Chapter 12: Got Rich

Chapter 12: Striking It Rich

Shang Yunduo was also taken aback.

He knew all about Nether Beasts—legendary creatures that feed on yin and spiritual energy, always appearing in swarms where cultivators had fallen. Apart from battlefields, they favored the caves of cultivators who had ascended. In the novels, Xiao Chi had encountered plenty of such places in his later adventures, in cave dwellings and forbidden lands.

For Xiao Chi in his later stages, these low-level beasts were like woodlice under a rock—scattering at the slightest provocation. But for cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, they were far from easy to deal with.

Nether Beasts appeared as a colony, moving in packs like wolves, coordinating as a team: some attacking head-on, others sneaking in for bites. A moment’s carelessness and they would surround you. Moreover, these beasts were thick-skinned and tough, impervious to ordinary spells and artifacts, vulnerable only to fire. Yuezhang Fairy apparently had no Fire Spirit Root, excelling instead in Water and Wood spells, so she struggled bitterly, her moon-white immortal robe for defense torn and bitten through.

Among those who rushed in, those with fire-attributed artifacts joined forces, and the Nether Beasts, which had been winning with numbers, were soon howling and scattering in all directions as they were burned.

The cave filled with the stench of burnt fur and the aroma of roasted meat.

Zhang Yu waved a hand in front of her face and scoffed at the disheveled pair: “So that’s why we didn’t see Daoist Niu and Fairy Yuezhang—you’ve been here all along. Nice scheme, fellow cultivators—using a fake flower to trick us into breaking the barrier while you came to grab the treasure.”

Yuezhang Fairy looked bewildered: “What do you mean by a fake flower?”

Niu Chengdian also looked confused: “What are you all talking about, fellow cultivators?”

Zhang Yu: “Stop pretending! If you hadn’t known the Midnight Lotus was fake, would you have rushed over here first?”

Bai Li put away his fan: “Where’s Old Tang?”

Yuezhang Fairy looked even more confused: “Daoist Tang? Wasn’t he with Li Wuzi?”

Daoist Yuqiu: “You haven’t seen them?”

Yuezhang Fairy said helplessly: “I was at the Kan position; Daoist Tang and the others were at the Li position, the farthest diagonal. How would I have run into them?”

Zhang Yu: “Daoist Niu isn’t any closer than they were!”

Yuezhang Fairy paused and instinctively glanced at Niu Chengdian.

Niu Chengdian: “I just saw a lot of people by the water and thought I’d go into the mountains early to find some spiritual herbs.”

Zhang Yu snorted: “Such a flimsy excuse—who would believe it?”

Shang Yunduo silently scratched the tip of his nose.

If he hadn’t done exactly that himself, he wouldn’t believe it either.

“Though they can’t compare to the Midnight Lotus, these spirit stones are not bad,” Zhang Yu said, turning her gaze to the stones. Whatever Niu Chengdian’s purpose, best to divide the stones first.

Bai Li: “Hold on. If we’re dividing them, we need some rules, don’t we?”

Zhang Yu: “They belong to my brother, of course.”

Huang Gun: “Why?”

Zhang Yu: “Because my brother killed the most Nether Beasts just now!”

Nether Beasts feared fire, and Zhang Yan’s artifact happened to counter them. But other cultivators with fire spirit roots had also contributed significantly, and Huang Gun was unconvinced: “According to that logic, Daoist Shang and I didn’t do any worse than your brother!”

Shang Yunduo, who had already been quietly shrinking into a corner, was exasperated. He wanted to just give up and say, “I don’t want a share,” but he feared that if he really didn’t take anything, others might think he had already acquired something good and was just looking down on these spirit stones.

Bai Li also asked: “What do you say, Daoist Shang?”

Shang Yunduo decisively gave an answer that meant nothing: “Divide them however’s fair.”

Zhang Yan: “If talk won’t work, then fight it out!”

Oh! Shang Yunduo wanted to scratch his head again. Here we go again. This cave was narrow at the entrance, wide and deep inside, like a long-handled ladle. Cultivators at Qi Refining layers six to eight were packed behind him. If a fight broke out, it would be hard to escape even if he wanted to.

Couldn’t they just split it evenly?

“How about…” Shang Yunduo really didn’t want to fight. He didn’t care if his two casual junior brothers thought he was breaking character. He proposed: “Let’s draw straws.”

“How do we draw straws?!”

“We’re cultivators; we should do it the cultivator way.”

“Then let’s compete! Winner takes all!”

“How do we compete?”

“One-on-one matches; then winners fight until one’s left.”

“How do we decide winner or loser?”

“Until surrender—no surrender, no mercy.”

The cultivators at Qi Refining Layer Six frowned immediately.

They were three realms below Qi Refining Layer Nine—no contest.

In the end, it would still come down to the few Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators and those Eighth Layer cultivators with great strength and numerous artifacts.

Bai Li immediately said: “I’m not participating.”

He wasn’t Old Tang; why fight?

In a pure duel of spells, he wasn’t sure he could beat those Sword Cultivators at Qi Refining Layer Eight, and that girl Zhang Yu was no pushover either.

Everyone exchanged looks, then turned to Zhang Yan, who seemed indifferent, and Shang Yunduo, shrinking in the corner.

Shang Yunduo: “…”

He was about to say, “Since everyone thinks we two will be in the final, why not rely on luck—him and Zhang Yan play rock-paper-scissors,” when Bai Li cut in: “Since there are Nether Beasts here, this must be where a cultivator or demon beast died. Where’s the body? A meditation site with just spirit stones?”

Shang Yunduo thought: Exactly!

He glanced at those Qi Refining Eighth and Ninth Layer cultivators who were clamoring for a fight, and noticed that several of them didn’t look surprised at all.

Oh?

They had thought of it too?!

Deliberately keeping quiet?!

Then he looked at Niu Chengdian, who was sitting aside healing his wounds, his face dark as coal.

“…” Shang Yunduo thought in shock. Even trapped, he was still scheming?!

Bai Li laughed and said: “How about this: finders keepers?”

Someone immediately protested: “Why should we?”

“Because you won’t find anything,” Bai Li said quickly. “You really want to die here?”

The crowd was speechless.

Bai Li said, "How about this: whoever finds the treasure first gets to pick three items first, and when we leave the valley, they can also leave half an hour early. Deal?"

Everyone's eyes lit up, especially the lower-level cultivators, who began to stir restlessly again.

The Eighth Layer Qi Refining cultivators also looked at the few Ninth Layer Qi Refining cultivators. Shang Yunduo and Yu Qiu didn't hesitate and immediately nodded. The Zhang siblings thought about it and also nodded. "Fine, but these spirit stones must be divided first."

Shang Yunduo said, "Otherwise, the few of us at the Ninth Layer can split them equally. If anyone disagrees, they can pick one of us to fight, and if they win, they take it all."

Bai Li agreed immediately upon hearing this.

Yu Qiu didn't think he deserved the spirit stones, nor did he think he didn't. Getting a share peacefully was an unexpected bonus, so he agreed.

Huang Gun and Zhang Yu were naturally dissatisfied. Both wanted to challenge Bai Li, but Zhang Yan stopped them and whispered a few words to his sister. Zhang Yu calmed down, and Huang Gun also came to his senses. Though spirit stones were good, spending too much energy for them and affecting the chance to obtain treasures later would be a loss.

He glanced at Bai Li several times but ultimately remained silent.

However, a few who were still unconvinced, believing they were the strongest, wanted to compete with Bai Li. But Bai Li trapped them with an artifact, leaving them helpless. After struggling for a while, they had to admit defeat.

Bai Li put away his golden cup, fought off another Eighth Layer Qi Refining cultivator, and ate a Qi Recovery Pill. "If we continue like this, those who lose will have to compensate me with some pills."

The crowd felt disgruntled but, not believing they had the strength to win, they backed down.

A few people began dividing the spirit stones, completely bypassing Niu Chengdian, who had discovered them. They took a chest here, a pouch there, and soon all the spirit stones were divided.

Shang Yunduo never imagined such good fortune. Outside, a low-grade spirit stone could exchange for a small bag of silver, and he got at least three or four thousand. He was rich!

He had never had more than three or four thousand in disposable pocket money since childhood.

His parents gave him two thousand five hundred for living expenses each month, which he used entirely for food. The money to buy a new guitar came from working part-time with his senior at a wedding company, playing the violin at ceremonies.

Having so much money all of a sudden made his future as a rogue cultivator seem dazzlingly bright!

Shang Yunduo struggled to suppress his smile, afraid he might laugh out loud.

He would also have to leave quickly and then sneak back by himself in a few days, not letting anyone know he planned to stay in this valley for a long time.

Compared to them, the rogue cultivators who hadn't received spirit stones were angry but dared not speak out, eagerly hoping to find the remains and belongings of the senior who had passed away here.

Yan Jia, Wang Ming, and Shang Yunduo secretly communicated through telepathy, but none of them had heard of any powerful figure ever being here.

The Taiyuan Sect wasn't far from here and had a long history. If there was a place where a Great Cultivator had passed away nearby, the Taiyuan Sect and other nearby sects would surely have records.

Could it be a beast?

This place was a branch of the boundary mountain range, deep and desolate enough that maybe some beast or Spirit Beast had once roamed here without being discovered.

It was said that some intelligent beasts could imitate humans to set up formations, which matched the situation here.

But if it was a beast that could set up formations...

Then it was at least a rare great beast capable of taking human form!

Thinking this, Yan Jia and Wang Ming's eyes grew fervent.

Even if such a beast left behind no artifacts or tools, its inner core, bones, and fur were all top-grade materials for Artifact Refining and pill-making!

After the agreement, everyone used their own methods.

The Eighth and Ninth Layer Qi Refining cultivators searched inch by inch in the cave. The Zhang siblings looked determined to dig three feet underground. The low-level rogue cultivators were no less eager, each using their own skills. Some even took out all kinds of Spirit Insects and Spirit Pets from their Spirit Beast Pouches, adept at treasure hunting and sensing spiritual energy, which made Shang Yunduo inwardly cry foul.

But he wasn't searching seriously.

He didn't believe a word of these people's promises.

A few low-grade spirit stones were one thing, but finding something truly valuable would be like carrying a landmine?

He had just gotten rid of that human-shaped bomb, Junior Brother Xiao, and didn't want to find himself a new trouble. He was determined not to want any artifacts; he only wanted the spirit stones he had already received and this territory.

After slacking off for a while, he stopped searching entirely.

He found a clean spot and started scratching the wall while watching the excitement.

He hadn't realized these rogue cultivators were so skilled.

Shang Yunduo turned his gaze to his two cheap junior brothers. Yan Jia actually had a badger-like Spirit Pet that he held on a leash, sniffing around the walls.

The little thing looked quite clever. Shang Yunduo began to worry that if they actually found something, someone might ambush them. He kept a close eye on them, holding an Explosive Fire Talisman and a Haste Talisman in his hand.

If things went wrong, he would set a fire and run.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Niu Chengdian seem to be sending a telepathic message to someone.

But none of the people around him seemed to be the recipient.

Shang Yunduo was puzzled and instinctively observed. The closest person, Huang Gun, was focused on searching the wall. Yuezhang Fairy, who was meditating nearby, also seemed not to notice Niu Chengdian.

She finished her breathing exercises, exhaled a breath of turbid air, stood up, and said to Niu Chengdian, "Daoist Niu, I'll go search too."

Niu Chengdian looked apologetic. "Alright."

Yuezhang Fairy nodded and walked toward the wall.

It wasn't her.

Then who was it?

Shang Yunduo frowned, watching, and suddenly saw Niu Chengdian flick something onto her skirt when she passed before him.

The movement was very light and small. The cave's lighting was chaotic and dim, and no abnormality was visible on Yuezhang Fairy's moon-white skirt. Was it an illusion?

Shang Yunduo hesitated for a moment but couldn't help standing up and walking in Yuezhang Fairy's direction.

He followed her around for a while but found nothing unusual.

Finally, Yuezhang Fairy stopped and asked him, "Daoist Shang, is there something you need?"

Shang Yunduo shook his head. Since she had stopped, he leaned in to look closely at her skirt, which made her feel confused.

"Daoist Shang?"

Shang Yunduo had to say, "Your skirt is torn. Maybe you should change into a new one?"

Yuezhang Fairy: "?"

She was speechless.

She looked at him like he was a lecher, pulled her skirt closer, and said coldly, "No need for you to trouble yourself, Daoist Shang."

Shang Yunduo touched the tip of his nose, looking sheepish.

Could it be that he was overthinking?

The moment the Yuezhang Fairy left his side, he thought he caught a sharp, irritating scent.

"Hmm?"

He sniffed carefully. In the murky air, apart from the smell of burning yin beast flesh and the damp, moldy smell of the cave, there seemed to be a strange scent...

Shang Yunduo said, "Wait!"

—"Found it!"

Suddenly, someone shouted.

Shang Yunduo instinctively turned his head.

"Boom—"

The stone wall exploded.

"Roar—"

Something burst out from the wall.

Shang Yunduo didn't have time to see anything clearly, nor use the talismans in his hands, before being sent flying.

Author's note:

The life I thought I'd have: music, music, eating and drinking. The life now: cosplaying, flying, and flying again.

Yunduo: Is this right?

The answer is: Daoist Niu is not a good person! (letting out a sly laugh)