Achieving physical sainthood starting from Hunyuan Gong

Chapter 37 I'm in Charge

Spring has passed.

The chirping of cicadas echoed through the forest surrounding the medicinal herb field, and the temperature gradually rose.

The transfer order came so quickly that Cao Yu was unable to carry out any of the revenge plans he had previously discussed with Song Shen and others against the Huang family. They quickly took over the affairs of the medicinal field.

The Cao family's medicinal herb fields are located in White Bird Town.

Although this place is a market town, it is a distribution center for goods from Xinyu Qianzhan because of its well-developed waterways and the surrounding mountains and marshes. It was originally built to resist bandits outside the city, so it was directly under the jurisdiction of Xinyu City and was far more developed than ordinary market towns. It even had city walls and a large number of merchants came and went.

In contrast to the Cao family, the Huang family also has its own medicinal herb fields in this area. Besides these, there are also numerous other forces such as the Medicine King Gang and the Sand Boat Gang, making the situation extremely complex.

After Cao Yu arrived, he devoted himself to cultivation, and all major affairs were handled by Song Shen and Duan Chong. The two gradually became Cao Yu's right-hand men.

Under the immense pressure from the eldest son, Song Shen could only use Cao Yu's connections to bring Song Zhen from his residence to the medicinal herb field to work, thus placing her under his protection.

Having just been allocated a mansion, Song Shen has little chance to enjoy it, so he has left it idle for the time being.

To avoid the eldest young master's fake medicine, Song Shen now exchanges everything he can for money. For the other martial artists in the manor, the Cao family's training rations are very important, and exchanging them for money would mean having to buy more, which would be a huge loss.

However, while Song Shen could do this with his Yizheng Yongzheng panel, Duan Chong seemed to be facing a much heavier burden.

Faced with the eldest son's methods, the two could only exchange bitter smiles.

But as time went on, Duan Chong was the first to break down, and the dark clouds of crisis were spreading rapidly at a visible speed.

That evening, Duan Chong spoke earnestly: "Be careful."

Song Shen looked at his old friend and said, "Speak frankly."

Duan Chong remained silent for a long time, as if he had made a decision.

"Have you noticed that the recent blood-nourishing pills are all made from wild herbs?"

"Yes, I noticed it a long time ago."

"The one in charge of medicine making in your household is...?"

"The First Madam and the Eldest Son."

Duan Chong gave a wry smile. "So, you knew everything."

Song Shen said expressionlessly, "This young master is truly ruthless."

Duan Chong lowered his eyelids slightly and, like Song Shen, sat on a large rock in the medicinal field, watching the slowly setting sun.

"If I compromise, will you, Song Shen, look down on me?"

The struggle and helplessness he expressed when he said this were all the more real.

"No," Song Shen smiled slightly. "When you asked that question, you had already made up your mind, hadn't you?"

Duan Chong hesitated, then asked, "Song Shen, why can you take everything so lightly?"

Having known Song Shen for so long, Duan Chong realized that Song Shen was truly an extraordinary person, someone who was not attached to material things. As far as he knew, Song Shen cared about nothing in this world except for that older sister.

"It's just a little bit of hardship."

Duan Chong shook his head and said, "I can't be as carefree as you. I have elderly parents to support and two sons to raise. They all depend on me. If I, Old Duan, were to fall down one day, no one would be there to help me up. Instead, my family would fall heavily on me. I don't know if you've considered these things."

"Please feel free to speak."

"Their cultivation rations have been tampered with these past few days, so sooner or later more things will happen. The Third Miss's ambition lies with the sect; she controls the family's affairs only to obtain resources for cultivation. One day she will leave, and what will we do then? Have you thought about that?"

Song Shen scratched his head and said, "Really not..."

Duan Chong opened his mouth, but hesitated, leaving much to be said unsaid.

"Take your time to think it over. I've already thought it over, and I've decided to follow the young master's arrangements and leave this place."

Song Shen let out a breath, nodded, and said, "I understand your choice."

"I hope I won't lose you as a friend. My life in the Cao family is already like this; I'm fortunate to have maintained everything. But you're different. Sigh! If I could, I really wish you would leave. Although saying this goes against the principles of a man, we are ultimately just servants of the Cao family, or... dogs of the Cao family. Those surnamed Cao are our masters, and we... shouldn't be involved in this kind of struggle!"

Duan Chong's voice grew louder and louder, until it almost sounded like an accusation.

"Sigh, it's all fate! I won't say more, I know you understand in your heart."

Song Shen fell silent.

The servants of the Cao family—

The dogs of the Cao family—

All of this undoubtedly stung Song Shen's heart. No matter how much he wishfully believed that he was just working for the Cao family's company, in this world, in the minds of the people in this world, under the rules...

He was undoubtedly a servant and dog of the Cao family. Even if he climbed to the position of first-class guard, he would only be a slightly more prestigious servant.

So, for the eldest young master, such a disobedient dog like himself naturally needs to be eliminated.

So... in the Third Miss's heart?

Duan Chong stopped speaking and sat silently beside Song Shen. The two watched in silence as the patrol team patrolled step by step, operating like machines to protect the interests of the Cao family.

"Have you spoken to the Third Miss?" Song Shen asked.

"Yes, I have already said that. She understands, but she is currently fully focused on her cultivation. As long as nothing goes wrong with the herb field, she probably won't show up."

Duan Chong said this, but Song Shen could hear a kind of bitter sigh in his words.

"I won't be able to go drinking with you in town anymore. Without me around, you'd better not go out alone," Duan Chong instructed.

Song Shen asked, "Will the eldest young master intervene?"

Duan Chong sneered, "Isn't it easy to kill you? Have you noticed how famous you've become lately? Everyone's talking about how young you are, how you brilliantly thwarted the Huang family's plot in the fishing grounds and killed their invading forces."

"Oh, using someone else to do the dirty work?" Song Shen pondered the meaning behind Duan Chong's words.

It wasn't that he was slow-witted, but rather... he simply hadn't noticed it at all.

He heard all sorts of rumors from outsiders, but no one told him about them, and naturally he didn't go around asking about them.

Song Shen devoted almost all his time outside of work to cultivation. With the talent to attain eternal enlightenment, who could resist grinding away at it!

Seeing the boy's slow-witted appearance, Duan Chong sighed inwardly. He really wanted to help, but he could only sigh helplessly.

This kid doesn't seem to fully understand the cruelty of the martial world.

He was helpless about it.

That's all I have to say. Take care, brother!

"Take care of yourself!"

The two said goodbye.

The following day, Duan Chong indeed left the herb field and was replaced by another extremely senior guard, who was undoubtedly the eldest young master's man.

Song Shen and even the elderly people brought by Cao Yu suffered persecution to varying degrees. Despite Cao Yu's desperate attempts to protect them, these people still encountered many troubles.

After Duan Chong left, a wave of exodus began, with one old friend after another leaving, until only Liu Shuisheng and Zhang Baolu remained in the end.

Song Shen continued his daily life as usual, still diligently cultivating himself, wielding his sword countless times, and enduring countless arduous journeys.

【Wind Chasing Blade Technique (Combined 99%)】

Even at this moment, Song Shen still had not crossed this level of chasm.

on the other hand--

[Hun Yuan Gong Level 4 12%]

The progress of bone forging is also quite slow.

Since reaching the Bone Forging stage in his cultivation, Song Shen suddenly realized that the resources he needed had increased significantly, and his money was being consumed at twice the rate, but he was severely restricted in acquiring resources.

To make rapid progress, acquiring power and resources remains extremely important.

In a state of confusion and distress, I received a notification from Cao Yu.

Come to the courtyard to see me.

Upon receiving the message, Song Shen immediately went to Cao Yu's courtyard. After so long, her short hair was still sharp, and her focus was even stronger than before.

Cao Yu's first words were in a deep voice: "Duan Chong is gone, and many others are gone too."

Song Shen nodded and said, "They all told me."

"I didn't stop them because I agreed with their choice," Cao Yu said to himself.

Song Shen nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"For you... I feel the same way." Cao Yu looked at Song Shen.

Song Shen smiled and said, "Is Senior Sister really that open-minded?"

Cao Yu froze, his face frozen, devoid of any expression.

"The path of the strong is destined to be lonely. Master Li is gone, and the people I promoted in the past have also left. One day I will also leave. I have been waiting for you to say that you are leaving, but you did not come, so I specially invited you to come here."

Song Shen let out a breath and asked softly, "Where can I go?"

Cao Yu smiled and said, "What, isn't now the time to talk about dreams? Didn't we say we should be free from constraints and unfettered thoughts?"

Song Shen pondered for a moment, unable to utter any rebuttal. The more radiant the poetry and distant places in life are, the more unbearable the present hardships are.

"sorry--"

Don't say sorry.

Cao Yuying looked at Song Shen and felt how precious this friendship was at this moment. Song Shen, who had only been with her for a few years, was actually able to do this much.

However, Song Shen's calm words shattered this illusion.

"Miss, please consider this apology as a form of treatment."

"..."

All the tender affection that had been brewing for so long vanished into thin air.

Cao Yu said irritably, "How many do you want?"

Song Shen said in a deep voice, "Third Miss, you are currently focused solely on martial arts cultivation. What you want is to enter a sect, while what I want is money, so..."

Cao Yu immediately understood the hidden meaning in Song Shen's words.

That's right.

What she needs to do now is to solidify her sword stance.

The Ziyang Sect values ​​innate talent and comprehension most. She has excellent innate talent and her martial arts have reached the level of internal organs, but her sword technique is still not stable.

To become a celestial temple of the Ziyang Sect, one must thoroughly solidify one's sword intent before the age of eighteen.

This is a pivotal moment in her life, and now the family business has become a stepping stone.

Thinking of this, Cao Yu slowly began to speak.

"My family's terms for me are 20% of the profits from the herb garden. Now, I'll split it 50/50 with you. How about that? But you have full responsibility for maintaining it. Unless there's an insurmountable problem, don't come to me. Can you do that?"

"Of course it can."

Looking at Song Shen's confident face, Cao Yu reminded him again: "Although he is my elder brother, I still have to tell you the truth. Cao Zhang is insidious, vicious, and extremely ruthless. He has no bottom line. Your sister will be with me from now on, but you... I can't protect you all the time. The rumors have been very complicated lately, and I don't know what dirty tricks he will pull. You must be careful."

High returns come with high risks.

When Song Shen took over this job from Cao Yu, he already had this awareness.