6: Thrilling escape and talent awakening

The forest path outside the valley was rugged and difficult to traverse. General Manager Liu Yuan, Liu Shan, and Liu Zhi ran with all their might, the angry shouts of the Black Wind Stronghold behind them like a persistent shadow, hot on their heels.

"Father, they're catching up fast!" Liu Zhi looked back as he ran, his face pale. The Black Wind Stronghold members were already stronger than them, and now, fueled by anger, their speed was astonishing.

Liu Shan, tightly clutching Mo Chu and the blood leaf orchid in his arms, gasped for breath, "Old Ancestor, this isn't going to work. We'll be caught sooner or later!"

A vein throbbed on General Manager Liu Yuan's forehead. He was, after all, old, and his Elementary Qi Refining cultivation was starting to falter during the continuous escape, his chest feeling heavy. He glanced back at the increasingly close pursuers, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes: "Shan'er, you take Zhi'er and Mo Chu and go first. Run towards the Maze Forest to the east; the terrain there is complex, and they won't easily catch you. I'll cover your retreat!"

"Father! No!" Liu Shan's eyes reddened. "If we go, we go together!"

"Foolish!" General Manager Liu Yuan roared, "The Family cannot be without people! It's more important than anything for you to survive with the items and Mo Chu! Go now!"

Just in that moment of argument, the burly man from the Black Wind Stronghold had already caught up, grinning maliciously as he threw a punch: "Where do you think you're going!"

The punch carried a gust of wind, imbued with earthy yellow Spiritual Qi, and a brutal force, heading straight for General Manager Liu Yuan's back!

Mo Chu, in Liu Shan's arms, saw it clearly, his heart tightening. General Manager Liu Yuan, at this moment, had exhausted his old Qi and hadn't yet generated new Qi; he couldn't possibly dodge this punch!

"Ding! Important member of the bound Family is facing a fatal crisis. Do you wish to consume 50 Contribution Points to exchange for a 'Momentary Speed Boost Talisman' (one-time use)?"

The System's notification sound was like a thunderclap in his mind. 50 Contribution Points! The reward he had just received, still warm in his grasp, was going to be used up just like that?

But looking at General Manager Liu Yuan's back, about to be struck, Mo Chu didn't hesitate for a moment—"Exchange!"

A barely perceptible white light instantly flashed from Mo Chu's body and merged into General Manager Liu Yuan's.

General Manager Liu Yuan felt a strange power surge through his entire body, and his speed abruptly increased, allowing him to narrowly avoid the punch.

"Eh?" The burly man was stunned, clearly not expecting General Manager Liu Yuan to dodge.

"Go!" General Manager Liu Yuan was also startled. Without time to think, he seized the fleeting opportunity, shoved Liu Shan hard, and then turned and ran in another direction, "Lure them away!"

"Old Ancestor!" Liu Shan's eyes were bloodshot, but he knew this was no time for sentimentality. Gritting his teeth, he led Liu Zhi into the dense forest nearby.

Mo Chu looked back and saw General Manager Liu Yuan deliberately slow down, running in the opposite direction from them, and was soon surrounded by the Black Wind Stronghold members.

"Mo Chu, we have to help Old Ancestor!" Liu Zhi was so anxious he was almost in tears.

Liu Shan bit his lip hard, tears welling in his eyes: "If we go, we'll just be throwing our lives away! Old Ancestor wants us to live and go back! Go!"

He held Mo Chu and rushed into the Maze Forest without looking back.

In the Maze Forest, ancient trees reached the sky, and mist permeated the air, making it difficult to discern directions. As soon as they entered the forest, the sounds of shouting and fighting behind them grew fainter.

The two people and one snake traversed the forest for nearly an hour until they were sure they had completely shaken off their pursuers. Only then did they collapse under a large tree, gasping for breath.

"Old Ancestor, he..." Liu Zhi choked, unable to speak.

Liu Shan's face was pale, his fists clenched tightly, knuckles white: "Old Ancestor will be fine... He has his ways." Despite his words, his voice trembled.

Mo Chu curled up in Liu Shan's arms, his heart heavy. General Manager Liu Yuan had covered their escape, and he was likely in grave danger.

"Ding! Detected deepening bond between Host and bound Family. Triggering reward: Random Talent Awakening opportunity activated, drawing Talent now..."

"Congratulations, Host, for Awakening the Talent: Spirit Vision (Elementary). Effect: Can vaguely perceive the flow of surrounding Spiritual Qi, identify low-grade Spiritual Plants and Formations."

A Talent Awakening?

Mo Chu was momentarily stunned, then felt as if the world before him had changed. In the originally hazy mist, faint cyan threads seemed to flow—that was the Spiritual Qi of the world. Around the trees and plants, varying amounts of light spots also lingered; the light spots of Spiritual Plants were clearly much denser than those of ordinary vegetation.

This is Spirit Vision?

Mo Chu's heart stirred, and he immediately activated his Talent, looking towards the depths of the Maze Forest.

Soon, behind a dense thicket of bushes, he saw a faint yellow halo of light, within which was a familiar aura—it was General Manager Liu Yuan's aura!

He's alive!

Mo Chu immediately became excited, quickly rubbed his head against Liu Shan's arm, and then hissed towards the direction of the thicket.

"Hmm? Mo Chu, what's wrong?" Liu Shan noticed his unusual behavior.

Mo Chu hissed a few more times, constantly nodding towards that direction.

Liu Shan and Liu Zhi exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes. But after what had happened before, they had a degree of trust in Mo Chu.

"Are you saying... Old Ancestor is over there?" Liu Shan asked tentatively.

Mo Chu nodded vigorously.

"Let's go! Let's check!" Liu Shan immediately stood up, holding Mo Chu, and walked towards the thicket.

Pushing aside the dense branches and leaves, the two indeed saw a familiar figure—General Manager Liu Yuan was leaning against a tree, his face pale, blood staining the corner of his mouth. He was clearly seriously injured but not in mortal danger.

"Old Ancestor!" Liu Zhi exclaimed joyfully, quickly running over to help him up.

General Manager Liu Yuan saw them, first startled, then showed a relieved smile: "It's good that you're safe... I thought..."

"We're fine, thanks to Mo Chu. He sensed you were here," Liu Shan said excitedly, offering Mo Chu to General Manager Liu Yuan.

General Manager Liu Yuan looked at Mo Chu, a complex light flashing in his eyes: "That momentary speed boost just now... was that also your doing?"

Mo Chu gently rubbed his finger.

General Manager Liu Yuan sighed, reaching out to pat his head: "Good child... It was this old man who got you involved." He paused, then pulled out a blood-stained cloth bundle from hisin my arms, "Fortunately, they didn't manage to snatch this."

Opening the cloth bundle, inside were several intact Spiritual Plants, and also... that blood leaf orchid with the Accompanied Spiritual Silk!

It turned out he had deliberately allowed himself to be surrounded just now to protect these items!

Liu Zhi looked at the blood leaf orchid, then at General Manager Liu Yuan's wounds, and could no longer hold back his tears: "Old Ancestor, why did you have to..."

"Foolish child," General Manager Liu Yuan smiled, a hint of weariness in his voice, "These things are the hope of the Family. With them, our Liu Family will have a chance..."

Mo Chu looked at the old man before him, at his wounds and the determination in his eyes, and suddenly understood the meaning of the words "Family Guardian Spirit Beast."

It wasn't just about sharing prosperity; it was also about sharing loss.

This declining Family, these ordinary Family members, might not be strong, and might have flaws, but their inherent resilience and their guardianship of the Family shone brighter than any Spiritual Qi.

"We're going home." General Manager Liu Yuan struggled to stand up, his voice weak but carrying an undeniable strength, "No matter how difficult, we must always return home."

Liu Shan and Liu Zhi quickly supported him.