Life as a Rogue Cultivator

Chapter 269: The Wan Couple

A couple turned up, both somewhere around fifty. From the way they moved, you could tell they’d spent years cultivating in these deep Ten-Thousand Great Mountains. From a distance, they caught sight of the giant tree that dominated two acres of the forest and halted.“Is that a Ghost Banyan?” asked the wife.

“At least three thousand years old,” the husband murmured.

“It only like a banyan,” she said. “It isn’t truly a tree at all... more like a demon vine.”

The husband gave a thin smile. “Yeah, you’ve got a point, my love. Then let’s call it Tengling.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Ugh, that sounds awful. Fine, fine... Tengling it is. Look there, someone’s trapped inside… and crying.”

The husband shook his head. “If the Ghost Banyan has you, even if you’re still alive, you’re not getting out. They’re strangely sentient. The really ancient ones are even said to keep livestock.”

The wife raised a brow, intrigued. “Oh? Since when do Ghost Banyans keep livestock?”

He stroked his beard and chuckled. “Just rumors. Could be true, could be nonsense. Who knows, heh…”

They stepped a few paces closer and called out from a distance, “Are you still alive in there?”

Liu Xiaolou finally managed to stop sobbing. He steadied his breath, hurried to the edge of the tree’s canopy, and called out, “Honored seniors, please help me!”

“How did a young man like you end up here?” asked the wife.

“I encountered a spirit beast on the road,” Liu Xiaolou said. “Panicked, I ran without thinking and stumbled under this tree. Before I knew it, I was trapped. If you two seniors would help me, I’d repay the favor however I can!”

The couple looked him over. With his ragged clothes, messy hair, and dirt-smudged face, they couldn’t say they liked him much.

Besides, he didn’t seem likely to bring them any benefit even if they save him. He didn’t look like someone who’d fetch a good price, either.

“Young man, you’ll have to rely on your own luck,” the husband sighed. “Maybe a Golden Core master could pull you out, but my wife and I are only at Foundation Establishment. We don’t have that kind of ability.”

The wife tried to offer a bit of comfort. “If you dared wander the Thirty-Thousand Mountains alone, you must be a cultivator yourself. How far along are you? Just focus on your cultivation. If you ever reach Golden Core, you might have a chance to escape.”

“Thirty-Thousand Mountains? Isn’t this the Hundred-Thousand Great Mountains?” asked Liu Xiaolou.

“You came charging into these mountains without knowing a thing? That’s reckless... From north to south, from the ten-thousand range to the hundred-thousand range, it’s all Ten-Thousand Great Mountains here. Alright, kid, enough. If you’ve got any treasure on you, take it out and let us see. If it’s worth a life, maybe my wife and I can think of a way to help you.”

The couple stood at a distance, smiling, relaxed as they waited.

Liu Xiaolou was born and raised on Wulong Mountain, so he knew their little act all too well. If he really handed over something valuable, the couple would almost certainly take it and walk away. And if he said he had nothing, they’d turn and leave just as quickly.

The couple claimed they were Foundation-Establishment cultivators... who knew if that was true? Even if they weren’t, they probably weren’t far from that level. Which meant he also had to guard against the possibility that they’d “help” him first, then turn around and kill him for his valuables.

These thoughts spun quickly through Liu Xiaolou’s mind. Then he pulled out his sect’s Abyssal Blackstone formation disk and held it up for the couple to see.

“Senior, this is my formation disk. The quality’s excellent; made with rare materials. Don’t be fooled by how simple the illusion formation looks; there’s real depth to it. Once you take it and step inside, you’ll understand. If I put this up for sale, the starting price would be at least sixty or seventy spirit stones.”

“Throw the formation disk over here. Let’s have a look.”

“Senior, you must be joking. You can’t judge a formation disk properly unless it’s activated. Why not come a little closer? I’ll start the formation, and you’ll immediately see what makes it special…”

“Heh. My love, this young man sure likes to joke, but his jokes are terribly dull. Let’s just get back on the road.”

“You’re right, dear. Who knows what scheme he’s cooking up? People are hard to read. Better we leave. Once he dries up into a corpse, we can always come back and take whatever’s left.”

“If you two seniors won’t save me, I can’t blame you. But before I die, I’ll dig myself a grave under that tree and bury this formation disk with me. At least it can keep me company underground for a long, long time…”

“Then may you live a long, long life, boy. Come, my love, let’s go.” With that, the couple turned and started walking away.

Liu Xiaolou could only watch them leave, helpless, silently repeating to himself,

It was all about who could hold out the longest.

So, he held on and held on, watching as the couple stepped into the forest. Their footsteps grew fainter… and then they were simply gone.

It was a damn unbearable feeling, with a voice constantly nagging in his mind:

Several times he opened his mouth, ready to give in, but each time he forced himself to swallow the words. He knew all too well, from the couple’s behavior and the way they talked, that they felt way too familiar, and definitely not like kindhearted people. If he handed over the disk before getting out of danger, they’d probably just take it and disappear. Why would they bother trying to save him after that?

He stood there waiting foolishly for what felt like a long time. When silence finally settled around him, he slumped to the ground in defeat, staring in the direction the couple had vanished, utterly lost and bewildered.

he told himself. He tried to cheer himself up, but the more he tried, the more deflated he felt. After all, the first person to come by showed up nearly two years after he’d been trapped. What if the second time also took another two years?

Just as he was sinking deeper into his own gloom, his ears twitched. He whipped around. And there they were again, that same couple!

“Young man,” the husband said, “my wife has a kind heart. She couldn’t stand seeing you left like this. She kept urging me to help you, and I couldn’t ignore her anymore. So… here we are.”

“Thank you, madam. Thank you, senior!”

“But getting you out of here won’t be easy. We’ll need a solid plan. Young man, how strong is your cultivation? Be honest with us so we can figure something out.”

“I’ve just reached Foundation Establishment. Broke through about two years ago.”

“Oh… impressive for someone your age.” The couple exchanged a glance, then asked, “Do you have any ideas yourself?”

Liu Xiaolou said, “Seniors, could you try catching more birds, mice, rabbits, sheep, deer... whatever mountain creatures you can? That demon tree… ah, the Ghost Banyan, it’s especially interested in spirit beasts and spirit birds. If you can mix a few spirit beats with the others and send them in, I might be able to slip away while it’s distracted. Oh, may I ask the esteemed seniors for your names? If I manage to escape today, I will repay this kindness generously.”

“My surname is Wan, Wan Shangu. Ever heard of me, young man?”

“And you?”

“I’m Li Mu, Senior.”

“Brother Li Mu, the idea you mentioned might just work, though spirit beasts and spirit birds aren’t easy to find... ah, well. Wait here. My wife and I will go hunt some down.”

“Yes, of course! Thank you, Senior Wan. Thank you as well, Madam Wan!”

Liu Xiaolou waited near the edge of the treetop canopy. He watched as the couple split up and went deeper into the forest. Before long, rustling and commotion began to come from within the trees.

Around the Ghost Banyan, countless birds and beasts had gathered. Small, timid creatures that relied on its presence for protection. They were the same ones that often came to watch whenever Liu Xiaolou played his flute. Most had built their nests along the tree’s outer roots and branches, using the banyan’s intimidating presence to keep predators at bay.

So when Wan Shangu and his wife began their hunt, they managed to catch several dozen animals almost immediately.

Even the couple hadn’t expected so many. Madam Wan laughed as she scooped them up, her laughter tinkling like little bells. Every so often, she’d fling out a net, catching the mice, rabbits, deer, and goats that tried to slip past them and tossing them back into the mix.

The net skimmed over the treetops with quick, graceful arcs. Clearly the work of a flying sword. From that alone, Liu Xiaolou could tell the couple really were Foundation Establishment cultivators.

There was no way he could compete with people like that. What should he do? For a moment, Liu Xiaolou panicked, caught between worry and helplessness.