Gu Qing pointed at the Goblin Chieftain, who was howling in pain.
"My lord, this is the Goblin Chieftain. Killing him should give you plenty of experience. You held back this time and gave us all the experience, but we can't take everything. You should be the one to finish off this Goblin Chieftain."
He had given them the experience?
Zhao Chi scratched his head.
I genuinely couldn't keep up with you. Couldn't you tell?
Gu Qing was probably deliberately being considerate of his feelings and helping him save face.
She had even left him the chief.
She really had thought of everything.
Chapter 22: Rising Loyalty
Facing death, the Goblin Chieftain could no longer spare a thought for the pain.
He shouted frantically, "Don't want to die! I don't want to die! Not die!"
Zhao Chi considered it for a moment.
The Goblin Chieftain did give the most experience.
But not so much that he absolutely had to kill him.
He might organize the Goblins into a rebellion.
But they were simply too weak.
And these women were so strong that a rebellion posed no threat.
The main reason for taking them prisoner now was to get some laborers.
The Goblin Chieftain's stats were slightly higher, making him stronger than an ordinary Goblin.
That made him a decent laborer, too.
He could keep him alive for now.
Once he had more laborers and no longer needed them, he could sell them off.
That would earn him another sum of money.
The chief in particular would fetch a higher price because of his higher stats.
Zhao Chi said, "I can spare your life, but you'll have to work obediently for me. If you dare resist, you die. Understood?"
"Understood, understood!"
"Gu Qing, please heal him. Put him to work as soon as he's healed."
"As you command, my lord."
Gu Qing held out her hand.
Pale yellow light swirled around her palm.
She extended her index finger, and the light shot out, covering the Goblin Chieftain's leg.
The swollen leg soon healed.
The Goblin Chieftain's pained expression eased considerably, and he immediately stood up.
"Tie him up, then search for supplies and return to the territory!"
The Goblin camp was small.
Its two tents were fairly spacious, just very low.
Inside, they were pitch-black and foul-smelling.
The stench was a mixture of rotting meat, feces, and fermented sweat.
There was no ventilation at all inside the tents. Anyone going in needed to brace themselves first.
Some fur blankets lay on the ground, filthy and covered in grime.
But they were still furs, and they had their uses.
He certainly wouldn't use them himself, but he could take them back for these Goblins to keep using.
After all, he needed to keep them alive for the time being and put them to work.
Their two tents were also made of animal hides.
Those would be dismantled and taken back as well.
The wooden shed beside them was also very low, with supplies piled inside.
There were small amounts of all kinds of basic materials, such as timber and thatch.
These supplies were quite clean and hadn't been contaminated by the Goblins.
There wasn't much, but it would be enough for the next couple of days.
Zhao Chi rummaged through the supplies.
Before long, he found two small treasure chests at the very back.
The system prompted:
[You have obtained the following items]: [Wooden treasure chest ×1] [Initial Wooden Treasure Chest ×1]
Both were wooden and about the size of his palm.
They were very light.
Chief Instructor Li Ruanyu had explained this.
Whenever a camp was conquered, treasure chests would appear inside, so they needed to search carefully.
Wooden treasure chests were the lowest tier.
They could contain all sorts of things.
There were two treasure chests this time.
The "wooden treasure chest" was standard loot.
The "Initial Wooden Treasure Chest" was an extra, something like a beginner's bonus.
Just like the extra supplies in this camp, it could only be obtained once, and its contents were fixed.
He put the treasure chests into his System Space.
He would open them once he got back.
Apart from those, there was nothing else worth noting in the camp.
That marked the end of this battle.
Without suffering any injuries, they had killed eight Goblins and captured twenty-one.
There were also two mongrels.
Gu Qing was currently disciplining those two mongrels.
They lay on the ground with their tails tucked between their legs and their ears drooping, as though they had encountered a tiger. They didn't dare move a muscle.
A tigress was still a tiger.
The mongrels had been thoroughly cowed, with none of their earlier swagger or ferocious barking left.
"Try acting vicious again, and see how I teach you a lesson!"
Gu Qing poked the dogs' foreheads with her index finger.
Neither dog made a sound.
They simply let her poke them over and over.
Satisfied, Gu Qing stood up and brushed the dog hair off her hands. When she turned around, she saw Zhao Chi staring at her in astonishment.
She froze for a second, too.
Her face immediately took on a gentle, sweet expression.
The tigress from a moment ago instantly became a gentle little kitten.
She deliberately approached him with ladylike steps.
"My lord, I was only trying to scare those two little dogs just now. I'm not normally like that."
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she seemed a little embarrassed.
Zhao Chi couldn't help laughing. "It's fine. You can be however you like. Just relax. You were pretty cute just now, too."
Gu Qing's eyes widened. "Me? Like that? Cute?"
"Yes, and you are now, too."
Zhao Chi meant every word.
Gu Qing smiled. "Thank you for being so accepting, my lord."
[Your subordinate Gu Qing's loyalty has risen to 6: sincere devotion] (Sincere devotion: she is fairly satisfied with her current circumstances. Besides taking her work seriously, she also shows genuine sincerity in her attitude.)
Why had her loyalty risen, too?
Tang Ruan and Gu Qing, one after another?
During their earlier lessons, Chief Instructor Li Ruanyu had said that loyalty didn't rise very quickly.
Unless the subject and their lord were highly compatible and shared the same outlook.
Could it be that we're really compatible?
That's pretty nice.
Just then, Tang Ruan walked over.
Before you continue