Chapter 918: Minor Achievement

"Don’t enter the dense forest if you encounter one, and don’t chase a desperate enemy!"

Old Qiu, fearing that Wang Chen’s youthful impetuosity might lead him into the dense forest in pursuit of the murderer, quickly added these words of caution.

Wang Chen nodded, saying, "I understand."

He was naturally familiar with such streetwise experiences.

"The Yellow Lotus Cult!"

Old Qiu wiped the blood from his face and spoke with bitterness, "One day, our Blood Guard will uproot them completely!"

However, these words were merely an expression of his frustration.

The Yellow Lotus Cult was one of the largest heretical groups, wielding significant influence among the populace. Despite several severe setbacks, they had repeatedly managed to rise from the ashes. Eradicating them entirely was an exceedingly difficult task!

Indeed, anyone versed in history knew that the most effective way to eliminate such heretical groups was through a change of dynasties.

But this was a subject so taboo that it could not even be spoken of.

Dong Zhihui asked, "Boss, what should we do next?"

"Return to the city," Old Qiu decided firmly. "Xiao Zhuang is injured and must receive treatment."

His gaze turned back toward the path they had come, revealing a trace of concern.

The massacre at the tailor shop had now been confirmed as a trap set by the Yellow Lotus Cult against the Blood Guard.

Was this the only trap they had laid?

Old Qiu had an uneasy feeling about it.

They had arrived as four riders, but during the fierce battle, they lost one mount, and another had bolted into the forest, disappearing without a trace.

Moreover, the horse that had not fled was also struck by an arrow, leaving the situation quite precarious.

Only Wang Chen’s yellow steed had shown enough cleverness to avoid the chaos, emerging unscathed.

Since Xiao Zhuang’s leg injury hindered his movement, Wang Chen lent him his yellow steed.

As for the injured horse, after the arrow was removed and Healing Ointment applied, it was tasked with carrying the severed heads.

The merit system of the Blood Guard largely mirrored that of the Great Liang army; in battles like this, achievements were typically measured by the number of enemy heads collected.

Having narrowly escaped death, no one wanted to miss out on the credits they had earned.

More than a hundred Yellow Lotus Cultists had participated in the ambush, and after a fierce battle, they had left behind over thirty corpses.

Old Qiu meticulously stored the severed heads separately; the ones he had killed were his, while those killed by Dong Zhihui and Xiao Zhuang belonged to them, with Wang Chen undoubtedly having the highest kill count.

When this Xiaoqi saw the head of the muscular man, his eyes widened. "Black Whirlwind Li Kui!"

He pointed at the head and declared, "This head is worth a minor achievement!"

Li Kui was one of the key leaders of the Yellow Lotus Cult, styling himself as a valiant general. Known for his immense strength and skill with a pair of hundred-pound Large Axes, he was infamous for his ferocity and brutality.

Many Blood Guards had fallen to Li Kui’s axe!

The authorities had long issued a bounty for this notorious bandit, offering a reward of five hundred taels of silver!

It should be noted that the annual salary of the Linjiang County magistrate was only around two hundred taels.

Old Qiu never expected that Wang Chen could kill the villain amidst such heavy encirclement; it was truly beyond belief.

He realized he must have severely underestimated Wang Chen’s strength!

Dong Zhihui and Xiao Zhuang looked at Wang Chen with expressions of envy, even jealousy.

This was a minor achievement!

Merit, minor achievement, major achievement, and Heavenly Merit were the four levels of merit in the Blood Guard, with merit being the lowest and Heavenly Merit the highest.

The Blood Guard assessed merit very strictly; for example, the heads of The Yellow Lotus Cult members killed by Old Qiu and others earlier were only counted as one merit each.

It took fifty merits to count as one minor achievement!

Once someone had a minor achievement, an ordinary member of the Blood Guard could wear a gold emblem, giving them the status of a reserve Xiaoqi.

As long as they didn’t make a major mistake or suddenly become disabled, it was only a matter of time before they became a full Xiaoqi.

If there were influential people backing them, that time would be greatly shortened!

Furthermore, ten minor achievements could be combined into one major achievement, leading to a promotion to Zongqi and a reserve Baihu.

As for Heavenly Merit, that had to be personally bestowed by the emperor of the Great Liang with a royal decree.

Wang Chen had killed over twenty members of The Yellow Lotus Cult, but that still didn’t add up to half a minor achievement. However, with the head of Black Whirlwind Li Kui added, it was an entirely different situation.

He was almost certain to secure the position of Xiaoqi!

Dong Zhihui and Xiao Zhuang envied and felt jealous because, after staying in Linjiang County for several years, they hadn’t even managed to accumulate a single minor achievement.

Wang Chen had only just arrived!

"Alright."

Old Qiu noticed the looks on his subordinates’ faces and waved his hand, saying, "If it weren’t for Ling Zhiyuan’s bravery, we might not have made it back alive. This place isn’t safe; let’s hurry and leave!"

He was reminding them not to only see Wang Chen’s merit and to remember that it was Wang Chen who saved everyone’s lives!

In such a dire situation, if Wang Chen hadn’t stopped Black Whirlwind Li Kui and fiercely killed him, how many of them would have survived?

Dong Zhihui awkwardly withdrew his gaze.

He knew Old Qiu was right, but it was hard to suppress the intense jealousy and resentment inside him.

The group set off on their journey back.

"Woof!"

The previously missing small dog unexpectedly ran back, wagging its tail around Old Qiu excitedly.

This little fella was even smarter than the yellow steed; it had hidden in the bushes from the start, only reappearing when everyone was about to leave.

"You rascal!"

Old Qiu laughed and lightly kicked the dog, but not with much power.

Halfway back, a brilliant firework suddenly exploded in the distant sky.

It was the Blood Guard’s distress signal!

When they had just been ambushed, Old Qiu had instructed Xiao Zhuang to release fire meteors, but until now, they hadn’t seen any sign of reinforcements, yet here was another group’s distress signal.

Old Qiu and the others couldn’t help but exchange glances.

Normally, seeing such a distress signal meant they had to rush to provide assistance.

However, the sending location was far away, and the four of them did not have mounts and were carrying an injured comrade. It was already commendable that they could protect themselves; how could they have the strength to rescue their comrades?

"Forget it!"

Old Qiu gritted his teeth and said, "Let’s return to the city first. The Zongqi will surely make arrangements."

As the Zongqi stationed in Linjiang County, Pang Tai had the authority to dispatch officers and patrolmen from the county office and could seek help from the stationed troops in emergencies.

This Zongqi wouldn’t ignore the distress signals from his subordinates.

They quickened their pace and successfully returned to Linjiang City.

The atmosphere at the Blood Guard Wei Hall in Linjiang County was one of wind and panic, with no one entering or leaving without looking anxious.

Old Qiu’s first task upon returning was to report the situation to Pang Tai.

Seeing that all four had returned, the Blood Guard Zongqi breathed a sigh of relief. "It’s good that you’re alive…"

He slammed his hand on the table, saying, "Damn The Yellow Lotus Cult!"

Previously, after Old Qiu and the others were sent to investigate the massacre at the tailor shop, there had been another incident in the city suspected to involve evil forces, prompting Pang Tai to send another team to investigate.

But this was just the beginning!