Over the next few days, the atmosphere in the Spirit Herb Garden grew rather strange.
Mo Yun kept Commander Li's secret instructions firmly in mind and said nothing about the figure he had seen at the edge of the Spirit Herb Garden that evening.
Every morning, after practicing his fist technique, he went to the herb plots as usual to weed and water them.
Once work ended, he had no inclination to wander around. He put away his tools and left early, returning to his normal routine of traveling between his dormitory and the Rear Mountain.
Only three days passed before trouble struck those few patches along the edge of the ordinary herb plots.
Several lingzhi plants that had been thriving, along with some of the companion herbs around them, suddenly developed an eerie gray-black discoloration around their roots and stems. Then, as though their vitality had been drained dry, the entire plants yellowed and wilted at a speed visible to the naked eye.
No amount of watering or fertilizing helped. Like elderly people with one foot in the grave, those spirit herbs had rotted completely at the roots and could no longer be saved.
This sudden turn of events left Liu Niang, who had temporarily taken charge of the Spirit Herb Garden, utterly bewildered.
"How could this happen? I've only been in charge of the Spirit Herb Garden for a few days, and something like this has already gone wrong!"
Liu Niang stood before the dead spirit herbs, her normally spirited face covered in anxiety and a fine sheen of cold sweat.
Spirit herbs were one of the lifelines of Crouching Tiger Manor. If she failed to handle this properly, the monstrous weight of blame would come crashing down, and even the Village Master would likely punish her severely.
Trembling with fear, Liu Niang immediately launched a series of swift, forceful investigations, even turning the entire Spirit Herb Garden upside down.
Unfortunately, aside from discovering that someone had poisoned the spirit herbs with a highly corrosive poison powder, she learned almost nothing. All she could do was stand there staring helplessly, consumed by worry.
During this time, Commander Li used an inspection as a pretext to quietly pull Mo Yun into a secluded corner.
"Little Mo, let what you saw that day rot in your belly for now. Don't mention it to anyone." Commander Li's rugged face was utterly serious.
"These waters run deeper than I imagined. You're only a martial artist who's just begun his training. One careless move could bring death down on your head."
Although Mo Yun did not know what tangled schemes lay hidden beneath all this, his instincts told him that listening to Commander Li was the right choice at a time like this.
So, even as Liu Niang scurried like an ant on a hot pan, with flames practically licking at her eyebrows, Mo Yun remained as steady as an old hound and acted as though nothing had happened.
He worked diligently each day, clocked out on time, and devoted all his energy to training on the Rear Mountain at night.
In the blink of an eye, another five days passed.
There was still no sign of Zhou Bo returning.
Meanwhile, the situation in the Spirit Herb Garden deteriorated rapidly. More and more spirit herbs began to wilt, and that eerie gray-black discoloration spread like a plague, even reaching the edge of the Precious Herb Plot separated by wooden fencing!
Now, the matter could no longer be kept under wraps.
Word reached the Inner Court, and the Village Master flew into a thunderous rage. His order was blunt: if the real culprit was not found and the matter resolved within three days, Liu Niang could bring him her head!
The moment she received that verbal decree, Liu Niang seemed to lose every ounce of strength. Her face turned as white as paper, and terror shattered her nerve.
She truly had tried her hardest, but no matter what she did, she could neither find the source of the poison powder nor catch the hidden hand sabotaging the Spirit Herb Garden. For a time, she had absolutely no idea what to do.
In the end, this woman who had always prided herself on her strength seemed to accept her fate.
While working, Mo Yun happened to catch sight of a sharp knife that had appeared at Liu Niang's waist.
She had clearly prepared for the worst. If the three days ran out and she still had no leads, she intended to kill herself to atone for her failure rather than implicate her family.
Seeing Liu Niang's despair sent a chill through Mo Yun's heart.
Through this incident, he became painfully clear about one cruel reality.
In this world of martial arts, where human lives were worth no more than blades of grass, he had to possess sufficient strength.
Otherwise, whether he lived or died would amount to nothing more than an offhand remark from someone powerful.
That night, cold winds howled across the Rear Mountain.
Bare-chested, Mo Yun practiced the Tiger-Crouching Fist among the trees, sweat pouring off him like rain. Every punch blasted out with a deep rush of wind.
Once I free myself from this menial servant's slave status, if I get the chance, I'll leave Crouching Tiger Manor and become a free man, unbound in the vast world beyond... Mo Yun silently swore.
Just then, roughly eight days after he had last formed a black point, Mo Yun felt a faint warmth at his wrist.
Light swirled through the black portion of the Black-and-White Seal once again. It filled completely, then dissolved into specks of starlight that flowed into the center of his brow.
He eagerly summoned the virtual panel.
[Available points: black 2, white 0]
Mo Yun drew a deep breath, his gaze gradually firming with resolve. Without the slightest hesitation, he chose to spend his points on advancing the Tiger-Crouching Fist.
In truth, according to the usual principles of gradual martial progression, the Tiger-Crouching Stance was his foundation and determined how solid that foundation was. Advancing his stance training first was clearly the better choice.
But Mo Yun kept feeling that dark currents were surging through the Mountain Manor lately, leaving it anything but peaceful.
Danger seemed to be right before his eyes. At a time like this, directly improving his highly destructive fist technique and boosting his combat power was the surest way to stay alive!
"Spend points on the Tiger-Crouching Fist!"
At a thought, his two black points instantly dropped to zero.
Boom!
Countless profound insights into the Tiger-Crouching Fist flooded his mind like a torrent bursting through a dam.
Mo Yun felt as though he had spent years training bitterly amid fierce winds and driving rain. Every muscle memory, every method of exerting force, had been engraved into his marrow.
Earth-shaking changes took place inside his body as well. His bones gave off tooth-grating cracks and pops, while his muscle fibers tore apart and swiftly reformed, becoming tougher and denser.
A moment later, everything settled, and his new base stats appeared on the panel.
[Constitution 5.6, life 2, defense 3.6, spiritual power 0] [Martial arts: Nameless Fist Technique (Minor Accomplishment), Tiger-Crouching Fist (Minor Accomplishment), Tiger-Crouching Stance (First Glimpse of the Way)] [Current cultivation: early bright strength] [Special ability: Pill Dao (not yet initiated)] [Available points: black 0, white 0]
The Tiger-Crouching Fist had leaped from First Glimpse of the Way straight to Minor Accomplishment!
His black points had returned to zero, and the Black Seal had likewise been emptied.
Meanwhile, the light within the White Mark rose another notch.
What delighted Mo Yun even more was that, after these days of working in the Spirit Herb Garden and listening to Zhou Bo and Liu Niang explain medicinal principles, the words "Pill Dao (not yet initiated)" had miraculously appeared under special abilities!
Mo Yun clenched his fists tightly, feeling the terrifying strength coursing through his knuckles. Although the panel still listed his cultivation as early bright strength, he now felt explosive power filling every inch of his body.
"Whew... with this feeling, if I fought the me from a few hours ago, I could kill two of him with one punch!"
But amid his excitement, Mo Yun quickly calmed down. He gave a bitter laugh, realizing that his "staying power" had developed another serious problem.
His fist technique's power had soared, but his stance training had not kept pace. That meant his total reserves of force energy were still stretched painfully thin. If he unleashed his full strength, just a few punches might drain him dry.
Yet he had no regrets.
At a critical moment like this, advancing my fist technique first was absolutely the right choice. At least, if I really run into something deadly, I have a trump card that can kill in one unexpected strike and turn the tide against the wind!
Mo Yun raised his head to look at the sky, his gaze deep. Once a little more time passes and the next black point forms, I'll advance my stance training too. By then, my cultivation should naturally step into Mid Bright Strength!
Before you continue