8: Reward according to merit and exchange for martial arts techniques!

After the great battle ended, the bustling streets gradually calmed down.

The leader of the Eternal Joy Gang died on the spot, more than half of its members were killed, and the rest fled. The entire Eternal Joy Gang vanished from the sight of the residents of Chuan Prefecture...

Once the dust settled and some men were arranged to stay behind to clean up the battlefield, the others returned to the Ruyi Gang's base to rest.

Now... it was time to reward merit.

All intelligence regarding this battle against the Eternal Joy Gang was quickly delivered to Huang Yuanqing.

Except for those who had died in battle and those who were severely wounded, most of the people gathered here. They looked at the Gang leader in front of them, who was checking the list, all with expressions of anticipation.

Soon, Huang Yuanqing finished checking the list, raised his head, and looked at the crowd in front of him.

"We faced the Eternal Joy Gang and emerged victorious. Very good, it is cause for celebration!"

"Everyone who participated in the battle... shall be rewarded with three taels of silver!"

"Those who were severely wounded shall receive a reward of five taels of silver!"

"For those who died in battle, their families shall receive ten taels of silver! And they shall be given a proper burial!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone cheered and loudly thanked the Gang leader!

"The Gang leader is wise!"

"Your subordinates are willing to die for the Gang leader!"

"Thank you, Gang leader! Ruyi Gang! Ruyi Gang!!!"

These rewards required a significant amount of money; it was a large sum.

However, having just conquered the Eternal Joy Gang, there was plenty of gold and jewelry to be found there. As long as some of it was distributed, the matter could be resolved.

The Eternal Joy Gang had come prepared this time, with a plan on how to take down the Ruyi Gang, and they had even decided how to split the spoils. The fact that the Ruyi Gang had been plotted against like a piece of merchandise infuriated Huang Yuanqing.

After counter-killing the Eternal Joy Gang, Huang Yuanqing did not hesitate for a second and swallowed them up entirely!

"You wanted to swallow my Ruyi Gang... watch as I swallow you first!"

Huang Yuanqing vented his anger fiercely, then turned his head slightly to look at a trusted aide beside him and asked.

"In this fight... did anyone desert the battle?"

When this question was asked, everyone present felt a tightness in their chests, as they all knew what the fate of those who deserted would be.

The trusted aide stepped forward and replied respectfully: "Reporting to the Gang leader, in this fierce battle against the Eternal Joy Gang, a total of two hundred and forty-three Disciples from our Ruyi Gang took part."

"Among these two hundred and forty-three brothers, there were those who died in battle, those who were injured, and those who were severely wounded and unconscious... but not a single one deserted!"

Hearing the aide say this, the smile on Huang Yuanqing's face grew even wider: "Good, good, good! You all did very well!"

"It was not in vain that I cultivated you all on a daily basis!"

Huang Yuanqing was very happy; he rarely felt as exhilarated as he did now.

"Good, as I said before, whoever kills an enemy shall earn battle merits. Tian Feng, come and read out the battle merits of our brothers!"

"Yes, Gang leader!"

Tian Feng, Huang Yuanqing's trusted aide, took a list out of his pocket and read them out one by one.

"Yi Cheng, killed two enemies, recorded two minor merits."

"Yang Guangyu, killed one enemy, recorded one minor merit!"

"Shi Wenbin, killed five enemies, recorded one major merit!"

"..."

Tian Feng read them one by one, and soon he reached Li Qi.

"Li Qi, killed sixteen enemies, recorded three major merits and one minor merit."

When he reached this point, Tian Feng paused and looked at Li Qi.

Not only Tian Feng, but the rest of the Gang members had also turned to look at Li Qi, who was standing in the crowd. Even Huang Yuanqing felt it was incredible and asked.

"Killed sixteen enemies?"

"Tian Feng, are you mistaken?"

Tian Feng said respectfully: "I have verified Li Qi's battle results twice, and it is indeed correct."

With Tian Feng's guarantee, everyone present was even more shocked and gasped in unison, while Huang Yuanqing's gaze also locked firmly onto Li Qi.

Li Qi stood calmly in the crowd with a smile on his face. As gazes fell upon him, especially with Huang Yuanqing staring at him, pressure descended, but Li Qi remained as steady as a mountain, completely unaffected.

Just this composed demeanor made Huang Yuanqing think more highly of him.

"Li Qi, how did you manage to kill so many people?"

Li Qi cupped his hands: "It was just good luck, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning, ha."

Huang Yuanqing laughed in spite of himself and shook his head helplessly.

Among the two hundred or so people in the Gang, he remembered Li Qi, and the impression was deep.

Two months ago, Li Qi became his apprentice. At that time, Li Qi was just a down-and-out scholar, not only thin and frail but also soft-tempered. His whole being was practically written with the words "easy to bully," making him very conspicuous among the fierce and vicious men of the Jianghu.

At that time, Huang Yuanqing judged that Li Qi might not survive a month after joining the Ruyi Gang, but the facts greatly exceeded his expectations.

Two months had passed, and Li Qi not only survived... but had also become a fierce Jianghu expert capable of killing sixteen people in a row!

Even the scholarly air about Li Qi had diminished significantly.

Looking back... how much does he still resemble the person from before?

Li Qi was bathed in blood, his clothes soaked through. Huang Yuanqing looked closely and realized that there wasn't even a single wound on Li Qi; the blood on him belonged to others!

This was truly absurd.

To have killed so many people without sustaining a single injury, even looking at the entire Ruyi Gang... there were not many people who could do this.

"Could this kid... be a Martial Dao Genius?"

A thought flashed through Huang Yuanqing's mind, and his gaze towards Li Qi grew a hint of astonishment.

Regardless, Li Qi's rise was a good thing.

Although the Ruyi Gang had won the battle, many brothers had died or were injured. Now was a time when manpower was needed, so even if Huang Yuanqing had doubts about Li Qi's current strength, this was not the time to dwell on it.

After Huang Yuanqing gave a few words of praise, the matter was put aside.

After the merits were read out, everyone collected their rewards and then dispersed.

Li Qi was also very excited, and he walked straight toward the manager in charge of exchanging Gang merits.

"Finally, I can exchange for a Cultivation Technique."