No one knew how much time had passed, nor how long the endurance lasted.
Zhang Rongfang gradually felt the pain in his body begin to fade, much like the ebb and flow of tides.
Soon, he lay on the bed, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.
His clothes and hair were soaked, as if he had just climbed out of the water.
His physical and mental strength was nearly exhausted due to the intense pain.
Yet Zhang Rongfang forced himself to stay awake and looked at his own attribute panel once more.
As expected, his attributes had changed again.
'Zhang Rongfang - Life 12-13.
Skills: Rejuvenation Purification Talisman Manual - Mountain-shaped Talisman (Perfect), Void Observation Skill (First Layer Essence Aperture).
Available Attribute: 0.'
"Life has increased by two points! No wonder there's such a big transformation."
Zhang Rongfang stood up from the bed.
Crack.
Suddenly, he grabbed the edge of the bed for support, and a fine crack appeared.
"Hmm?? My strength increased?"
He raised his hand in surprise and looked at the edge of the bed, where a clear palm print appeared.
The brown wooden texture was forcibly broken, with some wooden splinters sticking out.
"So, mastering the Mountain-shaped Talisman can also enhance strength?"
Zhang Rongfang had never heard of this before.
However, he knew that martial cultivators significantly increased in energy after reaching a certain rank, and their skin thickened, boosting defense.
'It seems I've reached the Muscle Forging stage now? According to what Senior Sister Zhao taught, Muscle Forging is the first step in increasing energy.'
He got up and moved his hands and feet around the room.
Zhang Rongfang began to try and adapt to his current strength.
Without doing anything else, he practiced the thirty-two movements of the Mountain-shaped Talisman, over and over.
Time slowly passed, and the benefits of increased life force gradually became apparent.
Even by slowly practicing the Mountain-shaped Talisman, Zhang Rongfang could feel his energy slowly recovering.
After completing three sets of punches, he retrieved a wooden box from under the bed and opened it, revealing a few black pills resembling mashed sesame.
These were Blood Nourishing Pills, a special benefit for martial cultivator disciples.
Two pills each month. Zhao Da Cong had given Zhang Rongfang all of the previous quota at once.
He picked up a Blood Nourishing Pill and tossed it into his mouth, as the sour taste of leather filled his mouth.
Suppressing his nausea, Zhang Rongfang forced himself to swallow it.
Then he changed clothes, washed up, and, seeing that there was still some time, decided to rest a bit.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Senior Brother Zhang, there's a package for you at the mailroom."
"A package for me?" Zhang Rongfang was stunned. Since taking over his predecessor's body, he hadn't done anything else and hadn't contributed any publications.
Who would send him a letter?
Puzzled, he rose, drank some cold water, and headed towards the mailroom.
*
*
*
In the Qinghe Palace mailroom.
Zheng Zhonglin patted a yellow package in front of him.
"What a small box."
As the person in charge of the mailroom, he usually didn't meddle with regular mail or packages.
But no one knew that he was actually appointed long ago by the current officer of the Patrol Office.
The Patrol Office officer wielded great power and was currently competing with the Supervisor for the position of the next Palace Master, so the time had come to choose sides.
Looking at the nameless package before him, with no markings, and the recipient being Xiao Rong's disciple, a minor Daoist named Zhang Rongfang.
Zheng Zhonglin rubbed his hands, picked up the package, and avoided the busy Daoist servants sorting letters, heading alone into the mailroom and pulling down the curtain.
Zheng Zhonglin quickly placed the package on a small stool, skillfully fidgeting with it until he fully unwrapped it.
If it were someone else's package, he naturally wouldn't dare tamper with it. Who knew what secrets it might contain, a major taboo he wouldn't risk.
But this was Xiao Rong's disciple, who was strictly designated by superiors, so inspecting it was no big deal.
Inside the package was a wooden box.
Zheng Zhonglin didn't stop, picked up his tools, and continued to the next step.
The box was quickly opened, finally revealing its contents.
"Hiss!?"
At first sight of the contents, Zheng Zhonglin sucked in a cold breath.
Money!!
Tons of money!!
Inside the black box lay a stack of banknotes with a face value of one tael!
The thick stack was evidently converted to smaller denominations to avoid showcasing wealth.
Zheng Zhonglin often handled banknotes, but this stack, at a rough glance, amounted to at least 70 taels!
What does 70 taels signify!?
In Huaxin County, 70 taels could buy a fine horse!
Where a pig cost only ten to fifteen taels, 70 taels could buy six pigs!
Zheng Zhonglin swallowed and glanced around. He quickly rummaged through the package and found a letter.
He looked at the stack of banknotes, aware that the recipient had offended the Chen family - Zhang Rongfang.
Greed flickered in his eyes before fading away.
After a struggle, he finally resolved to take all the banknotes out of the package, return the box, and place the letter back, re-sealing it as it was.
'After all, no one will know I took the money; many people handled it on the way. Why blame me?'
'Even if that kid knows, without the Patrol Office's backing, what can he do against me!?'
Zheng Zhonglin was no stranger to pilfering items from packages over time.
This time the amount was significant, though…. it made him somewhat anxious.
Previously, he only pilfered items from those with no background, and these Daoists mostly tolerated it.
But this time, the sum was large.
He wouldn't have dared unless Zhang Rongfang had provoked the Chen family, which explicitly targeted him.
Soon, a young Daoist lifted the curtain and entered.
"Housemaster, Xiao Rong's disciple, Senior Brother Zhang Rongfang, is here to pick up the package."
Zheng Zhonglin had already pocketed the banknotes, nonchalantly pointing to the box among the pile of parcels.
"Hmm, take it out."
"Yes." The teenage Daoist cautiously picked up the boxed-up package and carried it out.
The sky was cold and clear.
At noon, Zhang Rongfang stood outside the letter room, feeling somewhat cold.
It's already November, winter has arrived, and the temperature is getting colder.
He watched as several assistant Daoists moved and handled items, among them a young Daoist carrying a black cloth package approached him.
"Senior Brother, this is your package."
The young Daoist placed the item on the wooden table in front of him.
A circle of wooden tables was arranged outside the letter room for the convenience of exchanging and placing items.
Zhang Rongfang glanced at the package, reached out, and gently patted it.
The package was inscribed with words written in charcoal.
'Qinghe Palace, received by Zhang Rongfang from Tianyin.'
The writing was neat and elegant, carrying a hint of Zhang Rongfang's faint familiarity.
'It's the handwriting of the previous life's sister.'
His heart trembled, knowing that what had to come had come.
He picked up the package and turned to leave.
"No, something's wrong!" Suddenly, Zhang Rongfang felt the package in his hand didn't feel right.
The package opening was typically sealed with special needlework.
In the previous life's memory, his sister Zhang Rongyu's style was that every package she sent was stitched with neat and dense needlework.
But the package he just received was sealed with random, loose stitches, only casually stitched enough to barely seal the package.
'The package may have been tampered with!'
Immediately, Zhang Rongfang suspected this possibility.
He turned around, staring at the young Daoist who had just handed him the package.
"Junior Brother, could you tell me if anyone else touched my package just now?"
The young Daoist was somewhat intimidated by his gaze because the other party was a cultivator, ranking higher than him.
His attitude was respectfully returning.
"Senior Brother, the package was delivered directly to our letter room in the morning and hasn't been touched in between."
"Are you sure it hasn't been touched?" Zhang Rongfang asked again.
"I'm sure, Senior Brother, aside from moving it a few times when checking names, no one touched it," the young Daoist replied hastily.
Zhang Rongfang asked no further questions. Through the letter room window, he looked inside.
Just at the window, Zheng Zhonglin was counting the silver notes in his hand, using the light.
Seemingly noticing his gaze, Zheng Zhonglin turned around, glanced at Zhang Rongfang, and smiled. His eyes carried a hint of pity and an unusual meaning.
Zhang Rongfang remained expressionless.
The letter room, though a place devoid of martial power, was at Qinghe Palace, surrounded by experts.
Being a barbarian literate household, even if his belongings were stolen, he could only endure, as no one would stand up for him.
Especially now that Xiao Rong cared less about him.
Carrying the package, Zhang Rongfang turned and headed back to his residence.
Returning to his room, he quickly opened the package, read the letter's contents, then pulled open the black box.
Inside was emptiness, nothing at all.
Swish.
Zhang Rongfang closed the box, expressionless, following the instructions on the letter, lifted the box's bottom, and carefully pulled out a thin wooden board.
Within the wood was a small rectangular secret compartment.
The compartment contained two silver notes.
Two fifty-tael denomination banknotes.
'The package was opened, and the first layer's 70 taels were taken. I'm just not sure if they were taken on the way or after reaching Qinghe Palace.'
Zhang Rongfang actually really wanted to rush into the letter room to check himself.
But he couldn't, and he dared not.
Though there was no Martial Cultivator in the letter room, the supervisor Zheng Zhonglin was merely a Literary Cultivator.
Yet if he dared to do so, he would be breaking Qinghe Palace's rules.
He wasn't even qualified; Qinghe Palace had at least ten Martial Cultivators who were qualified!
Among them, at least three were third-grade stewards, not to mention the overseer and palace master, who were above fifth-grade.
So, if he dared to act, the Patrol Office could apprehend him immediately, enforcing strict punishment.
Moreover, the key issue was that he didn't know if it was the letter room people who took it.
Simply because it was often rumored that items from the letter room were stolen, he harbored some suspicion.
"Never mind, it's just 70 taels. Most of the money Zhang Rongyu sent is still here. Even if I reported, probably no one would care... Reported issues in the letter room aren't once or twice...."
Zhang Rongfang felt stifled in his heart, staring at the box on the table, remaining silent.
*
*
*
Bam!!
Zheng Zhonglin was struck on the head, his face covered in blood.
He staggered, holding the package he intended to take home, looking at the scene before him, everything was swaying.
Plop.
He lost his balance and toppled to the ground. The package in his hand rolled to the ground.
"Such... audacity! Daring to attack me at Qinghe Palace!? Do you know who I am...."
Bam!!
Another blow struck his forehead.
Zheng Zhonglin looked at the masked man in front of him, pointing at the other.
"Have... mercy, good man!!"
He suddenly fell to the ground, kneeling.
This was the essential route from Qinghe Palace down to Huaxin County.
Along with him returning home daily was another Martial Cultivator Daoist, his nephew Zhao Heigou.
They both owned houses in Huaxin County.
This time he was about to place the stolen items back in his own house for his wife to manage.
But unexpectedly....
Right outside Qinghe Palace, on the path down the mountain, someone dared to attack him!
His nephew had barely posed before being swiftly knocked down.
Then it was his turn.
Heaven have mercy, as someone in charge of the letter room, a Literary Cultivator, he was attacked on the way down the mountain.
Zhang Rongfang looked at the two men on the ground, picked up their packages, and ran.
No matter if it was these people who took his money, he decided to snatch first, ask later.
Anyway, as long as he didn't kill anyone, everything could be sorted out.
Ever since he killed someone last time, no one had troubled him ever since. Zhang Rongfang's courage grew.