Two days later, Cheng Zongyang rubbed his sore shoulder joints as he walked into the small hut. He sat on a long bench and spent five Points to restore his condition.

He then summoned his Attribute Interface and glanced at it, sighing softly.

—

Name: Cheng Zongyang

Age: 16

Lifespan: 16/100 (-117 days)

Realm: Sixth Grade (Meridian Passage)

Points: 43,436

Skills: Archery (12,359/20,000, Specialization); Medicine (535/3,000, Middle Level);

Cultivation Techniques:

Turtle Breath-holding Skill (139/12,000)

Martial Arts:

Basic Saber Technique (1,375/7,000, Refined and Masterful)

Wind-Stepping Step (6,782/7,000, Refined and Masterful)

Great Strength Vajra Palm (2,452/7,000, Refined and Masterful)

Illusionary Blade (1/100, Not yet Beginner)

—

"Son of a bitch!"

Cheng Zongyang stared at the last entry, Illusionary Blade, and almost lost his composure.

After two days, he’d only made a pitiful amount of progress. It really made him want to curse someone out.

He had chosen the ninth form of the Basic Saber Technique, Tornado Slash, as his method for practicing Illusionary Blade.

But his speed just wouldn’t increase. He wasn’t even sure if that single point of progress was just a pity point.

’Forget it, I’ll take it slow.’ Cheng Zongyang shook his head slightly. He would just have to slowly get used to this training method.

Then, he put his prepared items into a basket on his back and left the Wilderness World.

When Cheng Zongyang returned to the mostly completed Tiantuan Village, he nodded in approval. The main delay was the time it took to make rammed earth blocks; the ones currently being used were collected from the ruins of several other villages.

"Lord Cheng is back!"

A sharp-eyed gang member noticed Cheng Zongyang’s figure and shouted excitedly toward the shacks.

The townspeople from the County Town who were working also greeted him one after another.

Cheng Zongyang returned their greetings with a smile and walked toward the shacks.

From the shacks, Li Xian and Xiao Bing, who were in charge of supervision, hurried out.

"Greetings, my lord!" the two said in unison, cupping their fists as they approached him.

"My lord, you’re finally back," Li Xian said with a smile. "My uncle has been talking about you constantly."

Cheng Zongyang chuckled and continued walking. "I’m not his wife, so what’s the use in him talking about me? Where is your uncle?"

Li Xian smiled and hurried to keep up, while Xiao Bing followed silently beside him.

Li Xian’s expression was a mixture of hesitation and resignation. Only when Cheng Zongyang stopped and turned to look at him did he reply, "My uncle is preparing to dig a pit."

Cheng Zongyang noticed that Li Xian’s expression was a little off, but upon hearing his words, a suspicious look entered his eyes. "Dig a pit? What kind of pit?"

Li Xian stammered, "He’s preparing to... on a road to the north... he said he’s going to dig a pit to block the road, to prevent more people from coming from the north."

Cheng Zongyang thought he had misheard and asked again, uncertain, "What did you just say? Dig a pit on the main road to the north?"

Li Xian nodded, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Cheng Zongyang stared at Li Xian for a good while, then glanced at Xiao Bing. Seeing the excitement all over Xiao Bing’s face, he was left speechless.

’Did this guy leave his brain behind on his last trip out?’

’How stupid do you have to be to come up with a plan like digging a pit to stop people from the north? Doing this is just a blatant, self-exposing lie!’

"Have your uncle come to my residence," Cheng Zongyang said, his face grim.

’I’ve worked so hard to create this situation; I absolutely will not allow anyone to ruin it with such foolishness!’

Seeing Cheng Zongyang’s dark expression, Li Xian agreed nervously. After following him into the town, he immediately hurried toward the County Magistrate’s Office.

Although he didn’t approve of the plan, his words had been useless. Now that Cheng Zongyang was back, he felt relieved.

In the County Town right now, the only one who could stop his uncle was Cheng Zongyang.

When Cheng Zongyang returned to his residence, Zhang Chuchu immediately had a maidservant prepare tea. He followed behind Cheng Zongyang, reporting quickly:

"Young Master, in the few days you were gone, the medicinal powders in the warehouse have all been prepared. As per your prior instructions, they have all been moved to the Storehouse in the rear courtyard."

Cheng Zongyang nodded slightly and asked as he walked, "Did Li Lu do anything after I left?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chuchu immediately replied, "Zhao the Seventh came to report that Li Lu has been gathering men recently. It seems he’s preparing to dig up the main road to the north."

A glint appeared in Cheng Zongyang’s eyes.

Zhao the Seventh was his man. Although he usually appeared to follow Li Lu’s orders, one must not forget that he was the one who knew Zhao the Seventh first! He was also the one who had arranged for Zhao the Seventh to go to Li Lu.

By the same token, one of Zhao the Seventh’s responsibilities was to secretly monitor Li Lu’s actions.

’Ever since I decided to farm outside the walls and build a new village, I made a resolution: before the summer grain is harvested, anyone who dares to ruin my plans will die!’

Li Lu’s current actions were, without a doubt, telling the Foreign Races to the north that something was wrong in Jade Peak County.

He didn’t think Li Lu was incapable of realizing this, but if he was going through with it anyway, Cheng Zongyang had to find out why.

"I understand. You’re dismissed for now. When Li Lu arrives, bring him directly to me."

"Yes, Young Master!" Zhang Chuchu said with a cupped-fist salute.

Li Lu arrived quickly. Less than a quarter of an hour after Cheng Zongyang sat down, he heard Li Lu’s hearty and resonant laughter from the front courtyard.

Hearing this, a slight smile touched Cheng Zongyang’s lips.

"Brother Cheng, you’re finally back." Li Lu reached the entrance of the main hall and asked warmly, "Was the journey uneventful?"

Cheng Zongyang smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, old brother. Everything went smoothly. Sit."

Cheng Zongyang gestured with his hand.

Soon, a maidservant came in carrying two cups of tea.

Once they were seated, Cheng Zongyang first took out twenty-five packs of Body Tempering Powder and said:

"For the items we sent over this time, they gave us an exchange of twenty-five portions of Body Tempering Powder. This was the most I could negotiate for. If you use it well, it should be enough to help you, old brother, cultivate to the Peak of Eighth Grade. It might even be possible to reach Seventh Grade."

Judging from Li Lu’s previous aptitude, these twenty-five portions of Body Tempering Powder would likely only be enough to help him reach the Peak of Eighth Grade.