Chapter 00006: Entering the Mountains Overnight
# Entering the Mountains Overnight
Chapter 6
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 6: Entering the Mountains Overnight
The so-called "Seaside Plains" was not an actual plain but the most luxurious villa area in Luohe City.
The residents here were all billionaires, each villa surrounded by dozens of acres of grassland, making it a true gathering place for the wealthy.
Ding Jie, the actual controller of Baiyu Group, lived here.
At this moment, a tall, thin man stood respectfully in front of Ding Jie, reporting the day's events.
"Boss Ding, the mission failed. Our people didn't see that kid."
This tall, thin man was Shen Quan, Ding Jie's most loyal subordinate.
All the shady, underhanded tasks were handled by Shen Quan.
Ding Jie frowned.
"Weren't they supposed to wait on the road he always takes after leaving school? How could they have missed him?"
Shen Quan also seemed puzzled.
"According to our observations, he was definitely going to be caught today. But in fact, he didn't take his usual route. I checked the surveillance later and found out he took a different path, one he had almost never used before. I don't know why he suddenly decided to take that route today."
"Since you know that, why didn't you complete the task?" Ding Jie's tone turned cold.
Shen Quan quickly explained, "He took a taxi to Qianjiangmen Restaurant. It turns out his class was having a graduation party there today. However, when I checked the private room where their party was held, he never showed up. He must have gotten off the car midway. But I suspect there's only one place he could have gone."
"Where?"
"Yujiang University. He was originally assigned to be a teaching assistant at Luohe Shangwu University, but someone took his spot, so he had no choice but to go to Yujiang University."
"Then why aren't you going after him? Remember, don't kill him. Just gouge out his eyes, break his legs, and leave him in a remote area."
"Yes..."
Shen Quan acknowledged the order and quickly left.
After Shen Quan left, Ding Jie rubbed his temples.
To be honest, after inheriting Baiyu Group, he hadn't planned to continue pursuing Ding Huan.
Whether Ding Huan lived or died had nothing to do with him, and secondly, there was the matter of the Suoluo Oath.
Unfortunately, the person behind him had explicitly ordered him to eliminate Ding Huan.
Reluctantly, Ding Jie agreed to have Ding Huan's eyes gouged out and his legs broken.
That way, Ding Huan would be taken away by human traffickers, and it wouldn't technically be his doing, right?
...
Mount Qianluo was about seventy kilometers from Luohe City.
Even though Ding Huan had managed to get his hands on a beat-up motorcycle, it was already two or three in the morning by the time he reached the outskirts of the mountain.
Ding Huan hid the old motorcycle in a thicket of thorns, then shouldered his bags and carefully made his way toward Mount Qianluo.
With his current frail body, he absolutely couldn't afford to run into any ferocious beasts.
Even though it was the middle of the night, Ding Huan could still hear the occasional roar of beasts.
However, he knew that this was actually the safest time.
He needed to enter the mountain before dawn.
Ding Huan's luck wasn't too bad.
By six in the morning, he was drenched but had already made it deep into Mount Qianluo.
Not only that, but he had also found a cave.
Exhausted and feeling lightheaded, Ding Huan decided not to venture further into the mountain.
Even though there were many ferocious beasts here, in Ding Huan's eyes, it was still safer than being among people.
He cleaned up the cave a bit, gathered some stones and dry branches to block the entrance, and ate a little something.
He was so tired that he fell asleep almost as soon as he crawled into his sleeping bag.
...
While Ding Huan was sound asleep in the cave, something major happened globally—a new gene potion called "Sai Liu Gene" had been developed.
Earth was in the age of genes, and new gene potions were being developed almost every few days, if not daily.
However, most of these potions were either quickly rendered obsolete or had no real significance.
Truly good gene potions only came around every few years.
For example, the Semi-Ga Gene produced by Oceanic Biotech, which was a longevity-enhancing gene, had turned Oceanic Biotech into a global giant.
Then there was the Shi Ai Gene from Westwind Gene Company and the Endurance Gene from Yongtang Gene Company...
Each of these genes had caused major shifts in the world and propelled Earth's gene era forward.
The Sai Liu Gene was another such groundbreaking gene potion.
It was designed to slow down human aging and even reverse it, making people younger.
Taking the Sai Liu Gene potion could make someone look ten to twenty years younger.
If you thought the Sai Liu Gene was just about maintaining youth, you'd be sorely mistaken.
The anti-aging and youth-restoring effects were just the surface.
The true purpose of this gene potion was to rejuvenate the body's organs, increasing lifespan.
More importantly, if someone practiced martial arts, having younger organs could allow them to advance further in their training.
For those who focused on gene cultivation, this potion could broaden their genetic potential.
The Sai Liu Gene was developed by Baiyu Group in Luohe City, China.
Luohe City had already made a name for itself when Luohe Shangwu University developed the Endurance Gene, which had propelled the university to global fame.
Now, with Baiyu Group's Sai Liu Gene, Luohe City was once again in the global spotlight.
As soon as the Sai Liu Gene potion was released, countless people flocked to Luohe City, making it more bustling than ever.
The potion itself was in such high demand that it was nearly impossible to get.
Ding Jie, who had taken over Baiyu Group as an adopted son, had once been the subject of gossip.
But now, he had soared to new heights.
Not only was no one talking behind his back, but people were lining up to curry favor with him.
Because the Sai Liu Gene potion was so hard to come by, many who desperately wanted it had come to Luohe City to ingratiate themselves with Ding Jie.
...
When Ding Huan woke up, it was already the middle of the night.
He had slept for nearly twenty hours straight.
He didn't dare go outside now, so he just washed his face with some bottled water and ate a little dry food.
There were too many things he didn't understand.
First, how did the Du family find out about the scroll he had obtained? Almost no one knew about it.
Second, how had he managed to return to Earth two hundred years in the past?
And after returning to Earth, there were even more questions.
How had his father, Ding Baishan, disappeared?
Who wanted him dead? Who was the old scavenger who had sold him to that mysterious organization? And how had Ding Jie managed to convince so many of his father's old subordinates to let him take control of Baiyu Group?
None of these questions had answers.
Ding Huan sighed and decided to start cultivating the Luo Shi Scripture.
The Luo Shi Scripture wouldn't increase his strength, but it could clear his mind and make his body feel lighter.
Several hours later, Ding Huan opened his eyes to find that it was already bright outside.
He was secretly amazed.
In his previous life, gene meditation had been a daily practice for him, but he had rarely experienced something like this—losing track of time so completely.
This made Ding Huan even more eager.
He packed up his things and quickly left the cave.
Even without a gene spiritual root, he could feel the immense benefits of cultivating the Luo Shi Scripture.
What would happen if he managed to fuse with a gene spiritual root?
Originally, Ding Huan had planned to spend a week in Mount Qianluo searching for the materials needed to create a wood-type spiritual root gene.
But to his surprise, as soon as he stepped out, he saw a Yuan Pine—also known as a Five-Needle Pine.
The scroll didn't specify which part of the Yuan Pine to use for creating the wood-type spiritual root gene, so Ding Huan figured the roots would be best.
So he dug up the soil and cut off a section of the Five-Needle Pine's roots.
Mount Qianluo seemed quiet, but Ding Huan knew that was just an illusion.
One wrong move here, and you could end up in the jaws of a ferocious beast.
Even seemingly harmless plants could suddenly ensnare you.
So Ding Huan moved very carefully, inching forward bit by bit.
Whenever he encountered an unfamiliar vine, he would test it or simply go around it.
Even so, by the afternoon, he had already found four of the materials he needed: Guangming Suo, Gongtong, Yuan Pine, and Bayou.
As for Fu Kui, Ding Huan wasn't worried.
That was just silver fir, which, while rare elsewhere, was abundant in Mount Qianluo.
The only thing he couldn't figure out was the "Blood of Reincarnation."
But even if he couldn't find it, he could try using the genes of a mutated beast.
He was a hetero-gene affinity body.
In his previous life, he had frequently tested various defective gene potions without any major issues.
Before it got dark, Ding Huan found a place to spend the night—a simple earthen cave.
Right now, aside from having a bit more experience, he was no match for any ferocious beast.
If he were discovered, even by a mutated rabbit, he'd be in serious trouble.
Ding Huan was awakened by the roar of a ferocious beast.
Realizing it was already daylight outside, he quickly got up.
The roars continued, filled with a terrifying ferocity and wild agitation.
Something must have provoked the beast.
Ding Huan didn't dare linger.
He quickly stuffed his things into his bag and went to the entrance of the cave.
He needed to assess whether the beast would pass by here.
If it did, he would have to leave immediately.
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(End of Chapter)