Exchanging for Cultivation Techniques
As for Qin Shuang, the deputy captain of Captain Su's residence, Xiao Huaishan made a point of mentioning that Qin Shuang's cultivation was that of a genuine Grandmaster.
A Grandmaster serving as a deputy to a Hua Jin cultivator. That spoke for itself.
As they talked, the two arrived at the main hall's mission counter.
Xiao Huaishan was just about to step forward and turn in his mission when a snide voice drifted over from the side.
"Well, if it isn't Fatty Xiao. What's the matter? Finished your mission?"
Several Demon-Slaying Guards stood beside the mission counter. Their leader was a lean man with a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, and his eyes were full of mockery as he looked at Xiao Huaishan.
Xiao Huaishan's face darkened at once.
Yan Jun.
Like him, Yan Jun belonged to Captain Xiao's residence, though they served under different Demon-Slaying Envoys. His cultivation was also at Ming Jin Perfection, but his combat strength was a notch higher.
Their grudge dated back a year.
Back then, Xiao Huaishan had been out on a mission when he stumbled across a stalk of Fire Spirit Grass. It was the main ingredient for the Fire Spirit Pill, a second-grade pill, and a single stalk was worth fifteen hundred merit points.
He had clearly found it first.
But Yan Jun had brought men and snatched it out from under his nose.
Without Fire Spirit Grass, there was no Fire Spirit Pill. Without a Fire Spirit Pill, breaking through to Nei Jin was a distant prospect. Over the past year, he had remained stuck at the hurdle of Ming Jin Perfection, unable to advance a single step.
"I'm here to turn in a mission." His face cold, Xiao Huaishan took a storage pouch from his robes and handed it to the deacon.
Yan Jun glanced sideways at it and sneered. "Another mission to gather spirit herbs? What kind of dog-shit luck did you have this time? What did you pick?"
The people behind him joined in the laughter.
The deacon took the storage pouch, glanced inside, and said expressionlessly, "You only accepted one mission to slay a first-tier wolf demon, with a reward of two hundred merit points. There are also four other first-tier demonic beast corpses in the storage pouch, each of which can be exchanged for one hundred merit points. Do you wish to exchange them all?"
The laughter stopped abruptly.
The smile froze on Yan Jun's face. He stared at Xiao Huaishan in disbelief. "What? Five first-tier demonic beasts? Impossible! How could he have killed so many first-tier demonic beasts by himself?"
He knew Xiao Huaishan all too well. Fatty usually scraped by on missions to gather spirit herbs, and failed nine out of ten slaying missions. Yet this time, he had produced five first-tier demonic beast corpses in one go?
He wouldn't believe it even if someone beat him to death.
Xiao Huaishan took in every detail of his expression, secretly delighted. He kept his face impassive, merely turning his head to give Lu Feng a grateful look.
"Yes." He nodded to the deacon. "Please exchange them for a Meridian-Unblocking Pill."
A Meridian-Unblocking Pill cost five hundred merit points.
It was an essential pill for breaking through from Ming Jin Perfection to Nei Jin.
The deacon took his Demon-Slaying Guard token and brushed it with a fingertip, deducting the merit points. Then he took a jade bottle from the pill pavilion behind him and returned it along with the token.
Xiao Huaishan took the token and pill and carefully tucked them into his robes. He pressed the front of his robes again and again, afraid they might get knocked about.
A Meridian-Unblocking Pill. Five hundred merit points apiece. He had waited a year and finally had one in hand.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and turned to Lu Feng. "Brother Lu, your turn."
Yan Jun's expression was already ugly, and he was preparing to slip away while no one was looking.
He had only one first-tier demonic beast corpse, and it had taken several of them working together to kill it. If he brought it out for comparison now, he would lose a great deal of face.
He had just taken a step when he heard Xiao Huaishan call Lu Feng's name.
Yan Jun stopped and glanced back.
Someone who hung around with Fatty Xiao was probably just another newcomer. Nothing worth seeing.
He was about to continue on his way when he caught sight of the deacon at the mission counter abruptly rising to his feet.
After taking Lu Feng's storage pouch and token, the deacon had first gone still. Then he had turned the token over and over, examining it closely, before looking up and scrutinizing Lu Feng several times, his face full of shock and doubt.
Yan Jun came to a complete halt.
What mission had this newcomer turned in to make the deacon react so strongly? Had he killed even more demonic beasts than Fatty Xiao? Or had he picked some remarkable spirit herb?
He pricked up his ears and heard the deacon clear his throat, his voice several degrees louder than before.
"All four missions completed. Reward: eight hundred merit points."
The deacon paused and glanced into the storage pouch again.
"There are also twelve first-tier demonic beast corpses, worth one hundred merit points each, for a total of twelve hundred. In addition..."
The deacon slowed his speech.
"One second-tier silver wolf demon. Although you did not accept a related mission, there happens to be a commission on the main hall's mission board offering a bounty for a second-tier wolf demon, and it has yet to expire. Under the rules, we can register the mission for you after the fact. The reward is two thousand merit points."
He raised his eyes to Lu Feng.
"That brings the total to four thousand merit points."
Four thousand!
The main hall fell silent for a moment.
The color drained from Yan Jun's face in an instant.
A second-tier demonic beast?
He whipped his head around and stared fixedly at the black, close-fitting uniform Lu Feng wore. It was indeed a Demon-Slaying Guard's uniform, not a Demon-Slaying Envoy's.
A newcomer? A Demon-Slaying Guard who had just broken through to Nei Jin?
No. Even if he had just broken through to Nei Jin, he couldn't possibly have killed a second-tier demonic beast alone. A second-tier wolf demon's hide and fur were so tough that even a first-tier weapon couldn't cut into them, and its speed and strength utterly outclassed an Early Nei Jin martial artist's.
Just who was this man?
He didn't dare look any longer. He lowered his head, turned, and left. The followers behind him hurried after him, their steps countless times faster than when they had arrived.
Lu Feng didn't look at them.
He solemnly cupped his hands to the deacon. "Many thanks, Deacon."
He understood perfectly well. How could it be such a coincidence that, just as he turned in the second-tier wolf demon's corpse, there happened to be a matching bounty on the mission board?
The deacon thought highly of him and had deliberately registered it for him.
A favor worth two thousand merit points.
The deacon waved a hand, his expression returning to its usual indifference. "What would you like to exchange them for?"
"Golden Bell Shield and Cold Plum Jin," Lu Feng said without hesitation.
The deacon nodded, turned, and took two copied manuals from the cultivation technique pavilion behind him, returning them along with the token.
Lu Feng took them and glanced at the number on his token.
Merit points remaining: 1000.
Four thousand merit points, and the two Nei Jin cultivation techniques had cost three thousand. Worth it!
Lu Feng put the techniques and token away, then turned and headed outside.
Xiao Huaishan followed close beside him, the flesh on his face scrunched up in a smile like a blooming flower.
"Brother Lu, thank you!" He lowered his voice, but couldn't keep the excitement out of it. "You didn't see Yan Jun's face just now. It went green, then white. It was more satisfying than all the grievances I've suffered this past year put together!"
Lu Feng smiled faintly but said nothing.
The two left the main hall and stopped at a fork in the road.
"Brother Lu, I'm going into seclusion as soon as I get back." Xiao Huaishan patted the jade bottle inside his robes. "Once I break through to Nei Jin, we'll both be Demon-Slaying Envoys. Then we brothers can join forces again and slaughter every second-tier demonic beast we come across in Black Mountain Forest."
Lu Feng nodded. "Go on. Your breakthrough comes first."
Xiao Huaishan wasted no more words. He cupped his hands in farewell, turned, and strode away.
Lu Feng also headed for his own residence.
He pushed open the courtyard gate. The courtyard was empty. Chen Hu was not there.
He wasn't too surprised. Chen Hu had joined Inspector Li Mu, so it was only a matter of time before he went out on a mission.
Lu Feng went straight into the secret chamber, locked the door behind him, and sat down cross-legged.