23: Into the mountains

For Gu Chang's elderly mother, nothing was more important than the family's safety, so she readily agreed to Gu Chang's suggestion without much thought.

After convincing his family, Gu Chang immediately began preparations to leave. The silver he had on hand needed to be quickly converted into useful items.

The more fully prepared they were with items like grain, salt, cloth, and livestock, the better, as it would be difficult to buy these things once they entered the mountains.

In fact, it wasn't just Gu Chang doing this; Wang Da Niu, Li Ergou, and others were doing much the same.

It took three days just to prepare these things, and with a large amount of money spent, many items were quickly procured.

At the same time, Gu Chang also went to the homes of the fallen soldiers to persuade their relatives to follow him into the mountains.

These people were, after all, the relatives of his former trusted subordinates, and Gu Chang would still provide them with some assistance within his capabilities, though ultimately not many families were willing to follow him into the mountains to live.

This was also human nature; no one was willing to casually abandon most of their family property and enter the dangerous depths of the mountains to live.

Gu Chang did not force the issue; he simply promised them that their fields and houses could be left to these people after they left, as their future fate would be unrelated to Gu Chang.

Soon, three days passed, and most of the soldiers under Zhou Qing led their relatives to the designated gathering point by Gu Chang.

"It seems most of the people have arrived. I have already scouted Da Wu Mountain in advance and temporarily selected a location."

"Next, Wang Da Niu and Li Ergou, you two will follow me to clear the way, and the rest will be responsible for bringing up the rear, maintaining vigilance, and assisting them in carrying goods."

"Although the mountain road is rugged and difficult, fortunately, we don't have too many things. We'll figure out how to deal with large items later. Currently, the most important thing is to first settle our relatives and open up a safe location."

Originally, there were thirteen soldiers, but now only eight had come, along with their respective relatives. Everyone was carrying large and small bundles, and some even drove cattle and sheep.

Gu Chang was not surprised by this outcome; in fact, he was somewhat surprised that eight people were willing to follow him into the deep mountains.

Some things would only become clear to the soldiers who stayed behind when the outside world became completely chaotic and unlivable—then they would understand where safety truly lay.

"Understood!"

"Yes! Big Brother, we'll do whatever you say!"

"..."

The others naturally had no objections. Since they had made up their minds and brought their families here, it was enough to show their ample trust in Gu Chang.

"Very good! Let's start immediately then!"

With that, Gu Chang immediately took the lead, and Wang Da Niu and Li Ergou quickly followed.

The rest slowly followed behind; after all, they were carrying luggage and couldn't walk fast.

In the past few days, besides preparing various supplies, Gu Chang also walked around the deep mountains in his free time and discovered several suitable places for survival.

These places were about thirty kilometers from the outside of Da Wu Mountain. The mountain paths were narrow, unsuitable for large armies to enter, and if anything happened, they could retreat deeper into the mountains.

That evening, Gu Chang and his group arrived in a special forest valley.

Here, green trees provided shade, and within the valley were waterfalls, rivers, and small lakes, ensuring abundant water. The valley was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only one narrow opening for entry.

Farming, grazing, and fish farming could be done within the valley, so basic survival was absolutely not an issue.

Upon arriving, Gu Chang and his group immediately began felling trees and building houses. It wasn't until deep into the night that everyone was basically settled.

"Crackling."

In the night, a bonfire burned, and Gu Chang and the other eight soldiers sat around it.

"Big Brother, how did you find this place?"

Li Ergou looked around the valley and curiously asked Gu Chang.

"I saw it naturally from a high vantage point."

Gu Chang casually poked the bonfire and then spoke to them.

"Next, we will settle down here. Besides cultivating fields and grazing livestock, the most crucial thing is to practice martial arts!"

"In this chaotic world, hiding is useless. Only by making ourselves strong can we deter others!"

"So, next, we will teach you Xuanbing Blood Fiend Skill, and anyone else of suitable age can give it a try."

According to Gu Chang's plan, hiding in the deep mountains was a last resort, as he needed a stable environment to practice martial arts and improve his strength.

However, this did not mean he would completely abandon contact and communication with the outside world.

In fact, even if he wanted to do so, it wouldn't be realistic, as not everything was available in the mountains.

For example, items like salt, ironware, cloth, needles and thread, and some medicinal herbs not found in the mountains would need to be exchanged with the outside world to obtain.

But as long as there was contact with the outside world, their whereabouts would eventually be exposed.

Therefore, to survive stably, not only he himself but also his subordinates needed to become stronger to protect themselves.

"Good, I'll listen to you, Big Brother!"

"Me too!"

"But practicing martial arts consumes a lot. Will our supplies be enough?"

"There's no shortage of meat in the mountains, and many medicinal herbs can be found. If we really can't find them, we'll buy them outside."

"That's true, a living person won't be suffocated by urine!"

"..."

As the few of them spoke, they thought about their future plans, growing more excited with each word, and everyone was full of anticipation for the future.

Regardless, this place was ultimately not a battlefield; it was much safer.

For the next few days, Gu Chang and his group continued to develop this place. Gu Chang wanted to transform it into a mountain stronghold, giving it the capital for self-sufficiency and good defensive capabilities.

Including Gu Chang, there were nine martial arts practitioners, besides whom there were nearly a hundred ordinary people, with adults making up a large portion, which could be considered good labor.

After seven or eight days of transformation, the opening in the valley that allowed entry had been blocked, and a considerably sturdy mountain stronghold gate had been built.

The internal areas of the valley, such as houses, fields, and livestock pastures, slowly took shape after Gu Chang's careful planning. Now, they only needed to be diligent, and filling their stomachs would absolutely not be a problem.

"Again! Harder!"

"Yes!"

"Clap! Clap!"

"Crack!"

In the training ground specially designated by Gu Chang within the valley, he once again began his life of practicing martial arts with his soldiers.

However, it was now quite difficult for Gu Chang, who had already reached the Iron Skin level, to continue improving.

So, while refining his skin, he also began Flesh Refining, using various stone tools to temper his body and enhance his strength.

The eight soldiers' strengths had basically all reached Perfection in Blood Strengthening, and there were also twelve children of suitable age who followed them daily to learn martial arts.

Just like that, over a month quickly passed. The medicinal herbs Gu Chang and his group brought back were gradually used up, and to continue practicing martial arts, they would need to acquire more medicinal herbs.

So, Gu Chang decided to leave Da Wu Mountain. He wanted to go outside and see what the current situation was.

"Big Brother, be careful!"

"Brother, come back soon!"

Before his departure, a group of people looked at Gu Chang with reluctance; he had clearly become their backbone.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon!"

Gu Chang nodded slightly, then pushed off with his feet, and his entire person quickly disappeared into the mountains.

In reality, one reason Gu Chang had to leave, besides collecting medicinal herbs, was that it was already daytime in the real world, and he needed to end this Reincarnation; otherwise, if he delayed too long, his own body wouldn't be able to handle it.

The twenty to thirty kilometers of mountain road was nothing to Gu Chang now. After about two hours, he had left the mountain range.

The various villages outside Da Wu Mountain looked much quieter than before, and occasionally, people who went out appeared extremely hurried.

Some houses clearly showed signs of being burned, and upon closer inspection, one would find that the villagers hiding inside looked visibly panicked and unsettled.

"Sigh ~"

Gu Chang didn't even need to think to know that such a scene must have been caused by banditry.

As for what exactly happened during that time, it was definitely related to the two forces of Prince Mu and Yellow Heaven Great General.

"It seems Prince Mu's current situation is probably dangerous. The villagers in the villages being so afraid to go out can only be related to forced conscription."

Gu Chang's gaze swept over these villages, but he did not enter them to inquire about the situation; instead, he directly set off towards the city closest to Da Wu Mountain.