Chapter 493 - 275: Kicked Out
「August 1st.」
「In a cell of the Law Enforcement Hall.」
"Can’t you really give me a little more time?"
Jiang Man asked, looking at Ren Qian.
Ren Qian shook his head. "Junior Brother, this isn’t a matter of ’a little more time.’ You’ve been living here for over a year, and you have no evidence to prove you’re allowed to be here."
Jiang Man looked toward the Old Yellow Ox.
The Old Yellow Ox immediately spoke up. "I colluded with an Evil God."
"That still doesn’t mean you can stay," Ren Qian said, shaking his head at Jiang Man. "Your ox, however, can remain. It’s a legitimate suspect for colluding with an Evil God and needs to be kept under observation.
"It had to come in for regular checks before anyway. Now, keeping it under the Zhenyue Bureau’s direct supervision is for the best."
Hearing this, Jiang Man fell silent for a moment.
In the end, he chose to move out of the Law Enforcement Hall’s prison.
「Noon that same day.」
「Jiang Man’s courtyard.」
Ren Qian looked at the Old Yellow Ox, then turned to Jiang Man. "Junior Brother, won’t you reconsider? It’s not a bad idea to keep the Old Yellow Ox locked up. You wouldn’t have to worry about keeping an eye on it."
Jiang Man replied with a perfectly straight face, "Old Huang and I are inseparable. I can’t let him lose his freedom."
Ren Qian nodded. "Fair enough. On another note, your rewards have come in. Here’s the first part."
With that, he handed over 400,000 Spiritual Source. "Three hundred thousand is from the Zhenyue Bureau, and one hundred thousand is from the Immortal Sect Grand Tournament."
Next, he handed him a book—the Nine-star Primordial Spirit Technique Jiang Man had requested.
It was a technique for advancing one’s Cultivation.
The Primordial Spirit Robe, the Spirit Beast Egg, and the Zhenyue Bureau Token were all placed into Jiang Man’s hands.
"The only thing left is one Top-grade Technique," Ren Qian said. "Take your time deciding. Once you know which one you want, just let us know. We should be able to acquire it for you."
Jiang Man looked at the Zhenyue Bureau Token. "Can’t I use this to get into the prison cells?"
"No. Zhenyue Bureau members go in there to stand guard, not to live. If you’re willing to work a guard shift, however, that could be arranged," Ren Qian explained.
"Then what’s this token for?" Jiang Man asked, curious.
Ren Qian gave him a rough overview. It served a similar purpose to the one Zui Fusheng had, but the level of authority was much, much lower.
Finally, Ren Qian added, "Also, you can use the token to collect a stipend of two thousand Spiritual Source each month."
"That’s it?" Jiang Man thought for a moment. ’That really is a small amount.’
"You sometimes have to pay Spiritual Source just to be in the Outer and Inner Sects. The Zhenyue Bureau gives you two thousand for free. That’s not bad at all." Ren Qian paused in thought before continuing, "Besides, you get a ten percent discount on all cultivation resources from the Zhenyue Bureau. If you perform meritorious service, it can go up to a twelve percent discount. With enough merits, you might even get twenty percent off.
"And of course, performing meritorious service also comes with its own rewards of Spiritual Source and other resources."
Jiang Man was taken aback. "Twenty percent off?"
’Now that’s a big deal.’
He had never gotten a discount that steep before.
Even the starting ten percent discount was better than any official channel.
When he first became a disciple, he had received a ten percent discount on Elixirs, but that was *only* for Elixirs.
There was no such discount for other items like Magical Treasures or Talismans.
Jiang Man then asked if he would be required to complete tasks for the Zhenyue Bureau.
"Tasks will be sent your way, but whether you accept them is up to you," Ren Qian explained. "Your main responsibility is still your role concerning the Evil Gods—try to find them. Beyond that, keep an eye out for people from the Sun and Moon Immortal Path."
Jiang Man nodded and then began to examine his other rewards.
The Magic Robe had defensive properties and came enchanted with a Wind-Collecting Technique. Whether he was using Sword Control or Flying in the Air, he wouldn’t be battered by harsh winds, feeling only a gentle breeze.
Other than that, there wasn’t much to it. When he put it on, it automatically adjusted to a perfect fit.
It wasn’t flashy, but the style was quite nice.
’Anyone wearing this definitely wouldn’t look poor.’
’Once my Cultivation is high enough, I can finally be done with people looking down on me for being poor.’
’Besides, I have hundreds of thousands of Spiritual Source now.’
’I’m definitely not poor anymore.’
Last was the Spirit Beast Egg.
The egg was white with black, vein-like patterns.
It was brimming with life force.
"What kind of Spirit Beast is this?" Jiang Man asked curiously.
"I heard it’s the descendant of a Tengu," Ren Qian said.
Jiang Man was surprised to hear that. "Dogs hatch from eggs?"
Ren Qian didn’t bother to explain. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back. Things are about to get busy."
Jiang Man had heard about that. The Zhenyue Bureau was starting to crack down hard on the Evil Gods.
Because of the Immortal Sect Grand Tournament, they needed to teach some of the Evil Gods a lesson.
They might not know who was pulling the strings, but the ones they were going after were the easy-to-find Evil Gods.
If those lesser Evil Gods could provide information on the mastermind, the Zhenyue Bureau probably wouldn’t waste their time on them.
Their priority was to deal with the one behind the scenes.
After that, Ren Qian left.
Jiang Man looked at all the things he had received, feeling a wave of emotion.
Counting the Spiritual Source he’d collected from his investments, he now had 780,000.
If he hadn’t paid back the 20,000 he owed Monk Zhen Kong, he would have had a full 800,000.
"Old Huang, bet you never expected this, huh? That I’d actually be this rich one day," Jiang Man said, looking at the Old Yellow Ox.
"Does this mean we can switch to a different variety of Spirit Grass?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.
Jiang Man ignored the question and asked about the Tengu Spirit Pet instead.
"A Tengu is not a dog," the Old Yellow Ox said.
"Not a dog?" Jiang Man asked, looking at the Spirit Beast Egg. "Is this Spirit Pet good for anything?"
"You can use it as a guard dog to protect the courtyard," the Old Yellow Ox said.
"Will it bully you?" Jiang Man asked.
"It’s fine. I’ve got Zhao Tiankuo backing me," the Old Yellow Ox said nonchalantly.
Since Old Huang didn’t seem to care, Jiang Man didn’t give it any more thought.
He casually tossed the Spirit Beast Egg aside.
Then, he prepared to begin his Cultivation.
The Array for trapping the Ling Hua Immortal Spirit was now nearly complete.
All that remained was to complete the Array for his own Primordial Spirit and to cultivate the Visualization Skill to the Thirteenth Layer, which would block the path for the other Messengers.
After that, Jiang Man began to listen as the Old Yellow Ox explained the *Nine Stars Contemplation Method*.
Ji Hao had once said that the *Nine Stars Contemplation Method* was extremely difficult.