Taking a deep breath, Han Yu crouched low and carefully tested the rocks beneath him. If he was going to make it down safely, he had to be methodical. Step by step, he inched downward, gripping onto the protruding stones for support.
Dust crumbled beneath his hands, and a few small rocks tumbled into the waters below. He winced at the sound, hoping no one was close enough to hear it.
"Damn! That was close!" Han Yu let out a breath as he stabilized himself. He was only a quarter of the way down the hill and had already almost lost his footing.
'If I fell from here, I'd be dead for sure,' Han Yu thought to himself. 'Hell, even someone like Peng Gu at the First Stage of the Qi Refining Realm would break a few bones.'
While cultivators were far more durable than mere mortals, the level of their cultivation base made all the difference. Han Yu was at the Sixth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm, which was better than other children his age, but in the grand scheme of things, it was still at the bottom of the barrel.
A person could only be called a true cultivator when they reached the Qi Refining Realm, a level that was still out of Han Yu's reach.
"I should have enough money to buy more beast meat this week," Han Yu muttered to himself.
This was the reason why he had resorted to scamming people. It wasn't that he hadn't tried honest work before—it was simply that it didn't pay well enough to sustain his cultivation.
If one wished to be a cultivator, they needed three things in life: talent, resources, and powerful backers.
Han Yu had none of those. Talent was inborn, and he couldn't change that. No one in their right mind would back a street urchin like him. That left him with only one path—acquiring resources through his own means.
But resources were expensive. The only way he could obtain them was to earn money in whatever way he could. He had tried various methods until he finally realized he had a knack for trickery.
He tried his hand at gambling and discovered that he was naturally talented at it—or at the very least, better than the other people around him.
That was enough to set up a small "business" running cup gambling games. It was the cheapest yet most effective way to scam people, especially with his quick hands.
Of course, if he played the game in its natural way, there was always a chance someone with sharper senses and better eyesight could outmatch him. So Han Yu devised a foolproof method to win every time.
The key to his scam was a small stone tied to a string around his wrist. If one looked closely, they would see fine dust clinging to it whenever Han Yu touched the ground.
It was being attracted to it.
"Ugh... it pricked me again," Han Yu muttered as he examined the stone hanging from his wrist. "The magnet picked up more dust... it's sharp too." He cleared the debris off the stone and tucked it into his pocket so it wouldn't irritate his skin.
This was his secret weapon.
The small magnet allowed him to attract the coin hidden under the cup, making it stick to the cup's side when lifted. Even if the player guessed the correct cup, Han Yu could simply pick it up, revealing an empty space beneath it, and restart the game.
Having secured the magnet, the boy resumed his descent, being even more cautious this time.
Halfway down, he paused, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Almost there," he reassured himself.
Just as he was about to take another step, a sudden gust of wind blew past him. The unexpected force made him lose his balance. His heart leaped into his throat as he flailed for a grip. His fingers found purchase on a sturdy root jutting out from the rock face, and he clung to it for dear life.
"Damn it! Why did I think this was a good idea?" he muttered through gritted teeth.
Slowly, he steadied himself and resumed his descent, moving more cautiously than before. After what felt like an eternity, his feet finally touched solid ground.
"Haah! Made it," he exhaled in relief.
Now, all he had to do was reach the eastern gate without running into any trouble.
But that was easier said than done.
He still had one more obstacle in his path—the river.
He dipped his toe in the water and immediately shivered.
"EEK~ So cold!" Han Yu pulled back.
The river in front of him curved around the hill, flowing past the fields and into the town. This was the primary reason why the fields thrived here—the water provided them with ample irrigation.
Han Yu had no choice but to cross the river if he wanted to reach the eastern gate undetected.
Unfortunately, the other side of the hill had a much deeper section of the river, making it impossible for him to swim across. But on this side, there was a shallower stretch that he could traverse—as long as he was careful.
"HUUU! I just gotta do it!" Han Yu psyched himself up. "Supreme Divine Yang Fire Invoking Body Art, activate!" he shouted dramatically as he began to jog in place, trying to warm himself up.
Once he felt a bit of warmth, he took a determined step into the water.
"The divine art didn't work," Han Yu muttered, chattering through his teeth as he waded in deeper.
Step by step, he carefully navigated the river, making sure to avoid the slippery rocks beneath the surface. The strong currents threatened to sweep him off balance, but he gritted his teeth and pressed forward.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally reached the other side.
"Finally... but it's still too cold!" Han Yu shivered violently, rubbing his arms to generate some heat.
A strong gust of wind blasted past him, making him yelp.
"Fuck this, I'll dry off first!" Han Yu grumbled as he hurried toward a large boulder, seeking shelter from the wind.
He suddenly tripped over something and fell flat on his face.
"Ouch!" Han Yu winced, rubbing his forehead. "What the hell was that?"
Groaning, he pushed himself up and turned to see what had tripped him.
The moment his eyes landed on the object, his breath caught in his throat.
His mind took a second to register what he was looking at.
Han Yu's jaw dropped.
"What the fuck!? Is that a dead man!?"