A Plentiful Harvest
"Roaaar!" A fierce roar charged with Monster Power erupted, unleashing an invisible wave of force that ruthlessly swept away the lingering pressure.
"Cough!" The old man watched in bitter anguish as his formation shattered and his true qi was violently repelled. Anger, despair, and sorrow flickered in turn across his eyes, but what ultimately settled in them was the dim light of resignation.
"Have you given up?"
"Even if I am no match for you... I will not become your plaything."
"Oh?" Jekyeong looked at the calm old man with genuine interest. Truly, this elder had surprised him more than once.
"Do you not wish to live?"
"My path to immortality has been severed. What use is there in dragging out my remaining days?"
"How extreme."
"As a cultivator, I have pursued the immortal path my entire life. A life where I cannot seek the Dao, helplessly waiting only for death, is no life at all."
Until now, Jekyeong had held a certain prejudice against those known as Bandit Cultivators. In truth, it could barely be called a prejudice, considering every Bandit Cultivator he had encountered so far had been utterly pathetic. But this old man was different. His seeker's heart was unyielding. How had such a man fallen to becoming a Bandit Cultivator? Or perhaps, because his devotion to the Dao was so absolute, he had been willing to resort to any means necessary?
"End it now." Having said his piece, the old man closed his eyes with an expression of serene detachment. Watching him, Jekyeong felt a sense of admiration, but at the same time, he found it somewhat amusing.
"Whether to end it or not is not for you to decide." The old man's brow twitched at the mocking tone. But before he could open his eyes in displeasure, the somewhat frivolous caw of a crow pierced his ears.
A Plentiful Harvest
Jekyeong admired the old man's seeker's heart and respected his detachment. But admiration was one thing, and business was another. The old man hoped for the victor's mercy, but what reason did Jekyeong have to grant it? Deciding the fate of the defeated was the sole right of the victor. Rather than showing mercy, Jekyeong chose to secure his gains.
"Caw!" When Cheongo swooped in, the old man reacted instinctively. Though he had been slumped limply as if accepting death, he forced his Dharma Power to rise in a desperate bid to resist. But Jekyeong, who had already reverted to his human form, reached out and clamped a hand around his throat. The old man's physical body was so fragile that Jekyeong feared even the slightest miscalculation of strength in his true form would reduce the elder to nothingness.
"Jekyeong! Jekyeong! Why did you call me?" Cheongo asked, looking back and forth between Jekyeong and the subdued old man. Jekyeong's roar from earlier had been meant to dispel the remaining power of the formation, but it was also intended to summon Cheongo, who had been waiting far from the battlefield.
"Subdue this man's soul." At Jekyeong's command, Cheongo hesitated.
"Can I do it?"
"Probably. It's not much different from what you've done before."
Swooping down in front of the old man, Cheongo locked eyes with him and let out a few noisy caws. Cheongo's hypnosis rarely worked against cultivators of a similar level. However, if the target was heavily injured, exhausted, or otherwise in poor condition, it was a different story. In the past, Cheongo had successfully used hypnosis on a couple of Early Foundation Establishment cultivators whom Jekyeong had subdued. Although the effect was weaker than when used on healthy Late Qi Condensation cultivators, it still yielded some results.
Jekyeong figured the current situation was similar. Though the old man was a Middle Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was advanced in years, and his Vital Energy had significantly deteriorated. The body and mind were inextricably linked; when one weakened, the other inevitably suffered. Furthermore, despite his poor condition, he had burned his life essence during the battle and exhausted his mental energy to deploy the formation. He was in the worst possible state. Under these circumstances, even if he were a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator rather than a Middle one, it was well worth a try.
"Ugh..." The old man tried to avert his gaze from Cheongo, but that was no longer his choice to make.
"Caw!" Seeing the old man's eyes gradually grow vacant, Jekyeong slowly released the grip around his throat.
Is it done? Jekyeong knew that Cheongo's hypnosis was a type of illusion. According to the bird, it allowed the target to see whatever they most desired, bringing them joy. Hearing this, Jekyeong suspected it was akin to an innate Divine Ability that the creature had yet to fully realize. Though Cheongo did not do so intentionally, its unique nature bled into even this basic hypnotic technique.
Whether human or beast, once they felt pleasure, their hostility and vigilance naturally dissolved. To use an analogy, it was not a harsh wind but a warm sunlight that coaxed open the target's cloak—or rather, the latch of their heart.
"Done!" Cheongo, who had been holding the old man's gaze for some time, pulled back and rubbed its eyes with a wing. "It won't last long. If you have questions, ask them quickly!"
Every dream and feast must eventually come to an end. Emotions were no different. The illusion Cheongo conjured and the pleasure derived from it could temporarily dismantle the target's defenses, but once the effect wore off, it triggered a massive backlash. At best, they would fly into a blind rage; at worst, they would be reduced to an idiot. Of course, those were the cases for weakened Early Foundation Establishment cultivators, so this Middle Foundation Establishment elder might be slightly different, but...
Jekyeong stared at the old man, who was covered in blood yet wearing a triumphant, blissful smile. It doesn't look like he'll be much different. Jekyeong stepped closer to the vacant-eyed elder.
"Do you have any hidden treasures other than the items in your storage bag?"
"Is your formation inheritance entirely recorded within this jade slip?"
"Do you belong to any sect or organization?"
"Is there anyone close to you who would seek vengeance if you died?"
Jekyeong asked several questions, but the old man's answers were erratic. He answered some questions faithfully, while clamming up on others, yielding little of value even when pressed.
"If you keep asking about things he wants to hide, the old man's resistance will grow. The illusion will break even faster."
"I know." Although he hadn't received all the answers he wanted, Jekyeong was satisfied. At the very least, he had learned that the old man had no close, powerful associates who would avenge his death, meaning there was no need to worry about future repercussions.
Completely alone. The textbook definition of a Rogue Cultivator.
There were many things inside the old man's storage bag. Just looking at the more than two hundred mid-grade spirit stones made Jekyeong feel full, and the jade slip containing the formation inheritance he was presumed to have mastered was a treasure no less valuable than the spirit stones themselves. There were various other valuable items as well, which, by a rough estimate, were easily worth another hundred mid-grade spirit stones. With a haul like this, it wouldn't be a pity at all even if the old man had hidden some treasures elsewhere.
Jekyeong retrieved several formation flags submerged in the water, then departed the area with Cheongo. Given the commotion, idle onlookers might gather. While he doubted they would pose any real threat, it was always better to avoid unnecessary trouble, no matter how minor.
"Did you have a successful harvest?" When Jekyeong returned to Haeyeon Island, Myeong-ha wore a knowing smile, as if he had already guessed what Jekyeong had been up to. It was unpleasant to feel so easily read, but Jekyeong kept his composure, casually pulling out some Spirit Wine and taking a drink.
"It wasn't bad."
"My congratulations. However, I would appreciate it if you could exercise restraint in the future. If grim rumors begin to spread, it will inevitably make it harder to attract customers."
"I was not the one who bit first," Jekyeong retorted coldly. Myeong-ha chuckled and produced a jar of Spirit Wine. Even though it was tightly sealed, a brilliant fragrance wafted from it, making it clear from the scent alone that this was no ordinary brew.
"With your angling skills being so superb, Fellow Daoist, what fish could possibly resist biting?"
"..." Jekyeong caught the wine jar as it drifted slowly toward him, his stiff expression softening slightly.
"With your capabilities, you can catch foolish fish whenever you please, can you not? I am merely asking you to hold back for the time being. At least until the fish multiply further, so that no one will care if a few go missing."
"Very well." He was essentially telling him not to drain the sweet water too early. Jekyeong understood Myeong-ha's meaning and knew he was right. He simply disliked the way it sounded as if Myeong-ha were giving him orders. This was not a childish battle of pride, but a clash of momentum between two parties who shared profits but lacked mutual trust.
Although Haeyeon Island lay within Jekyeong's waters and Myeong-ha was technically a mere tenant, the man's methods were not to be underestimated. In just two years, he had established a position that could not be ignored. Jekyeong was particularly wary of Myeong-ha's formidable aura. He wanted to siphon the luck of the Qi-destined Child, not become fertilizer for someone else's growth. To avoid being swept away in an unguarded moment, he had to remain constantly vigilant.
"This is your share, Fellow Daoist." Seeing that Jekyeong was swayed, Myeong-ha smiled broadly and handed over a storage ring. "This auction was quite successful. I believe you will be pleased."
"We shall see." Jekyeong extended his Spiritual Consciousness to gauge the spirit stones inside the storage ring, nodding in satisfaction only after he had finished. "Not bad."
"Are you leaving immediately?"
"What would I gain by staying longer?" Jekyeong was not at all worried about the possibility of Myeong-ha playing tricks with the ledger. His subordinates, including Han Cheongyu, had been stationed at the auction house, recording exactly which items were sold and for how much. Furthermore...
A Qi-destined Child wouldn't resort to such petty tricks. Although one's aura and character were separate matters, one could still make reasonable assumptions. Just as an elephant would not press its head to the dirt to hunt for ants, a being of a Qi-destined Child's caliber would not covet such trivial gains.
"Then, I shall not see you out." After Jekyeong departed without looking back, the smile vanished from Myeong-ha's face, and he fell into quiet, solitary contemplation.
For the first time, Jekyeong understood what it felt like to smile involuntarily. To celebrate this bountiful harvest, he pulled out five mid-grade spirit stones and tossed them into his mouth one by one. *Crunch!*
Indeed, mid-grade spirit stones were on an entirely different level compared to low-grade or inferior ones. Even if he chewed through ten thousand inferior spirit stones or a hundred low-grade ones, he would never experience this sensation. This profound sense of fullness was not something that could be achieved by sheer volume alone. If inferior spirit stones were like light snacks and low-grade ones were like high-quality supplements, mid-grade spirit stones could be considered genuine spiritual treasures. He felt as though swallowing all the mid-grade spirit stones in his possession would allow him to undergo another shedding immediately.
Of course, Jekyeong had not lost his mind, so he had no intention of doing so. Consuming hundreds of mid-grade spirit stones at once? Aside from the waste of precious resources, absorbing that much Spiritual Energy in such a short span would cause even his formidable physical body to burst like a balloon.
This is my limit for now. After chewing and swallowing the five mid-grade spirit stones, his stomach felt slightly bloated. To manage this excessive fullness, he had no choice but to digest it slowly through cultivation.
But before doing so, Jekyeong went to find Muk-su. The creature was still perched on the highest peak of the island, enjoying a sunbath. Regardless of species, this fellow undoubtedly lived the most comfortable life of all.