Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King

Zhang Cun advised, "Therefore, it’s better to honestly mine jade."

The group turned a treacherous bend, with an abyss on the left side. One misstep and they would fall into it. They walked closely along the wall, where the footing was very narrow. After the turn, Zhang Cun said, "Brothers, let’s go to the usual place and try to dig out some rare jade types."

He seemed to have been here many times before. Familiar with the terrain, he navigated through the twists and traversed an ice-cold dark river, arriving at a relatively spacious area. Here, the light waves shimmered, and the walls were embedded with small glittering gems.

Li Xian thought to himself, "This Jade City is truly blessed by nature. I wonder how long it will take to mine all these precious gems." Then he mused, "If all the gems are mined out, Jade City, Jade City... the name maybe won’t fit anymore."

Zhang Cun made a hand gesture, and everyone dispersed in all directions, each carving out a spot. Li Xian executed the ’Jade Chiseling Technique’, the pickaxe striking and digging with a "ding ding" sound. He focused on observing, silently chiseling away.

In one day, they dug out thirty pieces of jade.

Encased in stone, but with faintly noticeable jade quality at the edges, one could discern the type of jade inside. They flashed with red, green, or yellow hues. Zhang Cun frowned, not very pleased, muttering, "Not good, not good, we still haven’t found any rare jade types. It’s almost the end of the month; will all this hard work be for nothing?" He sighed lightly, worry creasing his face as he led the team out of the mountain.

They entered at the time of the Rabbit (5-7 a.m.) and exited at the time of the Dog (7-9 p.m.). The sky was approaching darkness. Li Xian was energetic, not feeling tired but frowned. If it continued like this day after day, after decades, who would know whether the skies over Jade City were clear or blue?

He resolved in his heart, the usual path cannot be taken.

At the wooden shack, simple dishes were prepared.

Hot steamed buns, salt-soaked greens... Li Xian had a big appetite, grabbed a few buns, ate them with the greens, and found them quite tasty. He secretly observed everyone’s demeanor and expressions.

Li Xian suddenly noticed Zhang Cun heading into the shadows with another man. His heart stirred, and he quickly swallowed the bun, stuffed in the greens. Silently approaching, his martial arts skills were hard to deploy, Perfect Appearance, Heavy Pupil Appearance... these innate traits couldn’t be concealed. Based on his nimble and agile body, and sharp eyesight, he followed without drawing attention. Once close enough, he plucked a hair strand, using palm wind to send it closer, extending his senses. Then he nonchalantly returned to the wooden shack.

This eavesdropping revealed...

It turned out that the daytime jade digging location was called "Yuting Forest," countless passages and mines dotted the vein’s deep areas. Zhang Cun had spent money to buy the ’Yuting Forest’ route from a jade miner named Jiang Huchen.

Although Jiang Huchen was a jade miner, his elder brother Jiang Longsheng was a hidden figure. Jiang Huchen didn’t need to go down the vein himself but could profit from selling information about "rare jade types."

Jade miners, to avoid monthly interest on their debts, humbly sought information about rare jade types. More than ten days ago, "Yuting Forest" had produced a "rare jade type."

Zhang Cun, having obtained the route, tenaciously excavated one spot, digging back and forth for over ten days. Ordinary jade was plentiful, but rare jade types never appeared. With the end of the month near, anxious and helpless, he came to question Jiang Huchen, suspecting some trickery regarding Yuting Forest.

Zhang Cun’s debt interest was four hundred taels of silver. Unable to waive it, he feared all his month’s labor would be in vain, hence his anxious inquiries. Jiang Huchen, fearless, merely claimed that failing to find rare jade types was due to Zhang Cun’s bad luck, but Yuting Forest indeed had produced rare gems. Zhang Cun, left with no options, could only depart.

Li Xian took in these twists and turns through eyes and ears, gradually understanding: "Though Zhang Cun is older than me, he’s too honest. To clear Jade City’s debts surely won’t go smoothly. This confirms my suspicion: information represents an advantage. Mere digging leads only to dying in the mine tunnels."

He played with a finger ring, contemplating, "My hair strands can sense the earth, they must be useful for finding rare jade. However... this must not be leaked. If it gets out, given Jade City’s ways, they would never allow me out of the vein again, forcing me to search for rare jade types endlessly."

That night, he secretly observed Jiang Huchen’s residence. He saw Jiang Huchen lived alone in a two-story wooden house, elegantly decorated with a large bed inside. Knowing that if it was about information, this person must be well-informed and shrewd. So he secretly planted hair strands, constantly eavesdropping on information.

Li Xian’s "Five Viscera Avoiding Dross and Gathering Yang Scripture: Enhanced Viscera Chapter" was already perfected. The hair strands had sensitive perception, and he could see and hear clearly. By concentrating his mind, he could eavesdrop on the subtle movements inside. Conversations, actions, expressions... none could escape.

But "Rooting Hair" could only hold four strands simultaneously. If exceeded, the initially planted strands would wither. Li Xian contemplated carefully, sensing the ever-changing geological conditions, hidden dangers and detours could not be underestimated, so he kept three hair strands planted, deciding slowly how to utilize them.

The next day, Zhang Cun led the team back to the vein, to the spot they had worked on the day before. He made a gesture, and they scattered to dig. The sound of pickaxes clanging against the earth echoed, and although many gems were unearthed, rare jade types remained elusive. Zhang Cun sighed quietly, aware that it relied heavily on luck and subconsciously suspected Jiang Huchen of deceit. Yet lacking evidence, he swallowed his anger and turned to observe Li Xian.

He saw Li Xian strike with both strength and precision, having already extracted seven pieces of jade. His proficiency in jade chiseling surpassed even Zhang Cun himself. Seeing such a strong helper, Zhang Cun couldn’t help but feel pleased, his attitude toward Li Xian improving further.

After two consecutive hours of digging, the group was exhausted, resting against a giant stone, each taking out their water bags and dry rations to eat and drink. Though Li Xian was full of energy, he feigned being weary, dusting off the dirt on his clothes. Seizing the chance to converse with Zhang Cun, Liang Huohuo, Wang Shan, and Yue Fanluo, he inquired about matters in Jade City.