After taking two stabs, he was completely subdued by Henry Clark, and actually started getting along better with Henry Clark. In his own words, “No fight, no friendship”—even though he got stabbed twice, he got to know a true hero at the age of ten.

Henry Clark calmly hid the book away and scolded with a laugh, “All you ever do is drink—are you done with your work?”

“Almost, the rest can be handled by the others. I’m off to buy some wine!”

David Parker came over, grabbed a piece of watermelon and started munching, but didn’t move his feet.

“You broke bum, how much silver could you possibly have?”

Henry Clark sneered in contempt, tossed over a piece of broken silver, and added, “Get more pork head meat!”

“Alrighty…”

David Parker grinned from ear to ear as he caught the silver, tossed aside the watermelon, and ran down the mountain.

Although this spiritual herb field belonged to the Daoist sect, it was managed entirely by Daoist acolytes—in other words, ordinary people. Everyone did manual labor, so there was no ban on alcohol or meat. In fact, there was a small town at the foot of the hill, seven or eight miles away, where you could buy all sorts of things, though they were pricier than in the mundane world. Most of the customers were these acolytes managing the herb fields.

Henry Clark wasn’t someone who just played tough all the time; when it was time to give a little benefit, he would. For example, he often treated these people to drinks.

The acolytes got three taels of silver as wages every month, but before Henry Clark arrived, all that money went to David Parker. After Henry Clark came, the money became his. Fortunately, Henry Clark wasn’t a miser who clung to every coin. Even though he took all the money, after buying wine and meat, everyone ate and drank together. Unlike David Parker before, who would lock himself away and enjoy it alone.

To put it bluntly, he took the money just to show his status.

After David Parker left, Henry Clark started pondering the Yin-Yang Divine Demon Mirror book again. The more he thought about it, the more mysterious it seemed. He guessed that the book must have some kind of appraisal ability, but it couldn’t appraise just anything. From his experiments so far, it only worked on things related to the Daoist sect or with spiritual properties, like cultivation manuals or spiritual artifacts…

“Sigh, it’s useless. Am I supposed to become an appraiser or something?”

Henry Clark thought for a while and felt a bit dejected. No matter how powerful this book was, it wasn’t much use to him!

“Hehe, picked a few more 房中宝 again. If I can sell them, that’s another little windfall…”

At that moment, a cheerful voice came from not far away—it was Little Freckles and Hanged Ghost returning.

Little Freckles was holding a few greenish-purple herbs, grinning from ear to ear, looking very pleased with himself.

This was a companion weed in the spiritual herb fields, called Huajing Grass, also known as 房中宝. It was considered a weed in the spiritual fields and had to be removed when found, because it was useless to cultivators. However, it was quite valuable to ordinary people, because its effect was to transform blood into essence. After taking it, well, it would make a person… full of vigor and vitality. You know that phrase, “as vigorous as a dragon or tiger,” right?

That’s why ordinary people welcomed this herb, and the acolytes often sold it when they found it.

“Transform blood into essence… refine essence into qi…”

Henry Clark only glanced at it and didn’t pay much attention. He was only interested because his fourth uncle liked it.

But suddenly, something occurred to him. He sat up abruptly, staring straight at Little Freckles.

“Boss Fang… I wasn’t slacking off…”

Little Freckles was startled, his butt dropping down, almost sitting on the ground.

Hanged Ghost was also startled, thinking he and Little Freckles had somehow offended Henry Clark, and didn’t dare move a muscle.

“Bring that thing over here…”

Little Freckles froze, then nervously handed it over.

Henry Clark snatched the Huajing Grass from Little Freckles’s hand, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stuffed it into his mouth and started eating it in big bites.

Chapter 4: Refining the First Wisp of Spiritual Qi

Under the terrified gazes of Little Freckles and Hanged Ghost, Henry Clark chewed up the Huajing Grass in a few bites and swallowed it down with a strained neck.

“Don’t bother me unless it’s important!”

Henry Clark’s eyes were a bit red as he gave a fierce order, wiped his mouth, and ducked into the wooden hut. Little Freckles and Hanged Ghost were both scared stiff. They exchanged glances, feeling that Henry Clark had gone crazy. That was 房中宝! Even a grown man could only eat a small piece of leaf at a time, and that would be enough to keep him going all night. But this ten-year-old kid just ate three whole plants at once…

Is he trying to defy the heavens or what?

Henry Clark entered the wooden hut and immediately sat cross-legged as described in the Azure Cloud Qi Refining Manual, with his five hearts facing the sky.

The Huajing Grass took effect quickly. Before long, Henry Clark felt a surge of violent heat rising from his lower abdomen, and his crotch immediately felt swollen and tight. Henry Clark took a deep breath and began to recite the incantation from the Azure Cloud Qi Refining Manual, circulating the mysterious method and moving his qi and blood. At this stage, circulating the mysterious method was just a mental exercise, since he had no spiritual qi in his body to actually circulate.

The medicinal effect was intense. Henry Clark’s eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were terribly parched.

The violent heat rampaged through his body, making him feel unbearably bloated and uncomfortable.

“I can do this…”