Chapter 27 - After Scouting
Xiantian Endgame World... By a brook under the growing dusk...
Gu Hai and Gao Xianzhi waited patiently.
SWISH SWASH
Suddenly, a weak rustling of gra.s.s came not too far away from them as Chen Tianshan jumped out.
"Senior Chen, thank goodness, you have returned! The sun is about to go down," Gao Xianzhi said, smiling.
On the other hand, Gu Hai"s brows twitched.
"Throne Master, I have thoroughly scouted the nearby areas and saw smoke coming from the north. There seems to be some conflict going on in that direction. Presumably, natives should have lived there!" Chen Tianshan reported immediately.
"North, huh? Pack up everything, we are immediately leaving for the north!" Gu Hai ordered immediately, nodding.
"Ah? Throne Master, but a conflict should be going on the north, all the treasures there must have been razed! Even if we went, we won"t find anything?" Chen Tianshan said, knitting his brows.
"Our objective is not to search for treasures in this small world, but rather to find someone! It will be extremely convenient for us to look for clues where the natives are!" Gu Hai stated calmly.
"Oh, yes!" nodded Chen Tianshan.
"Throne Master, are we going to pack up right away? Do we not need to wait for Song Qingshu?" Gao Xianzhi looked at Gu Hai.
"Song Qingshu?" Gu Hai narrowed his eyes and said, "He mutinied!"
"Ah?" The look on Chen Tianshan and Gao Xianzhi"s face immediately distorted.
Chen Tianshan was still somewhat ignorant; in contrast, Gao Xianzhi"s countenance changed and said as an ugly look appeared on his face, "Throne Master is right, previously Your Grace has already warned him twice. Now that Song Jia Sect disciples are nearby, he can very conveniently get the scouting information. If he had set his mind, he can certainly display positive performance and would hurry to return, in that case, he would have returned in advance and wouldn"t have lagged behind, but now...!"
"What, warned him twice? What do you mean by Song Qingshu rebelled?" Chen Tianshan said blankly.
Gu Hai didn"t say anything and quickly packed up their things. Wrapping the naga in a blanket before carrying her in his arms, and packing the tent thereafter, he said, looking at the two, "Alright, let"s go!"
"Yes, Throne Master!" obeyed Gao Xianzhi.
"Wait, what if Song Qingshu is scouting more enthusiastically? How can he betray us?" Chen Tianshan shouted.
Gu Hai didn"t explain and walked into the jungle, holding the naga in his embrace.
"Senior Chen, there is no need to confused, even if Throne Master"s judgment is wrong, we will be safe at the very least, right?" Gao Xianzhi said, smiling.
A weird look crossed Chen Tianshan"s face as he bitterly smiled in disbelief, before following Gu Hai into the mountain forest.
They quickly shuttled through the forest at a fast pace. Bit by bit, the sky turned dark.
------
After two hours, next to the brook where they made camp...
SWISH SWISH SWASH SWASH
Multiple sounds of rustling of the gra.s.s covered the camp area as forty Song Jia Sect disciples, while carrying swords and sabers, looked around. The one leading them was none other than Song Qingshu, who stood there with an ugly look on his face.
"It should be right here, where are they? They indeed run fast!" stated Song Qingshu with a scowl.
As for why Song Qingshu came so late, it was to be on the safe side. He was looking for all the nearby Song Jia Sect disciples so that nothing could go wrong. However, how could Song Qingshu have expected that when he would return, Gu Hai"s party would have left already!?
Ran, just like this? Or did Gu Hai have a better card to play?
"Search, search for me, even if you have to dig three feet, just find them for me!" Song Qingshu said, as his facial features became distorted.
"Yes!"
------
The next morning...
Gu Hai, Chen Tianshan, Gao Xianzhi, once again made a camp at a lakeside in the forest.
"Throne Master, if Your Grace is right, then our trails should not be hidden for too long!" said Chen Tianshan, frowning.
"Oh?"
"Song Jia Sect has a Tracking Technique. Of course, it"s not some powerful exercise, just some recounts of predecessors as to how to track someone based on bends of gra.s.ses, footprints, and any other abnormal conditions. If many Song Jia Sect disciples are following us, some of them must have learned the Tracking Technique. It"s just a matter of time before they find us!" stated Chen Tianshan, worried.
"Tracking Technique!?" Gu Hai furrowed his brow.
"Throne Master, if so, then it would be a bit troublesome!" said Gao Xianzhi, concerned.
Gu Hai nodded and said, "May as well, let me check first!"
"Check? How is Your Grace going to check?" Chen Tianshan stared, with wide-open eyes.
Could he still check?
In contrast, Gao Xianzhi"s eyes lit up as he stared as Gu Hai.
After all, when the enemy was in pursuit, it was a tantamount to a fool"s dream wanting to know the status of the enemy without coming in contact with them. As for when the enemy was in front, it was rather easy. How was Gu Hai going to spy on the enemy at the back?
Noticing Gao Xianzhi"s uncertainty, Gu Hai smiled slightly. With a flip of his hand, Gu Hai took out a bag from the small s.p.a.ce of the token.
"Gao Xianzhi, divide the thing inside the bag into ten parts and scatter them there, there, there...!" Seemingly teaching Gao Xianzhi, Gu Hai ordered him around.
"Yes, Your Grace!" Gao Xianzhi answered excitedly.
Chen Tianshan showed a perplexed look, while the naga who had gradually woken up also looked at the scene in confusion.
"Throne Master, these are cereals? Millet?" Gao Xianzhi asked with a sliver of curiosity.
Gu Hai nodded.
Gao Xianzhi quickly acted as Gu Hai commanded. The millets inside the small bag were soon scattered in ten places.
"Your Grace, now what?" Chen Tianshan said, puzzled.
"Now, we leave!" Carrying the naga in his arms, Gu Hai smiled.
Chen Tianshan, "...!"
Looking at the places where millets were dispersed, Gao Xianzhi seemed to be absorbed in his thoughts as he followed Gu Hai into the jungle.
"Benefactor, thank you for saving me!" the naga said gratefully after having woken up.
Carrying the naga in his arms while scuttling through the forest, Gu Hai said while smiling, "You are welcome! When you have recovered, you can leave!"
"Ah? Benefactor, I...I...I don"t have anywhere to go, can"t I follow the benefactor?" suddenly, the naga broke into tears.
"What about your parents?" Gu Hai asked, curiously.
"I have no father or mother. Eight years ago, from the moment I came out of the egg, I didn"t see father or mother. Just when I hatched, I was captured by the people in here and treated as a slave. They bullied me every day. If I left, I will be killed!" the naga said, crying.
"Oh? You are only eight years old?" Gu Hai said, astounded.
Chen Tianshan was also confused as he said, "How is it possible for you to become a snake demon in just eight years? How the h.e.l.l did you cultivate a human head?"
"I...I also don"t know, I have been like this from the time I hatched! My head has always been like this! Benefactor isn"t it possible for me to follow you, I will not give you any trouble, I can plant herbs. In the future, I can also help you guard the herb field," the naga said as if suffering from injustice.
"Forget it, you recuperate first, okay! We will talk when you are better!" Gu Hai nodded with a bitter smile.
"Thank you, benefactor!" the naga said as her tears melt into a smile.
"What"s your name?" Gu Hai asked.
"I don"t have a name, they either called me monster, or snake demon, or dirty swine, I...!" replied the naga, shaking her head.
"That"s no good. Okay, I will give you one, from now on your name is "Little Rou"!" said Gu Hai, smiling.
"Yes, my name is Little Rou, thank you benefactor for granting me a name!" the naga girl suddenly became happy.
She was just eight years old, no wonder she had the face of a young child.
"Right, I seemed to have heard that the natives of this small world that brought you to intercept the outsiders, all committed suicide after they were captured? Do they have such an unyielding character?" Gu Hai asked inquisitively.
Gu Hai was never able to understand why they would commit suicide after getting captured!? Only Little Rou clung to life. Were the others truly unafraid of death?
"No way, even if they died, it doesn"t matter, as they would be reincarnated!" Little Rou said, immediately shaking her head.
"Oh?" Chen Tianshan became curious.
"I heard that it doesn"t matter even if the people in here died, as long as a baby is born, they would immediately be reincarnated into the new baby. Some people with poor apt.i.tude would also kill themselves to reborn. Of course, I heard that some Great Elder has ordered everyone not to commit suicide, or their past-life memories would be sealed, only then it stopped many people from committing suicide!" Little Rou recalled and said.
"What? You mean to say, if the people in here died, their souls would not leave and they would be reincarnated in this small world?" Chen Tianshan was taken by surprise by this revelation.
"Past-life memory, what does that mean?" Gu Hai asked curiously.
"I heard that Great Elder has a "Three-Lives Rock" that can help newborns remember their past-life memories. At that time, many newborns can cultivate from childhood! Those who begin cultivating in childhood can cultivate rather quickly! Of course, this Three-Lives Rock can also seal someone"s past-life memories!" explained Little Rou.
"So it was like that, no wonder the natives were unafraid to die!" marveled Chen Tianshan.
"Right, I heard that a lot of outsiders has come in before, what happens to them after they die?" Gao Xianzhi inquired, rather curious.
"When the outsiders die, their soul would also not leave this place. They too would be reincarnated here, however, they would no longer reincarnate into humans, but into various animals, such as pigs, cows, sheeps, and birds. However, they don"t have such good luck to recover their memories!" explained Little Rou.
"Because that Great Elder won"t use the Three-Life Rock to help outsiders recover their past-life memories, as they are all enemies?" Asked Gu Hai with a furrow.
"It should be! Moreover, I heard my previous master say that as long as a year pa.s.sed, when the entrance is closed again, a curse will befall all the outsiders in here, no matter how great the skills they have, they will all face heaven"s wrath and will be completely annihilated by the curse!" Little Rou explained.
"Xiantian Endgame World? Good formidable array!" Gu Hai was shocked.
---
While talking, they had already traveled some distance. When three hours had elapsed and they were halfway up the hill...
"Your Grace, look!" Gao Xianzhi"s eyes lit up suddenly as he shouted.
Gu Hai, Little Rou, and Chen Tianshan all looked in the direction Gao Xianzhi was pointing.
The place where Gao Xianzhi was pointing was the very place where they had previously camped, by the forest lake. Because the forest was densely covered, the small lakeside could not be clearly seen. However, at this moment, a flock of birds flew up in the sky at the lakeside, seemingly scared by someone or something. However, flying in the sky, they didn"t choose to leave the place but were hovering around.
Following which, birds continuously flew up in the sky not far away from the previous place. The flocks of birds similarly lingered around, scared.
"Those are sparrows? Well, there are some other birds too!" Chen Tianshan said curiously.
"A lot of people have come!" Gu Hai narrowed his eyes.
"Your Grace, the millet was placed to attract the nearby birds to forage? To stand guard for us?" Gao Xianzhi inquired as his eyes lit up.
Gu Hai nodded.
"Song Qingshu and the others are here, they must have scared the birds. However, we scattered the millet everywhere. If it was some ordinary people or beasts that had scared the birds, the birds would have flown at one or two places at most. But now, the birds at all ten places have flown out, it"s quite clear that a group of people is searching," Gao Xianzhi stated, thinking.
Gu Hai nodded and said, "The birds are hovering in the sky, it"s quite obvious that they can"t bear to abandon the food and are waiting for the people to pa.s.s!"
Indeed, after a while, the hovering birds once again flew back to their previous locations.
"They are chasing us!" Gao Xianzhi"s countenance changed a bit.
"Ah? There are indeed people following us, are they hunting us?" Chen Tianshan"s eyes went wide as he asked that, confused.
Having learned another trick, Gao Xianzhi immediately slightly bent his body and cupped his hands to Gu Hai as he said, "Thank you, Your Grace, for teaching me!"
Gu Hai nodded before a tight frown appeared on his glabella while looking afar.
"Are the Song Jia Sect disciples truly hunting us? At present, I only have the strength of a Xiantian Stage cultivator, if the other side has so many people, I...!" Chen Tianshan"s countenance turned ugly.
"Throne Master, what are we going to do next?" Gao Xianzhi looked at Gu Hai.
"Song Qingshu has committed the crime of going against his superior, that"s equal to a death penalty. And since he dared to bring people to besiege us, then he must be ready to die!" Gu Hai said as a cold look appeared on his face.
"Ah? They are so far away and you want to deal with Song Qingshu? Are you spinning a yarn?" Chen Tianshan shouted with a look of disbelief.