Medicine Garden Anomaly

The Inner Sect Management Office had assigned him a guarding post in the western Medicine Field.

The Medicine Field was remote, far from the Inner Sect disciples' residences. After passing through two patches of mixed woodland and a dried-up streambed, even walking briskly took nearly half an hour.

The flagstone path ended after fifteen minutes. Beyond it was all dirt roads and scattered rocks, and the farther he went, the more desolate it became.

The Medicine Field lay between the Sect's walls and a low mountain. Three sides were hemmed in by cliffs and dense forest, with only one road leading out to the east.

There was a gap in the wall here, patched with a wooden fence. But the fence had grown old, several stakes had come loose, and a person could squeeze through the gaps. It was fine during the day, but at night, the place was so quiet it felt as though another layer separated it from the Sect.

The Medicine Field was not large, but it grew all the main ingredients needed to refine Meridian Opening Pills: Crimson Blood Ginseng, Azure Spirit Grass, and Jade Pith Flower.

Ye An's task was to guard the place, ensuring that no outsiders broke in and that no one within the Sect secretly harvested anything.

Someone from the management office led Ye An along the route, pointed to the small hut beside the Medicine Garden, and said, "You'll be staying here from now on." Then he handed Ye An a key.

The hut was small, with a plank bed, a table, a chair, and two rows of wooden shelves nailed to the wall. Ye An hung the Shuanghong Sword on the wall above the bed, placed the Iron Sand Gloves beside his pillow, and stacked the Meridian Opening Formula and Star-Shattering Finger manuals in the corner of the table. He began his patrols that very afternoon.

The Medicine Field had three Outer Sect Disciples under its charge. All three were in the Body Tempering Realm, responsible for watering the plants, loosening the soil, and recording the yields.

One was named He Liu. He had undergone three Body Temperings and was the leader here, handling the accounts and scheduling. The other two had undergone one Body Tempering each. One was surnamed Chen, and the other Zhou. They usually handled the rough labor and never touched the ledgers.

Life after reaching Meridian Opening was steadier than Ye An had expected.

Every morning, he went to the Inner Sect's Martial Practice Ground to practice the Star-Shattering Finger. In the mornings, he circulated the Meridian Opening Formula. In the afternoons, he guarded the western Medicine Field. At night, he practiced the Rosy Cloud Sword Technique in the open ground behind the hut.

His time was chopped into fragments, but every piece was moving him forward.

[Meridian Opening Formula (First Layer): 1/100]

[Meridian Opening Formula (First Layer): 12/100]

[Meridian Opening Formula (First Layer): 20/100]

[Star-Shattering Finger (Initial Glance): 1/100]

[Star-Shattering Finger (Initial Glance): 19/100]

[Star-Shattering Finger (Initial Glance): 31/100]

The Star-Shattering Finger came more smoothly than he had expected.

The Azure Cloud Finger advanced straight in from the front, while the Star-Shattering Finger cut diagonally from the side. The two paths converged at the wrist.

After practicing the Azure Cloud Finger for so long, he had long since tempered the flexibility of his wrists and his control over Internal Energy. The Star-Shattering Finger was like widening a road he had already paved. With the talent of a Sage of Martial Dao, he encountered none of the problem others described as "having a skewed point of exertion and easily going astray."

After spending several days stationed at the Medicine Field and finishing the ledgers from the past three months, he discovered that the loss rate had been kept within a range that was just low enough not to attract attention.

The loss recorded each month was not large, but added together, the missing amount was enough to refine more than a dozen Meridian Opening Pills. He made no mark in the ledger, returned it to its original place, and continued patrolling.

He Liu worked swiftly, and his accounts were immaculate.

But Ye An noticed that he occasionally disappeared for a short while. When he returned, there was mud on his cuffs, and sometimes several crushed blades of grass clung to the hem of his robe. Ye An did not ask, nor did he mention it to anyone.

The Medicine Field also had two other disciples stationed there who were in the Early-Meridian Opening stage.

Ye An had crossed paths with them several times.

One was named Zhao Yin. He was tall and thin, spoke in an unhurried manner, and whenever he looked at someone, his gaze always lingered on them for a moment before moving away.

Another was named Qian Hu. He was short and sturdy, with a voice that was not loud but a coarse laugh, as though his throat were stuffed with sandpaper. Ye An had encountered them several times. Their attitude toward him was neither warm nor cold; a nod was enough to count as a greeting.

At night, Ye An usually did not remain in the hut.

There was a small open space on the western side of the Medicine Field, enclosed by several old trees. People occasionally passed by during the day, but no one came there at night.

That was where he practiced the Rosy Cloud Sword Art—the Spirit Grade sword technique he had found on Song Qingci's body. He had never formally practiced it before. Back in the Outer Sect, there had been too many eyes around for him to dare. Here in the Medicine Field, it was much more convenient.

There were few people at night, and the place was remote. With the trees blocking the wall as well, the sword light was unlikely to be seen.

That night, he was practicing the third form when, as the sword tip traced an arc, the corner of his eye caught sight of a figure walking over from the direction of the Medicine Field. The footsteps were light and slow, as though the person were avoiding something.

Ye An withdrew his sword stance without making a sound and stood there quietly. The figure drew closer, and moonlight fell across that face—it was He Liu.

He Liu saw him as well. His expression and footsteps clearly faltered for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal and greeted Ye An. His tone was as calm as though they had merely met by chance on the road. "Senior Brother Ye, it's so late. You're still cultivating?"

Ye An glanced at him. "Mm. What about you? You're still inspecting the Medicine Garden this late at night?"

He Liu smoothly picked up the conversation. "That's right. The wind is strong at night, and several Azure Spirit Grass plants might have been blown askew, so I came to take a look." He sounded perfectly natural, but Ye An noticed the hand hanging at his side clench once before relaxing.

Ye An did not expose him. He nodded. "Thanks for the effort. Go back and rest early."

He Liu gave a slight bow, turned around, and walked back toward the Medicine Field.

Ye An watched him disappear into the distance. The losses in the Medicine Field could not have been caused by He Liu alone.

He handled the daily records, but those accounts were too clean, far beyond the ability of an Outer Sect Disciple like him. There were people behind him—more than one.

As for the Song Family, news of Song Qingci had long since been sent back. Her body had been found, confirmed beyond doubt, and carried back to the Song Family.

Song Yuanshan had not left his study for several days, telling outsiders only that he was unwell. In May, another piece of news was delivered to the Song Family's side hall.

Ye An, the Outer Sect Disciple who had survived the Qingshi Beast Arena, had broken through to Meridian Opening and was now an Inner Sect Disciple of the Four Symbols Sect. His Bone Structure was High-Grade C, and he had been in the Sect for less than half a year.

The note was delivered to Song Yuanshan's desk. He set down the account book in his hand, picked it up, and read it twice without making a sound or rising from his seat.

He folded the note and placed it on the desk. Pressing the corner down with his right index finger, he tapped it lightly against the desktop twice.

The steward lowered his head, not daring to look at his expression.

"An Outer Sect Disciple with High-Grade C Bone Structure, who hasn't even been in the Sect for half a year, has reached Meridian Opening?"

"He came back alive, but my daughter didn't. The heavens truly have no eyes, letting an ordinary nobody like that survive!"

"Investigate him! Use the Song Family's methods and teach him a lesson!"

The steward beside him nodded repeatedly.

This news would not reach the Four Symbols Sect.

Ye An did not know how many times Song Yuanshan had read his name. He only knew that the wind in the Medicine Field remained cool, and that there was something wrong with this place.

Halfway through June, he had already made it through nearly half of the First Layer of the Meridian Opening Formula, and the strength at his fingertips with the Star-Shattering Finger had become somewhat more solid than before. Ye An closed the manual and placed it in the corner of the table, then pushed open the window and glanced outside. The Medicine Field was very quiet. The leaves of the Azure Spirit Grass glimmered with a dark-green sheen beneath the moonlight, while the wooden fence beside the wall remained just as it had always been.

He closed the window, sat back down at the table, and continued turning to the second layer.

[Meridian Opening Formula (First Layer): 24/100]

[Star-Shattering Finger (Initial Glance): 36/100]

[Rosy Cloud Sword Technique (Initial Glance): 10/100]