A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 66: Chapter 65: Striking it Rich by Looting

Lü Zhong didn’t pause. He turned his blade and charged the twins.

They were close, so with a single twirl, the Green Frost Sword flew before them.

The two women had been under Ma Sanniang’s control through a Slave Contract. Aside from a vicious Magic Skill that consumed their own Essence Blood, they possessed no Magical Artifacts for combat—not even a single Arrow Avoidance Talisman.

Puffing out their chests, they prepared to beg for mercy.

They began to skillfully undress; beauty had always been a potent weapon.

But the twins had underestimated Lü Zhong’s murderous resolve. Their clothes had barely hit the floor when their vision went black, and they were reunited as sisters in the Yellow Springs.

Their naked bodies collapsed, staining a large patch of the ground red with blood.

”Huuu...”

Lü Zhong let out a long breath, feeling a little dazed.

’In just a few breaths, I’ve actually taken three lives without the slightest hesitation.’

’Is this who I am now?’

He glanced at the three corpses on the ground, then walked over expressionlessly and began to search them meticulously.

He soon made a delightful discovery.

On the ”Third Lady’s” body, Lü Zhong found a Storage Bag.

He peeked inside and was astonished to find it was a one-cubic-meter Storage Bag. It contained over a hundred Spirit Stones, along with a thick stack of at least seventy or eighty Talismans, such as Cleaning Talismans and Candlelight Talismans.

Furthermore, there were small boxes filled with materials that looked quite valuable.

At a glance, it was like a miniature Treasure Vault was packed inside!

’This... I’ve really struck it rich!’ Lü Zhong suppressed his excitement. As he tucked the Storage Bag into his robes, he remembered to slap a Cleaning Talisman on it to erase any lingering aura.

After a moment’s thought, he took out the Fireball Talisman.

This Talisman had been stored for quite a while, its power having dwindled to just over seventy percent.

Using the Qingyang Fire Rain Technique to destroy the scene risked someone recognizing the Magic Skill’s origin. Using this weakened Fireball Talisman, however, would both ensure secrecy and save him any heartache over the cost.

He destroyed the bodies and erased all traces in one smooth motion, then departed.

...

The Storage Bag he’d taken from Ma Sanniang had made Lü Zhong instantly rich.

Aside from 137 Spirit Stones, he had also acquired sixty-one Cleaning Talismans, seventeen Candlelight Talismans, eight Arrow Avoidance Talismans, one Golden Light Talisman, a Lower-grade Magical Artifact called the Cloud Phoenix Scissors, and eighteen boxes of materials that could be sold for Spirit Stones.

He spent half a month selling the Cloud Phoenix Scissors and the other materials, earning a total of 221 Spirit Stones.

His total earnings came to 358 Spirit Stones.

Taking a deep breath, Lü Zhong suppressed his intense excitement and decided to use the Spirit Stones to buy a protective Array from an array shop.

Without the protection of an Array, not only was his privacy not guaranteed, but he also faced the danger of intruders sneaking in to ambush and kill him.

He had come to see the Yanling Mountain Market for what it was. It was a good place to make money, to be sure, but it was also fraught with danger. You could be targeted at any moment, treated like a pig for slaughter. As for the Market Enforcement Team, which was supposed to maintain order, it existed in name only and was utterly useless.

That being the case, he absolutely had to make his little den as secure as possible.

...

Inside the Zhenghe Array Shop, Lü Zhong sat in a private booth, sipping high-grade tea.

Just then, footsteps approached. The portly Shopkeeper returned, carrying two bags.

As expected, the bags likely contained Array Deployment Tools.

”The White Cloud Array is a Tier One Miniature Defense Array that can cover one mu of land. It was crafted by an Array Master from the Golden Rainbow Sect. The Array consists of nine Array Flags and an Array Bead, making it simple and easy to deploy. It can conjure a White Cloud Shield that, when fully powered with Spirit Stones, can withstand two hours of continuous, full-powered attacks from a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. It can also block a single strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

”This one is the Illusionary Array, a Tier One Miniature Illusion Array with a coverage of one and a half mu, from Yanling Mountain’s Chess Array Pavilion. Its deployment requires precise calculations to bury the Array Disc. The duration it can delay an intruder depends on their proficiency in the Array Dao. It might trap them until they die, or it might be broken in a mere moment.”

”The White Cloud Array is priced at 321 Spirit Stones, and the Illusionary Array is 345 Spirit Stones. Which one would you like?” Having finished his introduction, the plump Shopkeeper looked at Lü Zhong with a pleasant expression.

Lü Zhong now had a general impression of both Arrays after listening to the Shopkeeper’s descriptions.

The White Cloud Array was purely for defense; its advantages were simple deployment and reliable performance. The Illusionary Array, however, was an illusion-type Array with both a high potential and a high risk of failure. With some luck, it could even trap a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator until their death.

Both Arrays had their pros and cons, but they were undeniably good Arrays.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough Spirit Stones. Otherwise, buying both and setting them up as a composite Array would have been the best option.

After much consideration, Lü Zhong decided to purchase the White Cloud Array.

Its deployment was simple, which was perfect for someone like him who knew nothing about the Array Dao. Besides, as long as he didn’t provoke any Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators or the even more terrifying Foundation Establishment cultivators, the White Cloud Array alone would be enough to keep him safe.

Having made his decision, he habitually tried to haggle, but the Shopkeeper refused to budge on the price.

Resigned, he had no choice but to buy it at full price.

...

Array Formation was delicate work. You couldn’t just place the components anywhere. Doing so would not only fail to create the Array, but could also damage the intricate Array Flags. In a worst-case scenario, the entire Array could be ruined.

Fortunately, the White Cloud Array was indeed simple to deploy, and the purchase had thoughtfully included an Array Map.

First, he had to determine the location for the Array Bead, the core of the White Cloud Array. Then, he could use the parameters from the Array Map to calculate the placement for each point. The process was frustratingly complex, but by following the instructions, he could find the correct spot for each Array Flag.

One flag... two flags... nine flags.

It took him a full day and night, but Lü Zhong finally had all the Array Flags in place.

’Next, it’s time to see if it worked. I hope it succeeds on the first try...’

He inserted Spirit Stones into the base that held the Array Bead, then took out the White Cloud Array’s Control Token. After channeling a thread of Spiritual Power into it, he recited the activation Technique Mantra listed on the Array Map and cast it at the Token.

HUMMMMM!

A low-frequency hum emanated from the nine Array Flags as they released a large amount of luminous white Cloud Qi, which quickly began to spread.

The covered area was exactly one mu of land—no more, no less.

The Cloud Qi then churned and condensed into a semi-circular shield. Upon appearing, the shield flared with brilliant light before dimming a few breaths later, leaving only a faint white glimmer that was inconspicuous but still visible upon close inspection.

He struck it a few times with his Late Sun Magic Sword and found the shield to be impressively strong. It truly seemed capable of blocking a strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Lü Zhong used the Control Token to cast another Technique Mantra, and all the Cloud Qi within the White Cloud Array instantly vanished.

Simultaneously, the bamboo forest outside became shrouded in mist.

And with that, the White Cloud Array was fully deployed.

Enveloped in the Array’s protection, he finally felt a sliver of security.

...

For the next while, Lü Zhong remained in seclusion.

He spent nearly every day drawing Evil Exorcism Talismans, meditating, and taking Pills to advance his cultivation.

「Three months later.」

Lü Zhong performed Introspection and discovered his cultivation had progressed significantly.

’If I can maintain this pace,’ he thought, ’I should be able to break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer in just over a year.’

’I’ve been in seclusion for so long. I wonder what’s going on outside.’

Seeing that it was early morning, he decided to head to the stall area. He planned to sell the Evil Exorcism Talismans he had accumulated and restock his supply of Talisman Ink and Fiery Sun Stones.

He left his home and went to the stall area. It was as bustling as ever, teeming with people.

The air was filled with the endless sounds of vendors hawking their wares and customers haggling.

Some cash-strapped Loose Cultivators argued until they were red in the face with stall owners, trying to knock a few talismanic coins off the price of a coveted item.

The stall owners, in turn, haggled back just as energetically to keep a customer from walking away.

Such scenes were common throughout the stall area.

After all, earning Spirit Stones was hard, and everyone tried to stretch every talismanic coin as far as it would go.

He found a recently vacated spot. Under the envious gazes of the neighboring stall owners, an unfazed Lü Zhong took out a few sample Talismans, arranged them on his table, and waited for customers to inquire.