Chapter 6: Entering the Mountains (Part 2)

Guo Shier laughed and said, “Before you arrived, many people already said… I’m so hungry! Haha!” Luo Zhan found it nothing funny at all. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he asked, “I’m really hungry. Can we eat now?”
Chen Hong sprinkled salt into the pot and said, “Just wait a few more minutes.” The group stared eagerly at the three large pots, while Huo Bao’s hands trembled from hunger. Guo Shier suggested, “Let’s drink some soup first!”
…
Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan were in a desperate situation, chased by the hunting vehicles with no way to escape. It would be even harder to flee once dawn came. Now, Qi Nanshan was carrying Luo Jie as they fled. Gradually, the group dispersed, leaving only one martial artist by their side—everyone else had run away. There were hundreds of hunting vehicles pursuing them.
So far, Luo Jie hadn’t fought yet. The people in the hunting vehicles were despicable, constantly harassing them with spears and magic arrows, forcing them to run until they were exhausted before attacking.
The martial artist accompanying them said, “Elder, find a place to hide. I’ll distract them!”
Luo Jie replied, “It’s useless. Come with us. At least I can protect you a bit. If we separate… you’re dead.”
The martial artist grinned and said, “Heh, as long as the elder can escape, it’s worth it…” He was on the verge of becoming a high-ranking martial artist, extremely powerful—only slightly weaker than Qi Nanshan. He was skilled in scouting and moving as fast as Qi Nanshan, which allowed him to keep up with the two.
“Minzai, be careful. If you really can’t escape, give up resisting. We’ll come back to save you!”
Minzai laughed and said, “Don’t worry. I still have a secret skill left unused. Those bastards have been chasing us for so long… Heh, I’ll show them!” With that, he suddenly turned and dashed to the left, letting out a sharp cry.
Luo Jie said, “Let’s go!”
The hunting vehicles couldn’t increase their speed, revealing their weakness. Though they could fly at high speeds, their low-speed flight was unstable. They had to keep circling to counteract the impact of fast movement. Thus, during pursuit, they either rushed past due to excessive speed or lost track of their target by circling. With dense forests below, visibility was poor, forcing them to keep shooting spears to blow up trees and get a better view—this gave Luo Jie and his companions a chance to catch their breath.

Hearing Min Zai’s long howl, countless hunting vehicles rushed over. They knew it was a trap, but with no sign of the enemy, those setting the trap became enemies as well. The hunting vehicles, searching blindly, flew over like flies attracted by blood.

Only a few hunting vehicles continued to chase Luo Jie and the other man.

In the dense forest, when there was only one person, no matter how many pursuers there were, it made no difference—especially for a professional like a Fu Warrior. Unless injured, as long as he fled desperately, it would frustrate his capturers.

Qi Nanshan moved at incredible speed. Even carrying someone on his back, he moved through the forest like lightning, quickly reaching deep into it, beyond the detection of those hunting vehicles. Qi Nanshan rested briefly before preparing to continue fleeing with Luo Jie.

Luo Jie said, “Da Shan, let’s turn back and find someone from the Fu Ye family. It’s best to find someone alone. Hehe, do you think you’re so great just because you have more people? We’ll take our time dealing with them!” Without the drag of Guo Shier and the others, the old man was starting to lose his temper.

Qi Nanshan nodded. “Okay, I feel frustrated too. Damn it, ever since I advanced to a Great Fu Warrior, I’ve never been in such a mess, being chased like a fleeing rabbit…”

The two turned around and headed east.

……

Guo Shier let out a satisfied burp, ran to a pond to wash his face, sat down on a rock, and sighed, “I feel much better… Sigh, it’s rare to enter a secret realm, but I’m being chased relentlessly. Once I advance to a Great Fu Sorcerer, I’ll settle accounts with them!”

Luo Zhan laughed. “Advance to a Great Fu Sorcerer? Hehe, that’s not easy. Shier, the North Fu Sect has tens of millions of people, including millions of professionals. Very few can reach master level. As far as I know, it’s no more than a hundred… You’re only nine years old, but you have quite big ambitions!”

Guo Shier said, “Big ambitions? Hehe, if I didn’t have ambitions… whenever we see hunting vehicles, we can only run, with no chance to fight back. How can I do without ambitions?”

Huo Bao muttered, “Even if the old man is a Great Fu Sorcerer, he still has to run!”

Guo Shier kicked him and scolded, “Idiot, that’s because we dragged our master along. Otherwise, he would have escaped long ago!”

Luo Zhan laughed. “Shier is right. With you five kids around, everyone is held back and doesn’t dare fight freely, so they can only run… Shier, the old man really values you. Hehe, once he’s free from your drag, I think he’ll take revenge. When has he ever suffered such a loss?”

Chen Hong asked, “Where are we going?”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Let’s find a safer place to wait until we’re thrown out of the secret realm.” In truth, he didn’t know how they would be thrown out either.
Luo Zhan nodded and said, “As long as we get out of the secret realm, that will be the greatest victory. This place is truly dangerous.”
Everyone put away their copper pots, organized their belongings, and changed into clean clothes. Unfortunately, there was no time for a bath. Luo Zhan instructed everyone to carry the five children and continue deeper into the mountains.
This mountain range was completely different from those they had seen before—towering peaks and rugged cliffs, with such beautiful scenery and extreme danger that Guo Shier had never seen anything like it. Along the way, he couldn’t stop praising it, especially since they didn’t have to exert any effort to climb; by sitting on Luo Zhan’s back, they could enjoy the views, which felt great to him.
Along the way, Guo Shier occasionally asked Luo Zhan to stop so he could collect materials for making talismans. There were many high-quality materials along the route, and it would be a shame to let them go.
Six days passed peacefully. The five talisman warriors, along with the five children, climbed and crossed mountains until they reached the edge of a forest with a pond. Guo Shier said, “We don’t need to keep going. Look… there’s a cave under the rock wall. We can rest there for a few days.”
Luo Zhan said, “Xiaofeng, keep watch while I go hunting!”
Huo Bao said, “Uncle Luo, I’ll go too!”
Luo Zhan nodded and said, “Okay. Bring a set of talisman bows. There are plenty of wild birds here; we can hunt a few to roast.”
This time, Guo Shier didn’t help set up the pots for soup. He walked alone around the pond, worried about his master’s safety. A stream flowed gently over a pile of rocks and into the pond. He found a large rock to sit on, hugged his knees, and fell into deep thought.
When he came to this world, his initial goal was to live a peaceful life. As long as nothing went wrong, he might still be able to reincarnate back to his original world. But as he got to know this world better, he realized that living a peaceful life was unrealistic. Without strength, it was impossible to live safely—this world was too dangerous.
Fortunately, he had excellent potential, which was very important. If he wanted to rely on his own efforts to learn, aside from the issue of potential, he couldn’t even afford the resources needed as a talisman apprentice, let alone solve many other problems that money couldn’t address.

Relying on the North Talisman Gate and a good master, he was able to establish himself in this world and have the means to muddle along. But merely muddling along was far from enough; if he couldn’t advance quickly, he would lose the advantages of the North Talisman Gate. To advance, he had to go out and gain experience, and battles were inevitable. To survive, he needed to improve his strength.

On his first entry into the secret realm, he was chased around like a stray dog, in the most humiliating and pathetic situation possible. Although he gained quite a bit, such an experience ultimately proved his lack of strength.

Guo Shier thought sadly, “I’m only nine years old. Damn… too young. Being young is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Sigh, it seems I can only hold on until my strength is enough to fear no one—then I’ll be safe… This is too difficult!”

“Shier! Shier! Xiao Hong is calling you to eat!”

Guo Shier raised his head in shock, thinking, “Damn, such a classic line from my past life—here I hear it too.” He stood up and said, “Shi Tuo, stop calling. I’m coming right away!”

Huo Bao, being a born hunter, had caught over a dozen plump pheasants and cooked three large pots of broth. Guo Shier smiled and said, “Chicken soup! Great!” Chen Hong poured him a bowl of soup and handed him a pheasant, saying, “Shier, eat quickly.”

Guo Shier ate the pheasant in silence, still lost in thought. He thought of the mysterious Li Ran and the coordinates left on his talisman. He didn’t dare activate it yet—what if he went there and couldn’t return? That would be a huge problem.

There was also that talisman engraved with a bird. Guo Shier still didn’t know what kind of talisman it was. Since being sucked into his life talisman sphere, it had gradually recovered over time. He estimated it could be used effectively at least four times, though he hadn’t tested it and didn’t know its true power.

After eating the pheasant indifferently, Guo Shier said, “I’ll rest for a while.” Then he continued his random thoughts.

Luo Zhan took a talisman martial artist out to keep watch. Although they hadn’t encountered any powerful talisman beasts lately, they still had to stay vigilant. Guo Shier was Luo Jie’s most precious disciple, and he didn’t want anything to happen to him under his care.

Chen Hong came over to Guo Shier and asked softly, “Shier, are you not feeling well?”

Guo Shier shook his head and said, “No, I’m just thinking about some things.”

Chen Hong had blind trust in Guo Shier. Since he said he was fine, then nothing was wrong. She turned around to pack up her things.

A martial artist ran back from afar and whispered, “Xiao Feng, quickly take them to hide. We’ve spotted a hunting vehicle; it’s already in the canyon ahead!”
Soon after, Luo Zhan also ran back.