Not long after Li Changgui left, someone delivered the silver.
A full one hundred and fifteen taels rested heavy in the bag, bringing Chen Yuan a great sense of relief.
Was Funiu Ying a bad place? As the saying went, wherever there was money to be made, that was home.
With this large sum of silver, he could adjust his martial arts training plan accordingly. Originally, he earned thirty-five taels a month. Cultivating the Elephant Bone required fifteen taels, and taking one Bone Strengthening Pill every two days cost another twenty taels, even after deducting the five free pills he received monthly for guarding the Medicinal Garden.
His entire thirty-five-tael monthly salary was spent just on that. This didn’t even cover the cost of meat and Blood Qi Pills to replenish his vitality; he had to rely on the Fang Family’s financial support to make up the deficit. None of these expenses could be skipped. The slightest miscalculation would put him in the red.
That was why Chen Yuan had previously considered becoming a Steward.
Now, with over a hundred taels in hand, he could upgrade his Elephant Bone cultivation to a higher-tier medicinal broth. He had inquired about it before. The alternative broth cost three taels per dose, even after a discount. At forty-five taels a month, he never would have been able to afford it.
But now, he had enough to sustain this new regimen for two months. He believed his Elephant Bone cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds during this period, perhaps even reaching Perfection.
He could also increase his Bone Strengthening Pill intake to one per day. Over a month, deducting the five provided pills, this would cost fifty taels. If he invested his entire monthly salary, he would only be short fifteen taels. By gritting his teeth, he could stretch this hundred-odd taels to cover the gap.
His strength would undoubtedly increase during this time, which would lead to a higher salary, preventing him from falling into poverty.
After calculating the expenses, Chen Yuan let out a deep breath.
The old saying that scholars stayed poor while martial artists needed wealth rang completely true. He had only just broken through to the Bone-refining Stage, yet he was spending money like water. One hundred taels barely made a splash. Resources would only become scarcer in the future. His only option was to fight for them.
The next morning, Chen Yuan woke up early. He glanced at his status panel and noticed a rare, special evaluation remark:
[In the face of Li Changgui’s proposal, you judged the situation astutely and chose the path that best suited you without offending Li Changgui to death. This aligns with the Low-key Dao. Low-key Points +10.]
He added these ten points to Comprehension, raising it from 52 to 53. His top priority was comprehending Hidden Force.
Moreover, Chen Yuan noted the system’s phrasing—he hadn’t offended Changgui "to death." Did that mean he had still offended the man? He pondered the implication. It seemed that handing over more than a hundred taels had left Changgui quite displeased. The man probably wouldn’t do anything too extreme, but Chen Yuan knew he needed to be cautious going forward.
Since he had taken the money, it was time to do the job. After washing up, Chen Yuan braved the biting wind and headed toward Funiu Mountain. Guided by a trusted aide, he met with Li Song.
Li Song was practicing his fist techniques in the courtyard. Seeing Chen Yuan arrive, he stopped his movements and smiled slightly.
"Chen, since you’ve come to see me, you must have made a decision."
Chen Yuan had already made up his mind, so he spoke directly.
"General Manager Li, after careful consideration, I have decided to transfer to the Fourth Medicinal Garden and continue my guard duties.
"This will give me more time and energy to study the Martial Dao, allowing me to improve my strength as quickly as possible so I can better serve the Li Residence."
Although this meant rejecting Li Song’s goodwill, Chen Yuan had his own path to forge. It didn’t matter if the General Manager was disappointed now. Only when the waves washed away the sand would a true hero’s colors show.
"Have you really thought this through?" Li Song looked at him with a complicated expression.
He had intended to groom Chen Yuan, slowly integrating him into the Li Family, perhaps even recruiting him as a son-in-law to train him with the resources of a true Li Family Disciple. Unfortunately, the young man was entirely devoted to martial arts, unwilling to even compete for the Vice Steward position.
Chen Yuan nodded firmly. "I am deeply ashamed to have failed your expectations, General Manager Li. But my mind is set. I hope you can grant my request."
Li Song sighed, deciding not to force the issue.
"Very well. You will be transferred to the Fourth Medicinal Garden.
"As for your monthly salary, I will raise it to forty taels, standard for someone at Great Success in Manifest Force. I hope you will maintain your bold and rapid progress on the Martial Dao."
Chen Yuan bowed deeply and cupped his hands. "Thank you for your patronage, General Manager Li!"
He felt genuinely moved. Li Song truly treated him as one of his own, looking out for his interests at every turn. The only way he could repay this kindness was through his ever-improving Cultivation.
Sometimes, choosing not to compete was a form of competition in itself.
The Li Family’s efficiency in assigning duties was remarkably high. A Steward immediately took him to the Fourth Medicinal Garden to familiarize him with the job. The person who originally worked the afternoon shift there had been transferred to the hidden sentries—a position that likely paid better but was far more grueling.
In truth, there wasn’t much to familiarize himself with. The only difference was that the Fourth Medicinal Garden was much richer. It boasted two full acres of fertile black humus soil, planted with a wide variety of medicinal herbs. As for precious herbs, in addition to the Stone Scale Flower, there were two other types. They were rumored to be the main ingredients for refining higher-tier Blood Strengthening Pills.
There were more Medicinal Farmers here, and the adjacent utility room was well-furnished. It had chairs, a bed, a stove, and tea. When the wind and snow battered the windows, one could sit comfortably inside and recite a few lines of poetry: "With a freshly brewed cup of wine over a small red clay stove, as the evening sky threatens snow—would you care for a drink?"
After a brief inspection, Chen Yuan left and headed to the Huo Courtyard to spar and practice his fist techniques.
That was the one downside to being a guard—there was no one to spar with. As a result, he usually spent his time on duty practicing stance training and the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body.
Arriving at 3:00 PM to take over the shift on his very first day, Chen Yuan experienced firsthand what General Manager Li had meant about the increased frequency of wild beast attacks. Just as the sky began to darken, a leopard lunged from the nearby woods where it had been lurking.
The Medicinal Farmers, who had been preparing to go home, jumped in fright. They wondered if the beast possessed human intelligence, timing its attack right after the shift change. They scattered into the utility room to hide, though a few experienced farmers grabbed hunting bows to help Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan had been practicing the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppression Body and was starting to feel bored. Seeing the leopard, his eyes lit up. He grabbed his spear and charged out.
The Heart Intent Six Harmonies Fist was primarily based on spear arts. However, the martial rules of Qingyuan County strictly prohibited weapons during sparring matches, emphasizing unarmed combat instead. Master Huo’s philosophy was to lay a solid foundation first. Only when Chen Yuan comprehended Projected Force would he be allowed to learn the Heart Intent Spear Technique.
But to prepare for situations like this, Chen Yuan had asked Master Huo for a few pointers and learned the routines of the Five Elements Spear Technique. Just like the Five Elements Fist, it was divided into five forms: Chopping, Crushing, Drilling, Exploding, and Crossing.
He strode out of the garden toward the leopard with his large spear in hand. The qi and blood within his body surged like a rushing river, and a brilliant golden light bloomed across his skin.
His Copper Skin Stage was the foundation of his confidence in fighting the beast. Simultaneously, his Elephant Bone hummed. Complemented by his increasingly potent bone-refining mastery, his physical strength skyrocketed to a level far beyond that of a newly advanced Bone-refining Stage martial artist.
The leopard seemed to sense that the human before it was not to be trifled with. It let out a low growl, but instead of backing down, it maintained its momentum and pounced viciously.
A sharp glint flashed in Chen Yuan’s eyes. He pushed forward, whipping the spear shaft like a lash and slamming it ruthlessly toward the beast. It was a seamless blend of offense and defense—the Crossing Spear of the Five Elements Spear!
The wind howled fiercely. Struck with sudden fear, the leopard shrank back, trying to dodge the blow.
But how could it outrun a full-force strike from Chen Yuan? The whipping spear still grazed the leopard’s body, instantly tearing its flesh and leaving a bloody, mangled wound.
The leopard let out a piteous wail. Not daring to linger for a second longer, it spun around and fled back into the forest.
Chen Yuan lowered his spear and stood straight, inwardly lamenting the missed opportunity. If that strike had connected solidly, the leopard would have been killed or crippled. Unfortunately, it had only grazed the beast. Given the leopard’s speed, even wounded, it was impossible for him to catch up. He could only watch helplessly as a hearty meal slipped right through his fingers.
Behind him, the Medicinal Farmers exchanged astonished glances. They hadn’t expected the newly arrived guard to be so fierce, charging out with bronze-colored skin to face a leopard head-on. It was an awe-inspiring sight—he had terrified the beast away with just a single strike of his spear.
The more knowledgeable farmers among them recognized the golden sheen as the Copper Skin Stage, their eyes filling with deep reverence.