Rewards and Punishments

Damn the Yang Family.

Zhao Hong's eyes turned cold.

Then he showed a helpless expression.

They had been exposed a little too early.

Since it was a fight to the death...

He knew the Stele-Splitting Hand, and if they suspected he had been a promising talent secretly discovered and trained, how could the Yang Family simply stand by?

Especially when this Judge's Office was located deep in the wilderness and mountains.

Once they set their sights on him, there would be far too many opportunities.

And his current strength was undoubtedly far too weak.

"Brother Tai, how strong is the Yang Family's influence in the Judge's Office?" Zhao Hong rubbed his brow.

There was no such thing as being a thief for a thousand days while guarding against thieves for a thousand days.

Without the strength to kill them in return, he had to swallow his pride openly.

And secretly, he still had to stay on guard.

It was truly suffocating.

"You've completely offended the Yang Family? It can't be that serious, can it?" Li Tai frowned.

Zhao Hong gave a bitter smile. "It has nothing to do with this place."

The Eight Desolations Six Directions Martial Hall and the Yang Family were difficult to explain.

Li Tai did not press further. After pondering for a moment, he said, "The strongest are the inspectors, probably six or seven of them. There are even more Golden Bell Guards and Silver Bell Guards."

"There are quite a few children of prominent families in the Judge's Office, though they account for only about half at most. The higher-ups know perfectly well what those young masters are like."

"The one with the highest status is Yang Ling, the Third Young Master. He came here partly to lie low. I heard that after this incident, the senior disciple of the Eight Desolations Six Directions Martial Hall vanished without a trace. Once one reaches the Innate Realm, there's no way to remain in the Yang Family estate day and night. At the Judge's Office, no one would dare act without restraint."

"Inspectors, Innate Realm, without restraint..."

Zhao Hong's heart stirred.

This was the Judge's Office.

No one dared act without restraint.

The Yang Family was no exception.

As long as he remained careful, he could still hide for a while.

First, he would develop.

Then he would take his revenge viciously.

He would definitely avenge Uncle Yang.

With that thought, the tension in his heart eased somewhat.

"Right.

"I seem to remember that one of the Eight Desolations Six Directions Martial Hall's disciples also came to the Judge's Office."

"The third disciple. She's also an inspector. I heard she and Yang Ling had caused a few disturbances here before."

Li Tai suddenly said.

Zhao Hong's eyes lit up.

Wouldn't that make her his senior sibling?

She was Innate, at least.

He could rely on her in a critical moment.

"Thank you for clearing that up, Brother Tai."

Li Tai waved a hand slightly. "It's nothing."

"But kid, be careful in everything you do from now on."

"Old Zhou is about to be promoted to Golden Bell Guard. Your strength should be about there as well. When the time comes, return to the office with Old Zhou. Once you're there, no one will dare act recklessly."

"Between now and the promotion, a month will pass before you know it."

He glanced at Zhou Baishan.

Neither of them was foolish.

Although Zhao Hong had not said it outright, his deliberate questions likely meant he had some connection to the Eight Desolations Six Directions Martial Hall.

"Promoting to Golden Bell Guard requires going to the office?" Zhao Hong truly did not know that.

"That's right, you must go to the main office."

"Your cultivation must reach the Profound Embryo Realm, then you must pass an inspection and carry out an assessment mission. It isn't guaranteed. But manpower is scarce right now, so the mission won't be too difficult. If you're strong enough, the assessment mission may even be waived outright."

"Your strength is about sufficient. Once rewards are handed out, your merits won't be few either."

At this point...

Li Tai could not help sighing inwardly.

Comparisons really did make people furious.

"That is good news."

Zhao Hong let out a long breath.

As long as he had time, that was enough.

As for resources to improve himself, he had enough for the moment.

Once the merits came through, he could exchange them for more.

Before leaving...

Zhao Hong asked after the name of the senior sibling he had never met.

"Hu Yingying."

"She's a woman, too."

"So she's my Third Senior Sister."

Zhao Hong was rather surprised.

Not long after Zhou Baishan and Li Tai left...

Another person entered the courtyard.

Liu Zheng.

"Take it."

Liu Zheng smiled broadly. His gaze toward Zhao Hong held astonishment, relief, and regret.

He was relieved that Zhou Baishan had sent Zhao Hong under his command.

Otherwise, he really would have lost his life in this accident.

What he regretted was that a monster with such combat strength could not be kept. There was simply no way to keep him.

"This is... Hiss, more than three thousand taels?"

Zhao Hong looked at it, then stared at Liu Zheng in surprise.

"It came from clearing the battlefield. Unfortunately, those people were all bandits. After being hunted down, they spent their days hiding everywhere and did not have much wealth. This is the bulk of it."

"It's what you deserve."

Zhao Hong immediately accepted it without ceremony.

Just as Liu Zheng had said, it was what he deserved.

"Right."

Liu Zheng lowered his voice. "That Profound Embryo demon probably had a storage bag on him. You didn't throw away the Evil Skin inside, did you?"

"No."

"Brother Liu, these things...?"

"It's good that you didn't. The office wants these things. One piece of Evil Skin at the Blood Astral level can be exchanged for a pill of the same level."

"Why does the office want such wicked things?" Zhao Hong instinctively felt puzzled.

Liu Zheng explained, "These Evil Skins have all been nurtured and accumulated over time. As long as they're intact, the essence contained within them is astonishing. You should know that the office's various resources, even some cultivation treasure grounds, can make use of them."

"The methods of those monsters from the Evil Skin Cult are wicked, but I have to admit that they are quite impressive in some respects."

Zhao Hong immediately understood.

It made perfect sense.

Destroying them would indeed be a terrible waste.

After Liu Zheng left...

He eagerly opened the storage bag and carefully took stock of its contents.

There were twenty-one intact Evil Skins at the peak Blood Astral level, eleven more at the mid to late stages that were somewhat weaker, and seven pieces of Jade Hide at the Profound Embryo level.

"An unexpected windfall."

"Nearly thirty Blood Astral-level pieces. Even if they only add up to one Profound Embryo-level pill, that would still be a huge profit."

After finishing the count, Zhao Hong lowered his head to look at his right hand.

During his exchange of palms with Yang Erhe earlier...

The other man had suppressed him with his strength.

But the difference was not heaven and earth.

"Three bottles of precious blood and five Profound Earth Pills. If I meet him again, that will be enough for me to kill him."

A trace of killing intent flashed through his eyes. Zhao Hong took out a jade bottle and gulped down its contents.

The next day...

Everyone at the outpost gathered together.

An inspector from the main office had already arrived.

Everyone stood neatly in the courtyard.

Yang Feng and the other three stood in a corner, shooting Zhao Hong venomous looks from time to time, their hearts uneasy.

Yang Erhe had not told Yang Feng the outcome, afraid that the fool might do something unexpectedly stupid again and drag him down with him.

The red-robed inspector had not left either.

Two Golden Bell Guards from the main office stood watch before the room, their expressions stern.

"Li Tai."

The person called by name entered the room.

There was a Mind-Questioning Mirror inside. It could reveal whether a martial artist had been corrupted by demons and evil spirits, while also determining whether they were lying.

With the Mind-Questioning Mirror present, as long as they reported that Yang Feng and the others had fled in the midst of battle, even as children of prominent families, they would have no chance of turning things around.

Moreover, the inspector who had come had no ties to the Yang Family, Chen Family, or Wang Family.

As time passed...

It was finally Zhao Hong's turn.

He entered the room and saw a golden-robed inspector sitting behind a table.

An ancient mirror stood beside the table, facing him.

"You are Zhao Hong?"

"This subordinate is."

Zhao Hong respectfully bowed.

The golden-robed inspector smiled. "You single-handedly saved a squad of fellow officers, fought a Profound Embryo demon without hesitation, and even killed it. You are quite impressive."

Zhao Hong was not surprised. With so many people having entered before him, there was naturally no hiding it from this golden-robed inspector.

"You flatter me, sir. I had concealed my strength. In that moment of crisis, I had no time to think so much. It was all instinct."

Hearing this, the golden-robed inspector glanced at the utterly still Mind-Questioning Mirror beside him, and the approval in his eyes deepened.

The mirror had never been turned off.

Since there had been no reaction, it meant those words came from his heart.

Concealing one's strength was nothing. Who did not hide a little of their strength? The key was that it had all been instinct.

He had heard that this boy was only sixteen.

He was a good prospect.

"Sit."