"Wait a moment, Lady Zhu. Please calm down. I apologize for my sister’s rudeness. I will handle this according to your wishes. Please don’t end our friendship over this," Xincheng said sternly. He turned to order the guards, "Prepare the place below and invite the Governor as well!" "Big Brother!" Hui Lin was immensely displeased. Why should he cater so much to this child? If he wished to foster ties with Master Ming Yang, he could do so through Master Tiao. Why must he let her apologize to a beggar in the street and even invite the Governor as a witness? Isn’t this too much of a disgrace for her? "Shut your mouth, or you’ll find yourself thrown into the Thousand Blood Ravine!" Hui Lin’s mouth snapped shut immediately, her brother was truly angry this time. She knew all too well the cruelty of the Thousand Blood Ravine, a place for the sect’s youth to train themselves. They would never be able to forget the torment they’ve gone through in that ravine, even after death. All that had been thrown into that, only one out of ten managed to survive. Yet, each year, those who erred were thrown in as punishment. Without finding a way out, they would be torn apart by beasts, leaving not even their bones behind. Soon, the guards reported that everything was prepared downstairs. Zhenzhu led Xin Xi down. "Don’t be afraid. She can’t do anything to you." "Big Sister Zhu, she won’t come after us again, will she?" "She wouldn’t dare." Xin Xi felt deeply grateful. Big Sister Zhu always looked out for him. In front of Ruyi Pharmacy, a large crowd of townspeople and customers had gathered, curious about the unfolding scene. A pale carpet was laid out with chairs and a tea set ready. "Hey? What kind of ritual Ruyi Pharmacy hosting?" "I have no idea. Never heard anything like it." "Eh, then what are they planning to do?" "I’m as clueless as you are. Waiting to watch it with you guys." "Eh, isn’t that the governor?" "And he’s heading towards that kid. Isn’t that Lady He?" "Yes, yes, that’s her. I remember her." Murmurs of surprise and speculation rose among the crowd. "Everyone, please listen. Last month, Lady Hui Lin of Water Dragon Sect behaved improperly, riding horse in a city, causing havoc, and injuring many, including the Young Master Xin Xi, a close friend of Lady He. Today, to show her sincerity and apologize for the incident, Lady Hui Lin wishes to offer tea as a gesture of apology and remorse. Water Dragon Sect will also take full responsibility and compensate for the damage caused to others involved in the incident," announced one of the guards. "Ah, I remember now. That person who rode her horse through town, right?" "Yes, the one who whipped people indiscriminately." "Right, right. I felt so bad for that kid. So, he was the close brother of Lady He." "That lady was truly vicious." "Yes, arrogant and haughty." "Unexpectedly, she has the decency to apologize." "Hey, I bet she was forced by the sect leader to apologize. She doesn’t truly regret her actions." Zhenzhu was pleased with the townspeople’s gossip, at least showing Lady Hui Lin just how despised her actions were. Believing one could not be criticized simply for being a member of Water Dragon Sect, if she wasn’t going to be remorseful, the least she could do was not cause trouble for anyone else. Meanwhile, the subject of the gossip clenched her teeth in frustration. If it weren’t for the presence of her older brother, she might have whipped those gossiping to death. "Today, we have the honor of the Governor’s presence. Thank you for gracing us with your presence," Xincheng said. "Young Master is too courteous with me. It’s me who should thank you for the honor.” "Today, I finally have the chance to meet Lady He. I have long heard of Master He’s reputation and heard that Master He also sells spirit vegetables at a low price. Truly, it is a blessing for the people of Fengfu City," the Governor turned to Zhenzhu. While the Young Master deserves respect, the true benefactors to the city of Fengfu are the He family. If more people in Fengfu could become spirit energy cultivators, it might elevate Fengfu City to another level. Perhaps, with some time, Fenfu might elevate to the level of the major cities in the region. "It is the He family’s fortune to be able to assist the Governor and all the townspeople. If there’s anything we can help with, please don’t hesitate. The He family is more than willing to assist," Zhenzhu said. Engaging with local officials is a common practice among merchants. "Ha, ha, ha, thank you, Lady He." "Young Master Xin Xi, please," instructed a guard. "Xin Xi, go sit in that chair." Newest update provıded by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱 "Y...yes," he was a bit nervous with so many people around. "Lady Hui Lin, please." Grinding her teeth but under Xincheng’s watchful eye, Hui Lin reluctantly walked over to pour the tea. She lifted it with one hand before offering it to Xin Xi. "Lady Hui Lin, please use both hands," the guard reminded her. Even in apologizing, she still carried herself with such arrogance. Truly beyond redemption. Hui Lin glared at the guard but complied, using both hands to offer the tea to Xin Xi. However, her long eyes briefly flashed with malice. Hmph, you lowly beggar, I’ll teach you a lesson myself. She quickly flipped her wrist, intending to splash the hot tea onto the beggar’s face. How dare a mere beggar sit and accept an apology from her? But as the tea was about to spill towards Xin Xi, a swift gleam of light passed by unnoticed, causing the tea to splash back onto Hui Lin’s face instead. "Hui Lin!" Xincheng was shocked. "It burns! Big brother, it burns!" Sitting at a distance, Zhenzhu smirked slightly. To bring trouble to others is to invite trouble upon oneself. If she had not been intent on causing harm, she wouldn’t have had to give her this lesson. No one could bully my people... As the sun blazed overhead, Zhenzhu finished inscribing the last character into the earth. Character’s power spread out, in line with the formation’s energy which been properly positioned. She named this ‘Rainy Formation’, as it was meant to replicate the environment of the rainy season, specifically for growing the Erdan mushroom. Unlike other formations, the Rainy Formation posed no danger to humans; it merely altered the environmental conditions. From now on, the He family’s duty was to water the area regularly to maintain the moisture needed for the mushrooms. Now, they had to wait and see the results of Zhenzhu’s Rainy Formation. "Big Sister Zhu, I’m off to deliver herbs to Master Tiao. Do you need anything?" Xin Xi approached after she stepped out of the garden. Nowadays, Xin Xi took on the responsibility of delivering herbs to Master Tiao, but when he was unavailable due to other duties or helping He Lei, the task would fall to He Ming or the twins, Feng Yi and Feng Xian. The entire city now knew that the once-familiar beggar was now Young Master Xin Xi, close brother of Lady He who was the daughter of Master He. Sometimes, they would even see Xin Xi helping the He family sell vegetables, making him quite the celebrity in Fengfu City. Many townspeople would even flatter him into selling them vegetables. "I’ll go with you. I need to deliver some medicine to Master Tiao, then I will go buy several things. Let me change my clothes quickly; just wait a moment." After Zhenzhu changed her clothes, she joined Xin Xi, and they both boarded the cart, heading into the city. The roadsides, once desolate and overgrown with wild grass, were now lined with shops following the opening of the He family’s vegetable store. Land near the He family’s house was increasingly being settled, with more people building homes outside the city. Zhenzhu looked around thoughtfully, predicting that the land prices in these areas would soon rise. Along the way, she eyed several plots along the road she was interested in purchasing, wondering if their owners were willing to sell. If so, she considered buying them for future rental or to open a fabric store. "Xin Xi, do you know who owns that plot of land?" Zhenzhu pointed to a densely wooded area not far from their home. Though unkempt, she believed if someone took care of it, it had potential for a shop due to its location near a junction leading to another city, frequented by some merchants. "It seems that land belongs to Elder Zhi. He used to farm there but having no descendants and being too old to work, he left the land to become overgrown as you see," Xin Xi explained. The plot was sizeable, perhaps even larger than her garden. "Xin Xi, could you ask Elder Zhi if he’s interested in selling this land? If interested, I’d offer a fair price," Zhenzhu requested. Typically, elders are reluctant to sell land intended as inheritance, but without heirs, Elder Zhi might be persuaded to sell for a good price, ensuring a comfortable retirement. Currently, Zhenzhu had a considerable amount of money saved from selling inscribed pills and the gold beans given by Water Dragon Sect leader, enough to affirm she wasn’t poor. They arrived at Ruyi Pharmacy, delivering the medicine and herbs, then went to buy what they need, and also things that Miss Wang asked them to purchase for her, "Xin Xi, put this blanket in the cart first," Zhenzhu said, choosing a new blanket after ruining her old one. Meanwhile, at Facai Pharmacy. Master Man handed a sum of money to five men in black, including his nephew, specially summoned for the task. His nephew, a city guard from a town not far from Fengfu City, occasionally took on external work as a mercenary, undertaking all kinds of tasks, lawful or otherwise. "This is an advance. Once you bring back the specified quantity of goods, I’ll pay the rest as agreed." "Uncle, are you sure the He family hasn’t hired any guards or mercenaries for their garden?" Yijie, Master Man’s nephew, wanted to be sure, as it seemed unusual for such a valuable garden to be unguarded. "I’m certain. I’ve had it investigated. There’s only a man and two young men with some ability, but you’re all spirit energy cultivators; it shouldn’t be a problem. Remember, try not to make a big scene. Steal the herbs and leave as quickly as possible." "Understood, uncle. We’ll act tonight," Yijie said. This night would be moonless night, convenient for house intrusion. "Good," Master Man nodded, pleased. Were it not for Master Tiao and Master He monopolizing the market to his detriment, he wouldn’t have resorted to such measures. His pharmacy did not have as many spirit herbs as Ruyi Pharmacy, he lost all his old customers to them. His pharmacy once thrived as the most prosperous in the city, he needed to do this to bring back customers, he needed to sell spirit energized pills like them. But the quantity of spirit herbs that villagers sold to him was incomparable to Ruyi Pharmacy, he lowered the price to retain profits, and they went to sell herbs to other shop. Now his shop was desolate, with only a few mosquitoes inside. In the deep, tranquil night, the atmosphere was dyed with the color of black ink. Five men, dressed to have full cover of themselves from head to toe, leaped over the northern city wall, heading straight for Master He’s vegetable garden. "Big brother arrived already," one of them announced. In such a night, the glow of spirit energy from the plants shone from afar, resembling night pearls competing with the stars above. "Let’s go." They quietly jumped over the fence enclosing the area. Suddenly, as if the surroundings shifted, the air turned slightly colder. However, they hardly noticed the change, intent on quickly completing their mission. They ran towards the alluring garden. Master He was foolish indeed; such valuable spirit plants were left unguarded. Did he not scare that someone might steal? But this was good, their mission would be easier. But as they approached closer, the garden seemed to stretch further away. The faster they ran, the more distant it seemed. Why was the garden so vast? After an hour of running, they sensed something was off. "Big brother, why do I feel like I’ve passed this tree twice already?" one of them, drenched in sweat, voiced his concern. "Me too," another agreed. "Eh, how strange. Why is the garden so far away?" Although the garden was right in front of them, it felt unreachable, no matter how fast they ran, they could not reach it. Suddenly, something leaped out from the darkness. It was a monstrous creature, its body resembling that of tiger, with a long fur like dogs, human-like facial features, crimson eyes, a bushy beard, tiger-like feet, boar-like tusks, and a tail that was 1 zhang 8 chi long. "A... a beast. T... Taowu," Yijie stuttered in a trembling voice. The five men in black were trembling, their hearts seized by fear and panic. Why would a legendary demon appear here? The Beast Taowu, one of the Four Great Malevolent Beast, known as a creature of great malevolence in myth, resembled a fusion of a tiger and a boar, with sharp tusks and a savage nature. It roared thunderously. "W...what do we do, Big Brother?" "Are you waiting for it to come and eat your head? Run!" They scattered in all directions, but they could see that the Beast Taowu was chasing them relentlessly. The more they ran, the harder it ran after. Eventually, they were exhausted and unable to run further. Yijie looked back to see the Beast Taowu still in pursuit. It was hopeless; the garden’s fence was near, yet unreachable, they could not get out. He kept running, thenhe noticed a cave faintly visible in the distance. It appeared out of nowhere, seemingly a small cave where he could hide. Without hesitation, he jumped inside. The Beast Taowu slammed into the cave’s entrance, too large to enter. Yijie breathed a sigh of relief, this cave could provide them with some grasp of air, yet the big problem was that he could not get out. Yijie decided to stay put for the time being. At least he felt safer here than running outside. Did not know how his four comrades were, it was unfortunate that the Beast Taowu chased after him. He looked around, searched the cave for another exit, but no matter how hard he searched, there was only one way out, the one guarded by Beast Taowu. It was outside, not going anywhere. Time passed, but the beast showed no signs of leaving. This was bad. If he kept sitting here, he would end up dying in the cave. Resigned to his fate, Yijie lamented his decision to steal from this place. Who would have thought Master He didn’t need guards because he had a legendary beast protecting his crops? If he had known, he would never have risked his life for a small sum of money. No, he couldn’t remain trapped here; he had to try to fight and escape at any chance he got. If he stayed, he wouldn’t know whether it was day or night and would slowly die in this cave. Staying meant death, but leaving gave a chance of survival. "Let’s go. Even a slim chance is better than none." Yijie decided to confront the Beast Taowu, good or bad, he was a spirit energy cultivator after all. At least he could cause it some discomfort. He drew his sword, ready to face the beast. Yijie dodged, then trying to stab into its skin with a sword, but no matter how hard he tried, his sword could not hurt it. It probably felt like that was just a light tap. This was not working, if it kept going on , he would eventually tire and become the beast’s meal. Yijie looked back at the cave, only to find the entrance now blocked by the Beast Taowu. He used all his remaining strength to flee, but the beast relentlessly pursued him. Feeling utterly defeated, he wondered if this was where his life would end. Meanwhile, Yijie’s four comrades were in a similar dire situation, struggling and running. It was incredibly hard to survive in the garden of Master He. Read ‘Rebirth: This Farmgirl Has Spirit Fish Scales’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en