034 Unable to Allocate Points?

Each time Du Ruo pointed out an area, Li Qiyao would circle it in red on the blueprint and jot down the necessary corrections in her notebook. Li Qiyao's fingers were strikingly elegant—long and slender, flawless save for the faint impression on her index finger, a mark left by years of holding a pen. At a glance, it was clear she was someone whose hands had never known hardship.

Their discussion continued in earnest, while Xiang Yuanyuan busied herself on the side, alternating between sips of wine and bites of snacks. Whenever boredom crept in, she would idly scroll through her phone, but she never felt neglected.

“We’ve covered most of it, Qi,” Du Ruo said, noticing Li Qiyao stifling a yawn behind her hand. He glanced at the time—it was already close to nine. Remembering how long and exhausting her day had been, and that the details were more or less settled, he folded the blueprints and handed them to her before pulling out his phone. “Let’s exchange contact info. If you find anything else that needs changing, just let me know at any time.”

“Alright. I’ll draft another version tomorrow and we can review it then,” Li Qiyao replied, nodding as she tucked away her notebook and the folded plans. The two added each other’s contact information.

Du Ruo walked Li Qiyao and Xiang Yuanyuan to the door, waiting until they’d entered the tavern before returning inside. His fondness for Li Qiyao only deepened. From the way she dressed, she hardly seemed to want for money. Yet, he couldn’t understand why a persistent sorrow lingered between her brows. If she could be as carefree as Xiang Yuanyuan, her charm would surely be even greater.

“What’s the point of overthinking it? In the end, we’re all just passing through each other’s lives,” Du Ruo mused, shaking his head. He never considered himself particularly alluring. No matter how close his interactions with Xiang Yuanyuan or Li Qiyao seemed, there was never the faintest hint of romance.

When the two women visited his courtyard, Xiang Yuanyuan looked like she was drinking steadily, but Du Ruo noticed that after half a bottle, she switched to eating without touching more alcohol—a sign she wanted to stay sharp. Had they been in the tavern, Xiang Yuanyuan would have easily knocked back a full bottle of spirits by now.

...

Early to bed and early to rise—Du Ruo’s health had only improved. Upon waking, he first applied medicinal wine, then began his standing meditation in the courtyard.

Yet after half an hour, he stopped, frowning and staring at his status panel in contemplation.

Name: Du Ruo
Age: 31
Essence: 9.17 +
Vitality: 9.19 +
Spirit: 9.50
Attribute Points: 0.01
Skills: Xingyiquan LV2 (43/500)
Natural School Techniques: LV1 (39/200)
Special Skills:
Hidden Weapons: LV0 (16/100)

As usual, Du Ruo had practiced for half an hour. His Xingyiquan experience and attribute points had each increased by 0.01. Everything seemed normal; he never allocated points immediately, preferring to distribute them evenly to “essence, vitality, and spirit” once he had 0.03, ensuring a balanced growth.

Previously, as long as attribute points weren’t at zero, a “+” always appeared beside all three stats, a prompt that he could allocate points at any time. But now, only “essence” and “vitality” had the “+” sign; “spirit” did not.

“Is it because my spirit stat has reached a certain threshold and can’t be increased? Or is 0.01 not enough to raise a stat at 9.5?” Du Ruo wondered, furrowing his brow. He focused his mind and tapped the “+” next to the essence stat. The number flickered from 9.17 to 9.18, and the “+” vanished.

“So I can still allocate points, just not to spirit. Nine point five must be a special value—either I don’t have enough points for a further increase, or I lack a certain opportunity. For now, I’ll raise essence and vitality to 9.5 as well, then see what it takes for the ‘+’ to reappear.”

He paid little heed to the familiar warmth that followed each point allocation. Instead, he got ready to resume his martial arts practice. Du Ruo knew there was little he could do with the status panel; rather than study it blindly, he preferred to watch and wait for a clue to emerge.

Still, he couldn’t help but check the panel several more times, especially after gaining new experience or attribute points, always glancing to see if the “+” would appear again beside spirit.

He had changed greatly since he first began practicing. No longer bound to a single set of forms, Du Ruo’s movements were now uninhibited and inventive—he blended techniques from Xingyiquan and related weapon routines at will, often modifying them to suit himself. If a master of Xingyiquan were to observe him now, they might recognize the style, but would be unable to say to which school it belonged.

This was the effect of reaching the second level in martial arts. To call Du Ruo a master of Xingyiquan would be no exaggeration.

The one constant was the natural, effortless grace of his movements. Xingyiquan in harmony with nature should be pleasing to the eye, and his certainly was.

Standing meditation, martial practice, honing his aim with hidden weapons, distributing attribute points to essence and vitality—after washing up and eating breakfast, his mornings were thoroughly fulfilling.

Du Ruo had noticed that, with his spirit stat now clearly ahead, boosting essence and vitality alone caused no discomfort. Having decided to raise all three to 9.5, he wondered if something unexpected might occur when he did.

Today, Yang Ling informed him that every guest room in the inn was booked, and asked if he wanted to list his own room as well. After considering, Du Ruo declined; he only planned to stay a day or two more and didn’t want the hassle of returning home. He explained to Yang Ling that she could post the room in a couple of days, by which time his new rental would be ready—and prices would likely rise.

At noon, he helped Yang Ling receive several guests—now that business was picking up, he needed to lend a hand when he could. He also suggested that, if there were suitable college students or recent high school graduates in the village, she might consider hiring one as summer help.

That afternoon, Yang Chenguang called, asking Du Ruo to unlock the door of his soon-to-be rental—furniture was being delivered, and he encouraged Du Ruo to arrange things as he liked.