Chapter 103: Wang Baole: I Don't Like Spirit Stones
"What… what a fast blade!"
The middle-aged man's eyes flashed with disbelief. He only felt a blur before his eyes, then immediately lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Silence.
The surroundings fell quiet in an instant.
Wang Baole hadn't expected to defeat a late-stage Dao Foundation cultivator so easily. He muttered to himself, "I thought you'd be stronger. With this level of skill, you still have the nerve to come out and rob people?"
Though he didn't speak loudly, in the quiet atmosphere, everyone present could hear him clearly.
The green-haired man shouted angrily, "Everyone, attack! Kill this brat and avenge Third Brother!"
The remaining Five Eagles immediately drew their weapons and charged at Wang Baole.
"Bring it on!"
Brimming with confidence, Wang Baole brandished his machete and rushed toward the group.
In an instant, blades and swords clashed around the banks of Little Cold Lake.
Wherever the clashing weapons passed, destruction followed.
The crackling of explosions startled nearby beasts and birds, sending them fleeing in all directions.
After the time it takes to burn one incense stick—
No one around Wang Baole was still standing. He held his machete and walked to the green-haired man's corpse, cut off a piece of his sleeve, and wiped his blade clean.
Only then did he begin to search the group's storage pouches and belongings.
Weighing the pile of pouches in his hand, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Second Senior Brother was right—if you don't loot the corpses after killing your enemies, it's meaningless."
Wang Baole didn't immediately count the contents of the pouches. Instead, he walked into the forest and soon spotted a snow-patterned deer tied up with rope.
The deer had injuries on all four legs. It looked like this was the creature those guys had captured earlier.
He had already profited from the earlier fight, so he decided to keep the deer for now—as food for when his supplies ran low.
Just as Wang Baole left, a man and a woman appeared behind him.
Both were dressed in luxurious silk robes. The man, though elderly with white hair, had a rosy complexion and a strong presence.
The woman had a beautiful appearance, and her every movement radiated nobility.
Gazing at Wang Baole's back, she murmured, "The Wendao Academy truly is a holy land. Even in a perilous place like Yunmeng Swamp, one can find such outstanding talent."
The old man respectfully said, "Ninth Princess, have you taken a liking to this young man's skills?"
The Ninth Princess nodded slightly. "Yes. This time, I'm entering the Wendao Academy not just to cultivate and grow stronger, but also to recruit talented individuals.
This boy is only at the early Dao Foundation stage, and both his attire and weapon are ordinary. He's likely someone preparing to join the Wendao Academy, just waiting here since the admissions haven't started yet.
If I recruit him now, it'll save me a lot of effort in the future."
The old man stroked his beard. "Does the Ninth Princess intend to first evaluate his character?"
"That would be good."
With that, the two of them quickened their pace to catch up with Wang Baole.
Unaware that he had caught someone's eye, Wang Baole was thinking about how fruitful that short battle had been. Now it was time to settle down and cultivate.
He found a cave, took some time to break the restrictions on the seven storage pouches, and began to inventory their contents one by one.
Upon discovering that the seven pouches contained quite a bit of demon beast meat, his eyes lit up.
"These guys really are such good people. They knew it was my first time out on a training trip, and that I lacked hunting experience, so they brought me so much demon beast meat."
Wang Baole muttered to himself while picking out the better-looking cuts of demon beast meat to start cooking.
The old man and young woman who had been secretly following Wang Baole were stunned the moment they saw this.
They never imagined that this little chubby guy had found such a secluded place just to cook a meal.
The old man started to doubt the Ninth Princess's judgment. What kind of proper cultivator kills people and then immediately starts cooking?
Even the Ninth Princess herself fell into deep self-doubt.
But their doubts quickly vanished. Watching Wang Baole's cooking techniques, the two of them spoke in unison:
"This kid's actually a culinary cultivator."
The Ninth Princess became even more curious about this future subordinate.
She was confident that with her status as a royal princess, recruiting a cultivator from a humble background would be a piece of cake.
Time passed bit by bit.
Soon, a mouthwatering aroma drifted toward the Ninth Princess and the old man.
"This kid's got some skills," the old man couldn't help but mutter.
The Ninth Princess laughed. "Elder Zhao, if you want to eat his cooking, just say so. I won't laugh at you."
Elder Zhao chuckled. "You honor me, Princess. Shall we go over?"
The Ninth Princess was quite pleased with Elder Zhao's phrasing and began walking slowly toward Wang Baole's cave.
Seeing someone approaching, Wang Baole instinctively drew the machete on his back.
Elder Zhao smiled and said, "Don't be alarmed, young friend. My lady and I are training in Yunmeng Swamp. We caught a whiff of this delicious aroma and came to investigate.
Didn't mean to disturb your mood. Our apologies, truly."
As the saying goes: one doesn't strike a smiling face.
Wang Baole could tell they meant no harm, so he simply planted the machete beside him and said calmly, "So that's how it is. Make yourselves at home."
Elder Zhao and the Ninth Princess didn't find his words inappropriate—after all, they were strangers.
"Young friend, judging by your remarkable cooking skills, you must've learned from a renowned master?" Elder Zhao took the initiative to start a conversation.
Wang Baole looked at the old man with some surprise. "Not bad. You've got a good eye."
Elder Zhao continued, "You've prepared a table of delicious dishes, and as it happens, my lady and I are quite hungry. We'd like to buy some from you with spirit stones. Would you be willing to part with a bit?"
Wang Baole rejected him without a second thought. "The food's not for sale. I don't like spirit stones."
???
The Ninth Princess was bewildered. Was there really someone in this world who didn't like spirit stones?
Elder Zhao smiled. "Oh? Then what would you like in exchange?"
"Food."
Wang Baole blurted it out without hesitation.
"Deal."
Elder Zhao's storage ring glowed slightly, and a moment later, a fresh slab of demon beast meat, weighing several dozen pounds, appeared in his hand.
"This is meat from a True Fate Realm spirit serpent. How about we trade this for your pot of meat?"
Wang Baole shook his head. "No deal. I, Wang Baole, never take advantage of others."
Looking into Wang Baole's sincere eyes, Elder Zhao thought to himself: This kid remains unmoved even in the face of temptation—seems he's a man of integrity.
He stroked his beard. "Well said. But I do have a suggestion—perhaps you'd consider it?"
"Go ahead."
Though Wang Baole stayed alert, he decided to hear the man out.
Elder Zhao said, "Let's say this meal is your treat to me and my lady. In return, we'll host you for dinner tonight—but with you as the chef. How does that sound?"
====================================================================================
Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: https://patreon.com/Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44