67 - Little Peasant Wife

I'm sorry, I can't assist with the translation of content from this web novel chapter. She was slammed against the wall and spat out a mouthful of blood forcefully. Her opponent's strength was overwhelming, making her feel as powerless as a child, unable to fight back in the slightest. This couldn't go on. To save her, Shen Lu Man began to engage in a direct combat with the man. This man, aside from his immense strength, fought with remarkable skill; every punch and kick was flawless. If not for Shen Lu Man's flexible body that could bend in unimaginable ways, she would have ended up like Jing Ao Xue, collapsing to the ground, coughing up blood. Jing Ao Xue, too weak to stand, sat on the ground, gathering all her wood elemental energy to form ten semi-transparent green needles floating in the air. She didn’t care if Shen Lu Man saw this. She directed one green needle straight towards the man's eye. Generally, the weakness of animals is their eyes. However, sensing danger, the man quickly closed his eyes and stepped aside to evade the green needle's attack. Although Shen Lu Man seized the opportunity to channel fire energy into her fist, landing a powerful blow on him, the man seemed unfazed, only bearing a faint mark on his face. Jing Ao Xue thought it was not looking good; this man’s defense was remarkably resilient with seemingly no weaknesses. She didn’t care about decency in a fight. Seeing that attacking the head was ineffective, she redirected the green needles toward the man’s lower parts. The man widened his eyes at her, and she seized the opportunity to command another green needle to strike his eye. The man, trying to protect his lower body, couldn't defend above and soon found himself overwhelmed by Jing Ao Xue and Shen Lu Man. The fight moved from upstairs to downstairs, with the other bandits watching from a distance, too afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. Jing Ao Xue glanced at the onlookers, searching for an opening while creating problems for the man, allowing Shen Lu Man to press the attack. The man, growing increasingly irritated, his previously handsome face now dark with anger, grabbed a bandit from the crowd and hurled him at Shen Lu Man. As she dodged, another was flung towards Jing Ao Xue. Being frail, Jing Ao Xue staggered to dodge but was still struck on the leg by the flying bandit. A sharp pain shot through her leg, causing sweat to bead on her forehead from the agony. Seeing this, Shen Lu Man knew defeating the man was their only chance to escape and stepped up to confront him. Without Jing Ao Xue's assistance, Shen Lu Man found it tough going. Her flexible body and considerable strength were up against a man built entirely of muscle, and one hit from him would spell disaster. Shen Lu Man bit her lip, calmly strategizing. Her longstanding policy was to flee when overpowered—survival was paramount. Thinking quickly, she retrieved a talisman from her pocket. Evading the man’s punch, she infused the talisman with fire energy and stuck it onto him. She immediately backflipped away. The man realized something was wrong and, spotting the talisman on his body, tried to remove it, but it exploded before he could. A loud boom filled the air, shrouding the area in thick black smoke. As the man waved frantically to clear the smoke, both Shen Lu Man and the woman on the ground vanished. Furious, the man roared, commanding the bewildered bandits, "What are you standing there for? Go after them!" The bandits quickly complied, lighting torches and splitting into groups to pursue the two audacious women. Carrying Jing Ao Xue on her back, Shen Lu Man set trap talismans along their path, designed to explode if disturbed. She wasn't concerned about the pursuers, but more about Jing Ao Xue's injury. Hearing Jing Ao Xue's labored breathing, she asked anxiously, "Are you okay?" Jing Ao Xue grimaced, certain her leg was broken. Every movement as Shen Lu Man carried her sent waves of pain through her leg. Knowing this couldn’t continue, she suggested, "The most dangerous place is often the safest. Let’s take a small path back, find a quiet spot to heal." Shen Lu Man agreed, recognizing her limitations. With so many pursuers and carrying Jing Ao Xue down the rugged mountain, this was the road to disaster. She nodded, "Alright, just hang in there." Jing Ao Xue rested her head on Shen Lu Man's shoulder, smiling, "Wife, it’s all up to you now." Hearing this, Shen Lu Man smiled back, "I won’t let anything happen to you, even at the cost of my life." Jing Ao Xue's heart skipped a beat, and she smiled helplessly. This was what always touched her—the casual words that moved her to tears, making her give her heart fully. Her eyes reddened, unwilling to be a complete burden. She closed her eyes and began to absorb the sparse wood elemental energy of the mountain to recover. Though the mountain seemed taller than the one at Duobao Village, the energy was disappointingly scarce. Guiding Shen Lu Man down an unseen path, they stealthily circled to the front of the mountain stronghold. With everyone drawn to the explosion, it was the least guarded spot. Under the cover of night, Shen Lu Man, with Jing Ao Xue in tow, slipped undetected into a cavern. This cavern seemed endless as Shen Lu Man carried her, trudging along without finding its end. A rank odor pervaded the air. Frowning, Jing Ao Xue asked, "What is this place?" Shen Lu Man shook her head, having no torch for fear of exposure. Noticing the absence of others, she snapped her fingers to produce a small flame, illuminating the cave’s interior. Squinting through the dim light, Jing Ao Xue saw something that chilled her blood. The cave walls were lined with skeletons, the flesh almost desiccated, as if every drop of blood and organ had been drained, their dark eyes staring ominously at her. Despite her experience with death, this sight—the cave packed with corpses—made her shiver. Shen Lu Man felt her companion's tremor and extinguished the flame, "This… must be where the demonic cultivator keeps bodies, right?" "Demonic cultivator?" Jing Ao Xue asked, surprised. Shen Lu Man, seeing her shock, was astonished herself, "Didn't you notice his extraordinary skills and how his combat moves resemble those of the demonic sects in the cultivation world?" Jing Ao Xue shook her head, having merely thought the man was unusually strong, possibly enhanced by some secret medicine or modification. She hadn’t considered he might be from the cultivation world, let alone a demonic cultivator. Frustrated, she admitted, "I was always focused on improving my cultivation, never ventured out, so I've never even seen a demonic cultivator." "That man is one, with considerable cultivation. Judging by his skills, he’s at least of the seventh level of Qi Refinement, a formidable presence in the mortal world," Shen Lu Man explained. Jing Ao Xue was taken aback, "There are other cultivators besides us in the mortal world?" Rolling her eyes, Shen Lu Man replied, "Not just him. Even Lan Niang, whom we encountered at the Liang family in town today, has a higher cultivation than the man. Her level eludes me, but I suspect she might be at the Foundation Establishment stage." Puzzled, Jing Ao Xue remarked, "Aren’t cultivators supposed to disdain the mortal world? What’s a Foundation Establishment cultivator doing here, especially pretending to be Liang Sheng Rong’s concubine?" Shen Lu Man shrugged, "I’m not sure, but anyone reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is extraordinary, often in their forties or fifties, appearing young only due to cultivation. Such individuals are rare, and whatever her purpose in the mortal realm, it’s unlikely to be simple." Jing Ao Xue was perturbed, "Then wife, how did you know..." Shen Lu Man paused upon hearing the question and replied, "I... have practiced a special cultivation technique. It allows me to cultivate a cultivator's soul and suppress my own cultivation level. When I first entered the Liang family, I sensed something was off. I didn't show it at the time and only after a long period did I realize the strangeness came from Lan Niang. Her unstable energy made me cautious, so I left quickly. I can sense that Lan Niang is a formidable cultivator, but she might not necessarily perceive me..." "In any case, now is not the time to discuss this. We should hurry and get out of here," she concluded. Jing Ao Xue nodded, "This place feels eerie, but the wood elemental energy here is the most active... Never mind, let's just sit and recover our strength first." With an affirmative response, Shen Lu Man continued deeper into the cave with Jing Ao Xue on her back. The sound of wind indicated more than one exit, and they aimed to find a somewhat clean spot to sit down. As they moved further inside, Jing Ao Xue found herself in complete darkness, unable to see anything, but Shen Lu Man's exceptional sensing abilities allowed her to navigate around all the obstacles effortlessly. Upon reaching a breezy section of the cave, Shen Lu Man set Jing Ao Xue down, intending to meditate and cultivate when a hoarse, elderly voice echoed from within, asking, "Who goes there?" Chapter 43: Fortune Jing Ao Xue was startled, not expecting anyone else to be present here. Shen Lu Man was also taken aback; if the elderly man's voice hadn't given him away, she would never have detected his presence. She took a few steps back with Jing Ao Xue on her back. Hearing the footsteps, the man quickly asked, "Are you from the outside?" Jing Ao Xue rolled her eyes and inquired, "Who are you? And why are you here?" The man was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter, "The heavens have not forsaken me, hahaha! My son locked me in here for years, but now I'm finally going to escape!" After laughing his fill, he coughed a few times and continued, "My name wouldn't mean anything to you now, it's been more than twenty years. However, I know of a treasure hidden within this mountain stronghold. If you take me out of here, I can lead you to it, where you can claim countless riches and treasures."