No Need to Rely on a Woman Anymore

Central Origin Continent, Luo Cloud Prefecture, Five Elements Sect, Bamboo Forest Valley.

Chore Disciple Qin Dongcheng was tending to various herbs, his expression a strange mix of a smile and a frown.

Half a year had passed since his transmigration, and just when he thought he was without a golden finger, it awakened at this very moment.

Heaven Rewards Diligence System has finished adapting to this world and has integrated into the host. One part labor, one part harvest. Critical hits triggered, randomly multiplied, up to ten thousand times.

The sudden arrival of the golden finger nearly moved Qin Dongcheng to tears.

You have no idea how I've spent these past six months; if the golden finger hadn't arrived, he would have been forced to surrender to life and prepare to become a kept man.

Qin Dongcheng's identity after transmigration was that of an illegitimate son of the Qin Family in Maple Leaf City. His mother's status was low, merely the daughter of an ordinary physician's family.

Had she not luckily saved the life of the Qin Family head and developed feelings for him while nursing him back to health, she would never have been able to marry into the Qin Family, one of the two great clans of Maple Leaf City.

Unfortunately, after marrying into the Qin Family, she was quickly neglected by the family head and forced to live in a remote courtyard. Even after giving birth to a son, she received little in the way of favorable treatment.

By the time she fell ill and passed away, the Qin Family head hadn't even come to see her once, leaving her to depart with nothing but regrets.

Qin Dongcheng had transmigrated at that exact moment and witnessed the tragic scene of the original owner's mother passing away. Even though she wasn't his own mother, he found it difficult to accept.

Therefore, after handling the funeral arrangements for the original owner's mother, he took the small amount of gold and silver she had accumulated over the years and traveled thousands of miles to the gates of the Five Elements Sect, hoping to be accepted as a disciple, practice the legendary martial arts, and see if there was any chance at immortality.

Even if immortality was out of reach, who could refuse the temptation of moving mountains, overturning seas, and summoning wind and rain?

Since he had arrived in such a golden age of martial arts, how could he not practice them?

Although the Qin Family possessed ancestral martial arts, they were traditionally passed down only to legitimate heirs. Illegitimate sons were generally required to manage various family businesses, while only legitimate sons were qualified to receive the family's full support to practice the ancestral arts.

Qin Dongcheng had no choice, and coupled with his disillusionment with the Qin Family, he left to pursue martial arts on his own.

Regrettably, after testing at the Five Elements Sect, his talent and aptitude were found to be quite mediocre. Fortunately, he had been literate since childhood and had learned a great deal about medicine from his mother, which qualified him to become a Chore Disciple in the herb fields and allowed him to learn some of the Five Elements Sect's basic martial arts.

As the price for practicing martial arts, he had to perform many tasks for the Five Elements Sect, and Qin Dongcheng's primary duty was managing the three acres of herb fields in Bamboo Forest Valley.

He was required to hand over a certain amount of medicinal herbs on a regular monthly basis. If he failed to meet the quota, the punishment would be severe: at best, a reprimand or a beating; at worst, expulsion from the sect or even immediate execution.

Fortunately, despite the harshness, he had obtained one of the Five Elements Sect's basic fist techniques, the Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist, which was said to be one of the best among the many body-strengthening techniques in Luo Cloud Prefecture.

Regrettably, the Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist was difficult to comprehend and even harder to master. He had practiced bitterly for several months, yet he hadn't even managed to reach the entry level.

His talent and aptitude were simply too poor, only slightly better than an ordinary person, so this outcome was to be expected.

Seeing that there was no progress, just as he was preparing to sacrifice his dignity and marry into one of the wealthy families around Bamboo Forest Valley to obtain resources for his cultivation, his golden finger awakened.

The reason he was confident about marrying into a wealthy family was that, besides being a Chore Disciple of the Five Elements Sect skilled in planting herbs and healing, the original owner was quite handsome.

After all, both the Qin Family head and his mother were exceptionally good-looking, so the son they produced wouldn't be bad either. He was handsome, refined, and every bit a "pretty boy," though lacking in masculine vigor.

However, many women favored that type, which was why Qin Dongcheng was confident he could marry into a wealthy household.

Now, that was no longer necessary. If one could stand and eat, who would want to kneel?

Heaven Rewards Diligence—one part labor, one part harvest was already powerful enough, not to mention the critical hit rule, which could yield up to ten thousand times the harvest.

Furthermore, it came with a Diligence Space that could grow as his strength increased. It started with a capacity of one cubic meter, where he could store the rewards obtained from critical hits.

Without further ado, Qin Dongcheng began to busy himself.

"You have harvested Angelica, and your understanding of harvesting Angelica has deepened!"

"You have planted Fleeceflower Root, and your understanding of planting Fleeceflower Root has deepened!"

"You have observed the Ginseng, and your understanding of the characteristics and medicinal properties of Ginseng has deepened!"

Even without triggering a critical hit, the effect of one part labor, one part harvest was astonishing. His knowledge of medicinal herbs, which had previously grown slowly, began to improve at a rapid pace.

Identifying herbs, planting herbs, healing the sick... these all fell under the category of Alchemy, and a qualified Alchemist had to master them all.

Although the original owner had studied medicine since childhood and understood quite a bit about herbs, he wasn't even considered an Alchemy Apprentice yet, at most just a barefoot doctor.

After all, he hadn't focused on these things before and hadn't spent much time on them.

It wasn't until he joined the Five Elements Sect and became a Chore Disciple in the herb fields that Qin Dongcheng realized how important these things were.

However, with no one to guide him, even if he had the heart to become an Alchemy Apprentice or even an Official Alchemist, his progress remained slow.

Now, with the help of the Heaven Rewards Diligence System, Qin Dongcheng could clearly feel his knowledge in these areas advancing by leaps and bounds.

If he could become an Alchemy Apprentice or even an Official Alchemist, not only would his status and position skyrocket, but he would also be qualified to become an Official Disciple of the Five Elements Sect, and he could exchange refined pills and medicines for significant cultivation resources in the future.

"You have harvested a Five-Year Ginseng. Congratulations, you have triggered a triple critical hit! You have obtained three Five-Year Ginsengs!"

What Qin Dongcheng didn't expect was that just when he thought the critical hit probability of the Heaven Rewards Diligence System was extremely low, he had actually triggered one. Having originally harvested only one Five-Year Ginseng, he had gained two extra, which landed directly into his Diligence Space.

"Hiss..."

Sensing the two Five-Year Ginsengs in his Diligence Space, Qin Dongcheng couldn't help but gasp. This was too satisfying! The first critical hit he triggered was a Five-Year Ginseng, one of the most precious herbs in the field.

A single Five-Year Ginseng was worth three taels of silver, while his monthly salary as a Chore Disciple was only one tael of silver, plus five sect contribution points.

Two Five-Year Ginsengs meant six taels of silver, which was half a year's income for him.

If he consumed some occasionally to strengthen his physique, it should be much easier to step into the realm of a Martial Artist.

Once today's tasks are finished, I will return to contemplating cultivation; with the help of the Heaven Rewards Diligence System, I wonder if I can finally step onto the path of martial arts.

Qin Dongcheng continued to tend to the Herb Field, weeding where necessary, planting what was needed, and harvesting what was ready... He worked in an orderly fashion, and with the help of the Heaven Rewards Diligence System, his yields were constantly increasing.

"You have successfully treated a stalk of Angelica, congratulations on triggering a double critical hit; you have gained double the insight into treating Angelica!"

"You have harvested a stalk of Red Peony, congratulations on triggering a double critical hit; you have obtained two stalks of Red Peony!"

"You have observed the Glue Grass, congratulations on triggering a fivefold critical hit; you have gained five times the insight into the medicinal properties of Glue Grass!"