Volume 2, Chapter 6 - RetreatThe person said, “Yes, you! What"s your name? Let me register you, give me your identification card!” 12th knew that he has been caught, but he was not nervous at all, he said, “Wait!”
“I"m sorry, could you please explain the mission first so I can determine if I"m able to help or not. Another thing I have to tell you is, my name is 12th…just turned 9 and I have only started practicing FuZhou for less than a year, are you sure you need my help?”
That person was surprised for a moment, he did not expect this disciple to be so young. But he did not have any other choice, he has been trying to find a helper for the past two days and found a few Fu Knight disciples, but they all chose other missions. He said with a bitter smile, “9 years old! You are a little child…Ai, I need your help! I don"t have any other choice."
What he said scared 12th a bit, “Tell me what you need first, if possible, I will not refuse. If it is beyond my capability, then it will be useless even if I go and then it will be a waste of both of our time.” He said.
That person was stunned, he thought to himself, “This child really knows how to talk.” He said, “Well, recently we have consumed a lot of Dan Fu, and the few Fu Dan Masters here need to make more Fu Dan, but they are lacking a.s.sistants…”
Without even waiting for the person to finish speaking, 12th said, “I"ll go! I"ll go!”
Since 12th saw how magical Fu Dans were, 12th truly wanted to learn how to make Fu Dan, but the Fu Dan Knight was a branch profession and they had their own special methods. It is difficult for others to learn their methods, so 12th did not even wait for the person to finish explaining the situation because he couldn"t wait to accept the mission.
That person was a Fu Warrior disciple, he was not young, at least 30 years old perhaps even older. Maybe he lives in Ye Guan City and was temporarily hired by the North Fu Sect. From the Fu Inscriptions on his forehead, 12th could tell that although he had Fu Warrior potential, he had no money to hire someone to perform the strength enhancements on him.
The Fu Warrior disciple led 12th to a small house, a Fu Warrior was guarding the door. 12th could tell that the person he was about to meet had a high position because at this time, most of the Fu Warriors were taking part in the defensive battle, yet this person still had a Fu Warrior guarding the door for him. This can only mean that he was absolutely not an ordinary person. The Fu Warrior disciple stepped forward and said, “Brother Cheng, the person Xu Master needs…has been found, He He, could you please inform him?”
The Fu Warrior smiled, “Go in there, go in!”
12th could tell that these two people knew each other very well, the Fu Warrior disciple led 12th into the house with a smile.
“Elder Xu, the disciple you want is here!”
An elderly voice said, “Come in.”
“Elder Xu?”
As 12th was thinking as he followed the Fu Warrior disciple into the room, an elder was busy working on something when they went inside. The room was a very big laboratory. The people from this world called these types of rooms either a Fu Making Room or a Fu Making Hall, but 12th called it a laboratory because according to his memories from his previous lives it resembled a laboratory.
“Hmm? Why is it a child?”
Elder Xu looked up, he probably did not notice earlier when they came in, and felt something was wrong.
“Elder, I truly could not find anybody else, everybody has already accepted their own missions. This is a FuZhou disciple from the inner court and he met your requirements."
“Hmm? FuZhou disciple of the inner court? Whose disciple?”
The elder knew that it was going to be difficult trying to find FuZhou disciples, he also knew that FuZhou disciples from the inner court can only come to Ye Guan City at the order of their Teacher. A simple disciple of the inner court would find it impossible to come to Ye Guan City at this age.
12th saluted, “My teacher is Fu Zhou Great Master Luo Jie.”
The Fu Warrior disciple"s mouth was suddenly wide open. In his eyes, a FuZhou Great Master was a peak existence.
“Ah? You are a disciple of Elder Luo!”
The elder"s face revealed a surprised expression, he continuously asked, “How come I didn"t know that Elder Luo had a new disciple? Come! Come! Sit down, what"s your name? How old are you? When did you become Elder Luo’s disciple?”
12th was relieved, he could tell that this elder was very familiar with his teacher, he said, “My name is Guo 12th, 9 years old, became a disciple last winter. Grandpa Xu, you can call me 12th.” 12th began to act young and cute, he could not do anything about it because his appearance was truly that of a child"s, he was not even a teenager yet.
Elder Xu’s name was Xu Zai Kun, he is a well-known Fu Dan Master, he will soon advance to Fu Dan Great Master. This time he just pa.s.sed by Ye Guan City and was stuck here because of the savages’ attack. Since a lot of Fu Warriors were injured, he naturally offered help with his treatments. It was unfortunate that he did not bring a lot of low-level Fu Dan with him and all of them were used up in a few days.
Because there was no more low-level Fu Dan he had to start making more by himself, and since the procedures for making the low-level Fu dan was trivial he was impatient doing it by himself. This was the reason why he was trying to find Fu Knight disciples to a.s.sist him, but he did not expect to find a FuZhou disciple. Elder Xu quickly decided to let 12th become his a.s.sistant when he heard that he was Luo Jie"s disciple.
Xu Zai Kun knew very well that 12th, as Luo Jie’s disciple, must have outstanding intelligence and amazing potential. This type of person will save him a lot of trouble.
Elder Xu asked, “Have you learned raw material purification?”
12th responds with, “Yes, I have achieved mid-level purification.”
Xu Zai Kun was shocked and said, “Ah? Mid-level! How is that possible?”
12th smiled, “Grandpa Xu, I"m not lying to you, let"s try and see.” Since 12th"s soul have been strengthened he also had an advantage in raw material purification. 12th could achieve low-level purification when he first started and after a period of training and practice, he quickly achieved mid-level purification. Sometimes, he would even achieve high-level purification.
Xu Zai Xun thought about his own disciples and suddenly felt that Luo Jie’s image got stronger. His heart revolted, how come he could not find a disciple with such great potential? He asked, “How many Fu will be successful if you have 10 tries?”
12th said, “Between 7 to 9, I"m still not strong enough.”
Xu Zai Kun clutched his forehead, and after awhile he said, “7 to 9 Fu…Ah…” His own success rate right now was only 9 Fu, if he was careless it sometimes might be 8 Fu. He could not believe that this child have a 7 to 9 Fu success rate after cultivating for less than a year. This was monstrous, 12th was an absolute genius in Fu making.
“Are you interested in Fu Dan?”
12th immediately was full of spirit, he said, “I"m interested, I like Fu Dan a lot.”
Xu Zai Kun almost cried. This was very rare, he did not expect 12th to be interested in the profession of the Fu Dan Knight. Even though the Fu Dan Knights profession had an excellent reputation and was also very important within a team, they were the weakest profession before advancing to Fu Dan Master. They did not have any attack force and could only provide healing treatments. In this world, almost everyone yearned for a profession with a high attack force. As for the Fu Knight potential disciples, very few were willing to choose the Fu Dan profession.
The reason why 12th liked Fu Dan was because he had a very bad experience with the medical world in his previous life, so he could not give up an opportunity to learn Fu Dan in this life. No matter if he was going to save others or himself, it will be like to having a doctor constantly by your side after learning how to make Fu Dan.
“Good! Good! Haha, I will teach you how to make low-level Fu Dan as long as you are willing to learn.”
12th said very seriously, “Thank you Grandpa Xu, I will not let you down.” He is very happy that he have the opportunity to learn how to make low-level Fu Dan. To learn a practical Fu making method will be good for his future development, the only problem was 12th’s time here was limited.
Xu Zai Kun took out a set of Fu books and said, “This Fu book is for you, it includes almost all my knowledge on making low-level Fu Dan. Read it when you have time, you can start a.s.sisting me first.”
This gift was precious, since the set of Fu books were written by Elder Xu for his disciples to study, it could not be found outside. This was something that money could not buy.
12th felt very grateful. Ever since he reincarnated to this world, he noticed that the people here were a lot more friendly than the people from his previous life. Especially the elders in this world, they treated the younger generations with sincere care, 12th often became emotional from their unconcealed love.
Northern birch leaves were the main material for making low-level Fu Dan. The northern birch leaves 12th tried to purify were all planted there. In the wild, there was a forest with these types of tree in the wastelands of the northern tip, and the ones which are a thousand years old had the best quality. They were material used for high-level Fu Dan.
First, 12th used a special grinding Fu to smash hundreds of kilograms of northern birch leaves into dark green pastes, then he heated them and put them into 5 bottles of powder, and finally he would start the real purification process.
12th used the Four-Fu purification method. This method starts with four special purification Fu being placed at specific locations. Afterwards 12th poured out the northern birch leaves powder and when the powder pa.s.sed through the four special purification Fu, 12th would activate his Fu power to collect the purified powder. According to the requirements, 12th had to purify the powder 3 times before he was able to obtain a fairly pure northern birth leaf powder.
After 12th finished the purification, 5 bottles of the powder were purified into only half a bottle of light green fine powder. These 5 bottles of powder were made with hundreds of kilograms of northern birch leaves and the only usable portion was the less than 1 kilogram half bottle of fine powder. 12th took the crystal bottle and walked over to Xu Zai Kun, “Grandpa Xu, this is the purified northern birch leaves, can you check?”
Xu Zai Kun picked up the bottle and took a minutes to carefully inspected it, his face revealed an expression of satisfaction. He nodded, “It"s good enough, did you use the Four-Fu purification method?”
12th nodded, “Yes, I only know two purification methods, one is the Four-Fu purification method and the other is the Condensation method. There is another one called Smelting method, but I did not learn it yet.”
Xu Zai Kun shook his head and said with a bitter smile, “You are just the opposite of the other disciples, almost all the disciples start from the Smelting method into the Four-Fu purification method…and only Fu Knights might learn that skill. You are truly a little monster, starting with the more difficult Four-Fu purification method, no wonder you can achieve mid-level purification.”
“Good, continue the purification process, another half bottle will be sufficient.”
12th turned around and immediately went back to work without saying anything. Xu Zai Kun revealed appreciation in his eyes. After a while, he sighed, and secretly thought for a moment wondering how he could not encounter such a good disciple.
Two hours later 12th came back with another bottle, he finished the second purification a.s.signment.
Xu Zai Kun then took out a big bottle of dark blood and said, “12th, this is the blood from the Iron Giant Snake. They live in the wastelands of the northern tip, they have extremely strong vitality and their blood is one of the raw materials for making low-level Fu Dan. This bottle of blood is from a thirty years old Iron Giant Snake, it is good enough to make low-level Fu Dan. Ah, if it was from a 100 year old Giant Snake, it"s blood could then be used to make high-level Fu Dan.”
“Continue using the Four-Fu purification. This is where it matters the most so place all your attention on the purification. Try once first, but don"t be afraid of failure, just give it another try. This bottle is the blood from the Iron Giant Snake, Hmm, this is a Fu bottle so it contains 150kg of blood. I estimate that when it is completely refined, it will have about 5kg of purified liquid.”
12th took the bottle to the room designed specially for purifications. First, he picked up the book on purification that Xu Zai Kun gave him and started reading. There was a purification method known especially to Fu Dan Knights, this method could extract the vitality of the snake from it"s blood. 12th read it over and over until he memorized it. Then he emulated the purification process in his mind and began when he thought he was completely confident with it.
The purification process went very smoothly, 12th completed his first batch of purified liquid, but he had a look of confusion because the dark blood became a transparent like mucus after the purification. 12th brought it over to Xu Zai Kun so he can examine it and he was very satisfied. 12th went back and continued working on the purification, he used three days to finish the purification of all the 150kg of blood.
From the purification of raw materials, to the refinement of the Fu body, and finally the study of Fu Dan, 12th was immersed throughout the whole process, he didn"t feel tired at all.
Xu Zai Kun increasingly liked this intellectually curious and hardworking child, the child was not only wise, intellectual, and persistent, his ability to understand and utilize what he has learned caused Xu Zai Kun to be both surprised and overjoyed. Xu Zai Kun thought that 12th was much more powerful than many adults.
Since time was limited, 12th stayed for only a little more than a month. 12th learned how to make two types of one-time use Fu Dan. One of them was the most common Blood Fu Dan, which was used for excessive blood loss, and the other one was the Green Fu Dan, which was an external medicine that could stopped the bleeding and heal the wounds.
Xu Zai Kun was reluctant to let 12th go even after the mission was over, he thought for a long time and eventually took out another Fu book, “12th, this book has information on Fu Dan advancement. There are four different Fu Dan making methods, if you have time, you can try learning them. And also say "h.e.l.lo" to Elder Luo for me when you see him.”
12th said his thanks, he was truly touched because this Grandpa has wholeheartedly taught him many things.
Xu Zai Kun then took out two high-level Fu Dan and said, “12th, these are two high-level one-time use Fu Dan, they are for life-saving emergencies, use them well.” He sighed to himself, “If I could ever get a disciple like 12th, it will be great. Ah, Elder Luo Jie has really good luck!”
12th said his goodbye and left, he went to turn in the mission and then headed back to his courtyard.
“Uncle Luo! You"re back?”
12th saw Luo Zhan and the other 3 Fu Warriors when he stepped into the courtyard. Huo Bao said, “Uncle Luo arrived and was about to look for you. 12th, you finish the mission?”
12th smiled, “Yes, it went smoothly. Oh, Uncle Luo, you guys defeat the savages?”
Luo Zhan said with a bitter smiled, “It"s us who were almost defeated…the Savage Gate has fallen and a large number of combatants from the North Fu Sect were killed. Some were able to escape and rushed into the wastelands of the northern tip while others retreated back towards Ye Guan City. We need to retreat back to the North Fu Gate as well. Go pack up your belongings, we will depart in a moment.”
12th was shocked, “How could this happen?”
Luo Zhan said, “Nothing is impossible…a message came from the Savage Gate, the number of savages which attacked was 30,000, in previous years only 2 to 3 thousand savages would attack and that was already terrible. This time was totally different, savages were all over the mountains. Compared to the previous years the attack had 10 time more savages, it is simply impossible to resist that many savages.
“The Savage Gate has fallen and the savages will arrive in Ye Guan City in a couple of days, it is impossible for the city to defend against them, so everyone must retreat. The first group to retreat will be disciples of the inner court and all the other Fu Knight professions. I"m your guard so I will also be on the retreat list."
12th did not dare to delay even a bit of time because currently any wasted time can mean death. He simply packed a bit and urged his teammates to quickly pack too, and in less than 20 minutes, they gathered back at the courtyard again. 12th said, “Uncle Luo, let’s go.”
The message of Savage Gate falling was a tightly sealed secret, so the city was still calm. Many inner court disciples and Fu Knights have already arrived at the gathering point, there were over 4000 people all together. The personal guards alone numbered more than 3000, in addition, to the 2000 people of the convoy, which included the well-known Blades Brigade, Victory Brigade, and the Riders Brigade.
The Blades Brigade had a total of 85 people, with 10 people in a team. The team leaders were Fu Warrior Masters and their 9 other teammates were all Fu Warriors. There were two Zhou Masters in the brigade, and the chief leader was a Fu Master. Their combat force can be counted as one of the best in Ye Guan City.
The Riders Brigade had 53 people, every single person was riding on a wild horse which originated from the northern tip. The combat power of this brigade was also very powerful and under the protection of this brigade the first group to retreat will be relatively safe. It will not be a problem unless they encountered a big group of savages.
The Victory Brigade had a lot more people, approximately over 200, the brigade had a FuZhou Master. And in any brigade it was well known that if there was a FuZhou Master in it then the overall strength of the group will be atleast 3 times stronger.
“…Follow the brigades, don"t be nervous if the group encounters any savages, and don"t run around. It will be impossible for you to get back to the North Fu Sect by yourself if you get left behind…”
“…Supporters, protect your commanders…you only need to protect the person who needs your protection, do not get involved in the matters of others…”
“...prepare your own food and water, we will probably have no time to rest on the way..."
Someone was speaking loudly, stating all the safety measures. Chen Bing ran back and forth to gather news, she was responsible for delivering messages. Huo Bao’s duty was to confirm their position within the group. This was very important, the safest position was in the middle of the group and luckily since 12th’s status was high enough they were arranged in a good position.
Then came the formations. 12th"s team was a.s.signed to the third group, there were about 700 people in the group with most of them being disciples of the inner court, some of them were even important Fu Masters, like Xu Zai Kun and his 3 Fu Warriors. Xu Zai Kun looked very happy when he saw 12th again. 12th immediately invited him to join their small team. One Fu Dan Master was equivalent to having a mobile hospital.
12th’s appearance was a child, but his soul was not, when he saw Xu Zai Kun he immediately went over to his side. He clearly knew what this elder liked, and soon, Xu Zai Kun was very happy.
12th and Xu Zai Kun were each a.s.signed a carriage, 12th let Huo Bao and the other 3 children sit in Xu Zai Kun’s carriage while inviting Xu Zai Kun to sit on his own carriage. His carriage was safer because it was under the protection of Luo Zhan.
The Blades Brigade departed first, they rode on their horses to lead the way. The next one to depart was the Riders Brigade, they were riding on their wild horses and was responsible for the safety of the road. Because the speed of the wild horses were extremely fast this mission was handed to them.
The Victory Brigade was responsible for the rear.
About an hour later, the shouts from outside the gate gradually disappeared. The whole group began to depart.
12th and Xu Zai Kun sat in the carriage together, they had very little interests in the battle outside. 12th took the advantage of this opportunity by seeking advice from Xu Zai Kun about his knowledge of Fu Dan.
Xu Zai Kun liked this studious and thoughtful child, he would explain the answers to the questions in detail whenever 12th asked. He took the initiative to explain more even though 12th did not ask. It could be said that Xu Zai Kun taught 12th everything he knew without any hidden thoughts.
There were a lot of savages in the wild, often a group of a dozen savages would gather together and attack the group, but none of the attacks were successful. The defending forces within the group was too strong.
In particular, the Blades Brigade which had 8 teams of 10 with each having strong combat force plus the 2 Zhou Masters who were always ready for combat. It would only take them a couple of minutes to kill off a dozen savages.
As time went by the wounded began to appear. Being a relatively well-known Fu Dan Master, Xu Zai Kun had the obligation to treat the wounded. 12th followed and took the opportunity to learn more about the usage of Fu Dan.
As more and more savages appear, the casualties were also gradually increasing.
The wounded began to line up near 12th’s carriage. Xu Zai Kun took out a lot of low-level one-time use Fu Dan and directed 12th to treat the wounded. Huo Bao and the others all went over to help.
“Huo Bao, go clean up the wounds!”
“Chen Bing, hold this Uncle, help him lie down…”
“Hong Shi, Chen Hong, you are responsible for lining up the wounded. Remember, those who have more severe injuries should be first!"
12th systematically gave out orders, he treated the wounded one after another with confidence. Everyone there was amazed, this child was simply too outstanding.
The more severe injuries were handled by Xu Zai Kun while 12th treated the people who were wounded less.
The protection of 12th’s carriage was very high because of the treatments by Xu Zai Kun and 12th, most of the injured Fu Warriors quickly recovered their health and they could re-enter the battle with a bit of rest.
The group quickly moved forward without stopping. At this time, they were not going to stop no matter what happens. If they were blocked off with more and more savages appearing, the whole group will probably get trapped to death. Therefore the leading Blades Brigade desperately fought, they killed all the savages that tried to block their way.
With the help of his strengthened soul, 12th got more and more adept with the usage of Fu Dan. After using up all his FuZhou power, his soul would fluctuate and all his FuZhou power would soon be replenished. Xu Zai Kun was getting confused, he did not expect a disciple could continuously use this much Fu Dan. 12th already reached 30 Fu, even though the usage of Fu Dan required only the minimal amount of FuZhou Power, how could a disciple last so long?
“Twist formation! Twist formation!”
“Slow down!”
“Fu Warriors and Fu Warrior Masters come out…twist formation to the left!”
12th looked up and was shocked, over 80 Frenzied Savages appeared on the left side and were all roaring and rushing over.