Ascended Without Me: Cultivating with a Genius Son | Chapter 9 | The Bandit Cultivator | Novela.app

Li Lin sat on the horse with his back against Ji Rufeng, speaking happily, "Uncle Ji, where are we heading next?" Ji Rufeng replied, "Once we cross this mountain and travel for another day, we will reach Longshan Station. We’ll take a rest there." Longshan Station was the fifth relay station in the western part of You Country. In the underworld, this area was known as the territory of the Longshan Stronghold. Its chieftain, Cao Mengshan, was a prominent figure in the martial world. In his youth, he had famously escaped an encirclement of two thousand government troops—a feat that had earned him a formidable reputation. The Ji family caravan arrived at Longshan Station a day later. They were met by a burly, middle-aged man of great stature. From a distance, his thick, resonant voice rang out, "Third Young Master Ji, you’ve certainly kept old Cao waiting!" Ji Rufeng galloped to the front of the caravan, flipped off his horse, and cupped his hands in greeting. He laughed heartily, "Chieftain Cao, to think you would descend the mountain yourself! I am truly flattered." As he spoke, he gestured to the guards beside him. Two guards stepped forward carrying a chest. When they opened the lid, it was filled with shimmering white silver. Cao Mengshan narrowed his eyes, his face beaming with a pleasant smile. He patted Ji Rufeng on the shoulder with a loud laugh, and the two walked toward the station together. The silver in the chest was a customary tribute, much like paying respects to a local lord. Anyone walking the path of the underworld understood this rule; for a merchant caravan, it was considered paying a small price to avert disaster. Once the Longshan Stronghold accepted the silver, no bandits under their jurisdiction would dare lay a finger on the caravan. The group entered the station, and Li Xue and her son dismounted to rest. The station was large enough to accommodate forty or fifty people, with guest rooms on the second floor specifically for travelers. That night, as Li Xue and Li Lin were meditating in their room, voices drifted in from the adjacent chamber. "Third Young Master, do you think what Chieftain Cao said is true?" Ji Rufeng’s voice followed. "It likely is. The Fengshan Stronghold is situated on the border between You and Yun. The terrain there is steep and treacherous. It makes no sense for the heavy garrison there to ignore them. I’ve met their chieftain, Li Fushan, a couple of times. Logically, there is no reason for him to target my Ji family." "Do not worry, Third Young Master," Old Man Ma said. "With so many of us in the Ji family caravan, why should we fear a small place like Fengshan Stronghold?" Ji Rufeng pondered for a moment before saying, "Mhm. We continue our journey tomorrow morning. It will take three days to reach Fengshan. Uncle Ji, pass down the order: change the formation to the 'Three-Two Style.'" "Understood, Young Master," Uncle Ji replied. The so-called Three-Two Style involved dividing the caravan into groups of three carriages, with two groups forming a single unit. In the event of trouble, this allowed the individual units to retreat independently. Li Xue and Li Lin did not pay much more attention to the conversation. They figured that even if an accident occurred, with them present, nothing too serious would happen. Thus, they ignored the matter and continued their cultivation. Early the next morning, the Ji family caravan set out again. Li Lin remained on Ji Rufeng’s horse, enjoying the sights along the way with great enthusiasm. Three days later, the caravan reached the border of You Country, a place known as Mount Feng. Once they crossed Mount Feng, they would be in Yun Country. The border was heavily guarded, but the Ji family had long since cleared the necessary checkpoints. The caravan soon crossed the mountain and officially entered the territory of Yun Country. After passing through the border town of Yunbian, they headed toward the capital of Yun Country, Yunzhou. The eastern part of Yunzhou was mostly mountainous, and the caravan’s progress slowed as they navigated the winding mountain paths. Suddenly, the whistle of a signal arrow pierced the sky. With a wave of Ji Rufeng’s hand, the caravan came to an immediate halt. The five Ji family protectors instantly formed a "Plum Blossom Formation," surrounding Ji Rufeng in a protective circle. In You Country, the Wang family was one of the four famous merchant houses, primarily dealing in jewelry and ornaments. In reality, the Wang family was a minor cultivation clan—a declining one. The famous Weiming Residence in the capital was one of their properties. Two years ago, a sensational arson case at the imperial palace had rocked the capital, and the Wang family had been the most heavily implicated. Overnight, all the cultivators of the Wang clan had perished; only the mortals had escaped with their lives. As for what had truly transpired, perhaps only the imperial family and a few members of the Wang family knew the truth. Wang Jiahe was actually quite fortunate. He had happened to be away on business when the tragedy occurred, allowing him to escape the massacre. He was already a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Condensation, though he hadn't been considered particularly powerful within the clan. He knew exactly why the Wang family had met such a miserable end. Years ago, in an attempt to obtain the spirit stones within the imperial treasury, the Wang family had arranged for a junior to enter the palace as a mole to locate the vault. The Wang family ancestor had then led the clan head and five other elite cultivators to break into the palace. Who could have guessed that a cultivator at the tenth layer of Qi Condensation resided within the palace? Even the Wang family ancestor was only at the eighth layer. That cultivator had manipulated an array, instantly finishing off the ancestor and four others. When the Wang clan head fled back to the family estate, he hadn't even caught his breath before the pursuing cultivator ended him. Even the three other cultivators remaining at the estate were wiped out in one fell swoop. In truth, the Wang family had been far too reckless. The You Country imperial family had a Core Formation ancestor; although he hadn't returned in a century, it was impossible for him to leave his descendants without any protection. Even if the Wang family had managed to break in, getting out would have been another matter entirely. How could a mere Qi Condensation cultivator hope to breach an array laid down by a Core Formation master? It was a classic case of "the ignorant are fearless," and their parochial arrogance had ultimately led to the clan's extermination. Thus, Wang Jiahe had no choice but to flee. He hid in a secret location for two years and only arrived at Fengshan Stronghold six months ago. During a robbery, he had accidentally obtained a spirit stone, which sparked his interest in such looting. Whether it was jewelry, ores, or medicinal herbs, he was interested in inspecting them all. If an item lacked spiritual energy, he would let the travelers pass. But if he detected anything with spiritual aura, he would kill them to silence all witnesses. Consequently, very few people among the passing caravans knew of his existence, for those who did were already dead. | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 王家和 | Wang Jiahe | A survivor of the Wang cultivation clan, now a bandit. | | 龙山驿站 | Longshan Station | A relay station/outpost in western You Country. | | 龙山寨 | Longshan Stronghold | A bandit/underworld fortress led by Cao Mengshan. | | 曹梦山 | Cao Mengshan | Chieftain of the Longshan Stronghold. | | 风山寨 | Fengshan Stronghold | A bandit stronghold on the border of You and Yun countries. | | 李付山 | Li Fushan | Chieftain of the Fengshan Stronghold. | | 季伯 | Uncle Ji | An elder or high-ranking servant in the Ji family caravan. | | 三两式 | Three-Two Style | A specific caravan formation for defensive maneuvering. | | 云边镇 | Yunbian Town | A border town in Yun Country. | | 云州 | Yunzhou | The capital city of Yun Country. | | 梅花阵势 | Plum Blossom Formation | A defensive martial arts formation. | | 未名居 | Weiming Residence | A property in the capital formerly owned by the Wang family. | | 结丹 | Core Formation | A higher stage of cultivation above Qi Condensation. | | 夜郎自大 | Parochial arrogance | A Chinese idiom (Yelang Zida) meaning to be foolishly conceited. |