Chapter 43: Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

’I just scored 300 contribution points!’

’I can do another draw!’

Of course.

The "Heroic Good Samaritan" award came with more than just a medal, certificate, and title—there was also prize money.

The Hongshu Branch was quite generous.

A hundred thousand in prize money!

This sum was also tax-free.

Combined with the previous reward for reporting a wanted fugitive, his total prize money came to two hundred thousand—enough to buy a car.

...

The award ceremony concluded amidst a lively atmosphere.

After a bit more small talk, Chen Guobin had to leave first due to official duties.

Sun Zhenghong and Officer Gu, however, made a point to stay a little longer.

"Brother Yang."

Sun Zhenghong extended a warm invitation. "Our unit is having an internal celebration in a couple of days. It won’t be at a fancy hotel—just our branch’s cafeteria—but the chef is fantastic. I guarantee there will be plenty of food, and it’ll be delicious. You absolutely have to come. Give us a chance to thank you in person!"

"Captain Sun, you’re too kind." Yang Qi smiled and politely declined. "There’s really no need to go to all this trouble. I just did what I ought to do."

"It’s no trouble, no trouble at all."

Sun Zhenghong insisted, his tone utterly sincere. "If you’re worried about getting there, we can send a car for you."

"That’s right, Yang Qi. Please give us the opportunity," Officer Gu chimed in softly, her eyes filled with hope.

Seeing their persistence, Yang Qi thought for a moment and proposed, "Captain Sun, Officer Gu, if you really feel indebted, why not help me with something instead?"

"What is it? Just say the word!" Sun Zhenghong immediately puffed out his chest.

"I was hoping you could help me keep an eye out for police dogs nearing retirement. I’d like to adopt one," Yang Qi said.

Many people wanted to adopt retired police dogs, but without inside connections, it was impossible to even get a look in.

"A retired police dog?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhenghong readily agreed. "No problem. You can count on me for that!"

"I might be of more help with that."

Officer Gu interjected with a serious expression, though a smile touched her lips. "I have a close friend who works at the Police Dog Base, so she’s very familiar with the process. I promise I’ll find the best, most suitable dog for you!"

"Just do what you can. Please don’t go to too much trouble." Seeing how invested they were, Yang Qi felt a bit embarrassed and quickly tried to moderate their enthusiasm.

However, Officer Gu had clearly taken the matter to heart. She nodded earnestly. "Yang Qi, rest assured, you can leave this to me."

After seeing Sun Zhenghong and Officer Gu off, Yang Qi returned to his dorm.

On the way, his phone began to vibrate nonstop, with notification sounds ringing one after another.

He took it out and saw that the "Zoo Family" general work group chat had blown up.

It turned out that Director Mei Ying had announced in the group that he’d received the "Donghua City Heroic Good Samaritan" honorary title, and she had even attached photos of the certificate and medal.

The group chat instantly erupted.

[@Yang Qi Damn, Brother Qi!! You’re a badass!!]

[@Yang Qi A Heroic Good Samaritan! That’s incredible!]

[Congrats, Xiao Yang! *clap* *clap*]

[Brother Qi, you rock!]

[@Yang Qi Hero! Tell us the story!]

...

Everyone was tagging him, sending all sorts of stickers and congratulations.

For an ordinary person, receiving a Good Samaritan award was probably mainly about the practical benefit of the prize money.

But for people "in the system," this honor was a concrete advantage during evaluations for awards and promotions, offering numerous benefits.

Yang Qi looked closely at what Mei Ying had posted and noticed she didn’t mention who he saved or how, only vaguely stating that he had bravely saved someone.

After a moment’s reflection, Yang Qi understood why. The incident involved details of a police operation as well as a rare, protected animal—the clouded leopard. It wasn’t something to be widely publicized.

He immediately replied in the group.

[Thank you all for your congratulations! *fist and palm salute*]

Then he casually sent a large red envelope, put away his phone, and didn’t look at it again.

...

Returning to his dorm at the foot of the mountain, he first washed some Spirit Rice, put it in a pot, and started making Spirit Rice Porridge.

While waiting for the porridge to finish cooking, Yang Qi cheerfully started the prize draw.

[Congratulations to the Host for drawing the following prize: Strengthening Pill]

’A Strengthening Pill again.’

’This pill barely does anything for me now.’

’Let’s draw again!’

[Congratulations to the Host for drawing the following prize: Low-Grade Spirit Rice (five pounds)]

’Spirit Rice again.’

’My Spirit Rice reserves are even more abundant now. I can eat as much as I want.’

’One more time!’

[Congratulations to the Host for drawing the following prize: Freshly Frozen Three-tailed Spirit Fish]

"Oh? I got something new! And it’s a living creature."

Yang Qi’s eyes lit up.

He saw a fish appear in his system inventory. It was frozen in a block of ice but still looked perfectly fresh.

"Three Spirit Fish? No..."

A closer look revealed it was a single fish, as long as his forearm, with a beautiful, shimmering silver-white body. The strange thing about it was its tail, which forked into three distinct appendages—it was one fish with three tails, not three separate fish.

’A fish with three tails?’

’In the real world, people would just assume it was some kind of genetic freak, and probably poisonous.’

’But anything from the system is guaranteed to be top-tier!’

Yang Qi checked the description.

[Three-tailed Spirit Fish]: Contains abundant Spiritual Qi and a special life essence. Consumption will slightly improve the user’s water-attribute Spiritual Root aptitude and significantly strengthen their physique.

’It improves Spiritual Root aptitude!’

Seeing those four words, Yang Qi was overcome with a wave of ecstasy.

’This is what’s truly crucial!’

Cultivation has a high barrier to entry. You have to possess a Spiritual Root to absorb Spiritual Qi and break through to the next realm.

Without a Spiritual Root, you can’t make any progress, even if you’re given a peerless Cultivation Technique.

The fact that this "Three-tailed Spirit Fish" could directly improve his aptitude made it an incredibly rare treasure!

Immediately, Yang Qi gave instructions to Xiaojiu and Ta Xue, who were playing in the living room.

"You two, behave and watch the house. Don’t run off. I’m going out to buy something and I’ll be right back."

With that, he hurried out the door, ran to the largest supermarket near the Zoo, and bought a thick iron pot, a steaming rack, and other cookware.

After returning, he immediately materialized the "Three-tailed Spirit Fish."

Even though the Spirit Fish was frozen, he could still feel the immense life force and Spiritual Qi contained within it.

Yang Qi carefully washed and dissected it, removing the innards.

Considering the Spirit Fish’s energy might be too potent, he only cut off half of the fish’s body, preparing to cook it by steaming—the best way to preserve its original flavor.

He placed the other half into one of the storage compartments of his "Hundred Pouches Belt." The belt’s preservation effect meant he didn’t have to worry about it spoiling.

Just as Yang Qi had set up the pot, lit the fire, and was waiting for the enticing aroma of the steaming Spirit Fish to fill the air, the phone he had set aside started ringing.

He picked it up and saw the name displayed on the screen: Chen Hao.

’Chen Hao?’

Yang Qi remembered. This was the father of Qiqi, the little girl he had rescued on Monkey Mountain—an executive from the Hongyun Group.

The Hongyun Group was a well-known, large-scale private enterprise in Donghua City. It had started in trade and now dabbled in real estate, finance, home appliances, and various other fields, with a market capitalization in the tens of billions.

"Brother Chen," Yang Qi answered the call.

On the other end of the line, Chen Hao got straight to the point.

"Brother Yang, did you receive the city’s ’Heroic Good Samaritan’ award?"