Second clan mission, hunting a white tiger

(AN: The MC is renamed to Gu Yue Chi Yan going forward. In this alternate universe, instead of Chi Cheng who looks like a skinny ginger grasshopper and is a C-grade, Chi Yan was born as Chi Lian's grandson, being good looking with an Extreme Physique. The rest of the story is the same; simply in this universe Chi Yan was born instead of Chi Cheng. It might take some time for some people to get used to it, but I see it as more fitting and better in the long run. Sorry not sorry.)

The five stood on the walkway near the Internal Affairs Hall.

Gu Yue Chi Suo smiled kindly and said to Chi Yan, "Junior brother, your performance today really impressed all of us. It seems like soon we'll have a new rising star of our Gu Yue clan."

Chi Yan lightly laughed.

The others also gave Chi Yan a deep look. After Chi Yan's display of skill these few times, the way that they looked at him had drastically changed. They couldn't see him as a complete beginner anymore.

"Chi Yan, let us show you the barracks of our Chi family," Chi Shan said.

Apart from Chi Shan's five-man team that was the most famous, the Chi faction naturally also had several other small teams under them that had people from the Chi family as their team leaders. These teams included hopeful seeds recruited by the Chi family's elders that would either have a chance of reaching Rank 3 in the future or be outstanding Rank 2 senior Gu Masters.

The Chi family had a luxurious estate which was practically just an oversized bamboo building, used by the main family branch to live in, but that wasn't all. To accommodate, entice and recruit the new Gu Masters into their ranks, the Chi family also possessed a set of bamboo buildings that served as barracks.

The barracks acted as the Chi faction teams' meeting place and a dormitory for many members. Those recruited Gu Masters who didn't have a place to stay paid a rent and lived there.

As the main team, Chi Shan's group also owned a small room within the barracks that could serve as their center of operation if they wished to use it.

Once Chi Yan was shown around the place, there was no shared lunch with team leader Chi Shan but the group directly dispersed after bidding their farewells.

Chi Yan returned to the Chi manor as the sun was already setting. He quickly ate lunch and entered the family's training room right after to dump all of his primeval essence on Gu worm practice.

Having eventually emptied his Aperture, Chi Yan nourished his Aperture walls until Gu Yue Chi Lian found time to spar with him. Following that, Chi Yan trained his abilities in an actual spar.

Next day Chi Yan followed the same training routine from morning until nighttime, gaining more proficiency in his Fire Path with each passing day.

…

Soon it was the day when Chi Yan had his second clan mission. He woke up in the early morning and walked toward Chi family's barracks that were not very far from the manor.

'The fact that we encountered a mid-sized beehive during the first mission might be the result of my Luck. Although my luck doesn't seem crazy and we only got a Rank 1 Gu, it seems to be quite good,' Chi Yan thought back as he walked toward the barracks.

Some time ago when Chi Yan's skill had gotten good enough he opened several of the other gambling rocks that he bought. Unfortunately out of fifteen rocks he got only a single common Rank 1 Gu worm - Rock Skin Gu.

He didn't get any Rank 3 or Rank 4 Gu, no Gu of Fire Path, and he was not like Ma Hong Yun who opened a Rank 5 Gu out of a scrap grade rock pushed onto him by someone. Naturally, the value difference between getting a Rank 1 Gu and a Rank 3 Gu was astronomical.

Chi Yan spent 300 primeval stones on these fifteen rocks, 20 for each, while from selling Rock Skin Gu he only got less than 250, suffering a small loss.

As for the other 5 gambling rocks, Chi Yan left them unopened for the future in case he might need to reveal a Gu worm that he obtains from somewhere else, copying Fang Yuan's method.

'Either way, I at least know that my luck is pretty good or at least Heaven's Will sends me some opportunities. The chance of randomly winning a Gu worm out of a gambling rock is still incredibly small.'

'There is also the fact that in such a small gambling den there are fewer rocks with Gu worms than in a medium or large sized gambling den, and it might also play a role. Purely because of the smaller total number of rocks and lower quality of rocks, there are fewer potential Gu worms that one can win…'

Brushing these thoughts aside, Chi Yan soon entered the bamboo building that served as the barracks. As he walked, inside several people greeted him, and he responded with a nod.

Next he walked to one of the rooms that was the main team's meeting room.

After knocking on the door and saying his name, he was let inside.

In the middle of the room Chi Shan was already waiting, sitting at a table. In front of him was a large map of the Qing Mao Mountain that Chi Yan was already familiar with; in fact he also now had one inside his Bookworm and could check at any moment.

The person that let him in was Chi Dan, while Chi She was already in the room as well. The only person still missing was Chi Suo.

Chi Shan said to Chi Yan, "Chi Yan. After we're done with the current mission, I'll distribute the money we earned from the beehive. For now, come here. I'll show you where we plan to go and what route we'll take. Chi Dan and I will also teach you how to read a map."

After all, to Chi Shan, Chi Yan wasn't just a team member, but his mission was to teach Chi Yan how to be a competent and capable team leader, him being the future inheritor of the Chi family branch.

Chi Yan nodded silently and walked over.

Chi Shan continued, "As you know this time our mission is to track down and kill a white tiger near one of the mortal hamlets. The tiger began attacking the villagers at night two weeks ago. The beast is cunning and the guarding Gu Master wasn't able to capture or track it down. He doesn't want to leave the village unprotected to search for it and doesn't have a suitable scouting Gu worm, so he reported it."

Chi Shan then indicated the mortal hamlet's location on the map and continued his explanation.

Once the team of five was finally assembled and prepared, they set off toward one of the mortal hamlets under the Gu Yu village.

They ran through the snow two days ago, but today the snow was mostly melted.

The ground was slightly muddy as the group ran mostly over a beaten mountain path.

After running for a long time they eventually arrived at the hamlet and were greeted by the guarding Gu Master who immediately started bootlicking 'Lord Chi Shan' and 'Young Master Chi Yan'.

After finding out some information about the tiger, the group was led to a house where one of the attacks happened.

"Hmm. It's a large one," soon Chi Dan said after observing the area. "It's over 300 kg, probably a male. To live to this age and size it must be quite an experienced hunter."

Chi Shan nodded. 'Such a large tiger that's used to killing humans is not a simple wild beast, even an average Rank 2 Gu Master would have trouble dealing with it without support.'

Following that, the team set off into the wilderness outside the village based on the guarding Gu Master's information - that's where the tiger previously left its footprints.

Time passed, hour by hour, as the team scoured the area.

The sun went high into the air and eventually started lowering as late afternoon came, not far from evening. Dark clouds drifted over and the forest turned dim. 

Is it so easy to find a lone tiger on a huge mountain when there are no traces and it tries its best to hide?

Chi Dan cursed under his nose, "Damn mission. We spent an entire day searching around for a stupid tiger, but there are no traces. Who cares about these mortals?"

The other team members only sighed, aware that they took this kind of mission all to allow Chi Yan to gain experience.

Seeing the morale dropping and a slowly descending darkness, Chi Shan said to Chi Yan, "Chi Yan, Chi She doesn't specialize in this kind of scouting, so completing this mission might take a while. But not everything in this world relies on using Gu worms to be solved. This mission is a chance for you to learn how to track wild beasts only based on traces."

Chi Yan nodded in understanding. Even if it was mortal methods, he was willing to absorb the knowledge and experiences of these veterans like a sponge with no arrogance.

Chi Shan nodded back and then turned to the others, calling out, "It's enough for the day. Tonight we'll spend a night at the hamlet and search the surroundings tomorrow."

'Oh, that's interesting…' Chi Yan thought inwardly. To this day it would actually be his first time in this world that he would sleep in another place aside from the Chi manor.

Soon the group returned to the mortal village.

"Lord Chi Shan. How did it go?" A middle-aged Gu Master came forward, looking like an experienced veteran. He wore a dark blue Gu Master outfit, a deerskin hat and a red belt with "2" engraved on it.

This Gu Master was Gu Yue Shi He who was in charge of this village.

Chi Shan said expressionlessly, "The previous snow and thaw erased all the traces. It's getting late, so we're going to stay here for the night and resume the search tomorrow. Shi He, make arrangements for us."

"It's my honor to serve Lord Chi Shan and Young Master Chi Yan." Gu Yue Shi He cupped his fists, bowing respectfully. He gestured with his eyes and the mortal guards behind him stepped forward, handing Chi Shan's group a few cups of steaming ginger tea that must have been prepared beforehand.

'Oh my, what a handsome young man…' One of the mortal women was temporarily dazed as she followed Shi He's order, giving a cup of ginger tea to Chi Yan. She accidentally slipped over the slightly muddy ground and staggered, pouring some of the tea on Chi Yan.

"Auch!" Chi Yan called out reflexively as he pulled back his hands, having the hot steaming liquid poured over his skin.

The mortal's woman's expression immediately turned grave. With fear in her eyes and a shaking stature she immediately dropped to her knees, ignoring the hot tea that she poured over own hands.

Her clothes and hair were dirty as she placed her forehead against the moody ground, kowtowing in front of Chi Yan. "Lord Gu Master, I apologize for offending Lord Gu Master! Please forgive this lowly mortal. Lord, please spare me!"

The other mortals present turned away and ignored the scene, meanwhile the Gu Masters stared coldly with furrowed eyebrows.

Gu Yue Shi He's face was boiling with anger as he snorted. "Insolent useless thing! Just what did you do?"

He used some kind of Gu worm and created a whip in his hand. He then raised his hand to send the whip flying at the mortal woman's back, but his hand was suddenly caught by someone. Looking over, it was Chi Yan who stopped him.

"It's fine. Nothing bad happened. There's no need to hit her," Chi Yan said.

Shi He narrowed his eyes, before he turned to the mortal woman and snorted in distaint. "Hmph, you're lucky that young master is magnanimous."

"Thank you lord, thank you lord for your mercy!" The woman was overjoyed as she continued to kowtow in the mud in front of Chi Yan.

Chi Yan forced a faint smile and said, "It's a small matter. Get up, you're full of dirt."

The woman stopped kowtowing, using her teary eyes to look at Chi Yan she thought that this young man was really kind.

Shi He snorted. He ignored the woman and began to lead the way for the others.

While the group took sips of the tea that warmed their stomachs, they soon came to the door of one of the houses.

Gu Yue Shi He rudely knocked on the wooden door with his fist and shouted: "Open the door! Come and open the door! Lord Gu Master is here!" 

There was some kind of bustling and then the door creaked, and a man in his thirties stepped into the door frame. The man was tall and wore a hunter's attire, his facial appearance was that of a strong mountain man.

Upon seeing the crowd outside, the man hurriedly knelt on the ground. He lowered his head, saying, "Lord Gu masters, this mortal pays his respects."

Gu Yue Shi He commanded, "Mortal, bring your daughter here."

'My daughter?!' The mortal man's heart shook, yet on the outside he could only call out: "Xiao Li, please come here."

A while later a young girl stepped out from the depths of the building. The girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with two buns of black hair on her head, with a beautiful cute face and a slim body.

Xiao Li's facial expression was pale as she knelt down next to her father. "Lords, this mortal pays her respects. Good evening."

Gu Yue Shi He stepped forward. He ignored the mortal man and pinched the little girl's both chicks with one hand, grabbed her back by the clothes with the other and pulled her up, causing her to stand up, treating her as if the girl was a piece of merchandise.

The girl's father at the side could only watch in trepidation.

As if presenting the little girl, Gu Yue Shi He looked at Chi Yan and said, "Young Master Chi Yan, look at how cute face she has. Although she's still young, she's not bad at all. Her body has begun to develop and it's also not bad. What do you think, Young Master Chi Yan, do you want to sleep here?" 

This little girl has long been pre-selected by Gu Yue Shi He because of her outstanding appearance, waiting for the opportunity to pay tribute to the clansman who came down to inspect his work. It just so happened that Gu Yue Chi Shan with Chi Yan came this time.

Chi Shan was a famous Rank 2 elite, while Chi Yan was the inheritor of the Chi family branch, also beginning to gain his own fame. Gu Yue Shi He naturally could not let this opportunity go!

Chi Yan coughed twice as he understood Gu Yue Shi He's intentions. 

Gu Yue Shi He kept staring at Chi Yan and awaiting his response, causing Chi Yan to feel incredibly awkward.

"Ah, there's no need. I only want to sleep," Chi Yan finally said. The young girl's and her father's frightened image simply looked too pitiful in his eyes; he was not interested in raping a random girl either.

"Ah, is Young Master not satisfied? If Young Master is not satisfied there are a few other good looking ones in the village as well. Some are more developed and older, they can all be ready for tonight." Gu Yue Shi He smiled.

"Ah. Really, there's no need." Chi Yan let out a wry smile.

Gu Yue Shi He was puzzled. A strong and young man like Chi Yan, doesn't he need to let it out? Doesn't he have the buzzing hormones of a teenager?

Chi Yan's reaction disappointed Gu Yue Shi He. He turned and tightly slapped the little girl who at one point had already knelt down, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Gu Yue Shi He scolded, "Damn money-losing goods, Gu Masters don't even want to stay in your house, why are you even alive?"

Upon seeing that, the young girl's father's eyes turned red. He was tall and strong yet in this situation he did not dare to say anything but start kowtowing in front of Shi He. "Lord, please forgive us. Please, appease your anger."

But to Gu Yue Shi He this was all natural and he felt indifferent toward the mortal's pleas. He felt that he was like a shepherd and the mortals in this village were cattle and sheep under him, so he naturally had the right to discipline them.

If not for the scene he experienced earlier, Shi He might have already started beating the mortal girl.

Shi He turned to Chi Yan and said, "Young master, then if you don't mind, you can sleep here. How about that?"

"Then I'll sleep here," Chi Yan lightly replied.

Shi He nodded. He thought that maybe Chi Yan was simply shy.

Chi Yan then took a few steps forward and helped the young girl off the ground. The girl's body, face, hair and clothes were full of dirt and mud after being slapped to the ground, her eyes flashing with tears. He placed a hand on her head with a light smile and comforted, "It's alright now, no one will hit you."

As the girl looked up closely, Chi Yan's face looked incredibly handsome and gentle, causing the mortal girl to feel breathless for a moment, but then a different kind of fright flickered across her teary eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you," Chi Yan said as he chuckled, reading the girls' expression. He then released the girl Xiao Li, ignored the two mortals and walked into the building.

On the doorstep, Chi Yan turned back toward the others and nodded his head, both sides bidding silent farewells. Chi Yan, the mortal man and the young girl entered the house and the doors closed behind them.

"I thought he's a playboy type," Chi Suo commented as she looked at the doors that just closed.

Chi Shan hummed solemnly.

"His thoughts are hard to predict, but he doesn't seem like a normal kid," Chi Dan said.

"I don't think it's a bad thing though," Chi Suo replied.

"Lord Chi Shan, what about you? Are you interested in letting out some steam?-" Gu Yue Shi He interjected with a smile, but was cut off by Chi Shan:

"No need," Chi Shan said in a low deep voice as he turned his body with an indifferent expression. To him training was the most important.

Gu Yue Shi He pulled back his head in puzzlement. What's wrong with these Chi family men? Are they all eunuchs?

***

(AN: So there are two Chinese MTL fanfics that I'll be copying some ideas from. I don't think it's a big deal, since they're MTL and I want to make it even better, and there's also no reason to re-invent the wheel. These are the "Pursuit of Dao" and "I really am Fang Zheng". This chapter's OCs are somewhat inspired by "I really am Fang Zheng".)

(AN2: Because the MC is completely different from Chi Cheng since birth and doesn't even look like Chi Cheng, also having a different cultivation talent, I decided to change his name to Gu Yue Chi Yan in this world which was born instead of Chi Cheng. Chi Cheng is a skinny foolish grasshopper and using this name leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. I came to realize that a different name would feel more appropriate.)

(The Yan here is different from Mo Yan's and refers to 'flame' or 'blazing' rather than 'color'. It's the same 'blazing' used in Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance. So his name is Ancient Moon Red Blaze/Flame. It's simple, but I think that simple is good. I have also thought of Chi Yang, but I slightly gravitate toward Chi Yan. Chi Yan = Red Blaze/Flame, Bai Ning Bing = White Icecrystal [sort-of])