The big boss, a burly man with a scar running down his face, eyed her suspiciously.
"Join us, girl? What do you know about us?" he demanded. "Did Roian send you?"
Rin took a deep breath and thought quickly. She knew she needed to mix some truth in her story to gain their trust. "No one sent me," she began, carefully choosing her words. "I was living with my master in the forest when he was killed by other evil cultivators. I managed to escape and have been surviving alone in the woods since then."
The woman next to the boss raised an eyebrow. "What was your master's name?" she asked suspiciously.
Rin hesitated for a moment, but decided it was best to stick with the truth. "Whiteflame," she replied, trying not to show any signs of nervousness. There was almost no chance that these people had heard of her master.
"What do you say, Myron?" the woman turned to address the boss.
Myron, a tall and lean man with calculating eyes, stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Must be some hermit cultivating in isolation," he concluded finally.
Rin breathed a sigh of relief internally, thankful that her master's name hadn't sparked any recognition among the group.
Myron stared intently at Rin, his eyes searching for any hint of hesitation. "Do you even know what you're signing up for, lass?" he asked, his voice low and serious. "I wouldn't mind having a foundation level cultivator on our team," Myron continued, "but it's important that you understand the risks. We're basic road bandits, girl. We prey on unprotected caravans along the road just a few thousand paces from here." Rin listened carefully, her mind racing with possibilities. She had heard stories of caravans being attacked while traveling and knew that wealthier merchants always hired guards to protect their goods. But the thought of becoming a bandit herself didn't faze her. After all, for most of her life she had been a victim. Now, it was time for her to be the aggressor. "I'm still interested in joining," Rin said decisively. "I'm tired of living by myself and I have no issues with this kind of activity." Myron nodded, satisfied with her response. "Well then, anyone against having a midfoundation cultivator join our ranks? No? Well, it doesn't really matter anyway because I've already made up my mind," he declared with a smirk. "Then welcome to the crew, Rin," Myron said warmly. "But before we head back to our base, let's introduce you to the rest of the team."
"I am Myron, and this is my wife Wanda. We are both cultivators. The lads with us are Bruno, Geri, Aram, and Jorgen," Myron introduced himself and his companions to Rin. "You'll meet the rest of us at our main base, which is located in a big cave."
Rin couldn't help but feel curious about the "Foundation level" that Myron had mentioned earlier. As they journeyed towards the base, she decided to ask him about it.
"Myron, what exactly is Foundation level? My Master never taught me about cultivation levels. He just showed me how to get stronger," Rin said, hoping that he could shed some light on this new information. Myron looked at her with a doubtful expression.
"Your master didn't tell you about cultivation levels? That's strange," he remarked before continuing to explain. "Well, I'll tell you what I know. The first level is Foundation level, where a cultivator learns to absorb and store qi in their dantian. It's divided into three stages: early, mid, and late Foundation. After a long time and through lucky encounters, a cultivator can form a core of pure qi in their dantian. Then they move onto the next stage - Core formation."
"And what comes after that?" Rin asked, intrigued by this new knowledge. "I'm not too sure about the details," Myron admitted. "But if a cultivator continues to cultivate for a very long time, they can become demigods. Cultivators at this level can fly and bend the laws of nature with their will."
He paused for a moment before adding, "There's actually a demigod in Scarlet City, one of the biggest cities nearby." Rin was amazed by all of this information. Her master had never talked about cycles or tiers or condensations like these cultivators did. It was clear to her now that she was following a completely different method of cultivation compared to the other cultivators she had encountered so far.
As they approached the camp, the sound of crackling fire and chatter grew louder. Myron led Rin to a large cave, its mouth illuminated by the flickering flames of a fire pit. Three figures were huddled around a bubbling cooking pot, their faces obscured by the dancing shadows. The entrance to the cave was wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and it extended 100 paces deep into the earth. The floor was covered in thick furs, most likely where the bandits slept when they weren't out on raids. Myron's voice rang out as they entered the cave.
"Hey crew! We've got a new recruit." He gestured towards Rin with pride. "This is Rin, our newest team member. She's a skilled cultivator." The other members of the group turned to look at Rin with curiosity. Myron introduced them one by one.
"These are Arn, Benny, and Livy." Each nodded in greeting. "And you'll meet Violet later," Myron continued. "She's our scout and incredibly stealthy. She goes out to scout the roads for potential caravans we can rob."
Rin's keen eyes scanned the three new arrivals. She could feel Arn's aura immediately, a telltale sign that he was a cultivator like herself. His energy was slightly weaker than hers, but Rin knew not to underestimate him. As for the other two, they were mere mortals.
And thus, a new chapter unfolded in Rin's journey, that of a daring road bandit.
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With each passing day, she grew more comfortable and familiar with the ragtag crew of bandits.
On the second day of her arrival, Violet returned from her scouting mission. Much like Rin, she was a petite girl with jet black hair and striking purple irises. However, Violet seemed to possess an air of experience, perhaps a couple years older than Rin.
Assigned to shadow and learn from Violet's stealthy ways, Rin quickly adapted to their routines. As they roamed the forest, always on the lookout for their next target, a new sense of purpose settled within her. She finally felt like she belonged somewhere, even if it was in the world of outlaws and thieves.
They journeyed deep into the forest, their steps taking them thousands of paces until they reached a towering cliff that overlooked the vast Road below. Violet pointed towards it with a sense of purpose, explaining,
"This is the main road that connects Scarlet city to the Ullm Republic in the far east. It sees a lot of merchant traffic, but most caravans are heavily guarded." Her eyes scanned the area, searching for what they needed.
"We're looking for caravans with minimal guards, preferably without any skilled cultivators among them. At most, we can handle those at a low foundation level. And they need to be spread out enough so that other caravans won't catch up when we strike."
As she spent more time with her new family, Rin learned that Myron hadn't always been a bandit. "I used to be a merchant guard," he confided in her one night around the campfire. "But things went sour with some merchants and I had to make a run for it. Been an outlaw ever since."
Rin couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Myron. Despite his circumstances, he had built a small community within their band of outcasts. Most of them were like Myron, rejected by society for petty crimes or simply trying to survive on the fringes of civilization.
The flickering flames of the fire cast a warm glow on the group as they sat around it one night. The smell of bubbling stew filled the air, making their mouths water in anticipation. Aram, the youngest member of their ragtag group at only 16 years old, approached with a bowl of steaming stew in hand. "Lookey here, boss," he said with a boyish grin. "Saved the best part for our dear Rin." He looked up at her shyly, his admiration for her clear in his eyes.
"Thanks, Aram," Rin replied with a genuine smile as she accepted the bowl from him. She couldn't help but feel a touch of guilt though, knowing that Aram had a bit of a crush on her. She saw him quickly turn away to pretend to tend to something by the fire.
Rin knew she only had platonic feelings for Aram, but she couldn't deny the warmth and affection he showed towards her. She hoped he would find someone who returned his feelings someday.
As they settled in for the night, Violet and Rin discussed their upcoming scouting mission. "We'll be away from camp for a few days," Violet explained to Myron. "But we promise to bring back some useful information."
Myron nodded and gave them both a pat on the back. "Stay safe out there," he said gruffly.
A few days later, the girls finally found a promising target. "This caravan looks like it's carrying some valuable goods," Violet said excitedly. "At this rate, it'll reach our area tomorrow. Let's move quickly and gather the gang for the heist."
As dawn broke, Rin climbed up a tree to scout out the road ahead.
Her role was that of a sniper and scout, providing long-range support and preventing enemies from escaping during an ambush. She had 20 specially crafted stones for ammunition, as well as some steel balls given by Myron. These smooth and weighty projectiles would greatly enhance her offense if used .
Meanwhile, Myron and Wanda were waiting in the center of the road with their massive claymores at the ready. Violet was hidden somewhere nearby, playing with her knives. "Remember what I taught you, Rin," she whispered to herself as she waited for the perfect moment to strike.
In the few short weeks of their mentorship, Violet had become both a guide and a companion to Rin. Their combat styles were remarkably similar, except for hand-to-hand combat. Despite Rin's physical strength, her hand-to-hand skills were unrefined and erratic, more resembling that of a wild animal than a trained warrior. Under Violet's watchful eye, Rin began to improve through basic drills, though progress was slow. In the midst of many sparring defeats, Rin came to realize that she relied solely on brute force to defeat her opponents and lacked proper technique. Each day, Violet easily bested Rin despite being a normal cultivator, driving home the importance of finesse over strength in combat. The sting of defeat was a constant reminder for Rin to hone her skills and learn from her mentor's expertise.
As she reminisced, Rin noticed the slow approach of a merchant caravan. It consisted of three large carts pulled by oxen and only five guards, all of them mortals. Or so she thought - one of them was actually a foundation level cultivator, Rin could faintly sense his aura, albeit a weak one. She knew she could probably take him down with a well-aimed stone.
Myron said that they would surrender everything without a fight, but Rin still felt tense and ready for action. The caravan slowly came closer to where Wanda and Myron were waiting in the middle of the road, eventually stopping at a distance of around 30 paces.
“What is the reason of you blocking our passage“ asked one guard, the fundation level cultivator, and most likely the leader.
Myron let out a deep, throaty laugh, clearly unimpressed by the guard's attempt to appear intimidating. "Aw come on now," he scoffed, "you know the drill." His voice was nonchalant, as if he were simply issuing a friendly reminder. "This is a heist. Drop your valuables and scurry back to where you came from."
The guard sneered at Myron, his eyes filled with contempt as he examined the ragged clothes and dirt-streaked face of the man before him. "I've heard about you," he hissed venomously, "Myron the Hobo." He spat out the name like it was something foul and unworthy of his attention. "A cultivator preying on innocent mortals. How does it make you feel? Strong and mighty?" The guard's voice dripped with disdain as he looked down upon Myron.
Myron's expression turned cold as he locked eyes with the guard. "It doesn't matter how it makes me feel," he retorted sharply, his tone laced with anger. "Nothing can change what will happen next." His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, ready for whatever may come next. "So why don't you just finish venting and then fuck off?" Despite his casual words, there was a dangerous glint in Myron's eyes that warned of the consequences if the guard didn't comply.
Myron gestured towards the forest where his crew had been waiting patiently for their leader's signal. Following Arn's lead, they came out onto the road, behind the line of caravans.
The guard hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do against such odds. But eventually he stepped aside and let Myron's team pass through the caravan.
As they made their way past the wagon full of goods and treasure, Myron couldn't help but smirk triumphantly. Another successful heist in the bag.
Rin couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief. Everything had gone so smoothly, without any need for her to use her powers. It almost felt like the whole robbery had been too easy.
She glanced over at Myron, who was walking confidently ahead of her with a big grin on his face. His crew members were laughing and joking as they carried their spoils on their backs.