Chapter 10: Escape

Lingyuan Mountain. Song Changxin held the message talisman he had received that morning, pacing softly inside the small building.

"The clan leader sent word that Qingming left the mountain early this morning. This kid—it’s almost dark and he still hasn't returned. Could he have snuck back to Mujiao Town again?"

——

He had been running west for who knows how long. At this moment, Song Qingming was utterly exhausted. Seeing that there seemed to be no one behind him, he found a large rock to hide behind and sat cross-legged to recover his spiritual energy.

Unexpectedly, not long after he sat down, a red light flew straight toward his forehead. Song Qingming hurriedly dodged to the side, his Lieyang Sword releasing a flash of fire to attack the enemy, but it was blocked by a cyan shield the opponent had instantly erected.

Looking at the black-clad bandit not far away, Song Qingming felt a genuine headache. This guy had been chasing him for several hours, from the afternoon until dusk. Every time Song Qingming thought he had shaken the man off, it wouldn't be long before he appeared behind him again. Each time the bandit caught up, he wasn't in a hurry to finish him off, as if he were deliberately toying with him.

Song Qingming was covered in injuries, and the spiritual power in his body was nearly depleted. Although only one bandit was pursuing him, Song Qingming understood that both his cultivation level and his combat ability were far inferior to this man's.

After being caught and fighting several times, he had been completely suppressed in every instance. With his cultivation level being a full tier lower, he had no chance of winning in a direct confrontation.

After running north for a while, Song Qingming thought about it and felt something was wrong. The old man had suggested they split up to increase their chances of escape, but the path he had pointed out was clearly a dead end.

The north was a desolate, uninhabited direction, and further ahead lay the Yunwu Mountains, where demonic beasts roamed. Running here offered no chance of rescue; he would definitely be caught. Song Qingming felt as if he had already entered the Yunwu Mountains.

If he had run along the main road to the south, his chances of survival would have been much higher. He hadn't thought it through at the time and had fallen for the old man's trick. The old guy had intended from the start to use him to distract the enemy and split their forces, all to increase his own chances of escape.

After another bitter struggle, the exhausted Song Qingming fled to the edge of a cliff. In front of him was a bottomless abyss, and behind him was the pursuing bandit. In his current state, jumping blindly into this unknown chasm would likely lead to a faster death.

As he watched the danger closing in, just as Song Qingming was beginning to despair, his eyes caught a spot covered by vines not far below the cliff edge. A dark, gaping hole was revealed, looking like a cave abandoned by some large bird. With no other options, he didn't hesitate; he leaped down the steep cliff wall and ducked into the cave.

"Kid, you've run for so long, can't move anymore? Do you think I can't find you just because you're hiding in there? Don't worry, I'll make it quick for you."

Only moments after Song Qingming entered the cave, the bandit's arrogant voice echoed inside.

This bandit, named Zhu Wu, was originally an ordinary rogue cultivator from Wuling County. After being hunted by enemies over a decade ago and fleeing to Eagle Nest Ridge, he simply joined this notorious rogue cultivator organization entrenched in the northeast of the Wei Kingdom, taking up the trade of murder and robbery.

Having tasted the sweetness of hunting other rogue cultivators to easily obtain spirit stones, Zhu Wu became addicted. Relying on the cultivation resources gained from this deadly trade, he had successfully reached the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, despite his five-element spiritual root aptitude.

Zhu Wu walked slowly into the cave, his left hand releasing a small fireball for illumination, his right hand carefully maintaining a five-element shield to protect his body. The cave was small; after only a dozen steps, he reached the end.

Zhu Wu looked around, feeling a bit strange. He had circled the area several times but still couldn't find where his prey was hiding.

"Could this kid be hiding in..." Just as Zhu Wu was about to look up at the ceiling of the cave, a cyan profound iron sword, accompanied by a roar, slashed down from above. It was Song Qingming, who had been hiding on the cave ceiling.

Facing this full-force strike from Song Qingming, who held the sword with both hands, Zhu Wu dared not be careless. He hurriedly took out an iron shield artifact to block it. A loud bang erupted as the two artifacts clashed, sparks flying everywhere. It wasn't until dust fell from the cave walls that both men retreated a few steps to steady themselves.

Zhu Wu still firmly guarded the entrance, looking at Song Qingming inside with a sneer of contempt.

"This is a decent burial spot—quiet and remote. I imagine it won't be easy for your clansmen to find you."

Facing Zhu Wu's provocation, Song Qingming did not answer. He simply channeled his spiritual power into the profound iron sword in his hands. The sword let out a soft hum and shot through the air, piercing toward Zhu Wu at high speed.

"Hmph, this kid is starting to grasp at straws. With his current cultivation, using spiritual power to control an artifact from a distance? Isn't he just handing his weapon to his opponent?"

Seeing the sword flying toward him, Zhu Wu retreated a few steps and easily swatted it away with his own flying sword. Just as he was about to claim Song Qingming's sword as his own, he suddenly felt a yellow light emanating from beneath his feet.

"What is this? Damn it, where did this Earth Prison Talisman come from?" Zhu Wu turned to look at Song Qingming in anger, only to see Song Qingming with both hands on the ground, his spiritual power having instantly triggered the Earth Prison Talisman buried beneath the bandit's feet.

The Earth Prison Talisman was a mid-grade defensive talisman that could use spiritual power to instantly encase nearby soil and trap a target for a short time. Zhu Wu was quickly wrapped into a ball by the surrounding earth.

At this moment, Song Qingming, who had been waiting for this, used his remaining spiritual power to push the massive ball of earth toward the cave entrance with all his might, kicking it off the hundred-foot cliff outside.

Watching the giant ball of earth disappear from his sight, Song Qingming slumped at the cave entrance and let out a long sigh of relief.

This talisman had been given to him by Song Changxin, fearing they might encounter demonic beasts on their way to Funiu Mountain. He hadn't expected to use it while returning alone. In his previous struggles, he hadn't had the opportunity to use it to escape.

It wasn't until he saw this cave that he had a flash of inspiration, using his only trump card to set this trap.

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick later, a disheveled figure leaped back into the cave from below the cliff. The cave was empty, and the soil that had collapsed during the fight had already blocked half of the entrance.

It was Zhu Wu, who had been ambushed by Song Qingming. But now, he lacked his former confidence and arrogance. His black robe was torn, a trace of blood stained the corner of his mouth, and his furious eyes were filled with malice.

"I was truly careless. That damn kid... when I catch you, I will make you wish you were dead."

Zhu Wu jumped back up the cliff, released a burst of spiritual power to sense his surroundings, spat out a few threats, and quickly chased toward the depths of the Yunwu Mountains.

Not long after Zhu Wu left, a sound of crumbling earth came from the silent cave on the cliffside. A small figure slowly emerged from the pile of dirt in the deepest part of the cave—it was Song Qingming, who had pretended to flee into the depths of the Yunwu Mountains earlier.

Song Qingming knew well that he was covered in wounds and his spiritual power was nearly gone. The Earth Prison Talisman couldn't hold the opponent for long. If he tried to escape in his current state, he would likely be caught again.

Since the opponent had been able to accurately track his direction earlier, he must have had unique tracking skills. With no more trump cards left, if he were caught again, he would truly be a fish on the chopping block.

Facing this crisis, a calmed Song Qingming decided to gamble on his luck. He first ran wildly toward the Yunwu Mountains for several hills, intentionally leaving traces of his escape along the way.

Then, he doubled back to the cave where he had hidden, burying himself in the pile of dirt that had collapsed during their fight. Fortunately, his luck held, and he successfully deceived the anxiously pursuing Zhu Wu.

After brushing off the dirt, Song Qingming carefully exited the cave. Confirming there was no danger nearby, he quickly headed back the way he came.

The next morning, a survivor, Song Qingming, appeared outside Lingyuan Mountain. Looking at the familiar mountain-protecting formation, his heart finally settled. Although the losses were great—he had lost the profound iron sword that had been with him for nearly ten years and even used the Earth Prison Talisman his Ninth Uncle had given him—at least he had returned safely.

Passing through the formation, he took a small path, wanting to circle back to his small bamboo hut to treat his wounds. He really didn't want the family's commoners, who relied on them for protection, to see him in such a sorry state.

Just as he neared his hut, he unexpectedly found a tall, upright figure standing in his courtyard.

"Ninth Uncle, I..."

Seeing the wounds covering Song Qingming, Song Changxin raised a hand to interrupt him, telling him to go inside and heal first.

Half an hour later, under Song Changxin's careful care, Song Qingming had taken a few blood-replenishing pills, and his complexion had turned rosy. The external wounds had also been meticulously treated.

The injuries caused by the artifact weren't severe and would heal quickly, but the repeated battles had overdrawn his spiritual power, damaging his vitality. It would take at least a month or two of patient recovery to fully restore it.

After a careful examination to ensure there were no other serious injuries, Song Changxin finally let go of the worry he had carried for the past two days.

While healing, Song Qingming recounted the life-and-death crisis he had faced yesterday, word for word.

"These Eagle Nest Ridge bandits are becoming increasingly lawless, daring to come to our Qinghe County to kill and rob. It seems the occasional disappearance of cultivators over the last year or two is likely related to them. I must inform the clan leader of this news immediately.

It is fortunate that you kept your cool and returned safely. The world of cultivation is full of crises everywhere; you all must grow up quickly to have a better chance of survival."

Song Qingming nodded thoughtfully after hearing Song Changxin's teachings. In the end, the reason he had been in such a sorry state was his low cultivation. If he had been at the late stage of Qi Refining, it would have been the opponent fleeing, and this crisis would never have existed.

The path of cultivation is one of survival of the fittest; the weaker one is, the more crises one faces.

(End of chapter)