appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes, and his gaze deepened.

At this age, with this aura and foundation, he was indeed not bad.

The red-robed inspector was secretly startled. The middle-aged man's casual question carried an extraordinary meaning in his ears.

This kid had something to him.

"Not bad."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly. Glancing at the four jade bottles in Zhao Hong's hands, he said blandly, "If they are in your hands, they are yours."

He understood Zhao Hong's purpose perfectly well.

With his strength, he would not be angered by such a thing.

His words made the pupils of the many Golden Bell Guards watching from nearby constrict.

With just that sentence, anyone who dared openly snatch them would be slapping this lord in the face.

"Thank you, my lord."

Zhao Hong relaxed inwardly and hurriedly bowed again.

The middle-aged man drifted away.

The red-robed inspector respectfully watched him leave. Then, looking at Zhao Hong with amusement, he said, "To receive a 'not bad' from that lord, there are only a handful in the entire Judge's Office who can claim such an honor."

Huh?

Zhao Hong looked up in shock.

Was it really that outrageous?

He subconsciously glanced in the direction where the middle-aged man had left.

In the blink of an eye, he had already vanished without a trace.

His strength was astonishing.

His identity was probably far from simple as well.

Zhao Hong was secretly alarmed.

"A child of an aristocratic family?"

Hearing that, Zhao Hong hurriedly shook his head. "My lord, this junior comes from a mountain village."

A mountain village?

The red-robed inspector was rather surprised.

With his strength, he could naturally see that the aura around Zhao Hong was unusual.

He was definitely not as simple as a mere mid-stage Blood Astral Realm cultivator.

Sixteen years old.

That alone was already remarkable.

He suddenly recalled that this kid and another person had seemingly directly drunk a mouthful of tiger demon precious blood.

The other person was one thing; he was in the Mysterious Embryo Realm.

But this kid was only in the Blood Astral Realm.

In such a short time, he had not only endured it, but refined it and broken through in cultivation.

He was a talent.

"My name is Lu Chaoyang. Once you advance to Golden Bell Guard, if you have any thoughts later on, you can come find me."

After saying that, the red-robed inspector waved his hand, indicating that Zhao Hong could leave.

A trace of surprise flashed through Zhao Hong's eyes. He respectfully bowed, then quickly withdrew.

He returned to Zhou Baishan's side.

Zhou Baishan immediately asked, "How did it go?"

"Everything went as Brother Zhou expected."

"With that lord's word, at least no one will dare openly snatch this precious blood."

This precious blood was extraordinary.

It held immense temptation even for the Golden Bell Guards.

"That's good."

Zhou Baishan let out a breath of relief.

If it had been him going over, it might not have gone so smoothly.

Zhao Hong recalled the red-robed inspector's words.

It counted as an attempt at recruitment.

But it was still far too early.

The other party had only said it casually. He might forget it the moment he turned around.

With that thought, a great weight lifted from Zhao Hong's heart. He lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Zhou, do you know that lord?"

"What virtue or ability do I have?"

Zhou Baishan rolled his eyes.

He did not even know that red-robed inspector.

Much less someone beyond the Innate Realm.

"Alright."

Zhao Hong did not ask further.

"But don't let your guard down. Those people may get some tiger demon precious blood, but no one will complain about having too little. Perhaps the inspector will not give them even a drop."

"They won't dare do anything openly, but secretly is another matter."

Zhou Baishan warily swept his gaze over the Golden Bell Guards in the distance and reminded him in a low voice, "Next, we'll rest and regroup first, then wait for more people to be sent over from above."

"The patrol over there is also coming to an end. When I reported upward earlier, I mentioned your name as well. If anyone asks later, just tell the truth."

"Don't go out alone these next few days. If anything happens, come directly to me. If you're confident, absorb the precious blood first."

Zhao Hong was slightly startled. He had not expected Zhou Baishan to report his name as well.

Strictly speaking, he would have a share of the credit here too.

Old Zhou had been thoughtful.

"Thank you, Brother Zhou."

Zhao Hong also took Zhou Baishan's warning to heart.

This battle.

Leaving aside the later rewards, the four bottles of precious blood alone had already made him a fortune.

Even seventy or eighty major merits might not compare.

But merit was not just for exchanging resources.

It was also key to promotion.

No one would ever think they had too much.

"Yang Feng."

Noticing Yang Feng walking toward the Yang Family's Golden Bell Guards, a chill flashed through Zhao Hong's eyes.

That bastard would probably stir up trouble again later.

With that thought, he planned to discuss it with Zhou Baishan and tell him everything about encountering Yang Feng's group on the way from the patrol grounds.