"Damn, 500 check-in points for just two Small Restoration Pills!" Su Hao cursed but still obediently exchanged for a bottle of Small Restoration Pills from the system store.
He checked his remaining check-in points. He had received 320 points from the morning check-in and 200 points from completing the recent task, totaling 520 points. After spending 500 points on the Small Restoration Pills, he was left with only 20 points.
"I'm broke!" Su Hao could only groan in pain.
He took out the Small Restoration Pills from his inventory. They were emerald green with a faint aura of vegetation.
Su Hao split one pill in half and placed it in Yueying's mouth. He then fetched some water from the riverside to help her swallow the medicine.
Soon, Yueying's aura began to slowly recover. Su Hao picked her up, preparing to leave the pavilion and find a small courtyard to settle her in.
Just then, a figure appeared outside the pavilion. It was the madam from Yueying's brothel.
"Young Master Su, is the young lady alright?" she asked anxiously, looking worriedly at Yueying in Su Hao's arms.
Su Hao wasn't surprised by the madam's appearance. Although he had been supporting Yueying, he hadn't spent much money on her. For a brothel, they should have been using Yueying as their top courtesan to earn more money, but this madam had never forced Yueying to do anything, indicating an unusual relationship between them.
"Yueying has taken some medicine to recover from her injuries. Her condition is stable now. Are you also from the Murong family?" Su Hao asked.
"Yes, this old servant was the lady's maid back then. Young Master Su, may I take the young lady back now?" the madam replied, relieved to hear that Yueying was out of danger.
"I'll leave Yueying in your care then. This small bottle contains another pill. If her condition doesn't improve, give her this one as well," Su Hao said, handing over both Yueying and the remaining Small Restoration Pill to the madam.
"Thank you, Young Master Su," the madam said gratefully.
"Here's 100,000 taels of silver. Give it to Yueying when she wakes up. I think you'll need these funds," Su Hao added, taking out a stack of bank notes from his pocket.
Yueying's strength was at the fourth level of the Earth Realm. To increase her power and seek revenge, she would definitely need more resources. This was all Su Hao could do for her at the moment.
"Thank you, Young Master Su. Actually, the young lady likes you very much. She has never tried to use you. If it weren't for the family vendetta, I believe you would be her best match," the madam explained while thanking Su Hao.
"I understand," Su Hao nodded.
"I'll be going to Qingyuan County in a while. If you encounter any special situations, you can contact me. I think I should be able to help," Su Hao said softly. "Also, please tell Yueying that to seek revenge, she must first preserve her own life. Without life, revenge can never be achieved."
"I will relay your words to the young lady. Young Master Su, I'll take my leave now," the madam bowed with Yueying in her arms and quickly left.
"This world is truly cruel. Destroying an entire family for a spirit stone. Is this how the martial world works?" Su Hao muttered, watching their retreating figures.
"You can come out now," Su Hao suddenly said.
"Young Master," two black-clad men slowly approached from nearby.
"You don't need to hide in the shadows anymore. Just serve as my attendants from now on," Su Hao instructed.
"Thank you, Young Master!" The two immediately knelt and bowed. Although they had already received instructions from the family head, they still needed Su Hao's approval.
"Let's go back," Su Hao turned to leave, figuring that Fat Gu was probably still waiting for him by the riverside.
Soon after, Su Hao boarded the carriage. Fat Gu was already lying inside, snoring away. When he saw Su Hao enter, he yawned and rubbed his eyes, saying:
"Brother Hao, was that assassin a beauty? Did you go play the hero?"
"I think she was beautiful, but my skills were too poor to keep up with them. I just wandered around the forest for a bit and came back empty-handed," Su Hao sighed, pretending to be disappointed.
"What about that Qin Hao? Have they left?" Su Hao asked casually.
"They left, but Qin Hao's face was as dark as thunder. Brother Hao, I think that guy is ruthless. He'll probably try to get revenge on us. Should we strike first and take him out? After all, someone tried to assassinate him today, so no one would suspect us," Gu Huai suggested fiercely.
"That guy has strong bodyguards. Even if we make a move, it won't do much good. However, if he tries to retaliate against us, he'll die even if he's in the prefecture office," Su Hao said coldly.
Qin Hao was already marked by Yueying, so Su Hao didn't plan to kill him for now. Of course, if Qin Hao didn't know what was good for him, Su Hao wouldn't mind dealing with him first.
Meanwhile, in a moving carriage, Qin Hao's face was extremely grim. The guards he had sent out returned to report that they had found no trace of the assassin or Commander Li.
"No trace... It seems Commander Li is likely dead," Qin Hao thought. "Who could be trying to kill me?"
Qin Hao pondered but couldn't figure out who wanted him dead.
"Damn that Su Hao! If I had eaten that fish king today, I could have broken through to the fourth level of the Earth Realm. Then I wouldn't have been injured and could have caught the assassin on the spot to see who was trying to kill me," Qin Hao cursed, blaming Su Hao entirely for his injury.
"Perhaps I can use the Qingyu Stronghold people to deal with this Su Hao," Qin Hao's eyes flashed with a cold light.
Outside Fu City, there were many mountain bandits, among which the Qingyu Stronghold was one of the larger forces, secretly controlled by the Qin family.
"Go to Qingyu Stronghold and order them to find a way to kill Su Hao of the Su family," Qin Hao quietly instructed one of his bodyguards in the carriage.
"Yes, sir!" The bodyguard, who was Qin Hao's confidant, immediately left the carriage upon receiving the order.
In another carriage behind them, Dongfang Mu and Xiao Xianger were conversing.
At this moment, Xiao Xianger wasn't as lively as before. Her eyes, though still bright, showed a hint of calmness.
Suddenly, Dongfang Mu's eyes narrowed, as if he had sensed something.
Beside him, Xiao Xianger softly asked, "Cousin, who do you think Qin Hao is planning to target?"
"Probably that Su Hao," Dongfang Mu replied calmly.
"Actually, I have a good impression of this Su Hao. If his strength weren't so poor, I'd even consider recruiting him for our use," Xiao Xianger said with a hint of regret.
"But this Qin Hao is being reckless. Su Wu of the Su family is about to become the leader of the Northwest Pacification Commission. The Su family's status in the Northwest Prefecture will definitely improve. Doesn't he fear causing trouble for the Qin family by targeting the Su family now?" Dongfang Mu shook his head.
"The Qin family has the support of the Prefecture Office, which is an entity we need to win over. Otherwise, why would we waste time on this Qin Hao?" Xiao Xianger said coldly.