Ambush in the Medicine Garden (Seeking Follow-up Reads!)

Chen Yuan had spent another month in peace, which was truly rare.

The Golden Blade Sect had not returned, Yu Yan, whom he had offended previously, had made no moves, the Chen Kai family who loved to provoke others had quieted down, and no one at Huo Academy dared to cross him. Guarding the medicinal garden in such leisure, with no exotic beasts or villains attacking, he felt perfectly content.

Others tried to practice the Dao of Survival, only to be met with endless trouble, while he remained safely tucked away, which was just...

Steady progress in comprehension and techniques:

[Comprehension: 52]

[Root Bone: 53]

[Cultivation: Skin Realm (Minor Completion); Clear Force (Minor Completion)]

[Techniques]

[Rock-Solid Stance Technique (Minor Completion): 466/1000]

[Six Harmonies Mind Boxing (Minor Completion): 351/1000]

[Dao of Survival Points: 1]

[Evaluation: You do not show off your abilities, you do not act with malice toward others, and you understand the principle of biding your time. You have caught a glimpse of the Dao of Survival; daily Dao of Survival points +4]

After several months of accumulation, his comprehension was finally about to catch up with his root bone.

Compared to his previous 10 points of comprehension, Chen Yuan felt as if he had swapped brains; his understanding of techniques was incomparable to before.

Because of this, he had spent as much time practicing Six Harmonies Mind Boxing as he had the Rock-Solid Stance Technique during this period, with both steadily improving.

His Clear Force had reached minor completion, and his Skin Realm was nearing major completion, though he had not yet reported his progress in Clear Force, intending to wait until his skin refinement reached major completion to report both at once and secure a hefty raise in his monthly stipend.

He estimated that in another month or two, he would be able to attempt to break through to the Bone Realm and advance further.

At that point, he could begin practicing the Dragon-Elephant Prison-Suppressing Body, using it as his trump card.

Before the Martial Examination, mastering Dark Force was also a certainty.

Everything was going so smoothly.

Chen Yuan thought that if he hadn't walked this path step by step, he would find it all like a dream in retrospect.

After practicing a few rounds of Six Harmonies Mind Boxing, he drank some Body Strengthening Soup and lay back in his recliner, enjoying a moonlight bath, feeling quite comfortable.

He hoped this period of smoothness wasn't the heavens preparing to hit him with something big.

"Brother Chen, keep an eye on the garden. My stomach is a bit upset, I'll be right back." Zhang Hong's voice suddenly came, and he did sound like he was in some discomfort.

Chen Yuan nodded. "Alright, go and come back quickly."

Zhang Hong hurried toward the dense forest.

Chen Yuan rose from his recliner and braced himself to patrol the garden.

On the acre or so of humus-rich black soil, various medicinal herbs were growing vigorously.

In the southeast corner of the garden, the precious Stone Scale Flower was planted.

This month, Zhang Hong had still been keeping the quota for losses strictly capped, but even an old hand like him dared not tamper with these precious herbs.

Chen Yuan looked up at the moonlight in the night sky, estimating that it was almost time for the shift change.

It seemed today's watch would also end peacefully...

It was late autumn; the cicadas had gone silent, and all was quiet, so even the slightest footsteps were easily detected.

When the rustling sound of feet stepping on fallen leaves rang out, Chen Yuan's heart tightened, his muscles tensed instantly, and he looked toward the source of the sound, standing ready.

He saw a figure in black leap high, intending to jump directly into the garden, the long blade in their hand flashing with a cold, murderous light under the moonlight.

The moment they landed, they lunged forward, the long blade aiming straight for Chen Yuan's throat, as if to kill him in one strike!

Chen Yuan's pupils shrank the moment he saw the person in black. He judged that it was highly likely a martial artist with major completion in the Skin Realm, and since they were armed with a lethal weapon, they were absolutely not to be fought head-on.

He immediately turned tail and retreated, terrified of being caught if he were even a second too slow.

Ten taels of silver a month wasn't worth risking his life for.

Chen Yuan had intended to go find Zhang Hong for help—what a load of nonsense about the latrine; if the garden was being attacked, it was clearly a long-planned scheme!

This also reflected one thing: the opponent's strength was certainly not very high, otherwise, they wouldn't have waited until now to strike.

But when Chen Yuan glanced back, he saw the person in black, after forcing him back with a blade, nimbly beginning to harvest the precious herbs.

They were indeed here for the herbs, and the precious ones at that!

Chen Yuan's urge to seek reinforcements was instantly stifled.

If he ran now, it was highly likely that not a single precious herb would be saved, and he didn't know if he could bear that responsibility.

Most likely not!

Chen Yuan reached out to grab his bow and arrows, only to find the place in the room where they were kept was empty, leaving only a long spear.

There was no time to think; he grabbed the spear and rushed out.

Six Harmonies Mind Boxing focused on spear techniques, and although Master Huo hadn't taught him yet, he could still utilize the advantages of the long spear; after all, an extra inch of length meant an extra inch of power!

The spear thrust out like a dragon, piercing straight toward the man in black.

The man in black dared not meet the spear head-on; he dodged to the side, gripped his long saber, and continued his assault.

Chen Yuan had no intention of entangling with him; as the enemy advanced, he retreated, pulling back immediately.

After the man in black drove him off, he returned to harvest the precious herbs, but he had barely plucked two stalks before Chen Yuan came back again.

The man in black seemed angered. He raised his long saber to hack at the spear shaft, then lunged along the length of the pole, his offensive as fierce and sharp as a viper emerging from its den.

Chen Yuan retreated repeatedly, abandoning the spear entirely to pull back with all his might.

Just then, a sharp shout rang out from behind: "What thief dares to ambush the Li Family's herb garden?"

It was Zhang Hong, returning from the latrine, rushing over in a fit of rage.

The man in black seemed to realize the situation was lost; clutching half a bag of Stone Scale Flower, he turned and fled.

Zhang Hong snorted coldly, snatched up the spear from the ground, and gave chase, shouting a brief instruction:

"Chen Yuan, stay here and guard the place. Don't fall for a diversionary tactic."

With a flash, his figure vanished into the night.

Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to inspect the Stone Scale Flower patch, only to see a large, obvious gap in the field.

A glance revealed that at least a quarter of the mature Stone Scale Flower had been lost.

And that was only because he had intervened in time.

Even so, it was a serious matter. If Zhang Hong could recover the stolen Stone Scale Flower, it would be fine.

If he couldn't, both of them would inevitably be held responsible.

At this moment, a figure hurried over, seemingly having noticed the commotion, and asked urgently:

"What happened? Was the herb garden attacked?"

Chen Yuan turned to look; it was Huang Yongbo, the night shift guard coming to relieve him.

He had reached the Great Completion of Skin Tempering and the Lesser Completion of Clear Force, and he was the only one on duty for the night shift.

Chen Yuan recounted the events in a few brief sentences. Huang Yongbo's expression changed instantly, and he said solemnly:

"The loss of precious herbs is a grave matter. It must be reported to the steward or the head manager. Chen Yuan, stay here and don't move; I will go and report this."

Chen Yuan nodded in agreement.

He couldn't help but sigh. He had said that heaven wouldn't let him practice martial arts in peace, and sure enough, a major incident had occurred.

Fortunately, it was still within the range of what he could handle.

He hadn't expected that the rumors of herb garden attacks from a few days ago would actually happen to him.

He wondered if the Li Family had any hidden sentries stationed nearby.

Before long, Zhang Hong returned, carrying his long spear.

He was all alone, empty-handed, with visible resentment on his face.

There was no need to ask; he hadn't caught the thief, and the precious herbs were gone.

He asked in a deep voice: "Brother Chen, what exactly happened just now? What is the extent of the damage to the herb garden?"

Chen Yuan, who had been reviewing the incident, spoke as he thought:

"Brother Zhang, within a few moments of your departure, the man in black suddenly charged in with his saber. I had no weapon in hand and dared not clash with him. By the time I retreated to the back room to retrieve the spear, he had already harvested quite a bit of Stone Scale Flower.

Afterward, I used the spear to keep him at bay, which prevented him from emptying the garden, but a significant amount was still lost. We will need to verify the exact count, and then you arrived."

Zhang Hong nodded with a grave expression: "It seems this thief had scouted the location beforehand; he came prepared with a premeditated plan. When I gave chase, I found he was very familiar with the surrounding terrain. He vanished after I pursued him for a short distance."

He then inspected the losses of the Stone Scale Flower himself and frowned:

"A lot is missing. It seems both of us will have to bear the responsibility for this. Sigh, what rotten luck—why did they have to attack our section?"