Generous Rewards

As Zou Rong confessed her feelings to Yuan Shu, the system's voice rang out simultaneously: 

"Ding! Zou Rong's favorability towards the host has increased by 20 points. Current favorability: 80 (Deep and Unwavering Affection)." 

Yuan Shu's act of tearing up the contract completely made Zou Rong fall in love with him. 

Since she grew up, every man who had seen her coveted her beauty and wanted to turn her into their plaything. 

To protect herself, she had always worn a veil. 

Only from Yuan Shu did she feel respect and sincere admiration. 

A true gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, yet Yuan Shu, with his noble status, was willing to confront a ruthless bandit like Zhang Ji for her, which showed his genuine feelings. 

Tearing up the contract and granting her freedom truly treated Zou Rong as a person, not an object. 

Yuan Shu sincerely said to Zou Rong: 

"In that case, I will never fail you." 

... 

The group left Furong Pavilion satisfied. After sending Xi Zhicai home, Yuan Shu brought Shi A and Zou Rong back to the Yuan residence. 

Yuan Shu arranged for Zou Rong to stay in a side room next to his own. 

Shi A was placed in a guest room in the courtyard. 

When the night was quiet, Yuan Shu began to review today's gains. 

He said to the system in his heart: "System, I want to settle the tasks." 

"Ding! System received. Settling now. 

The host has completed one main task and one 'spendthrift' task, earning 15 attribute points, one super item lottery card, and one super resource lottery card. Please allocate attribute points." 

Without hesitation, Yuan Shu said, "Allocate all attribute points to luck!" 

He couldn't afford not to boost his luck—right now, it was still in the negative. 

Take today's encounter with Zhang Ji, for example. If his luck value had been higher, perhaps he wouldn't have needed Shi A to step in; his status alone as the direct descendant of the Yuan family might have scared Zhang Ji away. 

Fortunately, his luck was only in the negative single digits, allowing him to turn the situation around. 

If it had remained in the negative double digits like before, he might have been cut down by Zhang Ji today. 

"Ding! Attribute points successfully added! After the increase, the host's updated attributes are as follows: 

Strength: 15, Command: 36 (Skill 'Greedy Wolf' +5), Intelligence: 25 (Skill 'Greedy Wolf' +5), Politics: 22, Charm: 55, Luck: 6." 

Skills: Mediocre Talent, Arrogant Authority, False Emperor, Greedy Wolf." 

As soon as his luck turned positive, Yuan Shu suddenly felt an immense relief, as if an invisible shackle that had bound him for so long had been lifted. 

If Xu Shao were to assess Yuan Shu's aura at this moment, he would be astonished to find that although the misfortune surrounding Yuan Shu was still thick, the deadly aura that once plagued him had completely vanished.

Yuan Shu looked at his attributes, and tears were almost about to fall. 

It hasn't been easy for Yuan Gonglu! 

Isn't everything gradually getting better? 

Although none of his attributes had reached the level of an average person, at least there were no negative attributes anymore. 

The system continued to remind him: 

"The host possesses one Super Item Lottery Card and one Super Resource Lottery Card. Please proceed with the draw!" 

Yuan Shu said in his heart, "Draw the item first, then the resource." 

"Ding! The system has received the command, starting the draw: 

The Super Item Lottery Card draw was successful: Congratulations, the host has obtained the complete brewing technique for Baijiu. 

The Super Resource Lottery Card draw was successful: Congratulations, the host has obtained a reward of five million coins!" 

Looking at the rewards he had drawn, Yuan Shu felt very satisfied. Just as the system had mentioned, these two items could indeed provide him with great help at this stage. 

There was no need to elaborate on the Baijiu recipe—once successfully brewed, it would be enough to overshadow all other liquors in the late Han and Three Kingdoms period. 

If he handed this over to Shen Wansan, he would instantly have a money-making machine. 

The five million coins were also very important to him. Whether it was for completing his squanderer missions or accumulating strength, he couldn't do without financial support. 

Although he could ask Lady Wang for money, that was not a long-term solution. 

These five million coins solved his immediate financial crisis. 

Just as Yuan Shu was rejoicing, the system's voice rang again: 

"Ding! The squanderer and mainline missions have been settled. Generating new mainline and squanderer missions." 

"Ding! Mission generation successful! 

Mainline mission: How can one achieve great ambition without a personal guard? The host must establish an armed force capable of ensuring his own safety within six months. 

Requirements for the armed force: No fewer than two hundred members, with at least one leader having a martial or leadership attribute above 90, forming a powerful combat force. 

All three conditions must be met within six months to be considered successful; otherwise, the system will deem it a failure. 

Mission reward: One Super General Lottery Card. 

Mission failure penalty: A random deduction of 10 attribute points. 

Mission deadline: Six months." 

Looking at the newly generated mission, Yuan Shu thought that with a Super General Lottery Card as the reward, once he completed the mission, he would be able to draw a general. The reward was indeed generous. 

However, the penalty was also severe—the deduction of attribute points for failure was increasing. 

But Yuan Shu was not afraid. Now he had people and money, so establishing a private force shouldn't be too difficult. 

He just needed to do it discreetly without attracting attention. 

"Ding dong, the host has successfully completed two squanderer missions, proving to be quite skilled at it. Now generating a new squanderer mission!" 

Yuan Shu thought to himself, "Is the system really this intelligent? Calling me a squanderer expert? Wasn't I forced into this by you?" 

"A new squanderer mission has been generated! The host must squander two million coins within six months. Completing the mission will grant a mysterious reward in addition to attribute points, but failure will result in a random deduction of 20 attribute points. Please continue to work hard on squandering!" 

Yuan Shu was stunned by this punishment. What kind of nonsense is this, deducting twenty points? 

If he failed the mission, he would be back to square one overnight. 

However, such squanderer missions were actually quite easy to complete. 

Spending two million coins in six months? With his ability to squander, it would be done effortlessly. 

Alright, at this point, Yuan Shu had resigned himself to his fate and accepted that he possessed squandering abilities, walking further and further down the path of a squanderer. 

The next day, Yuan Shu woke up refreshed, having gained numerous benefits. 

Just as he was about to tidy up and look for Shi A, a young man dressed in a blue brocade robe hurriedly entered his room. 

Looking at the just-awakened Yuan Shu, he anxiously said: 

"Gonglu, why are you just waking up? Father has been looking for you everywhere. I saw his face looking grim—he must be planning to scold you. Did you get into trouble again?" 

Yuan Shu looked up at the young man and noticed that his hair was meticulously tied up, and his brocade robe was perfectly arranged. 

His features were also quite handsome, bearing some resemblance to Yuan Feng, indicating that he was a Yuan family member. 

However, his appearance lacked Yuan Shao's heroic aura and Yuan Shu's gloomy air. Instead, he gave off a sense of reliability. 

Just looking at his face made people naturally trust him and feel an increased sense of goodwill.