Catching a Turtle in a Jar - Part 1

"At the first level of Qi Refining, one's physical body becomes incredibly strong; a single swing of the arm can exert the force of a thousand pounds. Now it seems that this is indeed true!"

In the still, watery night, Yan Chen, dressed in a cotton robe that billowed and whose wide sleeves fluttered, slowly stepped forward and stood on the precipice.

A sudden gust of wind arose, sweeping away the clouds and revealing the moonlight, which illuminated the boy's calm and collected brows.

He bent down, grabbed a handful of fine soil, and rubbed the filth flowing between his fingers. Yan Chen's expression remained normal, showing no discomfort whatsoever from killing for the first time. Instead, he even seemed slightly regretful.

"This guy is far too weak. I thought we'd have to fight for a while, but he couldn't even withstand a single punch?"

Logically speaking, regardless of whether one is a traditional cultivator or a wandering cultivator, in the early stages of Qi Refining, the process involves circulating Qi throughout the body and tempering the physical body.

The "flying sword battles" in those folk tales require at least three breakthroughs, opening up one's dwelling and gathering Qi, before one can have a chance to glimpse their mysteries.

In other words, the early stages of Qi Refining, aside from physical strength and internal energy, are not much different from the fist and foot techniques in the mortal martial arts world.

The causal information of Qu Ying, Wang Guian and others flowed through his eyes.

Yan Chen selected several minor details related to the later stages of Qi Refining and pondered them repeatedly in his mind.

"In other words, if there are enough people, even ordinary people have a chance to kill a Qi Refining stage cultivator?"

It's not impossible for two fists to defeat four hands, or for a novice to be overwhelmed by a flurry of punches.

"So that means..."

Yan Chen's eyes flickered as he scanned the mine shafts where dim oil lamps hung, and a slight chill ran through him.

Currently, there are over a hundred ordinary people living in more than ten mines.

If a riot were to break out, how could a dozen or so ordinary servants who had not yet reached the first level suppress it?

"It's not that I'm saying anything about these ordinary people, but I'm afraid that besides that fellow, there are also heretical cultivators mixed in with the crowd. If they instigate and incite others, there's no guarantee that some trouble won't happen."

Yan Chen was quick-witted and perceptive, able to discern the subtle signs of trouble. After a moment's thought, he surmised the potential disaster that might befall him.

"Yes, I overheard most of the conversation in the workshop just now. They dared to steal the Jade Sleeve materials... These so-called 'Green Saint Sect' members are quite bold."

"It's just that we don't know exactly how these people will act, and being constantly on guard would be too passive."

In a flash of thought, Yan Chen disappeared into the night and silently returned to the work shed.

As soon as I sat down, a sudden chill ran through me, and a golden light seemed to shimmer before my eyes, transforming into a line of tiny, tadpole-like characters—

[You have formed a karmic bond with Xu Hui, a mortal servant of the Forging Academy.]

The sudden change surprised Yan Chen slightly, but he quickly realized what was happening and couldn't help but smile to himself.

To be honest, Xu Hui was indeed unlucky. He planned and arranged things several times, but in the end, he was always one step behind and was always outmaneuvered by Xu Hui.

Whether it was intentional or unintentional, the entanglement is already formed, fates are intertwined, and cause and effect have truly come together.

"He really brings a pillow when someone is sleepy!"

"Could it be that I am truly a chosen one, favored by Heaven and blessed with extraordinary fortune?"

Yan Chen immediately cleared his mind of distractions, summoned the [Celestial Official Jade Pendant], and inquired in his heart:

"Immortal Official, please inquire about the whereabouts of Xu Hui, a mortal servant of the Forging Fire Academy, two days ago."

[Target of Insight: Xu Hui.]

[Time required: Two hours.]

……

"Only two hours?"

Yan Chen looked slightly surprised, then suddenly realized.

"Yes, it must be because my cultivation level has been raised to the first level of Qi Refining."

"Not only is the time required to understand cause and effect greatly shortened, but the causal relationships with subordinates also seem to be much simpler."

"Is this the absolute suppression of lower-level cultivators by higher-level ones?"

In the blink of an eye, Yan Chen activated the "Crimson Glow Bright Fire Control Technique," circulating his true energy, moving the Bing Fire, cleansing his physical body, and calming his mind.

Wait patiently for two hours to pass.

……

One quarter past midnight.

Outside the workers' shed, the sounds from more than ten mine shafts gradually subsided, and ordinary people climbed out of the mine shafts one after another. Two people worked together to carry the newly mined ore onto a cart, and then they delivered it together to the survey site.

Once they finished all this, their day's work was considered complete, and they could go back to rest.

When the sun rises and the sunlight sets, it's time for another day of work.

at the same time.

On a solitary cliff, high and steep, shrouded in clouds and obscuring the moon.

About twenty robust figures, dressed in black and masked, with powerful and vigorous energy, were quietly crouching behind the rocks. Their exposed eyes were fixed intently on the busy commoners below.

"Strange, the appointed time is almost here, why hasn't that scoundrel Zhang Quan come out yet?"

"Could it be that drinking with that kid Xu Hui caused you trouble?"

"This shouldn't be happening... Should we send someone down to check it out?"

"No, no, that's not advisable. A few ordinary people are secondary; it's best to avoid any conflict with the Jade Sleeve Sect. It would be a loss for our 'Azure Saint Sect'!"

"Alright, let's wait until all these ordinary people have gone back to rest before we take action!"

The group chatted idly, one after another, while patiently waiting.

Another half hour passed, and the common people had almost finished moving the minerals, timber and other materials, and some people had returned to the public tent to rest.

Yan Chen then lifted the curtain, subtly glancing around at his surroundings, pausing briefly at a certain cliff, before abruptly looking away.

Looking at the crowd of ordinary people, he casually called out to one of them and asked:

"Is today's work finished? What's the quality of the ore? Bring it over so I can examine it."

"Yes, Lord Shangxiu!"

The ordinary man who was called out was fifteen or sixteen years old, still a young boy, but he was thin and dark-skinned, and from behind he looked more like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.

In a short while, he turned around and a large bag appeared in his arms. As the bag tipped over, the various sizes of ores scattered inside were all dumped onto the ground.

He instructed the other party to bring an oil lamp for lighting, then lowered his eyes and glanced around for a moment, feigning displeasure, and said:

"These ores are of various types, and they also contain various metals. How could they be mixed together in one bag? Are they trying to cheat us?"

"I'm innocent! Lord Shangxiu!"

The young man was so frightened by Yan Chen's words that he immediately knelt down and prostrated himself.

Yan Chen sighed inwardly, but his tone remained firm as he said:

"Stop feigning pity and putting on an act. I now command you and all the other mortals to obey my orders and arrange all the mined ores in order of type. If you don't finish, you won't get any rest tonight!"

"But we... are, Lord Shangxiu!"

The thin young man was heartbroken, but dared not disobey Yan Chen's words. He dragged his weary body to the other ordinary people to spread this "bad news".

Upon hearing this, the crowd dared neither to be angry nor to speak out.

Despite his exhaustion and drowsiness, he gritted his teeth, squatted on the ground, and silently sorted and categorized the miscellaneous ore piled up like a small mountain.

Within a quarter of an hour, apart from Yan Chen's area, there was almost no one else in the entire resource area.

Yan Chen nodded with satisfaction, but instead of returning to the work shed, he changed direction and walked briskly down a mountain path.

In another work shed, Xu Hui squinted, staring intently at Yan Chen, cursing inwardly:

"What's wrong with this guy? Why is he being so serious at this time of year?"

On the hilltop, more than twenty figures in black yawned repeatedly. They had been lying in wait there for several hours, which had left them exhausted and on the verge of falling asleep.

"Boss, why haven't they gone back yet? How long are we supposed to wait here?"

The leader of the men in black, upon hearing this, was also left speechless with grievances.

According to the original plan, after everyone returned to the work shed to rest, they would sneak into this resource site and quietly take away some of the resources.

If discovered, one can react early and leave in advance.

This is their usual trick, and it never fails.

Why did things go wrong today?

To treat ordinary people like pigs and dogs, even depriving them of their sleep time—are they still human?!

The leader in black cursed inwardly.

Normally, they should have withdrawn by now, but...

Considering that there were two "one of their own" below to provide support, and that there were only about twenty ordinary people below, even including the dozen or so ordinary servants, they were not much of a threat to them.

How about... changing theft to robbery?

A bold idea flashed through my mind!

Just as they were hesitating and pondering, a playful and teasing voice struck them like a heavy hammer!

"What a brilliant move! Young friend Yan was absolutely right; you have truly done the Chen family a tremendous service!"

Chen Xuyang stroked his mustache, a smile playing on his lips, his eyes bloodshot.

Upon hearing the sound, everyone turned around and saw that the mountain path not far away was already brightly lit with torches and bustling with people.

With this kind of setup... they really did wipe them out in one fell swoop!