White-Robed Chief

Moonlight pierced through the mist shrouding the night.

Six boats covered in black cloth stealthily docked with the Jade Guardian Island.

Several large men quietly landed on the island and carefully moved fifty sacks into Chu Li's courtyard.

Chu Li stood at the center of the moonlight illuminated courtyard as he ordered the men to place the sacks in a specific spot. Afraid of alerting anyone of their presence, Chu Li spoke softly and gently.

In a flash, the group of men disappeared. The boats left the island and the night continued only silently.

Xue Ling stood next to Chu Li with her gleaming eyes sizing up the sacks.

While she did not know what was in the sacks. She could tell from the way the sacks were handled that their contents were confidential and she had to keep her mouth shut.

Chu Li pointed at the pile of sacks. "Open them."

As Xue Ling bent over to untie the sacks, her backside formed an elegant curve capable of moving hearts.

Chu Li shifted his gaze and concentrated on the sacks.

Some of the sacks were carrying dark red mud, and some were carrying dried leaves and grass. There was also some black sand. Then there was also the pile that smelled horrible, which were probably manure.

Xue Ling withstood the odor and opened the sacks one by one without flinching. She looked at Chu Li after she finished.

Chu Li analyzed the sacks and gave off a satisfied look. Everything he needed was here. He ordered Xue Ling to layer the contents of the sacks in a specific order in the courtyard and to water them with two pails of water.

The both of them worked the entire night. Chu Li was giving orders on the side while Xue Ling was working non-stop. Her white gown was stained and she smelled horrible.

Despite that, she did not show any visible frustration. She did whatever Chu Li asked her to do with no complaints.

Chu Li smirked.

This girl's endurance was unexpectedly high!

Chu Li stopped his meditation early in the morning and left the guest house as he ordered Xue Ling to water it further.

Xue Ling emerged from the east room lifting two pails of water and began splashing water onto the land in small scoops, slowly drenching the six meters squared area.

Chu Li asked her to water them again after two hours. What mattered most today was watering the land, and she had to do so every two hours.

She clenched her teeth and nodded.

After delegating the tasks to her, Chu Li continued in his training of the Sentient Menace.

Xue Ling watched him from the side while she watered the land every two hours. Once she was done watering, she would stand in a corner and watch Chu Li train, memorizing all thirty-six moves relatively quickly.

In the afternoon, Xue Ling cooked up so much food that it filled the table.

Chu Li sat at the stone table in the pagoda. "Xue Ling! You come and eat too!"

"Master! I am but a maid, I do not deserve to share a table with you!" Xue Ling refused his offer.

Chu Li lifted his head and looked at her. "There's only the two of us, no need to be so uptight about the rules!"

"I cannot ignore the rules." Xue Ling said.

Chu Li smiled as he could not help it. "Alright, anything you like, I guess."

He was familiar with Xue Ling's backstory. She was once the young daughter of a prefectural magistrate. However, after the magistrate was assassinated by a master of martial arts, both her mother and her were forced to rely on their uncle. She was only ten, but she was old enough to foster a lifelong hatred for the sects, thus motivating her to learn more about martial arts.

As the magistrate used to serve under the Public House, she was able to enter easily and become a maid on the Jade Guardian Island until she turned twenty and finished building her foundation.

However, she was not gifted in martial arts, thus her progress was incredibly slow. It would take a long time before she was able to challenge the Ranking Tower. As she watched Chu Li training, she could only harbor curiosity, nothing more.

Chu Li was enjoying his meal with his great appetite. Halfway through the food, he raised his head. "The technique I'm training isn't suitable for you."

Xue Ling's expression changed.

Chu Li looked at her.

"This heart technique is Buddhist. It's certainly not suitable for a woman to train. Studying it without the adequate level of a dharmic base is suicide, so don't try anything."

"Master, you have a strong enough dharmic base?"

"Ah, so you do not know my background!"

"Chief didn't say a thing."

"I grew up in a temple, and I've been cultivating my dharmic base since I was young. That's why I'm able to practice this technique, but not you. There's no benefit to you learning this. Aren't you cultivating the Crescent Cryptic?

"...Yes." Xue Ling lightly nodded.

Chu Li said. "That heart technique is very powerful, but it's also hard to train."

"It'll be fine!" Xue Ling said.

Chu Li looked at her. "You're in for a lot of hardship if you continue training it!"

The Crescent Cryptic was not the most common of heart techniques. It was meant to cultivate the purest and darkest inner energy. Its power was unusually strong, but the process in which to cultivate it was slow. The speed of it was about one-third of a normal heart technique, but the payoff was that it had double the strength compared to normal heart techniques.

The Crescent Cryptic was typically suited for geniuses to train, it was better if the more normal users avoided it. Even though Xue Ling was determined, her aptitude was average. If she continued to train it, she would suffer the consequences unless she had outside help.

Xue Ling pursed up her red lips and did not speak a word.

Chu Li smiled and said no more. Thanks to her personality, she was not going to give up unless she faced the consequences herself. He had no choice but to let her experience the failure herself, and give up on her own will.

Xue Ling's cooking was much better than Li Yue's, and her talent for cooking was more apparent than her talent in martial arts. She was not suitable for martial arts at all.

However, he knew how truly determined Xue Ling was, and how she was almost consumed by her desire for vengeance. She was trying her best to become stronger to protect her family. He did not want to dampen her will, thus letting her fail by herself first was the best way out.

"Master, have you never challenged the Ranking Tower?

"Nope."

"But are you able to?"

Chu Li laughed.

Xue Ling looked at him silently. Her expression showed no sign of changing.

"I don't want to challenge the Ranking Tower because I don't want to be a Protector." Chu Li said.

"Okay…" Xue Ling nodded. She said no more.

Chu Li felt the disdain she displayed without even having to activate Omniscient Mirror. He waved off his hand. "And that's it. Have your meal and don't forget to water the land!"

"Got it."

Xue Ling bowed and left.

Chu Li gazed at her back as he smiled, she was such a trouble magnet.

He went to the Wisdom Tower after his meal. He read for two hours before continuing on practicing the Sentient Menace, then he returned to the East Garden.

He had decided to finish reading all the books in the Wisdom Tower. He spent two hours reading every day, and since he was unable to leave the Public House, he might as well have tried his best to finish all the books.

The few days after that was spent in the Jade Guardian Island. He was either watering the soil, loosening the soil, or adding sacks of material into it. The dark red soil began to turn black, and it ended up as black as ink. The initial horrid smell turned into a relatively pleasant smell that reminded him of the smell of red sandalwood.

This meant that the construction of the blessed farmland was successful! All the soil that was mixed together turned into the blessed soil!