Chapter 4: Symbolic Spirit Stones (Part 1)

The five of them flew into the forest beside the trade route, following the sound. The noise grew louder and clearer. Ku Mu suddenly hovered atop a large tree, signaling for everyone to stop.
Not far ahead was a river bend with a large open area. A caravan had formed a defensive formation, with many corpses lying on the ground. Opposing them was a group of people in dark robes, numbering about seventy or eighty, all apparently low-level professionals.
Guo Shier said, “Hey, isn’t that Zhu Dachang’s caravan?”
Ku Mu replied, “They’ve already fought once; over a dozen people have died.”
The five of them were still several hundred meters away from the river bend where the battle took place. Neither side noticed them, as no one dared to look around—this was a matter of life and death, and no one could afford to be careless.
“Their strengths are comparable!”
Zhu Juan floated comfortably in the air. His mastery of flight stemmed from his heavy body weight when on land, so he liked to fly whenever possible, even if it meant just staying a centimeter off the ground. This led to his excellent flying skills.
Guo Shier asked in confusion, “Four masters?”
Ku Mu smiled and said, “They’re all high-level Symbolic Martial Artists, but only at the beginner stage. Their strength isn’t great—even Xiao Ying can defeat them. Being weak isn’t just a flaw; it’s a crime. In their eyes, those without strength are trash.”
Guo Shier was shocked. On this continent, unless there was significant profit at stake, it was rare to see four master-level figures together. He said, “I’m now curious about the goods transported by the Zhu family’s merchant firm. I wonder what it is that could attract two masters to join a robbery crew?”
Since all four were high-level Symbolic Martial Artists, the battle was direct, with them fighting one-on-one. Due to their equal strengths, it turned into a war of attrition. The others remained still, watching the four fighting intently.
Ku Mu shook his head and said, “They’re too weak. There’s nothing worth watching. Let’s go!”
Just then, Zhu Dachang, who was among the caravan members, suddenly spotted Guo Shier and the other four. It was the first time he had seen anyone fly in the air. Almost instinctively, he shouted, “Brother Guo… save me!”
Then, Zhu Xu also saw the five people hovering atop the tree. In horror, he exclaimed, “Them? It’s them!”
The four fighting stopped at once, their gazes fixed on the five of them, filled with shock.
Guo Shier said, “Let’s go take a look.” He was interested in the goods transported by the Zhu family’s merchant firm and wanted to see what could draw four masters together.

The five of them flew over arrogantly and landed in the middle of the caravan. Zhu Dachang, as if he had found a lifeline, kept shouting, “Brother Guo, save me!”
Guo Shier asked indifferently, “Why should I save you?”
That single sentence left Zhu Dachang speechless. Indeed, why would anyone save him? They weren’t related, and there had even been a minor clash earlier—what reason did they have to help him?
Zhu Xu knew very well and said, “Young Master Guo, as long as you’re willing to save us… I… I’ll agree to any condition!” He didn’t even dare to call him “brother” anymore but instead used “young master” to show respect.
Guo Shier said, “Oh? Really?” Ku Mu and the others watched from the side, waiting to see how Guo Shier would handle the situation.
Zhu Xu repeated urgently, “Really! I’m not lying, I wouldn’t dare lie…” He was so anxious that he was sweating profusely.
Zhu Dachang also said, “My uncle wouldn’t lie!”
Guo Shier nodded and said nonchalantly, “Alright, what are you transporting this time?”
Zhu Xu and Zhu Dachang’s expressions changed drastically—this question hit their weak points. Zhu Xu stammered, not knowing what to say, while Zhu Dachang’s face was filled with embarrassment.
Guo Shier smiled and said, “I’m just asking out of curiosity. You look like this even before I ask for anything—how can I save you?” He despised these two in his heart; they were cowardly and unworthy of respect.
Monier said, “Baby, these two guys… the master wife really dislikes them. They can’t even speak clearly. Ignore them. Wait until they get killed… then we can kill the robbers and check what they’re carrying. That’s all we need to know. Why waste time talking to them?”
Sweat poured down Zhu Xu’s forehead, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him. Monier’s words reminded him that continuing to hide nothing would achieve nothing and might even offend the only person who could save them. Zhu Dachang was stunned—he wasn’t a warrior and rarely went out to experience the world; most of his time was spent crafting talismans and artifacts, so he had no idea how treacherous people could be.
Zhu Xu said urgently, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
Monier shook her head and said, “Such fools—nothing works unless you light them.”
Guo Shier said, “Speak if you want to. If not… don’t force it. I’m just curious; I don’t necessarily need to know.” He acted indifferent. But in truth, he still wanted to save these people. After all, he and Zhu Dachang had some kind of relationship.

Zhu Xu was truly terrified. He knew this was his last chance; if he didn’t speak now, he would never get another chance. At that moment, he was so sad that he couldn’t even force a bitter smile. He said, “It’s actually nothing special—just three thousand jin of Spirit Stones. Since they can’t be stored in talisman bags, they have to be transported by caravans…”

Guo Shier really didn’t know what Spirit Stones were.

Kumu said, “Spirit Stones? Let me see what they are.”

Guo Shier said, “Bring out one and show us.”

Zhu Xu didn’t dare disobey. If even the minor ones were so difficult to deal with, the greater ones must be even more terrifying. Soon, he brought out a light green stone and handed it to Guo Shier, saying, “We don’t know what use this stone has, but the Hakka people charge a high price for transporting it. If it gets damaged, the compensation is also extremely high… enough to shut down our Zhu family’s trading firm.”

As soon as Kumu saw the Spirit Stones, his eyes lit up. Zhu Juan and Monier also showed surprised expressions. Guo Shier asked in wonder, “What’s the matter? Is this thing rare?”

Monier picked up the Spirit Stone and examined it briefly before exclaiming, “There’s such a treasure here… How is that possible?”

Guo Shier asked, “Masteress, what’s the use of this Spirit Stone?”

Monier replied, “I don’t know what use it has here, but in our place… it’s one of the main materials for crafting array talismans. The raw ore can’t be stored in talisman bags; it has to be refined first… Not only do we need it there, but even the Advanced Talismans Continent does.”

Guo Shier understood immediately. He said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, catch those four people… Uncle Fat, help stop them from escaping.” He deliberately didn’t ask his master to intervene, as the old man was too murderous—his first strike would kill people.

Eagle Demon moved at the sound, rushing straight at the four vigilant grand talisman warriors. Amidst loud laughter, Zhu Juan charged at the raiding group.

With Zhu Juan’s strength, dealing with dozens of people seemed a bit overkill. In an instant, countless virtual talismans appeared around her, and numerous tiny ice needles formed from them. With just a wave of her hand, the ice needles shot out with a whoosh. No one could resist, and in the blink of an eye, they all fell to the ground. It was truly a single strike that wiped out dozens of people.

Guo Shier was stunned. He didn’t expect Zhu Juan to kill those people. He sighed inwardly, realizing that Zhu Juan didn’t care about their lives either. After her strike, Zhu Juan immediately stepped back and landed beside Guo Shier, saying proudly, “Shier, isn’t Uncle Fat amazing?”

Guo Shier said irritably, “Fat Uncle, I didn’t ask you to kill them… Why did you kill them all?”
Only then did Zhu Juan remember what Guo Shier had said earlier—he meant not to let them escape, not to kill them. He rubbed his head and said with a smile, “Hehe, I got a little excited. Don’t be angry, Shier… It was Fat Uncle who misunderstood.”
Zhu Xu and Zhu Dachang turned pale. Waving his hand, he had eliminated dozens of people—this fat guy was truly terrifying.
The four senior Talisman Warriors were in a state of chaos and were defeated one after another by Eagle Demon. Senior Talisman Warriors were extremely powerful; on this lower-tier continent, they were among the best. The four junior Talisman Warriors couldn’t resist at all and were knocked to the ground one after another. Eagle Demon dragged the four over and said with a smile, “Shier, I’ve caught them.” He was very excited—being able to defeat four masters so quickly was beyond his imagination before.
Guo Shier gave a thumbs up and said with a smile, “Uncle Eagle Demon… You’re really amazing!”
Zhu Juan muttered, “Sigh, when I step in, you don’t even praise me…”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but roll his eyes and said, “Fat Uncle, you’re also amazing… You just act recklessly!”
Kumu asked, “Where is this from?”
Zhu Xu’s gaze fell on one of the captured Talisman Warriors. Eagle Demon grabbed him and shouted, “The old man is asking questions—speak up!” This man was one of the two bodyguards secretly protecting the goods.
He was an old-looking man who still hadn’t recovered from the shock of his defeat. He was stunned for a while before saying, “Zhu Xu! How dare you betray me!”
Zhu Xu stepped back in fear.
Eagle Demon slapped him right away. He had originally been a bandit from the grasslands, a notorious brutal thug. Only after following Guo Shier and being surrounded by top experts did he become more restrained, but that didn’t mean he had changed—he was still a savage and bloodthirsty man at heart.
Guo Shier asked, “Spirit Stones… Wife, are Spirit Stones rare?”
Monier explained, “We don’t call them Spirit Stones here. Over there, they’re called Talisman Spirits.”
Guo Shier quickly found the answer in the memories passed down through inheritance. He looked surprised and said, “So these are Talisman Spirits? Damn, these are really valuable!”
Kumu said, “This kind of ore is very hard to find. Where I’m from, whenever such ore is discovered, it definitely triggers a big battle. At least thousands of people will die or be injured before the ownership of the ore vein can be determined.”

Guo Shier asked, “Master, what do you plan to do?” There was a hint of pleading in his eyes. Kuumu understood what the young boy meant and said, “What to do? You figure it out! I won’t get involved.”
Guo Shier sighed in relief and asked, “Uncle Pang, what do you think we should do?”