"Bright as the moon, when can it be plucked?"
Aside from the large compound where Li Song resided long-term, many small wooden buildings stood adjacent to the First Medicinal Garden. Tributors, Stewards, and other mid-level management who needed to be stationed here long-term all lived in these buildings.
It was still early. Outside the buildings, a figure was practicing martial arts. His punches and kicks carried a degree of imposing might.
"Steward Li," a hidden sentry called out, having tracked down Li Changgui.
The person practicing was naturally Li Changgui. Although he was now a Steward and the Martial Dao requirements for his position were not high, he knew he couldn’t let his skills deteriorate. Even with his older brother backing him, his current Martial Dao Stage of Bone Refining Minor Achievement and Manifest Force Great Success was still a bit too low if he wanted to climb higher. The threshold for those important positions was Hidden Force. Therefore, he spent at least six hours a day practicing martial arts.
"What is it? Is there a problem somewhere?" Li Changgui finished his routine and raised an eyebrow at the approaching hidden sentry.
The hidden sentry cupped his hands slightly. "Reporting to Steward Li, the Fourth Medicinal Garden has just been attacked by a Black-Scaled Leopard."
Li Changgui’s mind raced. Chen Yuan should be the one on duty at the Fourth Medicinal Garden right now. It seemed he had quite the affinity with Black-Scaled Leopards. He thought, "But this is good. I have another perfect excuse to extort a sum. Last time you used a favor to pay off your debt, but what about this time?"
He asked in a deep voice, "What’s the situation? Is the Medicinal Garden severely damaged? Has the Black-Scaled Leopard been driven away?"
The hidden sentry replied, "Steward Li, there is no need to worry. Chen Zhibo was incredibly courageous. By the time I arrived, the attacking Black-Scaled Leopard had already been slain, and the Medicinal Garden was completely unharmed.
"Chen Zhibo was worried the scent of blood would attract other mutated beasts, so he specifically sent me to inform you."
These words completely exceeded Li Changgui’s expectations. His eyes widened, and his face was filled with astonishment. "What? Could it be a sub-adult Black-Scaled Leopard?"
Black-Scaled Leopards had high defense and fast speed, making them rarely killed. This was true even for sub-adults, and adults were even more difficult to entangle with. Given Chen Yuan’s strength, it should have been difficult for him to kill even a sub-adult Black-Scaled Leopard.
The hidden sentry replied, "Steward Li, if I’m not mistaken, it should be an adult Black-Scaled Leopard. I admit I would find it hard to deal with. Chen Zhibo’s strength is at least at Bone Refining Great Success and Hidden Force entry level, or perhaps even stronger."
Hearing this, Li Changgui fell silent. If what this hidden sentry said was true, then Chen Yuan’s rate of progress was nothing short of terrifying. And he had already made things difficult for Chen Yuan three times in a row. At this thought, his expression turned incredibly ugly, and he quickly walked toward the Fourth Medicinal Garden.
Seeing was believing. Therefore, when he arrived at the Fourth Medicinal Garden and saw the robust corpse of the Black-Scaled Leopard with his own eyes, he grew even more silent.
Chen Yuan smiled faintly. "Steward Li, could I trouble you to help me process this Black-Scaled Leopard’s corpse? Of course, I will pay you. How about thirty percent of the total value as a fee for your hard work?"
Li Changgui turned around, revealing a smile uglier than a crying face. "Brother Chen, you’re too polite. We are friends, so please don’t mention payment. This is what I ought to do. I will definitely help you get a fair price, Brother Chen." How could he dare to ask for payment now? Chen Yuan’s words were clearly hinting at his previous actions. It seemed that although Chen Yuan hadn’t said anything at the time, he had remembered everything!
Chen Yuan chuckled. "Steward Li, isn’t this a bit against the rules? You said it yourself before: friends are friends, but once you put on the uniform of a Vice Steward, you have to be responsible for the position.
"Wasn’t it like this during the previous Black-Scaled Leopard attack, the annual inspection, and last month’s performance review?"
He was afraid Li Changgui might be too forgetful, so he kindly reminded him.
Li Changgui was on the verge of tears and waved his hands repeatedly. "Brother Chen, you don’t need to say anymore. I understand everything.
"I acted dishonorably in those matters, but rest assured, I will definitely handle this Black-Scaled Leopard business for you with the utmost integrity.
"From now on, I will absolutely treat you as a true, heart-to-heart friend, Brother Chen. I will never break my word!"
He finally understood why Chen Yuan had paid the money so readily last month. It wasn’t a compromise, nor was it out of fear. He had been waiting for this exact moment! However, Li Changgui also knew he was in the wrong, so he could only swallow his grievances.
Chen Yuan smiled. "Steward Li, you’re being too polite. It’s getting late, and you are a busy man, so I won’t trouble you any further. By the way, do you need my help transporting this Black-Scaled Leopard?"
He hadn’t intended to make an enemy out of Li Changgui in the first place. He thought, "If you want to scam me out of my money, I’ll just scam you back double." As long as Li Changgui knew what was good for him, the matter would be dropped. After all, for someone following the path of keeping a low profile, risking one’s life to kill someone was always the worst possible plan.
"No need, no need. You rest, Brother Chen. I can handle it myself," Li Changgui hurriedly said. He then hoisted the Black-Scaled Leopard’s corpse onto his back and left. As a Bone Refining Martial Artist, he still had this bit of strength.
"I hope it sells for a good price," Chen Yuan murmured softly, watching Li Changgui’s retreating figure. The hundred-plus taels of silver he had obtained from the Gu Family were already spent. If he wanted to maintain his rapid increase in strength, or even begin the cultivation of Dragon Sinews, silver would be a major issue.
Early the next morning, Chen Yuan visited General Manager Li at the large compound.
The furnishings inside the room were as simple and elegant as ever. Tea leaves bobbed up and down in the cups.
Li Song poured a cup of tea for Chen Yuan and smiled. "I heard about your exploits last night from Li Changgui. Killing a Black-Scaled Leopard single-handedly isn’t bad at all. You must have comprehended Hidden Force, right?"
He did a quick calculation. It had taken Chen Yuan roughly ten and a half months to comprehend Hidden Force. His Comprehension in this regard was quite good; it hadn’t disappointed him.
Chen Yuan smiled and nodded. "Thanks to General Manager Li’s care, I was lucky enough to comprehend Hidden Force. My Body Refining has also fortunately broken through to Bone Refining Great Success." Since he was here to negotiate a raise in his monthly salary, it was impossible for him to hide this basic information.
Li Song raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? Bone Refining Great Success? I recall it’s been less than three months since you broke through the bone barrier, right?"
He had heard people say that Chen Yuan’s Root Bone was quite poor. But was reaching Bone Refining Great Success in three months the sign of a poor Root Bone? This was comparable to a Grade-B Root Bone! Could he be a martial arts prodigy who bloomed late?
Chen Yuan nodded. "It’s all thanks to General Manager Li raising my monthly salary in advance that I was able to reach Bone Refining Great Success in three months."
Hearing this, the appreciation in Li Song’s eyes deepened. He had been somewhat puzzled when Chen Yuan withdrew from the competition for Vice Steward earlier. However, seeing Chen Yuan’s current performance, he could only sigh in admiration, realizing that Chen Yuan was an independent thinker who had chosen the path best suited for himself.
He smiled. "Very well. In that case, I will raise your monthly salary to eighty taels of silver, and your monthly quota of Bone Strengthening Pills will increase to ten.
"As for your position, the first three Medicinal Gardens aren’t lacking guards at the moment, so you will continue to guard the Fourth Medicinal Garden for now. Over the next couple of days, I’ll keep an eye out for a suitable role for you."
Regarding the monthly salary, he was still providing extra care, confident that Chen Yuan’s performance would not disappoint him.
Chen Yuan stood up, cupped his hands, and thanked him. "Thank you for your promotion, General Manager Li! Regardless of the position, I will do my utmost."
Li Song smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, I won’t assign you any overly troublesome tasks. There are only three months left until the Martial Exam. With your strength, I’m sure you can achieve a good ranking."
For a commoner like Chen Yuan, the Martial Exam was the best way to make a name for himself and elevate his status. Chen Yuan nodded heavily. Indeed, it was necessary to participate in the Martial Exam.