Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

"Killed! Really killed!"

"My goodness, this tiger is so big, it must weigh over a thousand pounds!"

The crowd erupted in cheers; some banged gongs, others beat drums, and the shouts rose in waves, shaking the birds in the forest into flight.

"Make way, make way!"

Officer Chen led the way, his voice hoarse from shouting, "The tiger-fighting hero is back!"

Fang Zheng walked behind the tiger's corpse. His gray official robe was stained with blood and torn in several places, but he still looked incredibly imposing in it.

The able-bodied men of Anping Town rushed forward, lifted Fang Zheng above their heads and carried him on their shoulders, then carried the tiger carcass in front of them, heading towards the town.

"Fang Zheng! Hero who fought the tiger!"

Fang Zheng! A hero who fought the tiger!

The crowd joined in the shouting, the sound growing louder and louder, echoing from one end of town to the other, and back again.

Fang Zheng sat on someone's shoulders, feeling a little uncomfortable, yet also a strange sense of pride welled up within him.

Man, this is how it should be!

The people took out eggs, red dates, and rice wine from their homes and stuffed them into Fang Zheng's arms.

People of all ages, including women and children, came out of the house to greet him, and couldn't help but admire his handsome and upright appearance.

"This promising young man is a truly good official!"

But some knowledgeable people looked at Fang Zheng's official robes and frowned, muttering to themselves.

"Judging from this official's robes, he must be a nether official from the underworld."

"It's strange. He's clearly a living person, so why isn't he serving as an official in Yongqing County, but instead becoming a ghost official in the underworld?"

Someone nearby, well-informed, shook his head and sighed: "You don't know?"

This Lord Fang was originally the top student in this year's examination, but he was demoted by the county magistrate to sweep the streets as a street cleaner.

Fortunately, he was appreciated by the officials of the underworld; otherwise, he might never have made it in his entire life.

If it weren't for Lord Fang leading his men up the mountain to hunt the tiger, the people of Anping Town would probably have been devoured one by one by that tiger demon.

"Pah! Those corrupt officials!"

Someone spat, "The real upright official is right here!"

The people were abuzz with discussion, and Fang Zheng's name spread like wildfire among them.

The system notification flashed briefly before Fang Zheng's eyes.

"Eliminate violence and maintain order, eliminate harm for the people, benevolence +3."

"Five virtues grow, new card slots activated."

"Eliminate the tiger demon, protect the borders and ensure the safety of the people, Ash skill +50."

Fang Zheng's lips curled up slightly.

Now, his [Benevolence] has reached 5 points, activating the second card slot.

In addition, with 50 strands of gray skill points obtained, the "A Chinese Ghost Story" gacha pool can now guarantee a pity reward.

He was thrilled to be about to acquire the legendary card [Life and Death Bond].

.......

The people of Anping Town gradually dispersed, and Constable Chen, along with several constables, carried the tiger demon to an open space at the town entrance, where they disemboweled it on the spot.

The tiger skin was peeled off completely, and the tiger meat, heart, gallbladder, and bones were all removed and distributed according to their contribution.

Fang Zheng was naturally the first choice, a whole striped tiger skin, tiger heart, tiger gall, plus more than a dozen thick tiger bones.

Tiger skin can be used to make talisman paper, and tiger hair can be used to make paintbrushes. Fang Zheng already had a plan in mind.

As for tiger heart and tiger gall, they are highly nourishing, strengthening the body. Martial arts practitioners can use them to make medicinal wine, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Guan Tieyi leaned against a tree, his body wrapped in bandages, his face still a little pale, but his spirits had recovered considerably.

He glanced at the materials in Fang Zheng's hand and suddenly said, "Lord Fang, I have some basic knowledge of how to make medicinal ointments."

If you trust me, give me this tiger's heart and courage, and I'll brew it into a body-tempering ointment.

"If you want to learn martial arts in the future, apply this to your body before practicing, and your body tempering progress will be at least 30% faster."

Given Guan Tieyi's stern and unsmiling nature, his willingness to help Fang Zheng prepare the ointment clearly indicates that he highly regards Fang Zheng after the Tiger Hunt.

Without hesitation, Fang Zheng handed over the tiger's heart and courage, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Guan."

Guan Tieyi took it, nodded, and said no more.

……

Back home, Fang Zheng closed the door, lit incense, and the rising smoke seemed to travel straight to the underworld.

Upon hearing that Fang Zheng had successfully hunted the tiger and suppressed the evil spirit, sending it to the underworld, Li Yuanshan was very pleased and full of praise.

"Good! Fangzheng, you did a great job."

"You've handled your first task so well; you've truly secured your position as a ninth-rank inspector."

Fang Zheng thanked Li Yuanshan, extinguished the incense, took a deep breath, and opened the system panel.

I've accumulated a lot of merit, and now I can finally enjoy a good time.

The first ten-pull was a complete blank, all ordinary items.

Fangzheng wasn't in a hurry; he would try again.

The second 10-shot combo, a gray light appeared.

【Yin Qi Shield】(Rare, Rank 9, Gray, Benevolent): A special skill card that condenses Yin Qi into a shield to defend against enemy attacks, with increased power against ghosts.

Fang Zheng's eyes lit up. It was a very good defensive card that also countered ghosts, exactly what he needed.

On the third attempt at a ten-shot combo, the light screen suddenly exploded with a dazzling burst of light.

Fang Zheng's pupils contracted, and his heart skipped a beat.

Guaranteed minimum!

【Life and Death Contract】(Peerless, Rank 9, Gray, Letter): A rare card that allows you to form a contract with a selected ghost and gain complete control over it.

Fang Zheng stared at the line of text, feeling extremely pleased.

I got the pity system in less than 100 pulls, that's pretty lucky.

He had already figured out how to use this card.

Liu Qingyu was severely injured in her life-or-death struggle with the tiger demon, and the vicious backlash was about to cause her to lose control.

Only by making a vow of eternal love can we pull her back from the brink of madness.

Without delay, Fang Zheng had a thought, and the card transformed into a beam of light, disappearing into his left palm.

Deep within the seal, the resentment that was entangled with Liu Qingyu suddenly stopped.

Immediately afterwards, a warm force spread from my palm.

Fang Zheng could feel his power gradually merging with another power, one yin and one yang, twisting into one rope.

A muffled groan came from within the seal.

Fang Zheng saw a dark red, dying flame; this was Liu Qingyu's soul flame.

A golden thread descended from the void, entangling the ball of flame. With a gentle pull, the resentment hissed and dissipated, like snow meeting hot iron.

The other end of the silk thread is connected to the square-shaped ancestral aperture between the eyebrows.

His vital energy flowed along the silk threads, meager yet continuous.

Nourished, Liu Qingyu's soul fire leaped up, the dark red faded, and turned into a clear, pure white.

At the same time, a surge of pure Yin energy flowed upwards and poured into Fang Zheng's ancestral aperture.

The power of an eighth-rank cursed ghost surged like a great river flowing backward, causing his brow to swell.

The contract was signed.

Fang Zheng opened his eyes and spread out his left palm.

The tiger head pattern on the palm had disappeared, replaced by a tiny red lotus flower mark, with layers of petals, lifelike.

Liu Qingyu peeked out from the mark, appearing as a tiny person, her entire body enveloped in a soft, gentle light.

She looked down at her hands, then looked up at Fang Zheng, her eyes shining brightly.

"My benefactor, my resentment has vanished, and my senses have returned!"

Fang Zheng nodded and smiled, "From now on, you are no longer a vengeful ghost driven by resentment, but my contracted ghost."

Our cultivation levels are closely related and can mutually support each other.

When necessary, we can even join forces to fight, greatly increasing our strength.