Hemp-Clad Society

"Junior Brother, there's no need for humility. I wouldn't dare speak for others, but if you maintain this momentum, you'll definitely reach the Blood Martial Realm within a year. At most, three years, and True Martial is within reach."

Wang Feng wasn't just spouting nonsense. In the past month or so, the number of new disciples who could maintain the same purchasing frequency as Yang Chen was less than a handful. Among them, one was already showing signs of faltering.

Yang Chen shook his head upon hearing this and didn't dwell on the topic. He hadn't called Wang Feng over today just to hear some pleasantries.

He organized his thoughts before speaking, "Senior Brother, you've seen much and know a lot. I have a question I'd like to ask, and I hope you won't hesitate to answer."

"Speak quickly. I'll tell you everything I know."

"It's like this..."

Yang Chen described the situation and then said with a worried expression, "To be honest, Senior Brother, after discovering this problem today, I was so worried I couldn't even eat."

Wang Feng's eyebrows shot up, and the smile vanished from his face. "It seems the disciple who handed over to you didn't tell you much."

Yang Chen was slightly taken aback. Did Luo Wang have something to do with this?

"Junior Brother Yang, I only know a little about this matter, but I'll tell you what I know. Before that, you need to know that our Nineteenth Servant Peak is comprised of a force formed by many disciples. This force is called the Hemp-Clad Society."

Speaking of the Hemp-Clad Society, Wang Feng seemed somewhat wary. He lowered his voice, "Whenever the Spirit Rice is about to be harvested, members of the Hemp-Clad Society will appear near the spirit fields of Nineteen Peaks, usually at night. Their purpose is to intercept the excess spiritual energy from the spirit fields."

"I have no idea how they intercept it or what they use it for. This situation has been ongoing in our Labor Peak for ten years."

Yang Chen listened, his heart sinking slightly. "Hasn't anyone stopped them from doing this?"

Clearly, the Hemp-Clad Society's actions were putting other disciples in a difficult position. Even if there was excess spiritual energy in the spirit fields, they couldn't just let others benefit for free.

Taking without permission is theft. The Hemp-Clad Society hadn't informed him beforehand, yet they were making him bear immense risk without any benefit. This was unacceptable to anyone.

Wang Feng curled his lips. "Junior Brother, since you believe this matter harms your interests, don't you think others feel the same? However, the complexity of this matter is such that not only I, but even my little sister would find it difficult to intervene."

He then looked at Yang Chen, whose face was ashen, and said thoughtfully, "Senior Brother suggests you endure this for now. The members of the Hemp-Clad Society will abide by the rules; at least they won't dare to jeopardize the major event of harvesting the Spirit Rice."

Yang Chen remained silent for a long time, his heart filled with both anger and apprehension.

After a long while, he managed to force a smile. "Thank you for clarifying, Senior Brother."

Wang Feng offered a few more words of comfort and took his leave. After Yang Chen saw him off, he lay on his bed, his mind restless.

Everything Wang Feng said proved one thing: the Hemp-Clad Society was not simple.

There was one thing he couldn't understand: how much profit could the Hemp-Clad Society's actions generate? In his opinion, even if they intercepted spiritual energy twice a year from the hundred thousand mu of spirit fields in the Nineteen Peaks, the profit wouldn't be unimaginably large.

How many people were in the Hemp-Clad Society? Could the profits they intercepted guarantee that the subordinates wouldn't complain? Could it also silence the stewards of each district, or even the enforcers of the Nineteen Peaks?

This matter was crucial to his ability to cultivate quickly. Wang Feng said the Hemp-Clad Society would abide by the rules, but who would want to give others a handle to grasp?

If they acted recklessly and damaged the great formation or the Spirit Rice, it would be a grave offense. Expulsion from the sect would be the least of it; if the loss was too great, execution was not impossible.

What was his fault?

If you find this book to your liking, please add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

After much thought, his mind was in a mess. He sighed and summoned his status panel:

[Host: Yang Chen]
[Realm: Qi Martial Third Level, Punching Power: 3586 kg]
[Daily Spirit Crystals: 1]

Staring at the panel, Yang Chen's agitated emotions inexplicably eased. After calming down a bit, he suppressed the turmoil in his heart and settled into cultivation in the center of the room.

The night passed quickly. Yang Chen got up early and, while the dining hall was empty, he hurried to the second floor. He bought rice and meat, slinging the large bags over his shoulders before rushing towards the spirit fields.

He had tossed and turned all night. After finally falling asleep, he kept waking up, so he decided to stay at the spirit fields for the next few days. This way, he could keep an eye on the Hemp-Clad Society members and prevent them from acting too recklessly.

He had weighed the pros and cons and understood his current predicament. In the face of the Hemp-Clad Society, he was powerless to resist, at least for now.

Since that was the case, he could only guard it himself. With him watching nearby, at least they would be somewhat deterred.

He arrived at Spirit Field No. 8 in a hurry. He entered the wooden cabin and, confirming no one was around, stored all his belongings in the System space. Then, with a hint of trepidation, he approached the field, took out his token, and lifted a corner of the formation.

As expected, there was little spiritual energy left accumulated in the spirit field. His expression darkened slightly. He carefully inspected the Spirit Rice in the field and, after confirming it was undamaged, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Time quickly passed until evening. Yang Chen ate a hasty meal and then spent his time patrolling the vicinity of the spirit field.

There were no illumination stones here, so at night, it was pitch black. However, martial artist cultivation not only strengthened the body but also improved all aspects of it, including eyesight.

Although the darkness still had a significant impact, he could vaguely see two to three zhang ahead.

He continued patrolling like this, and when it was the third quarter of the hour of the Dog (around 9:45 PM), five people suddenly appeared out of the darkness.

These five people were all around seventeen or eighteen years old, both male and female, wearing servant disciple uniforms. They were not masked, and each held an object in their hands, though it was unclear what they were in the darkness.

Their eyes met, and Yang Chen's heart trembled. He had a fleeting thought of retreating. In this darkness, if a conflict arose, the consequences were unpredictable.

But he really didn't want to live in constant anxiety, so he gritted his teeth and stared at the five people, saying calmly, "Spirit Field No. 8 is under my charge."

He voluntarily revealed his identity, his tone steady and his expression calm. He was telling them that he knew about the Hemp-Clad Society's existence, and it also carried a warning.

The five looked at Yang Chen, but there was no surprise as he had expected. Four of them only glanced at him for a moment before continuing towards other spirit fields, leaving behind a dark-skinned, sturdy disciple.

The remaining disciple also had a calm expression and didn't speak to Yang Chen. He directly took out an object from his bosom. He didn't try to hide it, and Yang Chen could see what it was.

"He actually has a formation token?"

Yang Chen's mind raced with speculations. He watched as the disciple gently inserted the token into the formation and then immediately aimed the object in his hand at the opening of the formation.

Although Yang Chen didn't know what the object in the disciple's hand was, he understood that the disciple was collecting spiritual energy.

He also remained silent, merely staring at the disciple, his eyes conveying a strong warning.

As if sensing Yang Chen's gaze, the dark-skinned disciple's lips curved slightly, as if mocking something.