Chapter 52

Ye Feng was stunned. If it weren't for the fact that he was driving, he really wanted to find a quiet place right away, enter the Nine Star Space, and ask the rules what was going on.

Why did he suddenly gain 800 points of merit? What caused this merit, and where did it come from?

Ye Feng was really puzzled now. He drove Wu Xinghua back to her residential complex in a daze, parked the car in the garage downstairs, and returned the keys to Wu Xinghua, saying, "Sister Xinghua, although it's almost dawn, I still suggest you go back and rest a bit."

Wu Xinghua looked up at her room, then at Ye Feng. She really wanted to invite Ye Feng to her home, cook him breakfast, and thank him for his great help and support today. However, the wariness and resistance towards men that she had developed over the years made her say the opposite: "Okay, I will. Ye Feng, you should also go back and rest. Take a good rest today and don't go to work. I'll tell the finance department to record it as a completed task. Also, I'll give you a bonus at the end of the month. Yes, this is my personal way of showing my appreciation."

Ye Feng shook his head and smiled, "It's fine, I'm not tired and don't need to rest. And Sister Xinghua, you don't need to give me a bonus. Even if you did, I wouldn't use it because I don't consider you an outsider. Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm leaving."

Watching Ye Feng's departing back, Wu Xinghua stomped her foot hard, her teeth biting her lower lip. She thought to herself, "Wu Xinghua, you always think you have a man's spirit, a heart higher than the sky, bravery surpassing Xiang Yu, and courage surpassing Zhang Fei. Why do you become so weak and helpless in front of him? If you want to invite him for breakfast, just say it. If you want to thank him, just give him cash. Why did you come up with such a silly excuse for a bonus? Wu Xinghua, what's wrong with you?"

The sun rose, and the sunlight shone on Wu Xinghua's beautiful face, which looked slightly weary. Her delicate brows were furrowed, her mind full of thoughts, and her eyes were unfocused, as if the alcohol from last night had only now truly intoxicated her heart.

After sending Wu Xinghua home, Ye Feng also dismissed the idea of going back to Qin Yan's law firm. It was only a little over two hours until work, so he might as well go to the seaside square. After accounting for the travel time, he would still have over an hour to spare. This amount of time was enough for him to complete the collection of souls at the seaside.

It took about twenty minutes to ride the early bus back to the seaside square. On the bus, Ye Feng finally figured out the reason for the sudden gain of 800 points of merit. Recalling everything he did yesterday, he remembered the little girl he saved.

The 800 points of merit must have come from this. The result was clear and comforting, indicating that the little girl was out of danger. However, he didn't know whether this significant gratitude came from the little girl herself or from her somewhat arrogant and beautiful aunt.

Arriving at the seaside, he breathed in the fresh morning air, feeling the refreshing sea breeze on his face. Ye Feng focused his mind and began to collect soul energy.

An hour later, he stopped collecting. This time, perhaps because he missed the golden hours of the night, he collected 510 points of soul energy, 50 points less than last time.

Ye Feng did a quick tally. To date, excluding the points used for exchanges, his current status was: 1020 points of soul energy, 1109 points of merit, 0 points of evil, and 0 points of charm.

According to the rules, to instantly advance his cultivation to the middle stage of the Soul Refinement period, he needed 9000 points of soul energy or 900 points of any of the other three values.

Ye Feng was far from having enough soul energy, but his merit points were sufficient.

This meant that Ye Feng could now instantly advance his cultivation to the middle stage of the Soul Refinement period at any time. It also meant that he would receive new, higher-grade heavenly treasures, cultivation techniques, and spells.

Realizing this, Ye Feng was extremely excited, eager to advance his cultivation immediately. However, he ultimately held back, as the time and place were not suitable. He decided to wait until after work, return to Qin Yan's law firm, and advance his cultivation at night.

Not having slept all night had no effect on Ye Feng. Suppressing his excitement, he took the bus to Miaoyuan Water Industry and began his new day of work.

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On the other side, after regaining consciousness, Hao Jian and Zhao Chunnan, who had returned to their hotel, also realized something was wrong. Although they had no memory of what happened during the time Ye Feng used the soul-capturing technique, they clearly remembered Hao Jian's frenzied behavior. Combined with the explanations and accounts from their bodyguards, lawyers, and secretaries, Hao Jian and Zhao Chunnan, who had become enemies, now joined forces again, as they both realized that everything that happened from last night to early morning was highly suspicious.

Especially Hao Jian, whose losses were the greatest. Not only had all his previous plans and efforts come to naught, but he had also unknowingly signed a divorce agreement with Wu Xinghua.

He couldn't swallow this, but considering the bizarre and eerie nature of the entire event, Hao Jian decided he needed to pay a price to get someone's help.

Hao Jian said seriously to Zhao Chunnan, "Mr. Zhao, I already told you that I didn't attack you on purpose last night. I wasn't in control of myself at the time. I suspect that Wu Xinghua must have hired a master skilled in secret techniques. Perhaps this master is the guy named Ye Feng. Think about it, after Ye Feng left the private room, it wasn't long before I started acting strangely. Then, when I regained control of my body, he returned to the private room. After that, we both experienced a period of mental confusion. I suspect he used some secret technique on us. Mr. Zhao, I know this sounds bizarre, but I happen to know a master who is skilled in secret techniques. I've seen him bring the dead back to life. The world is full of wonders. If we want to get back at Wu Xinghua, we need to get this master's help."

Zhao Chunnan looked shocked and asked, "Is there really such a bizarre and eerie thing in this world? It's unbelievable. Brother, you said you know a master. Who is he? What can he do? Will he help us with this matter?"

Hao Jian's eyes narrowed, and his face took on a reverent and mystified expression. He said, "He is definitely a true master. Although he seems a bit strange, I have seen him use those incredible techniques. I swore to him that I would never tell anyone about him, but since Wu Xinghua tricked us, we need to work together to get back at her. I don't know his real name, but I know his nickname is Ghost Wolf. I met him through someone's introduction. This person is truly powerful, able to sit in the air, move objects from a distance, and even bring the dead back to life and control them. These incredible abilities are something I had never heard of before, and even after seeing them with my own eyes, I still find it hard to believe."

Zhao Chunnan took a deep breath and said, "It's unbelievable. If it weren't for what happened to us last night, I wouldn't believe it. Brother, how confident are you that you can get his help?"

Hao Jian frowned and said, "I don't have the qualifications to ask him directly. I need to go through someone to get him to help."

"Who do you need to go through?"

"Someone you know, Liu Tianlong."

"Ah, Liu Tianlong, you mean the vice mayor of Mingzhu City?"

"Exactly, Vice Mayor Liu. I met this master through him. Now, only through him can I see the master again, and I must first get Vice Mayor Liu's agreement to ask the master for help."

Zhao Chunnan was taken aback. He knew Liu Tianlong, though their relationship was not close. However, throughout history, officials and businessmen have always been interconnected, and they had some dealings in certain interests. Of course, Zhao Chunnan also knew that Hao Jian's relationship with Liu Tianlong was much closer. Hao Jian started in real estate development, and after his group company grew, he shifted its focus to Mingzhu City, developing the largest food, oil, and vegetable wholesale market in the Xiaopu district of Mingzhu City. The official in charge of development in Mingzhu City was Vice Mayor Liu Tianlong.

However, Zhao Chunnan had also heard that Liu Tianlong was under investigation due to his son, Liu Yong, a police officer, being imprisoned for murder. With his own troubles, could Liu Tianlong really help them?