Chapter 32

As he spoke, Wu Mian suddenly released the hand of the figure, and the smoke surrounding the figure suddenly dispersed, revealing a nearly transparent human form in its original position. "Dust returns to dust, and earth returns to earth. Reincarnate as a human soon. I hope in your next life, you can control your malevolent spirit." After Wu Mian said these words, the transparent figure prostrated itself on the ground, continuously bowing to Wu Mian. At the same time, its transparent body began to dissipate and soon vanished without a trace.

After the transparent figure disappeared, Wu Mian turned around and, with a stern face, looked at Gui Bu Gui, who was grinning, and said, "Old man, isn't it time we talked about our matters now?"

"I knew this kid had good fortune. A great fangshi actually helped him to this extent," Gui Bu Gui slowly walked to Wu Mian's side, smiling and said, "You must have placed your divine consciousness on this little guy, right? If I didn't know you were a child, I would have suspected this little kid was your son."

Wu Mian looked at Gui Bu Gui with some hesitation and said, "After more than a hundred years, you still can't stop talking nonsense. I'm just curious, do you have to ruin my reputation so much?"

Gui Bu Gui smiled sheepishly and said, "Actually, I've always respected you. Why don't you ask this little kid?"

"Yes, I heard everything. The old man, the old man, I heard it all clearly," Wu Mian paused, glanced at Gui Bu Gui, and then changed the subject: "To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed in you. I was supposed to appear with the seventh map, but now, your divine consciousness is about to return to its main body. The real dangers ahead will depend on your luck."

Gui Bu Gui clicked his teeth and said, "Then spill the beans, what dangers are there in the remaining maps?"

Wu Mian's face showed a strange smile, and he said, "Knowing too early spoils the surprise. You'll know when you get there." He glanced at Gui Bu Gui's armpit and added, "I knew you, this old fox, would hide a trump card. I didn't expect it to be there. Since you have that thing, I won't worry about the rest."

Wu Mian paused, smiled at Gui Bu Gui, and said, "Old man, my divine consciousness is about to return to its main body. Is there anything else you want to say?"

At this, Gui Bu Gui's face became somewhat moved. He looked at Wu Mian and said, "The sea is nice. If you can stay there, don't come back..."

Wu Mian laughed loudly and said, "You haven't changed at all..." After the laughter, Wu Mian rolled his eyes and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Gui Bu Gui looked at the unconscious Wu Mian and said with some hesitation, "Couldn't you wait until we get out before you leave?" After saying this, he carried Wu Mian on his shoulder, held the lacquer box in his other hand, and wobbled towards the exit.

A day later, several people appeared in the ruined altar. After circling the altar, the white-haired man leading the group found a wax pill tightly held in the hand of the half-dead steward. A red-haired man pried out the wax pill and respectfully handed it to the white-haired man.

The white-haired man held the wax pill, looked at the red-haired man beside him, and muttered, "Volcano, do you think I missed something..."

Wu Mian woke up ten days later. He opened his eyes in a jolt, finding himself in a moving carriage. The driver was an extremely old man. Hearing the noise in the carriage, the old man turned back and, seeing Wu Mian awake, grinned and said, "I thought it would take you a month to wake up, but it only took ten days. There's water in the gourd; drink a few sips to refresh yourself. We'll be there in another two or three days."

Wu Mian shook his head. His mind was blank. The old man in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was. After a while, some fragmented memories slowly surfaced in his mind. Wu Mian leaned against the carriage wall and, after a while, suddenly asked, "Where's my box?"

"Oh, you still remember the box," the old man turned and looked at Wu Mian, laughing, "You remembered so quickly? When Guangren was exhausted, he didn't wake up for a month and was in a daze for half a year before he could speak a coherent sentence. You remembered the box as soon as you woke up. Your recovery ability is much stronger than that little brat Guangren's."

At this, Gui Bu Gui's face showed a strange expression. He looked at Wu Mian with a half-smile and said, "Do you remember who I am? It's okay if you don't. Do you at least remember your surname?"

After hearing this, Wu Mian was stunned. He could only remember some fragments of his childhood, vaguely remembering his name was Mian, but he couldn't remember his surname. The only thing he remembered clearly was a lacquer box, which seemed very important to him. The crazy old man in front of him, he couldn't remember who he was. However, he didn't feel the need to be too polite to this old man. Wu Mian grunted and habitually extended his hand towards the old man, saying, "Stop talking nonsense, give me the box!"

The old man sighed, picked up the lacquer box from his feet, and handed it to Wu Mian, muttering, "You forgot your own surname but still remember to bully me. Damn, what a situation."

Wu Mian's heart raced when he received the box. He didn't have the patience to deal with the old man in front of him. He immediately opened the box, revealing a scroll made of silk inside. The scroll was densely written with tiny characters on both sides. Wu Mian recognized the characters but couldn't recall their meanings.

Seeing Wu Mian holding the silk scroll and staring blankly, the old man's old habit kicked in. He leaned against the side of the carriage, grinned at Wu Mian, and said, "That's called the Siping Jing, a summary of Xu Fu's alchemical techniques. I didn't expect the great fangshi to go to such lengths. Only two people in the world have the Siping Jing: you and his eldest disciple. Guangren got a copy, but the original is yours."

Wu Mian looked at the old man driving the carriage with confusion. The names Xu Fu and Guangren sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember who they were. However, one thing he immediately realized was to ask, "How do you know about the Siping Jing? Who let you see it?" As he said this, he instinctively raised his hand, pinching his thumb and index finger towards the old man, as if he could rub something out. Unfortunately, nothing came out except for some dirt on his fingertips.

Wu Mian's action startled the old man driving the carriage. He shivered and was about to jump out of the carriage. One leg was already out of the carriage, ready to jump, but he saw that Wu Mian had rubbed nothing out. He took a deep breath, put his foot back, and grabbed the reins. He said, "You need to change your temper. You're already in a low position, so don't be so arrogant. It's just that I have a good temper and don't mind..."

Before he could finish, Wu Mian's eyes suddenly lit up, interrupting the old man, "Gui Bu Gui, are you Gui Bu Gui?"

The old man was as shocked by this as he was by Wu Mian's finger-rubbing. He almost jumped out of the carriage again. After steadying himself, Gui Bu Gui looked at Wu Mian and said, "You, you remember everything?" Wu Mian didn't answer but asked, "Where are you taking me?"

Gui Bu Gui laughed dryly and said, "Xianyang is full of Liu Bang's army, and I heard Xiang Yu's army is also coming from the west to fight Liu Bang. The area around Hanzhong is in chaos. I managed to get you out. We'll find a place to hide for two years. Once the situation stabilizes and you fully recover, we'll look for the fourth map again."