At three o’clock in the afternoon, his shift ended.
Chen Yuan didn’t return to Huo Courtyard immediately. Instead, he found a quiet place to browse through the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body manual he kept inside his robes. After flipping through it, his eyes sparkled brightly.
This was an extremely profound Body Tempering method. It claimed that once practiced to an advanced level, one could master the infinitely overbearing Power of Laws to suppress all enemies. However, this thin booklet was only a fragmented copy. It recorded just the first three layers of the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body, which were all the most fundamental Body Tempering methods without any of the more mystical contents. The previous owner had jokingly called it the Dragon Elephant Body Cultivation Technique.
Even so, it was still quite precious. The notes candidly stated that if one could cultivate the first two layers to Perfection, no entry-level Martial Artist at the Four Passes and Three Forces level would be able to harm a single hair on their head. Even those beyond the Four Passes and Three Forces—Martial Artists at the Essence-gathering Stage—would not find it easy to kill them. If one could successfully master the third layer of the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body, they could suppress Cultivators at the Essence-gathering Stage with a mere raise of their hand.
It spoke of absolute, unbridled dominance.
Chen Yuan’s heart filled with yearning, and he began to carefully study the specific cultivation methods. The more he read, the deeper his brows furrowed, and the joy in his heart largely dissipated. Even the first layer, the Elephant Bone Pattern Stage, was exceptionally difficult to cultivate. It required a combination of internal nourishment and external training; without consuming medicinal brews, it was simply impossible to practice.
The booklet listed a series of required medicinal ingredients. For the first and second prescriptions, Chen Yuan hadn’t even heard of most of the ingredients’ names. Only the third and most inferior prescription fell within the scope of his knowledge. However, it wasn’t cheap either. One portion of the brewed medicine would only last for two days, requiring a continuous supply of decoctions.
Chen Yuan immediately set off for the nearest apothecary, indirectly inquiring about the prices of these medicinal ingredients. To avoid any potential risks, he visited three different apothecaries in succession. He asked about the ingredients in batches and even mixed in inquiries about other unrelated herbs. After all this troublesome maneuvering, he discovered that a single portion of the ingredients actually cost one tael of silver.
This made him click his tongue repeatedly. One portion lasted two days, which meant he would need fifteen taels of silver a month. His current monthly wage was only seven taels. Even with his additional subsidies bringing it to ten taels in total, it wasn’t even enough to cover the cost of the medicine.
He had obtained over twenty taels of silver yesterday, but that money could only be spent slowly. He didn’t dare to use it ostentatiously; otherwise, he would definitely be discovered. Fortunately, this first layer of the Stage directly affected the bone pass. He was currently only at Skin Refining, which meant it wasn’t the optimal time to cultivate it anyway. There was no need to rush. At worst, he could just practice it to the entry level and then use Low-key Points to stack up the rest. Sooner or later, he would be invincible.
Time spent practicing martial arts was tedious. Only the continuous growth of his strength gave him something to look forward to in his days.
Another few days passed.
Chen Yuan finally reached Minor Achievement in Skin Refining. His skin membrane became increasingly tough, to the point where an ordinary person’s punches and kicks couldn’t even leave a mark.
He found an opportunity to seek out Fan Dajiang and reported, "Boss, I have reached Minor Achievement in Skin Refining."
The reason for reporting this was, of course, to get a raise.
Fan Dajiang nodded. "Mm, not bad. I’ll let Internal Affairs know to increase your monthly wage to eight taels." He then discreetly assessed Chen Yuan, thinking to himself that the man Huang Yan had introduced really wasn’t bad. He had broken through the skin pass and reached Minor Achievement in Skin Refining in less than a month and a half. Tian Peng, who had Grade C-Upper aptitude, seemed to have taken about the same amount of time.
Having gained another tael, Chen Yuan smiled and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Boss."
"Mm, practice your martial arts well and work hard. The Li Family won’t treat you poorly," Fan Dajiang said with a smile. Recalling something else, he asked, "Chen Yuan, you’ve been working in the Nursing Home of the Li Family for over a month now. You work diligently and seriously. Do you have any thoughts about changing your assignment?"
Chen Yuan’s heart stirred, but he said impassively, "Please speak plainly, Boss. If the family has other assignments and I am capable of doing them, I absolutely will not decline."
Fan Dajiang nodded slightly, explaining his intent. "Recently, the medicinal herb fields of certain factions have been attacked, resulting in significant losses. Although our Li Family remains unscathed, we cannot afford to be careless.
"To nip the danger in the bud, we are preparing to deploy more manpower. Accordingly, the compensation will also be increased. If you are willing to go and guard the medicinal fields, your monthly wage can be raised to ten taels."
Chen Yuan wasn’t in a hurry to agree. He asked, "Boss, what are the specific duties for guarding the medicinal fields? What level of strength is required to be up to the task?"
It was asked politely, but it boiled down to two points: Was it easy, and was it dangerous?
Fan Dajiang said, "The duties are a bit more leisurely than those in the Nursing Home. There’s only one task: guard the medicinal fields well. It’s mainly to prevent attacks from wild beasts and mutated beasts, so you’ll need to stay stationed near the fields at all times. You can practice martial arts or do whatever you want; in fact, I’d be more than happy to see you grow stronger.
"As for strength, your current level is sufficient, so don’t worry. If you really encounter a situation you can’t handle, go immediately to the Tributor on duty over there for help."
Chen Yuan pondered for a moment and realized that this new job was actually pretty good. Working in the Nursing Home actually required patrolling for four hours a day. It was too tiring and simply a waste of life. If he guarded the medicinal fields, out of an eight-hour shift, he would probably have seven hours of free time. He might even have nothing to do all day. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
More importantly, the pay was higher—it was a full twenty-five percent increase!
As for the attacks on the medicinal fields, Chen Yuan found it hard to believe that anyone in Qingyuan County would dare to lay a hand on the Li Family, one of the four great families. If trouble really did come, the logic was the same as working in the Nursing Home: just run away.
Having thought it through, he immediately cupped his hands. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Boss. I am willing to guard the medicinal fields."
Fan Dajiang smiled faintly. "Good. Once your shift ends today, go to Internal Affairs to settle your wages for the Nursing Home. I will let them know in advance. This afternoon, someone will take you to the medicinal fields to familiarize you with your duties."
"Understood, Boss. I’ll take my leave now," Chen Yuan said, cupping his hands before departing.
He couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. The efficiency of the Li Family was truly high. Personnel transfers could be completed on the same day, and wages could be settled on the spot. This surpassed at least fifty percent of the companies in his previous life.
Returning to the Martial Arts Arena, after some casual chatting, his colleagues also learned the news of his promotion, raise, and transfer to the medicinal fields. While congratulating him, they were also incredibly envious. The medicinal fields were a lucrative assignment. The fact that their boss was willing to hand this job to Chen Yuan showed that he was quite highly regarded.
"Chen Yuan, you’re leaving this afternoon, so let me give you a send-off," Tian Peng suddenly spoke up. At the same time, he raised his hands in a gesture inviting a sparring match.
Obviously, his idea of a send-off was to have one last fight—not unlike a breakup romp.
Chen Yuan smiled. "Bring it on, Brother Tian. I’ll humor you to the end."
Speaking of which, this Tian Peng was quite interesting. After suffering a minor loss at Chen Yuan’s hands that night, he had applied for a shift change to work the morning shift alongside him, and they sparred frequently. By now, Chen Yuan was incredibly familiar with the routines of the Thunderbolt Hand.
When the battle concluded, it was thoroughly exhilarating.
Tian Peng chugged a mouthful of water and laughed. "Chen Yuan, the first time I fought you, I was a bit unconvinced. I kept thinking, how could someone with a Grade D-Upper Root Bone be evenly matched with me?
"After sparring for a month, I realized you truly have skills. You reached Minor Achievement in Skin Refining in just over a month, which is even a few days faster than me!"
He himself had reached Minor Achievement in Skin Refining over a month ago, but he had broken through the skin pass much faster than he had comprehended Manifest Force. Because of this, by the time he entered the Li Family’s service, he had already been consolidating his foundation for quite some time.
Chen Yuan chuckled. "You can’t compare it like that. I’ve spent all my focus on nourishing my vitality and blood."
Tian Peng nodded. He had also sensed it; Chen Yuan’s progress in the Xin Yi Liu He Fist clearly didn’t match the talent required to comprehend Manifest Force in two and a half months.
"You need to work harder. Just nourishing your vitality and blood won’t cut it; you need balanced development. I’m about to reach Minor Achievement in Manifest Force. When we spar again, I won’t show any mercy."
Chen Yuan only smiled.
In a little while, he would be cashing in on his Comprehension talent.