Chapter Eleven: The Crimson-Flame Golden-Haired Mouse

Page (1/3)

The Crimson Flame Rat inhabited a small forest no more than a hundred miles across, known as Andrew Forest. The soul beasts gathered here rarely exceeded the Soul Sect level, making it an ideal training ground for low-level soul masters.

After Gu Chen arrived, Zhu Zhuqing returned to her usual aloof demeanor.

“Let’s go in. This time, I won’t help you. You’ll have to rely on yourself.”

“Don’t worry, senior sister. I promise to complete the mission this time. If I finish early, will there be a reward?”

Gu Chen’s eyebrows twitched twice, and Zhu Zhuqing suppressed a smile.

Just as she was about to refuse, she saw the eager look on Gu Chen’s face. He changed the words he was about to say, softening them.

“Yes, whatever you want, just ask. I’ll see if I can make it happen.”

“Hehe... I won’t put you in a difficult position. I just need you to accompany me somewhere.”

“Where?”

“I’ll tell you after I complete the mission. Senior sister, wait for me!”

Gu Chen smiled and dashed into the forest.

Relying on his keen senses and vision, Gu Chen flipped and jumped continuously, searching for the Crimson Flame Rat.

The night breeze blew gently, the full moon hung high, yet the forest felt particularly dark, as if cursed, evoking a silent and lonely atmosphere.

Gu Chen paid no mind to this. He wanted to complete the mission quickly and bring his senior sister to a certain place. After traveling five or six miles in one direction, he noticed a red glow emanating from a tree hollow. Quietly approaching, he saw a Crimson Flame Rat nibbling on the bark inside.

Gu Chen crept closer. When he was less than ten meters away, he pressed hard on the soft earth beneath his feet, creating a deep indentation. Like an arrow released from a bowstring, he surged forward.

The Crimson Flame Rat sensed danger and instinctively tried to flee, but it was a step slower than Gu Chen. Its small body was caught in his hand, its eyes filled with terror and pleading.

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I’ll release you once the mission is done.”

Gu Chen skillfully bound the rat’s four limbs with a particularly sturdy silk thread and tossed it into the bamboo basket on his back. A radiant smile blossomed on his face.

“The first one...”

Scanning the surroundings, Gu Chen’s gaze soon fell on a Crimson Flame Rat with golden fur mutation.

“Huh, what breed of Crimson Flame Rat is that? It looks so beautiful!”

“That is a Crimson Flame Golden Fur Rat,” came an aged voice.

Gu Chen turned and saw an old man with a weathered face and a stooped figure emerging from the darkness.

“Senior, who are you?”

“Just an old man abandoned by everyone,” he replied.

“Senior, do you also like this Crimson Flame Golden Fur Rat?”

“Heh...” The stooped old man laughed bitterly.

“What right do I have to possess it? I’m just a worthless man discarded by life!”

Page (2/3)

“Senior, don’t say that. No one should be despised by this world, and neither should you.”

“Take it and leave this place. Never come back here,” the old man said with a voice full of weariness.

“Why can’t I come here anymore?” Gu Chen asked in confusion.

“This place is cursed. Go, take it away and treat it well.”

Gu Chen was about to say more when his vision darkened. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself outside Andrew Forest.

In his arms was a cute Crimson Flame Golden Fur Rat, its round, bright eyes looking at him.

Gu Chen stroked its fur, and it squinted as if smiling at him.

“What a clever little fellow. From now on, you’ll follow me.”

The rat’s round eyes turned, and it stretched out its paw. Gu Chen didn’t understand what it wanted and looked at it puzzled.

The rat pointed to Gu Chen’s pocket. Gu Chen reached in, took out a gold soul coin, and offered it to the rat.

“You want this?”

The rat squeaked several times.

Gu Chen placed the coin before it. To his shock, the rat bit off a third of the coin and began chewing it loudly.

“These teeth... are incredibly strong!”

After a few chews, the rat swallowed. Its fiery red flames on its body glowed brighter, and its fur shimmered faintly.

Then it stared at the remaining coin in Gu Chen’s hand, squeaking again. Gu Chen understood—it wasn’t full and wanted more.

This little creature eats gold... I can’t afford this!

With a heavy heart, Gu Chen handed over the remaining coin. After eating, the rat let out a satisfied burp, lazily raised its small paw, and pointed in a direction.

“You want me to go that way?”

“Squeak squeak…”

“Alright, let’s go have a look.”

Following the rat’s direction, Gu Chen soon found a pitch-black cave.

“Squeak squeak…” The rat squeaked again.

Gu Chen frowned. “You want me to go inside?”

“Squeak…” The rat gave an excited and urgent squeal.

“Fortune favors the bold. Here goes nothing.” Gu Chen gritted his teeth, summoned his martial soul, and cautiously entered.

The cave entrance was small, but inside it was spacious. After walking about ten meters, he heard a low, deep dragon roar.

He hurriedly stopped in his tracks.

Page (3/3)

“Squeak… squeak squeak…” The Crimson Flame Golden Fur Rat saw Gu Chen stop and again emitted anxious urging sounds.

Gu Chen steeled himself and continued forward. After another ten meters, the dragon roar grew louder, and a tremendous pressure surged toward him, no weaker than that of a great soul master.

Cold sweat broke out on Gu Chen’s body. He felt the urge to retreat.

“Squeak squeak squeak…” The rat made an excited sound.

As if worried he wouldn’t understand, it vigorously gestured with its tiny paws in front of him.

“You’re saying there’s treasure ahead, and lots of it?”

The rat nodded vigorously and squeaked again.

At the same time, it silently scolded Gu Chen in its mind for being such a coward.

No longer hesitating, Gu Chen gritted his teeth and dashed forward.

At the end of the light, he found a circular open space as large as a soccer field inside the cave.

Around the clearing were various rare spirit herbs glowing with strange light, each of great value.

But what caught his eye most was not the herbs, but a small earthen mound in the center of a pool, atop which grew a peculiar flower resembling a chrysanthemum, its root entwined by a golden dragon-shaped petal stem.

“Squeak squeak squeak…” The rat pointed excitedly at the flower on the mound.

Gu Chen was about to fly up and pluck it when a powerful murderous intent locked onto him. The rat bared its teeth and issued a warning “squeak… squeak… squeak…” toward the darkness ahead.

From the shadows came a howl resembling a wolf’s roar.

A massive horned wolf over three meters in size stepped out, its gaze flashing with deadly cold light, fixating on Gu Chen and the rat.

Seeing this giant soul beast from the darkness, Gu Chen’s body trembled uncontrollably. The rat cowered immediately, retracting its aura and daring not to make a sound.

This was a rare millennium-level soul beast—the Abyssal Dark Wolf. Its age could be judged by the horn on its head; every three hundred years, the horn grows an inch. The one before them had a horn estimated at over seven inches.

This meant the Abyssal Dark Wolf was at least over two thousand years old, equivalent to a late-stage Human Soul Sovereign in strength.

Though Gu Chen possessed the Chameleon Martial Soul, capable of disguising itself as a Powerful Vajra Bear Martial Soul for combat, giving him confidence against ordinary great soul masters, he had no courage to fight this Abyssal Dark Wolf.

The level gap was too great; one swipe of its paw could send him to his death.

What to do? What to do?

At this moment, only these three words echoed in Gu Chen’s mind.