Chapter 13: The Evil Spirit and the Reward

Startled by the voice, the sixteen ancient Wengzhong statues surrounding Wang Liang quickly closed ranks. At the same time, Wang Liang noticed a five-man patrol squad appearing nearby.

The squad was clad in black helmets and black armor. The leader held a shield and a bronze ge-halberd; behind him followed two soldiers—one wielding a longsword and the other a long halberd—while the rear was brought up by two crossbowmen with heavy crossbows already loaded and aimed directly at Wang Liang.

Wang Liang recognized them immediately as patrol soldiers tasked with preventing unauthorized killings in the wilderness. They possessed the full authority to strike down any monster that appeared to be a wrongdoer.

Wang Liang quickly raised his left hand to display the gold medallion, while his right hand held the two items given to him by the goat demon, Big Ox.

"Do not attack! I am here to carry out a blood feud; this is the evidence."

Hearing this, the two crossbowmen lowered their weapons, though the leader looked clearly displeased.

"The thing I hate most is you blood-feud types. It’s like you’re saying we aren't doing our jobs properly." As he spoke, the leader walked over.

"Boss, wait! That corpse is not right." Before the leader reached Wang Liang, one of the crossbowmen called out from behind.

The soldier stopped instantly, raised his shield, and kept a wary eye on Wang Liang. Wang Liang didn't know what was happening, but he remained still while his Wengzhong statues protected him.

The soldier with the longsword rushed over to the tiger pelt, took one look, and shouted, "It’s a Skin-Painting technique! That guy was likely a Painted-Skin Ghost."

The leader kept his shield raised toward Wang Liang while the other soldiers hurried over to the remains of the Tiger Vanguard. The already mangled corpse was quickly torn into several pieces.

"Found it! Ghost bones and foul organs—it’s an evil spirit."

Hearing this, the leader finally lowered his shield and said to Wang Liang, "Bring over the evidence of your blood feud."

Though Wang Liang didn't fully understand what had just transpired, he wasn't slow-witted. He raised his hand and tossed the blood-stained gold medallion and the goat horn toward them.

The soldier caught the items and placed them upon the corpse. The gold medallion flashed with a quick red light, and the goat horn began to vibrate.

"Blood feud verified. You are clear. Furthermore, you have slain an evil spirit; here is your reward."

After saying this, the soldier tossed a pouch to Wang Liang, ordered his men to collect the corpse and the tiger pelt, and quickly departed. Wang Liang wanted to call out to them, but after glancing at the pouch at his feet, he shook his head and let it be.

As he picked up the pouch, a chime rang in his ears.

[Received: Xin Dynasty Field Ration Pack (Medium). Open?]

"Open!"

Following Wang Liang's command, the drawstring of the pouch loosened on its own. Wang Liang reached inside and pulled out a white porcelain vial.

[Blood Recovery Pill (Medium, 20 count): Consuming this restores 300 HP. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]

That was decent. Wang Liang estimated his own health; at level 23, his vitality wasn't particularly high, and he had several defensive artifacts to protect him. If he ever truly needed to use these pills, it would mean he was already in dire straits. Therefore, he probably wouldn't use them himself, but they would be useful for his subordinate minor demons.

Quietly stowing the Blood Recovery Pills, Wang Liang reached into the pouch again and pulled out another small porcelain vial.

[Strength Pill (Small, 10 count): Consumes to temporarily increase Strength by 10 points for 1 hour. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]

Seeing these stats, Wang Liang knew these were burst-damage items. There were likely higher-quality versions available to use before major battles. However, having only found two types of pills after rooting around for so long, he felt a bit disappointed.

He reached into the pouch one last time and pulled out a final porcelain vial. To his surprise, the pouch vanished with a soft 'poof' the moment he withdrew his hand. He examined the vial and realized he had found a rare treasure.

[Bear Strength Pill (Small, 1 count): Consuming this permanently increases Strength by 1 point (limit of 10 per person).]

Throughout his journey, Wang Liang had learned that attribute points were the most precious resource for players. Each player only gained one free attribute point per level, and most were too afraid to distribute them randomly, saving them until they had acquired high-tier equipment that required specific stats. Even then, many still lacked enough points; the traitor he had dealt with recently had actually tried to buy stat-boosting items from him.

That player was nearly level 60, yet he still lacked sufficient attribute points—if someone of that caliber struggled, ordinary players had no hope.

Compared to this Bear Strength Pill, the Blood Recovery Pills and Strength Pills were trivial. Without hesitation, Wang Liang opened the vial and swallowed the red pill inside.

As the pill entered his mouth, it turned into a sweet, metallic-tasting liquid that flowed into his stomach. Suddenly, three deep roars of a bear echoed from within him, and his bones trembled. The muscles in his limbs and waist began to burn as if cauterized by fire.

The sensation lasted only a few minutes, but Wang Liang felt his strength had increased significantly. Once the feeling faded, he shook the empty vial, lamenting, "It’s a pity. If only there had been ten of them."

He knew that was unlikely, of course. The fact that the soldiers had even provided such a reward was fortunate enough.

After tidying up the area, Wang Liang prepared to leave, but suddenly slapped his forehead. "How could I forget about this?"

He pulled out the design blueprint for the Tiger-Skin Chair. Without the pelt, he would have to learn the technique by studying the blueprint instead. Just as he was about to unfurl it, a tiger's roar echoed in the distance.

The sound interrupted him. Wang Liang looked at the blueprint and tucked it away.

"No need to rush. This world is full of tigers; there will be plenty of opportunities to get another pelt. No need to waste this chance now."

Wang Liang understood that knowledge gained through practical crafting was far superior to knowledge gained from reading. There was no need to consume the blueprint just yet. There were plenty of tigers here, and he would surely find another pelt in the future.