Robbing This Cult Founder? What Nerve!

"Did you see how they bought things at the chamber of commerce earlier? Didn't even ask the prices, just bought whatever caught their eye." Five shadowy figures clad in black robes shuttled through the dense forest. Their voices were raspy, making it impossible to discern their gender or age. They moved with agile grace, having escaped the notice of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. "Fair-skinned, and their clothes don't look like anything from around here. Probably disciples from some sect or noble clan out to see the world." Another sneered, his voice like a venomous snake lurking in the dark. "See the world? Then we'll let them see how sinister the world can be." "Did you hear what that pretty boy said earlier? Claimed they're at the middle Foundation Establishment stage, and considering their background, their combat strength might rival late Foundation Establishment." "So what if it rivals late Foundation Establishment? All five of us are seasoned late Foundation Establishment cultivators. How could two little fledglings possibly be a match for us?" "Still, caution is best." "Remember those sect disciples we ran into last time? One job kept us fed for three months! Pull off this one today, and we can take another three months off!" "More than that. I bet they're carrying way more spirit stones than we imagine. Fat sheep, the pair of them." "This spot should do. Not many people pass through here." "Do it!" At the leader's command, the five figures scattered with swift, agile movements, surrounding the pair. They took up prearranged positions, ensuring the two could not escape in any direction. From their practiced coordination, it was obvious they had pulled this off countless times. "Halt!" the leader barked, his voice infused with a sonic spell designed to rattle the mind. "Who are you?!" Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were clearly startled. Though they fell into defensive stances, they failed to properly conceal the panic in their eyes. "Fresh off the boat, just as I thought. Don't even know the name of the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain, yet you dare wander this forest." The leader threw back his hood, revealing a sharp, gaunt face, a hooked nose, and icy eyes. As he spoke, all five released the auras of late Foundation Establishment cultivators, warning the two against pointless resistance. "I don't know what noble clan or sect raised you two, but you can't even tell what line of work we're in. How childish," another said in an eerie, chilling voice, pulling back his hood to reveal a missing eye. "Out in the deep woods, five of us surrounding the two of you—what else do you think this could be?" "We saw you buy quite a haul at the chamber of commerce earlier. Loaded, aren't you?" "Spill it. How many spirit stones do you have? If the number satisfies us, we can talk this out." "If it's not enough, don't blame us, the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain, for showing no mercy!" Toward the end, his voice turned piercingly cold, dripping with cruelty. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged a glance and spread their hands in helpless amusement. Who would have guessed? The first enemy they ran into in this forest wasn't a demon beast, but people. "Get them! Let's show them what we're made of!" At the leader's order, the five struck together. Working in seamless synergy, they had never met an equal in the Foundation Establishment stage, and in an instant, they were poised to seize Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. To their shock, both youths struck at the same instant—with astonishing speed. "Drawing a Circle as a Prison!" "Drawing a Prison!" Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou swiftly drew circles, executing nearly identical techniques. An invisible barrier rose around the five men, cutting off every escape route before dragging them down into a dungeon. "What kind of trick is this?!" "The legendary Drawing a Circle as a Prison?!" "No, we're in an actual dungeon—this is a spatial technique!" "It's the Dao of Painting! It has to be!" Trapped between the dungeon walls and the invisible barrier, the five clamored at once, completely disoriented by the sudden turn of events. "Robbing this Branch Master? Tired of living, are you?" Meng Jingzhou sneered. "Robbing this Cult Founder? What nerve!" Lu Yang sneered back. Meng Jingzhou looked back in surprise. "I'm still just a branch master. When did you go and promote yourself?" The Immortal Cult had already gone under from poor management and running into the wrong people—how did you manage to get a promotion? "What do you mean, 'promote myself'? This was personally approved by an immortal," Lu Yang said with total conviction. Recalling that an immortal indeed resided within Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou understood at once. He truly envied Lu Yang. Having the soul of an immortal inside him meant he could consult her anytime and receive guidance from a true immortal—what an incredible stroke of fortune. "Talk. How many times have you robbed people? Have you killed anyone?" "Why bother asking? Of course they have. Look at that face—does he look like someone who hasn't killed?" "Drag them straight to the yamen. Whether they execute them or lock them up, let the authorities figure it out." "Wait, wait, wait, young heroes, there's a misunderstanding here!" the hook-nosed leader rushed to plead. "I didn't choose the face I was born with! And we're not robbers!" Meng Jingzhou wasn't buying a word of it. "Misunderstanding, my foot! You trailed us from the moment we left the chamber of commerce, stayed deliberately out of divine sense range once we entered the woods, followed us all the way to this godforsaken spot, and surrounded us! How is that not a robbery?" Lu Yang chimed in, "And you talked about letting us see how sinister the world is, and how you hit some sect disciples last time and lived off it for three months!" The five were horrified. They had no idea they had been exposed from the very beginning. They should have been well outside the divine sense range of Foundation Establishment cultivators! Just what kind of sect had produced these two monsters for them to be this sharp? What they didn't know was that Lu Yang's divine sense had long since rivaled that of the Golden Core stage. He had heard every word they spoke clear as day. "We really aren't robbers! We're bodyguards! Bodyguards!" "What on earth?" Neither Lu Yang nor Meng Jingzhou could process that. "We saw the two of you buying things at the chamber of commerce without even asking prices. We figured you were noble clan disciples out on trial, never having had to worry about spirit stones in your lives! We worried you weren't familiar with this area and would suffer a terrible loss, so we came specifically to offer our services as bodyguards!" "Then what was that about letting us see how sinister the world is?" The hook-nosed leader stammered, "W-well, seeing how rich you were, we thought we'd hike our rates a bit. If we earned enough this time, we could take a few months off once it was over." "And asking how many spirit stones we had?" "To price our services appropriately!" "And what did you mean by saying if we didn't have enough spirit stones, we shouldn't blame the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain for showing no mercy?" "A bit further ahead is the territory of a half-step Golden Core demon beast! If you didn't have enough spirit stones, we weren't going to warn you—we'd just let you walk right into it!" "And attacking us just now?" "When you spread your hands, we thought you were turning down our bodyguard offer! We were going to lure out that half-step Golden Core demon beast and fight it right in front of you to prove our strength!" Another muttered under his breath, "Though looking at you two now, you probably don't even need bodyguards..." "Then why did you insist on discussing bodyguard services all the way out in the deep woods?" "No taxes." Lu Yang: "..." So you're treating the deep woods as a bonded tax-free zone, is that it?