Sharing the Credit

Deng Qing first felt around and found a token, then several miscellaneous items. After carefully examining them, he saw that each bore various markings. Afraid of bringing trouble upon himself, he did not dare take any of them.

After searching through everything, he had only found a little over an ounce of broken silver, leaving him deeply disappointed.

Once he was done, he returned to the burlap sacks and sat down, slowly evening out his breathing as he circulated the Violet Palace Method.

More than an hour later, Fan Sheng returned with Li Cheng and the other two. The bloodstains on their bodies had yet to dry, and weariness showed on all their faces.

Everyone immediately noticed the One-Eyed Dragon's corpse, and Deng Qing quickly explained what had happened.

Fan Sheng stepped forward and yanked the filthy cloth from the corpse's face. His eyes widened like bronze bells as he cried out, "Mountain-Crossing Wind!"

In an instant, Li Cheng and the other two all turned to look at Fan Sheng.

Fan Sheng exclaimed, "This man was one of the key leaders of the Donghuang Cult who infiltrated the city this time.

"Skin Tempering Second Layer. More than a dozen lives on his hands. The county yamen had long posted an open reward for him."

Fan Sheng abruptly looked at Deng Qing. "You killed him? How is that possible?"

Deng Qing said, "I was lucky too. He came carrying firestones. I reckon that after failing to seize the place, he intended to destroy North Warehouse's supplies.

"I could only risk my life to stop him. Seeing that he was seriously wounded, I did not dare face him head-on, so I kept him entangled. As time dragged on, he lost too much blood and died here."

This was the explanation Deng Qing had prepared long ago, and he considered its logic airtight.

Yet Deng Qing was still shocked. He had not expected Mountain-Crossing Wind to be at Skin Tempering Second Layer.

He could not help thinking, It seems I still underestimated the power of the Tiger-Subduing Fist at Grand Mastery.

Fan Sheng crouched down again to inspect Mountain-Crossing Wind's wounds. He nodded and said, "You truly are a man blessed by fortune. We chased and fought half the day, working ourselves to the bone, yet it could not compare to you sitting in the warehouse while merit fell from the sky."

Deng Qing asked, "What use is this merit?"

Fan Sheng said, "Its uses are enormous. Not only will Celebration Hall recognize it, the county yamen will too. It might even be reported to the prefecture and the province."

At those words, Li Cheng, Wang Wei, and Zhou Tie all changed expression, their eyes burning with eagerness.

A thought stirred in Deng Qing's mind. He said, "Senior Brother Fan, ever since I entered the sect, you have always looked after me. I cannot keep this merit all to myself. I must give Senior Brother a share.

"Besides, the county, prefecture, and province are too far from me. If I want to turn this merit into something tangible, does Senior Brother have a way?"

Deng Qing knew perfectly well that if this merit fell entirely on him, it might end up like unearthing a bronze artifact—handed over to the state in exchange for nothing but a silk banner, with no other benefit to speak of.

But judging by Li Cheng and the others' reactions, if they obtained this merit, it would likely be of tremendous use to them.

Sure enough, the moment Deng Qing said this, the expressions of Fan Sheng, Li Cheng, Zhou Tie, and Wang Wei all changed.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Fan Sheng said, "In my view, Mountain-Crossing Wind will surely be flayed and stuffed with straw, to make an example of him.

"The merit for killing him can be divided into many smaller merits.

"Junior Brother Deng, if you trust me, let me split it up like this.

"I will shamelessly claim the merit for directing the operation. Junior Brother Li, Junior Brother Zhou, and Junior Brother Wang can claim the merit for joining forces to kill Mountain-Crossing Wind.

"Junior Brother Deng can claim the merit for guarding North Warehouse, as well as the merit for discovering the enemy's traces.

"If we report it after splitting it this way, everyone will have somewhere to land.

"Of course, no one can take advantage of Junior Brother Deng for free.

"Junior Brother Li, Junior Brother Zhou, Junior Brother Wang, what do you think?"

The three men were already flushed red with excitement. They had gotten involved precisely to fight for some merit and make things easier for their families' subsequent arrangements.

Earlier, when they had followed Fan Sheng into battle, the people they defeated had all been refugees. Moreover, they had been with the main force, so they could not earn much merit at all.

But if they could share the merit from Mountain-Crossing Wind, that would be an entirely different matter.

Li Cheng said, "I'll offer twenty taels as thanks to Senior Brother Deng."

Zhou Tie said, "I'll offer fifteen taels."

Wang Wei said, "I'll offer fifteen taels as well."

Fan Sheng's old face reddened, and he secretly groaned. These three wealthy men had driven the price up, making it awkward for him not to follow suit.

Deng Qing cupped his fists. "Thank you for your kindness, three Senior Brothers. Especially Senior Brother Fan—ever since my Initiation, I have relied entirely on Senior Brother Fan's care.

"Senior Brother Fan deserves this merit. There is no need to give me silver separately."

Fan Sheng was secretly delighted. The more he looked at Deng Qing, the more pleasing he found him. Cupping his fists, he said, "Junior Brother's goodwill leaves Senior Brother ashamed to accept it.

"Senior Brother's family is not wealthy, but I can still afford ten taels of silver. Then it is happily settled."

Several days after the North Warehouse mission ended, Li Cheng set a table at Abundant Blessing Restaurant and invited Deng Qing, Zhou Tie, Wang Wei, Fan Sheng, and the others to dinner.

The chaos of war had only just passed, and its scars remained everywhere—walls blackened by fire and heaps of shattered wood and broken tiles piled about.

Yet red lanterns had already been rehung outside Abundant Blessing Restaurant. Steam billowed through the hall, and the fragrance of wine and meat could be smelled from far away.

Before Deng Qing even entered, he felt a touch of emotion.

Even in troubled times, those at the top were always the least affected.

While common people at the bottom were still clearing ruined homes and burying corpses, lavish feasts had already begun here.

When Li Cheng in the private room saw Deng Qing enter, he immediately rose to greet him.

After the matter at North Warehouse, their relationship had grown much closer than before.

Not long afterward, Zhou Tie and Wang Wei arrived as well. While they were chatting enthusiastically, Fan Sheng entered.

The moment he came in, everyone's gaze fell upon him.

Fan Sheng was no longer wearing his former white robe today, but a black one.

Li Cheng was the first to react. Rising with a smile, he said, "Senior Brother Fan, have you undergone Initiation?"

Deng Qing and the other two also offered their congratulations. They all knew that within Celebration Hall, a black robe signified an official Initiation disciple.

Fan Sheng waved a hand and smiled. "I merely basked in Junior Brother Deng's light..."

He then explained that he had originally only been at Skin Tempering Third Layer. Under Celebration Hall's original rules, he had only barely met the threshold for becoming an official Initiation disciple.

But this time, he had earned merit for directing the operation that killed Mountain-Crossing Wind. The county yamen had awarded him commendation, and only then had his master, Li Dashan, made a special exception and accepted him into Initiation.

After explaining the reason, Fan Sheng solemnly cupped his fists toward Deng Qing and bowed, thanking him once more.

Deng Qing supported Fan Sheng and said, "That was Senior Brother's heavenly fortune. I merely pushed the boat along with the current..."

For Deng Qing to save enough money in a single year to become a disciple of Celebration Hall under such harsh conditions, it was not merely because he was willing to work hard. His grasp of human relations and worldly affairs was the chief reason.

Sure enough, the humbler he was and the less he claimed credit, the more favorably Fan Sheng and the others regarded him.

Before long, once the wine and dishes had been served one after another, they each began speaking of their recent circumstances.

Li Cheng's family had already used the merit from North Warehouse to secure him a quota for the Martial Arts Examination.

Deng Qing had specifically asked what the Martial Arts Examination was. It required the recommendation of a particular great figure and a letter of recommendation that was extremely difficult to obtain.

Clearly, it had basically nothing to do with ordinary people, so he did not pay it further attention.

Zhou Tie said he had already obtained an official post at the yamen and had been made the leader of a small squad.

Wang Wei said that he was temporarily remaining at Celebration Hall. There was an opening for a clerk in the provincial capital, but he still needed to wait a while longer.

As they talked, everyone eventually began thanking Deng Qing.

Deng Qing understood that great favors could become great enmities. He only said that he had been a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, and that everyone had simply been blessed with phenomenal luck.

Once he made his stance clear, the atmosphere grew even more lively.

Of course, Deng Qing had gained something from this great battle as well.