Visibility had improved greatly. To keep others from noticing anything amiss, Lin Fan stopped cultivating.
About half an hour later, a servant found Lin Fan and told him he could go back to rest. He would not need to patrol during the day.
Lin Fan returned to the estate and followed the servant to the dining hall. Seeing the large bowl filled to the brim with medicinal food before him, he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had thought he would be unable to continue cultivating the Body Tempering Art during his days waiting here. Now that there was medicinal food, he could keep improving.
The people in the dining hall were divided into two clearly distinct groups. One consisted of Lin Fan and the other fourteen outer court disciples. The atmosphere was subdued, and every one of them was weighed down with worries.
In just the first night, five of their fellow disciples had died. This assignment was like a death warrant to them. At the thought of having to patrol again that night, they could not find a moment's peace. Only Lin Fan was relatively calm.
The other group consisted of inner court disciples. Laughter rang out from their side from time to time, the atmosphere relaxed and cheerful, as though they had come here on vacation.
As for the five outer court disciples who had died the night before, their deaths had not left so much as a speck of dust in their hearts.
The outer court disciples hurried through breakfast, then went to their lodgings under the servants' arrangements. To Lin Fan's delight, they actually each had a room to themselves, and their rooms were training rooms at that.
Having just been worrying about finding somewhere to cultivate, he beamed with joy. He could make rapid progress again.
But cultivation required a balance between tension and relaxation. He had only just entered the martial artist realm and had not reached the point where he could go without sleep.
After washing up, he lay down on the bed to rest and slept until noon, when a servant woke him for lunch.
After eating, Lin Fan wasted no more time and threw himself into cultivating the Body Tempering Art.
Body Tempering Art (minor accomplishment 40/1500)...50/1200...80...120...180...250...340...400...560.
By the time he finished cultivating for the evening meal, his progress had reached 520, but he was still nearly a thousand points away from minor accomplishment.
Although he could reach minor accomplishment within two days, Lin Fan was anxious. The bandits' blade already hung over his head and could fall at any moment. Reaching the sinews and bones ringing in unison realm would greatly improve his chances of survival.
With sinews and bones ringing in unison, the blood and Qi in his body would increase greatly, and his strength would rise by another three thousand jin, taking him another step down the road beyond humanity.
But as the saying went, beneath another's eaves, one had no choice but to bow one's head. After dinner, he could only go out on patrol.
Once the moon appeared and visibility dimmed, Lin Fan began practicing Gale Leg.
His body darted swiftly between the terraced medicinal fields, the fierce wind he stirred up flattening lines of herbs as the progress on his Fate Panel jumped rapidly.
Gale Leg (perfection 1/2000)...100/2000...200/2000...400/2000...
Gale Leg progressed steadily, gaining roughly 200 points an hour. With 2,000 points required, Lin Fan could reach perfection in about ten hours.
Of course, he was no robot and needed rest. He estimated it would take around twelve hours.
As time slowly approached midnight, a firework bloomed over the hills to the south. Lin Fan's movements abruptly froze, and he stopped in place.
Another outer court senior brother had been attacked. The bandits really were arrogant enough to come on consecutive nights, without the slightest fear of traps laid by the inner court disciples.
Lin Fan shuddered and hurriedly left the spot, as though an arrow were already aimed at his back.
Then, as if that first firework had been a signal, one firework after another bloomed. Lin Fan felt that things were going badly wrong.
Yesterday, seven outer court disciples had been attacked in total, but only he and one other disciple had set off their signal flares. Today, they were going off one after another. The bandits could not possibly have sent weaker men this time. Those fireworks had probably been set off deliberately.
Bait?
A word surfaced in Lin Fan's mind. The bandits wanted to use them, the outer court disciples, as bait to fish. As for their targets, that went without saying-their inner court senior brothers.
The hairs on the back of Lin Fan's neck stood straight up. Anyone confident enough to deal with martial artists had to be an even stronger martial artist. He knew his own limits. If he were targeted, he would certainly be in trouble.
Go down the mountain?
A thought surfaced in Lin Fan's mind.
No. What if that fellow is down there? Wouldn't I be walking straight into the net? He immediately rejected the idea.
Looking at the herbs, which stood as tall as rice stalks, Lin Fan made his decision. He plunged into them, using the herbs to conceal his tracks.
Lin Fan did not dare make the slightest sound. It was as though a pair of bloodthirsty eyes were scanning the area in the darkness, ready to fix on him at the slightest movement.
"Heh heh..."
Suddenly, a burst of arrogant, cruel laughter came from a short distance below. Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat.
"Little fellow, I've found you. Are you coming out yourself, or do I have to drag you out? Pretty clever, knowing to hide in the medicinal fields."
The bandit's words made Lin Fan feel as though he had plunged into an ice cellar.
Damn it, I've actually been discovered. Is Heaven determined to kill me? Grief and indignation filled Lin Fan's heart. He had only just become a martial artist and had not enjoyed a single benefit of being one. He had never expected to be facing death already.
Lin Fan drew a deep breath, preparing to use Gale Leg to flee. He naturally would not surrender without a fight.
No!
A sudden jolt ran through Lin Fan's mind, and he forcibly stopped himself from rising.
If the bandit had found me, why would he waste words on me? He must be bluffing! Clarity instantly returned to Lin Fan's eyes.
He curled his body up even tighter and held his breath.
"Oh... still not coming out? If I have to drag you out myself, you'll find even death hard to come by."
The voice from below suddenly drew much closer. Through the gloom, Lin Fan saw a dark figure rushing uphill.
He forced down his fear and did not flee, firmly believing that the bandit was bluffing.
Sure enough, the bandit stopped at a certain spot and cursed, "Motherfucker, this brat really knows how to hide!"
Then he took a signal flare from inside his clothes and pulled it. A firework burst overhead, exactly like the one Lin Fan had set off yesterday.
These bandits have made every preparation. Are they really only after this batch of herbs?
Lin Fan pondered inwardly. He felt that things were not so simple. This place seemed to have transformed into the gaping maw of a taotie, waiting for the disciples of their Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall to crawl inside.
Before long, the howl of fierce wind came from below. A figure arrived and stopped opposite the bandit, about thirty meters away.
Someone from the inner court got here this quickly? Lin Fan was puzzled, then his expression darkened. He could think of no explanation other than that the inner court disciples had been hiding here all along, using them as bait to fish.
Once again, Lin Fan felt the misery of having no strength. Whether in the eyes of the inner court disciples or the bandits, they were merely bait, sacrifices to help them achieve their aims.
"Heh heh... here already? Looks like we had the same idea. Martial arts hall disciples, tsk, tsk... aren't you just as willing to use any means to achieve your ends?" The bandit's voice was full of mockery and contempt.
"Enough talk. Let's see what you can do!"
A deep voice rang out, and a figure lunged toward the bandit. It was the rugged senior brother who had come here the night before.