Are you sure?

The thin morning mist had yet to clear completely as Mo Yun and his six companions followed the bluestone path toward the Spirit Herb Garden.

Although they had reported to the Spirit Herb Garden four days earlier, work at both locations needed to be handed over. Today was their first official day on the job, and all of them felt some anticipation.

Xiao Liu led the way, hopping and skipping like a monkey freshly released from its cage.

"We're finally starting work! The Spirit Herb Garden! That's the legendary retirement paradise! I hear the work there is ten times easier than in the Forge Room! Water a few plants, pull a few weeds, and you're done for the day. The rest of your time is all yours!"

He turned back to Mo Yun, his face alight with excitement. "Old Mo, we really have you to thank for this!"

Mo Yun's expression remained blank. "Could you stop bouncing around? You're making me dizzy."

Tang Yin followed behind and, for once, said nothing. He had changed into a new outfit today, apparently hoping to make a good impression on the steward on his first day.

Han Tang still had that scholarly air about him. He walked at an unhurried pace, but his gaze occasionally swept over the wild plants beside the path, as though he were trying to identify them.

Tie Zhu walked with his head down, saying nothing.

So did Zhang Qiang.

Luo Shan brought up the rear. His expression was as stern as ever, but there was more anticipation in his eyes than usual.

After about fifteen minutes, a garden enclosed by a bamboo fence appeared before them.

The garden was enormous, its far end lost from sight. All sorts of medicinal herbs grew inside, some low as moss, others tall as shrubs. A faint medicinal fragrance filled the air, and a single breath of it left them feeling refreshed.

At the garden entrance, an old man with a lame leg sat on a stone block, basking in the sun.

He looked to be in his sixties, with graying hair and deep furrows crisscrossing his face. His left leg was noticeably shorter than his right, and he leaned on a bamboo staff.

Dressed in a drab gray short jacket and straw sandals, he looked just like an old farmer.

But Mo Yun noticed that the old man's eyes were bright.

Not with the keen sparkle of youth, but with the clarity of someone who had seen through the ways of the world, as though nothing could hide from him.

"You're here?" The old man raised his head and glanced over the seven of them, his voice as raspy as sandpaper scraping wood.

"Good morning, Zhou Bo!" Sweet-tongued as ever, Xiao Liu was the first to approach. "We're the new menial workers. Commander Li sent us over to report a few days ago. We've finished handing over our old work, so we're officially starting here today!"

"I know." Zhou Bo nodded, his gaze moving over the group before finally settling on Mo Yun and lingering a moment longer.

"I hear there's a freakish talent among you who mastered the basics of the Tiger-Crouching Fist in half a month?"

Everyone turned to Mo Yun in unison.

Mo Yun scratched his head. "Just luck. A lucky break."

"Heh, quite a modest young man." Zhou Bo nodded, then waved a hand. "All right, follow me inside. First, let's get the rules straight."

He pushed himself up with his bamboo staff and limped inside.

They noticed that despite his bad leg, his steps were steady and followed a distinct rhythm, as though he had practiced some kind of footwork. Clearly, he was a martial artist as well.

Once they entered the garden, the medicinal fragrance grew stronger. Mo Yun drew a deep breath and felt every pore on his body open.

"The Spirit Herb Garden doesn't have many rules, but you'd better burn every one of them into your memory," Zhou Bo said as he walked, his tone unhurried.

"First, no stealing herbs. If I catch you, I'll break your legs and throw you out."

"Second, no trampling herbs. I'll teach you which paths to take through the beds. If you take a wrong step and damage a spirit herb, it comes out of your wages."

"Third, don't touch things without permission. Some spirit herbs are delicate enough that even the sweat on your hands can make them wither. Touch them only when you're told to. Otherwise, keep your distance."

"Understood?"

"Understood!" they answered in unison.

Zhou Bo nodded and led them past one herb bed after another, finally stopping before a row of low sheds.

Beneath the sheds lay all sorts of tools: buckets, dippers, shovels, shears, bamboo baskets, and a few objects whose purpose they couldn't identify.

"The Spirit Herb Garden has two sections." Zhou Bo pointed deeper into the garden. "This outer section consists of ordinary herb beds, where we grow common herbs for treating injuries and replenishing qi. Your daily work will be tending these."

He pointed farther in, toward an area separated by a wooden fence. "That's the Precious Herb Plot, where we grow genuine spirit herbs. Don't even think about going in there yet. Once you know the ordinary beds inside out, we'll talk."

Xiao Liu craned his neck to peer toward the Precious Herb Plot. "Zhou Bo, what treasures do you grow in the Precious Herb Plot?"

"None of your business." Zhou Bo rolled his eyes at him. "Learn to handle the ordinary beds first."

He took several hoes and buckets from a shed and handed them out.

"Your first day's work is simple: water and fertilize the Blood-Stopping Grass in bed number three."

"Blood-Stopping Grass likes shade, not sunlight, so water it in the morning and evening, never at noon. Spread fertilizer three inches away from the roots. Don't let it touch the stems or leaves, or it'll burn the plants."

"When you weed, keep your hands steady and pull the roots out completely. Don't leave any stubs, or they'll grow back in three days."

"Is that clear?"

"Yes!"

"Good. Get started, then. I'll be watching. If you do something wrong, don't blame me for giving you a tongue-lashing."

They took their tools and headed toward bed number three.

Bed number three wasn't large, covering roughly half a mu. It was filled with short green plants whose thick leaves had finely serrated edges: Blood-Stopping Grass.

Xiao Liu rushed in first and rolled up his sleeves, ready to work.

"Don't rush into it!" Zhou Bo's voice came from behind him. "What did I say about watering?"

Xiao Liu paused. "Morning and evening... It's morning now, so we can water them, right?"

"Yes, but do you know how much water to use?"

Xiao Liu froze again.

Zhou Bo approached with his bamboo staff and pointed to a row of wooden buckets along the edge of the bed. "See those buckets? Each contains a prepared fertilizer solution. One bucket waters ten plants. Too much will rot the roots; too little won't do any good."

He glanced over the seven of them, then pointed to a small, specially marked-off patch. "You seven, finish watering this section. I'll be back to inspect it in an hour. Anyone who does a poor job will do it again."

With that, he ambled away on his bamboo staff.

Xiao Liu let out a breath. "I thought it'd be hard. It's just watering and fertilizing! I've farmed back home. Easy!"

He picked up a bucket of fertilizer solution, scooped out a dipperful, and splashed it over a stalk of Blood-Stopping Grass.

"One plant!"

Then he scooped up another dipperful and poured it out with a splash-

"Two plants!"

His movements were positively bold and sweeping.

Watching beside him, Tang Yin frowned, then picked up a bucket himself and began watering.

But he clearly had little experience with farmwork. Half the water in his dipper spilled onto the path, leaving little for the herbs.

Tie Zhu, on the other hand, worked steadily, watering carefully one dipperful at a time. He was simply too slow.

Zhang Qiang did a serviceable job, neither fast nor slow.

Han Tang didn't rush to begin. Instead, he crouched down and carefully examined the growth of the Blood-Stopping Grass and the moisture in the soil before he started watering.

His movements were gentle. Every dipperful landed squarely at the roots, without a single drop splashing onto the leaves.

Luo Shan worked in silence, his face expressionless, but his technique was unexpectedly practiced. It seemed he had done plenty of farmwork before.

Mo Yun didn't rush to begin either. He first circled the herb bed, roughly counted the stalks of Blood-Stopping Grass, and estimated how many plants each bucket of fertilizer solution could water.

Only then did he get to work.

He moved slowly, but every dipperful was just right. The amount was neither too much nor too little, and his aim was precise, allowing the water to soak down to the roots without splashing onto the leaves.

About fifteen minutes later, Xiao Liu was the first to finish. He clapped his hands together, looking immensely pleased with himself. "Done! Ha, I really am a genius!"

Zhou Bo's voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Are you sure?"