The man in black was Lin Hu.
A sinister smile curled on his lips, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows."Boy, you stole my place. This herb garden isn't somewhere you can come and go as you please!"
Before he even finished speaking, Lin Hu suddenly attacked. A black shadow flashed past, aiming straight for Xiao Bei's face!
Xiao Bei was prepared. With a swift movement, he dodged the strike.
He was secretly alarmed. Lin Hu was ruthless and clearly a trained fighter. It seemed that his previous low-key behavior in the servants' quarters had only been to hide his true strength.
"Is that all you've got? You think you can ambush me?" Xiao Bei sneered, taking up a defensive stance.
Lin Hu wasn't angry at missing his first strike. Instead, he looked even more excited."You've got some skill! Let me see what you're really capable of!"
The two exchanged blows at the entrance of the herb garden, fists and kicks colliding, kicking up clouds of dust.
At that moment, Uncle Sun arrived after hearing the commotion and immediately shouted in anger.
"What kind of behavior is this?! Fighting at the entrance of the herb garden? Are you trying to destroy all the herbs?!"
Uncle Sun glared at them, his beard bristling with fury.
When Lin Hu saw Uncle Sun, he immediately put on a wronged expression."Uncle Sun, this kid stole my position and even attacked me! You have to stand up for me!"
Xiao Bei rolled his eyes. Lin Hu truly had a talent for twisting the truth.
Although Uncle Sun was old-fashioned, he was not foolish. He quickly saw that Lin Hu had provoked the fight first.
"Lin Hu, stop playing the victim!" Uncle Sun snorted. "Xiao Bei was personally assigned by Manager Zhao to work in the herb garden. What right do you have to question that? If you're unhappy, go argue with Manager Zhao!"
Seeing that his attempt to stir trouble had failed, Lin Hu could only fall silent, his face dark with frustration.
Uncle Sun shot Lin Hu a sharp look, then turned to Xiao Bei."Boy, you've just entered the herb garden. I'm giving you a task. Go clean that weed-infested herb field and make sure the medicinal plants survive. Remember—finish it today!"
Xiao Bei looked at the field overrun with weeds and groaned inwardly.
The medicinal field was huge, and the weeds were growing even more vigorously than the herbs. Cleaning it all in one day would not be easy.
But he did not complain. Instead, he nodded firmly."Uncle Sun, don't worry. I will definitely complete the task!"
Xiao Bei thought to himself: System, my path to immortality begins in this herb field!
He opened the system interface and searched for information about medicinal herbs.
The system quickly provided detailed answers, including characteristics, growth environments, and planting methods for all kinds of herbs—covering nearly everything.
With the system's help, Xiao Bei's efficiency increased dramatically.
He skillfully pulled weeds, pruned branches and leaves, fertilized, and watered. Every movement was professional and precise.
The other servant disciples nearby watched in secret amazement.
This kid doesn't look like a beginner at all!
Xiao Bei worked with great enthusiasm, completely unaware that Lin Hu was hiding in the shadows, watching him coldly.
"Hmph, brat. Let's see how long you can keep acting so arrogant…" Lin Hu's lips curled into a sinister smile as he quietly slipped deeper into the herb garden.
Lin Hu let out a low, malicious laugh and took out a bulky cloth bag.
Inside were not treasures, but carefully selected weed seeds—ones that grew extremely fast and were incredibly resilient.
"Hehe, little brat, trying to provoke me? You're still too inexperienced!"
Lin Hu scattered these "troublemakers" evenly across the freshly cleaned herb field, as casually as sprinkling spices.
After finishing, he clapped his hands, hummed a tune, and hid behind a large tree, ready to enjoy the show.
Time passed, and as the sun set, golden light bathed the herb garden.
Uncle Sun walked over with his hands behind his back, ready to inspect Xiao Bei's work.
"Hm, not bad…" At first, Uncle Sun was quite satisfied. The field looked clean and orderly.
But as he stepped closer, his expression instantly changed.
"What's going on?! How did so many weeds grow back?!"
Uncle Sun's voice boomed like thunder, making Xiao Bei's ears ring.
Xiao Bei rushed over and was immediately stunned.
The once-clean herb field was now covered with dense weeds. Although they were still small, their frightening growth rate meant they would soon overrun the area again.
"This… this…" Xiao Bei was also shocked. He had clearly cleaned everything! Could it be…?
Uncle Sun shook his head in disappointment."Young man, you must be serious and meticulous in your work. With such a careless attitude, how can you become a qualified disciple of the herb garden?"
Xiao Bei opened his mouth to explain, but he didn't know where to begin.
Someone deliberately framed me…
But he had no proof.
At that moment, Lin Hu, hiding in the shadows, couldn't hold back his laughter. Although he covered his mouth in time, Xiao Bei still heard the muffled sound.
Xiao Bei suddenly turned, his sharp gaze locking onto the tree where Lin Hu was hiding."Come out!"
He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.
Now was not the time to act impulsively.
Let the facts speak.
"Uncle Sun, these weeds are clearly new and evenly distributed, as if someone planted them deliberately," Xiao Bei said calmly, pointing at the field. "If I'm not mistaken, someone is trying to frame me."
Uncle Sun frowned, half-doubtful, half-skeptical."Man-made? But few people come to this deeper area of the herb garden. Who would do such a thing?"
"Uncle Sun, look closely at these weed seeds. They're still fresh. They were obviously planted recently." Xiao Bei paused, then shifted his gaze toward the entrance. "Also, look at the footprints there. Don't they look like Lin Hu's shoes?"
Following Xiao Bei's gaze, Uncle Sun indeed saw several clear footprints at the entrance that matched Lin Hu's footwear.
His expression changed. Could it really be Lin Hu?
"Go, bring Lin Hu to me!" Uncle Sun ordered.
Soon, Lin Hu was dragged over.
He pretended to be calm, wearing an innocent expression."Uncle Sun, why are you looking for me?"
"Lin Hu, tell me honestly. Did you plant these weeds?" Uncle Sun asked sternly.
Lin Hu's eyes flickered as he firmly denied it."Uncle Sun, please don't wrong an innocent person! How could I do something like that?"
"The evidence is overwhelming, and you still dare to deny it?" Xiao Bei sneered. "Do you really think you got away with it?"
Uncle Sun had someone check Lin Hu's shoes. The soles were covered in mud and weed seeds, exactly matching those in the herb field.
With irrefutable evidence, Lin Hu could no longer deny it.
"Lin Hu, you have deeply disappointed me!" Uncle Sun was so furious that his beard trembled. "As a low-level disciple, not only do you fail to improve yourself, but you also harbor malicious intentions and frame your fellow disciples. Your actions are simply unforgivable!"
Lin Hu's face turned pale. He knew he had failed.
He knelt on the ground and begged,"Uncle Sun, I was wrong! Please give me another chance!"
"Opportunities are not begged for. They are earned," Xiao Bei said coldly. "Someone like you doesn't deserve to stay in the herb garden."
After a moment of thought, Uncle Sun finally spoke."Lin Hu, considering this is your first offense, I will punish you this time—"
Before he could finish, a strange sound suddenly came from deep within the herb garden.
"What… what is that?!"
Everyone turned toward the sound.
A cloud of black mist was rapidly approaching, carrying an oppressive, suffocating aura.
"Damn! What the hell is that?!" one disciple shouted in shock.
"A demonic beast? Impossible! How could there be a demonic beast in the herb garden?!" another disciple cried, his face pale with fear.
Xiao Bei's heart skipped a beat. That aura was definitely not from an ordinary wild beast!
He immediately activated the system scan.
Ding! Unknown energy fluctuation detected. Danger level: High!
The cold system notification made Xiao Bei's heart sink.
As the black mist drew closer, its true form was finally revealed—
A gigantic black spider, with eight eyes glowing with eerie green light, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"A Giant Venom Spider! A Second-Level Demonic Beast!" Uncle Sun's expression changed drastically. This was not something mere Qi Refining disciples could handle.
The giant venom spider roared, opened its blood-red mandibles, and spat out a glob of venom straight toward Xiao Bei and the others.
"Get out of the way!" Uncle Sun shouted, dodging first.
The other disciples scattered, but a few unlucky ones were hit by venom and instantly collapsed, screaming in agony.
Xiao Bei reacted quickly, grabbing two nearby disciples and pulling them out of the venom's path.
"This poison is terrifying!" one disciple cried, still shaking.
"Stop talking—run!" Xiao Bei shouted, dragging them toward the garden entrance.
The giant venom spider pursued relentlessly. Its massive body crushed and trampled the medicinal herbs, reducing the field to ruins.
"Our… our herb field…" Uncle Sun looked at the destroyed garden, his heart aching as if he were about to cry.
While running, Xiao Bei rapidly thought of a plan. A direct fight was impossible. He needed to outsmart it.
System, is there any way to deal with this? Xiao Bei asked mentally.
Ding! Recommended item: Flame Talisman.
Xiao Bei's eyes lit up.
The Flame Talisman!
It was a reward he had received from a previous mission.
He quickly took out the Flame Talisman, silently chanted the activation incantation, and threw it.
"Go!"
The Flame Talisman transformed into a streak of fire and slammed into the giant venom spider, instantly erupting into raging flames.
"Screee!" The spider let out a miserable scream as its body was engulfed in fire.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Bei and the others escaped the herb garden.
Uncle Sun looked at the charred corpse of the giant venom spider and let out a long breath of relief.
"Thanks to you, Xiao Bei," Uncle Sun said gratefully. "If it weren't for you, we would probably all be dead today."
"Uncle Sun, you flatter me," Xiao Bei replied modestly.
"To reward your heroic performance, I'm giving you this Spirit-Gathering Pill."
Uncle Sun took out an exquisite jade bottle and handed it to Xiao Bei.
"Thank you, Uncle Sun!" Xiao Bei accepted it, overjoyed.
The Spirit-Gathering Pill was a high-quality low-grade pill that could greatly help Qi Refining cultivators increase their cultivation speed.
The other disciples looked at the jade bottle in Xiao Bei's hand with envy.
"This kid is really lucky!"
"Hmph, so what if you're lucky? It's nothing special," Lin Hu said coldly from the side.
Xiao Bei ignored Lin Hu's sarcasm. Greater challenges still awaited him in the herb garden…
"Uncle Sun, look…" A servant disciple pointed toward the depths of the herb garden, his voice trembling.
Uncle Sun followed his finger, and his expression changed drastically.
"This… this is…"