Lu Chen thought he was seeing things.
He rubbed his eyes, hard.
But the words didn’t lie.
Five thousand points. Those three characters struck him like a thunderbolt.
“No way!”
Lu Chen immediately sensed something was off.
Treating the Grand Governor’s wife earned a military merit of five thousand points?
That was a thousand points more than the rainmaking mission in Longhu County.
Equivalent to an entire extra A-rank mission.
What exactly was a Grand Governor?
A Grand Governor was the highest-ranking official of a province. Although Zheng Changguo had stepped down, he was still a man who once held immense power over an entire region. (P.S. – I’ve learned my lesson after the censorship issues. All related official titles will be completely fictionalized from now on. I hope you understand.)
“Could it be that because his official rank was so high, the mission carries more special weight?”
That made sense, but five thousand military merit points was just ridiculously high.
Instinct told Lu Chen there had to be more to this.
Just like the Longhu County rainmaking mission—the brief description gave away almost nothing, but the reality of carrying it out was fraught with hidden currents and undercurrents.
If Sun Yourong hadn’t revealed the inside story, he probably wouldn’t have untangled this mess so quickly.
Lu Chen stared at the mission description, lost in thought.
The twenty-million-dollar reward wasn’t exceptionally high—pretty average, actually.
But that over-the-top military merit point total was enough to prove this S-rank mission was in a league of its own among missions of the same tier.
Looking across Jiangdu City, there were definitely more than a few families with assets over a billion.
And yet, genuine New Money was still incredibly rare.
The sticking point was always military merit.
You couldn’t buy it. You couldn’t sell it. You had to earn it yourself, through real, solid work.
“Damn it! What am I even hesitating for? This is the one! It’s just healing the sick, right? If it comes down to it, I’ll burn through that cold stove until it’s white-hot—I’ll cure her if it kills me!”
With the double bonus, that would be a full ten thousand military merit points!
Almost equivalent to the reward for an SS-rank mission.
That would knock out one-fifth of the fragments needed for New Money status in one go.
Opportunity knocks but once. If you snooze, you lose.
Lu Chen stopped hesitating and immediately called his teacher in to process the paperwork.
“You’re taking another S-rank mission?”
“Yeah, and I’m planning to take two at once!”
【The Academy of Rebirth】was practically gift-wrapped experience points for him.
If he didn’t grab it, someone else might snatch it up first, and he’d regret it.
“You want to take another S-rank? Two S-rank missions simultaneously?”
The young female teacher was dumbfounded.
“Is that allowed? I remember there’s no limit on the number of missions in the special class.”
Lu Chen confirmed.
“You can, if you want. You could take a hundred if you felt like it. But S-rank missions must be completed within twenty days. If you go past the deadline, it’s considered a failure. Are you sure you can handle two at once?”
“Twenty days? No problem. Sign me up!”
The Longhu County mission had taken him only two days.
Twenty days for two missions should be more than enough time.
“Alright, give me your mission documents…”
After the formalities were completed, Lu Chen had the specific details for both missions.
There wasn’t much to say about 【The Academy of Rebirth】.
He didn’t even have a location yet—he’d have to find it himself.
It was a random trigger type.
But the 【Grand Governor Mission】came with clear, straightforward information.
“Qianjiang City, One Residence… As expected of a man who once ruled a region. Even retired, the treatment he gets is still extraordinary.”
As the capital of Jiang Province, Qianjiang City carried undeniable weight.
And as for what kind of place One Residence was… well, that needed no further explanation.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Chen stepped out of the private booth and headed straight for the City Lord’s Mansion.
Right now, he needed to find out what exactly the second incentive policy for the special class was.
“Hey, Lu Chen?!”
Down on the first floor, Li Ruoyi had just finished picking a new C-rank mission when she turned and spotted a familiar figure charging down from the second floor, zipping past like the wind.
Even though she called out to him, Lu Chen didn’t even slow down.
“This guy…”
Li Ruoyi stamped her foot in frustration.
“Ruoyi, you know Classmate Lu Chen?”
“Teacher Zhang.”
Li Ruoyi turned and saw the pretty teacher who managed the student mission hall.
“Yeah, he’s in my class. Well… I guess I should call him ‘senior’ now.” She couldn’t help her curiosity. “Teacher Zhang, what mission did he pick?”
Her two besties nearby perked up their ears as well.
Teacher Zhang gave a slight smile. “I’m afraid the details of the mission are confidential.”
“Oh, okay…”
“However…” Teacher Zhang let something slip, almost casually. “That certain student has taken on another S-rank mission.”
“Another S-rank?!”
“And… he took on two at once.”
Boom!
Li Ruoyi and her two friends stood there, frozen solid.
…
Half an hour later, in the city center.
The majestic City Lord’s Mansion rose imposingly.
“Hello, I’d like to request an audience with the City Lord.”
Lu Chen held up the City Lord’s token.
The guard’s eyes lit up, and he didn’t dare show any disrespect. “This way, sir. Please come in.”
Lu Chen was ushered into the central hall.
“I’ll go relay the message. Please wait a moment.”
“Thank you.” Lu Chen nodded.
Meanwhile, in his office, Yu Feng was laughing heartily.
Standing before him were the same officials who had bet against him earlier.
“We made a deal—no backing out. Make sure you have your goods ready!”
When he got the call from No. 3 High School, Yu Feng could hardly believe his own ears.
After double-checking and confirming it was accurate, he immediately summoned all these subordinates.
“Oh, come on, how is that even possible? It’s an S-rank mission. I’ve never heard of any Spirit Practitioner completing one of those in just two days.”
“Exactly. And the kid’s just a student with only first-rank strength. Sure, the mission might not be directly tied to raw power, but still—this speed is just insane.”
Several of the officials still couldn’t accept this reality.
They’d been so sure they had it in the bag. Never expected this outcome.
A fourth-rank heavenly treasure.
That was going to sting for a whole year.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
“Lord, a young man named Lu Chen is here to see you.”
Yu Feng’s eyes lit up. “Good lad! Perfect timing! Show him in!”
“Yes, sir!”
Moments later, Lu Chen was led into the office.
“Well, well, my little lucky charm!”
Yu Feng strode over excitedly, grabbing Lu Chen’s arms in both hands and shaking them vigorously.
Lu Chen looked a bit dazed. “Little lucky charm? What’s that about?”
“Doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter!” Yu Feng waved it off, and the officials around him all let out awkward chuckles.
Yu Feng was in a fantastic mood. “Today, this City Lord is doubly blessed! First, I get word of that setback for the Rakshasa Cult, and right on its heels, you bring me such good news! Hahaha! Who says good fortune never comes in pairs? Well, here it is!”
The Rakshasa Cult!?
At the mention of that name, Lu Chen’s heart skipped a beat.
Strange. Ever since I ran into that Spirit Water, why do I keep hearing about this evil cult one after another?
“Lord, you said the Rakshasa Cult suffered a setback?” The officials were stunned for a moment, then their faces broke into looks of pleasant surprise.
Yu Feng nodded firmly. “Got the news this morning. The Demon-Suppression Army found the Rakshasa Cult’s headquarters three days ago and laid siege to the four Grand Elders. They tried to offer terms of surrender, but those four demonic leaders fought back to the bitter end. In the end, the Army flattened the place. They reportedly slaughtered over five thousand Rakshasa Cult disciples. Grand Elder Han Wuxiu and Second Elder Feng Tianhua were killed on the spot. The other two demon leaders managed to escape.”
“But no matter. Han Wuxiu and Feng Tianhua were the most deeply sinful and the strongest by far. Without them, the rest won’t amount to much. The Rakshasa Cult… their time is up.”
Yu Feng explained with relish.
“I see! That’s truly heartening news!”
“Congratulations, Lord! All those years ago, when you were stationed in Xiangnan and stamped out the Rakshasa Cult, they managed to slip away. Now, at last, you can put this matter to rest!”
The officials offered their congratulations in unison.
Yu Feng let out a long, relieved breath. “That’s right. Exactly right. I’ve been holding onto that rage for five whole years. Today, half—no, most of it is finally vented! That said, the bounty mission for the Rakshasa Cult is due for a downgrade. Wenchen, go make the adjustment. Keep the bounty level unchanged for now, but cut the reward in half, and bring it in line with the other regions.”
“Yes, Lord!”
After the crowd was dismissed, the office quickly emptied, leaving only Lu Chen and Yu Feng.
“Come, have a seat.”
Yu Feng personally poured a cup of tea and handed it to Lu Chen.
“Thank you, Lord.” Lu Chen, who had barely touched the sofa cushion, quickly stood up again, receiving the cup with both hands.
The two of them settled onto the sofa.
Yu Feng looked at Lu Chen with appreciation. “I didn’t expect it, I really didn’t. You’ve got real skill, kid. I heard that Longhu County mission was no joke. Plenty of Spirit Practitioners went there and came back empty-handed. Yet somehow, you pulled it off. What method did you use? Let’s hear it.”
Lu Chen kept it brief. “To answer you, Lord, I simply enshrined a Well Dragon King and managed to clear the mission by a stroke of luck.”
“A Well Dragon King?” Yu Feng chuckled. “The gods you enshrine are certainly unconventional. First Lord Wealth, then King Yan, now a Well Dragon King… you really have turned thinking outside the box into an art form.”
Now that he had his answer, Yu Feng didn’t press for more details.
He understood the rules of bounty hunters well enough.
“Still, it’s strange. The news of the successful rainmaking in Longhu County should’ve spread by now. But I haven’t heard a single whisper.”
Yu Feng frowned slightly.
Lu Chen’s mind stirred.
That was true. Ever since he’d returned to Jiangdu City, it seemed like no one knew that Longhu County had successfully brought rain.
Unless…
A possibility suddenly occurred to Lu Chen.
—Sun Yourong!
If she had the ability to notify the entire population of Longhu County within minutes, she certainly had the power to quietly seal off the news as well.
But why would she do that?
“Does she know I prefer to keep a low profile, and deliberately helped contain the news to save me from unnecessary trouble? Or… is there something else going on?”
Lu Chen mulled it over.
But regardless, the news being contained was definitely not a bad thing for Lu Chen.
If word got out about something as shocking as conducting a ritual, it could indeed invite trouble.
Sun Yourong’s actions had, in effect, done him a huge favor.
“Hm. That woman really has a sharp mind. And she’s considerate, too.”
At the same time, Lu Chen couldn’t help but marvel at the power of a 【Great Clan】. The more he saw of it, the deeper and more unfathomable it seemed.
Turning the world upside down at a wave of the hand—that’s exactly what it was like.
“Right. You came about the second incentive policy for the special class, didn’t you?”
Lu Chen snapped back to attention and nodded quickly.
“Come on. I’ll take you there.”
Yu Feng stood up and led the way.
…
On the way, Yu Feng finally revealed what the second incentive policy actually was.
Lu Chen stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes going wide.
“The Royal Treasury!?”
