Refining Blood Ginseng! Reborn!

"How come I didn't know when I pushed you toward the robbers, Li Gui?"

Whoosh!

In an instant, the entire Labor Courtyard fell silent enough to hear a needle drop.

Everyone's gaze turned in unison toward the courtyard gate.

Su Haoran emerged step by step from the shadows outside, a massive sack slung over his shoulder and two bulging bundles hanging from his hands.

There was a little dirt on his clothes, and his face was somewhat pale, but his bearing was calm. He looked indifferently at Li Gui on the ground.

"Now, what else do you have to say?"

"Su... Su Haoran?!"

Li Gui's face went deathly pale as though he had seen a ghost. His lips trembled, yet he could not utter a single word.

"You... you... How could you possibly still be alive?!"

Shouldn't he have been hacked to death by those three ferocious robbers?

How could he have brought everything back by himself?!

The surrounding servants also burst into an uproar, their faces filled with shock.

"Su Haoran didn't die?"

"How did he escape from three robbers by himself? And even keep all the Land Rent?"

"Could Li Gui have been lying?"

Their eyes moved back and forth between the calm-faced Su Haoran and Li Gui, whose face was ashen.

Cao Yi was stunned at first, then his face broke into delight.

As expected of a prospect he had favored. How could he possibly die at the hands of a few Refugees?!

"Haoran! Are you all right? Were you injured?"

Cao Yi asked with concern, looking him over from head to toe before inspecting the bundles as well.

Then a faint smile appeared on his face.

A trace of warmth passed through Su Haoran's heart. He tossed down the sack on his shoulder and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle-Master Cao. This disciple is unharmed. I did not fail my mission—all the Land Rent is here, not a coin short."

Only then did he turn his gaze once more toward Li Gui, who was already sprawled on the ground.

"Li Gui, you said just now that I pushed you toward the robbers and fled on my own?"

Su Haoran said coldly, "But how do I remember it being you who, the moment you saw the robbers, were so terrified you pissed yourself, wet your pants, threw everything away, and ran first?"

"You... you...!" Li Gui's face was pale, and he had no answer. He cast pleading looks toward the other servants.

But the truth differed far too greatly from what he had claimed. No one spoke up for him.

Su Haoran merely sneered, not even bothering to argue with him.

He turned to Cao Yi and gave a concise account of what had happened.

He neither exaggerated nor embellished anything, simply recounting the events as they were.

"...This disciple initially wanted to use Prajna Temple's name to intimidate them, but the three were Desperadoes and would not fall for that.

"Li Gui grew afraid and left first. This disciple had no choice but to face them alone."

"Face them alone?" A hint of surprise appeared on Cao Yi's face, though he swiftly concealed it.

He had faced them alone—and returned in one piece!

Did anyone even need to ask what had happened?

Su Haoran calmly added, "They wanted to kill me, so I could only kill them. All three have been executed. I dragged their corpses into the forest."

Boom!

Three people—he had killed them all?!

The entire Labor Courtyard fell deathly silent. Every servant stared at Su Haoran in shock.

They were all servants, yet Su Haoran had actually... actually fought one against three and killed three highway robbers?

Those servants who had previously rejoiced at his misfortune now felt chills run down their backs, their eyes flashing with disbelief.

In their minds, such strength was already enough to rival the Martial Monks in the temple!

And upon hearing those words, Li Gui's mind completely collapsed.

He knew he was finished.

Cao Yi's expression shifted from delight to astonishment, then from astonishment to appreciation for Su Haoran. At last, when he looked at Li Gui, only disgust remained in his eyes.

"Calm in danger, brave and decisive, and you protected the temple's property. You did very well!"

Cao Yi patted Su Haoran's shoulder, his eyes full of approval. Then his tone abruptly changed as he rebuked Li Gui:

"Li Gui! Do you know your crime?!"

His voice was like a great bell, shaking Li Gui so badly that he dropped onto the ground, trembling like a sieve.

"I... I..."

"You fled in the face of battle and abandoned your fellow disciple. That is unrighteousness! You returned to the temple, fabricated lies, and slandered your fellow disciple. That is disloyalty!"

Cao Yi's voice grew colder and colder. "Though Prajna Temple opens its Mountain Gate wide and takes in Refugees, we will never shelter a shameless coward like you, one who twists black into white!"

Pointing toward the Mountain Gate, he shouted decisively, "From today onward, you are no longer a disciple of Prajna Temple! Pack your things and get down this mountain at once!"

Expelled from the sect!

To Li Gui, those four words were no different from a death sentence.

In this Chaotic World, once he left Prajna Temple's protection, how many days could a skinny servant with no strength to truss a chicken possibly survive? He would either starve to death or be beaten to death and eaten by those Refugees and bandits!

"No! Please don't, Uncle-Master Cao!" Li Gui panicked completely. Rolling and crawling, he lunged forward and tried to clutch Cao Yi's leg again, only to be kicked away.

"Spare me, Uncle-Master Cao! I'll never dare do it again! I was confused for a moment!"

Seeing that Cao Yi remained unmoved, he suddenly turned toward Su Haoran and began banging his head against the ground. Before long, his forehead was bleeding.

"Junior Brother Su! Senior Brother Su! I was wrong! I failed to recognize Mount Tai before my eyes! I was petty and narrow-minded! Please, please put in a good word with Uncle-Master Cao and spare me this once! I'll be your ox and horse—I'll do anything!"

He wept until tears and snot streamed down his face, utterly miserable. There was not a trace left of his former arrogance.

Su Haoran looked down at him, his gaze as still as an ancient well.

Beg for mercy?

When this man had sacrificed him to save his own life, had he spared even a thought for their bond as fellow disciples?

When he had returned to the temple, twisted black into white, and slandered him, had he left Su Haoran even the slightest room to retreat?

Mercy toward an enemy was cruelty toward oneself.

Forgiving such a petty villain would only invite endless future trouble.

Su Haoran slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable finality:

"The road was chosen by you."

"The moment you fled alone, there was no longer even the slightest bond of fellow disciples between us."

"Your fate today is entirely of your own making."

After speaking, he did not spare Li Gui another glance. Turning to Cao Yi, he cupped his fists and said, "Uncle-Master Cao, this disciple expended a great deal in today's battle and would like to return and rest first."

Cao Yi gave Su Haoran a long look, then nodded, the appreciation in his eyes deepening.

Decisive in killing, resolute in heart, unmoved by external things.

This child would never remain a thing in a pond!

"Go." Cao Yi waved his hand, then ordered two servants nearby, "Throw him out of the Mountain Gate! From this day onward, if he dares set foot in Prajna Temple again, break both his legs immediately!"

"Yes!"

The two servants immediately stepped forward, hauled up Li Gui, who had gone limp as mud, and dragged him toward the Mountain Gate.

Li Gui's desperate wails and pleas for mercy gradually faded into the night until they disappeared.

The courtyard was silent as a graveyard.

All the servants lowered their heads, not daring to meet Su Haoran's eyes. Their hearts were filled with awe.

They knew that from this day on, no one in the Labor Courtyard would dare underestimate Su Haoran again.

Su Haoran ignored everyone's stares. After collecting the day's food, he returned directly to his cramped quarters in the Servant's Quarters.

He shut the door, cutting himself off from everything outside.

Leaning against the door, he let out a long breath of stale air. Only then did he feel a deep exhaustion flood through his Limbs and Bones.

After a life-or-death battle with three Desperadoes, his mind had been stretched taut. Then he had confronted Li Gui after returning. Only now did he truly relax.

Then hunger immediately rose from his stomach.

After gobbling down the usual four Coarse Grain Steamed Buns, Su Haoran sensed his condition and revealed a helpless look.

This amount of food was indeed far from enough to sustain his Kung Fu training. Even after four Steamed Buns, his stomach was still growling.

"At most, I'm half full. If this continues, forget continuing my training—even maintaining my current state will be difficult..."

After thinking for a moment, Su Haoran turned his attention to the bundle in his robes.

"I wonder whether this Blood Ginseng will actually work..."

He carefully took the mysterious root wrapped in cloth from his robes.

That fragrance spread once more, giving his weary mind an immediate lift.

"Good stuff!"

Seeing this, Su Haoran first sliced up the half stalk of blood-colored ginseng. Then he found a clean bluestone outside and ground one slice into powder.

To be safe, he fed a small amount of the powder to Big Yellow, who guarded the courtyard gate, and watched for a while to make sure it was not poisonous.

After a while, Big Yellow was still lively and hopping about. Only then did Su Haoran return to the courtyard, dissolve the powder in water, and drink it.

Soon after, a warm current rose from his abdomen, becoming a stream of heat that circulated through Su Haoran's meridians, bones, and limbs. His entire body grew warm, as if he were soaking in hot water.

Even the muscle strains and Sore and Aching pain from the previous day's battle lessened by thirty percent!

"It really works!"

Joy flashed across Su Haoran's face. He immediately seized the opportunity, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating.

The night passed without incident, until dawn arrived!

Arhat Fist, Minor Accomplishment (4%)

In just one night, with the help of the Blood Ginseng, Arhat Fist had risen from 1% Minor Accomplishment to 4% Minor Accomplishment!

The next day, the sky had only just begun to brighten when the rooster crowed three times.

Su Haoran abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them.

Though he had not slept all night, he did not feel the slightest drowsiness. Instead, his body was filled with explosive power, and his energy was more vigorous than ever before.

He flipped out of bed and stretched his limbs. A series of crackling sounds rang out from every joint in his body, like beans popping in a pan.

The muscle soreness and exhaustion left over from yesterday's battle had long since been washed away by that gentle medicinal power.

"Good stuff, truly good stuff!" Su Haoran clenched his fists, feeling the abundant strength within him, and his heart settled completely.

He pushed open the door. The sky was still dark, and most of the servants remained asleep.

Following his usual routine, he first picked up a broom and swept the Mountain Road under his charge until it was spotless.

A task that had once taken half an hour was completed today in less than One Incense Stick, and without any effort at all.

Next came fetching water from the back mountain.

The two huge wooden buckets weighed a full eighty jin after being filled. In the past, Su Haoran had needed to switch shoulders several times while carrying them along the Mountain Road, panting for breath.

But today, after filling the buckets, he set the carrying pole on his shoulder and felt only a slight sink before everything became as steady as Mount Tai.

Power surged through his legs, and wind seemed to rise beneath his feet. He carried the water in one breath from the back mountain stream to the great water vat before the Labor Courtyard, without stopping once and without even taking more than a few deep breaths.

"Is... is he even human?"

Several early-rising servants saw this scene and nearly stared their eyes out. They rubbed their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.

They clearly remembered that before yesterday, although Su Haoran had been sturdier than they were, he had never possessed such a terrifying physique!

Overnight, it was as if he had been reborn!

As they looked at Su Haoran's figure, steady as a mountain, then recalled how he had killed three robbers yesterday and forced Li Gui to be Expelled from the sect, disbelief covered their faces.

Su Haoran ignored the others' stares. After filling the vat, he headed directly for Steward Cao Yi's meditation room.

The secret of the Blood Ginseng was his greatest reliance for Establishing Oneself and rapidly growing stronger. He absolutely could not let anyone discover it.

And the Servant's Quarters where he currently lived had four people sharing one large sleeping platform. There were too many eyes and ears, making it extremely inconvenient.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in." Cao Yi's calm voice came from inside.

Su Haoran pushed open the door and entered. Cao Yi was meditating. When he saw Su Haoran enter, he slowly finished his practice and opened his eyes.

"Haoran, you came to see me so early. Is something the matter?" Cao Yi asked gently. He had grown increasingly pleased with this young man, whose temperament and strength far surpassed those of the other servants.

"Uncle-Master Cao." Su Haoran bowed, then got straight to the point. "This disciple wishes to change residences."

"Oh?" Cao Yi was somewhat surprised. "You are dissatisfied with your current quarters? Has someone been excluding you?"

"That is not the case." Su Haoran shook his head and calmly explained, "This disciple knows that his martial foundation is shallow and wishes to train diligently. However, my current residence is crowded and noisy, which causes many inconveniences.

"This disciple heard that there is an abandoned woodshed beside the cliff at the far western edge of the Labor Courtyard. Though it is remote and dilapidated, it is quiet.

"This disciple wishes to move there. I hope Martial Uncle will grant my request."

Upon hearing this, Cao Yi gave Su Haoran a deep look.

He instantly understood Su Haoran's intentions.

Of course, he was not unaware that Su Haoran practiced at night.

"Good!" Cao Yi clapped and laughed, the appreciation in his eyes growing stronger. "Since you possess such determination, how could I refuse to fulfill it? Go. That woodshed will belong to you from now on."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master Cao!" Joy rose in Su Haoran's heart, and he bowed once more.

With this secluded place to stay, he could use the Blood Ginseng without any reservations and devote himself fully to improving his cultivation!