Chapter 3: Missions (Part 2)

Huo Bao felt confused—when had his life ended?
“I’m still alive…”
Guo Shier gave him another slap and snapped, “Of course you’re alive! If you were dead, why would I waste words on you?”
Luo Zhan could no longer hold back, and the two Symbol Warriors standing by also couldn’t resist, smiling silently. Huo Bao might have been tall and strong, but it seemed his mind couldn’t keep up.
After much explanation, Huo Bao finally understood Guo Shier’s meaning. He mumbled, “Saving one’s life first… how can we fight then? It’s safest inside the inner courtyard…”
Guo Shier wanted to hit him again, but Huo Bao’s shoulders were like iron. Two slaps didn’t hurt him, but his own hands turned red and swollen. Angered, Guo Shier kicked him and shouted, “What did you say?”
Huo Bao jumped in fear and said, “Nothing… I didn’t say anything…”
Everyone finally burst into laughter, including Chen Hong, who covered her mouth and laughed nonstop. Chen Bing said, “I think Shier makes sense. We should think more about what to do.”
After all, the four of them were just children with limited experience, so it was indeed difficult for them. Seeing them scratching their heads, Guo Shier reminded them, “Baozi, you’ve hunted bears before. Think about it—what’s the best way if the five of us go hunting bears?”
Guo Shier stopped talking and listened carefully to their discussion. After a while, he couldn’t help but want to hit them again. It wasn’t surprising—these four kids had no combat experience, so how could they come up with a good battle plan? He realized he was being impatient.
Guo Shier raised his hand and said, “Stop! Listen to me!”
Huo Bao immediately fell silent. Of the four, only he kept talking nonstop without touching on the key points.
Guo Shier said, “Baozi, you’re the main attacker. Chen Bing, your role is to hold back the enemy, whether with a Symbol Spear or a Symbol Bow—just keep them occupied. Shi Tuo, your role is crucial; you must use a Symbol Shield to block the most dangerous attacks. Chen Hong… well, you stay by my side and protect me. The whole team will have two attack points—Baozi and I. For now, we can only deal with one beast. Try not to fight more than two at once; we’re not ready for that yet.”

“So, what we need to hone this time is how to deal with a beast. According to my plan just now, think carefully about how to coordinate as a team. We are one entity, and the strength of the whole is usually greater than that of individuals. But… if we encounter a talisman martial artist like Uncle Luo, the only thing we can do is run away, because… no matter how well we coordinate, we’ll still be defeated in the face of overwhelming strength!”
Luo Zhan couldn’t help but smile. Indeed, with his strength, even with a few more teams like Guo Shier’s, it would be suicide.
Guo Shier suddenly said with a smile, “We definitely can’t confront a powerful opponent like Uncle Luo head-on, but it’s not completely hopeless!”
Luo Zhan was slightly surprised. His attention became highly focused as he wanted to hear how this strange kid could see any chance at all.
Chen Bing said, “Shier, Uncle Luo is a talisman martial artist! Even talisman warriors… we have no way of defeating him.” The four kids looked puzzled.
Guo Shier asked, “Do you think there’s no chance?”
Everyone stared at Guo Shier, curious. Huo Bao nodded repeatedly.
“If Uncle Luo falls into a carefully designed trap and triggers a large number of one-time talismans, hehe, the trap can be set up in a chain-like manner… Once Uncle Luo is badly injured, we can launch a surprise attack. At that time… although we might not be able to kill him, it will be much harder for him to kill us. If we coordinate well, we’ll have a chance to take down Uncle Luo, haha.”
Luo Zhan was sweating coldly—this kid was terrifying.
The kids were confused. They never thought ambushes and traps could be used in such a way. Then Guo Shier added, “This method might work against Uncle Luo, but it won’t stand a chance against a grand talisman martial artist, because… their strength is enough to break through any threat we pose. That’s the advantage of having absolute power.”
Luo Zhan said with a bitter smile, “According to your plan, to kill someone like a talisman warrior or a sorcerer, it’s almost possible to succeed with just one strike. Shier, you’re too cunning.”
Huo Bao couldn’t help but say, “This is… too despicable…”
Guo Shier slapped him without hesitation: “Despicable? You idiot! Even if you die as an honest hero… you’re still just a dead hero! Idiot!”

Huo Bao turned red in the face from the scolding. Luo Zhan’s expression turned serious as he said, “Little Bao, Guo Shier is right. You should be grateful to have followed the right person. I’ve seen too many talented Fu Warriors die outside the Wildman Pass simply because their masters weren’t smart enough. It’s good to be brave and fearless, but you need to consider the circumstances. Meaningless sacrifices are the most infuriating thing. Remember, don’t die uselessly.”

Looking at the four confused children, Luo Zhan sighed. He knew that aside from that monstrous kid Guo Shier, these four still needed time to be trained—they didn’t understand anything yet.

Guo Shier thought to himself, “This is just a trap. If poisonings, assassinations, schemes to sow discord, and frame-ups are added in, even a great Fu Warrior won’t be able to get away unscathed. But I can’t say that—otherwise, I’d really be considered a monster.”

If Luo Zhan had known what Guo Shier was thinking, he wouldn’t have just sweated profusely—he would have insisted on leaving this little demon king right away.

Sometimes Guo Shier marveled at how simple-minded the people here were. But he didn’t realize that they were only simple and warm-hearted toward their own people. Toward outsiders or wildlings, they were neither simple nor kind—they were fierce and brutal. Unlike in his past life, even ordinary people here took killing for granted.

Huo Bao’s young mind couldn’t fully grasp Guo Shier’s words, but he really liked the idea of attackers mentioned earlier. Following Guo Shier’s plan, the four of them began discussing how to better utilize their teamwork.

Guo Shier said, “You discuss it first. I’ll go make some talismans. We’ll set out hunting tomorrow. The sooner we complete the task, the sooner we can return. This place is boring.”

Perhaps this kind of trial was suitable for children, but it was definitely not for Guo Shier. Yet he had no choice but to accept it, as it was a task mandated by the sect. Besides testing their ability to accept and complete tasks, it also trained their communication skills, organizational skills, and practical abilities. Guo Shier understood this well, so he no longer resisted the task.

After creating two disposable attack talismans and practicing his talisman power once more, he sat on the bed after dinner and began chanting to purify the power of his soul bit by bit.

Early the next morning, Guo Shier led Huo Bao and the other three out of the city. Luo Zhan, along with three Fu Warriors acting as guards, also left with them. His task was to protect the five of them and oversee their progress in completing the task. He wouldn’t intervene in battles, but if an irresistible danger arose, he had to ensure the safety of all five, at the very least Guo Shier’s.

The entrance to the city was packed with people heading to the Wildman Pass, mostly in small groups, with only a few going alone. At a snack stall not far from the city gate, Guo Shier and his companions had breakfast. He longed for the baked cakes, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and fresh pickles from his past life. Here, the breakfast was still bone broth with a finger-thick layer of oil on top, large pieces of boiled meat, and hard dough cakes as tough as bricks that had to be torn apart and soaked in the broth before eating. On this early spring morning, a thin mist covered the outskirts of the city. Trees were sprouting new leaves, and a hint of green appeared faintly through the mist. Thick layers of leftover snow remained in the low-lying areas along the roads, and the clear chirping of birds echoed through the woods. Several thin figures moved through the forest, while four burly men followed quietly not far behind, gradually moving deeper into the dense woods. Ten meters ahead of Huo Bao was Chen Bing, who was shorter in stature and moved nimbly through the bushes. Huo Bao carried a long talisman sword, keeping his attention on the left. Slightly further back was Hong Shi, who watched the right side. Guo Shier was in the middle, following calmly. Behind them was Chen Hong, who only needed to watch behind—actually, the back was the safest, as Luo Zhan and the others were following. Although they had killed a few beasts along the way, they were all small ones, not enough to consider the mission complete. So they continued deeper into the forest, hoping to encounter larger prey. Luo Zhan knew well that there were no fierce beasts in this area. Within a hundred miles outside Ye Guan City, there could be no powerful beasts, as talisman warriors came regularly to drive them away. Only beyond a hundred miles could one enter the territory where beasts roamed. That night, the five children rested in the trees. The next day, they finally entered the area where beasts lived, but there were still few beasts on the side close to Ye Guan City, as the beasts were too scared of the talisman warriors and instinctively avoided that direction. The sound of flowing streams came from afar. Chen Bing, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped, crouched slightly, raised his left hand gently with the palm facing down. Everyone immediately stopped moving and crouched down, waiting. After a while, Chen Bing slowly stepped back and said in a very low voice, “There’s a spotted tiger ahead… Should we attack?” A spotted tiger was a type of forest tiger of little value. Its fur resembled the leopard Guo Shier had seen in his past life, but it was almost twice as large, making it a huge beast. Its fur was the only thing of any value; its meat could be eaten, but it had no other uses. Guo Shier said softly, “Wait for it to leave. Killing it isn’t worth it!”

Whoosh… A loud noise came from the woods in the front left. Guo Shier was startled and whispered, “Stay hidden—something big is coming!” A sense of unease rose in his heart.