Chapter 106 - 79 : The Aftermath (1)

Chapter 106: Chapter 79 : The Aftermath (1)

By the time he reached the city, the sun was already low, casting the streets in the warm light of evening. He passed through the familiar streets without slowing, ignoring the busier parts of the city and the ordinary shops that lined them. He had no reason to return to the settlement where the group had gathered, nor any reason to linger there. What he had now was worth more than anything he could have gained by going back.

He moved toward the inner part of the city, where the people he needed were easier to find. The streets grew less crowded as he went, and the shops became less concerned with what was displayed openly. As he walked, his thoughts already turning to how much the information about the demon cultivator with a hundred and fifty spirit stones on his head might be worth.

As he turned into a quieter part of the city, where a few beggars had already settled along the roadside. Several sat against the walls with bowls or worn pieces of cloth placed before them, barely drawing attention from the people passing by. He walked past two before stopping beside an older beggar sitting beneath the edge of a building. Without saying anything, he dropped a copper coin into the man’s bowl.

The beggar glanced at the coin, then up at him.

"I need your help."

The man’s expression changed almost imperceptibly. He picked up his bowl, set it beside him, and pushed himself to his feet.

"Follow me."

He led him away from the street and into a narrow alley. They passed through another, then another, turning often enough that the busy city soon disappeared behind them. The beggar finally stopped at the back of an old building and knocked twice.

Pa. Pa.

He waited.

Pa. Pa.

Another pause.

Pa.

A voice came from inside.

"What’s going on?"

"I brought business."

There was a brief silence. Then came the faint sound of the lock shifting from the other side, followed by the quiet scrape of the bolt being drawn back. The door opened, revealing a lean figure standing behind it, most of his face hidden beneath a dark hood. His eyes passed over the beggar before settling on the cultivator.

"He’s with you?"

The beggar nodded.

"Good."

The door opened wider.

The beggar stepped aside, and the cultivator entered. When he looked back a moment later, the old man was already walking away, returning to the street as though nothing had happened.

The figure at the door closed it and led him down a dim corridor. At first, the cultivator paid little attention to the direction they were taking, but after several turns, he began to notice the floor gradually sloping downward. The descent was subtle at first, almost impossible to notice, yet the farther they went, the more obvious it became. Their footsteps echoed faintly against the walls, while the sounds of the city above slowly faded until they could no longer be heard.

We should be below ground by now.

The thought came naturally as he continued down the passage. Whoever had built this place had made use of the space beneath the building, turning it into a hidden route that led deeper underground.

Neither of them spoke. They continued descending until the corridor finally leveled out. At the end, another door opened into a small room.

The door opened into a small room, but the cultivator could barely make out its shape in the darkness. The walls and corners were almost impossible to distinguish, and even the doorway he had just walked through seemed to disappear into the darkness behind him. The only clear source of light came from a single candle burning on a table near the center of the room, its weak flame casting just enough light to reveal the furniture around it.

Two chairs stood on opposite sides of the table, one already occupied. The person sitting there remained mostly concealed by the darkness and the hood covering their head, their features difficult to make out beyond a faint outline in the candlelight. Even sitting still, there was something difficult to read about the figure. The cultivator couldn’t tell whether the person was young or old, male or female, and the voice that eventually came from beneath the hood did nothing to help.

"Sit."

He sat.

The figure studied him for a moment before speaking.

"Are you here to buy or sell?"

"Sell."

"What information do you have for us?"

The cultivator took a breath. Even now, with the fight behind him and the city around him, his nerves hadn’t completely settled. But he had not come this far to turn back.

"The bounty on the demonic cultivator known as Blood Demon."

The hooded figure remained still.

"The one carrying a bounty of one hundred and fifty spirit stones?"

"Yes."

A faint pause followed.

"What do you have for us?"

"My team and I ran into him."

The figure’s gaze remained fixed on him.

"What happened?"

The body tempering cultivator leaned forward slightly.

"We followed the tracking talisman until we found him. There were eight of us. Our leader was Early Qi Refining, and the rest of us were Body Tempering."

The figure’s head tilted slightly.

"Yet you a mere peak body Tempering is the one sitting here?"

The cultivator’s fingers tightened against his knees.

"I was left behind to watch our rear."

"Why?"

"Because we’d heard too many stories about people disappearing after going after him. Our leader didn’t want all of us exposed at once if someone else was following the same trail. I was supposed to warn them if anyone approached from behind or if something seemed wrong."

The hooded figure was silent for a moment.

"And something did seem wrong."

The cultivator swallowed.

"Everything did."

His voice had become quieter.

"When we found him, the notice said Early Qi Refining."

"And?"

"He wasn’t."

The figure leaned back slightly.

"How strong?"

The cultivator hesitated.

"Mid Qi Refining, perhaps."

"Perhaps?"

"I couldn’t tell exactly."

"Then tell me what you did see."

The cultivator’s gaze lowered to the candle between them.

"He was faster than our leader. Much faster. He fought without panic, without wasting movement. Our leader could barely keep up with him."

The figure remained silent for a moment before asking,

"Where did you encounter him?"

The cultivator thought briefly.

"East of the city, on the road toward Wailing Mountain. We were still some distance from the mountain, near the old stone marker before the road begins to climb."

"How far from the city?"

"Several hours on foot. Less for a cultivator moving with Qi."

The hooded figure gave a slight nod.

"And the others?"

"Dead."

"All of them?"

He nodded.

"All seven of them."

The room fell silent. His throat tightened, and his fingers curled against his knees as the memory came rushing back, the pressure in his chest, the sound of steel cutting through the air, and the sight of their leader being driven back step by step.

"Our leader was the last one fighting. I watched him get pushed farther and farther back. By then, I knew he wasn’t going to survive."

"You left him."

It wasn’t spoken as an accusation. The voice remained completely neutral.

"I had no choice."

The figure said nothing.

The cultivator continued quickly, eager to get the words out before the memory could settle over him again.

"I wasn’t part of the fight. I was watching from behind. When I saw how badly things had turned, I ran before he finished our leader."

"Did the demon cultivator see you?"

The question made the cultivator hesitate.

"I don’t think so."

"You don’t think so?"

"I was well away from the fight by then. I left while he was still engaged with our leader. I never saw him look toward me."

The hooded figure remained silent for several breaths.

"Then how did you survive?"

The cultivator looked up.

"My leader had already told me to stay behind. If there was an ambush, I was supposed to warn them or get help. That was what saved me."

His hand tightened against his knee.

"I ran as soon as I knew the fight was lost. I didn’t wait to see how it ended."

The figure’s voice remained unreadable.

"And you’re certain he didn’t follow?"

"I’m certain."

"What else?"

The cultivator thought for a moment.

"He uses a short blade."

The hooded figure’s voice remained calm.

"That is a known fact."

"No." He shook his head. "But he could reinforce it with Qi."

The hooded figure’s attention sharpened slightly.

"How well?"

"Not like someone with a perfected technique. It looked rough, but it was enough to cut through the attacks we used against him."

"Anything else?"

The cultivator remembered the impossible speed, the calm figure standing among the fallen.

"There was something else."

"What?"

"He knew exactly how much strength to use." The words came slowly.

"He wasn’t fighting desperately. Even when our leader was still attacking him, he never looked pressed. It was like..." He paused, searching for the right words.

"Like he already knew how the fight would end."

The figure across from him said nothing while the body tempering cultivator took another breath.

"I’ve never seen anything like it."

A long silence followed.

Then the hooded figure spoke.

"Your information is useful."

The cultivator’s shoulders loosened slightly, and a faint glint of anticipation appeared in his eyes.

"How much?"