Chen Yuan had enjoyed another peaceful month, a rare stroke of luck.
The Golden Blade Sect hadn't returned for revenge, Yu Yan, whom he'd offended before, had made no move, and Chen Kai's family, who loved to rub his face in it, had quieted down. No one at Huo Academy dared to provoke him, either. He was content to guard the herb garden in peace, with no strange beasts and no villains attacking it. Life was good.
Other people tried to keep their heads down, only to be plagued by one problem after another. But he'd managed to lie low with ease, and it was just...
His comprehension and progress in cultivation had steadily improved:
[Comprehension: 52]
[Constitution: 53]
[Cultivation: Skin Realm (Minor Accomplishment); Clear Force (Minor Accomplishment)]
[Techniques]
[Rock-Solid Stance Technique (Minor Accomplishment): 466/1000]
[Six Harmonies Mind Boxing (Minor Accomplishment): 351/1000]
[Dao of Survival Points: 1]
[Assessment: You keep a low profile, do no harm to others, and understand the wisdom of concealing your strengths. You've taken your first steps on the Dao of Survival. Daily Dao of Survival Points: +4]
After months of accumulating points, his comprehension was finally about to catch up with his constitution.
Compared with when his comprehension was only 10, Chen Yuan felt as if he'd been given a new brain. His understanding of the techniques was on an entirely different level.
So lately, he'd spent just as much time practicing Six Harmonies Mind Boxing as he did the Rock-Solid Stance Technique. Both were steadily advancing.
His Clear Force had reached minor accomplishment, and his Skin Realm was close to major accomplishment. However, he hadn't reported that he'd reached minor accomplishment in Clear Force. He planned to report it together with his major accomplishment in Skin Refining, so he could get a hefty raise in his monthly pay.
He estimated it would take another month or two before he could try to break through the Bone Realm and advance further.
At that point, he'd be able to begin cultivating the Dragon-Elephant Prison-Suppressing Body and make it his trump card.
Before the Martial Examination, comprehending Dark Force was all but certain.
Everything was going so smoothly.
Chen Yuan thought that if he hadn't walked every step of the way himself, looking back now would feel like a dream.
After practicing Six Harmonies Mind Boxing a few times, he drank some Body Strengthening Soup, then lay back in his reclining chair to bask in the moonlight. It was pure bliss.
He hoped this stretch of good fortune didn't mean Heaven was about to drop something huge on him.
"Brother Chen, keep an eye on the herb garden for me. My stomach's acting up. I'll be right back." Zhang Hong's voice suddenly rang out. He did sound like he was in some discomfort.
Chen Yuan nodded. "All right. Don't be long."
Zhang Hong hurried off toward the woods.
Chen Yuan got up from his reclining chair and steeled himself to patrol the garden.
Medicinal herbs were thriving in the garden's acre or so of rich, black humus.
Stone Scale Flowers, precious herbs, grew in the garden's southeastern corner.
This month, Zhang Hong had once again kept the allotted loss quota tightly under control. But even a veteran like him wouldn't dare tamper with these precious herbs.
Chen Yuan looked up at the moonlit sky, figuring it was nearly time to change shifts.
It seemed tonight's watch would end peacefully, too...
It was late autumn. The cicadas had fallen silent, and all was still. Even the faintest footstep was easy to hear.
When dry leaves rustled beneath someone's feet, Chen Yuan's heart tightened. Every muscle in his body tensed, and he turned toward the sound, ready for anything.
A black-clad figure leapt high into the air, aiming to jump straight into the garden. A long saber in his hand gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
The instant he landed, he shot forward, his saber aimed straight at Chen Yuan's throat. He meant to kill him with one strike!
Chen Yuan's pupils had constricted the moment he saw the black-clad man. He judged that the man was most likely a martial artist who'd reached major accomplishment in Skin Refining, and he carried a weapon. There was no way Chen Yuan could take him head-on.
He immediately turned and ran, afraid that even a moment's delay would let the man catch him.
Ten taels of silver a month wasn't worth risking his life.
Chen Yuan had wanted to find Zhang Hong for help, but the bastard had gone off to take a dump. The herb garden really had been attacked the moment the intruder found an opening. This had to be premeditated!
It also told him something: the attacker couldn't be all that strong, or he wouldn't have waited until now to strike.
But when Chen Yuan glanced back, he saw that after forcing him away with a single slash, the black-clad man had nimbly begun gathering the precious herbs.
So he really had come for the herbs—and the precious ones at that!
Chen Yuan immediately stopped thinking about calling for help.
If he ran, there was a good chance not a single precious herb would be left. He didn't know whether he could shoulder the blame.
Probably not!
Chen Yuan reached for his bow and arrows, only to find the spot where they'd been kept in the hut empty. All that remained was a long spear.
There was no time to think. He snatched up the spear and charged out.
Six Harmonies Mind Boxing focused on spear techniques. Master Huo hadn't taught him how to use a spear yet, but he could still put its reach to good use. After all, a longer weapon had the advantage!
The spear darted out like a dragon, thrusting straight at the black-clad man.
The man didn't dare meet the spear head-on. He dodged, gripped his saber, and charged again.
Chen Yuan didn't engage him at all. When the enemy advanced, he retreated, pulling away at once.
After driving Chen Yuan off, the black-clad man went back to gathering the precious herbs. But he'd barely picked two when Chen Yuan charged back in.
The black-clad man seemed to lose his temper. He raised his saber and knocked the spear aside, then rushed along the shaft to attack. His assault was vicious, like a venomous snake striking from its hole.
Chen Yuan retreated again and again, even abandoning the spear as he pulled back with all his might.
Just then, an angry shout rang out behind him. "What sort of thief dares attack the Li Family's herb garden?"
It was Zhang Hong, back from the latrine. He was rushing over, furious.
The black-clad man seemed to realize the job was impossible. Carrying half a sack of Stone Scale Flowers, he turned and ran.
Zhang Hong snorted, snatched up the spear from the ground, and chased after him. He gave a quick warning as he went:
"Chen Yuan, stay here and guard the garden. It might be a trick to lure us away."
He vanished into the night in a flash.
Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to inspect the Stone Scale Flower patch. A large gap was clearly visible in the soil.
At a glance, at least a quarter of the mature Stone Scale Flowers were gone.
That was after he'd stepped in to stop the thief.
It was still a serious loss, though. If Zhang Hong managed to recover the stolen flowers, that would be fine.
If he didn't, the two of them would surely be held responsible.
Just then, someone hurried over. It seemed he'd noticed something was wrong, and he asked at once, "What happened? Was the herb garden attacked?"
Chen Yuan turned around. It was Huang Yongbo, the night-shift guard coming to relieve them.
He'd reached major accomplishment in Skin Refining and minor accomplishment in Clear Force. He was the only one on night watch.
Chen Yuan explained what had happened in a few brief sentences. Huang Yongbo's expression changed at once, and he said in a grave voice, "The loss of precious herbs is a serious matter. We have to report it to the steward or the head steward. Chen Yuan, stay here. I'll go report it."
Chen Yuan nodded.
He couldn't help sighing. He'd said Heaven wouldn't let him practice martial arts in peace. Sure enough, it had dropped something huge on him.
Fortunately, it was still within what he could handle.
He hadn't expected the herb garden attack that had caused a stir a while back to actually happen to him.
He wondered whether the Li Family had placed any Secret Stakes there to guard the garden.
Before long, Zhang Hong returned with the spear in his hand.
He was alone and carried nothing. His face was plainly full of resentment.
There was no need to ask. He hadn't caught the thief, and the precious herbs were gone.
He asked in a low voice, "Brother Chen, what exactly happened? How much did the garden lose?"
Chen Yuan was already reviewing what had happened. He spoke as he recalled the details:
"Brother Zhang, only a few moments after you left, that black-clad man suddenly rushed in with a saber. I didn't have a weapon, so I didn't dare face him. By the time I'd retreated to the back room and grabbed the spear, he'd already taken quite a few Stone Scale Flowers.
"After that, I used the spear to keep him at a distance. That stopped him from clearing out the entire patch, but we still lost quite a lot. We'll have to check properly to know how much. Then you came back."
Zhang Hong nodded gravely. "Looks like that thief had been scouting the place. He came prepared and had planned it out. When I chased him, I realized he knew the surrounding terrain well. I followed him for a while, then he disappeared."
He also inspected the damage to the Stone Scale Flowers, then frowned.
"A lot are missing. Looks like we're both going to be held responsible this time. Damn it. Why did they have to attack our garden?"
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