Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence

Wang Mengde picked up the promissory note and examined it carefully.

The terms were written very clearly: one Soul-Returning Healing Pill borrowed, repayment due in one month, principal and interest totaling five low-grade spirit stones, along with Shen Qingyue's fingerprint. Everything was in order.

Wang Mengde harbored some doubts. When the two men had first seen him, their faces had been filled with astonishment. There was definitely something wrong.

But at present, the promissory note was in his hand, the fingerprint was clear, and Shen Qingyue had indeed fed him the pill. His injuries had indeed healed.

By Rosy Cloud Island's rules, this promissory note was valid.

Wang Mengde suppressed his doubts, the smile on his face unchanged. These two were stronger than him, and one of them was the brother-in-law of a fourth-level Qi Refinement talisman master. They were not people he could afford to offend right now. His expression even took on a trace of sincere apology.

"I've read it clearly. Rest assured, brothers. I'll remember it. In one month, I will certainly present the five spirit stones."

Chen the Pockmarked glanced at Wang Mengde in surprise.

This man had always cowered whenever he saw him. Though he was still smiling ingratiatingly today, his words were crisp, and his eyes no longer darted away as they had before.

"Fine. Those words are enough."

Chen the Pockmarked took back the promissory note, carefully folded it, and tucked it into his robes.

"Remember, one month only. If I don't see those spirit stones by then, don't blame me, Chen Dahu, for showing no mercy and taking your spirit boat."

He shot Wang Mengde a threatening glare, then swept an ill-intentioned look over Shen Qingyue, who stood beside them with her head lowered. Only then did he leave in a swagger with Chen Two-Tiger.

Not until their footsteps had faded and the courtyard gate had closed again did Shen Qingyue seem to deflate like a punctured ball, her shoulders slumping.

She walked over to Wang Mengde, her eyes rimmed red and her face full of guilt. "Brother-in-law... I'm sorry. You looked like you were about to die, and I panicked, so I... I made the decision myself. I..."

That small spirit boat was the family's only valuable possession, as well as their means of making a living.

Seeing her on the verge of tears, consumed by self-reproach, Wang Mengde did not blame her.

No matter what, in those circumstances, the girl had only done everything in her power to save "his" life.

He reached out and gently ruffled his sister-in-law's hair. "Qingyue, don't say that. You saved my life. I haven't even had time to thank you—how could I blame you?"

Feeling the warmth on top of her head, Shen Qingyue's nose stung, and her tears finally fell. She hastily wiped them away with the back of her hand, then began worrying about the practical matter again.

"But... Brother-in-law, five spirit stones in one month... how can we possibly repay that?"

Five low-grade spirit stones were an astronomical sum to them.

Her brother-in-law worked himself to the bone every day, combing the shore and using Fishing Technique. After deducting the steep rent and necessary expenses, being able to save fifty spirit sand in a month was already exceptionally good luck.

Five spirit stones meant saving for nearly a year.

How could they possibly gather it all in one month?

If they lost their small spirit boat, they would have to rent a boat to fish offshore in the future.

After deducting the steep boat rental fee from their daily catch, there would barely be anything left. They likely would not even be able to scrape together the rent.

If they could not afford rent, they would be driven from Rosy Cloud Island. They might be seized by wicked cultivators to practice their arts, or devoured by demons.

"Don't worry. We'll find a way. Let's eat first."

The dazed look in Wang Mengde's eyes from earlier had vanished, replaced by calm.

No matter how unwilling he was to transmigrate, he was already here.

Things had come to this. Wailing to heaven and earth, blaming heaven and resenting others, would accomplish nothing.

Only after eating and drinking his fill would he have the energy to think of a solution.

In his previous life, Wang Mengde had managed at twenty-nine to save a down payment and buy and renovate a home all by himself. Deep down, he had never been someone who easily accepted his fate.

Workplace infighting, the pressure of loans... which of those had not been a hurdle?

He had overcome them all, one by one.

This world was incomparably dangerous, and he now owed a massive debt. It could be called a hellish start.

Still, when there was a problem, he would find a way to solve it.

Whether he could solve it in the end or not, whatever the outcome, he would simply give it everything he had.

The two walked to the dining table and ate together.

Shen Qingyue's mind was full of the massive debt. Anxious and unsettled, she ate absentmindedly, the food as tasteless as wax.

Wang Mengde, on the other hand, had a big heart and ate in large mouthfuls.

Mm, it tasted pretty good.

Wang Mengde looked up and saw his sister-in-law frowning, eating her rice grain by grain.

He picked up his chopsticks, took another helping of shredded meat from his own bowl, and put it into Shen Qingyue's bowl without allowing argument. "What are you thinking about? Even if the sky falls, you still have to fill your stomach first. Eat."

Shen Qingyue was startled by the extra shredded meat in her bowl and looked up at her brother-in-law.

Wang Mengde's expression was calm. There was none of his usual evasiveness or timidity in his eyes. He seemed remarkably composed.

That calmness seemed to carry a strange infectious power, seeping into Shen Qingyue's panicked heart.

She nodded, imitating her brother-in-law. She picked up a large mouthful of rice along with the shredded meat he had given her, put it into her mouth, and chewed hard.

The flavor of the food seemed to return to her tongue, carrying a kind of steadying strength.

As she ate, she could not help secretly lifting her eyes to sneak a swift glance at her brother-in-law beside her.

Her brother-in-law seemed to have changed.

He no longer seemed as meek and submissive, as timid and afraid of trouble, as before.

He also seemed... more spirited, and even... a little more handsome.

Whether she had eaten too quickly or thought of something else, Shen Qingyue only felt her cheeks suddenly grow hot. A flush quietly crept up to her ears.

She hurriedly lowered her head, stared into her bowl, and shoveled rice into her mouth even faster.

After breakfast.

Shen Qingyue swiftly cleared away the dishes, washed the bowls and plates clean, and put them away.

She wiped her hands and looked at Wang Mengde. "Brother-in-law, rest well at home. The tide has just gone out. I'll go comb the shore and see if I can gather some shrimp, crabs, snails, and shellfish."

Five spirit stones were a huge sum. Her brother-in-law could never repay it alone within a month. Anything she could help with, she would.

Wang Mengde stood. "Qingyue, let's go together."

His memories told him that combing the shore was not entirely without danger. Changing tides, poisonous creatures hidden beneath reefs and mud, and the occasional low-level demon fish were all things an ordinary young girl could not easily handle.

Moreover, of the three spells his predecessor had mastered, one was called Spirit Eye Technique. It had been cultivated specifically for combing the shore and allowed one to see sea goods that ordinary people could not see.

"Brother-in-law, your injuries have only just healed. Can you manage?" Shen Qingyue's delicate brows knitted together in worry.

Their parents had died early, and her sister had abandoned her. To Shen Qingyue, her brother-in-law was her only support in this world.

"It's fine. Moving around will get the blood and qi flowing, and I'll recover faster instead." Wang Mengde smiled, his tone relaxed. "Come on. Two people searching will always be faster than one."

His injuries had already completely healed. He needed to become familiar with this world's way of survival as quickly as possible.

Seeing Wang Mengde insist, Shen Qingyue stopped trying to persuade him, merely reminding him carefully, "Then Brother-in-law, don't push yourself. Rest if you get tired."

She turned and took out the tools for combing the shore from the storage room: a bamboo basket, a small iron rake, an old pair of scissors, and two crude net bags woven from hemp rope.

The two brought their tools, locked the courtyard gate, and headed toward the shore along the bluestone path.

This stretch of tidal flats at the edge of Rosy Cloud Island was quite large and littered with reefs. By the time they reached the shore, quite a few people were already busily at work.

Most were ordinary fishermen from the island, dressed in short work clothes and barefoot as they searched through mudflats and shallow water.

Every so often, they could also see one or two cultivators with faint fluctuations of spiritual power around them. Most were first-level Qi Refinement cultivators like Wang Mengde.

Their movements were nimbler and their gazes sharper. They often found things in places others overlooked.

The air was filled with the smell of the sea, mud, and the occasional delighted cry from someone making a catch.

Wang Mengde and his sister-in-law walked to an area of reefs with comparatively fewer people.

Wang Mengde did not immediately start searching. Instead, he stepped onto a slightly elevated reef and slowly swept his gaze over this familiar yet unfamiliar shore.

He took a deep breath, drew upon the spiritual energy in his dantian, and carefully guided it into his eyes along the circulation route from his predecessor's memories.

A faint warmth and swelling sensation came from his eyelids, and the scene before him began to change.

The ordinary reefs, puddles, and beach seemed to be covered by a faint, flowing filter of light.

Within those apparently empty crevices between the reefs, at the bottom of those muddy puddles, beneath the shallow layer of sand.

He began to vaguely see faint outlines, some still and some moving slowly, outlines that ordinary eyes found difficult to perceive.

However, the Spirit Eye Technique's effect was extremely limited. Its range was only around two zhang from his body. Beyond that, everything became hazy, as though viewed through frosted glass.

Furthermore, most of those outlines were dim and blurred, their details difficult to make out.

After all, this was merely beginner-level Spirit Eye Technique. It consumed a fair amount of spiritual energy, yet its effect was mediocre.

But just then.

A line of clear golden text appeared in Wang Mengde's mind without warning.

[Spirit Eye Technique +1]

As the words appeared, fragmentary insights regarding Spirit Eye Technique quietly surged into his mind.

For example, when spiritual energy had just been injected into his eyes, a certain subtle point could have been made smoother.

How to adjust the focus of one's mental concentration to strengthen the effect of seeing through shallow obstructions.

There had been a place during the casting process just now where he had wasted a small amount of spiritual energy.

These insights were not profound; some were even trivial.

Yet they were like missing puzzle pieces gently pushed into their proper places, making Wang Mengde's understanding of the basic spell Spirit Eye Technique instantly become a little clearer and smoother.

Wang Mengde's heart gave a violent leap. He could hardly believe what he had sensed.

He subconsciously looked again at the reef from before and focused his mind as he activated Spirit Eye Technique.

This time, the process of injecting spiritual energy truly seemed a little smoother, and the energy expenditure required to maintain his vision also seemed a little lighter.

Immediately afterward, a golden scroll seemed to slowly unfurl in the depths of Wang Mengde's mind, displaying several lines of archaic golden text.

[Fate Bearer: Wang Mengde]

[Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence (Diligence Must Bear Fruit)]

[Qi Refinement Cultivation: Qi Refinement Level One (98/100)]

[Body Cultivation: Body Tempering Level One (52/100)]

[Technique: Minor Five-Element Breathing Art Level One (98/100)]

[Spells: Spirit Eye Technique (Beginner) 99/100; Fishing Technique (Beginner) 98/100; Entwining Silk Technique (Beginner) 99/100]