Chapter Fifty: The Path to Earning Money

He Chang'an quietly brushed away his doubts, lifted his head, and gazed at the mountain demon with the same mocking look, stepping forward slowly.

"Damn it, what a powerful charm technique," he thought to himself.

Upon entering, just a glance and a single sentence from the creature nearly unsettled his mind. He Chang'an was secretly alarmed. This was only the first layer of the Demon Suppression Tower, yet a moment's negligence could lead one to an abyss from which there was no return…

He Chang'an stepped forward, righteous energy enveloping his body, and with a resolute fist, struck the mountain demon's alluring, seductive face.

"Mock me, will you? Charm me, will you?" he snarled.

He was truly angry now. Since inexplicably arriving in this Great Tang, he had lived each day on edge, fearful and anxious—even a trip to the brothel felt like treading thin ice. It was suffocating.

Damn it, those men next door were already swaggering, taking concubines, embarking on their journeys of showmanship and humiliation, all because of these demons and monsters wreaking havoc, plunging the land into chaos…

Of course, with his current strength, his fist striking the mountain demon's face didn’t even create a wrinkle; it only made the creature’s green fur tremble slightly.

The damage was negligible, but the insult was immense.

This was precisely what He Chang'an wanted. He cared little for whether he caused harm, for his true weapon lay hidden below…

"Let’s see you laugh again!" he shouted, delivering punch after punch. After half a cup of tea's time, his warm-up was complete; he changed his stance, alternating fists and kicks, each blow landing squarely on the mountain demon’s beautiful face.

The demon grew frenzied, struggling in rage, making the iron chains clank. The runes of the formation in the dungeon began to glow, binding it firmly in place…

As He Chang'an ‘assaulted’ the creature, he observed the dungeon carefully and indeed discovered a few clues.

When the mountain demon was enraged, the surge of sinister energy—some lingered in the dungeon, causing his righteous energy to diminish slightly; but the majority was gradually gathered and extracted by the power of the formation…

Understanding dawned upon him.

It was all for the sinister energy.

Had he not been assassinated earlier, familiarizing himself with the sinister energy within those black-clad bodies, He Chang'an might not have noticed.

His mind raced, forming a rough plan.

"I’ll secretly refine a portion; the rest, I’ll leave for them as expected…"

Before drawing conclusions, it’s best not to act hastily. This Great Tang was filled with mysteries; revealing his cards carelessly could leave nothing of him behind.

Resolute, He Chang'an seized the opportunity during his physical contact with the mountain demon to let his ‘little black rod’ slip into its body.

…

Thus, half an hour later.

He Chang'an let out a satisfied burp, feeling a drunken, contented pleasure.

A portion of the mountain demon’s sinister energy had advanced his Qi-Feeding Technique to the twenty-fourth layer…

He truly had no solution for this cultivation art.

Others reached the ninth layer and could break through, advancing to the ninth rank of martial warrior, but he kept upgrading; even now, he could defeat three or four Mr. Ma Dais single-handedly, yet his cultivation realm was still at the first rank of martial warrior.

That is, what others called the tenth rank…

For now, he couldn’t worry about it; as long as his strength kept improving, whether he was tenth or ninth rank mattered little to He Chang'an.

He prodded the mountain demon’s limp body, slightly concerned: "In just half an hour, I’ve exhausted this creature—will it arouse suspicion?"

Looking around, he grabbed a knife and made several gashes on the demon’s chest and belly, letting foul, stinking blood flow…

Now he could claim he couldn’t withstand the influence of the sinister energy and was forced to go heavy-handed.

Anyway, with the demon’s robust physique, a little blood meant nothing; as long as its soul wasn’t harmed, in a month or two, it would recover.

After staging the ‘crime scene’, He Chang'an expressionlessly gathered his knives, pliers, talismans, and other tools, then turned and left the dungeon.

He made his face look somewhat pale, hair slightly disheveled, and walked with a feeble stagger, arriving at the cell warden Chen Double-Blade’s office.

"First time suppressing a demon and you’ve earned ten merit points—not bad," said Chen Double-Blade, a lean man of thirty-seven or thirty-eight, a seventh-rank martial warrior and a Yellow-tier Demon-Slaying Officer.

He took He Chang'an’s waist token and placed it on a translucent jade plate, ‘measuring’ the so-called merit points.

"Damn, it’s like a video game quest…" He Chang'an forced a smile and bowed. "My skills are shallow; I nearly succumbed to the demon’s charm…"

Chen Double-Blade smiled, returning the token. "Just be careful next time. The first layer only holds minor ghosts, not much risk."

He then took a pill from his storage pouch and smiled. "Your first demon suppression earns you a Rejuvenation Pill as a bonus. Later, you’ll need merit points to exchange for pills."

He Chang'an took the token and pill with a bewildered look, quickly bowing in thanks. "Thank you for your care, Chief Chen."

Chen Double-Blade eyed He Chang'an with interest. "We’re brothers here, no need for thanks… If you want to earn more merit points, you need to suppress more demons and ghosts;

So, the Rejuvenation Pill’s effects are far from enough. If you need other pills, just ask—I've got plenty."

"Damn, is he pushing his own goods?" He recalled that Xu Jian, Jiang Jifeng, and Wu Jincao had mentioned before entering the Demon Suppression Tower that the Rejuvenation Pill was an official Demon-Slaying Bureau pill, able to quickly restore a martial warrior’s vital energy and blood.

The martial line of Great Tang relied on body cultivation, but the Demon-Slaying Bureau was different; it had various body and energy cultivation arts, and Taoist pills weren’t forbidden.

Just expensive.

"Chief Chen, as for other pills… I don’t have any money," He Chang'an replied with a bitter smile.

"Who says you must pay with silver?" Chen Double-Blade patted his shoulder, whispering, "Merit points are worth far more than silver."

"Merit points can be exchanged for pills?" He Chang'an asked.

"Of course! Merit points can be traded for all sorts of pills—even silver," Chen Double-Blade laughed. "As long as you earn them, I’ll help you exchange. Elsewhere, one merit point is worth five taels of silver; with me, it’s eight taels—trade as much as you want!"

He Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief.

He had finally found a way to earn money…

"Chief Chen, I’ll do my utmost to suppress demons. When I need silver or pills, I hope you’ll help me," He Chang'an said, bowing repeatedly. Chen Double-Blade grinned broadly.

Leaving Chen Double-Blade’s office, He Chang'an slowly returned to his ‘dungeon dormitory’, lay down on the bed, and let out a long breath.

"One merit point for eight taels of silver… This Demon Suppression Tower is a treasure trove."

But what were these merit points really for? Why did Jiang Jifeng, Wu Jincao, and others not even have enough silver for tea at the teaching bureau, yet didn’t come here to earn merit points?

He needed to find out quickly—otherwise, he’d probably get sold and still help count the money…