Chapter 134: A rogue cultivator

Jiek Wai stared into the basin, watching the rippling reflection of his face. A frown tugged at his lips as his gaze landed on the scar slicing down his left cheek. Ugly thing. Should’ve known better than to try his luck with a giant slasher monkey. They were tier 2 beasts that weren't impossible to deal with—if you were an archer, maybe. But up close, with a sword and only at the second star of the qi refinement realm? It had been a stupid gamble, and he was lucky to come out with all his limbs still attached. He’d tried to pass the injury off as a mark from fighting an insectoid, but the old-timers at the inn weren’t buying it. Hunters who'd spent decades in Broken Ridge City could smell a lie before it left your lips. They hadn’t called him out on it—just laughed into their ale and shared knowing looks. Still, the scar had gotten him noticed. Two nights ago, a small hunting party approached him. Three others, all around his realm, looking to team up and head beyond the borders together. It wasn’t much, but it was something. With a bit of luck, they'd bring in a solid haul today. Maybe enough that he could finally send a decent sum back to his clan—make sure his brothers got a proper education, maybe even some spiritual resources. With that thought lighting a fire in his chest, he slung his sword across his back and stepped out of the cramped inn. The streets of Broken Ridge were already on the move with early morning life. He weaved past steaming food stalls and squabbling vendors, his boots scuffing against worn cobblestones slick with dew. By the time he reached the border gates, the line had already grown long—rows of rogue cultivators waiting for clearance. He spotted a few uniforms in the crowd, Darkmoon sect disciples, a couple from minor clans. He adjusted his robes and settled at the back. Seeing them, made a weird feeling tug in his chest. Well, that was part of the reason why he kept his distance. Sect disciples and clan-backed cultivators didn’t mix well with people like him, and the last thing he wanted this early in the morning was to be looked down upon. Instead, he leaned against a sun-warmed stone wall near the gate, arms crossed, listening to the usual gossip drifting from the crowd. A new beast nest had been discovered near the eastern ridge. The insectoids were starting to counter-attack again. And, of course, yet another story of a young master dragging his party into a disaster that got them all killed. None of it surprised him. It was just a reminder of how risky this life was. But for someone like him—with barely twenty nine spirit roots to his name and a water aspect that no big sect cared for—there weren’t many other options. At least as a hunter, he was free. Free to make his own money. Free to die on his own terms. Still, that didn’t stop the occasional sting of envy. The sect cultivators always had better gear—reinforced armor, weapons embedded with runes, and endless pills to keep their energy up. His own sword had chips in the blade, and the only protection he wore was a stitched leather vest that barely counted as armor. He’d only been hunting for a month now, and every coin he earned either went into living costs or was sent back home. The black market was an option to arm himself, sure, but he wasn’t willing to gamble with that kind of money. Not when his little brothers still didn’t have warmer robes for the winter. He sighed and rubbed the scar on his cheek, wondering how long it would take before he could finally afford something better. That’s when a voice cut through the usual chatter. Not gossip—something else. “Free Qi Replenishment Pills and Bone Refining Capsules! From Divine Pill Apothecary! Just for today!” His eyes snapped to the source. A man and a woman stood near the border gates, shouting at the top of their lungs. Curious cultivators were already gathering around them, drawn by the promise like moths to a flame. He pushed off the wall, eyes narrowing. Free pills? That wasn’t something you heard every day. But Divine Pill Apothecary? He’d never heard of them before. Were they some black market seller operating in daylight? But then… Why would they be giving out free pills? Even the border guards looked taken aback, glancing toward the commotion with mild suspicion, though none stepped forward to stop it. Curiosity tugged at him. He wanted to know what that was about. He made sure to recheck if his party had arrived, and noticing how they hadn’t, he moved toward the jam. The crowd had thickened already, with a handful of cultivators standing in front, asking questions in voices thick with doubt. A silver-haired woman stepped forward from the crowd and raised her voice. “Why are you giving out free pills? Are they botched or something?” The woman standing behind the stall shook her head. “No, they aren’t damaged in any way. We’re opening our shop in a few days and offering these as part of our promotional campaign. We want cultivators to try the pills for themselves, to realise these are the best pills in the city.” He blinked at that. Even the Darkmoon Sect didn’t boast like that. Arrogance or confidence? He wasn’t sure. Could be both or just fake promises. He let his gaze drift down to the table and eyed the pouches and a few pills sitting out of them. They were pale blue pills with a strange shine and a smoother texture than he was used to. The colors were odd, nothing like the typical dull greys or browns that were seen in standard Mortal grade pills. He narrowed his eyes. “They don’t look authentic to me. The color’s off. The texture too.” The man standing beside the woman gave a small smile. “We use our own recipes. These are flavoured pills—mint and honeyfruit. They’re designed to go down easy. Your taste buds will thank you.” He nearly scoffed. What nonsense was that? Pills weren’t meant to be tasty—they were medicine, not sweets. Despite the scepticism, people kept asking questions and with every answer that was thrown his way, his doubt grew thicker. Something about this didn’t sit right. Were they trying to poison people? Sabotage rival sects? But then… Why do it in broad daylight? Right in front of the gates, with guards watching? If this was a scam, it was either bold or incredibly stupid. And either way, he couldn't walk away now. Not until he figured out what kind of fools gave away valuable pills for free in Broken Ridge. So he stood there and watched for some more time while others continued crowding in, firing off questions at the pair—asking about purity, if there’d be hidden costs, or even where the shop was located. The answers came quickly. Purity? Fifty percent. Location? Just off the central street. Price? Lower than the market standard. He almost laughed out loud. Fifty percent purity wasn’t top-tier, but it was far better than he expected from a pair giving off free pills. And if the pills actually worked… Well, that kind of quality at that price was basically handing out spirit stones for free. Still, there was ample doubt that began to creep. Everything sounded too good to be true. But if he just walked away now, and the pills work… wouldn’t that be like tossing money into a ditch? Did he want to do that? Kick something free when he couldn’t afford it? With a reluctant grunt, he stepped forward, took the two pills being handed out, thanked the pair behind the stall, and slipped them into his pouch. “Maybe I’ll visit your shop,” he said as he turned away. He wasn’t planning to. Not really. As he turned, his eyes spotted the familiar figures of his hunting party walking toward him. They’d finally arrived. Three of them, all around his age, and just as new to the profession. He’d only met them last week, but they’d hit it off quickly. All from small cities, all with too little money and too much risk in their lives. Their leader, a tall youth with a wild grin and a thick axe strapped to his back, gave him a wave. “What’s going on there?” he asked, nodding to the crowd behind him. “Someone selling pills?” Jiek Wai shrugged, glancing back briefly at the pair still handing them out. “New shop giving free pills for promotion. I grabbed a couple too.” “Free pills?” the axe-user barked a laugh. “They must be trash quality. Probably some spoiled batch.” “Maybe,” he replied, not arguing. “But the wilds are harsh. Even trash might help out there.” Behind them, the only girl in the group snorted, flicking her black ponytail behind her shoulder. “We’ll be fine. It’s just a hunt. We’ve been doing this for two months now, haven’t we?” “She’s right,” the leader said, patting his axe proudly. “I’d be surprised if you even needed those pills. My axe will take care of everything.” Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. He glanced at the heavy weapon on his back and gave a noncommittal nod. “Right. Let’s go then.” The group merged into the line leaving through the border gates. And as they walked, Jeik Wai reached down to pat the pouch at his side. He could only hope he wouldn’t need those pills. *** Jiek Wai felt the need to use the pills. A deep gash tore through his left arm, blood running freely, and every breath sent sharp stabs through his chest. He was sure at least two ribs were broken. Worse, his qi was nearly gone. Just a flicker remained, not nearly enough to launch another proper attack. In front of him, the swarm of kobolds snarled and circled, their yellow eyes gleaming with bloodlust. How did it come to this? He remembered the high from earlier—how he and his party had worked together, cutting down the beasts and harvesting their valuable parts. He’d finally felt like he belonged. Like he wasn’t just another rogue cultivator scraping by, but someone who could stand beside comrades and make a future. And then greed ruined it. They’d spotted the kobolds—two-legged, wolf-like creatures with coarse fur and jagged claws—and thought they could take them too. At first, they did well. Quick strikes, clean coordination. It was going so well that they pushed deeper, unaware that another kobold group had been stalking them from the shadows. The ambush came swift and brutal. The girl died first. Her head was gone before they even registered the attack. The second member barely got a scream out before he was torn apart. Their leader, the one who always smiled and boasted about his axe, fought like a man possessed—slaying three of the creatures in a blind fury—only to fall when a kobold ripped out his throat in a blur of red. Now his body lay at Wai's feet, the blood soaking into the earth. He was alone. Each step back, each roll to the side, each shaky dodge brought him closer to the end. The scent of iron choked the air. The snarls grew louder. They were toying with him now. But he didn’t want to die. He had responsibilities. Brothers to feed. A family that still thought he was going to make it big. He couldn’t let it end here—not in this pit, not like this. As one kobold lunged, he twisted sideways using the last flicker of his movement technique and kicked it in the side, just enough to throw it off and did the one thing that he thought would save his life—he ran. His water aspect was useless for speed, but the one thing keeping him alive was the Earth-grade movement technique he’d learned months ago out of a lucky encounter. It didn’t just make him fast—it made him burst forward like a charging bull, just enough to break through and keep moving. It had saved him once. It might do it again. But with each step, he felt the weight piling up. His legs screamed. His ribs throbbed from when he’d smashed into a tree trying to dodge a kobold’s claw swipe. Blood soaked his robes, dripping from his torn hand. Behind him, snarls and pounding feet echoed louder and louder. They were catching up. But fear kept his legs moving. Kept the qi pumping through his body even as his dantian began to flicker. He could feel it—his core was close to drying up. The pain was sharp, burning, and yet he couldn’t stop. Not now. Then, in his desperation, his fingers brushed against something in his pouch. The pills. The two he had taken that morning. The free ones. From the strange stall he didn’t trust. He took them outside, and the pills felt warm in his hand. He nearly laughed, breathless and mad. What choice did he even have now? They could be poisonous. They could rot his insides or cripple his core. But he was already dying. If he was going to gamble on anything, it might as well be this. Without hesitation, he popped both pills into his mouth and swallowed. Immediately, a strange taste filled his mouth—not bitter or sharp like usual. Cool. Fresh. Mint? Before he could even to process it, the pills began to work. Warmth spread through his gut, and then—Qi. Actual qi surged through his meridians. Not a flood, but enough to ease the ache in his legs. The pull on his dantian eased, and his breath steadied. At the same time, his bones gave a sharp crack, and he nearly tripped. The Bone Refining Capsule—he remembered the woman saying, was working too. He could feel the fracture in his ribs shifting, the sharp pain dulling as the healing started. It wasn’t gentle. It hurt—it hurt like hell. But it was working. And with every step, his hope grew. He might actually survive this. Jiek Wai focused on just that—running. He wasn’t willing to waste the chance the pills had given him. With each burst of qi, the distance between him and the kobolds widened. But he knew better than to relax. Just escaping a bit wasn't enough. He needed something drastic to shake them off completely. Then he heard it. The sound of water splashing against rock. A river. He honed in on the sound, pushing his legs harder, heart pounding in his chest. Trees whipped past him. He leapt over gnarled roots and low branches until finally, through the trees, he saw it—a river cutting across the land below a small cliff. Behind him, the snarls were still there. He had no time to rethink his choices. With a shout, he launched himself off the cliff, calling on his water qi the moment he hit the air. He braced as his body slammed into the river’s surface and felt himself submerged. The cold shocked him, but the current welcomed his element. It pulled at him, flowing fast and hard. He let it take him. With practiced instinct and desperate will, he maneuvered through the current, letting the river drag him away from kobold territory. His qi affinity helped him cut through the water like a blade. Everything after that blurred together. By sheer force of will, he crawled out onto a riverbank sometime later. He didn’t know how far he’d gone, only that he’d escaped. His limbs ached. His ribs throbbed. His skin stung with cuts. But he was alive. Fucking alive. There had been no side effects or backlash. Thank heavens. Still, his body ached, but he didn’t want to sit by and think about it. If he stayed in the wild lands any longer, some other beast would make him a meal. Without another thought, he started walking. He didn’t know how many hours passed before familiar rocks and broken trees led him back to the outskirts of Broken Ridge City. But the moment the border gates came into view, his heart felt lighter. He staggered toward them, his robes torn and half-soaked. One of the guards at the post narrowed his eyes, then stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay? You went in with a party this morning, right? I saw you.” Jiek Wai nodded, a wave of frustration and grief crashing through him. “They’re all dead… Kobolds got them. I managed to run and found a river.” His voice cracked. “Do you mind if I rest for now?” The guard nodded solemnly. “Yeah. Just come tomorrow to file a report.” Jiek Wai gave another nod, too tired to care about reports. He turned, dragging his feet toward the inn, heart pounding with a strange cocktail of sorrow and gratitude. He had survived. And in his mind, one name kept echoing: Divine Pill Apothecary. He’d have to thank them too. Without those pills… He would’ve been another corpse in the wilds. *** A/N - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon. Annual subscription is now on too. Also this is Volume 2 last chapter. Read 15 chapters ahead HERE. Join the discord server HERE. Magus Reborn 2 is OUT NOW. It's a progression fantasy epic featuring a detailed magic system, kingdom building, and plenty of action. Read here.