Chapter 42

Several days later, Wangjiang Cheng, which had long been shrouded in shadow, finally welcomed the long-absent sunshine.

Ah, we really have to thank Lord Jiang!

If it weren't for him, our Wangjiang Cheng would probably have become a ghost town!

A man in coarse hemp clothing, gulping down rough liquor, said.

Who says otherwise! I heard those medicinal ingredients are priceless, and Lord Jiang actually took out all his wealth!

Now it's fine, the plague is over, Lord Jiang is our great benefactor!

The people in the teahouse chatted back and forth, their words filled with gratitude and admiration for Jiang Xiaomu.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaomu sat in the tent, brows slightly furrowed, gazing at the semi-transparent light curtain floating before him, as if pondering something.

One thousand Heavenly Fate Points—said to be not much, not little either...

Jiang Xiaomu murmured softly.

System, open the shop.

The next moment, the light curtain shifted, and a dazzling array of goods instantly came into view.

With this system, getting rich is just a matter of time!

Jiang Xiaomu's mouth curled slightly, revealing a confident smile.

He swiped the light curtain, carefully browsing the various goods, calculating in his mind how to make the most of this hard-earned thousand Heavenly Fate Points to maximize profit.

Huh? What is this?

Jiang Xiaomu's gaze was suddenly drawn to a box emitting a white light.

Above the box, the words 'Tianshan Snow Lotus' were written in large characters.

Tianshan Snow Lotus? Isn't that the top-grade medicinal herb for curing plague?

Jiang Xiaomu's heart jumped, and he quickly checked the product description.

Tianshan Snow Lotus, growing on the peak of Tianshan, blooms once every hundred years and bears fruit once every thousand years.

It possesses the miraculous power to bring the dead back to life, can cure a hundred poisons, and treat plague...

Good stuff! Really good stuff!

Jiang Xiaomu was so excited he almost shouted; with this Tianshan Snow Lotus, he could not only completely solve the plague but also make a fortune!

Ding! Congratulations, host, you successfully purchased one Tianshan Snow Lotus, deducting 800 Heavenly Fate Points, leaving 200 points.

With the system's prompt sound, an exquisite wooden box appeared in Jiang Xiaomu's hand.

Jiang Xiaomu carefully took out the Tianshan Snow Lotus and, following the formula provided by the system, began to concoct the antidote.

After a few days, a new batch of antidote was completed, and Jiang Xiaomu named it 'Snow Lotus Pill'.

As soon as the Snow Lotus Pill appeared, it caused a huge sensation.

Have you heard? Lord Jiang has developed another new medicine.

Called 'Snow Lotus Pill,' its effect is better than the previous antidote!

Really? Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and buy it—if you're late, you'll miss out!

For a while, people coming to buy the Snow Lotus Pill came in an endless stream.

Jiang Xiaomu looked at this scene before him, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He not only used the Tianshan Snow Lotus to completely eradicate the plague, but also gained both fame and fortune, making a killing.

The plague in the city was finally brought under control.

Brother, you haven't slept for three days; you should go rest.

Jiang Xiaoyu held a ginseng tea, looking at Jiang Xiaomu with a worried expression.

Jiang Xiaomu took the ginseng tea, but merely gave it a light sniff and then set it aside,

"Leave it, I'll drink it later."

He rubbed his forehead, then realized he hadn't visited the Ghost-Faced Army in a long time.

I wonder how Ye Ying has trained my army.

The Ghost-Faced Army was originally her troops; surely she must be more skilled at training them than I am.

Jiang Xiaomu muttered to himself.

The system's voice sounded at the right moment:

"Host, the Ghost-Faced Army has preliminarily formed combat capability; would you like to check their training results?"

Jiang Xiaomu raised his eyebrows,

"Oh? Preliminary combat capability?"

"It seems the troops sent are indeed not ordinary. Let's go take a look!"

……

In a hidden valley on the outskirts of the city, shouts of killing shook the heavens.

Jiang Xiaomu stood on high ground, taking in everything below, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Not bad, it seems they haven't been slacking off during this time."

The system's voice sounded again:

"Host, would you like to conduct the Ghost-Faced Army's first practical combat assessment now?"

"Oh? Practical assessment? How is it conducted?"

Jiang Xiaomu became interested.

"The system will randomly generate a mission target matching the host's current strength."

"The host can lead the Ghost-Faced Army to complete the mission; depending on the completion degree, different rewards will be granted."

Jiang Xiaomu stroked his chin, thinking to himself:

"This system is really thoughtful, knowing I'm bored out of my mind, it specially found me some fun."

"Alright, let's begin then—I want to see what kind of mission this first practical combat assessment will be."

System: "Mission target generated: exterminate Heifengzhai."

Jiang Xiaomu frowned,

"Heifengzhai? That rabble isn't worthy of being my opponent."

Heifengzhai is a stronghold located a hundred li outside Wangjiang Cheng.

"Host, you don't know, this mission target is not simply to exterminate Heifengzhai."

"But to capture alive the chief of Heifengzhai, Heifeng."

The system explained.

"Capture Heifeng alive? That's actually interesting."

Jiang Xiaomu became interested; he wanted to see what kind of person Heifeng really was.

"System, issue the mission—target: capture Heifeng alive, time limit: three days!"

"The mission has been issued; please, host, lead the Ghost-faced Army to complete it within three days."

A glint flashed in Jiang Xiaomu's eyes as he waved his hand broadly,

"Ghost-faced Army, hear my orders!"

"Present!"

Thousands of Ghost-faced Army soldiers responded in unison.

"Target: Heifengzhai, move out!"

……

The chief of the stronghold, Heifeng, was sitting on a tiger-skin chair, gulping down wine and devouring large chunks of meat, with several scantily clad women beside him pouring his wine and massaging his back.

"Report!"

A bandit came running in panic,

"Big Boss, it's terrible—government troops are coming!"

"What?!"

Heifeng sprang to his feet, and the wine bowl in his hand fell with a "crack" to the ground,

"How many troops?"

"I—I report to Big Boss, there are—there are…"

The bandit was so frightened he stammered.

"How many are there? Hurry up and say!"

Heifeng roared.

"There, there are over a thousand…"

"Damn it!"

Heifeng spat fiercely, his rough voice sounding especially jarring in the mountain wind.

"I've regularly bribed those greedy dog officials."

"They eat my food and drink my wine—how dare they turn on me now?"

He usually acts cautiously, fully understanding the principle that civilians should not fight officials.

Although Heifengzhai claims to rule the mountain, its business is actually robbing the rich to help the poor.

More importantly, he periodically sends people down the mountain to deliver generous gifts to the county magistrate and prefect to maintain relations.

"Big Boss, a scout from down the mountain reports, saying it's… sent by the Imperial Court, saying… saying…"

A scrawny henchman came scrambling up, rolling and crawling all the way.