First Merit
By the time Ye An brought Song Yuanshan's body back to the Demon Suppressing Guard Division's branch office, it was already getting light.
The front hall was filled with people. The Song Family members who had been escorted there, as well as the martial artists who had some connection with the Heaven Overturning Cult, were all being held in a specific area by the Demon Suppressing Guard Division.
The noise was chaotic; some cried out for justice, some cursed under their breath, and some tried to struggle, only to be kicked back by a Commandant, who let out a muffled groan and dared not move again.
At this moment, Wei Wu stood in the hall, his face grim, complaining to the registration officer.
"I finally managed to stop a boat that was about to escape through Clear River Crossing, but it turns out that Song Yuanshan on board was an imposter! He was wearing a Human-Skin Mask! I've been on the run for so many days, and all I've caught is a double!"
He got angrier and angrier as he spoke, "I spent the whole night intercepting people, and in the end I only caught a fake?!"
The deacon glanced at him. Wei Wu's personality was nothing new in the Demon Suppressing Guard; he liked to complain and was easily angered.
The deacon didn't respond to Wei Wu's words, but simply lowered his head and wrote a few strokes in the booklet.
Wei Wu wanted to say something more, but the next second his gaze inadvertently swept towards the door, and he suddenly stopped.
A familiar figure walked in—the subordinate who had been "scared" away by him, and who was also his boss's nemesis!
Ye An walked in, carrying a corpse on his shoulder.
The corpse was dressed in civilian clothes, but many of his colleagues in the Demon Suppressing Guard recognized his face—it was Song Yuanshan!
Ye An walked to the center of the front hall, put the body down, and gently placed it on the ground with a dull thud.
The lobby fell silent instantly.
The previous cacophony of cries for justice, curses, and struggles vanished instantly.
All eyes were on Song Yuanshan's corpse.
Upon seeing this face, the imprisoned members of the Song Family trembled, a chill ran through them, and they dared not utter a word.
Wei Wu's expression changed several times, from astonishment to disbelief, and finally turned ashen.
Ye An ignored the stares of others and walked towards the registering officer, wanting to record this merit first.
Besides Song Yuanshan, who deserves the primary credit for this, there is an even greater contribution.
Ye An took out two special Token from his pocket and placed them on the table. One Token was inscribed with "Blood Hand" and the other Token "Blood Jade".
"Two protectors of the Heaven Overturning Cult. I have already killed them, and their bodies are sunk in Clear River Crossing. The Token serves as proof."
Two dark red Token landed on the table with a dull thud.
What does the appearance of these two Tokens in the Demon Suppressing Guard Division signify?
This means that the Heaven Overturning Cult has instantly lost two protectors and two Qi Condensation Martial Artists!
The deacon recording the merits looked down and saw two dark red Token. His pupils contracted slightly, and then he looked up at Ye An.
Whose subordinate is this? I've never heard of him before.
He captured both protectors and Song Yuanshan; such an achievement would be remarkable in any prefecture.
The Commandant watching nearby whispered among themselves, their eyes scanning Ye An back and forth, all wanting to get to know him better.
"Who is this person? Which department are they from?"
"I don't know, but he should be credited first this time!"
"I know! I saw him in Falling Stone Village before, he's one of Commandant Jiang's men..."
"Two protectors? He's alone?!"
"And Song Yuanshan too!"
Wei Wu's face turned pale and then red. He recalled that when the two protectors appeared at Clear River Crossing and used Secret Art, he sensed something was wrong and finally made the decision to turn around and run.
It turns out those two guardians didn't run away... they were killed by him!
Wei Wu stood a few steps away, his Adam's apple bobbing as he forcibly suppressed his unease.
Then he remembered that he still had Commander Xu, a cultivator at the Gathered Origin Realm!
And what does Ye An have? Just Commandant Jiang at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm.
Wei Wu. He took a step forward and forced a serious expression. "Song Yuanshan is the main culprit in this case. Why didn't you capture him alive? He has close ties with the Heaven Overturning Cult. If he knows about the branch altars, all this intelligence will be cut off! You just killed him. Are you hiding something?!"
These words silenced the previously heated discussion in the hall for a moment.
Before Ye An could refute, an aura suddenly spread out from the doorway—the power of the Gathered Origin Realm covered the entire area, and the air in the entire front hall fell silent.
Jiang Shuying stepped in.
She was dressed in a dark official robe, her aura was calm and composed, and she did not conceal her cultivation level of the Gathered Origin Realm in the slightest.
With each step Jiang Shuying took, her aura was so oppressive that no one dared to look up.
"Why did I hear dogs barking as soon as I came out of customs?"
After speaking, Jiang Shuying glanced at Wei Wu.
This glance made Wei Wu immediately retreat, eventually leaning against the wall, and quickly looking down at the soles of his feet.
Jiang Shuying snorted and ignored Wei Wu, who was just Xu Huaiyuan's subordinate. The one she really didn't get along with was Xu Huaiyuan.
She walked to Song Yuanshan's body, glanced at it, and then turned to Ye An: "Well done! Two protectors, and Song Yuanshan too. This is quite an achievement."
The voice wasn't loud, and the tone was light, but it sounded heavy to those present.
Jiang Shuying then added, "Song Yuanshan is dead, so be it. Keeping that old fox around would only cause trouble. It's his good fortune to die at your hands."
After saying that, she looked at the registering officer and said, "Ye An, first merit."
The steward quickly responded and picked up his pen to write.
Jiang Shuying turned to Ye An: "I'll handle the rest. You've worked hard this time, go back and rest. I'll contact you about the credit and rewards later."
Ye An clasped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Commander Jiang. Your subordinate congratulates you on successfully Gathering Essence! With this gathering of vital Origin Energy, your future path in martial arts is limitless!"
At this time, Jiang Shuying's position was still Commandant, but Ye An had already changed the title of "Commandant" to "Commander".
Jiang Shuying noticed the title "commander," smiled, and said nothing.
By the time they returned to the Four Symbols Sect, the news had already spread.
With Song Yuanshan executed and two protectors of the Heaven Overturning Cult killed, his achievements were unparalleled among the disciples of the Four Halls.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuanji personally approved the reward and delivered it to Ye An early the next morning.
The wooden box contained a Token, several porcelain bottles, and a piece of thin paper.
One Token for the Four Symbols Origin-Returning Array Formation training room, one Token seven days of training time.
Five bottles of Flawless Qi Condensation Pill.
There was also a piece of paper with the Sect Master's personal approval of the merits, along with the opportunity to choose a Mystic Grade Martial Arts or Cultivation Method for free from the second floor of the Inner Sect Scripture Repository.
Two thousand Contribution Point left!
Ye An opened the porcelain bottle of the Flawless Qi Condensation Pill and smelled it. The medicinal power was clear and pure, without any impurities. This was a flawless quality pill.
What surprised Ye An the most was the cultivation room Token!
I had originally planned to collect Contribution Point to exchange for a chance to enter, but I didn't expect this trip to be so rewarding.
Ye An plans to use this opportunity tomorrow. If he gets a few more chances, he will be able to reach the Mid Qi Condensation!