Hanyuan walked toward the massive ancient oak and, with a firm grip, yanked the Cold Cloud Spear from the trunk. The bandit's corpse slid down the wood and crumpled into a heap on the forest floor. Hanyuan wiped a few stray drops of blood from the blue steel.
"Thankfully, it finished quickly," Hanyuan muttered to himself. "His cultivation was at the peak Qi refining Realm, but his foundation was hollow. Without high level martial techniques, raw Qi is just a blunt hammer against a needle."
He turned and walked toward the center of the camp. The air here was still thick with the scent of ozone and the fading vibrations of Elder Wei's Qi. Near the main pavilion, Hanyuan found the Bandit Leader. The man was sprawled on his back, his eyes wide with a final, lingering terror. His chest and throat were riddled with precise spear wounds,evidence of the terrifying speed and lethal efficiency of the middle grade spirit manual Hanyuan had gifted the Elder.
Elder Wei stood nearby, breathing steadily, not a single drop of blood staining his robes. He looked younger, more revitalized, as if the battle had finally allowed him to vent years of stagnant frustration.
"He fought well," Elder Wei noted, looking at the dead leader. He turned to Hanyuan and nodded toward a dark opening in the cliffside. "Let's look at their treasury. The scouts said it was hidden in this cave."
The duo stepped into the cool, damp interior of the cavern. It was a sprawling grotto, cluttered with the results of years of violence. Stacks of high quality spirit beast hides were piled against the walls, and several smaller boxes overflowed with stolen gold and jade jewelry.
At the very end of the cave sat three massive iron bound chests.
Elder Wei kicked the first one open. It was filled to the brim with a chaotic mix of Tier 1 and Tier 2 spirit herbs, their fragrances mingling into a dizzying medicinal cloud. The second chest groaned as the lid was lifted, revealing a dense collection of rare ores, Frost-Copper, and Heavy Lead materials used for forging high grade weapons.
Hanyuan opened the third chest. A brilliant, crystalline light reflected off his face. It was packed with Low grade Spirit Stones.
"I will take the ores and herbs back to the clan," Elder Wei said, his voice decisive. "The clan needs the materials to grow. You can keep the spirit stones, Hanyuan. You earned them."
Hanyuan didn't argue. He began to count the stones, his surprise growing with every handful. When he finally finished, his breath hitched. 845 Spirit Stones.
They certainly robbed a lot of people, Hanyuan thought. It was a staggering amount of liquid wealth. With a single wave of his hand, every shimmering stone vanished from the chest and settled into the dark space of his Storage Ring.
Elder Wei surveyed the remaining loot with a satisfied smile. "These herbs and ores, combined with the hides and jewelry, are likely worth well over a thousand spirit stones. With this, we will expand the Bai Clan's business".
The two left the cave, finding the rest of the camp deserted. The surviving bandits, having witnessed the slaughter of their leaders, had fled in terror into the deepest parts of the woods.
The walk back to the city was swift. Between the initial hunt, the annihilation of the group, and the return journey, only four hours had passed. The sun was still high in the sky when Hanyuan and Elder Wei strode through the gates of the Bai estate.
They headed straight for the Main Hall. Bai Feng was there, hunched over a desk, deeply engrossed in a trade scroll regarding the city's tax increases. He looked up at the sound of the heavy doors opening and gasped, dropping his brush.
Before him, Hanyuan and Elder Wei had placed two massive chests, each the size of an adult human, overflowing with shimmering ores and vibrant herbs.
"This... what is this?" Bai Feng stammered, standing up.
Hanyuan wiped a smudge of dust from his sleeve and offered a casual smile. "Dad, Elder Wei and I decided to take a stroll. We annihilated the Purple Blood Bandits while we were out and looted their base. These chests are for you to use for the clan's development."
Bai Feng's eyes twitched. His son was talking about the destruction of a notorious, Mortal Core Expert led bandit group as if he had just gone out to pick wildflowers.
The Patriarch stepped forward, his hands trembling as he inspected the quality of the herbs and the rarity of the ores. He drew a long, cold breath, his obsidian eyes lighting up with a fire Hanyuan hadn't seen in years.
"With this," Bai Feng whispered, looking from the treasure to his son, "the Bai Clan will no longer be one of four. We will rise to the absolute top of Spirit Springs City. No... the whole province will know our name!"
Hanyuan returned to the familiarity of his small, private training ground. The cool morning air was punctuated by the rhythmic whistle of his movements.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
He was utterly focused, his mind a void of white noise where only the tip of his spear existed. Four hundred... five hundred and eighty... one thousand... twelve hundred. Every thrust was identical, carrying the heavy weight of his Qi.
Suddenly, the wooden door creaked open. Elder Ling stepped inside, stroking his goatee with a mixture of amusement and respect. "You are still as obsessed with that spear as the day you left, haha! Lad, I came to thank you properly. Thanks to that pill you gave him, Minghan actually worked for once and broke through to the 4th Layer. I never thought I'd see the day."
Hanyuan slowed his movements, but didn't put the spear away. "Minghan just needed a push. I'm glad it worked."
Elder Ling's expression turned a bit more complicated. "Oh, and I have some news. Bai Xueling woke up this morning. Elder Zhang apparently went all out,he gave her a Tier 2 Healing Pill and has already started diverting various clan resources to help her stabilize and continue her cultivation."
Hanyuan's brows wrinkled in immediate irritation. He planted the butt of his spear into the dirt. "Why does he insist on helping her so much? If that old man wants to spend his wealth before he kicks the bucket, he should donate it to the general Clan Funds. It would do more good there. Besides, Xueling has the worst personality I've ever encountered. Giving her power is like giving a fire a bucket of oil."
Elder Ling laughed heartily, nodding in agreement. "True, true. But the old are often blinded by what they perceive as legacy. Anyway..." His eyes suddenly sparkled with greed. "Do you happen to have any more of that Spirit Wine? My throat has been terribly dry since the bottle ended."
Hanyuan chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "That wine cost me twenty spirit stones a bottle in the Sect, Elder. It's not exactly cheap water."
Elder Ling's face froze mid smile. His hand stopped stroking his beard as he did the mental math.Twenty spirit stones for a single drink was madness. He coughed awkwardly, trying to regain his dignity.
"Ahem... well... twenty stones, you say? Quite a steep price," Ling muttered, backing away toward the door. "Anyway, I'll be going. If you make it big in the future,and I know you will,don't forget this old man!"
With that, the Elder beat a hasty retreat, leaving Hanyuan to his training.
The rest of the week flowed by in a peaceful, productive rhythm. Hanyuan spent his daylight hours training his spear and his nights refining his Qi, pushing himself closer to the limit of the 9th Layer. He spent every possible moment with his parents, savoring his mother's cooking and his father's stories of the city's early days.
When the final morning arrived, the atmosphere at the gates was thick with emotion.
"Make sure to visit us next year, too!" Lin Ruo said, her voice trembling. She clutched a silk handkerchief, her eyes already brimming with tears as she looked at her son, who now stood taller than her.
"I will, Mother. I promise," Hanyuan said softly.
Bai Feng stood beside her, his chest puffed out with pride, though his eyes were also slightly misty. "Go on, then. Son, make sure to crush your opponents and let the world know the name of...AHH!"
Bai Feng's grand speech was cut short as Lin Ruo delivered a sharp, pinpoint elbow directly into his waist. She shot him a ferocious glare that could have frozen a volcano. "Can you not talk about fighting for one second while our son is leaving?"
Hanyuan couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. He gave them one last deep bow, his obsidian eyes reflecting the warmth of his home.
"I'm leaving," Hanyuan said.
He turned around and began his walk back toward the north.