Chapter 2: The Breezy Wanderer Who Does Not Return
“Let’s find another spot,” Wang Jie offered hastily, preparing to lead the two women away.
A flash of metal flew from the stranger’s hand, embedding itself through the door and into the wall several paces beyond.
All three froze, dread etching itself across their faces as they turned back toward the man.
“Come inside. Close the door,” he rasped, voice rough as grinding stone.
Liu Shui clung to Wang Jie’s arm, her face deathly pale. The other woman, timid by nature, trembled even harder.
Wang Jie drew a measured breath and guided them in, shutting the door behind them. At once, the room dimmed.
Sunset’s last rays poured through the western window, illuminating the stranger’s rugged features. Beneath a coarse beard, his chapped lips cracked into a smile devoid of warmth. Those cold, predatory eyes shifted from the women to Wang Jie.
“You know who I am.”
Feigning confusion, Wang Jie frowned. “Have we met?”
“Did the person who sent you not show you my picture?” The man’s smile twisted cruelly. “Name’s Hu Guan.”
Wang Jie’s hands curled into fists, though he forced his voice to stay calm. “I don’t recall.”
[He’s been watching us all along. Those hunters think they’re predators, but Hu Guan’s anything but prey.]
“No need for the act.” Hu Guan’s grin turned vicious. “Where is it?”
Wang Jie silently produced a signal device from his coat.
“Turn it on,” Hu Guan commanded, his tone crushing all protest.
Wang Jie hesitated. [Why now? What does he plan to do with it?]
Hu Guan’s dry lips split wider, a faint line of blood oozing from the cracked skin. “Not here. Ten kilometers southwest, on top of the old supermarket.”
His gaze locked on Wang Jie. “You’re a guide—you know what I mean.”
He struck out without warning, palm smashing into Wang Jie’s right shoulder before he could react. Wang Jie slammed into the wall, impact shaking the rickety house.
The two women screamed, recoiling in terror.
Hu Guan cocked his head, mildly impressed. “Two seals, eh? No wonder you’ve stayed alive as a guide.”
Wang Jie gritted his teeth, pushing himself off the wall. His right arm felt numb, but he forced himself to stand. “What do you want?”
Hu Guan snorted. “That palm just disrupted your seal flow. I left the method to fix it atop the supermarket. Either find someone stronger than me to restore your power… or never use that power again.”
He paused, lips curving nastily. “Oh—and I’m five seals.”
Wang Jie’s eyes widened. “Five seals…?”
[So that’s how he escaped the hunting team and even turned the tables on them. At five seals, he’s a nightmare.]
Not even Golden Hill Base would dare shrug off someone like him.
Without looking at Wang Jie again, Hu Guan slumped onto the couch. “Get lost.”
Wang Jie clenched his jaw. [I can’t fight him. Not now.] He ducked his head and left, never glancing at the women.
The moment he vanished, the two women felt a surge of icy fear. Trapped alone with Hu Guan, they watched in horror as he licked his split lips, smearing more blood on his mouth.
“Been a while since I indulged. That guide was kind enough to bring me some fun.” He pointed at Liu Shui. “You. Come here.”
Her face drained of color. She couldn’t move.
A dangerous gleam flared in Hu Guan’s eyes. He crooked his finger, then tapped on the floor, sneering.
Outside, Wang Jie—who had only pretended to depart—turned back, his eyes glittering in the dim light.
[Five seals, huh?]
He raised his hand, conjuring a swirl of gray mist that rippled like water. From it emerged a slip of paper—a simple IOU, stark white and seemingly ordinary.
[It’s been a while since I borrowed power. Let’s hope I can manage enough to make this work.]
Producing a pen, Wang Jie carefully signed:
Breezy Wanderer Who Does Not Return
The inked characters glowed faintly. The slip curled in on itself as though alive, drifting back into the mist before vanishing altogether.
Inside the house, Liu Shui’s voice trembled. “Aren’t you afraid he’ll team up with the hunting group?”
Hu Guan gave a mocking laugh. “A guide always knows how people think. Even if he betrays me, those hunters won’t bother helping him fix his seal. He’s well aware I’m the only one who can undo it.”
His grin turned cruel. “And once he’s on that supermarket rooftop at night, he’ll have to activate the signal device anyway. That place is crawling with horrors after dark—he won’t survive otherwise.”
Hu Guan leered at Liu Shui. “Amuse me properly, and I’ll keep you alive.”
She tried to steel herself and answer, but just then, a dark figure smashed through the window, plunging the room into gloom.
Hu Guan’s eyes narrowed. He shifted in a strange footwork pattern, attempting to dodge the intruder’s blow. But the stranger’s hand clamped onto his back like an iron vise. A brutal yank sent Hu Guan reeling—his seal power scattering in disarray. He managed a roar before the intruder seized him mid-lunge and slammed him to the ground. A fist hammered into Hu Guan’s chest, and blood sprayed from his mouth.
“Who—?” he choked, fury blazing in his eyes.
A crude, jester-like mask stared back. Hu Guan opened his mouth, gray seal power gathering at his throat. Yet before he could unleash it, the masked figure’s second punch shattered his neck. Death claimed him instantly.
The blow’s impact fractured the floorboards, leaving a jagged crater beneath Hu Guan’s corpse.
A five-seal cultivator, defeated before he could truly fight back.
Both women stared in stunned silence.
The newcomer knelt, rummaging through Hu Guan’s clothes until he drew out a delicate vial. Hibiscus Tears. It shimmered faintly in the last dying glow of dusk—a rare Cataclysm Material, so prized that even the Five Extremes coveted it. Perfect for healing Old Five.
In the corner, the timid girl’s eyes flicked between the masked intruder and Liu Shui—who now stood behind him. A fish-shaped blade appeared in Liu Shui’s hand as she lunged for his back.
She missed.
[He’s too fast!]
She bit down a curse, pivoting to hurl the small blade behind her, hoping for a sneak attack.
But the intruder caught it neatly.
His palm shot out, striking her midsection with thunderous force.
Bang!
Darkness engulfed her vision, and she collapsed, unconscious.
Wang Jie coughed softly, wiping a thread of blood from the corner of his mouth. [Borrowing that much power stirred my old injuries, but it’s manageable.]
He flicked his fingers, sending a wave of force to knock out the other woman. Then he turned back to Liu Shui.
[The esteemed Captain of the Feng Yu Team has tried sneaking in three times now. As if I wouldn’t catch on. You’re after the Hibiscus Tears, too, aren’t you? If not for you, none of this would’ve been necessary.]
Pocketing the vial, he stabbed Liu Shui’s fish-shaped weapon into Hu Guan’s corpse, then flung it with flawless accuracy. It whistled through the night air before lodging in a wall a hundred meters away.
Only then did Wang Jie slip into the darkness, heading southwest—exactly as Hu Guan had directed.
Barely five minutes after Wang Jie’s departure, an uncanny eye formed in midair above Hu Guan’s corpse. It blinked once, then faded away.
The sun finished setting. Night claimed the land.
Wang Jie sped through the deserted cityscape, his enhanced stride swallowing distance until he arrived atop a derelict supermarket.
[If everything had gone according to plan, I wouldn’t arrive here until well past midnight.]
He shrugged. [No point rushing now. May as well wait.]
In the post-apocalyptic wilds, daytime belonged to the Mutated Beasts, while night was the dominion of the Mutated Plants.
Far below, moonlight spilled over swaying vines that slithered up the supermarket walls. Their ominous silhouettes crept closer.
Leaning over the ledge, Wang Jie eyed a towering plant—its trunk thick as a building’s foundation. It seemed to have grown even larger.
A winged beast screeched across the sky, stirring fierce winds as it disappeared into the distance. The plant shot upward with startling speed, its petals unhinging to reveal rows of razor-like teeth. A single, monstrous bite consumed the flying creature, leaving only echoing silence. For a moment, the enormous plant stood hundreds of meters tall—ominous and breathtaking.
[Yes, it’s definitely gotten stronger.]
Settling onto the rooftop, Wang Jie let the chill night air wash over him, eyes lifting to the stars. In the world before, pollution had dimmed the heavens. Now, the moonlight was painfully bright.
Focusing on the vast sky, Wang Jie perceived dim phantom silhouettes dancing amid the starlight—some crouched, some standing, brandishing swords or spears, each form distinct.
This was the post-apocalyptic Blue Star’s path of cultivation. Many survivors could see these apparitions overhead, using them as models for training, humanity’s greatest weapon in resisting the end.
Some saw only one phantom figure, others two. Rumor claimed the record was ten.
Wang Jie, however, saw countless.
One silhouette’s fluid finger technique drew his eye; its motions were so striking that he couldn’t look away.
Below, the crunch and slurp of hungry plants rang out in the darkness. Vines, thick as serpents, coiled against crumbling walls, leaving scar-like grooves behind.
Wang Jie glanced at them, unmoving.
[Hu Guan believed I’d have no choice but to activate the signal device here at night. A two-seal cultivator against these creatures… that’s suicide without backup, right?]
He took out the signal device—and turned it on.
Miles away, a young member of the Hunting Team felt the second signal device vibrate. He retrieved it, eyes lighting up.
“Got it. Southwest. Move out.”
Back atop the supermarket, Wang Jie tossed the beacon into a corner and leapt off the building in a single bound. Several vines lashed after him, but he twisted midair, tapping his foot on the opposite leg to send himself spinning even further. In a blur, he vanished into the night.
Morning light spilled through the cracks in the old house, gilding the dusty floor in a soft glow. The timid girl woke with a start, rubbing her sore head.
She blinked in confusion. [It was night just a moment ago—how long was I out?]
Her gaze landed on Hu Guan’s corpse, then on Liu Shui sprawled nearby. She swallowed hard, trembling as she crept closer.
To her relief, Liu Shui’s chest still rose and fell—alive.
[She’s not just some random wanderer, after all. But I can’t think about that now. I have to survive.]
She placed a shaking hand on Liu Shui’s shoulder and gently tried to rouse her.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation