A Distinguished Merit

Several dozen breaths later.

Zhao Hong walked out of the room, faint anticipation showing on his face.

Though the exact amount of merit had not been stated, the golden-robed inspector's excellent attitude made him feel that it would probably exceed his expectations.

Zhang Gucheng was the name of that golden-robed inspector.

Zhao Hong rubbed the wooden token in his hand, deep in thought.

Before he left, Zhang Gucheng had casually tossed it to him.

Zhang Gucheng's name was branded onto it.

In a sense, it represented Zhang Gucheng himself.

The other man had been very straightforward. Zhao Hong was a promising prospect; once he became a Golden Bell Guard, if he was interested, he could seek Zhang Gucheng out for an assignment. Even if he was not interested, it could be considered the forging of a good connection.

Given time, Zhao Hong might not be unable to become a golden-robed inspector himself.

With this token, if he encountered trouble, others might give Zhang Gucheng some face.

"Since I have talent, I should still show it when the time comes."

Zhao Hong sighed inwardly.

Everyone had value.

Without value, who would care about you?

Keeping a low profile was not a bad thing, but you could not hide yourself away until you became an old turtle.

Especially in a place as unusual as the Judge's Office, one could not conceal one's abilities too thoroughly.

He returned to the crowd.

Zhao Hong watched his nose, his nose watched his heart, and he waited silently.

Finally.

All the questioning had ended.

Zhang Gucheng walked out of the room and swept his gaze around the crowd.

The atmosphere in the courtyard froze.

No one dared to raise their heads and meet his eyes.

"You all know the Judge's Office's rules. Merit will be rewarded, and faults will be punished."

"No more nonsense. We will now reward merit."

"Zhou Baishan."

Zhang Gucheng's first words startled everyone.

Zhou Baishan's merits were self-evident.

Zhao Hong had thought he would be saved for last.

He had not expected Old Zhou to be called first.

He had discovered the warning signs in advance and reported them directly, preventing the garrison from facing annihilation.

How much merit would he receive?

Zhao Hong was extremely curious.

The Golden Bell Guards stationed there were equally curious, though they did not need to guess to know that it would be no small reward. Every one of them envied him.

"Present."

Zhou Baishan suppressed his excitement and stepped forward.

Zhang Gucheng said flatly, "You infiltrated the enemy for a long time, avenged your comrades, and brought back their remains. With Blood Astral Perfection cultivation, you slew an Evil Skin Cult demon at the Mystic Embryo realm against the odds. You reported the information and prevented the garrison from being destroyed."

"You are awarded one distinguished merit and four major merits."

The moment those words fell, even with Zhang Gucheng, the golden-robed inspector, still present, gasps rose one after another, followed by an uproar.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their minds blank.

One distinguished merit, plus four major merits?

Yang Erhe felt his limbs go numb. He swallowed with difficulty, his eyes turning red.

Even now, relying on the Yang Family's prestige, he had only accumulated six major merits in total.

Zhou Baishan.

His strength was far inferior to Yang Erhe's.

Yet he had actually, actually received such merit.

One distinguished merit alone was enough to qualify someone for promotion to inspector.

"Th-thank you, sir."

Zhou Baishan's voice trembled as a flush instantly spread across his face.

It was beyond his expectations.

The joy nearly sent him soaring to the heavens.

Zhang Gucheng did not care about the crowd's reaction and directly called out the second name. "Zhao Hong."

Zhao Hong's whole body jolted.

I'm second?

Damn.

Could mine be huge too?

Under everyone's astonished gaze, he raised his head and met Zhang Gucheng's teasing eyes. His heart gave a violent leap.

"Without Zhao Hong, Zhou Baishan would not have been able to kill that Evil Skin Cult demon, and nothing afterward would have happened."

"Afterward, while still a Copper Bell Guard, he single-handedly rescued numerous comrades. Alone, he slew an Evil Skin Cult demon at the Mystic Embryo realm against the odds."

"You are awarded one distinguished merit."

"One distinguished merit?"

Yang Feng cried out in shock.

Yang Erhe stood there like a wooden statue.

The uproar grew even greater.

It was only natural for Zhou Baishan to receive such merit.

But Zhao Hong, no matter how strong he was, was still only a lowly Copper Bell Guard.

One distinguished merit.

That was unprecedented throughout the entire Judge's Office.

The shock it brought was simply indescribable.

Even Zhou Baishan, Liu Zheng, and the others felt as though they had misheard.

"What, do you have objections?"

"If you do, once we return to the office, you may report it to the enforcement inspector."

Zhang Gucheng spoke coldly.

"We wouldn't dare."

Yang Erhe hurriedly lowered his head.

Since the golden-robed inspector had dared to assign such merit, how could there be any problem with it?

If such great merit turned out to be a mistake, even a golden-robed inspector would be in trouble.

On further thought, one distinguished merit truly was not excessive.

The key was that without Zhao Hong, Zhou Baishan could not have killed the Evil Skin Cult demon, and everyone here would have become a corpse.

Zhao Hong was so dizzy from this enormous reward that his head spun.

This pie was far too big.

But it tasted damn good.

Though quite a few scions of noble families were like rat droppings, a Judge's Office that operated this way had clearly divided the pot into several portions. Those few could never spoil the whole pot.

He was starting to like the Judge's Office.

Only when Zhang Gucheng's voice rang out again did he come back to his senses.

He swept his gaze around.

Seeing the jealous, resentful looks in Yang Feng and the others' eyes, Zhao Hong grinned broadly. If you had the guts, raise an objection.

Merit was rewarded accordingly.

Every survivor received at least two minor merits for defending the garrison and fighting the demons.

Until, at last.

Zhang Gucheng paused.

Several sidelong glances discreetly turned toward Yang Feng and the other four.

Only the four of them remained.

Their faces were deathly pale, and they trembled with unease.

Zhang Gucheng gave a cold smile, making the four feel as though they had fallen into an ice pit.

"Yang Feng, Yang Yong, Chen Bing..."

"You four fled before battle and falsely conveyed orders..."

"After being disciplined by the enforcement inspector, you will be expelled from the Judge's Office."

"Seize the four of them and bring them back to the Judge's Office with us."

"Yes."

The two Golden Bell Guards stationed at the entrance answered respectfully. Their bodies flashed, and they appeared before the four, their eyes filled with disgust and icy indifference.

"No!"

Yang Feng let out a miserable wail and collapsed to the ground.

As he was dragged away, he turned and shot Zhao Hong an incomparably venomous glare.

Zhao Hong answered with a mocking smile.

You can barely save yourself, and you still dare hate me?

Just wait for death.

He actually hoped Yang Feng would dare come looking for him afterward.

Assassinating a Judge's Office martial artist was a truly grave crime.

But Yang Feng probably did not have the guts.

Yang Erhe, Chen Chuan, and the other Golden Bell Guards kept their heads lowered and said nothing, as if they had heard nothing.

None of them were fools.

The golden-robed inspector had used the Mind-Questioning Mirror from the start. Even if they made Zhao Hong and the others change their statements, it would be useless.

"One distinguished merit. I need to think about how to spend it."

"I have to spend it where it counts."

Zhao Hong licked his lips, his heart burning with excitement.

Half a day later.

A group followed Zhang Gucheng toward the true Judge's Office in the Stone Python Coil region.

The red-robed inspector remained behind to oversee the garrison for a time.

Aside from the four "criminals," those leaving included Zhao Hong, Zhou Baishan, and three other Silver Bell Guards who qualified for promotion to Golden Bell Guard.

"Brother Lu, may I ask how the situation at Stone Python Coil has been lately?" Zhou Baishan gave Zhao Hong a meaningful look, then quietly asked the Golden Bell Guard beside him who had come with Zhang Gucheng.

Zhao Hong's eyes flickered. He quietly moved closer and listened intently.

It was best to understand the situation before arriving.

The Golden Bell Guard surnamed Lu showed none of the disdainful, haughty mannerisms one might expect. Smiling faintly, he said, "There have been some setbacks, but overall, things have gone fairly smoothly."

"Six or seven golden-robed inspectors and twelve red-robed inspectors have led their people through most of the region, clearing it out. There are still a few fish that slipped through the net, but they pose little threat. Our main task now is to completely take control of the Stone Python Coil region, guard certain treasure lands, search for resources, fully exploit them, and investigate the deeper Azure Abyss."

"The incident at that minion garrison has likely been reported back as well. It should be the biggest disturbance lately, especially that tiger demon."

A tiger demon?

Zhao Hong's heart stirred.

The Golden Bell Guard surnamed Lu grinned. "That third young master of the Yang Family, Yang Ling, will probably become a laughingstock."

"Brother Lu, tell us more."