The courtyard was not large, but it was exceptionally tidy. As Liu Chen passed the vegetable garden, his gaze was drawn to a vibrant green, cucumber-like vegetable in the patch. Without ceremony, he reached out and plucked it, then, as if in his own home, naturally took a bite.
"Hmm, this green cucumber tastes pretty good," Liu Chen muttered to himself, chewing.
Then, a sharp cry came from the bamboo building: "Who are you? You're not allowed in! How dare you pick our green cucumber? When my father and second brother return, I'll have them teach you a lesson!"
The voice was clear and melodious, like an oriole emerging from a valley, but the anger within it was evident, though it also sounded a little lacking in confidence, her tone trembling slightly.
"I need a map. Once I find it, I'll leave. As for your father and second brother, let them come back and see if they dare to lay a hand on me!" Liu Chen said indifferently, as if completely disregarding her scolding.
He strode into the bamboo building, ignoring the sharp shouts coming from the room.
Pushing open the door, Liu Chen walked straight to the inner room, then entered the kitchen. The kitchen was filled with a faint scent of smoke and fire, and a neat bundle of bamboo sections was placed on the stove.
Liu Chen squatted down, his eyes fixed on the bundle of bamboo sections. He took a deep breath, gripped one of the bamboo sections with both hands, and instantly, power erupted in his hands. With a "crack," the bamboo section shattered in his grasp.
In fact, before coming, Liu Chen had already tried to recall the relevant plot. He remembered that the beast skin map he urgently needed was hidden inside one of the bamboo sections in this kitchen. So, as soon as he arrived, he began to crush the bamboo sections one by one without hesitation, just to find that beast skin map.
Just as Liu Chen was focused on crushing the bamboo sections, a rush of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the room. Immediately after, a twelve-year-old loli rushed out like a gust of wind. Although her attire was somewhat plain, it could not conceal her natural beauty; her appearance was delicate and lovely.
"What exactly do you want to do? If you don't leave, I'm going to call for help! Hurry and get out of here!" the loli shouted, her face full of indignation, as she pushed Liu Chen forcefully, trying to stop him from continuing to destroy the bamboo sections.
"Oh ho, you're not big, but your tone isn't small!" Liu Chen looked at the girl in front of him with interest, a playful smile on his lips. "Little girl, you're quite pretty! But if you cause trouble here, hehe, then I might just abduct you to be my child bride!"
As Liu Chen spoke, he looked the girl up and down, secretly marveling at how adorable she was. However, this mischievous humor didn't last long. He quickly realized he was in the Gu World, and time was short, not allowing him to waste it here.
So, Liu Chen's expression immediately turned serious. He reached out and pinched the girl's tender cheek, applying a little force, then said in a flat yet undeniable tone: "You've been hiding and not coming out, but as soon as I started crushing bamboo here, you ran out like a startled little rabbit. What does that mean? It means there must be something important hidden here, right?"
The girl was pinched by Liu Chen and wanted to break free but was powerless, only able to look at him with terrified eyes. When she heard Liu Chen's words, her face instantly turned ashen, and she inwardly cried out, "Not good." Although she knew nothing about any map, she was very clear that their family's most precious item was hidden in that spot, which was why she rushed out without hesitation to protect it.
"It seems I guessed correctly," Liu Chen said, a more triumphant smile spreading across his lips as he observed the girl's reaction.
To prevent this little girl from continuing to cause him trouble, Liu Chen unhesitatingly activated the Rank one Grass Puppet Gu in his Aperture. With a thought, the Grass Puppet Gu was quickly activated, and half of the deep green primeval essence surged into it.
Stimulated by this primeval essence, the Rank one Grass Puppet Gu soon formed a lifelike grass Puppet in front of Liu Chen.
However, due to the Grass Puppet Gu's grade limitations, even if Liu Chen used Rank one high-grade primeval essence to activate it, he could at most create a grass Puppet capable of dealing with Mortals. Nevertheless, this was already sufficient for the little girl in front of him.
Liu Chen knew this well. He unreservedly injected the Rank one high-grade deep green primeval essence, which he had purified with the Wine Gu, into the Grass Puppet Gu. This primeval essence was purer than ordinary Rank one mid-grade primeval essence, allowing the grass Puppet to exert greater power.
Under Liu Chen's control, the grass Puppet slowly began to move. Although its movements were slightly sluggish, the young girl, not yet an adult, was clearly terrified by such a fearsome grass Puppet. Her face turned ashen, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
The grass Puppet approached the loli step by step. The loli wanted to escape, but found her legs were nailed to the ground, unable to move. She could only watch as the grass Puppet got closer and closer, her heart filled with fear and despair.
Finally, the grass Puppet reached the loli. It extended a pair of rough hands and tightly gripped the loli's shoulders. The loli immediately felt a huge force, her body completely lost control, and she could only let the grass Puppet manipulate her.
Seeing that the grass Puppet had successfully controlled the loli, Liu Chen turned around with relief and continued to crush the bamboo sections. His movements remained skillful and focused, as if he had completely disregarded the loli.
"Gu Master!"
The loli suddenly let out a shriek, her voice filled with terror and despair. She widened her eyes, staring fixedly at Liu Chen, seemingly having guessed his identity.
Liu Chen heard the loli's scream and frowned slightly, but he did not stop what he was doing. He knew that for a Mortal, a Gu Master was simply the most terrifying existence... In the dense mountain forest, two figures were slowly descending. They wore rough animal skins, clearly hunters who frequently roamed these mountains. This old man and young man were Old Man Wang and his son, Wang Erlang, who had gone hunting in the mountains.
Wang Erlang was about seventeen or eighteen years old, tall and handsome, full of youthful vigor. He carried a strong bow on his back, its string taut, showcasing his strength and skill. Behind him hung a dead mountain goat, clearly one of his catches for the day. In his hand, he carried a bamboo cage containing a snow-white little rabbit with red eyes, very adorable.