Chapter 95 : Chapter 95
Chapter 95. Talking Over Wine of Fields and Mulberries
The newcomer was a middle-aged man of about forty.
He had an honest-looking face, slightly dark skin, and bright, spirited eyes. His shoulder was likewise embroidered with five horizontal stripes. He was Zhang Cheng, the Chief Guard of Field Bing.
Zhang Cheng had been in the medicinal fields even longer than Yang Caiyu. It was said that he was not far from breaking through to the Sixth Meridian, and he was usually fair-minded and quite respected.
“Chief Guard Yang, Chief Guard Xu—over just two Three Transformation treasure fish, must it really come to this?”
At this moment, his expression was serious. He first gave Xu Yuan a slight nod, then looked at Yang Caiyu and said in a deep voice,
“The medicinal fields are an important place. Harmony should be valued above all. It is fine for colleagues to exchange pointers and verify each other’s skills, but if you truly fight in earnest and delay the defense work, I fear it will not be easy to explain to the Chief Overseer.”
Xu Yuan already knew a little about this man and took the initiative to cup his hands first, speaking calmly,
“What Chief Guard Zhang says is absolutely right. Xu only got a little itchy for a fight and exchanged a few moves with Chief Guard Yang. There was no other intention.”
He had given her a way out and also made his own stance clear—he had not been the one to start the trouble.
Zhang Cheng nodded. His speech was unhurried, yet naturally carried a convincing force.
“Since these treasure fish were hard-won by the brothers of Field Ding, then by precedent they should naturally be left for them to dispose of. Why not give Zhang a little face and let the two of you stop here, what do you say?”
Yang Caiyu had already been stuck in an awkward position. Seeing Zhang Cheng step in, she secretly let out a sigh of relief, though her face still carried a frosty expression. She gave a cold snort and used the opportunity to withdraw.
She glanced at Xu Yuan, her tone still arrogant, though no longer as aggressive as before.
“Hmph. Since Chief Guard Zhang has spoken like this, I’ll give him that much face.”
Then she slowly looked at Xu Yuan.
“Chief Guard Xu does indeed have some skill. Who knows where you…”
The words reached her lips, but in the end she did not finish the phrase “mixed your way into.” Instead, she changed her wording and continued, “…picked up those abilities. Since Zhao Kuo was inferior in skill this time, then those two treasure fish can go to your Field Ding!”
Having said that, she no longer looked at the others. She gave Zhang Cheng a slight nod, then flicked her sleeve and departed with her dark-faced subordinates.
Thus, under Zhang Cheng’s mediation, the disturbance was temporarily settled.
Only then did Zhang Cheng turn to Xu Yuan. A warm, honest smile appeared on his face as he cupped his hands.
“Chief Guard Xu is young and promising, and your skills are extraordinary. Still, Chief Guard Yang has always had that sort of temperament, and her background is somewhat complicated. It is best if conflict can be avoided.”
Xu Yuan returned the salute, his manner even-tempered.
“You speak too seriously, Chief Guard Zhang. I should be the one thanking Brother Zhang for stepping in to mediate and sparing us a pointless conflict.”
He could tell that Zhang Cheng had genuinely wanted to calm things down. Xu Yuan remembered the favor.
“Haha, it was only my duty. Since we all serve in the medicinal fields, we ought to look after one another.” Zhang Cheng waved a hand, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and agreed that they would get together again when they had time, before taking his leave as well.
After Zhang Cheng left, the atmosphere by the lake finally became lively again.
The people of Field Ding looked at Xu Yuan with burning eyes, then glanced at the two silver-glinting treasure fish in the bucket. Their anticipation was plain to see.
Xu Yuan smiled slightly and said in a clear voice, “Today, the first merit for obtaining these treasure fish belongs to the brother who discovered and caught them.”
He looked at the young martial artist who had first brought the news. “You get one share—one-sixth.”
The young martial artist was overjoyed and quickly bowed. “Thank you, sir!”
“Guard Gao stepped forward in battle, defeated a strong opponent, and defended both the honor and the gains of our Field Ding. His contribution was not small either, so he will also take one-sixth.”
Hearing this, Gao Xiaosong looked at Xu Yuan with a complicated expression. Although the resentment in his heart had not completely faded, this visible credit and tangible benefit were very real.
He stepped forward silently and cupped his hands in thanks.
Xu Yuan continued, “The rest of the people involved will then divide another two-sixths among themselves. Does anyone have objections?”
As for the remaining portion, it would naturally go to him, the Chief Guard who had worked so hard to hold the line.
“Brilliant, sir!”
“Many thanks, sir!”
The moment the crowd heard this, even louder cheers broke out.
This way of dividing it had taken care of the interests of all who had participated, and it could indeed be called fair and reasonable.
For a time, the way everyone looked at Xu Yuan held not just awe, but several degrees more of genuine conviction.
Xu Yuan watched with a smile. To him, these two Three Transformation treasure fish were only better than nothing.
But using this opportunity to knock Gao Xiaosong into line, win over the people, and establish his authority in Field Ding was worth far more than two fish.
After this incident, Gao Xiaosong would probably keep quiet for quite some time.
…
Just as Xu Yuan had expected, after the matter at Azure Dragon Lake, Gao Xiaosong became noticeably more obedient.
His daily reports grew more respectful, and his handovers regarding defensive duties became more thorough as well—at least on the surface.
As for Xu Yuan and Zhang Cheng, because of that mediation, the two had grown much closer.
Zhang Cheng was open and straightforward by nature, fair in handling affairs, and quite well regarded throughout the medicinal fields.
Their residences were not far apart, so they often visited one another when free.
This evening, at dusk, the setting sun dyed the horizon a warm orange.
The branches and leaves of the old scholar tree swayed lightly in the breeze, casting shifting, mottled shadows that made the small courtyard feel even quieter and more peaceful.
Xu Yuan and Zhang Cheng sat facing each other at the stone table.
Several small dishes prepared by Xiao Qi were laid out on the table, along with a jug of Tiger Gall Wine brought by Zhang Cheng, which was giving off a rich, mellow aroma.
After three rounds of wine, the two were chatting merrily, moving from small matters in the medicinal fields to their experiences on the martial path. The atmosphere was very harmonious.
When the wine had reached its most enjoyable point, Zhang Cheng set down his cup, looked toward the rosy clouds at the edge of the sky, and suddenly let out a quiet sigh.
“Brother Xu, our medicinal fields may occasionally suffer from spirit beast disturbances, but on the whole, this place can still be called peaceful and secluded. Outside, however… especially in the Tier-3 and Tier-4 war zones, things have not been peaceful lately.”
Xu Yuan picked up the wine jug and poured another cup for him before asking, “I heard the fighting has grown increasingly fierce. Is the Bai family’s counterattack that severe?”
“It is.” Zhang Cheng picked up a bite of food and said with feeling,
“Quite a few older men who’ve been stuck at bottlenecks for years and feel they have no hope left have gone red-eyed. One after another, they’ve requested transfers to the front line, hoping to accumulate merit points in life-and-death fighting and exchange them for Meridian-Opening Pills, all for a chance to force a breakthrough.”
He paused, looked at Xu Yuan, and revealed a rather complicated smile—half emotional, half teasing.
“Speaking of which, this trend has something to do with you too, Brother Xu.”
“Oh?” Xu Yuan raised a brow but said nothing.
Zhang Cheng laughed. “Back when you were in the Tier-3 Area, your string of victories and the news of your repeated merits and rewards spread far and wide. It stimulated no small number of people.”
“A good many have been discussing it in private, saying that if someone as young as you could repeatedly earn merit, then why couldn’t they after cultivating so many years? Once that drive rose in them, even more people started running to the front lines to stake their lives.”
Hearing this, Xu Yuan laughed inwardly.
Those people only saw the glory of his great achievements. When had they ever personally experienced the blood-on-the-blade danger and peril at every step he had gone through?
None of this showed on his face. He only shook his head and said,
“Brother Zhang jokes. Every person’s fate and opportunities are different. How could they be compared so simply?”
Zhang Cheng nodded deeply in agreement. “Exactly. The martial path is ultimately like drinking water—only the one drinking knows whether it is warm or cold. Come, let’s drink!”
The two raised their cups and knocked them together, then drained the strong liquor in one go.
“When all’s said and done, isn’t it all because of martial bottlenecks?”
Zhang Cheng swirled his wine cup and continued, “Take me, for example. I’ve been stuck at the bottleneck of the Fifth Meridian for who knows how long. Only someone as gifted as you, Brother Xu, doesn’t need to worry about such things.”
“How can anyone say that for sure?” Xu Yuan shook his head and brushed the matter aside vaguely.
“At the very least, this place is still fairly stable, and not that dangerous, right?”
“Well said. For this moment of peace, we should drain another cup!”
Clink.
The cups struck each other, giving off a crisp, leisurely sound.
…
Time passed in a hurry, and another seven days went by.
August 6.
During these days, nothing much had happened in the medicinal fields under Xu Yuan’s watch. They encountered spirit beasts several times along the way, but all of them were below the Three Transformation realm, so Gao Xiaosong and the others were enough to deal with them.
Xu Yuan spent most of his time immersed in polishing his own martial path.
Now, Jade Platform Stance Art was advancing steadily, his qi and blood growing more vigorous by the day, and the foundation for breaking through to the Sixth Meridian was becoming increasingly solid.
[Skills: Taiji Calisthenics (Perfected 100%), Jade Platform Stance Art (Minor Mastery 53%), Benlei Fist (Major Mastery 71%), Roaming Dragon Step (Major Mastery 13%), Iron Garment Art (Major Mastery 19%)]
[Aptitude: 28 (Unpolished Fine Jade)]
“Breaking through to the Sixth Meridian should be a matter of only twenty more days or so.”
Looking at the panel in his mind, Xu Yuan felt quite satisfied.
The aptitude displayed on the panel became harder and harder to improve the further it progressed.
But correspondingly, the changes it brought also became much greater, increasing his efficiency in both martial training and cultivation by no small amount.
After all, how long had it even been since he broke through to the Fifth Meridian?
In just a little over a month, he was already about to reach the Sixth Meridian.
Such a frightening pace of advancement was something an ordinary person would hardly even dare imagine.
…