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Instant Kill - Volume 6 - Chapter 8




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Chapter 8

INSTANT KILL 006:08 ANCIENT SCORPION






From the door, a voice can be heard . “What a wonderful smell!” Wu Yanyan said . “Old timer Luo, I am here to intrude into your gathering . Little Brother Shier, aren’t you welcoming elder sister?”“It is Beast Smith Grandmaster Wu Yanyan from the West Rune Sect,” the servant said . “She has already entered . ”

Luo Jie immediately stood up to welcome the new unexpected guest . Forgoing formalities, he didn’t wait for his lower-ranking followers to stand up with him .

(Note: I guess it is customary to stand when the person with the highest rank is standing in the room . )

Upon seeing Wu Yanyan, Guo Shier got a headache .  This woman is outrageous, he thought to himself .  How can she be so shameless?

“Arrange a table for Grandmaster Wu,” Lu Jie ordered . Turning to the lady, he then said, “Please try and taste Shier’s cooking . ”

Wu Yanyan let out a delicate laugh . “Luo pops, just call me Yanyan!”

She then glanced at Guo Shier . “Little brother, you’re not welcoming your elder sister?”

“Why should I? Haha! Elder sister Wu, just take a seat! What are you here for?” Guo Shier teased .

The lady smiled and walked over to him, then leaned in to give him a hug . “Why don’t you welcome elder sister?”

Guo Shier felt helpless, but there was no way out of the situation .

He said, “Fine, welcome, welcome . How can I dare not welcome elder sister? Go try my grilled cooking . Hehehe!”

Wu Yanyan was surprised . “You can cook Rune Food?”

“I have an Artificer profession, so of course I can cook well!”

Wu Yanyan smiled and scanned the room to look at the other guests . She and Lan Tianbao were familiar with each other .

“Sister Lan is also here? Ah, Yingying! Come and give elder sister a hug!” She picked up Lan Yuying and sat down smiling .

Guo Shier was getting dizzy . Wu Yanyan called Lan Tianbao elder sister and then made Lan Tianbao’s daughter call her elder sister . Does she know how to count??

“Somebody please serve elder sister some Rune Food,” he said .

Wu Yanyan carried her small table and sat next to Guo Shier . “Let me see if Shier cooked something good!”

A servant placed a couple of dishes in front of Wu Yanyan . Fortunately, Guo Shier cooked plenty of Rune Food .

Wu Yanyan wasn’t interested in spicy dishes, so she ate only a few mouthfuls . But she especially liked the braised pork ribs and pheasant bamboo shoots soup . She also praised the tender fresh meat from the Emerald Blade Mantis .

The crowd had almost finished eating, but Wu Yanyan didn’t care . She was hungry and ate with big mouthfuls . The women from the West were not inferior to men at all when they eat . They had no lady like manners and weren’t afraid to devour the whole meal . Wu Yanyan’s speed in eating was comparable to a beast . Guo Shier was surprised .

“It’s very delicious!” Ying Mo exclaimed while licking his mouth . “I want more . Give me a plate of roast meat and some more bread . ”

Wu Yanyan also asked for more roast meat and broth . She didn’t think it was enough; to her, this was an appetizer .

Lan Tianbao mother and daughter were not accustomed to this show of appetite . They ate their meals in a more refined manner .

Lan Yuying kept looking at Wu Yanyan, biting her finger as if to stop herself from saying something . But when she finally couldn’t keep it in any longer, she blurted out, “Elder sister Yanyan! You eat faster than our Little Tiger!”

Guo Shier smiled and curiously asked, “Who is your Little Tiger?”

Lan Tianbao was embarrassed . “Don’t listen to Yingying’s nonsense,” she said hurriedly, trying to stop her daughter .

Lan Yuying, somewhat aggrieved, objected . “I’m not talking nonsense! Little Tiger is the name of my beetle!”

Guo Shier touched his nose . “I didn’t say anything, Elder sister Wu . Hehe! Just go on eating . Hahaha!”

Wu Yanyan continued to eat like she didn’t hear anything . She has eaten numerous Rune dishes before but has never tasted anything this delicious . Guo Shier sure can cook .

Because of her speed, she almost finished eating at the same time as everyone—even though she started much later .

“It’s been a long time since I ate so much,” she sighed . “Shier you’re such an awesome cook! If I’m available later, elder sister will come again . Hehehe!”

The servants cleaned up and gathered the small desks . Guo Shier invited the guests and his master to move to the small living room where they can rest and talk .

Seven people gathered: Luo Jie, Qi Nanshan, Wu Yanyan, Lan Tianbao, Lan Yuying, Guo Shier and Ying Mo .

Guo Shier started  the conversation . “Elder sister Lan, when did you arrive in the West Rune Sect? You don’t have to hide anything . This is the first time I’ve ever seen a Grandmaster from the South Rune Sect . Hahaha!”

Lan Tian Bao laughed . “In order to participate in the Northwest Sect Faction trade fair, I left the South Rune Sect more than three years ago . At that time, Yingying was only 5 years old . We arrived here in the West Rune Sect just six months ago .

Luo Jie laughed . “Ah, the South . I went there when I was still young . That was almost 200 years ago . Is the South Rune Sect still the same? I remember that there were two powerful large factions there . ”

Both Lan Tianbao and Wu Yanyan were surprised because Luo Jie looked like a middle aged man . A two hundred-year-old Artificer Grandmaster would definitely NOT look like this unless he advanced further than the Grandmaster level . But what can be higher than a Grandmaster? Is it possible to go even further? They couldn’t wrap their heads around the idea .

Lan Yuying started using her fingers to calculate Luo Jie’s age, but her 10 fingers and 10 ten toes were not enough .   She couldn’t help but look at him with a puzzled face .





Lan Tianbao tried to hide her surprise with a laugh . “The two factions—the Insect Rune Sect and Plant Rune Sect—stopped fighting ages ago . The Plant Rune Sect moved to One Hundred Thousand Mountain Range while the Insect Rune Sect is still in the same place . ”

Luo Jie nodded . He knew that in terms of fighting, the Plant Rune Sect was inferior to the Insect Rune Sect .

****

The living room was filled with noise of people chatting .

Lan Tianbao pulled Guo Shier aside . “Shier, check out this Glyph . This is an ancient Insect Glyph that I acquired in the Secret Plane . I like it but I’m having difficulty manipulating it . If you think you can handle it better, then we can trade . If you don’t feel right, I can trade something else . ”

Guo Shier took a closer look . He liked it instantly .

The Glyph was inscribed with what looked life a flattened scorpion . The body was painted in indigo, the two scorpion claws were painted in blue, and the head and scorpion stinger was painted in bright red . The scorpion had a pair of very thin wings—you could only see it if you looked closely . Under the wings were hundreds of tiny dots .

“A scorpion with wings?” asked Guo Shier .

“As I’ve said before, this is an ancient Insect Glyph that I obtained from a Secret Plane . Even in the South, no one has ever seen this kind of scorpion . This probably existed in one of the Secret Planes and was processed into an Ancient Glyph . No one knows the real name of this ancient flying scorpion . I’ve checked old records and did not find any information about it . ”

Guo Shier couldn’t hide his curiosity . “Elder sister Lan, can you manipulate the Glyph to make the ancient flying scorpion come out?”

Lan Tianbao’s face turned red . “This elder sister cannot absorb this Glyph into my Innate Rune Book . I also can’t stimulate the ancient Insect Glyph using normal methods . ”

This made Guo Shier happy . It was a high level Glyph, he realized .

“But you’re a Grandmaster . Can’t you activate this Glyph?” he prodded .

Lan Tianbao was a bit embarrassed . “Oh, hehe! I asked an Insect Caster to activate the Glyph but he also failed . Don’t worry—if you are not satisfied, I can exchange it for another one . ”

“A Glyph that can’t be activated?” Ying Mo jumped in . “Isn’t that a waste?”

Guo Shier’s mind quietly made calculations while he toyed with the Ancient Insect Glyph . He was interested-but he was also afraid to experiment with it .

“I like this Glyph, elder sister Lan . It’s not bad as a pendant . Hehehe! I’ll take it!” he finally decided .

Lan Tianbao smiled, “Shier, elder sister is not lying to you . Don’t blame elder sister if you can’t activate this Glyph . ”

“I’m not blaming you, elder sister . I simply like its shape and color . This Glyph is destined for me . Hehehe! So, what does elder sister want in exchange for it?”

“A pound of blood from the Emerald Blade Mantis, and also some Emerald Blade Mantis shell . Even a little bit is fine,” answered Lan Tianbao .

She inhaled and looked at Guo Shier with a some uneasiness . Perhaps she was asking for too much .

Guo Shier pondered for a moment .

“Elder sister, what are you going to do with so much blood and shell?”

”Oh, hehehe! I’m going to make an Insect Glyph”

With the blood and shell of the Emerald Blade Mantis Variant, she wasn’t just going to make a normal Insect Glyph—she was building a Spirit level Insect Glyph, thought Guo Shier .

Although there was a huge difference between the power and speed of the actual Emerald Blade Mantis Variant and the Spirit Insect Glyph, she would at least be able to restore one-tenth of the original strength .

“Hmmm, okay,” Guo Shier replied . Since this is my first time trading with elder sister, I’m not going to drive a hard bargain . As long as I can get another Glyph of any kind, then we have a deal . ”

Without another word, Lan Tianbao took out another Glyph . ”This is an auxiliary type Treasure Glyph . This is a basic Detoxification Glyph, which is a basic type of Glyph from the Insect Rune Sect . It’s very useful if you’re going to the southern forest . ”

Guo Shier nodded, “Good! We can trade . ”

****

From start to finish, Luo Jie did not say a word . The negotiation was single handedly managed by Guo Shier .

Luo Jie waited for his apprentice to finish talking before taking out the blood and shell of the Marked Insect Variant .

Lan Tianbao inspected the raw materials and happily stored them away .

“Shier is very cool . Elder sister took advantage of you this time . Hehehe!” said Lan Tianbao .

Luo Jie agreed . “I’ve never seen Shier lose from a trade before . Hahaha!”

From a short distance, Wu Yanyan had been watching curiously . She was a little puzzled .

”Shier, this Glyph cannot be activated . Why do you want it?”

Guo Shier just laughed and did not answer her question .

“Elder sister Wu, come here . You fancy the blood of the Earth Dragon Variant right? What are you going to trade for it?”

“I do not have Spirit Glyph,” Wu Yanyan replied . “But I have the blood of a Marked Beast Variant . Although it’s not as precious as the blood of the Dragon line, it’s still a rare commodity . ”





Guo Shier laughed . “Then you and my master can talk about it . I just want a Spirit or Ancient Glyph . I’m not interested in other things . ”

Luo Jie was always fascinated by any kind of rare blood material that can be used to make a Rune . It was not enough to rely on only one material, after all . He must collect a variety of materials .

“What kind of Marked Beast Variant?” he asked .

Guo Shier did not bother to watch Wu Yanyan and his master’s transaction .

Instead, he tried to affix the ancient Insect Glyph to his forehead and absorb it .

Lan Tianbao was startled . She was just about to stop Guo Shier—but it was too late .

The Ancient Insect Glyph transformed into a mass of black mist and swiftly flew into his forehead .

Lan Tianbao’s jaw dropped at this unnatural scene .

A North Rune Sect Artificer Grandmaster can actually take in the Ancient Insect Glyph into his Innate Rune Book!?! She has tried so many times before, but she couldn’t take in the Glyph herself .

Guo Shier then closed his eyes once the Glyph was absorbed by his Innate Rune Orb . Now, he has a complete understanding of this Glyph .

With the capabilities of his Innate Rune Orb, Guo Shier can absorb Glyphs that he has never even seen before .

 

When the Ancient Insect Glyph entered the Innate Rune Orb, it started to rotate within . A variety of information poured into Guo Shier’s soul, letting him understand the workings of the Glyph .

It was actually a True Spirit Glyph . It was completely preserved without the slightest damage .

“Hehe! Haha! Hahaha!”

Flushed with excitement, Guo Shier laughed out loud regardless of how silly he looked . This turned out to be a cheap trade for an enormous gain .

“Shier, what’s wrong with you?” Luo Jie asked .

“Sorry . This Scorpion Glyph—I now know what this is!”

“What is it?!?” Lan Tianbao asked in astonishment . Her heart felt heavy .

Guo Shier smiled .   “This Secret Class insect is a Dark Winged Scorpion . What a very tasteful name . Hahaha! Oh right, elder sister Lan, what is a Secret Class insect?”


This information was what the ancient Insect Glyph message passed on to him . Guo Shier did not understand what it meant . After all, he was not from the South Rune Sect . He had very little knowledge about insects .

(Note: Man, it’s not helping that the author is using the word ‘ANCIENT’ to denote the AGE and LEVEL of the glyph . AGE=lower case, LEVEL=upper case)

Lan Tianbao experienced a raging torrent of emotions . She hugged her daughter as if to protect her and said, “I just know about the different types of Secret Class insects . There are vicious types, poison types, elegant types, giant typse, rune marked and rune marked variant types . ”

She sighed and continued, “But I heard from an Inner Door elder that there was a Secret Class of insects that used to exist during the ancient times . This class is gone now . Guo Shier, how did you know about the Secret Class?”

“This is Glyph told me . Hehehe!” he replied, oblivious to her worries . “Elder sister Lan, this Glyph is good!”

The cheap trade kept getting better and better, he thought . He couldn’t even be bothered to hide his surging excitement .

Wu Yanyan now understood what Luo Jie said—that Guo Shier has never lost a trade . Looks like the little guy had the better end of the deal .

Lan Tianbao worriedly asked, “Shier, can you activate the Glyph?”

Guo Shier grinned . “Let’s go to a larger room . I should be able to release it . However, the Dark Winged Scorpion doesn’t seem to like the cold . Well, I guess it doesn’t matter if the scorpion hates cold . ”

The crowd stood up and went to a larger room .

Lan Tianbao was surprised .  Why does he need such a big space? 

She once activated an ancient Insect Glyph in a special manner, but what came out was just a face sized scorpion . The most exasperating part was that the scorpion was so old and weak—it just plopped down, not moving . It did not obey any command at all .

“Everybody move back,” Guo Shier declared .

Everyone retreated to the wall .

“Go ahead, Shier . You can release the insect,” said Luo Jie .

Lan Tianbao never took her eyes off Guo Shier . She wanted to see how he would release the ancient Insect Glyph .

Guo Shier opened his mouth and a thick black mist flew out, spreading rapidly .

A faint blue arc flashed, making a crackling noise .

No one could see anything .





Lan Tianbao shouted, “Everyone don’t move!”

The black mist suddenly shrank . A huge scorpion—four meters long—emerged in front of everyone . Its curly scorpion tail—also four meters long and a bucket thick—was rocking back and forth to a rhythm, terrifying the group .

The room fell silent .

“Wow, what a beautiful scorpion!” Lan Yuying suddenly burst out .

The people around her couldn’t help but sweat .

Lan Yuying was right . This was a very beautiful scorpion .

Its ink-black body was glowing with a faint blue light . The dark blue Rune lines on its hard shell flashed from time to time . Finger-thick steel like thorns covered the entire shell . A pair of almost transparent wings was tightly affixed to its body .

There were hundreds of bulging back pockets, each one with a washbasin size small scorpion .

On its bright red head were small Rune lines .

The scorpion let out a very intimidating hissing sound from its mouth .

Lan Tianbao greedily longed for this this beautiful scorpion . After a long while, she sighed and shook her head .  How unfortunate that Shier was the one to make it come out . What a pity, she thought .

Although she was unhappy, she did not regret her decision . The Glyph had been with her for more than 10 years and she simply couldn’t use it . She knew that an unusable Glyph was no different from trash, but she still couldn’t help feeling a bit unhappy and uncomfortable .

The Dark Winged Scorpion slightly turned its body and moved closer to Guo Shier . It moved its giant claw and gently touched Guo Shier, showing a friendly attitude .

Lan Tianbao was really moved when she saw this gesture . “My God,” she cried . “This scorpion is unexpectedly intelligent!”

Guo Shier laughed . “That’s right, it senses my command . Hehehe!”

“This should be a Marked Insect Variant,” Lan Tianbao declared . “Do you know what Secret Insect Class it belongs to?

“I do not know, but this Glyph’s information was provided by my Innate Rune Orb,” Guo Shier replied . “It feels like I just know it naturally . ”

“Shier, put it away,” Luo Jie ordered . “This little guy picked up another bargain . Hehehe!”

He was happy for his apprentice .

Guo Shier gestured with his finger and the Dark Winged Scorpion suddenly burst into pieces and transformed into a black mist . The mist was then inhaled by Guo Shier .

“Unfortunately, I can’t practice here . Hehehe! Master, let’s go back” Guo Shier said contentedly .

A vague idea flashed in his mind but he did not pursue it .

Back in the living room, Luo Jie said, “Lan Tianbao, my little apprentice gained a lot from his trade with you . I would like to give you something to compensate for the deal . ”

He then took out the splintered forelimb of the Emerald Blade Mantis and offered it to Lan Tianbao, who was pleasantly surprised .

“Thank you so much!” she said, hurriedly accepting the material .

This compensation made her very glad . The little unhappiness in her heart also completely dissipated .

****

Wu Yanyan and Luo Jie’s transaction was also completed .

Everyone exchanged a few words before Lan Tianbao and Wu Yanyan took their leave .

Luo Jie went back to Guo Shier . “How can you absorb that Glyph? It’s strange that a Grandmaster from the Insect Rune Sect can’t do it, but you can,” he asked his apprentice .

Upon hearing his master’s words, something clicked in Guo Shier’s mind . “I finally understand!”

The vague thoughts he had earlier finally became clear .

“Understand what?” Luo Jie asked .

“It’s because of the Innate Rune Orb given by predecessor Li Ran!”

“What do you mean?” said his puzzled master .

Guo Shier explained . “Master, the Innate Rune Book’s level is too low! The highest level Glyph that it can absorb is only an Ancient Glyph . It may be able to absorb a True Treasure Glyph, but it absolutely can’t absorb a True Spirit Glyph or any Glyph higher than that . Therefore, even if many people were able to acquire a True Spirit Glyph or even a True Ancient Glyph, they can only treat it as unusable because they can’t activate it!”

Luo Jie also understood . “Just like your martial brother . Because the Glyph was too high-leveled for him, it delayed his growth . ”

(Note: Luo Jie is probably referring to the one who gave Guo Shier the OP Sword Glyph)

Guo Shier nodded “That’s it—that’s what I mean!”

Luo Jie pondered for a moment . “It’s time to return to North Rune Sect,” he finally said . “Lets’ prepare for a few years then return to that Multi-World-Linking Secret Realm . ”

(Note: They are referring to the Secret Realms that link to other worlds aside from theirs . )

“Let’s see if we can find channels to other Secret Realms,” the master continued . “And maybe can find a high level Rune Worlds—maybe we can go further . ”

(Note: If I am not mistaken, Secret Realms are dimensional pockets that open for a limited time, with rules and mysterious ancient civilizations . In comparison, Rune Worlds are more stable locations . )

Guo Shier agreed . “Yes! Let’s be fully prepared . Hopefully, we won’t be running away anymore . ”

“Also, your four little companion’s strength is still too weak . They should at least advance to Marked Warrior Master level to be of use to you . Otherwise, they will lose their usefulness,” his master advised .

“Oh, hehe! I’ll take note of that . Master, you shouldn’t compare them to me, their progress has been rapid . ”

He understood what his master was thinking—he was worried that the people around Guo Shier were too weak . But Guo Shier was emotionally attached with his four teammates and was reluctant to let them go .

Luo Jie sighed . “Da-Shan, after some time, you should train a few more children . ”

Qi Nanshan nodded . “No problem . But old timer, you can’t be idle . Just help Shier give them their cultivating system . If Shier uses the best cultivating Marks, their progress will be faster . ”

“Thank you, Grandpa Nanshan,” said Guo Shier .

“Hey, why did you not thank  your master?” Luo Jie joked .

Guo Shier laughed . Sometimes, his master can act like an old child .

“Of course . Thank you, Master . ”

“Well, go get some rest,” Luo Jie ordered . “The trade fair will continue tomorrow . ”

The Grandmaster level trade fair lasted for a total of three days . The first two days gave each Grandmaster the opportunity to auction items . The last day allowed the Grandmasters to trade freely with each other .

Luo Jie collected a lot of Spirit Glyph materials . This was a rare opportunity . Rarely do so many Grandmaster level individuals come together .

Guo Shier, on the other hand, looked for scrap Glyphs that other Grandmasters can’t use . Unfortunately, he didn’t find any . He regretfully left the trade hall when the event ended and went to the free market area .

There were now three True Spirit Glyphs in Guo Shiers hands: the Sword Glyph, the Dark Winged Scorpion Glyph, and the Innate Rune Orb .

(Note: Oh, okay . The Innate Rune Orb is also a Rune-Glyph)

He also had a True Ancient Rune—the Bird Glyph .

A Spirit level Beast Glyph—the Armored Bull Glyph .

A Spirit level Gate Glyph .

A Spirit level Storage Glyph .

A total of six Glyphs have been absorbed into his Innate Rune Orb .

Although their strengths were good, they weren’t good enough for the Multi-World-Linking Secret Realm .

The Free Market area was an exchange fair formed spontaneously by various professions . Any professional—as long as you can enter the Inner Door—can set up a stall here to sell or exchange goods . It was a very lively place .

Guo Shier enjoyed the setting . It had the same vibe as Taobao in his past life .

(Note: Amazon . com version of China)

Ying Mo, Luo Zhan and the four little kids followed Guo Shier around . They were now bodyguards and nannies .

The Free Market was huge . To be exact, it was held on a very long road . Stalls on both sides of the road extended for dozen miles .

In addition to stalls that sell the needs of different professionals, there were a lot of food and daily necessities . Various specialties of the West Rune Sect were also for sale .

Guo Shier had never seen so many stalls selling a variety of fur and leather . The fur made here was very good, soft, thick and odorless .

Since Guo Shier was now a rich person, he stopped at times to buy all kinds of fur . He possessed a Hidden Storage Glyph, anyway . He did not have to carry large bags and bought a tremendous amount of fur coats .

Fights were usual occurrences in the free market . While Guo Shier was picking a few silver fox leathers, he heard a commotion in the distance . Huo Bao and the rest of the kids quickly went through the crowd to check out what kind of fun entertainment they could watch .

Guo Shier put down the fox leather he as holding and followed them .

The place of commotion soon gathered up a circle of idlers .

Guo Shier squeezed into the crowd not to see the excitement but to make sure the four team members stayed out of trouble .

He found Huo Bao and the rest . “What’s happening?” he asked .

“It seems to be a fight!” Huo Bao replied excitedly .



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