Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

Dongxuan City.

The next morning, Qin Lie got up early to go to the Merit Room to upgrade his Demon Suppression Token and see if he could choose a house.

As soon as Qin Lie entered the door, he saw the clerk from yesterday.

The clerk also saw Qin Lie, immediately put down his teacup, and put on a smile.

"Brother Qin, you're here! I watched the entire assessment yesterday."

"At the early stage of the eighth rank, he smashed the black-armed ape demon to death with his bare fists."

"Putting everything else aside, those last few punches of yours were really exciting to watch!"

Qin Lie looked at him and smiled.

"That's not right. I remember you didn't say that when I came yesterday."

The middle-aged clerk wasn't embarrassed at all; he waved his hand dismissively, speaking with self-assurance.

"That's different. Yesterday morning I was offering a reminder, now I admire you."

"We always conduct our work in the meritorious service department in a pragmatic and realistic manner."

"I can't just close my eyes and say you'll definitely pass before you even take the test."

"Now that you've killed the monster, I can't just turn a blind eye and say you're incompetent."

At this point, he seemed to suddenly remember something, and smiled as he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Oh right, I haven't properly introduced myself to you yet."

"My name is Qian Youfang."

"The character '有' (yǒu) means having a door and a road, and the character '方' (fāng) means having a square or round shape."

"If you don't mind, just call me Brother Qian. That's what everyone calls me."

Upon hearing this name, Qin Lie couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Money has its uses.

That's an interesting name; it sounds like someone who can get things done.

Qin Lie didn't stand on ceremony and cupped his hands in greeting, "Brother Qian."

Qian Youfang's smile deepened.

"That's right, be open and generous."

"In the future, you'll inevitably have to deal with the Merit Room in the Demon Suppression Division."

"There are many intricacies involved in how to exchange merit points, which pills are good, and how to accept quests."

"It's easy to suffer losses if you try to figure things out on your own, but it's different when you have acquaintances."

"I wouldn't dare say I'll take advantage of you a lot, but at least I won't let you get ripped off."

Qin Lie glanced at him.

"Brother Qian, what are you saying? I can't let you help me for nothing."

Qian Youfang laughed heartily.

"Of course I can't help you for free! Only a saint would do that."

"I, Qian Youfang, am just a minor clerk in the Merit Office; I have no connection whatsoever with a saint."

"But don't worry, I'm a businessman who values ​​long-term sustainability."

"I can't do something like scamming someone and then running away."

"Especially someone like you, Brother Qin, I would never do such a thing."

Qin Lie raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious.

"What kind of person am I?"

Qian Youfang placed Qin Lie's demon-suppressing token on the black stone platform, pressing the talisman as he spoke.

"Even at the early stage of the eighth rank, he can go toe-to-toe with the Black-Armed Ape Demon."

"He was promoted to a full-fledged employee ahead of schedule after only two days in the Demon Suppression Division."

"Someone like you, as long as you don't die under the claws of monsters along the way, will definitely rise to prominence in the future."

"So, I need to build a good relationship with you beforehand."

Qin Lie smiled after listening; he hadn't expected Qian Youfang to be so direct.

"Brother Qian is really direct."

Qian Youfang glanced at him.

"Whether in life or in business, the most important thing is to be open and honest; beating around the bush is pointless."

"As demon hunters, you have to go out and fight demons every day."

"I make a living in the veterans' quarters, dealing with these objects every day."

"If we get along well, and you succeed in your career, I'll be able to benefit from it too."

"This is an investment in advance, there's nothing shameful about it, and there's nothing to hide."

As he spoke, the runes on the stone platform lit up.

The Demon-Suppressing Token at Qin Lie's waist trembled slightly.

The words "trainee" on the token gradually faded away.

Instead, two new words were used.

Iron Order

Immediately afterwards, several lines of text appeared before Qin Lie's eyes.

Identity Update

Apprentice Demon Hunter → Iron Order Demon Hunter

[Application for Outer Courtyard Residences Now Open]

[Low-level task independent acceptance permission enabled]

Merit Points Exchange Permissions Enhanced

After seeing these lines, Qin Lie was relieved.

Participating in this assessment wasn't in vain, and neither were those punches I took.

Qian Youfang handed the Demon-Suppressing Order back to Qin Lie.

"Brother Qin, congratulations! From today onwards, you are a formal demon hunter."

"Although the Iron Order is only the lowest level among formal demon hunters, it is very different from that of an apprentice demon hunter."

"Apprentice demon hunters can only follow the team and can't do many things, but Iron Order is different."

"After upgrading to the Iron Token, you can independently accept some low-level missions, and you can exchange your merit points for more items."

"Didn't you say yesterday you wanted to apply for a house? Are you still applying today?"

Qin Lie accepted the Demon Suppression Order.

"Definitely, we'll apply now."

"So urgent?"

"It's not urgent, it was all planned out in the first place. Otherwise, do you think I'd do this just for the novelty?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Youfang's smile faded slightly.

"Okay, I'll check it for you."

He looked down and pulled out a thick booklet, then placed Qin Lie's Demon-Suppressing Order on a small stone plate next to him.

The stone disc lit up briefly.

Qin Lie's current number of merits is now displayed.

Qian Youfang glanced at it, his brows twitching slightly.

"You've accumulated over 200 merit points in just a few days! You're really strong, kid!"

"However, even the lowest-grade outer courtyard residence requires 300 merit points a year, so you're still a bit short on the books."

Qin Lie frowned.

"How much difference?"

Qian Youfang did not give a direct answer.

He glanced at Qin Lie and suddenly laughed.

Then he came out from behind the wooden table and put his arm around Qin Lie's shoulder.

"Brother Qian, what are you doing?"

Qian Youfang lowered his voice and said with a smile, "It was just a little bit short, it's nothing."

"My brother has been in the merit-based housing for so many years. He may not have any other skills, but he still has some authority to pick out a suitable residence for you."

Even the lowest-class dwellings are divided into three, six, and nine grades.

"Some are secluded, some are dilapidated, and some are close to the alley entrance, making it noisy with people coming and going."

"But there are also some courtyards in good locations, but no one is choosing them yet because the registration process is complicated."

"Others may not know these things, but I know them inside and out."

Qin Lie was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

"Brother Qian, why are you telling me all this?"

Qian Youfang looked at him, his smile showing no embarrassment whatsoever.

"Why am I telling you all this? It's so I can help you pick out a good house!"

"Let me tell you, I have a good eye for talent; you're a promising prospect. You may lack achievements now, but you might in the future."

"When you upgrade to bronze and silver tokens and have more merit points, you'll need to find someone you can trust to exchange them for pills and weapons."

"I'm helping you out now, not because I expect anything in return, but because I'm thinking about the future."

Qin Lie looked at Qian Youfang, unsure of what to say for a moment.

You could say he's shrewd, but he comes right out in front of you and tells you his true feelings and his purpose.

If you say he's honest, he might want to do some business with you and take a cut.

However, Qin Lie still quite liked it.

They are much better than those who preach morality but are actually scheming behind people's backs.

"Okay, thank you very much for today, Brother Qian. I'll remember this favor."

Upon hearing this, Qian Youfang's face lit up with a wide smile.

"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say. I've already picked out a house for you."

He released Qin Lie, returned to the desk, and turned to a page in the register of residences.

"No. 3, Dingzi Courtyard, two main rooms, one side room, and a small kitchen."

"Don't let its small size fool you, even if a family of five or six lives there, it won't be too crowded."

"The location is in the alleyway outside the Demon Suppression Bureau, not on the street, so it's quieter."

"The protective charms in the house were just replaced last year, and they are newer than those in the same batch of houses."

"Moreover, most of the people living around here are the families of demon hunters, and outsiders generally don't dare to barge in, let alone ordinary demons."

"Your current merit points are definitely not enough for this courtyard. But I'll add the missing one to your record from the last Wolf Fang Mountain mission."

"The process for adding merit points over there is already underway, but the funds haven't been fully credited yet. I'll use some permissions to lock it for you first."

Qin Lie was quite satisfied with the house, but he still had some concerns.

"Is this really okay?"

Qian Youfang waved his hand.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems with me taking action."

"Your merit points from the Langya Mountain mission were originally being supplemented for registration, it's just that the process was a bit slow."

"I'm just locking up this house for you in advance. Once the credits are credited, the account will naturally balance out. That's called making good use of the process."

After hearing Qian Youfang's words, Qin Lie had no more worries left.

This house is indeed quite nice.

"Then let's go with No. 3, Courtyard No. 3, Dingzi."

Qian Youfang nodded.

"Okay, I'll get it done for you right now."

He lowered his head and wrote a few strokes, then took out a small copper key and a house document.

"If you follow the normal procedure, you can register today and pick up the keys tomorrow."

"But I can see you're in a hurry, so I'll give you the key now."

"If there's nothing else, I'll go check out the yard this afternoon, buy some things, and then we can move in tonight."

Qin Lie took the keys and immediately felt at ease.

Everything that needed to be done has been done; the next step is to go home and pick them up.

"Brother Qian, thank you so much for today."

"If you ever need any help in the future, just let me know."

After hearing this, Qian Youfang patted Qin Lie on the shoulder.

"You're quite the smooth talker, aren't you? You don't make any promises until you have the keys."

"Just remember that. If you become successful in the future, don't say you don't know me. As long as you have money to burn, that's fine."

"Don't worry, Brother Qian, I may not be good at much else, but I have a great memory."

Upon hearing this, Qian Youfang laughed even more heartily.

Just as he was about to say something, Qin Lie's Demon-Suppressing Token suddenly trembled.

hum!

A faint black light shone on the token, and Qin Lie's smile immediately vanished.

Qian Youfang's expression also turned serious.

"Judging from this situation, it shouldn't be an ordinary emergency mission."

"You'd better hurry over there, don't keep Lord Lu and the others waiting!"

Qin Lie put the Demon-Suppressing Token back into his waistband.

"Brother Qian, I'll be going now!"

Qian Youfang simply waved his hand.

"You'd better hurry, the mission is urgent!"

At this point, he lowered his voice and added another sentence.

"I reckon this mission is going to be quite dangerous, so please be careful."

"Remember this: you can earn merit anytime, but you only have one life."

"Kill if you can, retreat if you can't. Save your own life first, then there's a future."

Qin Lie looked at Qian Youfang and nodded.

"I understand, Brother Qian! Thanks for reminding me."

Qian Youfang picked up his teacup again, a slight smile appearing on his face.

"Just so you know, I just placed a bet on you, so don't turn around and lose all my money!"

"Don't worry, Brother Qian, I'm tough! It's not that easy to take my life!"