Chapter 899: Layered subcontracting

As soon as he entered the small courtyard, Nie Qingshan plopped down on the ground, gulping water while applying ointment to the bruises on his body.

Xu Yanran stepped forward and recounted the events of the trip in detail.

Nie Qingshan said nothing, merely took out a bag of Spirit Stones and said, "This is what I've earned recently. Distribute it among the brothers; it should make up for some of the losses."

Xu Yanran opened it and found two hundred Spirit Stones inside.

"So many?" Xu Yanran was surprised.

"Heh, I got lucky. Got injured running errands, and the employer compensated me. Luckily, I'm at the Elemental Infant stage, so they didn't dare to renege, otherwise... cough, cough!"

At this point, Nie Qingshan suddenly coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, his face turning pale.

Gu Qianqian hurried over to treat him.

Xu Hei shook his head and sighed inwardly.

Being hired and getting injured in the process should naturally be the employer's responsibility, but the prerequisite is having the strength of the Elemental Infant stage.

This is merely a basic condition for fair treatment.

Xu Hei, still not fully recovered from his severe injuries, was unable to use his Divine Sense. His current combat power wasn't much stronger than the Elemental Infant stage, just harder to kill.

This made Xu Hei realize how difficult it was to establish oneself in Tiandou City.

He stepped forward and said, "Fellow Daoist Nie, I have a request."

"Please speak."

Nie Qingshan, already aware of Xu Hei's deeds, quickly stood up and cupped his fists, very courteously.

"Could you lend me all these Spirit Stones? I promise to repay tenfold in the future!" Xu Hei said, cupping his fists.

"..." Everyone was stunned.

Lend two hundred and repay two thousand? Is there such a good deal?

Instinctively, everyone found it hard to believe, thinking Xu Hei was a swindler.

But Nie Qingshan waved his hand and said, "No need for tenfold. You can have all these Spirit Stones, just return the principal in the future."

He didn't even write an IOU, directly stuffing the bag into Xu Hei's hands.

"Thank you."

Xu Hei cupped his hands and entered a room, closing the door behind him.

"Sect Master!" Everyone looked at Nie Qingshan, puzzled.

Nie Qingshan said, "If it weren't for Xu Hei's Spirit Beast helping us deal with Fang Ze, our losses would have been greater! Besides, our Qingshan Sect needs manpower right now, so what's this little investment?"

Seeing the lingering doubts among the crowd, Nie Qingshan smiled bitterly and said, "Even if Xu Hei runs off, at worst, I'll just run a few more errands."

Everyone was immediately moved and stopped saying anything.

To have such a Sect Master was truly their good fortune!

At this moment, Hei Huang came over, loudly shouting, "Hold it, hold it! I need to correct two points. First, I'm not Xu Hei's Spirit Beast, remember that! Second, I'm not a dog either, my name is Hei Huang, I have a name, don't get it wrong next time! Woof!"

Hei Huang growled fiercely at everyone, his voice so loud it startled them.

These days, Hei Huang's strength had recovered somewhat, so he was no longer as tolerant as before. He would speak up when needed and correct when necessary.

He wouldn't miss biting anyone who needed it! Of course, that could wait until he recovered a bit more.

He remembered everyone who had wanted to eat dog meat hotpot before!

"So it's Fellow Daoist Hei Huang, we were truly blind," Nie Qingshan said with a smile.

"Hmph! Sect Master Nie has some insight, unlike some people who look down on others! What are you looking at? Yes, I'm talking about you!"

Hei Huang stared at a skinny kid among them, mocking him.

"Who are you calling looking down on others?"

The skinny kid was furious, shouting.

"Woof!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a scream followed, and the skinny kid was bitten on the thigh, howling in pain.

...

Inside the room.

Xu Hei took out a handful of Spirit Stones, directly stuffing them into his mouth, crushing them with his teeth, swallowing, and frantically absorbing the Spiritual Qi within.

Having eaten enough sandworms before, his meridians had partially healed, but his Spiritual Power was still lacking.

These Spirit Stones came just in time!

The more Spirit Stones he refined, the more Spiritual Power Xu Hei could wield! By then, when the Spiritual Qi erupted, not only Elemental Infant cultivators but even those at the Divine Transformation stage could be threatened!

In Tiandou City, the pillars of the cultivation families were at the Divine Transformation stage.

As long as Xu Hei could reach this point, he would have the qualification to challenge the cultivation families.

His physical body was strong enough that ordinary people couldn't handle him, but if Xu Hei wanted to kill, it would be too easy.

While trying not to cause a sensation, Xu Hei would strive for enough benefits for himself until... he could repair his primordial spirit and use his Divine Sense.

Once he could use his Divine Sense, he would leave Tiandou City immediately, the farther the better.

"Two hundred Spirit Stones are really too few. I'll absorb these first, then make a trip to the Gu Family and extort a hefty sum," Xu Hei decided.

...

In the inner courtyard of the Gu Family in Tiandou City.

In a quiet secret chamber stood a handsome young man, about sixteen years old, with delicate features, standing in front of a reaction furnace, continuously feeding flames into it to refine the ore inside.

"Phew!"

After a long time, the young man exhaled, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled.

"This batch of golden essence ore is almost used up, but advancing my divine craftsmanship to the third level is worth it," the young man muttered to himself.

His name was Gu Beize, a leader among the younger generation of the Gu Family. To prepare for the artifact refining competition in three years, he was enhancing his skills as much as possible to secure a good rank.

This way, he would have the qualification to compete for the position of elder.

"Deacon Ma, purchase another batch of golden essence ore for me."

Gu Beize called Deacon Ma over and handed him a Storage Bag containing two thousand Spirit Stones.

Deacon Ma, with his horse-like face, took the Storage Bag without a word but hesitated to speak.

"Young Master, these two thousand Spirit Stones..."

"What, is there a problem?" Gu Beize asked, puzzled.

Deacon Ma sighed bitterly and said, "It's like this, the desert has been unstable lately, with several sandworm outbreaks. Those small factions are a greedy bunch, demanding three hundred Spirit Stones in compensation for each death. We've already offered a high price, yet no one is willing to do it, alas."

He spoke with heartfelt pain, holding his head and sighing.

Gu Beize nodded slightly and said, "A mortal's life is still a life. Since the danger has increased, it's only right to raise the reward."

Saying this, he took out another fifteen hundred Spirit Stones and handed them to Deacon Ma.

Deacon Ma, overwhelmed with gratitude, said, "Young Master, this is too much!"

"Deacon Ma, you've been with me for so many years, working hard. Take three thousand Spirit Stones to buy the ore, and the extra five hundred is your reward," Gu Beize said with a gentle tone, making people feel warm, just like his benevolent heart.

Deacon Ma was moved to tears.

Moments later, Deacon Ma left the courtyard, found Steward Liu, and gave him five hundred Spirit Stones, saying, "This is for buying the ore. Once the job is done, you'll get your share."