Chapter 12 - Counterattack!

Outside the Wild Forest, Chief Steward Li could no longer suppress the doubts in his heart.

“Elder Xue, I just can’t understand. That medicinal powder was one thing, but the pills refined by the Ghost Physician... How valuable are they? You... You just gave them to a little girl you’ve never even met before. Isn’t that a bit...

ahem!

”

He wanted to say it was a complete waste. But fearing Elder Xue’s anger, he didn’t dare say it.

The Ghost Physician was someone that even the Great Qi Dynasty looked up to. The pills he refined were extraordinary—they couldn’t be bought even for ten thousand essence crystals. No, even if the pills sold for a hundred thousand or a million, people would still fight over them.

“It doesn’t matter. If they stayed with me, they’d just be collecting dust. But if they can help that little girl live a bit longer, then they’ve served their purpose.” As he spoke, he glanced at the storage ring on his hand.

Chief Steward Li was surprised. “Elder Xue, you...”

Elder Xue clearly didn’t want to elaborate, so he changed the subject. “Chief Steward Li, I overheard those rogue cultivators talking earlier. It seems someone in the city has issued a bounty to capture someone. Have you heard about this?”

Chief Steward Li chuckled coldly. “

Heh

. For such a small city, they sure make a lot of noise.”

Elder Xue turned his gaze toward Tianwu City. “Forget it. Let’s head back. We can’t keep the Seventh Prince waiting any longer.”

***

Inside the Wild Forest, Gu Han carried Ah Sha on his back as he moved swiftly through the dense forest. Along the way, he encountered several Tier 2 demonic beasts.

He was at the second stage of Meridian Opening; with his cultivation and the sheer power of Great Evolution Sword Qi, these beasts posed no threat to him. They only ended up as easy prey, letting their beast cores fall into his hands.

However, he had yet to find a single spirit herb. It was no surprise. This area was only slightly deeper than the forest’s outermost edges, meaning many people had come here over the years. Any spirit herbs that had aged long enough were already picked clean. Finding one wouldn’t be easy.

Just as Gu Han was considering whether to venture deeper, Ah Sha suddenly gasped. “Young master, something over there is glowing!”

“Glowing?” Gu Han paused and followed her gaze.

All he saw was an enormous ancient tree wrapped in vines. There was nothing else.

“Ah Sha, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

Ah Sha nodded confidently. “I’m sure! It’s right under the tree roots. I saw it clearly. Oh! It looks like a chubby baby!”

A chubby baby?

Gu Han walked over. As he swept away a thick layer of rotting leaves, he remained skeptical.

“Here?”

“Yes, yes! Right here! Young master, hurry and dig it up!”

Gu Han didn’t think Ah Sha would lie to him for no reason. Thus, he started digging into the ground as directed.

“Deeper! You’re almost there!”

Soon, the hole was three chi deep, but there was nothing to be seen at the bottom. Gu Han then stabbed his sword into the ground.

“Ah Sha, I think you—hmm?”

Just then, a thick wave of spirit qi surged up from the hole.

There really is something here!

Gu Han’s eyes lit up. With a swing of his sword, dirt flew everywhere. This revealed a root about half a chi long. It was pure white and covered in delicate root tendrils. The surrounding spirit qi intensified.

“Black Ginseng!”

Gu Han recognized it immediately.

Although Black Ginseng was not the rarest spirit plant, it was still uncommon. It thrived in dark, damp environments, and it grew underground. Without special techniques, it was nearly impossible for most people to find. That made it incredibly valuable.

Years ago, when Gu Han broke into Meridian Opening, Gu Tian had spent a fortune to find one for him. But neither its size nor quality had come close to this one.

As Gu Han held the Black Ginseng, he felt its rich spirit qi seep into this skin.

“Ah Sha, how did you find this?”

“Huh? I don’t know. I... just looked around...”

“Just looked around?”

Gu Han studied her eyes. They were bright and playful, and showed intelligence she’d never displayed before. Aside from that, nothing seemed unusual. Yet Ah Sha had never displayed such an ability.

Could it be that she awakened some kind of special ability after taking that pill from the Ghost Physician? Or maybe it’s something linked to her Soul Deficiency...

Beside him, Ah Sha beamed, waiting for praise.

“Young master, aren’t I amazing?”

“Incredible!”

“Yay! I can finally help you!” Ah Sha nearly jumped in excitement.

“You silly girl...

Hmm?

”

Suddenly, Gu Han sensed movement. Instinctively, he pulled Ah Sha behind him, staring into the seemingly empty depths of the forest. His spirit perception was sharp and he had never let his guard down, so he immediately noticed something off.

The sound of snapping twigs and footsteps that belong to humans echoed closer.

“Who’s there?!” Gu Han’s gaze turned cold, and he raised his sword.

“Big Brother, this brat has sharp ears. He actually noticed us.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not like he can escape anyway.”

“

Haha!

With you taking action, this will be over in no time.”

As the intruders spoke, they finally emerged. Leading them was the man with a scar on his face.

Gu Han immediately recognized the ones behind him. “It’s you guys!”

“Big Brother. Look at what he’s holding...” The female cultivator’s eyes gleamed with greed as she spotted the Black Ginseng in Gu Han’s hand.

The scar-faced man’s expression brightened. “Black Ginseng! What a treasure! I wasn’t expecting an extra prize today.”

The Black Ginseng in Gu Han’s hand was worth at least a few hundred essence crystals. It was a significant fortune to them.

“This is mine!”

Gu Han still didn’t realize he was being hunted. He thought they had come for the Black Ginseng.

“Yours? You won’t even be alive in a moment, and you still care about that?” a man in his thirties sneered.

A spark of fury ignited in Gu Han’s chest. “I just saved your lives yesterday!”

“Hah! You only helped us for the beast core. It had nothing to do with us. Now you want to take credit?”

“Enough!” The scar-faced man waved his hand. “No more wasting time. Surround him! Don’t let the two thousand essence crystals escape!”

Two thousand essence crystals?

Gu Han froze.

“You brat!”

The scar-faced man approached slowly, his aura intensifying as his second stage of Acupoint Unsealing cultivation became fully apparent. A sinister energy coiled around his fists. This was the qi of the Seven Fiends Art, a low-grade Yellow-tier martial art he had practiced for years.

“Running into me is your misfortune—”

Before he could even finish, a streak of sword light flashed.

Shit!

The scar-faced man’s pupils shrank as he sensed an imminent death threat.

At the last second, he twisted his body with all his strength, barely dodging the attack.

A faint slicing sound rang out, and the smug expression of the female cultivator behind him suddenly froze. The next moment, her head separated from her body.

“That was close.” The scar-faced man stared at the long, bloody cut on his torso, his heart still pounding in fear.

If not for the warning he received yesterday about Gu Han possessing a deadly hidden weapon, and his own cultivation being a full realm higher than Gu Han’s, then he would have been the one lying dead right now.

“What are you all standing around for?! Move it! Capture the little girl first!” he shouted as his humiliation turned into rage.

The Second Brother dared not face Gu Han head-on, as he knew the young man’s strength. Suddenly, his eyes flashed coldly and he lunged straight for Ah Sha.

“You... will die!!” The fury Gu Han had been suppressing erupted in an instant.

Overwhelmed by rage, his spirit qi surged wildly as if it cost nothing. With a swing of his sword, another blade of Great Evolution Sword Qi slashed out, striking the buff man square.

“

AHH!!

” A shriek filled the air!

With only the third stage of Meridian Opening, the man had no chance to evade. He was instantly cut in half.

At this moment, the other two were only a chi away from Ah Sha. However, she stood frozen in fear, completely motionless. And once again, those two eerie streaks of light appeared in her eyes.

“Go to hell!”

At the last second, Gu Han stepped in front of her. His sword qi that was condensed but not yet unleashed pierced one of the attackers straight through the forehead. Without a moment of hesitation, he cut the second assailant’s head clean off.

Suddenly, an enraged roar echoed, “You brat, die!!”

The scar-faced man seized the moment Gu Han was distracted. He had already closed the distance. His fists that were shrouded in sinister energy, struck toward Gu Han’s body.

“The one dying is you!”

At this moment, Gu Han’s eyes gleamed red with unbridled killing intent. His spirit qi surged continuously from his body, and he swung his sword in a furious counterattack. The scar-faced man’s expression betrayed his shock as he lost both arms in an instant.

“You...”

He barely had time to utter a single word before his head followed suit, flying through the air. Even in death, his eyes remained frozen in horror, as if he was unable to comprehend how someone just at the Meridian Opening realm could unleash such terrifying combat strength.

In the span of just a few breaths, four of the five assailants lay dead. The only survivor was a severely wounded man, writhing and screaming in agony.

“

AHH!!

Kill me! Please, just kill me!”

Despite his cultivation keeping him alive, the sheer agony had shattered his sanity.

As Gu Han approached, the man struggled to lift a hand. “Please... Just end it...”

Gu Han’s eyes were icy cold. “Earlier, you mentioned two thousand essence crystals. What did you mean?”

“It was... the Gu family... They...” Between gasping breaths, the man spilled everything he knew.

“Bounty?” Gu Han suddenly laughed, but it carried no warmth. “Well played. As expected of the Gu family. I hope you’re ready to pay the price for this.”

Gu Han ignored the man’s desperate pleas. He gathered the loot from the battlefield before finally walking over to Ah Sha.

“Ah Sha, let’s go.”

Ah Sha remained still.

“Ah Sha? Is there something wrong?”

He instinctively looked into her eyes. And in that instant, his entire body stiffened, and his mind went blank. Those eyes were just... too terrifying. It felt as if his body and soul were being devoured, and his consciousness was slipping away.