What do you mean I'm a cultivator?-Chapter 21

The caravan workers and miners kept their distance, clustering around makeshift fires at the camp's edge. Occasional fearful glances toward the mine entrance revealed their unease.

Deng Bo had wasted no time spreading word of the danger lurking below, his warnings punctuated by nervous gestures toward the tunnel where the jade mole had made its domain.

Jiang Cheng stood alone before the darkened maw of the mine, arms crossed, posture rigid despite his exhaustion. The empty feeling in his dantian persisted, a hollow ache that reminded him of how close they had come to death.

He had managed to gather only the barest whisper of Qi in the hour since their escape, barely enough to throw a proper Qi- infused punch, let alone defend against any serious threat.

Unlike the rest of the surviving disciples, Jiang Cheng was barely fourteen years of age, and his body simply took more Qi to keep up during the chase.

Not only that, He didn't have a gathering pill to use, unlike the rest of them, likely having one in case of emergencies. Smart idea.

"Should have thought of that." Cheng mumbled to himself, as he stood right next to the mine's entrance, a small fire providing some nice light as the sky slowly set.

Fang Lin approached him, her face composed once more, though shadows lingered beneath her eyes. Zhang Kun and Li Mei stood behind her, both looking somewhat recovered physically, if not mentally.

"We're departing now." Fang Lin said, her voice low. "Remember your instructions. No one enters the mine under any circumstances. If that creature emerges." She paused, considering. "Blame your bad fortune."

Jiang Cheng nodded. "I understand, Senior Sister." he spoke, cupping his hands.

"Once we've reported to the sect, they'll likely send A Foundation Establishment cultivator or two to deal with the threat. God knows how easy they have it in the inner sect."

She spoke, envious as all of them. Virtually everyone knew just how better things were in the inner sect. Hell, the bazzar, was literarily inner sect disciples selling things they didn't need.

"We should reach the sect before tomorrow." Fang Lin continued. "With luck, the sect will dispatch reinforcements by next day."

She glanced at the mine entrance. "That should be soon enough. provided the beast remains content with its current feeding ground."

The unspoken implication hung in the air. If the jade mole decided to expand its territory sooner, there would be little Jiang Cheng could do to stop it.

Even worse, when it would break into foundation establishment, or its equivalent for monsters, it would likely have enough strength to break the array housing the only way deeper in, to the foundation establishment materials that the sect kept for themselves.

Qi condensation materials were plentiful. Foundation establishment? not so much.

"Be safe, Junior Brother." Fang Lin said, her formal tone softening slightly, likely reminiscing when she was his age, a few years back.

With that final acknowledgment, she turned away, gesturing for the others to follow.

Unlike their frantic flight through the tunnels, their departure was measured and controlled.

Fang Lin took the lead, each step carrying her thrice the distance a normal stride would allow. Zhang Kun and Li Mei followed suit, their movements similarly enhanced by the cultivation techniques of the Falling star Sect.

As they were in the seventh stage and above, they had a mission or two more in their belts than Cheng himself. Not only that, instead of his focus on cultivation and reading, they had spent time training their learned techniques.

This wasn't the frantic, chaotic sprinting that had barely saved their lives in the mine. This was the efficient, disciplined movement of trained cultivators, conserving energy while covering ground at speeds no ordinary human could match. Even in their weakened state, they moved with a grace that betrayed their years of training.

Within moments, they had crossed the clearing and entered the forest path that would lead them back to the sect. Their forms grew smaller in the distance, eventually disappearing among the trees.

Jiang Cheng turned back to face the mine entrance, suddenly aware of how alone he truly was. The caravan workers wouldn't be of any help if the jade mole decided to emerge. In fact, they'd likely be the first to flee.

At least they would hopefully serve to buy enough time for him.

Unfortunately, due to his much higher Qi signature, as he didn't' possess a way to suppress his presence, likely something done only at the foundation establishment and above.

A cold wind whispered from the tunnel, carrying the faint smell of earth and something else. Something metallic and foreign. Jiang Cheng shivered, not entirely from the chill.

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He settled into the familiar lotus position several zhang away from the entrance, close enough to observe any disturbance but far enough to give himself a head start if the worst happened. Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing, attempting to gather what little ambient Qi he could to replenish his depleted reserves.

As the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the mining camp, Jiang Cheng couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere in the darkness behind him, jade eyes were watching, calculating, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

As the afternoon sun cast long, shimmering waves of heat across the camp, Jiang Cheng sensed them before he saw them. Seven unfamiliar Qi signatures, scattered but approaching with purpose.

He had managed to recover around a tenth of his total Qi storage. But hopefully, it would be enough for whatever was coming.

He opened his eyes, tensing instinctively. The caravan workers saw them too, their murmurs dying as they turned toward the tree line.

Of course, unlike Jiang Cheng, these were mortals. The only reason they felt the mole that chased out the disciples, was it was activelly letting out its precence in a attempt to scare the disciples.

This was another fundamental difference between cultivators and monsters. They worked on a far more instinctual level. The ability to weaponize one's presence, was after all, something only foundation establishment cultivators could do, unlike the monsters, on of their few but potent inborn abilities.

A group of rogue cultivators emerged from the dense underbrush, stepping onto the packed dirt of the mining camp. Their clothes were a mismatched blend of different colors, with no unified insignia.

These were roaming cultivators, possessing no allegiance to any sect.

Their leader, a lean man with sharp features and a cocky grin, radiated the aura of a seventh-stage Qi Condensation cultivator. He carried himself with the confidence of someone who had taken what he wanted in life rather than earned it.

The others, ranging from the third to sixth stage, spread out behind him, their eyes scanning the camp with the keen awareness of opportunists.

Jiang Cheng rose to his feet, keeping his expression neutral. He could feel their gazes lingering on him, noting his own Qi signature.

Sure, he was weaker than the leader, and tired as well. But a sect cultivator was a sect cultivator nonetheless, making them cautious.

"Well, well." the leader drawled, stopping a few paces away. "Didn't expect to see a lone Falling star disciple guarding a mine. What's a little fledgling like you doing all the way out here?"

Jiang Cheng met his gaze evenly. "Sect business."

The man chuckled. "Is that so? See, we've heard rumors about this place. A jade mine abandoned overnight? That’s an interesting story. Figured we’d come take a look."

Jiang Cheng felt the tension in the air shift. These weren’t just wandering cultivators. They knew something had happened.

"The mine is sealed." Jiang Cheng said firmly. "No one is allowed to enter."

The leader tilted his head, amused. "And who's gonna stop us? You?"

The rest of the group chuckled. One of the younger ones, a woman with a dagger strapped to her thigh, smirked. "You barely have enough Qi to stand straight, kid. What’s in there that’s worth hiding?"

Jiang Cheng didn’t answer for a split second. He had no way to enforce the sect’s decree. Not against seven rogue cultivators at once, who clearly didn’t care about rules.

"Death, for all that wish to enter." Cheng replied, his hand on his sword's handle.

The leader exhaled through his nose, his grin widening. "No need to get hostile. We’re just interested in a business opportunity. How about this? You let us take a quick look inside, and in return, we make sure nothing unfortunate happens to you."

Jiang Cheng’s grip on his sleeve tightened. So that’s how they wanted to play it.

The caravan workers had already begun edging away, unwilling to get involved. He was truly alone in this.

"You cannot enter. There's a foundation establishment jade mole inside. If you're courting death, then be my guest." Cheng spoke, lying About the mole's true level.

For a brief moment, there was silence. The rogue cultivators exchanged glances, their amusement dimming. Even the weakest among them knew the weight of those words.

"Foundation Establishment equivalent?" The leader repeated, his grin stiffening ever so slightly. His casual stance didn't change, but Jiang Cheng could see it. The slight tensing of his fingers, the brief flicker of calculation in his eyes.

"A jade mole at that level? You expect us to believe that?" the woman with the dagger scoffed. "If that were true, you wouldn’t be standing here."

Jiang Cheng didn't flinch. He exhaled sharply, adopting the weary frustration of someone forced to explain the obvious. "You think I'm standing here because I want to be?"

He gave them a sharp look, trying to mask his exhaustion, as he needed proper rest. Not the meditation he had the previous night. "The sect sent thirty of us to deal with it. Supposedly at only the half step foundation establishment equivalent."

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"That ended up being wrong. It had broken through by the time we got here."

That got their attention. Their leader's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before he masked it with a scoff.

Jiang Cheng pressed on, seizing the moment. "Four of my senior brothers and sisters are already heading back to report to the sect. Reinforcements will arrive within a day. If you go inside now, you’ll just die for nothing. Hell, I bet it will have a nice meal out of you all."

He let his words settle, keeping his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. If they pressed further, if they called his bluff, he had no backup plan.

And if they didn't buy it, the mole would definitely break through by eating them. Even now, it was likely a week or two from accumulating enough Qi. With the addition of there rogue cultivators, it would be more than enough.

The leader studied him, his amusement replaced with cold calculation. Even if he didn’t fully believe Jiang Cheng, was it worth the risk? Was a pile of jade or two worth gambling his life against a Foundation Establishment beast?

One of the men shifted uncomfortably. "Boss… if he's telling the truth, we should—"

"Shut up." the leader snapped. But Jiang Cheng could see it. The doubt creeping in, the slow unraveling of their confidence.

The woman with the dagger folded her arms. "Then what’s stopping it from coming here?"

"The sect is in possession of foundation ranked materials behind a array. Most likely it's trying to break it as we speak."

A gust of wind swept past, sending a whispering echo from the mine’s entrance. It was just the shifting air, but to nervous ears, it might have been something else.

The leader clicked his tongue, exhaling through his nose. "Tch. A waste of time." He turned, flicking a glance at his crew. "We’re leaving."

Just like that, the tension snapped. The group hesitated, then followed, the pull of self preservation stronger than their greed.

Jiang Cheng forced himself to remain still as they retreated into the tree line. Only when their Qi signatures faded did he allow himself to breathe.

He had won this round. But if they returned. Or worse, if the mole did emerge for whatever reason, he wouldn’t have a second chance.