Chen Yuan peacefully passed another month. It was truly a rare treat.
The Golden Saber Sect did not make a comeback, and Yu Yan, whom he had offended before, remained quiet. Even Chen Kai’s family, who loved to provoke people, had settled down. Over at the Huo Courtyard, no one dared to mess with him. Guarding the Medicinal Garden in his leisurely time without dealing with mutated beasts or villainous raiders left him feeling quite content.
Other people tried to lay low but ended up attracting endless trouble. Meanwhile, he easily stayed out of the spotlight. It was simply...
His Comprehension and Cultivation Technique progress were steadily increasing:
[Comprehension: 52]
[Root Bone: 53]
[Cultivation: Skin Barrier (Minor Achievement); Manifest Force (Minor Achievement)]
[Cultivation Techniques]
[Rocky Pile Skill (Minor Achievement): 466/1000]
[Xin Yi Liu He Fist (Minor Achievement): 351/1000]
[Low-key Points: 1]
[Evaluation: Keeping a low profile, avoiding enmity, and understanding the principle of concealing one’s strengths, you have grasped the basics of the Low-key Path. Daily Low-key Points +4]
After months of accumulation, his Comprehension was finally about to catch up to his Root Bone. Compared to his previous 10 points in Comprehension, Chen Yuan felt as if he had swapped his brain for a new one. His understanding of Cultivation Techniques was completely on another level.
Thus, during this period, the time he spent practicing the Xin Yi Liu He Fist matched his Rocky Pile Skill. Both were steadily advancing.
His Manifest Force had already reached Minor Achievement, and his Skin Barrier was on the verge of Great Success. However, he hadn’t reported his breakthrough in Manifest Force yet. He planned to report it alongside reaching Great Success in Skin Refinement to aggressively bump up his monthly wages. He estimated that in another month or two, he could attempt to break through the Bone Barrier and take a step further. At that time, he could begin cultivating the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body and use it as his trump card.
Before the martial exam, comprehending Hidden Force was also a sure thing.
Everything was going so smoothly.
Chen Yuan thought that if he hadn’t taken this journey one step at a time, looking back now would feel like a dream. After practicing the Xin Yi Liu He Fist a few times, he took a sip of the Body-Strengthening Soup and lay back on his reclining chair. Bathing in the moonlight, he felt incredibly relaxed.
He just hoped that this period of smooth sailing wasn’t a setup for fate to drop a massive curveball on him.
"Brother Chen, keep an eye on the Medicinal Garden for a bit. My stomach is a little upset. I’ll be right back," Zhang Hong’s voice suddenly rang out. He genuinely sounded uncomfortable.
Chen Yuan nodded. "Alright, make it quick."
Zhang Hong hurriedly headed toward the dense forest.
Chen Yuan got up from his reclining chair, bracing himself to patrol the Medicinal Garden. Various medicinal herbs thrived in the humus-rich black soil that spanned over an acre. The southeast corner of the Medicinal Garden was planted with the Treasure Medicine Stone Scale Flower.
This month, Zhang Hong still strictly managed the quota for wear and tear, but even a veteran like him didn’t dare mess with these Treasure Medicines.
Chen Yuan looked up at the moonlight in the night sky, estimating that it was almost time for the shift change. It seemed today’s guard duty would also end peacefully...
It was late autumn. The cicadas had vanished, and everything was dead silent. Therefore, even the slightest footstep could be easily detected.
When the rustling of footsteps on fallen leaves echoed out, Chen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. His muscles instantly tensed as he looked toward the source of the sound, fully on guard. He saw a figure clad in black leap high into the air, aiming straight into the garden. The long saber in the intruder’s hand glinted with a chilling light under the moon.
The moment the figure landed, he exploded forward. The saber thrust straight for Chen Yuan’s throat, clearly intending for a one-hit kill!
Chen Yuan’s pupils had shrunk the moment he saw the man in black. He deduced that the intruder was highly likely a Martial Artist at the Great Success of Skin Refinement. Armed with a deadly weapon, this was absolutely not an enemy he could fight head-on. He immediately bolted backward, terrified that a second’s delay would allow the attacker to catch up.
For ten taels of silver a month, it wasn’t worth risking his life.
Chen Yuan originally wanted to find Zhang Hong for help. Bathroom break, his ass! The Medicinal Garden had actually been attacked at the exact moment of opportunity; this was definitely premeditated! This also reflected one thing: the opponent’s strength definitely wasn’t that high, otherwise, they wouldn’t have waited in ambush until now to strike.
However, when Chen Yuan glanced back, he saw that after forcing him back with a saber strike, the man in black swiftly and nimbly began harvesting the Treasure Medicines.
He really was here for the herbs—and the Treasure Medicines, no less!
Chen Yuan instantly squashed his thought of calling for help. If he ran now, there was a high chance not a single Treasure Medicine would be left. He didn’t know if he could shoulder that kind of responsibility. Most likely, he couldn’t!
Chen Yuan reached out to grab a bow and arrow, only to find the spot in the room where they were usually kept completely empty. Only a spear remained. With no time to overthink, he snatched up the spear and charged out.
The Xin Yi Liu He Fist was rooted in Spear Techniques. Although Master Huo hadn’t taught him yet, he could still leverage the advantage of a spear. After all, an inch longer meant an inch stronger!
The spear shot out like a dragon, thrusting straight at the man in black.
The intruder didn’t dare clash head-on with the spear. He dodged to the side and continued his assault, gripping his long saber. Chen Yuan absolutely refused to entangle with him. When the enemy advanced, he retreated, constantly pulling back to maintain distance.
After driving him away, the man in black returned to harvest the Treasure Medicines. But before he could pluck more than two stalks, Chen Yuan came rushing back.
The man in black seemed angered. He raised his long saber, deflected the spear shaft, and lunged along its length. His offensive was incredibly fierce, striking like a venomous snake darting from its hole. Chen Yuan retreated continuously. Abandoning the spear entirely, he pulled back with all his might.
At that moment, a sharp shout rang out from behind. "Where did this thief come from, daring to ambush the Li Family’s Medicinal Garden?"
It was Zhang Hong, returning from his bathroom break, furiously rushing over.
Realizing that success was no longer possible, the man in black grabbed his half-filled bag of Stone Scale Flowers, turned, and fled.
Zhang Hong let out a cold snort, snatched up the spear from the ground, and chased after him, tossing back a brief instruction: "Chen Yuan, stay here and guard the place to prevent a bait-and-switch."
With a flash, his figure also disappeared into the night.
Chen Yuan let out a sigh of relief. He hurriedly went to inspect the patch of Stone Scale Flowers, only to see a glaringly empty expanse in the soil. At a glance, at least a quarter of the mature Stone Scale Flowers were missing. And this was even after his timely intervention.
Still, it was quite a serious matter. It would be fine if Zhang Hong managed to retrieve the stolen Stone Scale Flowers. If he couldn’t get them back, both of them would definitely be held responsible.
At that time, a figure hurried over. Seeming to have noticed the commotion, the newcomer quickly asked, "What happened? Was the Medicinal Garden attacked?"
Chen Yuan looked back. It was the night-shift guard coming to relieve them, Huang Yongbo. He was at the Great Success of Skin Refinement and Minor Achievement of Manifest Force. He stood guard alone during the night shift.
Chen Yuan summarized what had just happened in a few sentences. Huang Yongbo’s expression instantly shifted, and he spoke in a solemn tone. "The loss of Treasure Medicines is a severe matter. It must be reported to the Steward or the General Manager. Chen Yuan, stay right here. I’ll go deliver the report."
Chen Yuan nodded in agreement.
He couldn’t help but sigh. He knew fate wouldn’t just let him cultivate his martial arts in peace, and sure enough, it had thrown a massive curveball his way. Fortunately, the situation was still within an acceptable margin. He never expected that the Medicinal Garden raids, which had caused a stir a few days ago, would actually happen to him. He wondered if the Li Family had arranged for hidden sentries to stand guard.
Not long after, Zhang Hong returned with the spear. He was all alone and empty-handed. Resentment was written all over his face. There was no need to ask. He hadn’t caught the thief, and the Treasure Medicines were gone.
He asked in a low voice, "Brother Chen, what exactly happened just now? How bad are the Medicinal Garden’s losses?"
Chen Yuan happened to be mentally reviewing the event as well. Organizing his thoughts, he replied:
"Brother Zhang, mere moments after you left, that man in black suddenly charged in with a saber. I didn’t have a weapon, so I didn’t dare face him head-on. By the time I retreated to the back room to grab the spear, he had already harvested quite a few Stone Scale Flowers.
"Afterward, I skirmished with him using the spear to stop him from clearing out the entire patch of Stone Scale Flowers. However, we still lost quite a bit; we’ll need to count them to know the exact number. And then, you came back."
Zhang Hong nodded with a grim expression. "It seems this thief likely staked out the place and came prepared with premeditated plans. When I chased after him, I realized he was extremely familiar with the surrounding terrain. He completely vanished after I chased him for a short distance."
He then inspected the damages to the Stone Scale Flowers and frowned. "A lot is missing. Looks like we’ll have to take the blame for this. Sigh, talk about bad luck. Why did they have to attack our post?"