Quota Loss (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Funiu Mountain, named for its resemblance to a crouching ox, is the most fertile range near Qingyuan County. It is rich in precious medicinal herbs, yet it also harbors countless dangers.

Along the edges of the mountain, centuries of accumulation have formed rich, black humus soil. This fertile ground is ideal for cultivating medicinal herbs, and with the Yi River winding nearby, the water supply is abundant.

The Li Family controls nearly half of this humus-rich land, cultivating various herbs and even precious medicinal plants. It is one of their primary sources of wealth.

Led by an administrator from the Li Family's internal affairs department, Chen Yuan arrived at the largest and most fertile herb field under the family's jurisdiction.

Of course, he was not yet qualified to guard this particular field; it was personally overseen by a Li Family expert with strength comparable to Fan Dajiang.

As one of the four great families, the Li Family possesses not only a group of formidable retainers but also family disciples whose strength cannot be underestimated, as they are responsible for the family's core industries.

The man in charge of this herb field was named Li Song. He looked significantly younger than Fan Dajiang and likely still had room for further improvement.

"Supervisor, this is the new guard assigned to the herb field, Chen Yuan. He is at the minor success stage of Skin Refining..." The internal affairs administrator introduced Chen Yuan in a few brief sentences.

Chen Yuan cupped his hands and said, "I am Chen Yuan. Greetings, Supervisor Li."

Li Song didn't even lift his brow. He said indifferently, "Chen Yuan, is it? Follow me."

Just like that, Chen Yuan was handed over to Li Song and followed him toward his post.

They trekked through the dense forest for about a quarter of an hour before finally reaching the station. It seemed the Li Family's herb fields were scattered according to the terrain, which explained why so much manpower was needed.

Looking out, the herb field spanned about an acre and was surrounded by iron fencing, likely enough to keep out ordinary wild beasts.

Several people were already busy in the field; after all, herbs don't grow on their own and require the care of farmers.

Additionally, one person was practicing martial arts in the clearing outside the garden, his fists and kicks whipping up sharp gusts of wind.

Catching sight of Li Song, he immediately stopped, trotted over, and bowed respectfully: "Subordinate Liu Hong greets Supervisor Li."

At the same time, his gaze swept over Chen Yuan.

Li Song nodded faintly and asked, "How is the herb garden lately? Have there been any attacks by exotic beasts?"

Fields of medicinal herbs have a fatal attraction for exotic beasts. Before other family gardens were raided, the primary defense was against wild animals and exotic beasts, with the latter posing a much greater threat.

Liu Hong shook his head: "The garden is growing well lately. No exotic beasts, only a few wild animals, but they were all driven off."

Li Song gave a grunt of acknowledgment and, without further questions, turned to Chen Yuan.

"From now on, you will be stationed here. We operate on a three-shift rotation. You and Liu Hong will take the middle shift, from the Shen hour to the Hai hour (3:00 PM to 11:00 PM). Your only task is to keep the garden secure."

"Someone will come at the end of every month to inspect the garden's condition. If negligence leads to excessive losses, it will be deducted from your monthly pay. Liu Hong will explain the details regarding loss quotas and other matters."

Chen Yuan nodded: "I understand."

"Good. Follow Liu Hong to familiarize yourself with the duties. Report here for your shift tomorrow at the Shen hour." Li Song didn't say much more and left immediately.

Chen Yuan looked at Liu Hong and cupped his hands slightly: "Brother Liu, I'll be counting on your guidance."

It seemed this would be his partner from now on; he hoped he was easy to get along with.

Liu Hong smiled: "Brother Chen is too polite. We should help each other. Come, let me show you the specifics of the herb garden."

Chen Yuan nodded and followed Liu Hong into the garden.

Aside from the two of them, there were four farmers responsible for tending the crops.

This garden primarily grew seven types of herbs used to refine Blood Qi Pills.

Furthermore, in the most fertile section of the garden, they cultivated a precious herb called the Stone Scale Flower. When refined into medicine, it helps temper the skin and membranes.

It served a similar purpose to the horns of the Horned Carp, a precious fish.

It could be said that this was the most valuable part of the entire garden.

Liu Hong said with a smile:

"Brother Chen, guarding this garden is a lucrative job. It's quite leisurely, and there are monthly perks to collect."

"Take our No. 6 herb garden, for instance. Every month, we receive a Skin Strengthening Pill refined with Stone Scale Flower. Since you were assigned here despite only being at the minor success stage of Skin Refining, you must have had a powerful patron to pull some strings, right?"

Chen Yuan smiled, knowing he was probing for his background. He didn't hide it: "I was fortunate enough to be appreciated by Retainer Fan, who gave me this opportunity."

Hearing this, Liu Hong understood. He changed the subject and said slowly:

"Brother Chen, do you have any thoughts regarding the monthly loss quotas?"

Chen Yuan felt a slight chill inside, but he remained calm: "I will naturally perform my duties faithfully and keep the losses in the garden to a minimum."

He understood the subtext of Liu Hong's words; he was testing to see if Chen Yuan had any ideas about the quota.

After all, if the losses didn't exceed the quota by the end of the month, one could potentially skim a little off the top.

However, Chen Yuan didn't know Liu Hong's true intentions yet and dared not speak recklessly.

Liu Hong's expression didn't change much, and he smiled faintly: "Brother Chen is an honest man. That is good."

The duties of guarding the garden were simple. After understanding the situation, Chen Yuan left.

At the garden entrance, Liu Hong watched Chen Yuan's retreating figure, lost in thought.

It was best not to act rashly until he had probed the bottom line. He hoped this Chen Yuan was a sensible person.

Back at the Huo Academy, Chen Yuan spread his legs and began his stance training. His blood qi began to circulate quickly, and under his deliberate control, it continuously tempered his skin and membranes.

After running through the routine several times, he was drenched in sweat, leaning against the wall as he began to gulp down Body Strengthening Soup.

Now that he was better off, he didn't even bother drinking water; he replaced it entirely with Body Strengthening Soup, determined to nourish his blood and qi as intensely as possible.

These past few days, Chen Yuan had been able to see the figures of Sun Chengjie and Xue Anping training diligently in the courtyard.

It seemed the four-month deadline was approaching, and they were both pushing themselves to the limit.

Before long, Sun Chengjie also reached his limit and walked toward Chen Yuan, panting heavily.

However, unlike his usual easygoing self, his expression was unexpectedly troubled this time, as if he had something he wanted to say but was holding back.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Brother Sun, if there is something on your mind, feel free to speak."

He could already vaguely guess what it was.

With the final deadline drawing near, what else could it be?

Sun Chengjie took a deep breath and bowed, saying:

"Brother Chen, to tell you the truth, I would like to borrow three mace of silver to buy a Blood-Qi Pill as a final preparation for attempting the breakthrough. If I fail, even if I have to go home and farm, I will definitely pay you back."

Sure enough, a single penny could stump a hero.

Chen Yuan nodded, "Brother Sun, I can lend you these three mace of silver. I wish you a smooth breakthrough. If things don't go as planned, there is no need to rush the repayment; we can talk about it whenever you have spare money."

He could afford three mace of silver, and he was willing to lend it to a friend he had known for several months.

But he wouldn't lend more—not because he was unwilling, but because he feared that if Sun Chengjie failed his breakthrough, it would only increase his burden.

His own money didn't exactly fall from the sky.

Sun Chengjie let out a sigh of relief and cupped his hands, "Many thanks, Brother Chen."

With this Blood-Qi Pill, he finally felt a bit more confident, and he was deeply grateful for Chen Yuan's timely assistance.

As they were chatting, he saw Xue Anping walking over as well, his face wearing the same troubled expression Sun Chengjie had just shown.

Chen Yuan's mouth twitched; surely this guy wasn't here to borrow money too, right?