Chapter 59 (Patreon)

The Earth-rank method that had made the Lan family so threatening was Wood attribute. The Patriarch was practicing it. Why would he do it in Clearsprings City when the Spa Cavern was superior in every way? Especially when he had to shorten the time it took for him to return to his old cultivation level by any means possible.

Where was Lan Fen in all this then? What was she doing? Her previous schemes took on a new light now. Not just exposing the Patriarch’s cultivation. It was to expose that he wasn’t even there. Attacking the Lan family wasn’t just to weaken them in the eyes of the other families. It was to force the Patriarch to come out of seclusion and back to the city. Was that where she planned to deal him the killing blow? The Lan family having an Earth-rank method was one thing, the Lan family having an Earth-rank method and a cultivation paradise? That was something else entirely.

Chen Haoran shivered. If it weren’t for that prince giving the major families a reason to rally together Lan Fen’s plan could have spelled the end for the Lan family. It still might even. The Lan family didn’t seem keen on sharing the secret of the Spa Cavern after all.

Regardless, the danger of the cavern had rocketed up several levels. He was potentially in the same area code as the second strongest cultivator in Clearsprings City who would probably like nothing more than to skin him alive. Perhaps he’d run into one of the other Lan family Elders first before that happened though? Or if he was lucky he would become chow to some passing Liquid Meridian beast. Or maybe the powder keg that was Clearsprings politics would blow up and multiple factions would duke it out within the cavern.

“You know Phelps if surviving difficult situations was a school assignment my report would be marked up in red pen.” He’d get a passing grade for the sheer fact he was still alive despite it all but much like his old math teachers, he’d be getting points off for not showing how his equations actually lead him to that conclusion. Naturally, the solution to this was the same way he passed high school engineering.

Copy the smarter student.

Once again he would have to peek at Lan Fen’s cheat sheet to survive. So if he were Lan Fen, where would he be right now to maximize his chances for revenge?

“Here,” Chen Haoran sighed. “She would be right here.” He looked up towards the cavern roof. “Lan Fen if you’re in here then you better find me or I’m going to be so pissed.”

Actually calling to the sky wouldn’t work. Listening in on words from a far distance was impossible even for Lan Fen’s incredible sensing ability. If Lan Fen wanted to find him then it would be her choice in the end. It did make Chen Haoran feel a little better to say it out loud. If she found him then he was manifesting the future. If she didn’t then he was frontloading his outrage.

Win-win really. So long as he was still alive.

—————

He followed the river upstream to its waterfall source. Now that he knew Lan family boats regularly travels down it however he kept far away from the banks and hidden within the steam. Only venturing near the river to orient himself and make sure he hadn’t wandered off too far from its course. The camp by the waterfall entrance was most likely the main Lan family base for their cavern operation. Whether the Patriarch was there remained to be seen but it was guaranteed that at least one Liquid Meridian would be stationed there. Not that it really made much difference to him which flavor of Liquid Meridian was playing house. He was screwed either way as soon as they got their hands on him. Chen Haoran wasn’t fool enough to believe for a second that the repeated ass-kickings he experienced at the hands of Song Yuelin were enough to square up against a serious Liquid Meridian.

Not that he had much of a choice when it came to throwing himself into the Lion’s Den.

Every so often he would spot hunting groups. They would roam around the edges of the shoreline hunting monster for cores and gathering spiritual herbs as well as, surprisingly enough, the glowing moss. What use they had for it was unknown but the few times he was brave enough to spy he saw they carried it away by the barrel full . On bad days Chen Haoran feared that these hunting groups were personally scouring the cavern for him after his act of annihilating a hunting party. On his good days, he recognized them for what they were. Cogs in the machine to fuel the Lan family’s power and, more importantly, the Patriarch’s power. Whether the collected materials were all for Patriarch Lan was unknown but he was almost certainly taking a significant chunk.

If the Patriarch was anything like Chen Haoran then he’d be running into bottlenecks thanks to the overabundance of cultivation materials. If he was like Lan Fen in talent instead then Chen Haoran hoped she had a real killer move in reserve.

Assuming she was even here.

If he got out of this cavern alive he would have to find more Liquid Meridian cores. Surely not every Liquid Meridian realm would be as invincible as Song Yuelin when it came to being blown up?

It was mostly thanks to the cavern’s steam and rock formations that he was able to avoid being spotted by the Lan family hunting groups. His qi sense had revealed its true strength in this situation. It was perhaps the most mysterious benefit of his becoming a cultivator. How it worked was beyond him to explain and with how instinctual its use was he eventually took its magical effect for granted. Here though where only sound and the qi-sense were able to protect him he began to truly notice its properties.

To begin with, not every qi sense was equal. Lan Fen’s insane range was evidence enough of that but given how ridiculous she was in general he discounted anything about her being in the range of standard or explainable. Deep in the steam he received a more reliable example of this in action, from when he ambushed the first hunting group to the various foraging parties he was now avoiding he noticed them with his qi-sense before they did every time. It was clear that his range was greater than that of the Lan cultivators. Cultivation was the cause of it, with every Layer he grew so too did his sense. Layer alone wasn’t enough to explain everything. Barring any personal talent or genetic dispositions for sensing the biggest reason could only have been the quality of his qi. His Earth-rank cultivation method had helped him crush many cultivators who were otherwise his equal in level.

For now.

The journey upriver thus passed in a safe but much to tense manner for his liking. The only good thing was that the patrols confirmed he was getting closer to his goal of escape. He didn’t dare go near the river anymore for fear of discovery and could only hope he hadn’t veered too far off course in the steam. He didn’t dare wish for visibility however. A clear view would spell his death and he was dreading the next cold snap.

His efforts bore fruit in the end. The roar of water grew louder than ever, such that he could feel the vibrations through the stone beneath his feat. With the utmost caution, he slowly swung back around to the river. As if pushed away by the force or by some other method the steam thinned to the point he could see a waterfall two hundred feet in height bursting out of the sheer wall of the cavern like a spout. Rising equal in height alongside it was a tree, bent and sloped like an organic ramp, its branches woven into railings. One end was buried in the ground, the other end speared into the stone next to the top of the waterfall.

Thick boxes suddenly appeared out of the waterfall and fell into waiting nets at the base where workers quickly scrambled like spiders on the web to remove them. On top of the tree, men picked up barrels and crates and slung them at the top of the waterfall where they disappeared without a trace.

The Lan family camp was enclosed within a semi-circular stone wall that enveloped the base of the ramp tree and the waterfall and met with the river in the center where a chain net rose out of the water. Two tall watchtowers sat on either shore. If Chen Haoran wanted a better view he needed to reach a higher elevation. Unfortunately, there were no pillars or hills near enough for him to to climb. He’d probably be spotted had he attempted such a thing anyway.

He would have to ask someone else.

He turned to look at the presence that deliberately revealed itself behind him. “I have some questions for you.”

Out of the steam, like the ghost of a dead general, appeared Lan Fen.