Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King

All mining teams... If one successfully mines rare jade, the interest for that month can be directly waived. Moreover, if there are additional discoveries, it can further offset the debt. With such painstaking efforts, even a debt of ninety thousand taels of silver can eventually be completely settled one day.

Zhang Cun said, "Brother, I must remind you not to think of escaping. The defenses of Jade City are far beyond your imagination. The celestial forces and earthly arrangements aid its security, making every step difficult. If caught and brought back, your debts will sharply increase, and your situation will become even more miserable. I see that you are still young. When I pay off my debts someday, you shall take over the position of team leader."

"One can offset six hundred taels of debt per month. Following the course, you should be able to pay it off by the age of seventy. Of course, relying solely on jade mining is far from enough. Keep an eye on Qingping Tower. If there’s an opportunity, seize it actively."

As they talked, they arrived at an open space. Around it stood several wooden huts, with watchtowers set up in the distance and soldiers patrolling and guarding them. The wooden huts weren’t large, but squeezed together, five people could fit inside.

It was already past the hour of Xu, and the miners, their faces gray and dusty, emerged from the mines. Zhang Cun pushed open the wooden door, and inside it was chaotic, with five wooden beds and five thick blankets arranged. Three people lay horizontally on the beds.

Zhang Cun’s mining crew originally had five people, one had resigned recently to seek another path. Only four remained: Zhang Cun, Liang Huohuo, Qiu Luofan, and Wang Shan.

Zhang Cun and Qiu Luofan were debt slaves. Liang Huohuo was a miscellaneous person, Wang Shan was a Yu Person. The mine on the west side of Jade City was where ordinary folks mined for a living and to support their families. They knew each other, exchanged simple words, then settled into silence.

Zhang Cun said, "Brother, quickly sleep. Tomorrow at dawn, we must rise and enter the vein to mine jade." He covered himself with a thick blanket and fell into a deep sleep.

Li Xian settled his bed and leaned against the edge. His bed was near the window, and the pale moonlight gently illuminated him. Experiencing many events and ups and downs in a short time, his situation grew increasingly difficult. He needed to carefully organize his thoughts and consider his future direction.

He murmured, "My situation is different. Following the regular method to pay off debt leads to death without hope of survival. With my ninety thousand taels of debt, if I only follow the ordinary path, I will spend my days in constant anxiety with no way out. Rather than this, I might as well take a desperate gamble. I need to broaden my perspective and observe opportunities outside the norm!"

He suddenly had an inspiration, "Becoming a miner, the labor and hardship is secondary. The greatest obstacle is the lack of information. Long isolated from the world, countless opportunities in Jade City pass by in the blink of an eye. These debts seem like a heavy framework, but considering them in Jade City, they’re actually nothing. Those with status and face can dismiss them with a wave of their hand. As long as I can seize one or two opportunities, I can overturn everything."

"Although opportunities surely come with risks, making disaster easy to achieve, I came to Jade City precisely to face danger. In my current state, what do I have to fear from danger? If I must die, I will surely die on the path forward."

"Hence... Contacts should be a priority! I need to cultivate good relationships with Yu Person Wang Shan and miscellaneous person Liang Huohuo to inquire about Jade City’s situations. Any news of escape will surely not readily circulate. Therefore, I must eavesdrop on others, using my ’Rooting Hair’ trait, plant my hair. If an opportunity arises, I will be the first to seize it."

Though Li Xian’s perspective was limited, he knew what he wanted. Through Wen Caishang’s teaching of experience and worldly affairs, he deeply understood not to be confined by frameworks or limited by rules. The main path is broad, and blazing a new trail can also be a proper way.

He contemplated his remaining "Jade City’s Eighteen Strikes" capabilities. He sat quietly, adjusting his breath to restore his spirit, silently reading the Medical Heart Sutra and Medical Virtue Sutra. Even though the situation was perilous, he continued to diligently improve himself.

Suddenly he felt full-body aches and an unbearable itch. Li Xian took out a jade bottle, poured out a Detoxification Pill, and swallowed it. The aches ceased instantly, and he recovered without hindrance.