A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 64: Chapter 63: Bounty

Sparks flew, followed by the sound of gushing liquid.

Lü Zhong had hidden a wave of Sword Aura within his Green Frost Sword’s attack, catching the man completely off guard.

A bloody hole had opened up in the intruder’s chest. His face was a mask of sheer astonishment; he never expected to be ambushed. ’Did my target discover me long ago?’

’How is that possible?’

He had prided himself on his flawless methods, from the tracking to the spying, yet the facts forced him to admit that he had failed.

Lü Zhong watched the intruder slowly collapse, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. His hands, however, didn’t slow in the slightest as he unleashed one wave of Sword Aura after another.

First his forehead, then his throat, then the joints of his limbs.

Only when he was certain the man was as dead as could be did he finally stop.

He found quite a few items on the body. The most valuable was a long, dark-red blade. It was clearly a Magical Artifact; when he infused it with Spiritual Power, the blade immediately gave off a faint red glow.

He tried it on a piece of bluestone and cut right through it without the slightest resistance.

”A fine blade!” Lü Zhong said in admiration.

A new Lower-grade Magical Artifact like this would sell for at least two hundred Spirit Stones.

Although this blade showed signs of use, it was barely worn. It would surely fetch a good price.

He then opened the man’s Storage Bag. Its half-cubic-meter of space was quite full. While he couldn’t find anything that revealed the man’s identity, the fifty-nine Spirit Stones inside were a small windfall in themselves.

In addition, he found a small booklet inside the Storage Bag.

A quick flip through a few pages revealed it to be a ledger for fencing stolen goods.

It seemed that every so often, this man would go to the Workshop Market to find a target. He would then either kidnap them, sneak in to kill them, or ambush them for their possessions, selling the stolen goods for the Spirit Stones he needed to continue his cultivation.

It was clear he treated the Loose Cultivators of the Workshop Market as his personal piggy bank, choosing a target whenever he was in need. And because he was also naturally cautious, he had lived quite comfortably up to this point.

But he had tempted fate too many times, and ultimately died at Lü Zhong’s hands.

’This, perhaps, is the inevitable fate of an Evil Cultivator.’

At that thought, Lü Zhong reminded himself to always remember this cautionary tale. He could never let his guard down, not even for a second, until everything was truly over.

Otherwise, this man’s fate today would be his own tomorrow.

...

After casting the Cleaning Skill about ten times, the scene was finally clean.

As for the Evil Cultivator’s corpse, he left it in an empty spot in the small courtyard for the Law Enforcement Team to collect when they arrived.

Three-quarters of an hour later, the Law Enforcement Team finally arrived. The squad leader was Lin Yunhua, who simply gave Lü Zhong a calm nod upon seeing him.

”What happened?”

In truth, he didn’t need Lü Zhong to explain; he could already guess the gist of it.

It was most likely another petty thief, short on Spirit Stones, who had broken in and been killed by the homeowner, Lü Zhong.

Such incidents were a common occurrence in the Yanling Mountain Market.

Lü Zhong reported the incident truthfully, but only mentioned that the man had snuck in during the night. He said nothing about how he’d discovered the Evil Cultivator spying on him.

”I see...” Lin Yunhua nodded nonchalantly.

But as his gaze swept casually over the corpse on the ground, his expression changed slightly.

With a flip of his hand, he produced a Cleaning Talisman and applied it to the Evil Cultivator’s face. All the blood and grime were instantly removed, revealing a plain, unremarkable face.

Upon seeing the face, Lin Yunhua first froze, then his expression erupted in wild joy!

”Fellow Daoist Lü, you’ve performed a great service this time!”

Seeing Lü Zhong’s confused expression, he explained cheerfully, ”Fellow Daoist, you might not know this, but this man is an Evil Cultivator on the wanted list. His moniker is Thousand-Faced Lang. His cultivation is only at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, but his skill with Disguise and escaping is considerable. He’s repeatedly slipped through the grasp of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and he previously committed a major crime in the Heling Sect’s Yongling City. The bounty on his head is nearly a thousand Spirit Stones, and to think he’d fall into your hands today!”

As he spoke, the way Lin Yunhua looked at Lü Zhong began to change.

’Even though he’s a Loose Cultivator, he has Talisman-Making Skill and was able to kill an Evil Cultivator like Thousand-Faced Lang. I can’t afford to treat him lightly. There’s no telling when I might need to rely on him in the future.’

Lü Zhong hadn’t expected the Evil Cultivator he’d killed to have such a notorious background. He was secretly astounded.

When he heard he might receive a reward of nearly one thousand Spirit Stones, his heart pounded with excitement.

”I’ll take the body, then. Once the reward has been collected, I’ll have someone deliver it to you.” With a wave of his hand, Lin Yunhua had a subordinate carry away the corpse of the Evil Cultivator, Thousand-Faced Lang.

Just before leaving the courtyard, he stopped, turned, and clasped his hands. ”There is something I must tell you in advance, Fellow Daoist. Regarding the reward that ultimately reaches your hands, I’m afraid it will be just over a hundred at most...”

Hearing this, Lü Zhong knew Lin Yunhua wasn’t lying.

Based on what he had recently learned, the Yanling Mountain Market was thousands of miles from Yongling City, where the Heling Sect was based. The necessary expenses to claim the bounty would be considerable. Add to that the cuts and commissions taken at every level, and the number of Spirit Stones that would finally end up in his hands would be pitifully small.

Of course, he could also choose to collect it himself.

Granted, the journey would be incredibly risky, but he would naturally receive more Spirit Stones that way.

But doing so wouldn’t be worth the risk.

’Who’s to say the people in Yongling City wouldn’t take their own cut if I went to collect the bounty alone? Without sufficient status or a powerful background, that kind of thing is highly likely.’

’In that case, not only would I fail to get many more Spirit Stones, but I would also delay my cultivation.’

Lü Zhong calmed himself, then clasped his hands and smiled at Lin Yunhua. ”Receiving nearly a hundred Spirit Stones is already a pleasant surprise for me. I’ll have to trouble you with this matter, Fellow Daoist.”

”Not at all, not at all.” Hearing this, Lin Yunhua felt a strange sense of relief.

...

After seeing the Law Enforcement Team off, Lü Zhong saw the sky was already growing light and decided not to go back to sleep.

With the physical constitution of a Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivator, he could go seven days and nights without rest or sleep and suffer no major ill effects.

’Ah well, I might as well make a few more Evil Exorcism Talismans.’

Now that he had enough Fiery Sun Stones, making Evil Exorcism Talismans was much easier. Unlike back in Qingliu Square, he no longer had to wait until noon, when the Yang Qi was at its peak, to begin his work.

Perhaps it was because he was in such a good mood, but he managed to create three Evil Exorcism Talismans in a row.

He continued working until sunset, only then putting down his brush.

By then, he had made another two Evil Exorcism Talismans.

’After costs, if I can sell these five talismans, I’ll make a net profit of three Spirit Stones. That’s double my usual daily profit. If only every day were like this...’

Lü Zhong thought, never quite satisfied.

Afterwards, it was time for his daily cultivation practice.

The gap between Qi Refining cultivators was largely determined by three factors: aptitude, background, and Cultivation Technique. However, persistent daily practice was also a crucial element.

In fact, this was a major reason why Sect Disciples were so powerful.