Chapter 40 - 38: A Great Qi Fortune Bearer?

But it didn’t yield a single point of Merit, so he hadn’t bothered with it since.

The only reason he stopped and walked in now was because he knew the person being beaten.

"Don’t bother struggling, Li Shifan. I know you’ve been cozying up to an Outer Sect senior brother. You must have hidden your things somewhere. Just hand them over.

If we don’t get what we want today, you’re not leaving this alley." As the three of them beat the man, their leader, a servant, spoke.

That’s right. The one currently being beaten to a bloody pulp was none other than Li Shifan, the same person he had traded with before.

Since Zhang Deming had, in a way, taken advantage of him, and because the man gave off a strange vibe that Zhang Deming couldn’t quite place, he had decided on a whim to step inside.

Looking at Li Shifan, who was already beaten half to death and stripped nearly bare, Zhang Deming shook his head. ’Looks like he hid the Spirit Stones beforehand.’

’Is that smart, or just stupid?’

’Getting beaten half to death for some Spirit Stones without giving in... that can’t be smart, can it?’

’But with those seven Spirit Stones, given his circumstances, he might just break through to Intermediate Apprentice and earn a promotion. Looked at that way, maybe it’s a sign of great Wisdom?’

These servants were clearly veterans at this, and they knew how to measure their blows.

Although it looked severe, he hadn’t suffered any crippling injuries yet.

But if this continued, no amount of restraint would matter. The guy was probably already bleeding internally.

Done mulling it over, he could see that if the beating went on any longer, the man would be permanently maimed.

Strolling into the alley, Zhang Deming spoke calmly, "Well now, are you gentlemen tired? It looks like hard work. Need me to call the Law Enforcement Team to give you a hand?"

The sudden voice made the attackers pause.

When they saw the dark cyan robes Zhang Deming was wearing, their expressions changed. The leader, in particular, looked astonished when he recognized Zhang Deming’s face.

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

The men bowed in unison.

"What’s all this?" Zhang Deming asked, feigning ignorance.

"N-nothing. We were just getting better acquainted with Junior Brother Li," one of the three said to Zhang Deming with a sheepish grin.

"Is that so? In that case... why don’t we get better acquainted?

Besides, you all look tired. How about I call a few people over to lend you a hand?" Zhang Deming said with a smile.

The three men’s faces fell. One of them hesitated before saying, "Senior Brother, we’re from the Close..."

Before he could finish, the leader yanked him back, cutting him off.

He then turned to Zhang Deming with an apologetic smile. "There’s no need, Senior Brother. We’ve just finished our chat and were about to leave."

Zhang Deming kept smiling. "Don’t go just yet. Let’s talk a bit more. Wasn’t this junior brother here about to mention his backer? Go on, tell me where you’re from.

I’d like to see whose dogs you are, and whether I can afford to—or dare to—provoke you."

"Of course not. Please, don’t mock us, Senior Brother. We’ll leave right now," the leader said, still smiling placatingly.

Seeing that the leader had his two defiant companions under control and was acting sufficiently deferential, Zhang Deming’s face turned cold. "Scram. Before I change my mind."

"Okay, we’ll scram right now."

With that, the leader and his two companions quickly fled the alley.

Once outside the alley, one of the three spoke, clearly indignant. "Senior Brother, why did you stop me?

We’re from the Close Combat Department! So what if he’s an Outer Disciple? With the three of us, you think we should be afraid of him?

Besides, if he wants to mess with us, he’d have to think twice about whether he can afford to offend the Close Combat Department."

The leader, Zhu Zedong, shot the man a cold glance. "If you’re looking to get killed, don’t drag me down with you.

Never mind that he’s an Outer Sect senior brother and has reason on his side.

Think about it. He knew there were three of us, yet he still walked in without a hint of fear. You really think he’s an idiot?

Is that something a normal Outer Disciple would do?

Since he dared to walk in so brazenly, it means he was confident he could handle us.

And can you use your damn brain for once? No matter how tough you think you are, you’re still a servant—someone whose name isn’t even officially registered with the Sect.

It’s one thing to throw your weight around among other servants, but to actually go and provoke an Outer Sect senior brother?

Who gave you that kind of courage?

Next time you’re looking to get killed, leave me out of it!

Besides, that guy was the senior brother who was in contact with Li Shifan. The fact that he showed up means he intended to get involved.

Did you really think mentioning your backers would scare him off?

It would’ve just backfired.

How many times do I have to tell you? I’m fine with bullying people. I don’t care what methods we use if it helps us get into the Outer Sect faster.

But for fuck’s sake, you have to use your brain when you do it, you understand?

Otherwise, you’re not gaining an advantage, you’re courting death!"

With that, their leader, Zhu Zedong, turned and walked away, leaving his follower standing there, stunned.

...

Zhang Deming glanced at the departing trio, then turned to look at the half-dead Li Shifan lying on the ground.

He said calmly, "See? What I said before came true. Haven’t you ever heard you shouldn’t flash your wealth?

Being so careless when you don’t have the strength to back it up... you brought this on yourself.

Considering I got a good deal from you, I’ve taken care of today’s trouble.

But they’ve clearly got their eyes on you now. You’re on your own from here.

You might not be so lucky next time."

Seeing Li Shifan struggle a few times without being able to get up, Zhang Deming shook his head, turned to leave, and decided not to get any more involved.

He never considered himself a good person. He knew full well that he was a pragmatist.

He had helped this one time purely because he felt he owed the man for the good deal he’d gotten.

But as for doing anything more... forget it. There was no need.

"Wait!"

A weak voice called out from behind him.

Zhang Deming paused, then turned back. "If you’re about to offer to repay me or pledge your life in servitude, don’t bother.

After all, you’re a man.

So, in the classic ’hero rescues the damsel’ scenario, there’s no need for either the immediate ’I’ll devote my life to you’ or the ’I’ll repay you in the next life’ speech."

Li Shifan: ???

He clearly didn’t get Zhang Deming’s sense of humor; they weren’t on the same wavelength at all.

He struggled for a moment before managing to sit up. "Thank you, Senior Brother. I will remember this favor."

"I already told you, there’s no... need..."

Zhang Deming trailed off, mid-sentence, completely stunned.

Because at that exact moment, following Li Shifan’s promise, the golden orb of light in his repository—which had long been only half-formed—suddenly finished coalescing.

And the single white orb instantly became two and a half, on its way to becoming three.

’HOLY SHIT!’

’What the hell?’

’A single promise not only caused my Qi Fortune to skyrocket, but it also increased my Merit?’

’So this Li Shifan... is he the fucking ’Chosen One’ of the Celestial Spirit Sect?’

’Like, a protagonist from a legend?’

’Ha, a ’trash-turned-treasure’ type of protagonist? You’ve got to be shitting me!’

At that moment, Zhang Deming was utterly shocked and bewildered.

At the same time, he finally understood the source of that strange feeling he’d had about the man.

’This guy... this guy was someone with immense Qi Fortune. It was because he possessed great Qi Fortune and great Merit that he felt so strange to Zhang Deming.’

’To Zhang Deming, this man was a walking ball of Energy.’