Chapter 968: Again, One More Serving

Lu Ye drew his Pan Mountain Saber. He cut his finger, using his own blood as a conduit, and wrote a person's name on the tracking compass. At the same time, he mentally envisioned the specific details of his mission target.

The next moment, a red light emanated from the tracking compass. The compass needle spun rapidly before abruptly stopping.

Looking up in the direction indicated by the needle, Lu Ye called out, "Let's go!"

Three figures swept through the void. Just an hour later, they halted above a certain spot on Wuliang Mountain.

At this moment, the needle on Lu Ye's tracking compass spun continuously. This was clearly not a malfunction, but an indication that the target was directly beneath them.

Lu Ye put away the tracking compass and looked down, but saw nothing obvious.

"Wait here," Lu Ye instructed. He then swept downwards, landing moments later.

He spread out his divine sense, perceiving his surroundings carefully.

He quickly detected the hidden aura of a living person deep underground, which was clearly the mission target. He then turned to look around and spotted traces of a concealment array on a nearby rock wall.

However, in Lu Ye's view, these arrays were extremely crude, indicating that the target was not deeply skilled in array formations.

He didn't rush to act, but continued to investigate the surroundings. A moment later, he summoned Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu, who were waiting in mid-air. He instructed Xiao Xinghe to remain there, then took Lin Yinxiu and headed in another direction.

This mission's target clearly understood the principle of "a cunning rabbit having three burrows," so there was more than one entrance and exit to their hiding place. All were extremely well-concealed; an ordinary True Lake Realm cultivator might not have found them. However, under a Martial King's divine sense, the direction of the underground passages naturally became discernible.

Soon, Xiao Xinghe was also ready, blocking another opening.

The Martial King then hurried to the third exit and gently tapped Amber on the head.

Yiyi flashed out.

There was no need for many words; Yiyi had already understood the Martial King's intentions.

"Be careful," the Martial King instructed.

"Mm," Yiyi responded crisply, her figure swaying as she burrowed underground.

The night was thick, and the croaking of frogs and chirping of insects were unceasing.

Suddenly, from deep underground came Yiyi's sweet shout: "This is the Enforcement Hall on official business, Feng Xi! Your misdeeds have been exposed; surrender at once!"

The Martial King found it amusing, almost able to imagine what Yiyi, with her adorable appearance, looked like shouting such murderous words.

The young girl was clearly influenced by Geng Fengxi. The last time the Martial King went on a mission with Geng Chuyue, Geng Chuyue had shouted similar things.

Almost immediately after Yiyi's voice fell, violent spiritual energy fluctuations emanated from deep underground. Lu Ye's divine sense detected that Feng Xi, the target, had attacked Yiyi and was now frantically fleeing in one direction.

This direction was precisely where Xiao Xinghe was guarding.

Lu Ye immediately rushed in that direction.

Just as he arrived, he saw a figure dart out from the cave entrance concealed by the array. Immediately after, Xiao Xinghe conjured an item from his hand.

It was a net-shaped treasure. Feng Xi was completely unprepared; he couldn't resist and was firmly caught in the net.

As he struggled to resist, Lu Ye had already stepped forward and delivered a kick.

With a loud thud, the kick landed solidly. Feng Xi, ensnared in the large net, crashed heavily into a large tree, splitting it in two.

"Gather!" Xiao Xinghe shouted. As spiritual energy surged, the net tightened sharply, and no matter how Feng Xi struggled, it was futile.

A long saber was drawn from its sheath and placed against Feng Xi's neck. Lu Ye shouted, "Dare to resist again, and you'll be killed without mercy!"

The Enforcement Hall of the Judicial Department had the right to kill mission targets, especially if the target resisted. Therefore, it would be acceptable if Lu Ye killed this person on the spot.

Feeling Lu Ye's killing intent, Feng Xi finally became compliant. Bound in the net, he looked up at Lu Ye, sighed heavily, and seemed somewhat relieved: "Finally... you've come."

The rustling of clothes indicated Lin Yinxiu's arrival. She glanced at the situation and felt relieved.

Lu Ye looked at the exhausted Feng Xi and said calmly, "If you don't want to die, cooperate. If you make any improper move, I will kill you on the spot. Do you understand?"

"Since I've been captured, I'm at your mercy," Feng Xi nodded resignedly. "Once in prison, there might still be a glimmer of hope. Resisting here will only lead to a dead end. I understand this much."

Lu Ye nodded slightly and returned his saber to its sheath.

With the mission target secured, there was no need to linger. Lu Ye called out, and the small team set off that very night, heading towards Haotian City.

Feng Xi had indeed resigned himself to his fate. Along the way, he showed no signs of resistance, allowing Xiao Xinghe to keep him bound with the net-shaped treasure.

He didn't speak much, probably feeling there was nothing worth discussing with people from the Enforcement Hall.

Two days later, the group returned to Haotian City. With the target secured, they were naturally sent to the prison.

The three separated. Feng Xi was escorted to the prison by Lin Yinxiu and Xiao Xinghe, while Lu Ye headed straight for the Hunting Pavilion.

"Hmm?" The plump old man was surprised to see Lu Ye. "You're back so soon? Was the mission...?"

"It's completed," Lu Ye replied, returning the mission jade slip he had taken earlier.

The plump old man was astonished: "Your luck is quite good."

He naturally understood the difficulty of those missions. He had originally thought it would take Lu Ye and the others at least ten days to half a month to complete, with a high chance of failure. He hadn't expected them to finish in less than seven days.

Deducting the travel time, their efficiency was extraordinary, and their luck was surprisingly good.

"Senior, how many battle merits can such a mission yield?" Lu Ye asked.

"Around fifty thousand points," the plump old man replied.

Lu Ye's eye twitched. This mission yielded fifty thousand battle merits, but the tracking compass alone cost thirty thousand, meaning he only gained twenty thousand battle merits after seven days of work...

And it had to be split among three people. The harvest was truly meager.

He knew that refining explosive fire spirit stones could yield seven thousand battle merits a day.

But some things couldn't be measured by his standards. For other True Lake Realm cultivators, such a gain was actually quite good.

His battle merits came easily, but for someone like Lin Yinxiu, obtaining battle merits wasn't as straightforward. Therefore, some things couldn't be calculated simply.

"Another one!" Lu Ye said.

The plump old man naturally allowed it, taking out several mission jade slips from the previous batch. Lu Ye examined them briefly, casually picked one, and then left the Hunting Pavilion.

Turning right, a hundred zhang away, he had already stepped into the main hall of the Judicial Department.

Qian Wudang looked up, equally surprised: "The Hunting Pavilion and the prison have already reported. This mission was completed well."

"My Lord, I have a request."

"Tell me first," Qian Wudang immediately became wary.

Last time Lu Ye requested him to sign an order for the free requisition of personnel, Liu Yuemei was almost beaten to death by Elder Tang. Learning from past mistakes, Qian Wudang was extremely wary of Lu Ye's so-called request.

"From now on, I will not take any of the battle merits obtained from missions; they will all be distributed to the other members of the team."

Qian Wudang was surprised: "Not take a single bit?" Lu Ye nodded: "Can this be done?"

Lu Ye knew that the distribution of battle merits was not decided by Qian Wudang but by the workings of the Heavenly Mechanism. However, high-ranking individuals like Qian Wudang and Nian Yuexian had a certain degree of influence.

Taking the previous siege of Gushan City as an example, if Nian Yuexian hadn't reported to the Heavenly Mechanism, he wouldn't have received those immense battle merits.

"It should generally be fine," Qian Wudang nodded slightly, looking at Lu Ye. "It's good that you're taking care of your team members, but what about yourself...?"

"My Lord knows that I don't lack battle merits," Lu Ye replied. "Moreover, as my cultivation increases, the efficiency of refining explosive fire spirit stones will gradually improve. In the future, obtaining battle merits will still be very easy for me."

"That's true," Qian Wudang acknowledged Lu Ye's statement.

Which True Lake Realm cultivator could consistently earn over seven hundred thousand battle merits a month?

If it was truly as Lu Ye said, with his cultivation increasing and the efficiency of refining explosive fire spirit stones improving, he would earn more and more battle merits in the future.

"Alright, I'll allow this matter. I will naturally petition the Heavenly Mechanism, but I cannot guarantee the outcome."

"Then I thank you, My Lord. I shall take my leave." Instead of rushing back to his courtyard, Lu Ye went to the Heavenly Mechanism Hall, spent some merit points, and purchased a spirit boat that could accommodate one to four people.

He then re-entered the Battle Merit Pavilion and exchanged for a tracking compass.

Returning to his courtyard, Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu had already returned. Seeing Lu Ye's return, they came out to greet him.

Xiao Xinghe joyfully exclaimed, "Captain, Captain, I got almost thirty thousand battle merits from this mission!"

Having grown up, this was her first time getting such a significant reward for her efforts, and also her first time obtaining battle merits, so she was naturally overjoyed.

Lin Yinxiu, however, was somewhat puzzled: "Junior Brother, were these battle merits distributed incorrectly? Why is there so much?"

"These types of missions have been backlogged for too long, so while the difficulty isn't high, the rewards are quite generous. Moreover, battle merits are distributed by the Heavenly Mechanism, so there's absolutely no reason for error," Lu Ye casually explained.

He sighed inwardly, noting that Qian Wudang's efficiency was very high, and the Heavenly Mechanism had clearly granted his petition, distributing the battle merits from this mission equally to Xiao Xinghe and Lin Yinxiu.

This was precisely what Lu Ye had hoped for.

Although Lin Yinxiu still had some doubts, after careful thought, she realized Lu Ye's words made sense. Battle merits and merit points were all distributed by the Heavenly Mechanism, so there was naturally no possibility of error, and she relaxed.

"Captain, when are we going on the next mission?" Xiao Xinghe asked expectantly.

Having had one successful mission experience, she couldn't help but fall in love with the feeling of striving for her own cultivation resources. This was a feeling she had never experienced growing up.

Previously, all her cultivation resources were meticulously arranged by Qian Wudang; she didn't need to do anything but cultivate, even in the Spirit Stream Battlefield.

As for the Cloud River Battlefield... she had never been there at all.