Chapter 1: Xiao Hong (Part 2)

The servants and ordinary hostess girls were all collapsed on the ground, most of them unconscious from fear.
Guo Shier asked the group of female professionals, “Where do you plan to go?”
Each of those female professionals showed a sad expression—they had nowhere to go. If captured again, it wouldn’t just be about another sealing talisman; they might face even more cruel realities.
Luo Weijie said, “Grandpa, take them with us!”
Chen Hong said gently, “Shier, help them. They’re just like us, taken from other continents.”
Mi Fu and Mi Zheng exchanged glances. They also knew it wasn’t good and stared at Guo Shier anxiously.
Ignoring their gazes, Guo Shier said, “Alright, I’ll take them to Yuwu Town first. Let them stay there for now; this place is too dangerous.” With that, he opened a talisman gate and led the group of women in. About half an hour later, he returned and said, “Everything’s arranged.”
During those short half an hour, every professional who entered the hall was killed by Qi Nanshan.
Guo Shier said, “Let’s go. This isn’t a place to stay long.” He gave Eagle Demon a signal and walked outside with Chen Hong and Luo Weijie. Luo Weijie asked, “You… are you that Guo Shier?”
Eagle Demon stood silently beside Mi Fu and Mi Zheng, watching as Guo Shier left with the two girls.
Luo Jie nodded and said, “Eagle Demon, I leave it to you.” He and Qi Nanshan also walked outside.
Since no one could enter the hall, no one was aware of what had happened inside for the time being.
Guo Shier stepped outside and said, “That’s right, I am Guo Shier. What do you have to say, little niece?” Back then, he would have run away at the sight of Luo Weijie. Actually, he didn’t have any bad impression of her; he knew she was teasing him because she liked children, but he had an adult heart and couldn’t stand her enthusiasm.
Luo Weijie said with a wry smile, “Sigh, I’ve grown up so much…”
Guo Shier almost stumbled. This girl’s way of speaking was truly speechless. He said, “…One has to grow up eventually.”
Luo Weijie said, “Don’t call me little niece. Call me sister…”
Chen Hong burst into laughter and said, “Shier’s master is your grandpa, so of course he’s your uncle.” Freed from distress, she also showed a bit of liveliness.
Guo Shier hesitated for a moment and asked, “Xiao Hong, Baozi and the others…”

Chen Hong shook her head and said, “I don’t know. They went on an adventure in a secret realm, and I was left at home alone, so I was captured.”
Guo Shier felt a slight relief—as long as she hadn’t been captured, it was fine. He asked, “Why didn’t you go with them?”
Chen Hong said sadly, “Aunt Lan has passed away… I came back to help handle the funeral.”
Guo Shier stopped in his tracks and asked, “Aunt Lan… has passed away?”
Chen Hong replied, “Yes. Ever since Aunt Xin died, Aunt Lan’s health also declined. She kept mentioning you…”
Guo Shier felt a pang in his heart. He knew that both Aunt Lan and Aunt Xin treated him like a child, but in this world, ordinary people’s lifespans were far too short. He shook his head and said with a bitter smile, “We also wanted to return early, but we got lost outside. It took us a long time to get back to Beifu Gate. Who would have thought… the entire continent would be plundered.”
Chen Hong exclaimed, “What? Beifu Gate too… I was captured in Chenxiao Sect. Many people died.”
As they walked to the entrance of Xianhong Street, they suddenly heard someone shouting, “It’s terrible! It’s on fire!”
Guo Shier turned around and saw a huge fire raging at Mi Se Restaurant. The flames reached dozens of meters high. It was obvious it wasn’t an accident but an act of arson. The fire spread so quickly that no one could miss it.
Ying Mo suddenly appeared. He walked up to Guo Shier and said with a smile, “Done.” Then he added, “I only spared Mi Fu. I erased his memories. The other ordinary people suffered a soul shock from me; they probably won’t remember anything either.”
Guo Shier said, “Let’s go.” The group left in a hurry. The streets were already in chaos.
…
Back in the courtyard, Guo Shier told the two girls to go inside and rest. He sat in the courtyard. Luo Jie sat down beside him and said, “Shier, there must be many people from Beifu Gate here. We’re only six. How can we rescue them?”
Guo Shier shook his head with a bitter smile. “We can’t save them…”
Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan both sighed. Although both of them were top-tier professionals, they were still powerless when it came to rescuing people due to the small number of them. In fact, even if they had hundreds of thousands of professionals, it wouldn’t make a difference. Hundreds of millions of people had been plundered—how could they save them all?
They could only help those they knew. If they encountered professionals from the same sect, they would lend a hand. As for the rest, they could only leave them to fate.
Luo Jie said, “It doesn’t matter whether we save them or not!”
Guo Shier asked, “Master, what do you mean?”

Luo Jie sneered, “As long as the Gu Mi family is destroyed, they can live freely on this continent. Wherever it is, it’s still a place to live—there’s no need to return to their hometown.”
Guo Shier nodded. “That’s one way, yeah… but it will require killing countless people.”
Qi Nanshan said coldly, “Then kill them.”
Luo Jie stood up and said, “Fortunately, we went in with them, which allowed us to save Xiao Jie. Nanshan, let’s keep gathering information. This time, I’ll take people captive for interrogation directly.”
Qi Nanshan got up. “Alright, let’s go. Shier, prepare something delicious for dinner.”
Guo Shier nodded. “We’ll go too. The Mi Se Grand Restaurant has been burned down. I guess Mian Dun City will be in a state of alert—we need to hurry.”
Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan teleported away immediately. Guo Shier and Ying Mo left the courtyard and headed out through the alley. As they reached the alley entrance, an old man came up to them. Seeing them, he was stunned—it was the same old man who had taken them to Xian Hong Street earlier. He stared at them curiously, wondering: Weren’t they supposed to be at Xian Hong Street? How did they end up here?
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Hey, over here. Still your carriage?”
Only then did the old man realize they were the two guests from before. Guo Shier had given him two gold talismans back then. He immediately said eagerly, “My lords, please get in. Where to this time?”
Ying Mo asked, “Old man, where is the largest trading firm in Mian Dun City?”
Guo Shier smiled inwardly. He was most interested in large trading firms. Given Mian Dun City’s status, there must be important large firms here. He looked at the old man expectantly.
The old man, knowing these two were no ordinary people, spoke respectfully, “I know, I know. There are two largest trading firms in Mian Dun City. One is the Mi Yuan Trading Firm, a large firm operated by the Gu Mi family’s headquarters. The other is the largest local firm in Mian Dun City, called the Da Ning Trading Firm. Both are very powerful, each controlling four streets in Mian Dun City.”
Guo Shier pondered, “Mi Yuan Trading Firm, Da Ning Trading Firm… Which one buys or sells materials for professionals?”
The old man replied, “Both buy and sell materials…”
Ying Mo asked, “Which one is better?”
The old man smiled. “I’m not sure about that. But I’ve heard that Mi Yuan Trading Firm has a wider range of products and better quality, though at a higher price. Da Ning Trading Firm’s products are cheaper, but slightly lower in quality. Well… I heard that most professionals who go to Mi Yuan Trading Firm are quite skilled… well, very powerful lords…” Realizing he had spoken too much, he quickly changed his tune.

Guo Shier said, “Go to Miyuan Merchant Guild.” He understood at once that Miyuan Merchant Guild was the place professionals needed to go—Danning Merchant Guild was just a local tyrant and couldn’t compare to Miyuan Merchant Guild. They controlled the low-end market, while Miyuan Merchant Guild served high-end professionals.
The old man readily agreed and said, “Miyuan Merchant Guild occupies four streets, one of which is dedicated to buying and selling materials. Are the two masters going there?”
Eagle Demon replied, “That’s where we’re going.”
The old man smiled and said, “It’s quick from here—just three streets ahead.” He flicked his whip lightly, and the magic horse immediately sped up, galloping forward.
Hearing the clatter of the horse’s hooves, Guo Shier felt as if he were back in his first life. Carriages and ox carts were very common back then, and he often rode a horse, so sitting in a carriage gave him a sense of familiarity.
In less than ten minutes, the old man stopped the carriage and said, “My lords, we’ve arrived.”
Guo Shier and Eagle Demon got off. It was a small parking area with many carriages coming in and out. The old man said earnestly, “Go out through this alley and turn left. We carriages aren’t allowed on this street.”
Eagle Demon casually tossed out a gold talisman coin.
The old man beamed with joy—masters were indeed wealthy.
Guo Shier and Eagle Demon slowly walked out of the alley and saw teams of professionals patrolling. The atmosphere on the street seemed tense. Both knew that the destruction of Mi Se Grand Restaurant had alarmed the Gu Mi family. But they didn’t care and leisurely walked left along the street.
The buildings here were different from those on Xianhong Street, clearly infused with more talismans. They were all two-story buildings made of black stone, giving the entire street a gloomy vibe. Most notably, all the shops had the four characters of Miyuan Merchant Guild hanging above them.
Eagle Demon pointed at a small white building not far away and said, “All the buildings here are black, except for that one white building—it stands out greatly.”
Guo Shier said, “Let’s go take a look.” The two quickly arrived in front of the small white building. A small sign stood by the door, with glowing runes on it.
“Jinpin Building… Miyuan Merchant Guild.”
Eagle Demon read the runes on the sign.
Another line of runes flowed slowly at the bottom. Guo Shier glanced at it—it was a purchase notice: large-scale acquisition of the spirits of mutated talisman beasts at level 10 and above.
Guo Shier and Eagle Demon strode in proudly.

A few servants immediately stepped forward, but their faces showed confusion, as they couldn’t see any identity badges on the two of them and thus weren’t sure if they were professionals. After all, in such shops, only professionals were allowed to enter.
Guo Shier asked, “Do you have price lists for jade talismans?”
Unsure of the identity of the two people before them, one of the servants cautiously asked, “Sir… um, guests, to purchase professional items at Miyuan Merchant Shop, you need a professional’s identity…”
It was then that Guo Shier and Ying Mo realized they didn’t have any identity badges from local families, nor could they use the identity of wandering professionals. But Guo Shier was clever—he immediately exerted a slight soul pressure. As a master of the third-tier altar, his soul was already extremely powerful. As soon as this slight soul pressure was exerted, the servants’ faces changed drastically, and they began to tremble involuntarily. Even a slight amount of soul pressure was beyond their endurance.
At that moment, a person came out from a door beside the counter.