Li Xian frowned, "Jiang Yun is deliberately making things difficult, completely untrustworthy. What exactly did she say when you met her?"
Zhao Han sighed lightly and said angrily:
"That Jiang Yun is indeed worthless, but... who can blame her for being strong?"
"That's how the world is, we have to accept it, there's nothing we can do."
"When we went to find Jiang Yun, she deliberately refused to see us at first, forcing us to kneel and kowtow to even talk to her."
"You knelt?" Li Xian asked.
"We're just servants, haven't we kneeled enough?" Zhuo Yilei suddenly said, "That Jiang Yun forced us like this, we could only kneel. We begged Jiang Yun to let it go, yet she just kept laughing."
Wang Chun said, "We really had no choice, so we offered the condition of presenting the Tiger Blood Pill. She said... as long as the Tiger Blood Pill is presented, everything can be discussed."
Li Xian asked, "Is it really so? Did she really say that?" His eyes were scrutinizing.
Though he had only met Jiang Yun twice, he knew she wasn't someone easy to talk to.
"Alas."
Zhao Han sighed again and continued truthfully:
"Jiang Yun's exact words were: 'You three are quite amusing, first have that Li Xian kneel and kowtow, obediently present the Tiger Blood Pill, and we'll talk about the rest later.' That was roughly what she meant."
"Jiang Yun didn't even give you a promise, and you believed it?" Li Xian calmly analyzed and said:
"Her words 'we'll talk about the rest later' clearly indicate she intends to put it off. If you believe it, not only will the Tiger Blood Pill be lost, but you'll also be humiliated in vain."
Zhao Han gritted his teeth tightly, pounding a fist into the wall, feeling both angry and helpless, "I know, but there's really no way. We can only pray that Jiang Yun, in her great mercy, would let us go after taking the Tiger Blood Pill."
"Rest assured, Brother Li, if you agree, we will give you the salary for the next two months as a token of buying your Tiger Blood Pill."
"What would I do with your salary?" Li Xian shook his head lightly.
He patted the shoulders of the three, signaling comfort.
In desperate situations, people may resort to desperate measures, it's unavoidable.
"If you trust me, just be patient a little longer."
"To be honest, I went to see Commander Pang yesterday, asking about how to enter the Leisure Martial Pavilion. Although there is no response yet, it's still better than pinning our hopes on Jiang Yun!"
Li Xian's voice was warm, trying his best to calm the three.
However, the three avoided eye contact.
Suddenly, there was a "thud" as Wang Chun knelt down, pleading, "Brother Li, please, just bring the Tiger Blood Pill and meet Jiang Yun for us!"
Li Xian was taken aback, quickly held Wang Chun's shoulder, secretly channeling inner qi to help him up, and said, "Brother Wang, to tell you the truth, I already consumed the Tiger Blood Pill, so meeting Jiang Yun is out of the question."
"What!?"
All three were shocked. Zhuo Yilei said, "Brother Li, don't lie to us. I saw in the early hours of the night that your chest pocket was still bulging, the Tiger Blood Pill was still there."
"I consumed it this morning," Li Xian confessed.
"This... this..."
Zhao Han and the other two exchanged glances, not knowing what to do for a moment.
Li Xian knew saying more was useless, but still solemnly said, "Trust me."
Zhao Han and the others barely smiled, hesitant to speak, growing increasingly silent, and finally left dejectedly.
...
From that point on, Zhao Han and the others began to distance themselves from Li Xian, intentionally or unintentionally.
The three took leave for two consecutive days, which was already generous of Pang Long. From the third day, they had to resume their usual routine of morning training and martial arts practice together.
The bruises on their faces were hard to conceal, eliciting ridicule and sarcasm from the other Nursing Home members. They were embarrassed and felt out of place.
Li Xian saw it, understood that arguing was useless, and focused more resolutely on improving his own strength through martial arts practice.
Occasionally, he went to Commander Pang's residence to inquire about matters related to "Leisure Martial Pavilion."
Thanks to Pang Long's influence, Jiang Yun did not come looking for trouble.
Just like that, three days passed in the blink of an eye. There was still no news, but his strength had improved significantly.
Li Xian's skill [Running] has already been practiced to Great Success. He runs like the wind, with extraordinary speed and stamina, easily overcoming difficult terrain such as mountains, forests, and swamps.
During the daily morning run, he could leave all the other Nursing Home members far behind, using more time to practice punches.
[Four Directions Fist]
[Skill Level: 715/1500 Minor Achievement]
The inner qi in his Dantian was already the size of three fists. The circulation of inner qi could strengthen the spirit, revitalize the body, and dispel diseases while providing warmth.
Its applications were endless.
"It is said that for those proficient in martial arts, the roles of inner qi are countless and indescribable."
After finishing the morning training that day, Li Xian took a deep breath, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"D-class Nursing Home member, No. 269, Li Xian."
A shout came from behind, and as he turned around, he saw seven people approaching.
Among them, two familiar figures were Qiao Dashou and Zhao Dachun.
Zhao Dachun smiled and said, "Brother Li, your patrol shift for today is canceled, it's quite the coincidence we bumped into each other again."
"Oh?" Li Xian asked, "Is there another task?"
"We have to leave the manor to help Madam collect rent," Zhao Dachun seemed quite familiar with these tasks.
When the Nursing Home members at Yihetang Manor had nothing to do, patrolling was their main duty. However, at the end of each month, most Nursing Home members had to go down to the villages to collect rent.
"Our group of eight is going to Longevity Village to collect rent, so hurry up and prepare, the journey is not short, let's aim to go early and return early."
This was mentioned by Feng Huo, a man in his thirties, lean in build, a C-class Nursing Home member and the temporary leader of the group of eight.
"Alright." Li Xian wiped off the sweat, having nothing much to prepare.
Before leaving, the group of eight went to the Vegetarian Restaurant to grab some food for the journey there and back. Each person took their share, trying to take a bit more, otherwise, they'd have to endure hunger if the journey took longer than anticipated.
Li Xian ate as he packed, filling his stomach. He compressed the buns and dry cakes with inner qi, storing them in the pockets sewn into his sleeve lining.
In the current times, having more food was always better.
The weather was getting colder, with snowflakes already falling outside the manor. Li Xian thought, "Though the weather is cold, last time I bought a new coat for my younger brother. Plus, with my father's hemp garments, they shouldn't freeze."
The Nursing Home member's uniform was warm in winter and cool in summer, coupled with Li Xian's developed inner qi, his resistance to cold far surpassed ordinary people, so he wasn't afraid of snow.
"Damn it, what a strange thing, it doesn't snow early or late, but just when we're about to go far away."
Feng Huo spat and impatiently brushed off the shoulder snowflakes, saying to everyone:
"Longevity Village is thirty miles of mountain road away from the manor. Be careful on the road."
"If the snow stops, all the better, but if it doesn't, and only gets bigger, don't say I didn't warn you, outside... there's a lot of strange occurrences!"
"If you encounter bears, leopards, or tigers, that's still manageable. Everyone has some martial arts skills, so we're not completely defenseless. But encountering some mysterious incidents, it's hardly ever beneficial."
"Moreover, if you're led astray by an enchanted wind or get lost in the snow, no one will come to your aid no matter how loudly you cry."
Feng Huo reminded them.
The warning was mainly for Li Xian, while the others had serious expressions upon seeing the snow. Although it was unclear whether they had experienced strange incidents, they likely knew that snow-covered mountain roads were difficult to traverse.
"The world is unstable, with demons and ghosts roaming," Li Xian noted the cautious expressions of the others, took Feng Huo's warning seriously in his heart, and didn't dare to be careless.