"Junior Brother Chen, there is no need to sell yourself short. The martial exam is still over half a year away. If you can comprehend Hidden Force during this time, you’ll still have a fighting chance," Fang Minghai said with a smile.
Chen Yuan only smiled.
No one could say for sure what would happen in over half a year.
Soon, it was his turn to offer congratulations. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Congratulations, Senior Brother Xu, on breaking through the bone barrier and scaling new heights."
Chen Yuan remembered clearly that this was his third time offering congratulations, and it likely wouldn’t be the last.
Xu Heng gave a slight nod.
"Chen Yuan, although your talent is average, your perseverance is acceptable. Even though you’ve found a job with the Li family, you must not slack off in your cultivation just because you’re comfortable.
"I suggest you make chasing my footsteps your lifelong goal. If you can keep up, you won’t have to worry about a thing in this life."
After two months of secluded cultivation, the surprise Chen Yuan had given him that day had completely vanished. His horizons were no longer limited to Huo Courtyard.
Chen Yuan gave a murmur of acknowledgment and turned to leave.
He thought Xu Heng was a bit arrogant, but he undeniably had the capital to be. The road ahead was long and arduous; he still needed to cultivate diligently.
When the news that Xu Heng had broken through the bone barrier in just four months spread, it caused quite a stir in the local Martial Arts Community. In the upcoming martial exam, Xu Heng would absolutely be a formidable opponent for all the participants.
If he couldn’t be won over, he could only be destroyed...
However, the Song family behind Song Bridge also stepped forward. They dispatched high-ranking family members to negotiate with Xu Heng and discuss deeper sponsorship and cooperation.
With this, at least on the surface, Xu Heng was safe.
Those families in the Inner City also dropped any thoughts of approaching him for marriage alliances. Now that Xu Heng had connected with the Song family, aside from the other three major families, what other family or faction would dare to interfere?
Chen Yuan shut out the outside world, calming his mind to settle down and focus entirely on practicing martial arts.
He grew increasingly familiar with his tasks at the Medicinal Garden and inevitably discovered that Zhang Hong had sticky fingers. The man would often brazenly steal medicinal herbs, while the Medicinal Farmers seemed accustomed to it and didn’t dare say a word.
During this time, Zhang Hong offered him earnest advice on multiple occasions.
"Brother Chen, why be so stubborn? There’s a set quota for losses anyway. Any amount saved above that baseline is our perk.
"The Li family won’t reward us for having fewer losses—at most, we’ll get verbal praise. If there are more losses, as long as it doesn’t exceed the quota, they won’t punish us either. What we get in our hands is real silver. Why not do it?"
Chen Yuan knew the man was trying to drag him down with him. He kept his hands clean and politely declined every time, saying, "Brother Zhang, you go ahead and take them. When I’m short on money, I’ll thicken my skin and take some."
He knew very well that once he waded into muddy waters, it would be hard to get back on shore. He absolutely could not let petty, short-term profits ruin his long-term interests.
As long as Zhang Hong didn’t exceed the quota and cause Chen Yuan’s wages to be deducted, he planned to turn a blind eye to the matter. Although this would affect his performance record, it was an unavoidable issue between partners. He couldn’t demand that Zhang Hong give up this share of the profits for no reason, as that would undoubtedly provoke the man.
As for reporting Zhang Hong for lining his own pockets, only a reckless fool would do that. It would instantly make a deadly enemy out of him. Chen Yuan had no desire to provoke a Martial Artist at Skin Refining Great Success; he had to carry out his principle of laying low.
Zhang Hong was just worried that this fool Chen Yuan might report him, which was why he had tried to drag him down and tie them to the same boat.
Unfortunately for him, Chen Yuan remained unmoved. However, after indirectly confirming that Chen Yuan wouldn’t report him as long as he didn’t exceed the quota, Zhang Hong couldn’t be bothered to care anymore.
He wasn’t surprised; he had already thoroughly investigated Chen Yuan’s background. The young man came from Huo Courtyard, possessed a Ding-Upper Root Bone, had only just reached Skin Refining Minor Achievement, and had some ties with Fan Dajiang, though not many.
Anyone with a brain wouldn’t dare offend a veteran at Skin Refining Great Success like himself. It was actually a good thing that Chen Yuan didn’t dare interfere. Zhang Hong was reluctant to share the profits anyway, especially since medicinal herbs were selling much better on the black market lately, yielding considerable returns.
At the end of the month, a Steward from the Medicinal Garden came to evaluate their work. The experienced Zhang Hong had left some leeway, keeping the missing herbs within the loss quota, and they passed the evaluation smoothly.
They each received their monthly wages and one Bone Strengthening Pill.
After the Steward left, Zhang Hong smiled and said, "How about it, Brother Chen? What I said was true, wasn’t it? As long as we don’t exceed the loss quota, the Stewards won’t make things difficult. If you’ve thought it through and want in, it’s still not too late."
To him, dragging Chen Yuan down with him was still the safest option.
Chen Yuan smiled and shook his head. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother Zhang, but I’m too slow-witted for this sort of thing. If I slip up, I’m afraid I’ll only end up dragging you down for nothing."
He would absolutely never get involved. Even if he wanted to profit from it, he wouldn’t consider cooperating with Zhang Hong, as that would be equivalent to handing over blackmail material against himself. He figured Zhang Hong was also entirely unwilling to cooperate with him, but the man simply had no other choice since he couldn’t hide his actions from his partner.
Zhang Hong glanced at Chen Yuan and didn’t say anything more. He immediately began plucking herbs in broad daylight.
It was a new month, and the loss quota had refreshed. Taking advantage of the booming market for herbs, he intended to sell off as much as possible right at the beginning of the month.
Chen Yuan pretended not to see anything and went about his own business, practicing his Xin Yi Liu He Fist. Now that his Comprehension wasn’t low, he could appropriately increase the time spent practicing his martial arts.
The bright moon shone among the pines, and a clear spring flowed over the stones.
Amidst the steady progress of his Xin Yi Liu He Fist, Midnight arrived. After handing over his duties to the relief guard, Chen Yuan picked up his lantern and headed in the direction of Hundred Herbs Lane.
Zhang Hong, who was well-acquainted with the relief guard, struck up a conversation. "That kid is completely stubborn. He refuses to join me."
The guard laughed. "Isn’t that a good thing? One more person means a smaller cut for us."
Zhang Hong shook his head. "I just feel like that kid isn’t simple."
The guard looked entirely unconcerned. "What are you afraid of? You think he’d actually dare to snitch? If you’re really worried, just figure out a way to force him out." He glanced at the bulging cloth sack on Zhang Hong’s shoulder and added, "Picking this much already? You better take it easy."
Zhang Hong nodded. "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. The prices are high these next few days, so I can make a bit more."
The guard smiled as well, suddenly saying meaningfully, "Then there’s no problem. Even if you really exceed the quota, just pin the blame on the new guy. Wouldn’t that work?"
Zhang Hong froze, then furrowed his brows tightly. "That won’t do. If he gets enraged and decides to fight us to the bitter end, we’ll have a disaster on our hands. Once this gets exposed, we’ll all be in deep trouble."
The guard waved his hand, not caring at all. "I don’t believe he has the guts, but it’s always good to be cautious."
After exchanging a few more words of small talk, Zhang Hong left, heading straight toward the location of a nearby black market. The black market only opened on designated days and times, yet it changed locations frequently to evade investigations by the Government Office. However, because Zhang Hong frequently resold medicinal herbs, he had his own long-term informants.
In front of a wooden door, he knocked according to a secret signal. Before long, a person wearing a mask opened the door.
"The price for herbs hasn’t changed, right? Take a look and see how much these can sell for," Zhang Hong said, getting straight to the point as he placed the cloth sack on the table.
The masked person counted the items and said, "The price hasn’t changed. I can give you five taels of silver. There’s still a demand for herbs over there, so if you can get another batch, you can still sell them to me."
Zhang Hong nodded. "I’ll sell these for the five taels first. I won’t be able to get any more herbs in the short term."
He wasn’t the type to lose his head at the sight of profit. He knew when to quit while he was ahead; otherwise, he would have landed in trouble long ago.
The masked person handed over a coin purse and added, "I have news about the Bone Nourishing Pill you asked me to look into. Its price is quite steep, and we can’t rule out the possibility that someone else might snatch it up for a high price."
Zhang Hong’s body instantly stiffened, his pupils shrinking drastically. In the darkness, his face grew even more solemn.
Only his eyes burned with a fierce, blazing desire.