Chapter 550: When Does Earning Merit Become This Easy?

"Zhang Chengyong, you don't know, but right when you left..."

Zhang Chengze wore a strange expression, quietly recounting everything that had just happened to Zhang Chengyong and his mother, who also wore a puzzled look.

Not long after Zhang Chengyong left, only he and Zhang Guilian remained in this place. Watching the eerie moonlight on Zhang Guilian fade away, he grew worried that Zhang Guilian had been possessed by a spirit; he kept a wary eye on her.

Never expected!

Zhang Guilian suddenly fell to her knees, wailing loudly, sobbing while muttering as if recounting every mistake she had made over the years, apologizing to one person after another—not only to her family members, who mentioned her most, but also to many in Zhang Family Village and to strangers she didn't know.

She spoke it out from Zhang Guilian's mouth!

Each time she mentioned a name, she repeated "I'm sorry" over and over!

Watching Zhang Guilian's odd behavior, he was puzzled, not understanding what was happening to her. Yet fearing she was possessed, and knowing he was nearby, he worried she might have the ability to deal with "it", so the possessing spirit pretended, trying to lure him forward to inquire.

The moment he let his guard down, it immediately threatened his life.

This matter.

He had learned plenty about it from the elders' ghost stories in the village!

Therefore.

Even though Zhang Guilian's condition was extremely strange, he dared not act, only watching her warily; if she showed any sign of fleeing, he would risk his very life to stop her.

It's not that Zhang Guilian committed a heinous crime; she's a top‑tier offender, and he cannot simply let her escape. He would risk his life to stop her, fearing that a possessed Zhang Guilian might flee and ultimately be killed by the spirit, even though he doesn't care about her life or death.

But his father cares a lot.

Until.

His father turned into a wisp of blue smoke and appeared before Zhang Guilian. Before his father could say anything, Zhang Guilian noticed Zhang Deben nearby and lunged at him; just as he was about to warn his father to be careful of Zhang Guilian's scheming, he saw her hugging her father, wailing, and berating herself for every mistake she had made over the years.

She kept apologizing to her father from time to time, and he could only comfort Zhang Guilian again and again, telling her not to dwell on these matters.

"You mean, before your father arrived, Zhang Guilian was already on her knees, wailing and blaming herself for the mistakes she had made over the years?"

Li Ping's face was full of bewilderment; hearing Zhang Chengze recount what had just happened felt like listening to a celestial script. Instinctively, she looked at Zhang Guilian, who was still clutching her family's De Ben, wailing and muttering, her expression even more strange.

She didn't doubt that Zhang Chengze might deceive her; Zhang Chengze had told a few lies before, though not many, and especially this kind of falsehood, he had almost never said. It was impossible for him to lie about this, so she wanted to believe that Zhang Guilian might know the many mistakes she had made over the years.

Only.

This thought lingered in her mind only briefly before she drove it away again; after all, Zhang Guilian's many years of actions make it hard for her to change her opinion of her.

"Is this the effect of Divine Technique: Persuade to do good?"

Wang Ping'an watched Zhang Guilian clutch his great‑uncle, wailing and berating herself for every mistake she had made over the years; each time she mentioned one, she said "sorry" in front of his great‑uncle, and he couldn't help but exclaim:

"The effect is truly extraordinary!" Unlike Li Ping and Zhang Chengze's doubts, they had long‑held impressions of Zhang Guilian that couldn't change quickly. Wang Ping'an easily noticed that Zhang Guilian's emotions were genuine; the Divine Technique: Persuade to do good he had just used on her had taken effect.

Otherwise.

Zhang Guilian wouldn't show such a drastic reversal!

No wonder his great‑aunt and two cousins suspected Zhang Guilian was acting!

"Ding! You used Divine Technique: Persuade to do good, making Zhang Guilian aware of the countless pig‑dog‑like deeds she has done over the years, realizing her errors. Congratulations, you have earned a reward: Merit +21540!"

A mechanical, cold voice rang in his mind; Wang Ping'an's calm demeanor shattered instantly. Even before receiving Divine Technique: Persuade to do good, he had speculated that if he secretly learned this technique and used it on villains, he might earn Merit. The system notification then informed him that using Divine Technique: Persuade to do good on Zhang Guilian had granted Merit, which was not at all unexpected.

However.

What he never imagined was that he would instantly receive as much as twenty thousand Merit!

It was a huge sum he hadn't earned in days.

The most Merit he ever got at once was only about ten thousand.

"When does earning Merit become this easy?"

Wang Ping'an's face was full of shock; even after several minutes, he hadn't recovered from the system's notification. A myriad of thoughts swirled in his mind, and he thought excitedly:

"Does this mean that from now on, we won't need to slay demons; merely using this technique on some outsiders can yield massive Merit?"

This novel you...

But soon, this notion faded from Wang Ping'an's mind, because after hearing Zhang Guilian recount the countless misdeeds she had committed over the years, he finally understood why a single use of Divine Technique: Persuade to do good on her yielded as much as twenty thousand Merit.

It's not that Merit is worthless, nor that the technique has a bonus; rather, from Zhang Guilian's narration, she had done nothing good since childhood, a lifetime of misdeeds. One or two deeds might not yield much Merit, but accumulated over time, they add up, which explains why he suddenly earned over twenty thousand Merit.

Wang Ping'an stared speechlessly as she kept recounting the countless misdeeds she had done over the years, with almost no repeats, Zhang Guilian, cursing inwardly:

"Fortunately you're not a cultivator; otherwise, if you were to walk the cultivation path, with your temperament you'd almost certainly go down in the annals!"

Of course.

It's not a good name!

For a moment, Wang Ping'an didn't know whether to thank Zhang Guilian for contributing a full twenty thousand Merit at once, or to resent her; Zhang Guilian was his great‑uncle's relative. Though he had only just met his great‑uncle, in these days of contact he could clearly feel his great‑uncle's affection toward him.

He didn't want to put his great‑uncle in a difficult position; otherwise, hearing Zhang Guilian's endless misdeeds, he would wish to cut her to pieces, even if he hadn't earned the twenty thousand Merit, he wouldn't care.

Who could blame that Zhang Guilian's lifetime of misdeeds are so infuriating!

(End of Chapter)