Chapter 111 - Act 16. Chance, Connection, Inevitability (4)

Yise suddenly appeared behind Ryu Seonghan. The man sprang up from his cross-legged seat and reflexively tried to form hand seals.

“Sit.”

At Yise’s curt command, Ryu Seonghan dropped to his knees like an obedient dog.

“...?”

He looked utterly bewildered by what had happened to him. His eyes trembled as he stared at the intruder, then gradually widened until they seemed ready to burst.

“Long time no see.”

“Y-you’re—”

Yise immediately corrected his form of address.

“What do you mean, ‘you’? You should call me Senior. Or Master.”

“How did you get here... Aaagh!”

Ryu Seonghan clutched his head and began rolling on the floor. Only then did he realize the tragedy that had befallen him.

The private soul-binding contract from the Dark Heaven Secret Realm.

The master of that contract had appeared here.

With a despairing expression, Ryu Seonghan muttered into empty air.

“Impossible... This is a dream...”

Ignoring his despair, Yise checked the binding contract again.

「Ryu Seonghan shall obey Yise’s commands absolutely and shall not attack other Cultivators within the Dark Heaven Secret Realm. This shall remain valid until either party to the contract dies. Should Ryu Seonghan violate the contract, his head shall explode, killing him.」

“A nice, cleanly written contract. Now, if you’re thinking of harming me, just let your head explode and die.”

At Yise’s words, Ryu Seonghan clutched his head and collapsed once more.

Unbelievable.

Apparently, he really had been plotting something against him. Yise had spared him because he seemed promising, but he truly wasn’t someone to trust.

“Shall we draw up another contract, then? Looking at it now, there are quite a few gaps.”

“You fucking...”

Ryu Seonghan cursed, clutching his throbbing head.

Yise wrote a new private soul-binding contract, adding safeguards such as “Do not speak of your master,” “Do not flee or hide,” and “Do not take any action detrimental to your master.”

Ryu Seonghan looked as though his country had fallen, but unable to defy the order, he signed with trembling hands.

“I came over on business. You’re going to help me.”

Still clutching his head, Ryu Seonghan spoke haltingly.

“Senior... You’ve already reached Foundation Establishment.”

Yise checked his realm as well. Ninth-star Qi Refining.

He thought the man had been around the seventh or eighth star when they last met. If he had advanced already, his progress was fairly quick. Examining the nature of his spiritual meridians with divine sense revealed that he was a dual-attribute spiritual root bearer, with wind and earth attributes.

Quite respectable talent, including an unusual spiritual root.

“Someone like you must be quite favored in the Ryu Clan.”

“Believe it or not, I’m the young master, with high expectations for me to become the next family head.”

“Then why would you risk entering a secret realm?”

“Because I was confident I wouldn’t die.”

“Well, you certainly had plenty of ways to stay alive.”

Remembering the ordeal the man had put him through made Yise want to bury him up to his neck again.

‘I can use Pungryu City as my base for now and gradually get used to the Northern Continent.’

This place, with an obedient contracted servant, felt far more secure than Biryu City, where three Foundation Establishment Cultivators watched him like hawks and longed for his departure.

Of course, he could have subdued them and controlled them through binding contracts, but the biggest problem was that he had already made a scene there and drawn attention to himself.

This was a lengthy mission. He intended to take his time and cultivate as he went.

“If any other Foundation Establishment Cultivators discover me, vouch for me. Tell them you brought me here.”

Ryu Seonghan clutched his head and rolled on the floor again. Yise scowled.

“Please, just do as you’re told the first time. Your head really will explode at this rate.”

“Yes...”

Ryu Seonghan wiped away his cold sweat as he answered.

“I’ll stay here for now. It’s nice and quiet. But the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is rather thin for a secluded abode. Is there anywhere better?”

“... The clan does have secluded abodes for rent.”

“Thanks. Get me the best one.”

“Senior, about the cost...”

“Let me see your storage pouch.”

With trembling hands, Ryu Seonghan produced his storage pouch. Yise smirked, merely looked it over, and handed it back.

“You’re going to charge me spirit stones in this situation?”

“...”

Watching Ryu Seonghan clutch his head yet again, Yise remarked on what a truly appalling fellow he was. He wanted to crack open his head and see just what was going on inside.

“Fine. But give me a discount. A friends’ discount.”

He could have squeezed him harder, but his adoptive parents had taught him always to respect that boundary. Besides, it was common sense in the cultivation world that everything came at a price. Excessive greed always invited disaster.

Ryu Seonghan brightened immediately at the promise of payment. Then, as though afraid Yise would change his mind, he let loose a torrent of words.

“Do you mean it?! Then I’ll get you a second-tier secluded abode at a special thirty-percent discount! If you take a long-term lease, I can discount it even further to about a thousand a year.”

A second-tier secluded abode presumably meant one intended for Foundation Establishment Cultivators. A thousand a year came to just two or three a day.

The price was lower than he had expected, so Yise accepted.

“Oh, and can you get me a spirit-concealing ritual implement that would make my cultivation look suitably low?”

It would be useful to acquire a ritual implement or spell that concealed his internal reserves. Such things came in handy surprisingly often, but spirit-concealing implements or spells with lasting effects were terribly hard to find.

He had brought plenty of Spirit-Concealing Talismans, but their effects were rather short-lived. They were consumables, after all, so it was best to conserve them.

“A spirit-concealing ritual implement... Those aren’t common, so it’ll be a bit expensive. Can you afford it?”

Yise nodded in affirmation.

“I envy you, Senior. But isn’t spirit concealment pointless between Foundation Establishment Cultivators anyway, because of divine sense?”

He was right. The range of divine sense could be expanded or contracted at will, but one had to reach Core Formation to completely hide the very fact that one was using it.

It was like being able to close one’s eyes, but not erase them from one’s face.

“I’d rather the other Qi Refining Cultivators couldn’t tell. They make such a fuss.”

“Ah... I suppose so. An unfamiliar high-ranking Cultivator is bound to make people wary.”

After a moment’s thought, Ryu Seonghan proposed a trade. His gaze was fixed on the ritual implements Yise was wearing on his feet. Yise could practically hear the gears turning.

“If you give back the Ghoststep Boots... I’ll get one for you. Let’s barter.”

“Give them back? You make it sound as though they belong to you. I acquired these fair and square.”

“...”

Ryu Seonghan clutched his head. This time seemed rather dangerous: a trickle of blood ran from his ear.

But Yise’s conscience was clear. The most Daoist-like girl he knew had told him that winner-takes-all was the natural order.

“Just one curse. Please let me say it...”

“As if I’d let you. Say the wrong thing to me and your head will end up on an Earthen Spear, contract or no contract.”

“...”

“Anyway, let’s go ahead with the barter. Bring it here and I’ll trade.”

The Ghoststep Boots would soon lose their usefulness anyway, since he couldn’t use them in conjunction with the wind-attribute spell Following-Wind Steps. A little more progress with Following-Wind Steps would likely give him better results than the boots.

* * *

Half a day later, Ryu Seonghan returned with information on the grotto-heaven and a spirit-concealing ring.

In the meantime, Yise had been making rice soup with the meat of a snow boar he had caught on the way. Now that he had secured somewhere to cultivate in earnest, he intended to maintain a spirit-gathering effect through immortal cuisine.

He had packed enough supplementary ingredients to last him a while. Fortunately, the residence also had suitable tableware.

Yise lightly lifted the lid off the pot and stirred. He ladled steaming broth over the cooked spirit rice, gently warming it through, then seasoned it with solar salt and fire-eye herb for flavor and aroma.

He set two bowls of rice soup on the table.

“Senior, I’m ba— Wait, what’s that smell?”

“Have a bowl.”

Leaving the hesitant Ryu Seonghan alone, Yise took a spoonful first. The broth flowed down his throat, seeming to warm him all the way to his Dharma-Transformed Dantian.

“Ah, that hits the spot.”

Nothing beat rice soup in winter. The seasoning was perfect, too. It had been a while since he had made immortal cuisine, but apparently he hadn’t lost his touch.

Still, since the snow boar was only a rank-four demonic beast, the spirit-gathering effect left something to be desired. The monkey demonic beasts tasted too foul, and Feathered Man was a Foundation Establishment Perfection demonic beast, so he wanted to save it until he returned to Dine Before You Depart.

Yise decided this would do.

“Wow...”

“Good, isn’t it?”

“It tastes good, yes, but what is this? It feels like the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is suddenly being drawn into me.”

“First time eating immortal cuisine?”

“No. But I’ve never experienced an effect like this.”

“I’m sure you haven’t. It’s my craft. I’ll make it for you from time to time while I’m imposing on your hospitality. I don’t often give things away for free, so feel free to be grateful.”

“... Yes, Senior. Thank you.”

Ryu Seonghan had become much more docile. Sure enough, handling people required both the carrot and the stick.

“But you still haven’t answered the important question. How does it taste?”

“What? Oh, it’s delicious. It’s been so long since I’ve eaten anything other than Grain-Abstinence Pills that I’m a bit taken aback. You’re even better than the clan’s professional cooks.”

“For once, you’re saying something I like.”

Yise chuckled.

Rice soup was always the right choice. If the opportunity arose, he ought to spread the benefits and pleasures of immortal cuisine among the Cultivators here as well.

Having polished off his bowl, Yise put on the spirit-concealing ring Ryu Seonghan had brought and returned the Ghoststep Boots.

‘A spirit-concealing spell that makes me look about first-star Qi Refining. That’s lower than I expected. But it should be fine.’

At this level, no one would pay him any attention as he walked the streets. Satisfied with Ryu Seonghan’s resourcefulness, he continued.

“One more favor. This is the main reason I’m here.”

“Yes, Senior.”

Yise explained why he had come to the Northern Continent, then asked him to search Pungryu City.

“I don’t know how long it will take, but once I find the cultivation manual, I’ll leave quietly. I’ll release you from the binding contract, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I swear on my birth parents’ names and honor.”

“Why ‘birth parents’ instead of just ‘parents’? You’re not an orphan or something, are you?”

“...”

Sharp little bastard. Yise clicked his tongue.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, you swindling Senior...”

“Releasing you completely is a bit much. I’ll change it to a contract that only prohibits you from attacking me. Somehow, I get the feeling you’d stab me in the back the moment I canceled it.”

“Me? Never.”

“Really? You wouldn’t do anything threatening at all?”

Yise asked while using the mind-reading art. Ryu Seonghan answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Of course not. Certainly not.”

The result: a lie.

Yise struck Ryu Seonghan over the head with his hand axe. He hadn’t infused it with spiritual energy, so the man’s skull didn’t crack.

* * *

Leaving the search of Pungryu City to Ryu Seonghan, Yise headed for the grotto-heaven whose key he had received.

‘This is... a secluded abode?’

He did his best to hide his disappointment.

It was less a secluded abode than a cave: little more than a hole dug into a small hill, fitted with a wooden door that didn’t even lock properly.

Without inserting the key, Yise gave the door a light push, and it swung open with a creak. There was no security to speak of.

‘Did I get scammed?’

It was a reasonable suspicion. But rather than finding Ryu Seonghan and confronting him, he chose to go inside.

He wasn’t in a vulnerable situation such as attempting a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment. Besides, given how thin the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was in Pungryu City, this place was relatively rich in it.

Cultivation. He hadn’t been cultivating enough.

The long-term mission itself was no problem, but being unable to settle down and focus on cultivation left him restless and uneasy. Only once he settled into the familiar darkness did his mind begin to feel at ease.

As he focused on cultivation, sinking deep into his inner landscape, his divine sense detected people outside the secluded abode.

Three early-stage Qi Refining Cultivators were loitering outside. A short while later, they cast a Door-Opening Spell on the door that barely locked in the first place and ambushed him.

‘Wow. Attacking a grotto-heaven managed by an established faction. No one would even dream of doing that on the Eastern Continent.’