Chapter 4: The Hunting Vehicle (Part 2)

As a great talisman master and a top figure in the Northern Talisman Sect, he would have found it hard to tolerate the arrogance of those people if not for his composure. Those guys had pursued the four of them relentlessly for over four months. During that time, they had poor food and sleep, their supplies were nearly exhausted, and they dared not hunt on a large scale, which left them extremely frustrated.

As their supplies dwindled, life became increasingly difficult for everyone.

It had been two days since they last saw any sign of the hunting vehicle, and the group began to relax a bit. But Guo Shier didn’t feel any relief at all. He found Luo Jie and said, “Master, I don’t think things are right.”

Luo Jie was shocked. Guo Shier’s intuition had proven to be extremely accurate on many occasions, so he took it seriously. “We haven’t seen the hunting vehicle in two days. There can’t be any problem, right?”

Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “I don’t know what’s wrong, but I feel extremely uneasy. I think… we should turn back and head to that mountain range…”

Luo Jie shook his head. “Shier, do you even remember the way back?”

Guo Shier replied, “I’ve been wandering around so much that I can’t even tell where we are now. But I feel… that only by returning to that mountain range can we truly be safe.”

Qi Nanshan said, “Not to mention that mountain range, we can’t even find that ruin. Hehe, we’re truly lost. But don’t worry. As long as we wait until the secret realm closes, being lost isn’t a problem.”

Guo Shier grew frustrated. He said, “I don’t know… whether we should move forward, backward, or stay put. I keep feeling like there’s a trap waiting for us, but I don’t know where it is… As long as we avoid this once, we’ll be safe!”

Luo Jie comforted him, “Shier, this isn’t your responsibility. It’s the master’s responsibility.”

Guo Shier shook his head. “The master’s responsibility is also the disciple’s responsibility. As long as I have the ability, I must take on this responsibility.”

Luo Jie sighed and patted his shoulder. “Shier, take a rest. You’ve been too tired lately.”

Guo Shier was indeed tired, but not to the point of being unable to carry on. He said, “Master, we can’t rest now. Anyway, we can’t stay in one place for too long.”

Luo Jie replied, “I know. Go and get some sleep. Relax a bit. Maybe your intuition will become even more accurate.”

Guo Shier felt his master’s words made sense and nodded, saying, “Okay, I’ll go take a nap. Remember to wake me up—just two hours will be enough for me.” Although children who cultivate their souls don’t need as much sleep, they still need to rest to regain their energy. This time, he slept for four hours. Luo Jie deliberately didn’t wake him so that his young disciple could sleep a bit longer. Guo Shier got up and asked, “What time is it? How long have I been sleeping?” Huo Bao replied, “Dawn is approaching.” Guo Shier shivered and said, “Why are we still here and not leaving?” Huo Bao answered, “The old master asked you to sleep longer, saying you’ve been working too hard lately…” Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “I know. The old master is being kind to me… Baozi, hurry up and pack our things; we need to leave. I’ll go see my master.” Most people had already packed their things and were ready to set off. Guo Shier found Luo Jie and said, “Master, let’s leave here quickly.” Luo Jie asked, “How was your rest?” Guo Shier replied, “Master, I rested well. This isn’t a place to stay long. Let’s set off soon.” Qi Nanshan said, “Old master, it’s time for us to go.” Luo Jie ordered, “Set off! Dashan, send a few people to scout ahead. We’ll head deep into the jungle.” Everyone set off immediately, heading deeper into the jungle. This time they took a straight path, hoping to reach the heart of the forest quickly. … By noon, the group arrived near a hill with a stream hidden among the dense trees. Luo Jie said, “Let’s rest here for an hour, grab some food quickly, and then keep going!” “There’s a mountain range ahead!” The scouts reported back. Immediately, everyone became excited, as this meant they might be able to escape their pursuers. In the mountains, the hunting vehicles would be far less effective, and even if they were discovered, they could resist. Unlike on the plains, where once their location was exposed, other hunting vehicles would swarm them. Guo Shier guessed that the hunting vehicles might not be able to fly freely in the mountains, as he noticed their flight altitude was limited. Qi Nanshan said, “Everyone, push hard and reach the mountains as soon as possible. There, we can rest for a longer time.” His tone sounded relieved. After months of continuous escape, everyone was extremely exhausted, and their combat strength had greatly declined. They needed to rest for a while.

Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan both felt lucky. In this expedition into the secret realm, Guo Shier had contributed the most. The kid performed exceptionally well—unknown where he learned these skills, but he came up with endless ways to escape, coming up with an idea in the blink of an eye. He set up one illusion after another and chose bizarre routes to take. He liked to lay traps in the most exposed areas, causing those chasing them great trouble.

The group moved through the forest. After months of fleeing, they were very familiar with it, so they moved quickly, reaching the vicinity of the mountains in just one day.

The peaks were extremely high, and the snow on them could be clearly seen from the foot of the mountains. Everyone tilted their heads back to look up as a dozen small black dots circled in the air, likely eagles or vultures. Guo Shier said with a wry smile, “This stretch is quite dangerous. There’s no cover at all. I estimate… it will take twenty minutes to cross at full speed.”

“We have to rush through despite the danger. It shouldn’t be that easy to be spotted!” Qi Nanshan said, squinting.

Luo Jie added, “Yes, we must get through. There are only low bushes and wild grass on this open plain—nothing to block the view. If there’s a hunting vehicle hidden nearby, we’ll be completely exposed the moment we step out.”

Guo Shier glanced back and said, “Let’s wait until nightfall. Darkness is the best cover!”

Luo Jie slapped his forehead and said, “Oh, we’ve really grown old! That’s right! If we wait until night to cross, there should be no problem.”

Qi Nanshan nodded and said, “Good. Everyone, rest first. We’ll set off when it gets dark.”

Everyone was exhausted. Hearing they could rest, they collapsed on the ground in disarray, eager to fall asleep right away. But they all knew they needed to eat something first before resting—without food, it would be hard to regain their strength.

There wasn’t much food left. Fortunately, Guo Shier, having suffered from hunger in his past life, insisted on bringing enough food even if it meant carrying fewer other items. Now, most people had run out of food, and only Guo Shier and twelve others had some to share—mainly dried marinated meat. This food was both filling and hard to spoil, allowing it to be stored in the talisman bag for a long time.

Guo Shier ate heartily and sighed, “If it weren’t for the talisman bag, we’d have been doomed long ago. Ah, it would be great to have a bowl of hot soup!”

Huo Bao swallowed a bite of the marinated meat and said, “Hot soup… The noodles are also gone. We still have some fresh meat, but it’s a shame we can’t cook it.”

Hong Shi said with a smile, “It’s good enough to have something to eat. Guo Shier is really foresighted for bringing so much food; otherwise, we would all go hungry.”
Chen Bing said, “After eating this meal, if we can enter the mountains smoothly, we’ll be able to grill food.”
Qi Nanshan walked around, constantly reminding everyone, “After eating, find a place to rest. Be careful to hide well, keep yourself concealed, and don’t be careless… If anyone fails to hide properly and endangers everyone else, I won’t spare them!”
They were located on the edge of a dense forest. The forest here was strange—the edge was very neat, as if cut by a knife. On one side were tall, lush trees, while on the other side were low shrubs and grasslands, with a clear boundary.
Two martial artists were left to guard, while the rest hid in the shrubs to sleep.
Since the last physical training session, Chen Hong had become closer to Guo Shier. Of course, at her age, she didn’t think much about it, but she had gotten used to following Guo Shier around. Fortunately, Guo Shier was under ten years old and could still act naive, so it wasn’t a big deal for Chen Hong to follow him—she just treated him as another sister.
Chen Hong whispered, “Shier, the food is running out.”
Guo Shier, lying hidden in the shrubs, tilted his head to look at the worried Chen Hong and said with a smile, “Why worry? Don’t be anxious. Once we’re in the mountains, we can hunt and get fresh meat. Sleep soundly; I’ll wake you up.” Chen Hong nodded, naturally grabbed Guo Shier’s clothes, and fell into a deep sleep.
As the sky gradually darkened, flocks of birds returning to their nests flew back into the forest, making a lot of noise. Guo Shier nudged Chen Hong and whispered, “Wake up! Xiaohong, it’s time to get up. We’re leaving.”
Chen Hong opened her eyes groggily and asked, “Is it already time?”
Guo Shier replied in a low voice, “It’s about to get dark. We need to set off as soon as it gets dark.” He gathered a few of his friends and said, “We’ll start moving in a moment. Someone will carry us. Remember, don’t make any noise. Try to cooperate with the person carrying you and don’t interfere with their movements.”
Qi Nanshan crouched beside an ancient tree, quietly observing the area ahead and planning the route forward. At that moment, about a kilometer away in the forest, there was a sudden commotion, and the birds returning to the forest were startled into flight. He looked in surprise and thought, “What could have scared the birds?”
Suddenly, a group of people rushed out of the dense forest and sped toward the mountains.

Luo Jie and Guo Shier also sensed something was wrong and quickly rushed to Qi Nan Shan’s side. Luo Jie asked, “What’s going on?” Guo Shier, with his sharp eyes, spotted a crowd of about a hundred people running frantically.
“It’s people from the Mu Fu Gate! This is trouble!”
Guo Shier said, “Running so openly like this, they’ll definitely be noticed!”
Qi Nan Shan looked up around and his expression changed slightly as he said, “Shier, you were right! They’re here!”
Luo Jie gritted his teeth and cursed, “These idiots! fools!”