Chapter 211: Rewarding Merit (Please Subscribe)

The group successfully returned to the border city of Nanmo.

Then, Meng Changqing began to audit the accounts with lightning speed, quickly uncovering the various evil deeds of the inner city superintendent, Gao Feng, such as abusing his power for personal gain, using the forbidden prison to harm others, and previously complying with the handover of the roster, which resulted in many people suffering.

Therefore, the result, which exceeded Gao Feng's expectations, was that his position as inner city superintendent was stripped on the spot, and he was sentenced to three hundred years of merit suppression and resource restriction; furthermore, he would be sent as a convict to fill the ranks of the convict battalion on the front lines of the battlefield!

Meng Changqing was not at all as lenient as he had imagined, or perhaps it could be said that he was exactly as lenient as he had imagined.

"However, you did not directly execute him or kill him; leaving such future trouble behind, I fear it will cause harm later."

In Du En's outer city residence, he looked at the dimming starlight of the night outside the hall and said this calmly, showing no sign of fearing future harm.

To these words, Meng Changqing's expression became somewhat subtle: "Perhaps it is because they always kill or harm people at the slightest disagreement that you have developed some misunderstanding."

"Oh?"

"In fact, according to the many regulations of our sect, once one's cultivation reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, one generally avoids killing if possible. Once cultivation reaches the Golden Core stage, aside from a few specific circumstances, there is no longer a penalty of on-the-spot execution."

He felt no joy regarding this, so the meaning was actually quite clear.

Since they are going to die anyway, it is better to be exiled to the front lines of the battlefield to die there, making a final contribution to the Immortal Sect.

Thus, many death sentences and cruel punishments that were originally meant to be carried out immediately were directly converted into exile to the front lines, where they would serve as cannon fodder to die for the Immortal Sect.

That is why there was that preceding penalty process.

Merit suppression means having no merit in battle.

Resource restriction means no longer being able to obtain any cultivation resources.

With these two combined, the convict battalion is practically a suicide squad.

And if one dares to avoid or flee from battle, there are plenty of ways to deal with them that are worse than death; in any case, these convicts basically only have one outcome in the end, which is to die on the battlefield.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The night was quiet, and the starlight was sparse.

Amidst such an atmosphere, the topic of Gao Feng had quietly drifted away. A moment later, Du En turned his head and cast a gaze that quite matched the quiet of the night toward Meng Changqing.

After a full day, he had now completely recovered to normal and was sitting on the opposite chair, drinking the bland tea he had just brewed himself.

Seeing Du En look over at this moment, it was clearly time to talk about serious matters, so Meng Changqing's body jolted. He cleared his throat and took the initiative to speak: "As the saying goes, a good bird chooses its tree to nest in, and a wise minister chooses his lord to serve. There is another saying: on this path of immortal cultivation, wealth, method, companion, and land are all indispensable!"

"Wealth is for various resources, method is for cultivation techniques, land is for the cultivation site, and finally, this companion naturally refers to having like-minded people to travel with..."

Meng Changqing's long-winded speech had only just begun when he was directly interrupted by Du En: "If you want me to pledge allegiance to your side, that is actually no problem."

"Uh, this... you could at least let me finish these opening remarks; I spent a long time preparing and organizing them... Fine, one look and I know you are not some foolish, blind follower. So, are we starting the 'but' transition now?"

"That is correct."

"Fine, no problem!"

Meng Changqing also interrupted directly: "You can continue to maintain your current state, and you do not need to blindly follow my orders and instructions in the future. After all, what I have always wanted is not a knife held in my hand, but a companion who can withstand various trials, endure various high pressures, knows how to act according to circumstances, and can make calm judgments!"

Speaking of this, he was actually quite helpless.

Because he had not recruited such true talent before, he was always being nagged by Zhui Ding. Looking at the performance of Fu Yong and the others, he really could not refute it, so every time it was brought up, he was only depressed.

But now it was good; finally, someone better and more suitable had appeared!

Meng Changqing had been observing Du En for a long time, just as Du En had been using various ways to judge him. Both sides appeared satisfied, though one was full of satisfaction, and the other was calmly satisfied.

Therefore, there were some things Meng Changqing needed to clarify in advance: "The opening remarks I didn't get to finish just now were not all just boasting and empty talk."

"Well, how should I put it? I am said to have a stubborn personality, and I don't want to deny it. After all, that is my persistence, my principles, my..."

As he said this, he couldn't help but start a long-winded speech again.

"Lenient and law-abiding, right? So, one must first accomplish something to receive a reward; I can understand that."

Du En calmly interrupted again and offered agreement in advance.

And in this sentence, he secretly carried a hint of a reminder.

My performance this time was outstanding; one could even say it was entirely due to me turning the tide.

Since your rules are that rewards are only given for merit, well, I have now established merit, so where is the reward?

In a trance, Meng Changqing felt as if he had heard such a question directly.

However, at this moment, he did not feel surprised; after all, Du En's behavior had been consistent throughout, and he was already used to it.

So, upon hearing this, he simply took out a bag and gave the benefit quite readily.

"The fourth-tier storage bag you wanted before."

"Inside, I have placed one thousand high-grade spirit stones. Do not think it is too little; the main thing is that this operation was entirely internal strife, making it difficult to reward merit openly."

Meng Changqing was haggling over this, which shows that Zhui Ding's words before were not wrong.

But immediately after, he waved his hand and gave what he could give.

"For whatever specific items you need next, you can go to the treasure vault at the City Lord's Mansion to exchange for them. As long as you have the authorization there, you can exchange for all the sect's holdings."

"I have already opened all authorizations corresponding to the Golden Core stage for you, including those for merit, but merit can only be obtained through external wars and internal pacification."

"Then, regarding the cultivation technique we agreed upon, I have already thought it through and selected it for you, so you can view it directly when you go to the treasure vault. It is called the *Blue-Yellow Canon*, covering both earth and wood elements. It is a top-tier method that can perfectly connect with your *Firm Spirit Art* and completely erase the hidden dangers you were previously worried about."

"After you have mastered it, there is another supreme technique that I think is very suitable for you; I will get it for you when the time comes. Now, what do you want for yourself, and what do you want to do?"

For a person like Du En, one must let him exert his own subjective initiative.

Regarding this, Du En had his own thoughts long ago and said calmly: "If possible, I would like to travel alone for a period of time next."

"This, indeed, you need to go and see. It is good to see; only after seeing it with your own eyes will you understand how correct the things we are doing are, and how powerful and terrifying our enemies are!"

Meng Changqing actually knew that Du En might not necessarily approve of his grand plan now, only that because he pledged allegiance to him, their interests seemed similar and there was profit to be made.

But he did not care, nor did he worry, because according to his observations, a person like Du En would naturally end up on the same side as him.

Because Du En was too maverick, had his own persistence, and treated everyone equally, it was impossible for him to agree or collude with the leaders of other Immortal Sects; only his side could get along with him harmoniously.

Therefore, he believed that as time passed, they would gradually work together with one heart and a unified goal!

(End of chapter)