Li Ping's Dilemma

"He didn't die; I heard he suffered minor injuries," Li Ping said.

"Brother Li, I heard that another child went missing yesterday," Ma Ziye said from the side.

"Hmph!" Li Ping gritted his teeth and slammed his right palm heavily on the table. "It is indeed true. Although we killed many Yinyuan Sect Fiend in the battle at Wanghai Tower, the Three Great Guardians are still alive and not seriously injured. It hasn't been a long time since then, and it's started again. Yesterday, the two children of Liu San Niang from the tofu shop in the West City Alley went missing. When the Constable Evil-Exorcism Team arrived at the scene, Liu San Niang had already become a corpse, her abdomen had been cut open."

"How hateful! It's a pity that I'm too weak right now. If only I could become stronger, I would join the Evil-Exorcism Team and work with you to wipe out these beasts!" Ma Ziye jumped up in anger, drew her longsword and brandished it for a while.

"By the way, I have a business deal coming up to me recently. Would you be interested in going together?" Li Ping suddenly said.

"What kind of business?" Wei Dong asked.

"The Lin Family is paying a sum of money to have a few Constable from the Evil-Exorcism Team escort a group of Martial Artist to the Mourning Forest to pick Ghostface Mushroom. Regardless of whether the mission succeeds or not, anyone who goes will receive two hundred taels of silver."

"If anyone gets lost in the Mourning Forest, we must enter to rescue them. For each person rescued, we will receive an additional two hundred taels," Li Ping said.

"The Lin Family is one of the thirteen major Lineage in the Prefectural City. They are in the medicinal herb business. Ghostface Mushroom are the core ingredient for refining Soul-Nourishing Pill, and they are very valuable," Lin Shurou said from the side.

"I've heard that the Mourning Forest is one of the most dangerous forbidden areas near the Prefectural City, teeming with evil spirits. Ordinary people who venture there easily lose themselves, and the mortality rate is very high. Brother Li, I suggest you don't take the risk," Lin Qing said.

"Yes, I heard that many people in the Lin Family die every year from picking Ghostface Mushroom. This is because Ghostface Mushroom contain a strong Yin Qi. The moment they are picked, this Yin Qi is fully activated, which can instantly plunge people into the Illusion Realm and attract nearby evil spirits. Usually, only Martial Artist who are desperate will do it," Lin Shurou.

"It is indeed very dangerous, but martial arts training requires a lot of money, and the monthly salary of the Evil-Exorcism Team is simply not enough. I want to give it a try," Li Ping said hesitantly.

Lin Qing's heart stirred. He could understand Li Ping's predicament; among the five people present, he was the one who needed the most money.

Wei Dong and himself were Constable under the Gold Token, and their monthly ration of medicines was sufficient for their needs. Unless they were buying rare and precious pills, they did not need to spend any extra money.

As for Ma Ziye, although she was only Grade B Constable, the Ma Family was now the most powerful Lineage in Jiangyin County and could provide Ma Ziye with a large amount of silver and medicine.

Only Li Ping, whose family background was average and Talent was good, was not considered outstanding in the Soul-Calming Office. He could not gain the appreciation and training of important figures, so he had to rely on himself for everything.

"Brother Li, what kind of pills do you need, and how many?" Lin Qing asked suddenly after a moment's thought.

"I need a bottle of Force-Nourishing Pill," Li Ping replied after a slight hesitation.

The Force-Nourishing Pill costs 300 taels per bottle at Golden Treasure Tower. It is exclusively for Martial Artist have mastered the Transforming Force. It can nourish the body, strengthen the internal energy, and significantly shorten the time required to enter the Pill Embrace Force.

"I haven't finished my ration of tonics from the Soul-Calming Office this month. I'll go to the Armory later to collect three bottles of Force-Nourishing Pill and deliver them to your home," Lin Qing said.

"And me, I don't have all of them either. I'll go with Lin Qing later and give you three bottles too!" Wei Dong shouted.

"Thank you both, brothers," Li Ping said, bowing with gratitude in his heart.

"Brother Li, you're too kind. I'm sure you'll lend a helping hand if I ever encounter any difficulties in the future," Lin Qing said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, who among you still needs tonics? I can still get quite a few pills this month," Wei Dong asked again.

Ma Ziye shook her head. "My father just sent me a large sum of money for tonics last month, and I can't even finish them all."

"Brother Wei Dong, I need a bottle of Fengyang Pill," Lin Shurou said with a smile.

"No problem, no problem, I'll give it to you all at once later!" Wei Dong said.

"Brother Wei Dong is such a good person," Lin Shurou said with a smile.

"Haha, of course! I, Wei Dong, am known as a man of unwavering loyalty and righteousness. It's just a few bottles of tonics; this is nothing." Wei Dong laughed heartily.

A moment later, Li Ping and the others left, and the wine and meat on the table were all eaten up.

Lin Qing accompanied Wei Dong to the Soul-Calming Office's Armory, a three-story building guarded by about twelve Constable and a steward surnamed Cao, a man in his forties with a square face and a dignified and solemn demeanor.

"What would you two like?"

Lin Qing and his companion entered the Pavilion. Steward Cao was sitting at a table to the left of the entrance. No matter who came in, they had to register their name and the time. When leaving, they had to register what tonic they received and how much.

"Steward Cao, I need three bottles of Force-Nourishing Pill." Lin Qing cupped his hands in greeting.

"Me too, plus a bottle of Fengyang Pill!" Wei Dong added.

The two men handed over the token, which Steward Cao glanced at and said in a deep voice, "You two go and fetch the medicine!"

"Yes!"

The two Constable standing behind him turned and headed straight for the second floor of the Pavilion.

"Steward Cao, do you know if there are any Five-Saints Soul-Nourishing Pill in the Pavilion?" Lin Qing suddenly remembered that he had promised to find a Five-Saints Soul-Nourishing Pill for Yun Tianxing, but since arriving in the Prefectural City, various problems had arisen one after another, and he had been so busy that he had forgotten about it. He only remembered it now.

"Yes, but the Five-Saints Soul-Nourishing Pill is of extremely high quality, one of the most precious pills. You two are not qualified to receive it," Steward Cao said calmly.

"How does one become eligible to receive such elixirs?" Lin Qing asked.

"Come back and ask when you become the Office Chief, or even Executive," said Steward Cao.

"Okay!" Lin Qing nodded, feeling more confident. As long as he became the Office Chief, he would have a chance, so it wasn't too difficult.

By this time, the two Constable had already retrieved the elixir.

"Check the quotas. If the numbers are incorrect, report it immediately. Otherwise, once you leave this Pavilion, it's none of my business how many are missing," said Steward Cao.

"Okay." Lin Qing and his companion quickly checked the number of pills; the quantity was correct.

The two turned and left, taking a detour to deliver the pills to Li Ping and Lin Shurou respectively.

Afterwards, Lin Qing returned to his own courtyard. As soon as he reached the gate, he saw Wang Ling walking towards him.

"Lin Qing, the matter of those five shops has been settled. The Luo Family has withdrawn all their personnel, and you can send someone to take over at any time," Wang Ling said.

"Thank you, sir," Lin Qing replied, bowing respectfully.

Wang Ling had previously said he would handle this matter for him, but he didn't expect things to move so quickly. However, a new problem has arisen: what should he do with these five shops? Where would he find the manpower to manage them?

"My lord, I have no one to serve me in the Prefectural City, and it's not a big deal to leave the five shops empty. What do you think we should do?" Lin Qing asked.

"Then let's lease it to the Soul-Calming Office. Five shops, with a monthly rent between thirty and fifty taels. I'll handle the arrangements, at fifty taels a month for five years. How about that?" Wang Ling pondered.

"That would be best." Lin Qing nodded slightly.

"Alright, I will handle this matter properly within five days. There's one more thing: has the problem caused by the Bloodflame Force been resolved?" Wang Ling asked again.

"Since I entered the Pill Embrace Force and cultivated the Tathagata Force, the Bloodflame Force has been completely suppressed," Lin Qing said.

"The Tathagata Force suppressing the Bloodflame Force is a piece of cake." Wang Ling nodded slightly. "Then I'm relieved. If there's anything else, feel free to come to me anytime."

Yes, sir.