Chapter 53: The Great Dao is fifty, the Heavens evolve forty-nine

On the sixth day of arriving at the Three-Fork Herb Farm, as soon as the sky brightened, Hua Changxi finished her cultivation on time. Just as she had drawn water and was preparing to wash up, the courtyard gate was knocked upon.

Unlike the forceful knocking of the previous days, this time the knocking was very polite.

Hua Changxi set down her washing supplies, walked over, and opened the courtyard gate. Seeing the thin, gaunt youth standing outside, she was somewhat surprised: "Why is it you?"

A-Niu was a bit shy and dared not look Hua Changxi in the eye. He lowered his head and said, "Steward Mao told me to come back and continue feeding the livestock."

Hua Changxi: "Were you the one who always did the job of feeding the livestock before?"

A-Niu nodded and took a quick glance at Hua Changxi: "The day you arrived, Steward Mao had others come to feed the livestock."

Hua Changxi understood in her heart that Mao Yong simply wanted to use the hands of other male laborers to disgust her, force her to make a move, and then go invite a Grandmaster to come out and teach her a lesson.

Hua Changxi stepped aside to let the youth into the courtyard: "What is your name?"

A-Niu seemed somewhat afraid of Hua Changxi; he trotted into the courtyard and kept a distance from her: "My name is A-Niu."

Seeing this, Hua Changxi's eyes drooped. Two people died yesterday; although it wasn't her own hand that did it, the wild boar had indeed gone mad because she had attacked it with spiritual power.

People died...

This was also something she hadn't anticipated, but she did not regret provoking the wild boar.

Those male laborers came to harass her, so naturally, she had to retaliate. As for what consequences would follow, that depended on everyone's own luck.

In this herb farm, she was like a piece of meat. If she didn't retaliate forcefully and was afraid of this or that, endless trouble would be waiting for her.

Sure enough, after yesterday's incident, Mao Yong changed the person feeding the livestock. If the male laborers in the farm wanted to crowd around her again, they would likely have to weigh the consequences carefully.

When going to eat, as soon as Hua Changxi entered the courtyard, everyone looked at her and then, by tacit agreement, moved away from her. The previous jeering sounds also disappeared.

Regarding this, Hua Changxi was very satisfied.

With no one left in the livestock yard to disgust her, Hua Changxi took her breakfast and went back to eat, not forgetting to bring a portion for A-Niu.

Returning to the livestock yard, A-Niu had already finished feeding the cattle and horses and was currently feeding the hunting dogs.

"A-Niu, I brought you breakfast. Come over and eat when you're done."

There was a stone platform by the well. Hua Changxi placed the breakfast directly on the stone platform and watched A-Niu work while she ate.

Seeing that Hua Changxi had brought him breakfast, A-Niu's expression was one of surprise. However, he was not used to interacting with outsiders, so he deliberately slowed down his movements in feeding the hunting dogs.

Yet, looking at the hunting dogs that were obediently cooperating, neither barking nor making a fuss, A-Niu felt very strange.

Before, when feeding the livestock, both the cattle and horses would make a huge fuss, and the hunting dogs would bark especially fiercely. But today, the livestock were exceptionally easy to feed.

A-Niu took a quick glance at Hua Changxi. Could it be that not only were the people in the farm afraid of Young Lady Hua, but even the livestock were afraid of her?

Hua Changxi watched A-Niu, who was dragging his feet and wouldn't come over to eat. After thinking for a moment, she picked up the bowl containing three large steamed buns, walked to A-Niu's side, and placed it by his feet.

After returning to the stone platform, Hua Changxi asked: "A-Niu, are you also a laborer at the herb farm?"

A-Niu looked at the buns by his feet and swallowed his saliva. He was only here to help at the herb farm; he wasn't a laborer here and usually couldn't eat such good food.

"No, I am a shepherd boy from the neighboring Dongchi Village."

Hua Changxi: "Does your village also grow medicinal herbs?"

A-Niu shook his head: "We don't grow them. Medicinal herbs are precious; it's not something we can afford to grow."

Hua Changxi asked again: "I see women planting medicinal herbs in the herb fields too. Where are those women from?"

A-Niu: "They are all from the surrounding villages. Every year when planting and harvesting medicinal herbs, the laborers at the herb farm can't keep up, so they always have people from the surrounding villages come to help."

Hua Changxi looked at him: "You are from the neighboring village, so you must know the surroundings of the herb farm very well, right?"

Hearing this, A-Niu finally looked at Hua Changxi, puzzled: "Know what?"

Hua Changxi smiled: "Know the geographical environment around here. Just like yesterday, I didn't know there were wild boars in the mountains, and it gave me quite a scare. It was my first time seeing a wild boar."

"A-Niu, can you tell me about the situation in the nearby mountains and forests? I don't want to run into a wild boar again."

A-Niu looked at her: "Young Lady Hua, you had best stay in the herb farm and not run around everywhere. The mountains and forests around here are a bit sinister."

Hua Changxi instantly perked up: "How are they sinister?"

A-Niu looked at the buns and didn't speak.

Hua Changxi: "What, are these things not to be told to outsiders?"

A-Niu shook his head: "No, I'm just afraid that if I tell you, you won't believe it."

Hua Changxi smiled: "If you don't say it, how do you know I won't believe it? Anyway, since we're idle, let's just treat it as telling a story."

Seeing that she was truly curious, A-Niu finally spoke: "There are a lot of wild beasts in the mountains and forests around us. In the last two years, villagers have often been eaten. To hunt the wild beasts, many traps were dug on the outskirts of the mountains and forests."

If it weren't for those traps, people wouldn't have died at the herb farm yesterday.

Hua Changxi had heard her father talk about wild beasts eating people. She had originally thought it was a low-probability event; she hadn't expected it to happen so often here at the Three-Fork Herb Farm.

Was this kind of thing an isolated, accidental event, or was it like this everywhere in the Great Jin?

"Besides wild beasts eating people, are there any other strange things?"

A-Niu: "...... I've noticed that the valleys around us have become larger, the mountains are higher than before, and the flowers, plants, and trees in the mountains are more lush than before."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi's eyes flickered incessantly: "Is that so? Is this something you feel alone, or does everyone feel this way?"

A-Niu: "I and several uncles who often go into the mountains to hunt all feel this way."

Hua Changxi: "Then have you told the yamen about this?"

A-Niu: "Yes, several uncles went to the yamen, but the officials in the yamen told us not to spread rumors, otherwise they would arrest us."

Hua Changxi couldn't confirm this matter either and could only keep it in her heart. She then asked: "I heard at the Medical Department that new medicinal herbs are often discovered here at the Three-Fork Herb Farm. Do you know about this?"

A-Niu nodded, his expression even a bit happy: "I know, I even found one. Because of this, Steward Mao rewarded me with fifty catties of coarse grain."

Seeing him like this, Hua Changxi fell silent again. The Medical Department was very generous to those who discovered new medicinal herbs; after passing through layers, it was actually only worth fifty catties of coarse grain.

"You... what kind of medicinal herb did you find? Where did you find it?"

A-Niu shook his head: "Master You has given instructions that this cannot be said."

Hua Changxi: "Who is Master You?"

A-Niu: "He is the Grandmaster stationed at the Three-Fork Herb Farm."

Seeing A-Niu's fearful expression, Hua Changxi did not pursue the matter of the Grandmaster: "Are there any other strange things?"

A-Niu hesitated for a moment: "A hunter from Nanchi Village once said that he encountered a weasel that could speak human language in the mountains."

Hua Changxi's expression was shocked, and her voice rose a few notches: "Really?"

A-Niu shook his head: "I don't know. That hunter went crazy later and froze to death last winter."

Animals that speak human language......

This news shocked Hua Changxi greatly. Before she could continue questioning A-Niu, the sound of a gong for starting work rang out outside the courtyard.

Soon, Mao Wei and a group of people entered the livestock yard to lead away the hunting dogs and cattle and horses.

Hua Changxi had no choice but to leave the livestock yard and go to the drying field to collect farming tools.

"Hua Changxi, from today on, you go to work in the Herb Valley."

The death of two male laborers yesterday made Mao Yong suddenly wake up. The one-armed man Guo Yu was a seventh-rank martial artist, and Hua Changxi didn't fear him, which meant her martial arts cultivation was above the seventh rank.

He had actually gone to challenge a martial artist above the seventh rank; he really was tired of living.

The laborers who were injured these past few days were the best examples. Although he couldn't find traces of Hua Changxi's actions, he knew it was Hua Changxi who did it.

He had a little power in the herb farm, but if he really angered Hua Changxi, this little power of his couldn't protect him and his brother.

The wrong thing had already been done. Now, all he could do was send Hua Changxi far away and try his best not to have contact with her.

Sending Hua Changxi to work in the Herb Valley had a ready-made excuse.

The medicinal herbs planted in the Herb Valley were more precious than those in the herb fields. Hua Changxi not only planted herbs quickly but also worked very meticulously, enough to be qualified to plant herbs in the Herb Valley.

Most importantly, Master You was over at the Herb Valley. With him sitting in charge, Hua Changxi could only obediently stay in the Herb Valley and wouldn't dare to run around.

Once the planting of the medicinal herbs was finished, he would quickly send away this batch of people who came to help and never have dealings with Hua Changxi again.

Hua Changxi was extremely willing to go work in the Herb Valley. She had previously been racking her brains on how to get to the Herb Valley side; now it was good, she didn't even need to think of a way herself.

Mao Yong called over a subordinate and had him take Hua Changxi and more than ten other laborers who worked well together to the Three-Fork Herb Valley.

The Three-Forked Medicine Valley is named for its location at the intersection of three Y-shaped mountain ranges. The terrain is flat and the soil fertile. This area was originally farmland cultivated by nearby villagers, but after the Medical Department took an interest in it, it was converted into a medicine valley.

Hua Changxi walked at the end of the line, carefully examining everything around her.

The further she walked toward the Herb Valley, the more she could clearly feel that the spiritual energy in the air was becoming more and more dense.

"Chirp~"

Suddenly, a piercing bird cry rang out. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a black shadow in the sky rapidly diving down, rushing toward them.

Hua Changxi looked closely, and a look of shock immediately appeared in her eyes.

That was a sparrow, a giant sparrow with wings spread out a full two meters wide.

Everyone's faces were filled with horror, and they scattered in all directions.

The person leading the team shouted loudly while running: "Master You, help!"

Hua Changxi, who had originally picked up a stone from the ground and intended to make a move, heard this shout and immediately withdrew her hand.

Just as the giant sparrow was only five or six meters from the ground, an arm-thick tree branch shot over, striking the sparrow directly in the chest.

With a "Boom", the sparrow fell from mid-air to the ground, the branch piercing through its body and pinning it to the ground.

The sparrow didn't die immediately but struggled for a while before it stopped moving.

Watching this scene, everyone was terrified.

Hua Changxi looked in the direction from which the branch had flown. Soon, the one-armed man she had seen before appeared.

"Alright, it's fine now."

The one-armed man comforted everyone, then walked toward the sparrow, pulled out the branch with some effort, and then hoisted the sparrow onto his shoulder. Just as he was about to leave, he turned around and saw Hua Changxi, pausing slightly.

However, the one-armed man didn't say anything and walked away with the sparrow on his shoulder.

The team leader hurriedly greeted everyone to follow, while he trotted beside Guo Yu: "Master Guo, are there more and more fierce beasts in the Herb Valley?"

Clearly, the people at the herb farm had encountered beast attacks like the sparrow more than once.

Guo Yu's expression was indifferent: "Rest assured, with Master You here, you won't be in any trouble."

The team leader was still worried: "But this can't go on like this."

There were more and more fierce beasts, and there was only one Master You; it was impossible for him to look after everyone.

Guo Yu was silent for a moment: "If the fierce beasts continue to increase, Master You will report it to the Heavenly Department, and then the Heavenly Department will send martial artists over. You just need to plant the medicinal herbs with peace of mind; you don't need to worry about the guarding."

Hearing that the Heavenly Department would send martial artists over, the team leader's expression improved quite a bit.

Hua Changxi, walking at the back, pricked up her ears to listen to the conversation between the two.

Fierce beasts?

Are they animals like the giant sparrow?

How could a sparrow become so big?

Is it because of the spiritual energy in the Herb Valley?

And the Heavenly Department......

The one-armed man's indifferent tone clearly showed that this kind of thing was no longer an isolated case but a widespread existence, and a mature response plan had already been formed.

While Hua Changxi was thinking about these things, they arrived at the Three-Fork Herb Valley.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a basin in the middle, the geographical environment was very favorable, and it covered an extremely vast area; one couldn't see the end at a glance.

The team leader handed Hua Changxi and her group over to a steward. The steward carefully asked about their situation and then assigned them to different teams.

One-fifth of the people working in the Herb Valley were women. Hua Changxi was not conspicuous here, which made her heave a heavy sigh of relief.

Seeing that the medicinal herbs planted in the Herb Valley were all those needed by high-rank martial artists, Hua Changxi was not too surprised. She specifically paid attention to the speed of others and adjusted her own speed of planting medicinal herbs to be about the same as theirs.

Here, what she needed to do was to blend into the crowd. Only after blending in would she be inconspicuous and unremarkable, be able to avoid the attention of the Grandmaster, find an opportunity to investigate the situation in the Herb Valley, and search for the Origin Spirit Grass.

When Hua Changxi was buried in her work, the one-armed man Guo Yu had been watching her. After observing for half a day, seeing that she had nothing special about her, he went to the mountainside of the West Mountain to see Master You, who was sitting on a cliff with his eyes closed in meditation.

"Master, that Hua Changxi's martial arts cultivation is above the disciple's."

Master You shook his head with his eyes closed: "She is not a martial artist; she has no internal energy in her body."

Guo Yu's expression changed: "How is that possible? If she is not a martial artist, how can she be unaffected by the disciple's pressure?"

Master You opened his eyes, his gaze flickering: "I am also becoming less and less able to see through this world. Those above have hidden many things. I suspect that above martial artists, there should be even higher combat power."

As he spoke, he looked at the shocked Guo Yu.

"Keep a close eye on that little girl; perhaps we can glimpse from her what secrets those above have hidden."

Guo Yu asked suspiciously: "Master, Mao Yong has investigated Hua Changxi; she is just a young lady from an ordinary family. How could such a person be related to the affairs above?"

Master You smiled faintly: "The Great Dao is fifty, the Heavens evolve forty-nine. Those above hide everything to protect their own interests, but the Heavens are still fair and will still leave a glimmer of life for those below."

"Just like Grandmaster martial artists; although there are more cultivated by noble families, there are also quite a few Grandmasters from humble backgrounds."

"No matter how much those above hide, the people below also have their own opportunities." ===== CHAPTER 54 =====