Chapter 394: Was Living Not Good Enough
Leaving The Shen Clan, Jiang Chen strolled alone through the dimly lit streets of the loose cultivators’ market. The hour of Hai had arrived, pushing the time past nine at night.
The bustling daytime crowds had long since dispersed, leaving behind a hollow quiet. Only the glowing entrances of a few scattered shops still drew small clusters of loose cultivators and late-night traders.
None of the meager wares on display held any appeal for Jiang Chen anymore. Bypassing the trading houses entirely, he set a direct course for the Fragrance Pavilion.
“While autumn holds, we need to push into the Dark Forest a few more times,” a gruff voice drifted over.
“Why?”
“Because once winter sets in, hunting monsters becomes a frozen hell.”
Jiang Chen glanced over at the source of the voices—a newly formed monster-hunting squad. It was a meager five-man outfit. Two of them bore the weathered, cynical expressions of seasoned veterans, while the other three possessed the wide-eyed, unblemished faces of absolute novices. They had likely just stepped onto the path of Cultivation, hovering at the mid-stage of Qi Condensation at best.
The world spun on a myriad of axes, and everyone had to carve out their own survival. For the vast majority of untalented loose cultivators parasitizing off Green City, joining a monster-hunting team was the only viable lifeline for a stable income.
Greater strength yielded greater coin. Yet, only the fringes of the Dark Forest offered any semblance of safety; its depths were a lethal gamble. The shadows there concealed far more than mere monsters—they harbored unspeakable horrors.
Without resources, Cultivation was impossible. Without Cultivation, survival was a pipe dream. It was a suffocating paradox that choked the life out of countless loose cultivators, leaving them utterly powerless to change their fates.Taking in their ragged gear and desperate chatter, Jiang Chen couldn’t suppress a quiet sigh. *If I had failed that third assessment back then, I’d probably be out here scraping by as a loose cultivator too.*
He would have been condemned to a life of endless, backbreaking toil just to see the next sunrise. Instead, he possessed the freedom to dictate his own desires. If he wanted to drink flower wine, he drank flower wine. Compared to the wretched masses, his life was practically a paradise.
A short walk later, the Fragrance Pavilion loomed into view. The familiar three-story structure welcomed him with its signature intoxicating aroma and warm, inviting ambiance.
However, the roster of “courtesans” had rotated once more since his visit half a year ago. Since Hong Zhu was still attending The Shen Clan’s banquet, a younger woman stepped up to receive him.
Lacking Hong Zhu’s mature allure, this new girl compensated with raw, bubbling enthusiasm. Spotting Jiang Chen, she immediately closed the distance and intertwined her fingers with his. Her jade-like thumb suggestively stroked his hand as she flashed a brilliant smile. “Which floor, Immortal Elder?”
Jiang Chen smoothly produced the required Spirit Stones. “Second floor.”
Yet, as he scanned the room, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
Xiao Taohong was nowhere to be seen.
Even Yue’er was missing.
Xiao Taohong’s absence made sense—she had an old flame to attend to. But Yue’er had been sold to the Fragrance Pavilion outright. Had someone actually paid her exorbitant redemption fee?
With his usual acquaintances gone, Jiang Chen didn’t waste time dwelling on the past. Scanning a lineup of twenty unfamiliar faces, his gaze settled on a woman with a distinctly “plump” figure. Not a bloated, sluggish heaviness, but a lush, captivating fullness.
Her name was Wen Ru, a woman in her early twenties with a soft, oval face. While her features weren’t breathtakingly exquisite, her eyes shone with a clear, inviting brightness. Whenever she smiled, two shallow dimples graced her cheeks. She stood tall, with elegantly rounded shoulders. Her delicate curves resembled flawless jade steeped in spring water—voluptuous without a hint of excess.
Her collar hung open, teasing a faint, rosy flush across her collarbones. A silken sash rested loosely around her waist, accentuating the crescent-moon curve of her hips. Her lips were full and painted with a light rouge, parting to reveal a row of pearly white teeth whenever she spoke.
Wen Ru seamlessly leaned into his side, her voice a soft, honeyed purr. “Have a drink, Immortal Elder!”
Jiang Chen took a leisurely sip from his cup and asked casually, “New here?”
Wen Ru blinked, letting out a light, musical laugh. “The Immortal Elder has a sharp eye.”
“It seems the Fragrance Pavilion has cycled out its staff again,” Jiang Chen noted.
Wen Ru offered a subtle nod. “The Fragrance Pavilion isn’t just a single establishment. Every so often, the higher-ups rotate the girls between different branches.”
Realization dawned on Jiang Chen. “So, you were transferred from another city’s Fragrance Pavilion?”
Wen Ru’s eyes rippled like a disturbed spring as she gazed up at him. “Does the Immortal Elder like what he sees?”
“I chose you, didn’t I?” Jiang Chen replied with absolute certainty. “Of course I do.”
At those words, Wen Ru practically melted against his chest. “Then… please, show me your affection!”
……
……
The next day arrived.
The banquet had been attended.
The flower wine had been thoroughly enjoyed.
With his business concluded, Jiang Chen had no desire to linger in Green City and prepared to return to his sect.
Before departing, he made a calculated detour to the Spirit Rice trading hub within the loose cultivators’ market. There, he purchased three thousand pounds of premium Spirit Rice, specifically cultivated for brewing alcohol.
He had to admit, the black-market prices here undercut the sect’s rates by a massive margin. It was the primary reason cultivators flocked to this gritty hub for their transactions.
Stowing his haul, Jiang Chen seamlessly slipped back into his ‘Zhu Rong’ disguise and strode out of Green City. He exited exactly as he had entered—if he was going to play a part, he would play it flawlessly.
His original plan was simple: find a desolate stretch of road, summon the Shattered Moon Flowing Frost, and take to the skies. But the moment he crossed the city limits, the prickle of killing intent washed over him. He was being tracked, and not just by one person.
A quick pulse of his spiritual sense confirmed his suspicions. It was the five-man hunting squad he had crossed paths with the night before.
“I saw it last night! This bastard casually flashed over a hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones!” a hushed voice hissed from the treeline.
“Look at his robes. He’s loaded!” another whispered back.
“And he’s arrogant enough to travel alone. The heavens are practically handing us a fortune!”
Jiang Chen maintained a steady, unhurried pace, allowing the five-man squad to shadow him. At first, he entertained the thought that they simply shared the same route, but their relentless mirroring of his every turn proved otherwise.
A cold, predatory smirk tugged at the corners of Jiang Chen’s mouth.
Pivoting smoothly, he altered his trajectory, marching directly toward the perilous depths of the Dark Forest. He even dialed back his speed, ensuring his would-be assassins wouldn’t lose his trail.
Five minutes of deliberate trekking brought him to the banks of a babbling stream. Jiang Chen halted, rolling his shoulders as if pausing to catch his breath.
Instantly, the five stalkers fanned out, tightening their net in a coordinated encirclement.
The cultivator with a Wood Spirit Root melded seamlessly into the dense underbrush.
The Earth Spirit Root user glided over the soil without displacing a single pebble.
Meanwhile, the Water Spirit Root user silently siphoned the ambient moisture from the nearby stream, preparing a lethal strike.
They had zero intention of exchanging villainous banter. They were here for a swift, brutal execution. The intoxicating promise of imminent wealth sent their hearts hammering against their ribs.
Suddenly, Jiang Chen’s voice cut through the silence, dripping with icy mockery. “Was living simply not good enough for you?”
“He spotted us!”
“Strike! Hit him together!”
“I don’t care who he is, leave nothing but a corpse!”
Deep in the isolated woods, there were no witnesses to fear. Realizing their stealth was broken, the five discarded all hesitation and unleashed their killing moves.
Jagged earth spikes erupted from the ground, high-pressure water arrows tore through the air, and thick, thorny vines lashed out to bind his limbs. A chaotic barrage of spells converged on Jiang Chen’s position.
Jiang Chen didn’t even flinch. With a soft *poof*, his physical form violently combusted, dissolving into a shower of harmless sparks.
A split second later, the combined magical bombardment obliterated the space he had just occupied, shredding the earth and leaving a smoking crater in its wake.
“What the hell?!” Seeing their attacks hit empty air and their target vanish, the five assassins whipped their heads around, panic bleeding into their eyes.
*Caw!*
*Caw!*
*Caw!*
A chorus of ear-piercing, demonic shrieks suddenly echoed from the canopy above. It sounded like the tolling bells of the underworld.
Without warning, the ambient temperature within a thousand-foot radius violently spiked, centering directly on the five cultivators. The nearby stream flash-boiled into a cloud of hissing steam, instantly flash-roasting the fish within its waters.
The assassins snapped their heads upward, their pupils shrinking in sheer terror. Five massive fire crows, trailing rivers of molten flame, plummeted from the sky. They rode a suffocating shockwave of heat, diving at speeds the eye could barely track.
There was no time to cast a shield. No chance to dodge. Upon contact, their flesh instantly charred into blackened cinders.
On the other side, Jiang Chen revealed his true form, his expression utterly indifferent. “To kill you, I didn’t even need to lift a finger!”