Aisnam was being targeted.

The challenge I was facing was supposed to be scary, yet, I didn't have much fear. It was arrogance, I knew, but the sight of a Fifth Stage cultivator, not only running away, but also thanking me for merely robbing him rather than killing him was enough to make it hard to feel humble.

I had to remember the Golden Core cultivator attacking the protective artifact to keep that arrogance under control. "There's always someone stronger," I muttered before I stopped pondering over what had just happened.

There were a lot of things that needed to be done to deal with the new threat. I should not only redo the passive detection formation and make it more sensitive, but also I needed to set up several traps and safe houses in case an enemy that I couldn't defeat arrived, giving me a chance to evacuate Aisnam.

"However, first, the loot," I said as I poked his bag from a distance, using a stick to reverse its contents. I didn't expect any nasty surprise, but there was no harm in being careful.

There wasn't much. A few essence pills for martial arts, about thirty broken spirit stones, and a few flame talismans that looked old enough that they might actually crumble when used. No wonder he was tempted by the idea of the bounty.

His lack of wealth wasn't surprising. My long stay at the cultivation market gave me a lot of information about the way they lived. Itinerant cultivators, at least, the smart ones, didn't try to accumulate riches, but instead spent their money for cultivation resources.

Stupid ones didn't live very long.

Then, I turned my attention to the real valuable item. The book, radiated enough presence for me to notice. I grabbed and flipped it. "A technique manual, excellent," I muttered.

Five Draws Illusionary Dagger.

It was an old, tattered book, large sections of it missing. Apparently, it was supposed to have five moves, but only the portion that was about the second portion had survived, describing something similar to the attack I received.

But not exactly.

I didn't try to learn it. I was a cultivator, which meant that the techniques weren't as incomprehensible to me as before, but that didn't change my lack of inherent talent. I would still require a lot of time to decipher a technique, and even longer to actually develop any proficiency. Weeks, maybe months.

And, that was assuming I could actually practice a half-complete technique without hurting myself. The guy who had run away must have possessed a decent talent in dagger techniques to successfully cultivate it.

Luckily, I had a way to repair it. All I needed was to find a way to pass that to Aisnam indirectly, and use the techniques t

I was also tempted to bring it to Pearyin, and see if her talent would work equally impressively, but after some consideration, I decided against it. I had already seen that her incredible comprehension was very streaky — she was able to learn a palm technique in moments, but still struggling with the basics of calligraphy.

An incomplete technique was not a good test.

I put the useful items into my storage ring, burned the rest, and returned to the capital, however, I didn't return to Spring Palace.

Instead, I started laying down another detection formation, one that would challenge my improved formation skill to the limit. This time, I decided to draw it in three layers.

The first layer covered only the capital and a mile around it, filled with enough nodes to catch a hint of Qi even if the cultivator was trying to hide. The second layer used the previous formation, and covered the hundred-mile radius.

The third layer covered much more. I had particularly focused on the road between the capital and Markas, adding enough nodes to give me an even better detection.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It was a good thing that I did so. While I was busy with the mess, I detected six more itinerant cultivators, all coming directly from the direction of the cultivation market, as if they had been racing for a reward.

I confronted them. Their reactions were more or less the same as the first attempt. They challenged me cautiously, but once they had been defeated, they were quick to surrender and postulate themselves. I questioned every single one of them. Since I had a better idea of what had been going on, I was able to ask more pointed questions.

Apparently, the bounty had been declared at midnight at the cultivator market, but they had been informed about it by their allies who used some one-time communication talisman, and they rushed forward to be the first ones to catch the opportunity. Their speed implied that they were already living in the Zaim Kingdom, or at least the wilderness between kingdoms.

It meant, there would be a lot of itinerant cultivators moving forward.

I welcomed it, particularly since it gave me a chance to finally increase my technique repertoire.

Unfortunately, not all of them had been carrying technique manuals with them. Out of the next five, only two of them had them, and both were mostly scraps. I wondered how many times they had come close to death trying to learn those techniques.

A palm technique called Fierce Palm of Four Waves, and a saber technique called the Merciless Landslide of the Three Swings.

The techniques seemed to be pretty simplistic, but that didn't bother me. After all, as long as I could use Aisnam to upgrade them, it should be alright. I didn't have the talent to cultivate the dagger and the saber techniques, and while my own palm technique knowledge might allow me to attempt learning Fierce Palm of Four Waves, I still wanted to see if I could receive a complete version first.

I continued laying down the formations even as I considered the sequence of events, and the sudden proliferation of cultivator attackers. From a larger scheme, their numbers weren't too great, but not too low either.

It was likely that I wasn't the only cultivator who decided to grow a small garden to support their cultivation. Of course, without sharing my advantages, they were nowhere near enough to match my success. They might generate enough to avoid starvation, maybe even enough to cultivate while they were still in the early stages, but that would be the limit for most.

However, that conclusion meant that they wouldn't be the only itinerant cultivators that arrived. There would be others who tried their luck, and the more I rebuffed them, the higher the risk would get… Sooner or later, the ones behind the bounty would make a move.

They would either increase the bounty, enough to attract late-stage cultivators; or intervene directly, risking revealing their hand.

I wondered which option they would choose … but either way, I wasn't scared. My discussions with Aisnam had already revealed that the argument between the family branches wouldn't justify the mobilization of the Foundation Establishment elders, and anything weaker was not intimidating.

I had to admit, that finally having the confidence not to run away at the sight of the slightest trouble was a satisfying development.

It had been the four most difficult months of my life.

While I was dealing with the mess, I didn't neglect to deliver the books to Aisnam indirectly. However, to prevent from disappearing halfway, I kept an eye on the process, while, at the same time, improving the formation around the capital even more — just because I was confident to defend myself didn't mean I wouldn't further turn things to my benefit.

The books, I packed with an old tarp and led a few guards who had been chasing a thief to it. Once the guards discovered the books, they were quick to realize those were too valuable for them to touch. Guards delivered it to their captain, the captain to one of the new ministers.

And, the new minister brought them to the Queen, earning a minor noble title for his efforts. Guard captain received a promotion, and guards received a hundred gold coins each for their great contribution.

Showing that, many things might be different in this new world, but the greed of bosses was not one of them.

I returned to the Spring Palace around midnight. I waited that much, because, thanks to the new formation, I could detect Aisnam's location far more accurately.

She came carrying a small bundle. I greeted her with a kiss and a home-cooked meal. Once she extracted herself, she smiled. "I have a surprise for you," she said as she opened the bundle, revealing three familiar books. "I know how much you like trying to decipher cultivation skills to support your martial arts," she said as she passed them.

Her tone put a smile on my face as much as the success of my ploy. It was amusing. It was an indulgent smile, the kind a highly successful banker might wear while she gave a gift to her painter lover. Happy with the impact, but ultimately treating it as no more than a toy.

Of course, their real use was different.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 50; Pampering Bonus - 75 (Capped)]

[125x Return - Nine Draws Mirage Dagger, Cultivation Technique - Black-Low Grade]

[125x Return - Furious Palm of Nine Tsunami - Yellow-Peak Grade]

[125x Return - Desolate Quake of Seven Swings, Cultivation Technique - Yellow-Peak Grade]

Another day, another victory.

Now, I just needed to see if I could use the existing books into a lesson.