The following morning, Xitu was out early, practicing spells in a quiet clearing near the entrance of the forest. His hands moved in smooth patterns as he guided Qi through his meridians, entirely focused on the Fireball Spell.
Suddenly, 'Crack!'
A heavy blow struck the back of his head.
His vision blurred. Before he could react, darkness swallowed his senses.
Xitu groaned as he slowly came to. His head throbbed, and a dull pain pulsed where he'd been hit.
He blinked.
The air was damp. The faint sound of dripping water echoed off stone walls. As his eyes adjusted, he realized he was lying on the cold floor of a cave, dimly lit by the soft glow of a few Illuminating Stones embedded in the walls.
He sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head.
'Where… is this place?'
Xitu stood up and looked around. He was inside a small room in what seemed to be a cave dwelling. There was a simple bed, a wooden table, and a bookshelf filled with dusty scrolls.
He reached into his pockets, realizing all his belongings were gone. His most important safety items had disappeared: the Steel Fang Dagger strapped to his waist, the Golden Protection Talisman hanging from his neck, and the Quickstep Talisman tucked inside his robe.
Strangely, he wasn't tied up, and his cultivation wasn't restricted either. He walked around cautiously, surveying the surroundings. After a while, a heavy stone door stood before him, firmly shut. Xitu pushed with all his strength, but it wouldn't budge. He tried screaming loudly for a while, but no answer came.
Frustrated, Xitu couldn't do anything but leaned against the door and listened for any sound.
Half an hour later, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard approaching. Xitu hurriedly stepped back as the door creaked open. Standing there was Lu Fan.
"Lu Fan? What are you doing here? Don't tell me… Were you the one who brought me here?" his voice laced with confusion and disbelief.
Lu Fan let out a mocking laugh.
"Hahaha! That's right!"
Xitu frowned. "But why? We're friends, aren't we?"
The laughter died down, and Lu Fan's eyes gleamed coldly. "Because you have something I want."
Xitu instinctively took a few steps back. His heartbeat quickened. "What are you talking about? I don't have anything a Qi Foundation cultivator like you would be interested in."
Lu Fan sneered. "Drop the act. I know you stumbled upon a fortune. Just spit it out. Don't make me do something we'll both regret."
Xitu's mind raced with panic, but he tried to remain unfazed.
He replied slowly, probing for clues. "I really don't understand. I'm still the same old Xitu—weak and poor."
Lu Fan scoffed, his tone sharp.
"Heh... Still pretending, even now? You can't fool me! I've been following you these past few mornings. A Spirit Field worker like you suddenly has enough Spirit Stones to consume Spirit Harmonization Pellets as if they cost nothing? And you don't even go out to work anymore!"
Xitu fell silent, as if caught red-handed. But inwardly, his thoughts churned.
'Did he find out about the bowl? But it doesn't seem like it, at least not yet. He only mentioned my wealth, not demanded that I hand over the bowl.'
He forced a sigh and lowered his gaze, letting his shoulders slump.
"Alright… You caught me. I found a storage pouch in the forest with a significant amount of Spirit Stones inside. I was hoping to quietly break through to the Qi Foundation Realm using them. Guess I wasn't careful enough."
"I knew it!" Lu Fan grinned triumphantly. "No wonder a pathetic excuse for a man like you dared to practice spells in the forest. You used to avoid it like the plague. Growing bold with a bit of wealth, huh?"
Xitu flinched slightly. He hadn't realized Lu Fan looked down on him so much.
Lu Fan stepped closer, drawing the blade from his waist. Its edge glowed with dangerous blue Qi.
"Where is the pouch? Hand it over, and I'll let you go for old times' sake. Or else don't blame my saber for having no eyes!"
Xitu raised both hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright! Don't come any closer. You know I can't take pain."
Lu Fan stopped, his lips curling into a crooked smile. "So, where is it?"
"You took my house key, didn't you? It's at my house, inside a clay rice jar in the underground storage. The storage pouch is there. It contains all my wealth!"
Lu Fan chuckled, revealing his yellowed teeth.
"Don't try any funny tricks. If I don't find it, you're going to be in a lot of pain."
"It's there for sure! Just take it and let me go."
Lu Fan sheathed his saber and turned away. At the doorway, he spoke without looking back.
"Stay still. This place is underground in the forest. No matter how loud you scream, nobody will come. And don't even try to open the door. It's sealed by a formation. Even I can't break it by force. Don't waste your energy."
The door slammed shut.
Xitu let out a long breath and collapsed to the floor like a deflated balloon.
"I can't believe this... A kid I watched grow up with my own eyes kidnapped me and even threatened to torture me."
After a moment of stunned silence, he shook his head and steadied his breathing.
'31 years in this cultivation world, and I'm still too naive.'
'Now that he has pointed it out, it was definitely suspicious—a person like me buying so many pills to cultivate every week, even though that's not actually the case. I didn't consider that someone who knows me well might have seen me buying them.'
'I should've made 2 aliases in the first place!'
"Alright, what's done is done," he murmured, trying to console himself.
Lu Fan was careful enough to seize all of Xitu's belongings. However, he would never be so meticulous as to find Xitu's final defense: a Golden Armor Talisman, carefully hidden in his underwear.
Xitu was deep in thought, trying to figure out how to use it to escape this predicament. He knew his chances of walking out of here alive were slim. After all, if he managed to report this to the Floating Cloud Sect, the consequences for Lu Fan would be severe.
'I hope you're satisfied with the Spirit Stones and won't force my hand, Lu Fan,' Xitu thought, his eyes growing cold.