NOVEL NEXT Chapter 250 - 248: Going All In
Chapter 250: Chapter 248: Going All In
In just one short month, Shen Luo, with the strong help of the Soul Hook Horse Face, successively completed six or seven tasks. The majority of them involved ghosts above the Grain Avoidance Stage, often more than a single one. As time progressed, relatively easy tasks were completed by others leaving only the difficult ones behind.
Although his cooperation with Soul Hook Horse Face was relatively secretive, as time went on, some people began to notice some signs. Rumours started to circulate that he had the assist of a powerful helper, which is why he was able to complete tasks beyond his level so smoothly.
Actually, there was nothing wrong with this. How could he, in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, possibly fight against numerous ghosts, far beyond his own cultivation level? Therefore, he offered no explanation.
No matter what, on the surface, it was him completing the tasks, and such a high completion rate spread the fame of Shen Luo, not only within the Bai family, but also gradually growing amongst the Lin and Du families.
…
In a study room within the Bai Mansion, Bai Hecheng, dressed in a dark blue robe, sat behind a desk, listening to Bai Jiangfeng’s report with a serious face, his eyebrows becoming more furrowed.
“Family head, our Bai family has a stable lead in completing the tasks over the Lin and Du families. Individually, neither can compete with us. However, it appears that the Lin family has started to spare no expense recently. They have managed to hire several freelance cultivators at high prices to assist them in completing a few tasks, significantly reducing the gap between us.” Bai Jiangfeng stated from across the table.
“In considering the Lin family, we cannot do so in isolation. The Du family had been secretly colluding with the Lin family over the years, and I suspect they are working together this time as well. We need to guard against the Du family forming a complete alliance with the Lin family and giving some merit points to the Lin family, otherwise we might be caught off guard.” Bai Hecheng pondered for a moment before speaking.
“You’re absolutely right; I share this concern. At that time, the guest officials from the Du family would simply declare that they are working for the Lin family, thus all the merit points would fall into their possession, and they would potentially overtake the Bai family.” Bai Jiangfeng agreed.
“Third uncle, give the order to increase the rewards, encouraging our guest officials to take on even more tasks. Also, I will write to Jiang the Daoist from Misty Gate, to see if we can request assistance from their elder.” Bai Hecheng considered for a moment before speaking.
“Time is running out for us as tasks are becoming fewer, and I’m afraid distant water won’t quench our immediate thirst.” Bai Jiangfeng acknowledged and turned to leave.
“Has anyone from the Lin and Du families taken the task in Hidden Wind Valley in the southern suburb?” Bai Hecheng called to Bai Jiangfeng, asking suddenly.
“This task is too dangerous, ranking first in difficulty among all tasks. The government credited the highest merit points for this task, which is equal to the combined rewards of several other big tasks. Although the Lin and Du families are eager to do so, they have not dared to take the risk.” Bai Jiangfeng replied.
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“If we can complete this task, even if the Lin and Du families unite, their earned points cannot surpass us, can they?” Bai Hecheng raised his eyebrows, querying.
“Including what we have already completed, it will be impossible for them to surpass us… Family head, are you planning to take on the task at Hidden Wind Valley?” Bai Jiangfeng hesitated to say.
“No matter what, our Bai family cannot lose to the Lin family.” Bai Hecheng declared, word by word.
“Family head, the situation in Hidden Wind Valley is complex. I’m afraid this task won’t be easy to complete and we may face many losses.” Bai Jiangfeng hesitated to say.
“The Government issued this ghost removal task list this time, firstly to stabilize the increasingly unstable situation, and secondly to test the depths of each family in the city. The benefits for the winner go beyond what was offered upfront. So don’t worry about losses, as long as we win, they will be compensated.” Bai Hecheng explained.
“The family head thinks thoroughly.”A nod from Bai Jiangfeng.
“Your concerns are not unreasonable, we must plan well to minimize losses, so as to achieve a maximum gain with minimum input. Regarding the personnel for this task, does third uncle have any ideas?” Bai Hecheng asked.
Bai Jiangfeng thought for a while, mentioned a few names, and Bai Hecheng agreed with each one upon hearing them.
“For this mission, it would be best if we could bring Shen Luo along.” At the end, Bai Jiangfeng continued.
“Shen Luo… I’ve also heard about him; he’s performing very well recently, he probably has someone helping him from behind, right? After all, his cultivation level is a bit low. If he enters Hidden Wind Valley, the risk of death will be not small.” Bai Hecheng hesitated to say.
“The person backing him definitely has a high level of cultivation. If he could assist us in the journey to Hidden Wind Valley, it would be of great help. As for safety, as long as he doesn’t rush to the front and face the ghosts directly, with his talent in talisman and his mysterious movements, he should have no problem defending himself.” Bai Jiangfeng replied.
“If that’s the case, we really should let him take a risk this time. Regarding this task, keep it as low-key as possible before actually implementing it, just in case.” Bai Hecheng pondered.
While they were talking, there were thunderous sounds outside the house. A thunderstorm that had been brewing for half a day finally broke open and started pouring.
In a small courtyard, Shen Luo looked at the occasional white light flashing in the dark clouds in the sky. He was like a diligent farmer, looking at a field of golden wheat, his eyes filled with joy.
The tasks he had completed earlier had earned him a lot of immortal jade. He had also bought a lot number of talisman and spiritual materials from Lubao Hall. However, due to lack of thunderstorms, he couldn’t draw Thunderfall talisman and could only keep trying to draw other talismans.
After consuming more than twenty Purple Cloud Talisman Papers, he finally managed to draw a Flying Talisman, which pained him for several days due to the expenditure.
Today, he finally caught a thunderstorm. He immediately took out the Green Frost Paper and the Brush Talisman Ink and started drawing the Thunderfall Talisman.
It wasn’t until the evening, when it was getting dark and the thunderstorm stopped, did Shen Luo finally stop his drawing work.
Out of the seventy-two sheets of Green Frost Talisman Paper, nearly sixty were used, and only two Thunderfall Talismans were successfully drawn. Despite this, the success rate had improved quite a bit from before.
Although Shen Luo was almost exhausted, he felt comforted inside.
On a clear morning two days later, Shen Luo was meditating and recuperating when he suddenly received a message from Ma Mian, asking him to rush to the south city gate for a meetup. The message neither mentioned the location of the task nor the details of it.
Despite being puzzled, Shen Luo had no choice but to stop his cultivation, leave Bai Mansion and head south in a hurry.
As soon as he stepped out, Bai Jiangfeng arrived at his small courtyard. After shouting several times to no avail and enquiring the gatekeeping guards in the mansion, he found out that Shen Luo had gone out.
Bai Jiangfeng had intended to inform him that they would be setting off at noon the next day to carry out the task in Hidden Wind Valley. Unexpectedly, Shen Luo had just left, causing him to miss the opportunity to share this information.