Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Chengxian Societyi
Translator: 549690339
One wonders if it was Gou Mu, the Ratheaded, who crafted it.
The map is drawn extremely covertly.
Even for someone with astounding senses like Wang Ba, it would be impossible to detect unless viewed precisely and carefully.
The effort put into it must be immense. An average person wouldn’t even notice the intricate details, being merely drawn to the plot-filled illustrations on the surface.
After a detailed observation of the red armor piece, Wang Ba compared the map with the layout of the outskirts of the Sect in his mind. It quickly became apparent that the map was structured based on Nanhu Village, expanding southwards.
The entrance was actually located within Nanhu Village.
Upon further thought, Gou Mu’s audacity and meticulousness were undeniably admirable.
After all, Nanhu Village was filled with a complex populace and harsh surroundings — areas where Cultivators would usually avoid.
The fact that they dug the entrance here was a classic case of hiding in plain sight.
Nobody would have suspected that a secret tunnel connecting the inner and outer parts of the Sect was concealed here.
What surprised Wang Ba was the three-dimensionality of the map. The entrance to the tunnel was nearly a hundred feet below the ground.
Further inside, a labyrinth-like tunnel. Only by following the map could one navigate without getting lost.
After pondering for a while, Wang Ba couldn’t help but admire Gou Mu, the Ratheaded.
Indeed, there are no wrong aliases, only incorrect real names.
Capable of constructing such a complex and astounding underground tunnel, evading the patrol of Sect Disciples, truly fitting the name “Ratheaded”.
“However, 1 only have one chance.”
“To ensure a fail-safe, I must proceed as light as possible!”
He decided not to bring anything from his manor.
Even the Spirit Chickens from Jia 1 to Jia 6 that he had been carefully nurturing, as well as the recently hatched third-generation spirit chickens, he decided to leave them behind.
As for the Spirit Stones, he only dared bring a few for emergency expenses after leaving the Sect.
The five senses of a Cultivator are extremely sharp, especially their sensitivity to Spiritual Energy.
If he carried too many Spirit Stones, there is a high risk of being detected from hundreds of feet away.
Even though he has the Power of the Yin God to aid in masking presence, he has no confidence in untraceably concealing the Spiritual Energy radiated by the Spirit Stones.
After all, the instances of using the Power of the Yin God in front of Cultivators were few and far between. There wasn’t an available reference to help him gain confidence.
“It wouldn’t hurt to bring some Tendon-Cutting Silkworms; they could serve as a protection method.
“I will leave the sect fifteen days from now when the outer disciples are changing shifts. It seems to be a safer plan.”
After a night of consideration, Wang Ba finally made a plan for leaving the sect.
In short, he would leave East Saint Sect via Gou Mu, the Ratheaded’s tunnel, on the fifteenth day, taking only what he could carry!
What comes after is left to fate!
Thinking about the uncertain future, Wang Ba felt slightly dazed.
However, he quickly composed himself, went to the market’s bookstore, and spent a few Spirit Stones on travel records and books about the surrounding Sects and Cultivators.
Previously, as he had just joined the sect and earning Spirit Stones was difficult, he didn’t have urgent need for the knowledge of the Cultivation World, so he had never visited the bookstore even though he knew its existence.
Now that he was about to leave the sect, he needed to gather as much information about the Cultivation World as possible to ensure he was well-informed once he left the sect.
Of course, the most important thing was that he wasn’t sure if the Body Strengthening Scripture would really allow him to condense a spirit root. Even if it does, he would still need to strive for resources and cultivation methods for his future cultivation progress.
Therefore, choosing another Sect was natural.
The information at the Market’s bookstore would surely help Wang Ba in choosing a better Sect after leaving the current one.
However, to Wang Ba’s disappointment, there were no books related to Cultivator’s cultivation methods and Spells at the Market’s bookstore.
Apparently, only the market exclusive to Cultivators would have such items.
In the sect, there was only one such market named “Fengyang Market”.
However, it was located near the core region of the sect. Other than the jobs that required attending the Sect disciples, the outer jobs almost never had any reason to go there.
Wang Ba did want to take a look, but ultimately decided against it.
Since his departure was imminent, he didn’t want any surprises.
But often, the more one tries to avoid surprises, the more they tend to occur.
Early the next morning.
Looking at the hole in the roof of his house, painstakingly repaired yet again ruined into the shape of a man, Wang Ba fell silent.
“Cough cough … Uncle, I really didn’t mean it this time …”
Garbed in a purple robe, but covered in dirt, Ye Lingyu coughed and made his way out of the house.
The fair face was smeared with dirt and dust, giving an otherwise ordinary appearance a touch of unique charm.
Yet, perhaps from living too long with the unattractive roosters, Wang Ba felt no stirrings within himself.
Neither did he dare to feel any.
The girl before him might seem a little dim, but her purple robe was a blazing sign that she was an Inner Sect Disciple!
“Shopkeeper Lu mentioned once that the sect recruited a female cultivator with an upper-grade spiritual root during the last recruitment. Could it be her?”
Wang Ba wore a fake grin, voicing soothing words such as ‘It’s alright, it’s alright. Are you okay? Did you get hurt?’ while pondering silently.
He had been too engaged in cultivating spirit chickens and Tendon-Cutting Silkworms to think about it before.
Now that he thought about it, Ye Lingyu, in terms of her age and status, fit perfectly. She might really be that talented female cultivator with an upper-grade spiritual root.
However, even knowing this, Wang Ba was unwilling to have any involvement with her.
Having the same stance as before, he couldn’t afford any unforeseen incidents with his sect departure impending.
Moreover, if she truly was that prized woman with the upper-grade spiritual root, considering her treatment of being inducted in the inner sect immediately after joining, she would most likely be under quiet observation.
Having way too many secrets himself, getting involved with someone like her was bound to cause problems sooner or later.
So, while showing respectful attitudes, he dealt with the situation reluctantly.
Ye Lingyu seemed to have matured significantly since the last time and had seen through Wang Ba’s superficial courtesy.
Instead of feeling annoyed, it sparked a sense of shame within her.
After all, she had damaged someone’s roof twice already, and it was truly embarrassing to stay around longer.
Bashfully, she began to stride downhill, though she turned around abruptly just like the last time, handed something over to Wang Ba, and then fled.
While stepping away, she cursed her magic sword silently.
“It’s all your fault! You’re supposed to help me find suitable Spirit Beasts to synthesize, but why do you keep flying on top of people’s roofs?”
“When I get back, I’m going to have my master reforge you!”
The magic sword seemed sentient and buzzed softly.
“Feel wronged, do you? Humph, don’t fly on top of people’s roofs next time!”
With these words, she maneuvered her magic sword, swaying as she flew away.
Wang Ba of course, was oblivious to all this. He was merely looking at the item in his hand with surprise.
“It’s actually a middle-grade spirit stone!”
Perfectly square, it had a profound azure glow.
Under the morning sunshine, it refracted dreamlike colors.
He glanced at the damaged roof and looked at the spirit stone once again.
Out of the blue, Wang Ba felt that having a broken roof didn’t seem too bad.
After all, a middle-grade spirit stone was worth one hundred lower-grade spirit stones.
Not to mention a miscellaneous worker like him, even regular outer disciples could hardly offer such a stone casually.
Yet this somewhat gullible female cultivator gave it as a compensation so carelessly.
You could imagine the astounding benefits that inner sect disciples enjoy.
However, this presented him with a dilemma.
A middle-grade spirit stone was not just a hundred taels of silver.
It wasn’t a small sum.
If Ye Lingyu’s master or any other related individual was petty and learned that Wang Ba had accepted this spirit stone, the end of Wang Ba’s good days might be inevitable.
Even though Wang Ba was soon to leave the sect and wasn’t too afraid, what if they decided to make things difficult before he departs?
Therefore, the best course of action would be to return this spirit stone.
However, given his status as a low-ranking worker, it wouldn’t be easy to do so.
After much consideration, he decided he could only take the opportunity to deliver the stone to Deacon Li and ask him to hand it over.
Of course, this should be done in a situation where others were present as witnesses.
Otherwise, given Deacon Li’s greediness, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t pocket the stone.
However, before he could see Deacon Li, he was visited by someone else.
“Old Hou, who is this…?”
Wang Ba looked at Old Hou and another strange middle-aged man on the donkey cart. He wore a look of bewilderment.
Old Hou, as if transformed into someone else, dismounted from the donkey cart respectfully and introduced with caution:
“This man, is an official from the Chengxian Society..”