Huo Bao and his teammates were all riding warhorses, they spurred their horses forward and said, “12th, we will arrive at the next supply station soon…” and then, a loud noise can be heard up front, Huo Bao said, “I'll go take a look!”
Chen Bing said, “I'll go with you.”
Both of them rushed forward and a moment later, they came back. Huo Bao said, “Someone caught a Vagrant Savage, it was imprisoned inside a cage, Heh we will see it very soon, their carriage is coming up.”
A furious roar can be heard, followed by a roar of anguish.
Soon, their carriage and the carriage from the opposite side crossed over, it was the first time Guo 12th has seen a real life savage. It was the Vagrant Savage that was introduced in the book he had just read.
The feeling was different when you see a savage in person than seeing one in a book. When the carriages crossed over, the huge steel cage containing the giant-like Vagrant Savage left a deep impression in 12th. It looked like a humanoid beast which was bloody and violent. Guo 12th estimated that the savage was around 2.5 meters tall. It was naked and was covered in black hair, the hair was covered with mud and dry blood, the smell of blood filled the air.
The savage was locked up within hardwood frames, it's wrists and ankles were pinned down using the long Fu nails. It's body was tied up by thick chains, and there was a FuZhou Inscription looped around it's neck, which seemed to prevent it from gathering strength. Guo 12th noticed that when the carriages crossed over, the savage was fiercely staring at him and a violent bloodlust can be felt.
Huo Bao and his teammates were completely intimidated by the savage, their faces turned pale white, Guo 12th grunted and said, “The savage can't even more, why are you guys scared?”
Their faces could not help but turn red. Huo Bao plucked up his courage and said, “I'm not scared!”
Luo Zhan followed the carriage, he smiled, “There is indeed no need to be scared, do not be scared even when you are faced against a savage that could threaten your life because…they will not feel sorry for you whether you're scared or not. Courage is the most important attribute for a Fu Warrior.” Luo Zhan was a surprised and thought, “How come 12th isn't scared? His face does not show any fear, but curiosity."
Luo Zhan looked up and said loudly, “Brother Yang, why are you here?”
A big man stepped forward with a smile and said, “Brother Luo, are you going to Savage Gate too?” he glanced at the carriage and asked, “Who are you protecting this time?”
Luo Zhan smiled, “Who else can they be? Grandpa’s disciple, Ha Ha, I will be protecting grandpa’s precious disciple temporarily. He is only 9 years old, 12th come say hi to this crazy warrior.”
Guo 12th peeked out his head and said, “Nice to meet you, Uncle Yang.”
Brother Yang nodded and said in surprise, “Grandpa Luo allows his disciples to go to the Savage Gate? It's a mess there. This spring will be different from before, there will be many savages, and they will all be crazy because there will be Fu Savages hiding within their savage groups. The presense of the Fu Savages will make the other savages fiercer and more difficult to kill.”
Luo Zhan said, “I'm only accompanying 12th to Ye Guan City, not to Savage Gate. He He, Brother Yang, why did you catch this Vagrant Savage? Why not just kill it?”
Brother Yang said, “Someone is offering a high price for Vagrant Savages, Heh, that's why we used traps…two people from my team got injured…I have to rush back to complete my mission and go back towards Savage Gate in a few days. I will talk to you next time, Brother Luo, take care!”
Guo 12th asked, “Is Uncle Yang a Fu Warrior Master? I did not see his identification card.”
Luo Zhan said, “Brother Yang is a true master of the outer court, he leads his group of brothers and make a living by accepting Sect missions. Heh, he's not simple, he's very famous among us Fu Warrior Masters. He usually picks the missions that are more troublesome, like capturing a live savage this time, Ha Ha, savages are easier to kill than to capture alive.”
12th was very eye-catching within the group heading towards Ye Guan City. Normally it was better for disciples with Fu Warrior potential to gain experience of the battlefield earlier. Disciples with FuZhou or Fu potential did not have to go so early, but 12th was the FuZhou Great Master, Luo Jie’s disciple, nobody knew what the FuZhou Great Master was thinking.
Other FuZhou potential disciples who are in the group were soon going to become FuZhou Knights. They were older and had more Fu Warrior supporters. Their purpose of going to Ye Guan City was to adapt to the environment, When they successfully become FuZhou Knights, they will be sent to the northern tip to cultivate.
12th hardly got out of the carriage, but when they stopped at the supply stations he would get out and find some warm food. 12th spent most of his time in the carriage to read books. Sometimes he would chant the inscriptions, and other times he might practice taking out Fu from his Fu belt. He had to get more familiar with the positions of the Fu, when he can accurately reach the Fu without hesitation, he would not be incompetent in battles.
It was safe the whole way. There were many people from the North Fu Sect traveling along the road to Ye Guan City. The beasts that came within a few hundred meters of the road would immediately be driven away by Fu Warriors. All the risk factors were considered, this road was the main route to get to and from Ye Guan City, the North Fu Sect would never allow any incidents to occur.
The group arrived at Ye Guan City after 8 days.
It only required one day to get to Savage Gate from Ye Guan City. Ye Guan City was the main base of Savage Gate, and it was also an outer headquarter of the North Fu Sect. Therefore people from the inner court would receive a warm welcoming.
As a disciple of a FuZhou Great Master in the inner court, Guo 12th was given a small courtyard. The region where he lived was guarded by Fu Warriors, it was a residential region primarily for disciples of the inner court. It was also the safest region.
Guo 12th did not want to go outside, after moving to the courtyard, he started making up excuses to waste time. Huo Bao and his teammates all looked at Guo 12th with eyes full of optimism, but 12th simply ignored them. After seeing a savage in person, he understood that in this world, it was easier for a person to die than a chicken. After successfully reincarnating he did not want to die so fast.
The Fu towns were different from the ones in the inner court, they were not only bigger, but also had a greater variety of materials. Many disciples who were heading towards the northern tip would choose to sell the raw materials they have collected or trade it for supplies they need before going to the Savage Gate.
12th enjoyed going to the Fu town after his first visit, he thought that it was a good place to gain knowledge. There were restaurants in the Fu town, and they were a good place for him to learn more about the world.
12th did not limit Huo Bao’s team’s activities. The only restrictions were to not go to Savage Gate, and if they wanted to go out of town, they had be escorted by a Fu Warrior. There were no beasts or savages in the suburb of Ye Guan City, it should not be dangerous if they go out and take a look.
12th was escorted by Luo Zhan every day when he went to Fu town, 12th would never go out alone. This world was too dangerous and he needed to take precaution in case of encountering something crazy. He was neither as impulsive as a child, nor as passionate as a young man. He was simply calm and steady.
Luo Zhan never interfered with Guo 12th’s activities. He followed him closely so that he could protect 12th from any danger, it was his most important responsibility.
“What animal leather is this?”
12th asked while standing in front of a small stall.
“He He, this is from the Volcanic Rats, I have 8 pieces in total and they have all been processed. It will be a very good material once you clean it with leather liquid. How many do you want?”
This stall was operated by a Fu Warrior.
“How much are you selling them for?”
Volcanic Rats were a type of underground rodent, they had a strange ability where they could live on top of hot magma underground. Their hide were a natural fiery material, and were very suitable for Flame Fu. Only a palm-sized hide would be used, and they were hard to find.
“One Black Fu Bill each!”
12th smiled and said, “2 Black Fu Bills…for all 8 pieces! This leather isn't bad, but some of them were no good, look…this one is broken…”
The stall owner was shocked, he had noticed 12th's identification card on his chest and knew that he was a FuZhou disciple of the inner court. He thought people from the inner court were all rich so he asked for a high price. He did not expect this little child to be a master of bargaining, he directly cutted his price to the lowest point.
“How old are you?”
12th said, “9! Do you want to fool me just cause I'm young?”
The stall owner had a bitter face, he glanced at the Fu Warriors behind 12th, smiled and said apologetically, “I wouldn't dare…Heh, but the price you offered is too low, I will be at a loss if I sell them to you at those rates. How about 7 Black Fu Bills for 8 pieces!”
Guo 12th said, “Forget it, I'll offer 3 Black Fu Bills for 8 pieces! If you're not willing…I will leave!”
“Ah, how can that work? 6 Black Fu Bills! Just 6!”
Guo 12th said, “Uncle Luo, let’s go!”
The stall owner was unhappy, it was not easy trying to sell Volcanic Rat leather because there were not many Fu Knights or FuZhou disciples in Ye Guan City. And only those professions needed these low level materials to make one-time use Flame Fu. If this child left, he didn't know when these materials will be sold. He was not going to stay in Fu town for long because he was leaving for Savage Gate soon.
“4! I will sell them to you for 4 Black Fu Bills!”
Guo 12th walked slowly, he turned around and said, “3! Forget it if not!”
The stall owner saw Guo 12th walking further and further away, he sighed, “3…Fine!Ai, where did you come from? How come you are so good at bargaining?”
Guo 12th walked back and said, “Ai, you shouldn't complain, a little child like me doesn't have much money!” He handed over 3 Black Fu Bills, picked up the Volcanic Rat leathers and placed them in his backpack. The stall owner looked at 12th and was speechless.
Luo Zhan could not help but laugh, he knew the price of Volcanic Rat very well. Normally 1 Black Fu Bill could buy 2, the stall owner wanted to bully a child at the beginning but didn't expect 12th to not fall for it. In addition, 12th was very good at bargaining. Since the stall owner was in a rush to sell, Guo 12th surely gained a complete victory.
“12th, how did you know he will accept your offer?”
Guo 12th smiled, “Uncle Luo, if I was even more patient I could have reduced it to 2 Black Fu Bills, didn’t you notice he was in a hurry to leave? Volcanic Rat leather is a low level material, only disciples will want it and there weren't many disciples currently in Ye Guan City. His asking price is reasonable if he was selling them in the inner court, but it was not worth it here.”
Luo Zhan sighed in his mind and thought that 12th was just too clever.
Guo 12th had to be clever, he collected a lot of material and continued making one-time use Fu whenever he had free time. He was different from other disciples. 12th would try making all kinds of Fu as long as he had the instructions and the materials, he would never give up even if the failure rate was high.
Guo 12th purchased a lot of beast bones in Fu town, they could be used for Fu making. Most beast bones were natural Fu material and could be used to make Bone Fu, the results were a little better than the ones made by beast leather.
In the corner of the town there was a modest looking stall. Guo 12th squatted down and browsed around, he did not find anything good. He was about to stand up and leave, when the stall owner asked, “Are you a FuZhou disciple?”
There were no Fu Inscriptions on the stall owner's body, and his face was clean. For those reasons, Guo 12th was sure that he was not a Fu Warrior disciple, but he did not look like an ordinary person either. 12th said, “Yes, I'm a FuZhou disciple from the inner court.”
The stall owner said, “I'm a Zhou Knight disciple from the Sun Clan. My last name is Sun, full name Chen Su Sun, He He, I have some good stuff here, I'll trade it for some one-time use Fu, what you think?”
Guo 12th smiled, “My name is Guo 12th, you can call me 12th. What good stuff? Let me see it first, we can trade if it's useful to me.”
Chen Su Sun took out a book-sized grey stone, he said, “How's this ice stone?”
Guo 12th took it and felt his wrist sink, he was slightly surprised because he had many ice stones and they were all very small beads which needed to be refined and processed. Ice stones were materials used to make ice elemental Fu frames, but they were not very heavy. 12th thought the ice stone felt metallic, he said, “What do you want for it? Ice stones are not that rare.”
Chen Su Sun said, “I know, ice stones are just low level material, but you are a FuZhou disciple, you can use it to practice…my request is not that high, 6 one-time use Attack Fu of the fire element with as much power as possible."
Guo 12th said, “After refining, this ice stone can be used to make about 10 ice elemental Fu frames. If I used it to make one-time use Fu, Ah, even though the success rate is high, I can only make about 7. And with the other materials used, not including labor, how is it worth it for me? He He, one-time use ice elemental Fu and one-time use fire elemental Fu have about the same value…”
“Older brother, even though I am young, I understand…if I accept your offer, I might be at a great loss! If I tell my Teacher, I'm afraid that he will be angry…”
Luo Zhan laughed to the side, he already knew that Guo 12th had the ability to bargain. The stall owner wanted to take advantage of him, but it will not be easy.
Chen Su Sun was speechless, in fact, he didn't even know the market price for the ice stone and just made up a price. He was a Zhou Knight disciple, he only knew how to use Fu, but did not know anything about making Fu. Of course he wouldn't know how to calculate the value. He said with a bitter smile, “How much do you think it's worth? Eh, how many Fu can I trade it for?”
Guo 12th said without hesitation, “2 one-time use Fireball Fu at most.”
Chen Su Sun said, “Are you kidding? 2 low level Fireball Fu? It's not even useful when killing ordinary people, not to mention savages. It could only be used to light a fire…I don't think Fireball Fu have any value."
Guo 12th said, “You tell me…what do you want to trade?”
Chen Su Sun’s confidence has already been hit by Guo 12th, he said, “Then…then how about one with a fast piercing speed with fire…the Fire Arrow Fu, and one Fire Cloud Fu! Give me those two…I will trade with you!”
With a bitter face, Guo 12th sorrowfully said, “That request is too high. I'm fine with the Fire Arrow Fu, but Fire Cloud Fu is not easy to make. The failure rate is very high, and I don't even know how to make it…eh, Fire Arrow Fu and Fireball Fu. Let me tell you, the Fireball Fu was given to me from my teacher, and he is a FuZhou Great Master! His Fu are good stuff!”
Chen Su Sun was only a Clan cultivated Zhou Knight disciple. He did not advanced to a Zhou Knight even when he is already in his twenties. When he heard that Guo 12th was a disciple of a FuZhou Great Master, he respected it in his heart. When he heard that the Fireball Fu was made by a FuZhou Great Master, he had no hint of regret in his heart, he only felt that he had make this trade. He quickly said, “Ok! Deal!”
Guo 12th carefully took out the two one-time use Fu, and said, “You can double check, if there are no issues, we can trade.”
Chen Su Sun accepted the two Fu carefully, he couldn't hold back a smile on his face. He was just a Zhou Knight disciple, he relied on one-time use Fu in combat. If he was a gun, the Fu were his bullets, the quality of the bullets were directly related to whether or not he can survive in certain situations. Of course he was very happy to receive a Fu made by a FuZhou Great Master.
Luo Zhan had a strange thought, “When did grandpa ever make one-time use Fu? He doesn't even make Treasure Fu that much.” After thinking for a bit, he could not help but have a bitter smile on his face. From the beginning, Guo 12th never said that the Fireball Fu was made by a FuZhou Great Master, he was misleading the stall owner. The Fu was given by a FuZhou Great Master, it didn't mean that it was personally made by him. This child was very cunning.
In fact, Guo 12th was still reluctant to trade those two Fu. An ice stone was not that precious and he already had a lot. The reason for the trade was because 12th was curious about the weight of the ice stone. He suspected that the stone might have some secret so he proceeded with the trade.
Holding the ice stone, Guo 12th went back home happily.
12th went to his room, there was no laboratory here, only a temporary long stone table has been set up. Guo 12th used a Fu carving knife to remove the surface of the ice stone bit by bit.
The Fu carving knife was an essential tool for every Fu Knight. The one that 12th was using has been used by his teacher Luo Jie when he was younger. It has been modified a bit when he gave it to Guo 12th. It was a very useful tool that can be used for cutting, carving, grinding, excavating, and many other functions.
The grey ice stone was slowly separated, revealing an inner black stone. 12th collected the carved off ice stone bead, and only left the palm-size black stone. It was as heavy as metal, Guo 12th did not know what this black stone was.
But he was not discouraged, he continued carving even when he could not find anything, 12th was determined to not give up. Two Fu exchanged for a prize-winning opportunity, of course he will not give up. As he was carving carefully, a trace of crystal substance appeared within the black stone.
Guo 12th was happy, he believed that it was better to see something than nothing at all. He continued carving bit by bit with even more care.
A burst of bone-chilling aura was released from the stone, Guo 12th’s hands could not help, but tremble when he held onto the stone. 12th took a piece of leather and wrapped it around his hands while he continued to grind away using the Fu carving knife. An irregular semi-translucent object appeared, it was much colder than ice, the air turned into white mist when the cold exposed into the air.
A word flashed across Guo 12th’s mind, “Profound Ice Stone!” He carefully wrapped the Profound Ice Stone in beast leather, then he took out a book and quickly searched for the origin and usage of the Profound Ice Stone.
Profound Ice Stone, a product of ice stone, extremely cold, also known as Profound Ice Jade, was one of the best materials used for making Innate Fu.
Guo 12th took a deep breath, he knew that he had made a huge profit. This was a material that's much more precious than those used for making Treasure Fu. This was the treasure for making Innate Fu. He shook his head, this small Profound Ice Jade was enough to trade for 8 to 10 Treasure Fu, 12th could not believe he traded it with two low level one-time use Fu.
The beast leather could effectively block off the cold. Guo 12th carefully picked up the Profound Ice Jade that has been wrapped by beast leather, and puts it into his Fu hidden bag. This was his treasure, he was very happy about gaining a precious material for making Innate Fu. This was the charm of Fu town, one could find precious material as long as they had enough luck.
As 12th was thinking that his luck was not bad, Luo Zhan came in and said, “12th, go sign up for some disciple missions tomorrow, you must finish 3 disciple missions of the inner court before returning.”
“Ah? We have a policy like this?”
12th was not happy inside, he thought for a moment and asked, “Are these 3 missions assigned? Or do we have choices?” he was not interested in the so-called missions, but he had to complete the missions if he wanted to return back to the inner court. If there were choices, he would choose the most simple ones. If they were assigned, then he could not do anything but try his best.
Luo Zhan admired Guo 12th’s funny face for a moment, and said with a smile, “Both!”
Guo 12th said, “What do you mean mean?” He was not able to ask fast enough.
Luo Zhan said, “There will be one mission that is assigned, and two that can be chosen. Go to the inner court head office that's stationed inside Ye Guan City, there are many disciple missions there. He He, you should have registered earlier.”
Guo 12th was sad and said, “Ok, I'll go check it out right now.” He thought to himself, “Ah, it's really unfortunate! I never expected that they would ask a 9 years old child to complete missions, isn’t this child abuse? This can never be justified! It's pointless pretending to be useless and even more pointless to play dumb…what kind of world is this…Ai!”
Guo 12th continued to jabber as he followed Luo Zhan out the door. It was the second time he went out today, Luo Zhan couldn't help but want to laugh, this child is too funny, it seems that he understood the meaning of the missions, but appeared to be unwilling to do them. His little face was wrinkled.
12th suddenly wakes up and asked, “Where did Huo Bao and Hong Shi go? It seems like I have not see them for 2 or 3 days.”
Luo Zhan smiled, “12th, didn’t you allow them freedom to explore?”
Guo 12th was surprised, “Hmm? Did I?”
Luo Zhan shook his head helplessly, this child started to play dumb again. Luo Zhan has been together with Guo 12th for a few months, he already knew very well that 12th was clever. “Ok, whatever you say…” he smiled cooly, “Do you want to find them?” he asked.
Guo 12th said, “Of course, I can't complete the missions on my own!”
When they arrived at the head office of the North Fu Sect in Ye Guan City, Luo Zhan led 12th to the Missions Hall, there were a few people sitting behind a row of desk, most of them were disciples of the outer court.
“Full name? Age? Occupation? Disciple of inner court or outer court?”
The disciple of the outer court who was responsible for the registrations asked with a dead tone and without care. Guo 12th was not happy and spoke in an impulsive manner.
“Check it yourself!"
He threw his identification card on the desk.
That person was not happy either and intentionally caused trouble for 12th. He said, “What…I knew you were a disciple of the inner court, Ai, disciples of the inner court are extraordinary…even the wimpy kids will put on air. If you don't want to register, then please leave…”
Guo 12th was shocked. He did not expect someone to call him a wimpy kid.