Chapter 125: Generous Bounty

The insufferable flower-plucking thief has finally been caught.

If the victims in the city knew, they would surely beat drums and gongs to celebrate, setting off fireworks and firecrackers to rejoice with the whole world.

However, this news is still confined within the Under Heaven Silver Bank.

The surroundings are quiet, with many still digesting this shocking news.

Du Yan Lu Zhigang captured the flower-plucking thief single-handedly; just how formidable has he become?

The two Clan Heads, Xu and Qi, felt their throats twitch, thinking they shouldn't have come today and should have just sent their sons to handle it.

Lu Zhigang is known as Du Yan, having mastered a vicious and evil palm technique; when he strikes, poisonous winds blow from all sides, making him impossible to guard against.

Coupled with his Lightness Skill, which rivals that of the flower-plucking thief, he is simply a born assassin and killer.

"Gentlemen, since the identity is confirmed, it is time to pay out the bounty."

Zhou You broke the silence, and suddenly all eyes were fixed on the bounty.

Large and small chests were piled into a small hill, containing the rewards gathered by each family, all of which were precious treasures.

Head Constable Qu, standing by the door, offered his family's heirloom saber.

This precious saber has not rusted in a hundred years and can cut through iron like mud; as a weapon alone, it is already top-tier.

Not only that, this precious saber is an heirloom, representing a favor and a promise.

If someone holds this precious saber and finds Head Constable Qu's family in the future, that will be the time to redeem the favor.

Most of the other treasures are the same; the material value is secondary, and more importantly, every victim family must acknowledge his kindness. A sigh of regret arose!

The martial artists present were quite regretful; why did this immense wealth not fall into their hands?

Qi Fengzhang and Xu Tianying, the two young masters of the noble families, were also somewhat unwilling; they had risked danger to lead the Hunting Team precisely to reap the dividends of the flower-plucking thief and elevate their status within their families.

Unfortunately, the prize fell to someone else in the end.

"You want to take these bounties away right now?"

The Qi Clan Head smiled, "What's the rush? It's dark outside, and the road is not easy to travel!"

This sentence was somewhat meaningful.

"Whether it's day or night, the road is the same; after all these years, haven't I walked it all the same?"

The Xu Clan Head on the side snorted, "I'm just afraid you won't have the fortune to enjoy it!"

Zhou You replied indifferently, "The things I earned with my own hands, I can pick up, I can carry, and I can... take away."

The atmosphere was somewhat tense!

Zhou You scanned behind the two Clan Heads, where one or two silent old men stood.

These old men were hidden in the shadows, their bodies emitting an aura similar to Wang Jianxiong's, powerful and secretive.

Martial Masters, they were definitely experts at the Martial Master level.

Only the Clan Heads of the two great families would have the qualifications to have Martial Masters willingly serve as their personal bodyguards; others do not have this qualification. But, so what? With money and goods exchanged, what he came for today was a fair trade.

"Lu Zhigang, my Gongliang City welcomes talents and turns no one away."

"If you are willing to work for me, it won't just be these bounties; there is plenty of wealth waiting for you."

The Qi Clan Head's tone was more like he was recruiting him.

The Qi-Blood martial artists in the courtyard were so jealous their eyes turned red; why the hell him? They had practiced boxing for decades, their bodies full of old injuries and hidden pains, yet they had never seen the Qi Clan Head be so respectful to them.

Du Yan Lu Zhigang was favored like this just because he captured the flower-plucking thief.

Shi Gaofei lowered his head and said nothing; this was not a good thing. When the masters value you, it is not to keep you well-fed and watered, but because one day they will call on you to go die for them.

Lu Zhigang's Poison Palm has astonishing lethality and is an excellent tool for eliminating dissent.

From far away, Zhou You's voice came from the main hall:

"Sorry, I'm used to being free and easy; I don't want to find myself a master."

Once these words were spoken, the surroundings buzzed with shock.

"Audacious, you don't know what's good for you."

Qi Fengzhang was panicked inside, standing up and pointing at Zhou You to scold him.

"No matter!"

The Qi Clan Head smiled as he looked at Zhou You, then looked meaningfully at the Xu Clan Head. "Brother Xu, the man did the work, and now it's time to settle the wages. I have no objections; what about you?"

*Putting on an act, this just makes me look stingy. *

The Xu Clan Head muttered to himself, "I have no objections either."

With both Clan Heads in agreement, the payout of the bounty was settled once and for all.

108 shopkeepers personally took action, moving the bounty out of the red circle and counting it item by item.

The least valuable were the large chunks of gold and silver, which came in various shapes: bricks, ingots, flying leaves, and so on.

The shopkeepers of the silver bank did not allow the clerks to intervene, holding the scale beams and weighing them in front of Zhou You.

Zhou You felt the malice; there was at least a thousand catties of gold and silver; how could he carry it away alone?

"Deposit it all into the silver bank."

Zhou You made a decisive decision.

The Under Heaven Silver Bank is not a business of the two great families, but a local branch of a massive group.

Holding a note, the gold and silver deposited into the account can be redeemed and withdrawn at any branch in the world.

The shopkeepers nodded one after another and immediately issued him a Money Note.

"After discounting the gold and silver, the total is 27,408 taels of silver."

"This Money Note can be used to redeem gold, silver, or copper coins, subject to the daily market fluctuations; please be aware."

The Xu Clan Head's expression changed; he had thought that so much wealth would make the other party blinded by greed, but he hadn't expected 'Lu Zhigang' to be so decisive, depositing the money into the Under Heaven Silver Bank on the spot.

Once the money enters the counter, it recognizes no one; that thin piece of paper is the only key, and he walked away with it tucked into his chest.

It is a pity; that gold and silver should have been used to offset the opponent's advantage in Lightness Skill.

The bounty payouts are still being recorded...

"Boss Liang contributes one million catties of grain; the market price has risen by thirty percent, now valued at 30,000 taels of silver."

Those who trade in grain are all filthy rich.

The market has been poor recently, and every family is hoarding grain; grain is hard currency.

One million catties of grain cannot be placed on-site, and the silver vault cannot hold it either.

The grain is still stored in the city granary, and there is only a bill of lading on-site.

"Holding this list, one may collect grain at will, up to one million catties."

Zhou You remained calm and collected, tucking the bill of lading into his robes.

"High-quality fields outside the city, irrigated fertile land, valued at..."

"Seven street-front shops, valued at..."

As each item was announced, everyone present except for the two Clan Heads turned green with envy.

Hearing the number 100,000 taels alone meant little, but when it turned into specific pieces of land and shops, it became quite intuitive.

Any one or two of these items represented an astonishing wealth that ordinary people could not accumulate even after generations of struggle.

Today, could Lu Zhigang leave unscathed with this fortune? "One heirloom sword from Head Constable Qu..."

"Three pieces of top-grade Sky Blue Frozen seal stone..."

"Captain Chang contributes, hmm, 20 Scale-Whiskered Pills..."

Upon hearing of the Scale-Whiskered Pills, all the Qi-Blood martial artists could no longer sit still.

This Secret Medicine is exclusively controlled by the City Gate Guard; it is excellent for tempering Qi-Blood and assisting cultivation.

If they could obtain them, they could raise their Qi-Blood level by at least one to three stages.

The other items were fine, but for a martial artist, 20 Scale-Whiskered Pills could be called a priceless treasure.

In comparison, the final bounty from the Xu family was practically nothing.

"One ancient book, from the Heaven-Severing Gate that vanished a hundred years ago."

"This book has been passed down for eight hundred years, written in ancient Seal Script, and the material comes from an extinct tree bark; its value is extremely high."

(End of chapter)