Night Patrol and an Unexpected Windfall! A Hundred Gold Soul Coins Earned!

The remaining three finally hesitated, and a gap instantly appeared in their encirclement.

Li Long seized the opportunity, stepped forward, and swept his iron staff across all three.

Bang!

The three wolves howled in unison and tumbled across the ground.

Seeing that things had gone badly, the alpha wolf turned and fled deeper into the woods.

Li Long narrowed his eyes and gauged the distance. Twenty paces. The wolf was accelerating.

"After it."

He surged forward, his explosive speed reaching its peak within two steps. The iron staff in his hand traced a golden arc beneath the moonlight and struck the alpha wolf squarely in the back.

Crack.

Its spine shattered. Carried by its forward momentum, the alpha wolf rolled twice before falling completely still.

The battle was over.

It had taken less than half an incense stick's time.

Li Long stood in the night, his iron staff slowly fading away.

He looked down at the wolf corpses strewn across the ground. His chest rose and fell, but his breathing was nowhere near as labored as before.

Seven ten-year soul beasts, all wiped out.

White soul rings covered the ground.

"Peak Rank 14 soul power, combined with a body nearing the level of three rings... dealing with a group attack of this level really is easy."

He muttered softly, but there was little pride on his face. "But they were only ten-year soul beasts. If it were a group of hundred-year soul beasts, that would be another matter."

He crouched down, used the short knife he carried to cut open the wolf corpses, and took some materials as proof of completing the mission. He left the rest behind for the other beasts in the forest to deal with.

It was still dark when he returned to the village.

He handed the materials to the village chief for verification. The old man thanked him profusely and insisted on giving him two silver soul coins as compensation for his trouble.

Li Long did not refuse and accepted them.

On the road back, the eastern horizon had already begun to pale.

He walked leisurely along the main road, considering what mission to take next.

He had accumulated twenty-five points already. The first D-rank escort mission had earned him fifteen points, and this extermination mission had earned him another ten, for a total of twenty-five.

"One more mission, and I'll meet the requirements for probationary deacon. Then I can focus on cultivating and raising my soul power."

Just as he was thinking this, a rush of urgent hoofbeats suddenly came from the bend ahead.

A carriage came hurtling toward him from the opposite direction. The driver looked panicked, several feathered arrows were lodged in the carriage, and clear claw marks scarred the side of the compartment.

Li Long instinctively stepped aside, but the carriage suddenly screeched to a stop as it passed him.

The driver poked his head out and shouted breathlessly, "Little brother! Are you a soul master?"

Li Long glanced at the bronze badge hanging from his waist. "I am. What is it?"

"Thank goodness!" The driver jumped down, his expression anxious. "I'm from the Soto City Merchant Association. We were returning from buying goods near the edge of the Soul Beast Forest when we were attacked by soul beasts. All the guards were taken out! There are still three wounded men in the carriage, and we can't stop the bleeding. Please escort us to the town ahead so we can find a doctor. It's not far, just twenty li. Once we get there, I'll pay you double!"

Li Long glanced into the carriage. Through the torn curtain, he could indeed see several figures lying inside, and the faint scent of blood hung in the air.

He frowned slightly.

He had just traveled this stretch of road. Though remote, it had been fairly peaceful. How could there have been an attack powerful enough to wipe out every guard?

If it had only been a hundred-year soul beast, the one-ring guards hired by a merchant association should not have all been killed.

Li Long asked, "What kind of soul beast attacked you?"

The driver's face went pale. "I couldn't see clearly. It was too fast. I only... only saw a gray blur. It looked like a wolf, but also like a leopard. The captain tried to stop it and got slapped flying on the spot. The captain was a Rank 23 Grand Soul Master!"

Li Long's heart tightened.

A Rank 23 Grand Soul Master had been sent flying with one blow. That meant it was at least a soul beast several hundred years old, perhaps even stronger.

A soul beast of that level should not have appeared on a road so close to Notting City.

A coincidence?

Or was someone pulling strings behind the scenes?

The thought flashed through his mind, but this was not the time to investigate.

The three wounded men inside were bleeding. Any delay could cost them their lives.

"Go. I'll escort you to the town."

Li Long jumped onto the carriage and had the driver continue onward. He crouched at the rear of the carriage, facing backward as he kept watch.

He held the iron staff in his hand without dismissing it, ready to strike at any moment.

The next twenty li were relatively peaceful, and they encountered no further attacks.

By the time they reached town, it was already broad daylight. The driver found a clinic and sent the wounded men inside, then turned back and stuffed a bag of money into Li Long's hands.

Li Long did not refuse. This was payment for his trouble.

No reason to turn down free money.

"This pace of earning money is really not bad. Spirit Hall's salary and benefits are only part of the income."

"This feeling really is what I like."

He weighed the money pouch and opened it. Inside were one hundred gold soul coins.

As expected of a wealthy merchant. He was truly generous.

By the time Li Long started back toward Notting City, the sun had fully risen.

Walking through the morning light, Li Long felt the soul power fluctuations deep in his body that had yet to fully settle. The battle against the wolf pack the previous night had not been particularly intense, but the sensation of fighting with all his strength seemed to have cleared some of the subtle blockages in his meridians.

He closed his eyes and examined himself inwardly for a moment. Sure enough, he found that his soul power had risen ever so slightly compared to before he had set out.

He was another step closer to Rank 15.

"One more real combat mission should be enough for a proper breakthrough."

"But I'll need to buy some medicinal herbs and brew a medicinal bath. Cultivating while soaking in it can not only speed up my progress, but also nourish my body."

He opened his eyes and quickened his pace.

"Now that I have the means, perhaps I can try to reach Rank 20 within half a year."

"I'll do my best. Even if I fail in the end, it won't matter."

He strode forward along the main road.

The rising sun cast his shadow long behind him. The young man's steps were steady, without the slightest hesitation.

It was nearly noon when Li Long returned to the Notting City branch hall.

He went to the counter and submitted his mission proof. After it was inspected, everything was confirmed to be in order.

The young clerk behind the counter stamped his mission booklet and handed it back. "D-rank extermination mission, completed. Ten points have been credited. Your current total is twenty-five."

Li Long took back the booklet and asked, "Can we exchange points for medicinal herbs within the branch hall? I want to make up a prescription for a medicinal bath."

The clerk shook his head. "The branch hall does not directly stock medicinal bath ingredients. We only keep standardized supplies such as soul tools and basic cultivation techniques. You'll have to buy herbs from the pharmacies in the city yourself."

He thought for a moment. "However, if you save up fifty points, you can apply to use Spirit Hall's internal purchasing channel. The prices are around thirty percent lower than on the market."

"Fifty points."

Li Long silently noted the number. He still needed another twenty-five points.

Two or three more D-rank missions would be enough.

He left the counter without stopping to rest, turned around, and walked out of the branch hall again.

He was not short on money now. He could easily afford the ingredients for a basic medicinal bath formula.

Previously, when he had nothing better to do, he had looked through some books and put together a simple medicinal bath formula based on his experience from his previous life.

He was not drinking it, so there should not be much risk.

Besides, the ingredients were inexpensive, and it would be quite effective at nourishing the meridians of a one-ring soul master.

When he entered the pharmacy, Old Zhou was not wearing his reading glasses today and was dozing behind the counter.

Li Long tapped the counter and handed over the list of herbs he had written. "Prepare three doses according to this formula."

Old Zhou squinted at the list, then looked up and sized up the masked man before him. "Wait."

Though he said so, his hands were already deftly opening the medicine cabinets and gathering the herbs.

Li Long did not respond. He simply stood quietly before the counter, his gaze sweeping over the items on the shelves along the wall.

Before long, Old Zhou had finished.

After paying and collecting the medicine packets, Li Long turned and left the pharmacy.

The afternoon sun bleached the street pale. He narrowed his eyes and headed toward the branch hall dormitories.