The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 516 - 517. Farewell, Departure

The cold morning wind swept through Pani Town as snowflakes drifted lazily across the cobbled path. The faint jingling of bells tied around the snow camels echoed softly in the distance. Their white fur glistened under the pale sunlight, and their long lashes blinked against the chill as Yumina gently brushed their necks.

"Did you find any bank card inside your pocket dimension?" Yumina asked curiously, running her hand down the camel’s warm fur. "That might give us some clue about your past, right?"

"Huh... I didn’t." Tyla looked away almost immediately, her tone casual but her eyes betraying a flicker of hesitation.

Earlier, when she was alone inside the pocket dimension, she had found one. A silver-gray card etched with a snowflake sigil and faint golden runes. When she had infused a trace of aura into it, a holographic projection shimmered into view— her name didn’t appear, but instead, the name Tyler White. A man’s name.

And the portrait that appeared on the card...

It looked exactly like her.

But looked little older, with Black Hair.

"I wonder if that’s my brother... or... Me?" she had whispered then, her hand trembling slightly.

The idea had haunted her ever since. She didn’t know, and she wasn’t ready to tell Yumina yet.

So now, she just smiled faintly and changed the subject. "Nope. No card, no clue. Guess I’m still a mystery."

Before Yumina could tease her further, a familiar voice called out.

"Miss Tyla! Miss Yumina!"

They turned to see Luman walking toward them, bundled in a thick wolf-fur coat. Behind him came an elderly man with long gray hair tied neatly and a cane carved from frostwood. Despite his age, the man’s eyes were sharp as a hawk’s.

"Thank you, two young ladies, for saving our young lord," the elder said respectfully, bowing slightly. His tone carried both dignity and warmth.

"It’s alright," Yumina replied with a polite smile. "It was Luman’s luck that I happened to pass by."

"Even so, luck alone is not enough. It takes goodwill to lend a hand to strangers without asking for reward." The elder smiled faintly and reached into his robe, pulling out a small metallic cube no larger than a fingernail. Intricate runes glowed along its edges, pulsing with faint blue light.

"Could you show me your communication device, young lady?" the elder asked.

Yumina raised her wrist and revealed her sleek silver watch-like device. The elder pressed the cube gently against its surface. A holographic display flickered to life above it with two options— Receive or Cancel.

Yumina clicked ’Receive’ option using her Divine Sense.

The cube glowed brighter and dissolved into particles of light that streamed into her device. A moment later, a window appeared, showing pages of glowing text and diagrams.

"These are the notes and personal insights from our clan’s elders on Domain Construction," the elder explained. "They were the things our young master promised as gratitude. Please, do not share them publicly."

"We won’t," Yumina said earnestly, bowing slightly. "Thank you very much, Elder."

Tyla mirrored her gesture. "Yes, thank you. I’m sure these will be very helpful."

The elder smiled in acknowledgment, then turned to whisper something to Luman before leaving them to speak privately.

Luman fidgeted for a moment, looking from Tyla to Yumina. His face reddened slightly. "Ahem... well, once again, thank you, Miss Tyla and Miss Yumina." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, clearly mustering the courage to say something more— something that had been sitting in his chest.

Tyla caught the look in his eyes immediately. The moment he opened his mouth, she suddenly gasped dramatically. "Oh! Look, a mulberry tree!"

Before either of them could react, she dashed off toward the far end of the path, pretending to be deeply fascinated by absolutely nothing.

Luman blinked. Yumina covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

The elder, who had been watching from a distance, chuckled. "It’s nice to be young," he said as Tyla approached him.

"Oh, elder, you still look young," Tyla said playfully.

"Hahaha... flattering words, young lady, but I am already more than four hundred years old," he replied, his laughter gentle and rich. "My life force is waning. Too many battles, too many years chasing advancement. I doubt I’ll ever reach the next level."

They walked together slowly through the snowy lane, speaking of trivial things— the cold, the camels, the price of spirit wine. Tyla found herself oddly comfortable talking with him.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Yumina and Luman were still talking. Luman’s posture grew stiffer by the second, while Yumina’s expression softened, then turned apologetic. By the end, Luman gave a small bow and laughed awkwardly.

"Looks like your young master got rejected," Tyla said with a teasing smile when she saw them.

The elder sighed and stroked his beard. "Ah, yes. The classic ’Damsel in distress,. Rescued by Hero’ situation, but reversed. This scenario probably made him fall in love. He’s still young, full of hope. But heartbreaks... they make a person stronger."

"You mean, he’ll succeed next time?" Tyla asked.

The elder chuckled. "No, I mean next time he’ll just take the hit with less pain when he’s rejected again."

Tyla blinked. "...Ouch."

They both laughed softly.

After a while, the elder asked, "You said you were heading west, didn’t you?"

"Yes, Elder. That’s the plan."

"Be cautious, then. The western routes are full of industrial settlements. A chaotic place with too many eyes watching strangers."

Tyla nodded. "We’ll be careful."

By then, Yumina and Luman had finished their talk. Luman’s earlier nervousness was gone; instead, he smiled with surprising calm.

"Well, Miss Yumina," he said, his tone lighter now, "if fate allows, I hope we meet again. Perhaps under warmer skies."

Yumina smiled and nodded. "Perhaps we will."

He turned to Tyla. "Farewell, Miss Tyla. Thank you again —for everything."

Tyla grinned and waved. "Don’t get into trouble next time, young master."

Luman laughed, bowed, and followed after the elder down the snow-dusted street.

For a moment, silence filled the air— soft, gentle, and strangely peaceful. The snow camels exhaled puffs of mist as Tyla and Yumina stood side by side, watching the pair disappear into the white.

"Ready?" Yumina finally asked, smiling faintly.

"Yeah," Tyla said, pulling her cloak tighter. "Let’s head west."

The two mounted their snow camels. With a flick of the reins, the creatures began to move, their wide hooves pressing into the snow with steady rhythm.

---

They left Pani Town. The snow had stopped falling, and the road shimmered under a soft pale light. The sky above was perfectly clear, stretching in endless blue, and the breeze that brushed against their cheeks carried the faint chill of the fading winter. The air was crisp, but comfortable enough to travel without shivering.

The two snow camels moved steadily, their hooves pressing rhythmic prints into the half-frozen dirt. Tyla and Yumina sat quietly, enjoying the calm after so many days of chaos. For once, the world seemed still.

They crossed a gentle slope and reached an old bridge that creaked faintly with every gust of wind. Far behind them, the sound of crunching snow broke the silence. Five figures stepped out from the shadow of the trees, their silhouettes long and dark beneath the sunlight.

Those men had been waiting.

At their head was the same elf who had met them in the tavern — the one whose eyes gleamed with arrogance and spite. His lips twisted into a cruel grin. "Those b*tches are here," he hissed, drawing his blade. "Let’s capture them."

Before his men could move, another voice cut through the air — calm, deep, and laced with quiet authority.

"Oh? And what do you plan to do after capturing them?"

The elf, caught off guard, answered instinctively, "Of course, I’ll play with them until I get bored—" He froze mid-sentence. His grin vanished. Slowly, he turned to his men. "Who said that?"

They all shook their heads. None of them had spoken.

The elf’s expression changed. His instincts screamed at him. A faint pressure weighed down on his chest as he turned toward the source of the voice.

An old man stood at the end of the bridge — Luman’s elder. His calm face wore a faint, almost pitiful smile.

"Such poor creatures," the elder said softly. His tone wasn’t angry, but the weight in his words crushed the space around them.

After that, there was no after that. The snow settled again, untouched. The five shadows who had come to ambush never even reached the bridge. Silence returned, as if nothing had ever happened there.

Far away on the snowy trail, Tyla suddenly chuckled, tugging lightly on her camel’s reins.

"What’s funny?" Yumina asked, glancing over curiously.

"Nothing," Tyla said, her smile faint and mysterious. "Just some ants getting trampled."

Yumina tilted her head, confused, but said nothing. The two continued forward, leaving only two sets of footprints and a trail of faint laughter carried away by the wind.

Behind them, the land remained peaceful — too peaceful for anyone to imagine what had just been erased from it.