Chapter 11

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Damn it!

The young death row inmate muttered, carrying the medicine basket that was already half full as he walked into the thatched cottage. He saw Su Qinan standing by the medicine basket, his gaze filled with shock and anger.

"Look at you! You still want to practice martial arts? If you could successfully lay the foundation, everyone in the world would become a Heavenly Mandate Master!"

The youth's face was full of disdain as he stood straight in front of Su Qinan, looking down at him with a condescending gaze. "But as the son of an Eighth Rank Compiler, you are lucky to have your execution postponed and to come to this Free Valley to seek a glimmer of hope. It's a stroke of luck that the Lady of Hanyang County, with her noble status, would even fight for such an opportunity for you. My time is precious, hand over the medicine basket. Otherwise, I won't just take half; you'll suffer more than just a bit of physical pain. I always have trouble controlling my strength. I think you understand."

"You are a follower of the owner of the second thatched cottage by the water! You form cliques and bully the weak. Don't you fear that the Warden Jingdu will find out and punish you severely!" Su Qinan shouted angrily, pointing at the youth. His arm trembled from anger and fear.

The youth snorted coldly, his tone full of sarcasm and mockery. "Boy, it seems you haven't understood the situation and the rules here. This Free Valley is not a place of virtue. A group of death row inmates on reprieve, you want fairness and justice? While it's not a place where people eat each other without leaving bones, the one with the strongest fist gets to eat the demon beast meat. Some people fear, some respect, and some are willing to serve. What are you? You've only been here a few days. Do you think the Warden Jingdu will come to punish us? Let me tell you, boy, you're not the only one who has to make daily offerings. The weak have no say here! Don't struggle, struggling will only make you suffer more. Alright! Hand it over!"

Bang!

In the next moment, the youth was not at all polite, striking Su Qinan's shoulder with a palm, sending him flying several feet. He then reached out and grabbed the medicine basket that Su Qinan had been protecting, quickly taking more than half. The basket he carried was now more than half full.

Throughout this, Su Qinan was only trembling with anger but made no further move.

"Waste of space!"

Spitting, the youth didn't even bother to look at Su Qinan again as he turned and left, swallowing all the prepared words. In his view, such a weak and cowardly person, who lacked even a bit of courage, was not worth following, let alone protecting.

Moreover, the youth had a fire in his heart. Lady Hanyang was of extraordinary beauty, though only fifteen, her name was already known throughout the land. She was the only daughter of the First Rank Demon Suppression King of the Great Han. At the age of ten, during a family banquet in the Imperial Garden, the Han Emperor tested the children of his ministers, asking what in the world was the most unpredictable yet could remain constant.

Some said it was the martial arts of the demon race, which could change forms and identities, making them hard to guard against, but the demonic aura could not be changed.

Others said it was the people of the demonic path, whose shadows vanished in an instant, but once their illusions were shattered and their martial arts were nullified, they were just ordinary people.

Still, others said it was the stars in the sky, which, though constantly changing, had a constant cycle like the sun and the moon.

When it came to the Demon Suppression King's daughter, Liu Qingchan, who, though only ten, already showed great promise, she simply said two words.

Human hearts!

In the world, the most unpredictable thing is the human heart, and the thing that can remain constant is also the human heart!

The Han Emperor was greatly pleased, praising her for having the talent to govern the world. According to the imperial regulations, the children of the imperial family had to be eighteen to be reported to the Ministry of Rites and receive a title. But that day, the Han Emperor personally issued an edict, granting the title of Lady Hanyang and promising to personally teach her the imperial foundation-building technique, the *Chilong Gong*. This caused envy among the children of the ministers, who wished they could take her place.

The youth would never forget that day. Only ministers of the Sixth Rank and above were eligible to attend, and he sat at the end with his father, not even qualified to be questioned. That day, Lady Hanyang was like the rising sun in the sky, with a brilliant glow, deeply etched in the depths of his heart.

...

The footsteps faded away, and in the thatched cottage, there was no longer any bright light. The fire pot was dim, and the cold moonlight filtered through the window, making the air damp and the cold even more intense than outside.

At this moment, on the dilapidated wooden bed, Su Qinan exhaled a thick white breath. His gaze was focused, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He looked at his medicine basket, which now had a bit more, with the top layer being herbs over ten years old, which were hard to find even in a day in the mountains.

"True and false, false and true, this is a test of the world, and a tempering of the heart. The observer is clear, and this is also a kind of life experience."

Su Qinan muttered. The soul-shaking technique, which confused the mind and created illusions, gave him a different experience. As the number of uses increased, a certain aura began to form in him, a sense of control.

"The second one is here!"

After a short while, Su Qinan took a deep breath. This cold environment indeed made his mental energy extremely active. From the mental energy sensing, the youth's vigorous blood and qi were probably at the third level of the *Gui She Gong*, nearing perfection. But using the soul-shaking technique only consumed about 15% of his mental energy, and in this short while, it had already recovered by about 5%.

Bang!

The door of the thatched cottage was kicked open casually, and a new crack, about a foot long, appeared on the already battered door.

A youth of about the same age, with thick eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, muscular and not very tall, with a simple and honest face, entered. However, Su Qinan's sharp mental senses could detect the occasional flashes of cunning and cruelty in his pupils.

Half an incense stick later.

Looking at the additional layer of herbs in the medicine basket, Su Qinan's face was slightly pale. This youth's cultivation was a bit higher, probably at the third level of the *Gui She Gong*, nearing perfection. He had to consume nearly two layers of mental energy to break through his qi and blood and enter the ancestral acupoint.

Half an hour later.

"You, Su Qinan, I think you should beg for mercy. Maybe I'll go easy on you tomorrow. The medicine basket is empty! You dared to ignore the two from the ninth thatched cottage by the water! If you don't bring it tomorrow, you can try to dream tonight and see what the consequences will be..."

A tall, handsome youth said coldly, looking down at Su Qinan, who was covered in dust and had a bruised eye. He then flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

After another half an incense stick.

With great difficulty, Su Qinan lit the oil lamp, stirred the fire pot, and added some low-quality charcoal. His face was pale, and he was breathing heavily, collapsing on the bed. After ten breaths, he recited the *Taiji Song* and勉强凝聚了一丝精神，打坐入定。

……

咕！

不到一炷香的工夫，苏乞年再次醒来，虽然脸色没有之前那么苍白，但也没有完全恢复。入定不到一炷香，并不是说他的入定功力加深，而是晚上补充的肉食血气已经消耗殆尽，饥肠辘辘，再入定下去，消耗的就是肉身气血，所以他才选择从入定中醒来。

连续深吸气十次，苏乞年看向床前，属于自己的药篓，赫然已经全部装满，不多不少。

这大半个时辰内，岸边临水的九间茅草屋主人的追随者都已全部来过，施展摄魂术勾勒幻象，苏乞年几乎耗尽了所有的精神力。他偷天换日，在装满了自己的药篓后，并没有收手，而是继续截取少许，交给下一个前来纳贡者。

当然，他也不是全部忍辱负重，到了最后，空了药篓，被痛打一顿，鼻青脸肿，用以维持最小的破绽。

同时，苏乞年也发现，这些前来收割果实的，从岸边临水的第二间茅草屋起，依次下来，井然有序，显然这九间茅草屋之间，彼此有着默契，或者说这逍遥谷一干缓刑死囚中，存在着潜在的规则。

“以强弱来确定分配吗？”

最后，苏乞年恢复平静，他算是彻底明白，在这里，圣贤道理是行不通的。

又过了足足一个时辰，直到明月渐近中天，岸边诸多茅草屋中的灯火都几乎灭尽，一众缓刑死囚大多安息，或者进入了打坐调息之中。

略一迟疑，苏乞年还是起身下床，他抓起药篓，走出茅草屋，精神力笼罩周身，片刻后，他来到了逍遥谷唯一的一座竹楼前。（求每天推荐票冲榜，求收藏！）

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After a deep breath, Su Qinan looked at the medicine basket in front of his bed, which was now completely full, not a bit more or less.

In this hour and a half, the followers of the owners of the nine thatched cottages by the water had all come, using the soul-shaking technique to create illusions. Su Qinan had almost exhausted all his mental energy. He had cleverly manipulated the situation, filling his own medicine basket and then continuing to take a bit from each subsequent visitor.

Of course, he didn't endure all the humiliation. At the end, when the basket was empty, he was beaten, with a bruised nose and swollen face, to maintain the smallest possible flaw.

At the same time, Su Qinan also discovered that the visitors, starting from the second thatched cottage by the water, came in a well-ordered sequence. Clearly, there was a mutual understanding among the nine thatched cottages, or perhaps an unspoken rule among the death row inmates on reprieve in the Free Valley.

"Determined by strength and weakness?"

Finally, Su Qinan calmed down. He understood that here, the principles of sages and virtuous men did not apply.

Another full hour passed, until the moon was high in the sky, and the lights in the many thatched cottages by the water had almost all gone out. Most of the death row inmates were resting or meditating.

After a moment's hesitation, Su Qinan got out of bed, grabbed the medicine basket, and walked out of the thatched cottage. His mental energy enveloped his body, and a short while later, he arrived at the only bamboo pavilion in the Free Valley. (Daily recommendation votes are needed to boost the rankings, and I also request your collections!)