Life as a Rogue Cultivator

Chapter 270: Breaking Free from the Cage

Once he get out, that couple was almost certainly going to try to squeeze me for everything I had. With my Qiankun Pouch, the Glass shield, the bone flute... add it all up and it’s worth well over six hundred spirit stones, maybe even pushing seven hundred. After taking something that valuable, do you really think they’d just pat him on the back and let me walk away?If he were in their shoes, he wouldn’t trust himself either.

Thinking of that, he quickly took off the storage pouch. He found a hidden spot near the edge of the treetop, hurriedly dug a small hole, and buried the pouch inside.

He sprinkled some loose soil back over it, added a few old leaves, and stuck a small dead twig beside the spot as a marker. That done, Liu Xiaolou finally felt a little more at ease. The location was perfect. It was right under the tree spirit’s protection yet close enough to the edge that no one was likely to find it, and animals wouldn’t dig it up. When he came back later, it’d be easy to retrieve.

Of course, that all depended on the demon tree not taking a liking to the pouch. So he turned around and bowed again, earnestly asking the demon tree not to swipe his things.

Meanwhile, the Wan couple were still outside hunting birds and beasts. They knew what they were doing. Just a few wouldn’t cut it. They needed at least a hundred.

By nightfall, the couple had already cleared out every bird and beast in the area. They’d caught more than forty birds and over thirty small animals, including five with a hint of spiritual intelligence.

Those five spirit-tainted creatures didn’t have much potential to advance. Nothing like the Su family’s Golden-Whiskered Dragon Carp from Shenwu Mountain. They weren’t worth raising, but they’d make a great meal or could be traded in the market for a spirit stone or two, maybe a few hundred taels of silver. Still, compared to a formation disk worth dozens of spirit stones, they were practically nothing. The couple packed everything neatly into woven baskets, all prepared for the rescue.

Later that night, they returned and sat a good distance away, drinking and snacking as they casually chatted with Liu Xiaolou. One question here, another there, trying to pry as much information out of him as they could.

“When did you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, Brother Li Mu? What escape techniques have you tried? Why didn’t any of them work?” asked Wan Shangu.

Madam Wan chuckled and tossed over a roasted rabbit leg. “Brother Li Mu, you’ve been stuck under that tree for so long; you probably haven’t had a proper meal. Try my cooking.”

Liu Xiaolou caught the rabbit leg and carefully wrapped it in a few fallen leaves as though it were treasure. “This is great stuff, thank you, Madam. Smells amazing… I’ll save it for later. If I can’t get out of here, this might help me last a couple more days. Madam, could I trouble you for a bit more? I’d like to keep it for later…”

The madam gave a little smile, but didn’t offer another piece. She sidestepped the subject. “My husband was asking about your cultivation level. Care to tell us?”

Liu Xiaolou said, “I built my foundation two years ago and came out here to train. But I haven’t been out in the world much, so my experience is pretty lacking. I didn’t even know my way around the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains. Just like you said earlier, Senior… I really was being reckless. I’m embarrassed.”

“May I ask where you’re from, young friend?” asked Wan Shangu.

“I serve as a steward of Luofu Mountain,” Liu Xiaolou lied again.

The Wan couple exchanged a glance, and Wan Shangu said, “Ah, so you’re from a major sect. My apologies for not realizing!”

Liu Xiaolou blushed. “Ending up in this state… I’ve really let my sect down.”

Wan Shangu gave a reassuring shrug. “It’s not that bad. Ghost banyans are rare, anyone who doesn’t recognize one is bound to get stuck here.”

Madam Wan followed up, “You’re a steward of Luofu Mountain? Your accent doesn’t sound like someone from Lingnan. Which elder did you serve under?”

“I’m originally from the Pai sect in southern Xiang,” Liu Xiaolou said. “Luofu Mountain took a liking to me and brought me into their ranks. I’ve been focused on cultivation ever since. The elders were considering promoting me to an inner disciple, so they didn’t assign me any mundane duties. I mostly helped Senior Brother Zhao with things.”

“Which Senior Brother Zhao?”

“The senior brother who’s on duty at Jade Goose Peak, Zhao Ruyu, is a really decent guy. If you two ever visit Mount Luofu, I can ask him to show you around and let you take in the scenery.”

“Mount Luofu, hm… sounds fine, sounds fine.”

“Just so you know, Senior Brother Zhao has been at the Foundation Establishment stage for years. His skill in combat far surpasses mine, and he’d be able to discuss the Dao with you both.”

“Oh…”

“Forgive my limited experience, but may I ask where the two of you cultivated your paths?”

“My wife and I are the masters of one of the caves here in the Thirty-Thousand Mountains…”

They chatted until midnight, and neither side wanted to continue such mentally exhausting conversation. They each settled cross-legged,, calming their breath and resting in silence.

Truth be told, if the couple helped him escape and were willing to spare his life afterward, he would gladly hand over the formation disk. He had refined it three times, poured a huge amount of effort and resources into it, and it was his main weapon for turning the tide in battle. But if giving it away could buy his life, Liu Xiaolou wouldn’t complain for a moment.

Unfortunately…

Liu Xiaolou glanced at the branch marking the spot and sighed quietly to himself.

The next morning, the Wan couple went right back to catching every bird and beast they could find. They headed out even farther this time; everything close by had already been hunted clean.

With a bit of breathing room at last, Liu Xiaolou dug up the Qiankun Pouch he’d buried. Sure enough, the demon tree didn’t care for lifeless objects at all, and he relaxed a little.

He adjusted the setup this time: he buried the pouch in a slightly shallower pit and tied it down with a few dry twigs. The other ends of the twigs stuck out of the dirt like random weeds. When he needed to retrieve the pouch later, all he’d have to do was distract the demon tree for a moment, grab the twigs, and yank the Qiankun Pouch straight out.

With everything set up, he looked around at the dozen or so huge wooden cages the Wan couple had woven. Inside, all kinds of birds and beasts paced restlessly. He found himself thinking that after nearly two years of effort, the spirit leopard phantom he’d painstakingly refined with the bone flute was going to go unused. What a waste.

His mind drifted again to the same question: he really managed to escape, how was he supposed to deal with that couple afterward? One thought after another crowded in, none giving him any peace.

Another day slipped by just like that. By now, the Wan husband and wife had caught more than a hundred birds and animals, with five or six more spirit beasts added to the haul.

To give the rescue a better shot, the couple spent the day hard at work. On the third day, they explored a snake den out on the outskirts and ended up catching seventy or eighty iron-headed snakes, seven or eight of which had a bit of spirit in them.

Of course, those “spirit snakes” still weren’t worth much. Even if they sold them all at the market, they’d only fetch a spirit stone or two, or a few hundred taels of silver at most.

Now their total count had passed two hundred. After some discussion, the three of them agreed it was finally time to carry out the rescue plan.

Liu Xiaolou waited at the edge of the treetop, while the Wan couple stood a good fifteen feet away. At their feet sat a stack of a dozen large wooden cages each. The three exchanged a look. Then moved at once.

The couple hurled every wooden cage into the canopy of the Ghost Banyan at the same time. Liu Xiaolou moved instantly too, channeling his true qi into his palms. Together, the three of them struck the locks and latches on each cage, and in a heartbeat, every single one swung open.

Twenty or so cages opened in midair. And two hundred birds and beasts tumbled out, scattering in all directions.

The ground rumbled. Countless vines shot up from the soil, whipping toward the fleeing animals.

Liu Xiaolou leapt, turning into a streak of light as he sprinted for the outside.