Chapter 20

In the center of Hongyuan City, at the noble management office, a group of people stared at Jiang Xingchen with wide eyes, their faces full of surprise. It wasn't unheard of for commoners to activate their Yuan Springs, but the vast majority of those who did were at the Imperial Academy, and it was rare to see someone come here for an evaluation.

If that were all, it wouldn't have been enough to shock everyone. What truly surprised them was that this commoner who had activated his Yuan Spring really had no combat ability. The three evaluators concluded that Jiang Xingchen's combat value was at most five, which was even less than an ordinary adult.

"Damn! How unfair is this! So many noble families' children work hard, use up all the resources, and still find it difficult to activate their Yuan Springs, ending up with a body full of injuries. But this commoner doesn't even need to cultivate..."

They were speechless, their current mindset exactly like that of the second brother from the day before. The look in their eyes, besides surprise, was filled with envy and jealousy. This was simply a genius!

The second brother and the fourth brother were equally surprised. Although Jiang Xingchen had told them that his cultivation was ruined, they always thought he wasn't telling the truth. Especially the second brother, who had fought with Jiang Xingchen, found it hard to believe that such agile movements could really be powerless, relying only on muscle strength.

At this moment, Jiang Xingchen's face was dark, his lips twitching occasionally, his mind full of the evaluation results: "Combat value no more than five... This means I'm... trash!"

After a long while, the second brother and the fourth brother finally accepted the fact. Jiang Xingchen couldn't hide his true abilities. Below the rank of a noble, ordinary nobles were divided into three levels: 'Shi,' 'Jun,' and 'Qing,' corresponding to the three stages of the Body Strengthening realm. The first to third stages were the lowest level, 'Shi'! The fourth to sixth stages were 'Jun' level nobles, and the seventh to ninth stages were 'Qing.' Only at the 'Qing' level was there a possibility of advancing further and being granted a noble title. If Jiang Xingchen had cultivation, he wouldn't have hidden it.

Realizing this, the second brother immediately found the evaluators and explained that Jiang Xingchen had once taken fake medicine, which had completely ruined his cultivation, and that activating the Yuan Spring was just an accident.

He had to explain quickly, otherwise Jiang Xingchen would definitely be seen as a genius and attract the attention of all the nobles. Not to mention whether anyone would cause trouble, if the Imperial Academy found out, they would send important figures to focus on his cultivation. But once they discovered he couldn't cultivate, he would be labeled as a deceiver and would never be able to mix in noble circles again!

Hearing the second brother's explanation, the people at the noble management office returned to normal: "I was saying, how could someone activate their Yuan Spring without cultivation? It turns out it was fake medicine! The medicine must have been too strong, so it activated the Yuan Spring while destroying his cultivation. It's a miracle he didn't burn his brain or die!"

Almost instantly, their gaze toward Jiang Xingchen changed from envy and jealousy to pity and ridicule. A commoner with no background, even if he gained noble status and had a good relationship with the Cizheng Mercenary Group, would have no future.

After leaving the noble management office, the second brother, unusually serious, lightly patted Jiang Xingchen's shoulder and sighed, "Brother, don't take it to heart. You're still a noble, even if..."

The fourth brother gently pulled the second brother, cutting off his words, and then grinned foolishly.

"What's that look for..." Jiang Xingchen straightened his eyes, thinking to himself, "Comfort... Why? Do I look that pitiful? Just because I can't cultivate? I can still contribute to the empire and improve my status... Right, the sensitivity array! Now I'm a craftsman, I can definitely create something that will benefit the empire!"

In an instant, Jiang Xingchen finally had a clear understanding of the purpose of the sensitivity array.

"But! What should I create... A bellows is good! But the sensitivity array only extends to the neck, so a toothbrush might be possible, but a bellows would be too difficult... And I don't know if this would be considered a contribution to the empire... Troublesome!"

Jiang Xingchen walked forward, head down, deep in thought.

The second brother and the fourth brother, thinking he was upset about not being able to practice martial arts, couldn't comfort him and followed behind in silence.

Turning a corner, they entered a main street, and a group of people walked toward them.

Jiang Xingchen, head down, didn't see them, but the second brother and the fourth brother did and quickly grabbed him.

"Huh!" Jiang Xingchen was startled and looked at the second brother and the fourth brother in confusion.

The second brother and the fourth brother didn't speak, tightly holding Jiang Xingchen and making way for the group.

"Clank, clank, clank!" The sound of armor and swords clashing as the group passed reached their ears. Jiang Xingchen then noticed that these people were wearing armor and carrying swords, the sound coming from the metal plates of their armor.

As the group passed by, Jiang Xingchen felt a strong killing aura and a faint smell of blood. Their expressions were as cold and hard as iron, their eyes sharp.

After the group passed, the second brother said, "They're from the Seventh Legion. The empire is currently having some friction with the Dongxuan Kingdom, with small conflicts happening frequently. They must have just returned from the front... These soldiers are just off the battlefield, their spirits still tense, don't provoke them!"

Jiang Xingchen nodded and looked at their backs, seeing many passersby and carriages making way for them. It was his first time seeing soldiers in this world, and their fierce and bloody aura left a deep impression on him.

"Is the battlefield close to us? They actually came here to rest?" Jiang Xingchen asked.

"Far from it, in the territory of Lord Lan Yin, at least a thousand miles from Hongyuan City! However, Hongyuan City is prosperous and rich in resources, especially with the Miao Miao Mountains behind us, which are rich in medicinal resources. So whenever there's a conflict with the Dongxuan Kingdom, some wounded soldiers are sent here to rest!"

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen nodded, walking toward the Cizheng Mercenary Group. After this interruption, he put aside his thoughts on how to use his skills, as he couldn't figure it out right away.

However, on the way back, the second brother and the fourth brother's originally silent expressions gradually changed, their smiles growing wider. Jiang Xingchen, though trying to control his emotions, couldn't help but squint his eyes, a smile flashing in them.

He thought the scene at Furongzhai yesterday was already intense, but the impact of the secret recipe was only fully revealed today. On the streets, almost a third of the conversations were about the new dishes at Furongzhai and Cuiguanlou, and the bookings were already full for half a month.

Calculating how much yellow crystal coins he would get, Jiang Xingchen was lost in thought, unaware that he had already returned to the Cizheng Mercenary Group. As he walked to the gate, he saw the tall young man coming out, not greeting them, and hurriedly leaving.

"Zhao Danqing is gone, it seems the boss is back! Snow Pheasant..." The second brother, with a drooling look, ran into the courtyard first.

However, when the three of them entered the courtyard, they found the atmosphere heavy, with a group of people gathered around a door.

"Huh? What's going on?" The second brother and the fourth brother were stunned and ran over, with Jiang Xingchen closely following.

"What happened? Why are you all gathered here? Where's the boss..." The second brother's rapid questions had already parted the crowd.

The door was open, and they could see inside. However, upon seeing the scene, the second brother and the fourth brother almost shouted in unison, "Boss, you're injured!"

Inside the room, Mo Hongqian was sitting on a stool, her left sleeve torn off, revealing an arm stained with blood. A large wound on her shoulder, about ten centimeters long, was open and bloody, reaching to her elbow, looking extremely terrifying.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a long robe was frantically applying medicine to the wound.

Beside them, Wan Rou had tears in her eyes, her teeth tightly biting her lower lip, her face full of anxiety.

"Shut up, all of you, it's just a small wound!" Mo Hongqian's expression was tough, but her pale face and the cold sweat on her forehead betrayed her pain.

However, this time, the second brother didn't fear as usual but walked into the room, his face stern, and loudly asked, "You call that a small wound? What happened?"

"One of the Snow Pheasants was a mutant and didn't die. Hongqian wasn't paying attention and was pecked on the arm... Sniff..." Wan Rou explained, her voice breaking.

"Everyone, be quiet!" The fourth brother also entered, his deep voice commanding, "Don't disturb the doctor treating the boss!"

All the noise stopped, the second brother tightly closed his mouth, his lips forming a straight line. Wan Rou also tried to hold back her sobs, trying not to make a sound.

However, even without the noise, the doctor's treatment showed no improvement. The wound was too large, and the medicine couldn't even cover it, let alone bandage it.

The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense, and the doctor was sweating, his hands moving frantically.

"Can you even do this?" The second brother, seeing the doctor's inability, couldn't hold back his anger, grabbing the doctor by the collar and lifting him up.

At that moment, a voice suddenly interrupted the second brother, "A wound like this needs to be stitched!"

"Whoosh!" Everyone's gaze turned to the source of the voice, where Jiang Xingchen was standing, head down, his face pale.

"Stitching? What does that mean?" Everyone was puzzled, the doctor even more so.

"Brother Jiangling, you said... stitching the wound! Will it help?" The second brother immediately came over, staring at Jiang Xingchen.

"Of course it will help, stitching the wound will aid in its healing!" Jiang Xingchen nodded, not looking at Mo Hongqian.

"Stitching, do you think it's like sewing clothes?" The doctor was disdainful but didn't criticize him directly. Mo Hongqian's wound was too large, and he was helpless. It was best if someone else took over.

"Brother Jiangling, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and treat the boss!" The second brother grabbed Jiang Xingchen and pulled him to Mo Hongqian.