Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 520: The Elusive Washerwoman
With the rules broken, the washerwoman’s momentum largely waned. Seizing the opening, Lu Yang struck first.
“Slashing Word Mantra!”
Enlightened by the Taciturn Daoist Priest, Lu Yang’s understanding of the Sword Dao had ascended to new heights, and his Slashing Word Mantra now carried unprecedented might.
Cleaved in two, the washerwoman let out a shrill scream and dissolved into two streams of ink that retreated into the painting scroll.
Within the painting, her features were contorted with resentment as she glared at Lu Yang, yet she dared not show herself again. Despite her intentions to kill, the earlier battle had proven that she struggled against Lu Yang alone, much less all three.
“Cultivator, I admit you’re stronger than me. I’ll take it that you’ve won this time!” With that, painting floated into the air, preparing to flee.
“Think you can escape?”
The painting scroll was fast, but Lu Yang’s sword was faster. With another strike of the Slashing Word Mantra, he sent the painting plummeting from the air, though it remained unharmed.
He clicked his tongue. The painting scroll’s quality is better than I’d thought. I can’t sever it at my current level.
“Cultivator, you’re indeed very strong, but don’t push things too far. If you spare me now, I guarantee I’ll never return or harm Squire Song. But if you keep hindering me from leaving, you may be able to protect the Song Family for now, but can you protect them forever?”
Lu Yang sneered, prodding the scroll with his sword tip. “Don’t think I’m ignorant. Magical treasures like you have their own rules. Since you helped Squire Song achieve his goal, you must receive payment. If you don’t, it would at best destabilize your foundation or at worst erase your consciousness.”
The washerwoman fell silent, stunned by how swiftly Lu Yang had seen through her rules. But she couldn’t admit it. “A bunch of nonsense!”
Lu Yang couldn’t be bothered to argue with the washerwoman. In any case, we have to take the painting scroll away and ensure Squire Song’s safety.
Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting chose to trust Lu Yang’s judgement. Tao Yaoye stepped forward and used her identity jade pendant to absorb the painting scroll.
But it soon flew out of it.
“You think this thing can trap me?” The washerwoman scoffed. Although I’m a masterless magical treasure that can be absorbed into any storage ring anytime, I can manipulate the painting scroll to escape the storage ring anytime. No one can dream of capturing me!
Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting attempted twice more with their identical jade tablets, but the painting would escape every time.
They exchanged grim looks. If they couldn’t take the painting scroll with them, it would likely take revenge on Squire Song’s family once they left.
“Let me try.”
When Lu Yang grasped the scroll, the washerwoman initially thought nothing of it until a suction force from his palm caused her expression to shift drastically.
Lu Yang performed Village in Palm, sucking the painting into his palm. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
“It succeeded? Senior Brother Lu, what technique is this?” The two girls were floored.
“A spatial mighty ability—Sleeve Cosmos,” Lu Yang replied aloofly.
“Don’t think you can trap me just because you know a spatial mighty ability!” The washerwoman’s voice rang from his palm as she escaped again.
Lu Yang scratched his chin and reactivated Village in Palm, absorbing the washerwoman back in before pressing his palms together.
Completely oblivious, the washerwoman assumed it was the same trick as before. She controlled the scroll to fly from her left palm to her right, then back again, but she couldn’t find a way out no matter how she tried.
“Strange, where’s the exit?”
Fortunately, it wasn’t the first day she had developed sentience. Having witnessed numerous cultivators and spatial abilities over time, she knew the greatest weakness of such abilities was their rapid spirit energy consumption. With Lu Yang’s current cultivation, he can sustain it for at most three to five minutes.
“Senior Brother, can we consider this a success now?” Tao Yaoye curiously stared at Lu Yang, who had his palms pressed together. The more she looked, the more she felt that he resembled a monk in prayer.
“Not yet. Maintaining Sleeve Cosmos drains a lot of spirit energy. I can only sustain it for about fifteen minutes.”
“Then what do we do?” Squire Song asked anxiously. Judging by the washerwoman’s attitude, she’ll undoubtedly seek vengeance against my family once she’s freed.
And to think I was once secretly in love with her.
“No problem. Consuming Great Rejuvenation Pills can extend the duration of the ability. Two hours won’t be an issue.”
“But two hours isn’t enough time to return to the sect.” Lu Yang fretted, beginning to brainstorm solutions.
Lu Yang shook his head. “I’ve already thought of a solution.”
~~~
“Dear guest, are you certain you wish to sell a painting-type magical treasure that carries an artifact spirit?” The administrator at the Luodi Merchant Guild inquired politely, his eyes practically gleaming.
Every magical treasure that carried an artifact spirit could fetch astronomical prices.
It’s just that this particular customer’s appearance is somewhat odd. His palms are pressed together in prayer, while the two female cultivators flanking him act like protectors, occasionally feeding him a pill.
Is this some Blissful Chan cultivator?[1]
It couldn’t be helped. With his hands occupied, Lu Yang couldn’t consume the pills himself, so he had no choice but to enlist his junior sisters’ help in feeding him the pills.
Squire Song had originally volunteered for the task, but the glares from Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting scared him off.
“Daoist Lu, are you sure this will work?” Squire Song whispered, his voice still laced with apprehension.
Yuanhe County’s location was remote, its local customs improper, and incidents similar to the wonton stall overcharging customers happened routinely, discouraging the Luodi Merchant Guild from establishing a branch there.
Thus, the group had traveled to Qingshui Commandery.
“Of course.”
“But what if the painting scroll escapes and returns to my home?”
“Then you’d profit! You could sell it again.”
“Makes sense.”
That said, Squire Song couldn’t help but feel that something was amiss. Even if Lu Yang couldn’t trap the washerwoman for long, he believed the merchant guild could surely manage it. If they can’t even restrain a mere magical treasure, how can they still call themselves a merchant guild?
Upon hearing they had a sentient magical treasure for sale, the merchant guild immediately summoned their most senior appraiser to authenticate the item.
“This magical treasure of mine runs pretty fast,” Lu Yang warned.
The merchant guild’s branch manager laughed heartily, gesturing around the room. “This room is protected by twelve types of arrays from inside to out. I’d genuinely like to see what kind of magical treasure could possibly escape!”
Lu Yang separated his palms, and the washerwoman shot out astride the scroll with a whoosh.
Bang!
She slammed headfirst into the wall before falling to the ground.
The elderly appraiser picked up the painting scroll and activated a secret spell. Rings of miniature arrays appeared before his eyes, allowing him to analyze the scroll’s construction.
Stroking his white beard, the appraiser smiled with fascination. “Interesting. It’s crafted from Divine Transfiguration-grade materials, though the crafter’s skill was lacking and failed to bring out the materials’ full potential. Despite that, this magical treasure still developed an artifact spirit, which is remarkably rare; not just that, it even encompasses rules.
“Three million spirit stones. How does that sound?” The appraiser quoted gleefully.
Lu Yang pondered briefly before removing his identity jade tablet and handing it to the appraiser. “I’m from the Dao-Seeking Sect.”
“Five million spirit stones.” The appraisal revised his offer immediately.
Lu Yang continued, “I’m Lu Yang. My brother is the Meng Family’s eldest young master, Meng Jingzhou. As for my two junior sisters behind me, one is also from the Dao-Seeking Sect, and the other is from the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace.”
“Six million spirit stones.” The branch manager increased the price on the spot.
Fearing Lu Yang would reveal more information, he hastily added, “We really can’t go higher. Let us at least earn a little.”
Even as the continent’s largest merchant guild, the Luodi Merchant Guild wasn’t above driving hard bargains.
Although Lu Yang lacked expertise in this field, he could leverage his identity to prevent them from lowballing him.
1. Though Buddhist sect cultivators are typically supposed to lead ascetic lives, the “Blissful Chan” or “Joyous Chan” usually refers to dual cultivation in novels. ☜
