Life as a Rogue Cultivator

Liu Xiaolou drew the Three-Mystery Sword, and let the Bewildering Fragrance Tendon on his wrist peek out. He slowly walked toward the trees where Wei Hongqing and the others had disappeared, pausing with each step, fully prepared for an ambush.

He kept moving forward, but no matter how far he walked, he never seemed to get any closer. That alone was enough to make him puzzled.

Then, out of nowhere, a deep chasm opened beneath his feet. Caught off guard, he plummeted. Startled, he thrust the Three-Mystery Sword toward the sheer cliff walls on either side, hoping to wedge them into the rocky face. At the same time, the Bewildering Fragrance Tendon lashed out, trying to wrap around any protruding stones or stubborn roots jutting from the cliff.

But no matter how many times he tried, nothing worked. The sword blades kept missing the cracks in the rock. The Bewildering Fragrance Tendon couldn't find anything solid to grip. And so he kept falling, spinning downward into the depths of the abyss.

Falling... falling...

Yet somehow, the bottom never came.

All at once, Liu Xiaolou realized what was happening; it was an illusion formation.

This was the first time he'd encountered one, and being trapped inside its illusion was a strange and surreal experience. He tried to break free, but there was no immediate way out. All he could do was keep falling, deeper and deeper, with no end in sight.

Suddenly, a volley of crossbow bolts burst from the cliff wall to one side, ripping through the stone. The tips gleamed with cold light, aimed straight for his waist and ribs!

Suspended in midair, Liu Xiaolou had no room to dodge. All he could do was raise his sword to block. But the bolts came with terrifying force; each one flaring with a sharp, bright aura. With his current cultivation level, he wasn't sure he could withstand them.

Is this attack real?

There was no time to tell. Panicked, Liu Xiaolou braced for the worst. He poured all his true qi into the Three-Mystery Sword, hoping it would be enough to resist the crossbows' devastating power.

Then, a hand shot out from the opposite cliff wall, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him sideways. Liu Xiaolou flew across the air, crashing hard toward the cliff. He shut his eyes, then opened them again.

Everything had vanished.

He was back in the forest, and his body was hurling toward a massive tree. He twisted just in time, barely avoiding a full-on collision.

At that same moment, several crossbow bolts whizzed past him, close enough to tear through flesh. He had almost been skewered.

It was Wei Hongqing who had acted just in time, pulling him out of danger.

Liu Xiaolou planted his feet against the tree trunk and pushed off, landing softly. Right in front of him sat a man in a half-lotus position, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Scattered around his knees were broken pieces of shattered formation disks.

Who else could it be but Xishan Hermit?

Liu Xiaolou froze. "The Hermit…"

Wei Hongqing and the others had already surrounded the man. Tan Bajhang was furious.

"Xiaolou! That thief we were after; it was him! Guarding the sheep while stealing the sheep. And he dared ambush you, nearly got you killed! And here we were, wasting time trying to rescue him. What a heartless, ungrateful son of a bitch!"

Zuo Gaofeng was seething. Two crossbow bolts were still lodged in his leg and arm, the arrowheads buried deep in the flesh, blood pouring freely. He was so furious he couldn't speak. He raised his twin axes, then lowered them again, hesitating several times. In the end, he didn't strike. Instead, he turned to look at Wei Hongqing.

"Why did you do it?" Wei Hongqing asked quietly.

Xishan Hermit had already used up all his bolts. Surrounded by the four of them, he knew he had no chance. He threw an empty jade case to the ground and held a glowing spirit pill in his palm.

"I was momentarily blinded by foolishness. It's too late to say anything now\.I only beg you brothers to spare my life. If not... I'll destroy this Foundation Pill right here!"

Tan Bajhang spat. "Brothers? Don't lump us in with you, you backstabbing mutt who forgets loyalty for profit!"

Xishan Hermit gave a bitter smile. "A Foundation Pill isn't some petty reward. If I'd stayed with you all... maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this. But you never should've given me the chance. That was your mistake..."

Wei Hongqing looked at him steadily. "Hermit, you're only at the eighth level of Qi Refinement. Taking a Foundation Pill now, what good would it do? Without ten or twenty more years of cultivation, it's useless. Why not wait until you've reached the peak of the tenth level? There would still be time."

The Hermit shook his head. "By then it would be too late. Do you know how rare it is to even get a chance at a Foundation Pill? I'm already fifty. By the time I reach the tenth level, I'll be at least sixty. How would I still have the strength or time to go chasing after pills?"

"So that's your excuse?" Tan Bajhang shouted. "That's why you betrayed us? Tried to take it all for yourself?"

Xishan Hermit ignored him. Instead, he turned to Wei Hongqing. "Hongqing, give me a way out. Let me go. You can keep the Foundation Pill. Deal?"

Seeing Wei Hongqing hesitate, he added, "You know I have a niece in Yongshun. Her parents died long ago; she only has me. If I die…"

"I'll raise her," Wei Hongqing said. "I promise I'll see her safely into adulthood."

Xishan Hermit shouted, "No! I don't need you to raise her. I'll do it myself! I want to live! Just let me go. If you don't, I'll destroy this spirit pill!"

He struggled to twist his body, raising the Foundation Pill to his mouth, his eyes wide with panic, trying to keep everyone at bay.

"Don't come any closer! Stay back!"

"Tan Bajhang, take a step back! If you don't, I'll swallow it!"

"Brother Zuo, I'm sorry! It was wrong of me to shoot you. I'll make it up to you one day!"

"Hongqing, please... just let me go... give me a way out…"

The group hesitated and stepped back.

Suddenly, as if something had just occurred to him, he turned sharply toward Liu Xiaolou and screamed, "Xiaolou! Stay back! Don't come near me. Get away! Far away! Far away...!"

But it was already too late.

He swayed unsteadily, feeling dizzy and disoriented. In a panic, he tried to shove the Foundation Pill into his mouth, but his hand missed and his aim was off. The pill slipped past his lips and fell to the ground, landing right in front of his knees.

He reached down to grab it—

But before he could, something cold touched the back of his neck.

The world spun.

He tumbled, over and over, the sky wheeling above him. From between the treetops, he caught a final glimpse of soft, drifting clouds.

So it's true, just like that senior said all those years ago… I was never meant to reach Foundation Establishment in this life.

That was Xishan Hermit's final thought. His consciousness quickly faded and slipped away into nothing.

The one who struck the killing blow was Zuo Gaofeng. He wiped his axe clean on the hermit's robes, scowling as he muttered, "That's for shooting me."

Wei Hongqing stepped forward, picked up the fallen Foundation Pill, returned it to its jade case, and tucked it safely into his robes.

Both Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Bajhang kept their eyes fixed on the case until it was completely put away. Only then did they both let out long sighs. Afterward, they moved to search Xishan Hermit's body, finding two spirit stones, a book on formations, a few small gold ingots, and the enchanted crossbow along with its bolts. They piled everything together.

"You guys can split this stuff among yourselves," Wei Hongqing said.

Zuo Gaofeng, the eldest and most powerful among them, didn't stand on ceremony. He immediately picked up the crossbow and the bolts. "Brother Tan, Brother Liu.... these are useful to me. Hope you don't mind."

Tan Bajhang flipped through the formation manual, scanning the first few pages, then turning faster and faster. Finally, he shook his head and shoved the book into Liu Xiaolou's arms.

"This thing gives me a headache just looking at it. I can't make sense of it, and it's not really my thing. I'll take the spirit stones and the gold. You keep the book."

In the cultivation world, mastering even one path was hard enough. Most cultivators avoided splitting their focus on secondary disciplines—formation arts least of all. Besides, this book wasn't some profound or powerful manual. It only covered a basic illusion formation. That's why both Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Bajhang passed on it. Honestly, it was a bit of a bully move, leaving the leftovers for the youngest member of the group.

But Liu Xiaolou had been eyeing that book from the start. His time trapped inside the illusion formation had left a deep impression. The experience had amazed him, and he'd been craving a closer look at the technique ever since. Still, as the junior of the group, he had no choice but to pick last.

Now, finally getting the book, he was quietly thrilled. He made a silent promise to himself: even if he wasn't cut out for formation art and couldn't figure it out, he could always sell it. Maybe it'd fetch enough for at least one spirit stone?

Just then, a signal arrow shot into the sky from a distance.

Wei Hongqing's eyes lit up. "You all stay here and watch over Lu Zi'an's body. I'll be right back!"