Chapter 57: This Young Master Meets the Natives

Chapter 57: This Young Master Meets the Natives

Chen Haoran dove and hid behind the rocks along the river as soon as he spotted the boat, shushing Phelps as he did so. A boat. An actual boat. People. There were other people down in the cavern.

Why was he hiding then? He paused when the thought occurred to him. He should go and get their attention, have them take him out of this place.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

He thought of Lan Fen.

This wasnt a world where he could blindly hope for rescue without consequences. He peeked around the rock and watched the boat float downstream. It was built long and narrow like an ancient trireme. Nine oars on each side rose and dipped into the water in unison, propelling it upstream against the rivers flow. Chen Haoran could barely make out a few standing figures pacing the deck but the distance was too far even with his qi-enhanced vision.

He watched the boat leave and followed behind it, clinging to rocks and staying low to avoid notice. Just seeing the boat was enough to provide a wealth of information. There was no wood down here in the cavern. Even with the weird ecology Chen Haoran had seen, having trees good for shipbuilding would be a stretch. That meant whoever was on that boat had access to the outside. Which meant they werent equally trapped natives.

The boat sailed out of sight into the thick steam of the cavern. It didnt matter. Now that he had a direction he would find it again when it docked. If he was lucky then the river would directly lead outside. If he wasnt then he was going to have to confront his fellow spelunkers.

The Spa Cavern was a wondrous place, and the benefits it brought to cultivation were apparent. It was impossible for a large group of people to be down here exploring it without word being spread. If it was at all common knowledge then Lan Fen would have told him about it with how much of a benefit to his cultivation it was.

Phelps squealed and Chen Haoran fed him a piece of moss to calm him.

Setting an ambush.

It was a few days later by his estimated count when the opportunity to put his plan into action arrived. If the camp had bridges to the shore it meant that there was a need for them. Otherwise there was no point when boats would suffice. Chen Haorans theory was vindicated when a group crossed the bridge and traveled into the cavern. From the sound of it they were only a small group. Unfortunately, sound was all he had to go and track by. If there was one thing he was confident in it was the fact he was no ninja. His only saving grace in stealth was his habit of light steps to minimize noise, he was totally relying on the steam to obscure him otherwise. To eliminate any chance of being discovered he stayed far enough away that even his qi sense couldnt reach on the off chance that he fell into someone elses sensing range.

Chen Haoran strained his ears to the limit with qi so as to not lose what he assumed was a hunting group. He was beginning to regret not having Song Yuelin teach him his cultivator assassin stealth skills. Phelps, perhaps sensing the severity of the matter, was quiet and pressed flush against his back. It had been a risk to bring him along but if Chen Haoran left him somewhere and something went wrong he wasnt confident hed have the time to collect him.

He followed the group and listened to them hunt crickets, salamanders, and the stray sloth that dropped down from the cavern roof. After every fight they would stop and collect the cores before moving on. Chen Haoran could hear mumbled conversation and stifled laughs at some unheard joke. When he had judged that they were far enough away from the camp that he wouldnt immediately have a Liquid Meridian breathing down his neck the hunting group picked a fight with three strong salamanders.

Chen Haoran set Phelps on the ground and crept forward, unsheathing his scimitars. Slowly, carefully, he inched his sense forward till he had he whole party of five within his range and stopped. All of them Qi realms, one Ninth-layer, one Eighth, and three Seventh-Layers. A strong group all things considered. The higher Layers fought a salamander each while the Seventh-Layers surrounded the remaining one. The salamanders were no match in the end. The moment the higher Layers finished off their opponents Chen Haoran struck.

Canyon Carving Sword

He burst through the steam, his sword a torrent of blue energy.

Five heads of white hair and five pairs of golden eyes whipped around to face him.

The Lan family cultivators looked just as shocked as he felt.