The housekeeper who was in charge of the courtyard was too scared to help Shier crawl out of the bathtub.
Guo Shier shouted, "Nanshan grandpa, save me!"
Qi Nanshan's face suddenly changed. "Who did this?" he yelled. "Fuck… What are you laughing at? Quick! Help Shier into his room. If he needs anything, I'll take care of it."
Qi Nanshan's energy soared through the heavens.
"Just lift the wooden tub, it’s too cold outside, I can’t get out!" Guo Shier said.
The water temperature in the tub has dropped sharply.
"I’ll do it!" Ying Mo said. He picked up the tub. "Which room?" he asked the servant girl.
Guo Shier's hair began to freeze. "Uncle, just choose any room, I don't care!" he cried.
Ying Mo held back his laughter. Carrying the big tub, he ran into a room—only to be greeted by a scream. He had accidentally entered Chen Hong's room!
This was too much even for Qi Nanshan, who was unable to hold himself. He burst into laughter.
Chen Hong—blushing—walked out of the room. She was lying in bed a moment ago, confused and not knowing what was happening outside. Ying Mo suddenly kicked open the door, carrying a big tub and rushed in. She saw Guo Shier squatting in the barrel, strings of ice hanging on his hair, shaking and clinking the icicles. She was startled for a moment and couldn’t help but scream.
Ying Mo put down the tub and ran out.
Guo Shier cursed, then shouted, "Give me hot water!"
Several maids carrying hot water came in, simply ignoring the naked little kid.
Guo Shier was very depressed while bathing.
After finishing his bath, his mind went back to his Innate Rune Orb. It won't seem to come out.
If I can't use it, I won't be useful in fighting, he thought. He wondered if this was only temporary. As long as I can use my Innate Rune Orb, nothing else matters.
He got tired of thinking, so he eventually slept until he was called up to eat.
Eating was something he couldn't miss, so he grudgingly woke up. His growing body needed all the nourishment it can get.
He put on thick fur clothes, a big fur hat, and big boots, then stepped out of his room and walked the vast expanse of snow.
Guo Shier is couldn't help but feel deeply ashamed in front of the two maids, who were not wearing thick clothes. They were not cold at all. Meanwhile, he was wrapped in a thick ball but was still shivering in the cold. He rubbed his two hands while making crunching sounds walking through the snow.
He reached the dining room, where a row of tables and chairs has been put up. Everyone was waiting for him.
His face couldn't help but reveal a smile. "Don't bottle it in and laugh. Suppressing it would cause internal injuries," he said.
Because of his statement, everyone was too embarrassed to laugh.
"Shier, do you know why the bathhouse collapsed?" Ying Mo asked.
Guo Shier smiled and replied, "Sorry, I accidentally damaged it with the Sword Glyph."
Ying Mo was dumbfounded. A short while later, he burst into laughter. He beat the desk hard and said, "Sword Glyph? You shouldn't play with the Sword Glyph while inside the bathhouse. Hahaha! Don’t you know you’re in the shower?"
Guo Shier cut a piece of meat with a knife. "That was an accident! An accident! Do you understand?" he retorted.
"No, I don’t understand!" Ying Mo said. He couldn’t understand. He knows that the Innate Rune Orb is directly controlled by an Artificer Master. It’s impossible to have a bath with it.
"Well, just eat!" Guo Shier helplessly said.
Ying Mo doesn't know why, but when Guo Shier's expression became serious, he felt a little anxious. He laughed uneasily a few times, then finally said, "Okay, I'm just going to eat."
Luo Zhan could not help but laugh. He remembered the scenes of Guo Shier fighting with the Marked Warrior Grandmasters in the secret realm. They all knew that this little guy was far from simple. The more time they spent with him, the more they felt his greatness—even though he was just a child.
A lot of people were sweating during the meal.
Guo Shier didn't say a word. When he finished, he just stood up and silently walked away.
The crowd didn't know what to do.
When Guo Shier went back to his room, he started laughing and thought to himself, You laughed at me? Hmmmp! I’ll make you uncomfortable, too. Hehehe!
***
After Guo Shier left, Ying Mo couldn't help but scratch his head. He asked, "Is Shier angry?"
Luo Zhan nodded. "Yeah, he's angry."
"Because everyone laughed at him!" said Huo Bao.
Chen Bing calmly analyzed the situation. "No, he's angry because we saw him naked."
"Nonsense!" Hong Shi replied. "We're naked every ten days. He only got naked once… Is that something to be angry about?"
Chen Hong got offended. She he got up and walked out while saying, "Shi-tou! You Asshole!"
This left Hong Shi confused. Why was he scolded?
Ying Mo sighed. "The child lost his temper. It's very normal. Hahaha! Tomorrow he will be fine."
***
The next day, Guo Shier and his followers came to the residence of Luo Jie.
Luo Jie laughed at the sight of Guo Shier, who couldn't do anything but suck it up.
When his followers laugh at him, he can stop them. But when his master laughs at him, he can only listen.
"Master, why are you laughing?" he sheepishly said. "Did Master find an Ancient Rune?"
Luo Jie raised his hand to slap Guo Shier and said, "Little bastard! Why were you playing with your Innate Rune Orb while taking a bath?"
"I got careless. I didn’t mean to," he replied. "Master, aren't you visiting the West Gate today?" he quickly interrupted. He didn't want to discuss this subject at all.
Luo Jie turned serious. "Yes, we're waiting for someone to pick us up. We all have to be careful."
"Be careful of what?" asked Guo Shier. "What's the danger in the Inner Door at West Rune Sect?"
"Careful of confrontations with others. It’s going to be dangerous," Qi Nanshan answered.
"Oh, I'm just a child. I don’t fight, fighting is for the grown-ups," said Guo Shier.
He started to act like a child again. Everyone was disgusted by what they saw.
Qi Nanshan quipped, "You are Old Timer's apprentice. There are things that cannot be avoided."
"Poor me, I'm just a nine-year-old child, and…"
Guo Shier didn't finish what he wanted to say; he was drowned by the laughter of the group. If they hadn't experienced his performance first hand in the Secret Realm, they might have sympathized with him. But he was calm and commanded the team well—and that wasn't something a child could do it. As a matter of fact, among the men of Luo Jie, Guo Shier has been recognized as the team’s third strongest, next only to Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan.
"Little guy, you don’t have to pretend," said Luo Jie. "Who doesn’t know you’re a little monster?"
Guo Shier grew frustrated. "You guys are boring, I don’t know what to say," he retorted. "Fine, alright. If they want to fight, I'm going to fight. I’m not afraid."
"Every man has his own role to play. You have your own job," Qi Nanshan said.
I am not a man! I am a little boy! Guo Shier told himself. I haven't developed yet in this world. Can't they understand I'm just a child?
A servant came in to inform them that a guide from the West Rune Sect has arrived. There were two carriages.
"I'll take the carriage. I’m afraid of the cold," Guo Shier hurriedly said.
Luo Jie agreed. "Shier, sit in the carriage. Others should ride along."
Everyone followed Luo Jie out and went to their horses. Guo Shier sat comfortably in the carriage. He wanted to be cooped up in his room every day. It was unbearable outside. You could hardly breathe with the cold and dry wind blowing in your face, like a small knife cutting your skin.
Feeling warm in the carriage, Guo Shier breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't understand why he was so cold. He was not this cold in his past life. This world was unbearable. He would do anything to avoid the cold snow.
After about an hour, the carriage stopped.
"Shier, we've arrived in the West Rune Sect reception hall," Ying Mo declared.
Guo Shier walked behind his master and went in. Everyone else followed them.
There were many people in the reception hall, including the North Rune Sect colleagues who arrived ahead of their group.
Aside from Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan, three other Grandmasters from the North Rune Sect also showed up.
One was Rune Smith Grandmaster Qian Ziwang, followed by Marked Warrior Grandmaster Lin Dong (his follower). The third was Marked Warrior Grandmaster Chang Hao—the head of the North Rune Sect's overall safety.
Rune Smith Grandmaster Qian Ziwang came with the caravan. He looked like an old man. He used to look younger than Luo Jie, but there's no comparison now. Luo Jie looked middle-aged and was hardly recognizable.
"Are you…Old Timer Luo?" Qian Ziwang finally asked.
Luo Jie laughed, "Brother Ziwang! It's nothing. I just accidentally became younger."
He couldn't reveal that he advanced. In this world, the Grandmaster level is already the pinnacle. No one has ever heard of anyone reaching the further than that.
Guo Shier almost laughed out loud. What do you mean you accidentally became younger? That’s too fake, he thought to himself.
Qian Ziwang then turned to Qi Nanshan. He has known him since he was young. At that time, Qi Nanshan had two options—one was to follow Qian Ziwang and the other was to follow Luo Jie.
Qi Nanshan has always admired Qian Ziwang's brilliant character. But because he liked fighting, he decided to follow Luo Jie instead.
Qian Ziwang was surprised at what he saw. "Nanshan, how did your Marks disappear?" he asked.
The Marks on Qi Nanshan's body have completely vanished; only smooth and delicate skin was left. Fortunately, his complexion was still characteristically dark.
"Hahaha! It's nothing, Old Qian. They just happened to disappear. Anyway, my strength is still there," answered Qi Nanshan.
Qian Ziwang was a Rune Smith Grandmaster. He had in-depth knowledge on Runes. He knew that retaining power even after the Marks have disappeared meant that new changes have occurred. He very much wanted to study this phenomenon, but now was not the time for research—nor was this the place to explore such problems. He simply nodded in agreement.
His eyes then swept over to Guo Shier—and he couldn't help but be startled. "Is this Shier?" he asked, taken aback.
The last time Qian Ziwang saw Guo Shier, he was just an Artificer Adept. But he has been made aware that Shier was no longer at the Adept level. Shier was already at the Master level—even closer to his own level. How was that possible?
"Hello grandpa Qian," Guo Shier very polite called out.
Luo Jie laughed and said, "Brother Ziwang, my Little apprentice advanced and is now an Artificer Master. Hehehe!"
Qian Ziwang bitterly shook his head. A nine-year-old Artificer Master is truly shocking. "Unbelievable," he said.
There must be something wrong with these three, he thought to himself. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a big change. But this is not the place to talk.
"I’m here to introduce our friends from the West Rune Sect," he declared.
Five Grandmasters from the West Rune Sect from arrived.
Translator: Glasses TangGu
Editor: M