Chapter 345 - 333: War Trophies
Chapter 345: Chapter 333: War Trophies
"Three criminals are a lot for one person to escort. Why don’t you let us handle these two traitors?"
Stepping off the Spiritual Vessel, the guard leader who had argued with Zhao Lin earlier had a complete change in attitude, proactively offering to help escort the black-faced cultivator and Huang Teng.
"Alright. I’ll have to trouble you, then."
Zhao Lin knew they wanted a share of the credit, but he didn’t refuse. Having locals on his side would make things easier and save him a lot of trouble.
And that was indeed the case. The guards led Zhao Lin into Qiuyang County, and their journey was unimpeded, bringing them directly to the Patrol Hall on the main peak.
"I am Zhao Mufeng, Hall Master of the Qiuyang County Patrol Hall. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"
Qiuyang County wasn’t large. It had only two mountain peaks, and its Spirit Vein was merely Tier Two Lower Grade, two grades lower than Han Chi County’s.
Thus, the county only had two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, and this Hall Master of the Patrol Hall before him was only at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
"My surname is Zhao, Hall Master."
Zhao Lin saw that the other man had a kind demeanor and wasn’t looking down on him for his low cultivation level, so he answered politely.
"So we share the same surname."
A smile appeared on Master Zhao’s face as he sized up Song the Third. "You’re the one who caught this bandit cultivator?"
"That’s right."
Zhao Lin took out Li Daoyou’s severed head, four used Communication Talismans, and the recorded confession from his storage pouch, presenting them all.
Master Zhao took the confession and glanced over it, slightly surprised. The evidence Zhao Lin had prepared was thorough; it was practically impossible to overturn.
’Also, why was this confession written on a Communication Talisman?’
His mind raced for a moment and he understood. Zhao Lin had probably already sent an identical confession to Shangyuan County. This was a move to cover his own back, and it also carried an implicit threat.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but see Zhao Lin in a new, more favorable light.
"Sir, I helped capture Heipi and Huang Teng! I performed a great meritorious service!"
Song the Third suddenly struggled and shouted.
’A bandit cultivator helped capture people?’
Master Zhao was taken aback. The same doubt that had occurred to others now arose in his mind. Zhao Lin’s cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Third Layer. Even for a Martial Cultivator, accomplishing this was somewhat incredible.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, can you tell me how you managed to capture them?"
"Of course!"
Zhao Lin recounted the entire process once more, then looked at the guards who had accompanied him. "These gentlemen helped escort them here."
"It was nothing."
The guard leader’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly replied with false modesty.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you are quite resourceful!"
Master Zhao gave a thumbs-up in praise. "Please rest in the county for now. I will take my men to begin the interrogation immediately. I’ll inform you as soon as there is any news."
Zhao Lin didn’t want to wait passively for the results. "You’re too kind, Master Zhao," he said. "I am also a witness. Would it be possible for me to observe the hearing? If there are any unclear points, I can help clarify them."
Master Zhao thought that made sense, so he summoned the relevant personnel and began the interrogation right there in the hall.
The Cultivation Realm didn’t operate on the principle of ’innocent until proven guilty’. Their interrogation methods were far more numerous than those in the mortal world, and they even had Magic specifically for torture and extracting confessions.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the black-faced cultivator and Huang Teng confessed to colluding with the bandit cultivators without reservation, spilling everything they knew.
Song the Third, naturally, had little to say for himself, other than repeatedly emphasizing that he had helped capture them and had performed a great meritorious service.
With the criminals brought to justice and the traitors exposed, Master Zhao was also very pleased. He grasped Zhao Lin’s hand and said, "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Zhao. I can give you the five hundred Spirit Stones from the bounty right now."
He paused for a moment before adding, "However, the merit points need to be reported to the prefecture. And since you caught two traitors, the merit points will have to be recalculated, which will take some time."
Zhao Lin knew this was the procedure and nodded. "That’s fine. Thank you for your trouble, Master Zhao."
"No trouble at all. For the five hundred Spirit Stones, do you want them as Spirit Stones or Spirit Coins?"
"One hundred Spirit Stones, and please exchange the rest for Spirit Coins."
Zhao Lin had been carrying some Spirit Stones, but he had used sixteen of them to practice the Void Trapping Skill, managing to reach the Adept level. The remaining Spirit Stones were enough to replenish his Spiritual Power in the small world.
Before long, a patrol guard brought over the Spirit Stones and Spirit Coins.
The courier station only had one Spiritual Vessel traveling to and from Yinfeng Valley each day, and the departure time had already passed. Zhao Lin had no choice but to rest at an inn in the county.
In the dead of night, Zhao Lin took stock of his gains from the past two days. He realized that even before his mission had officially begun, he had already recouped all his initial investments and even turned a profit.
Besides the bounty rewards, he had also obtained Spirit Stones, Spirit Rice, medicinal pills, and talismans from the bandit cultivators.
The two traitors didn’t have much in their storage pouches. Zhao Lin went ahead and took their Spirit Stones and medicinal pills, leaving only a few Spirit Coins for appearances.
After finishing his inventory, Zhao Lin took out forty-eight Spirit Stones and absorbed their Spiritual Qi, advancing his Void Trapping Skill from Minor Achievement to Adept.
This Magic was truly useful. Against a powerful opponent, he could rely on this one skill to escape with his life, giving him another life-saving measure.
The only drawback was that the Magic came from a talisman, so the highest level he could cultivate it to was Adept.
To improve it further, he would have to find a cultivator who had mastered this Magic to the Major Achievement or even Perfection level, and then find a way to use his Spirit Cultivation Map to capture their related cultivation experience and knowledge.
A look of satisfaction flashed in Zhao Lin’s eyes as he used his inner vision to inspect the Spirit Cultivation Map. It contained the Earth Armor, the Ice Element’s Ice Blade Skill, the Fire Element’s Flame Stream Arrow, the Wind Invisibility Skill, and the non-elemental Qi Observation Skill.
All five Magic skills had been cultivated to the Adept level, and they covered the four aspects of attack, defense, escape, and reconnaissance.
The Ice Blade Skill and Flame Stream Arrow came from Miao Kefa and had the potential to reach the Perfection level. He just needed to reach the Middle Stage of Qi Refining and gather enough Spirit Stones.
He used to think one thousand Spirit Stones was an unattainable sum, but now it seemed that simply converting the two hundred merit points from the bounty into Spirit Stones would be enough.
It really was just as the saying goes: a horse doesn’t get fat without midnight grass, and a man doesn’t get rich without a windfall.
Among the spoils of war were also several high-grade talismans obtained from the bandit cultivators: a Concealment Talisman, a Wind Riding Talisman, and a Water Talisman.
Since he had already cultivated the Void Trapping Skill, Zhao Lin wasn’t interested in the Hidden Escape Skill. He would just keep it as a backup; there was no need to cultivate it, especially since the Spirit Cultivation Map only had nine slots.
The Wind Riding Skill was a flight-type Magic, but its Mana consumption was enormous. With his current cultivation level, Zhao Lin couldn’t use this Magic at all.
If he really needed to fly, he already had that ability himself, though he was a bit slower.
Only the Water Manipulation Skill tempted him.
This Magic not only allowed one to control Water Element Spiritual Qi, enabling a cultivator to move freely in water, but it also offered some defense against Water Element Skills.
He didn’t currently have any powerful Water Element Skills, and the Xuanyuan Continent was full of rivers, lakes, and seas; he might have a use for it in the future. But there was no rush. As long as he had the talisman, he could learn it at any time.
The next day, Zhao Lin left Qiuyang County and returned to the courier station.
Although he had made a windfall, since he had come all this way, there was no reason not to do the mission. At the very least, he should go see the small world for himself.
Zhao Lin walked up to a Spiritual Vessel and asked the cultivator in charge of reception, "Excuse me, how much is a ticket on the Spiritual Vessel to Yinfeng Valley?"
"Twenty Spirit Coins."
The cultivator answered cautiously. News of Zhao Lin capturing the bandit cultivators had already spread throughout the market. One naturally had to be more polite when facing such a figure.
"Alright."
Zhao Lin paid the Spirit Coins and stepped onto the Spiritual Vessel.
"Senior Brother Zhao, what a coincidence!"
Just as Zhao Lin boarded the vessel, he heard a familiar voice and couldn’t help but turn to look.