Chapter 1: The Wind Rises

  Bang! A sharp gunshot broke the tranquility of the western frontier of the primitive forest in Xīnghuánguó.

  The sky is high and the clouds are light, with a gentle breeze blowing through the greenery. On a steep cliff in the midst of a dense primeval forest, two heads cautiously emerged - an old man and a young boy. They vigilantly scanned their surroundings. The older one had a benevolent brow and eyes that seemed to possess a hint of mysticism, while the younger one had a dark complexion and a handsome face with a pair of clear black-and-white eyes that shone with curiosity and calmness.

  Everything returned to calmness, as if nothing had happened just now. Only the tall trees made a rustling sound, and the birds that were startled flew back to the woods.

  An old man and a young man exchanged a puzzled glance, slowly retreated behind the cliff. The old man wore a grayish-black coarse linen robe, exuding an elegant demeanor, holding a somewhat yellowed thread-bound book in his hand, casually sitting on a huge rock. The young man was wearing a wolf-skin cape, carrying a large bow on his back, revealing sturdy muscles, emitting a faint glow under the sunlight. On the ground lay a dead wild goat that couldn't be deader.

  Bang! Another gunshot, the two of them cautiously fell to the ground and crawled to the edge of the cliff. In the distance, in the dense forest of the canyon, several people were hastily walking forward.

  "Is he a soldier?" The old man said in a low and puzzled voice.

  "Ah, it seems like I'm being hunted," the young man said in an excited whisper.

  The old man looked far away, having aged, his eyes somewhat farsighted, and soon saw the pursuing soldiers about three miles behind, with a considerable number of people.

  Four soldiers were being chased in front, one of whom was injured and carried by another. They quickly crossed the cliff boundary and flew away into the deeper forest. After a while, more than a dozen fully armed soldiers appeared, wearing unfamiliar uniforms, continuing to chase forward and disappearing into the dense forest.

  On the towering cliff, the two of them shrank back and leaned against a huge rock. The old man looked at the excited young fellow and said thoughtfully after a moment: "It seems that our country's soldiers are being pursued by foreign troops?"

  "Yes, they entered the Hungry Wolf Valley, and further ahead is the Miasma Valley, neither of which is easy to survive. Grandfather, it's getting late, let's head back." The young man still had an excited look on his face, with a lively personality that craved stimulation by nature.

  The old man, however, showed no intention of leaving. He let out a sigh and said, "Young one, aren't you thinking of leaving the mountains to take a look outside? This is an opportunity. A good man's ambition lies in all directions. Grandfather won't hold you back."

  The young man was startled and looked at the old man in confusion, saying: "Grandfather, didn't you say to wait until my kung fu is good before talking about it? Besides, I'm not at ease with you being alone, I'm not in a hurry, let's talk about it later."

  The old man didn't answer, gazing at the two armies disappearing into the distance. He said: "The Way of Nature is always clear, The Way of Yin and Yang is always calm, The Way of Man is always constant, It's called 'The Natural Classic'. You've been studying the Four Books and Five Classics with me since you were three years old, and practicing the techniques of 'The Natural Classic' since you were five. Now it's been thirteen years, and you can be considered accomplished. Go! But don't forget, separation and reunion are also part of nature. No matter what you do after you leave, just remember that you're a descendant of the Yan and Huang emperors."

  "Grandpa, I'm a young man who yearns for the outside world, but the only thing I couldn't let go of is the closest and dearest person by my side."

  "What is obtained from nature must be returned to nature, this is the key to the Tao. The essence of the people combines with the essence of nature, the energy of the people combines with the energy of nature, and the spirit of the people combines with the spirit of nature. Exhausting principle, fully developing one's nature, and fulfilling one's destiny, achieving great merit and virtue, transforming into a golden body, directly attaining the sacred realm of the Supreme Ultimate Natural Truth.

  Only then will you understand the root source of heaven and earth, the mysterious mechanism of the universe's transformation, and the true nature of all living things' existence. You're already eighteen, it's time to have your own life, go! If you're late, those soldiers will be in trouble. Remember to come back and visit this old man when you have time."

  The old man said this, turned around, and floated away.

  The old man sang as he walked, "How great is the natural Way! Heaven and earth join in their virtue, sun and moon join in their brightness, yin and yang join in their course, four seasons join in their order, all things join in their naturalness. The law reaches to the opening of heaven and earth, the work reaches to the completion of nature. Therefore, the Supreme Ultimate has no bounds, naturally sacred ancestor, widely spreads the natural Way and its laws, universally saves all living beings, to clarify the essential Way."

  The young man watched the old man leave with tears in his eyes, thinking of the person who had raised him for eighteen years. Memories flooded his mind, and he felt a pang in his heart. But remembering the old man's teachings and expectations, he turned around and strode off in another direction. The old man's words echoed in his mind: "My boy, I've taught you so much, not to let you be buried in these mountains. One day, you must leave this place and make a name for yourself. You can't waste your life."

  ┅┅。

  In the primeval forest that blocks out the sky and sun, under the scorching summer sun, a thread of chilly air seeps through. A soldier carefully leads the way in front, his robust body moving swiftly like a leopard, but the fatigue showing on his rugged face cannot be concealed by his spirited eyes. Behind him is another even more robust soldier carrying an unconscious comrade on his back, and another soldier carefully erasing their tracks, vigilantly guarding against the dangers behind them.

  Just as they were walking to a giant ancient tree, the soldier in the middle who was carrying someone on his back suddenly whispered: "Not good, Captain has a high fever." As he spoke, he put the person on his back down on the ground, and with a snapped-off large leaf, he fanned the air anxiously, his eyes reddening, the iron-like man actually choking up.

  The scout who had gone ahead heard this and hastily returned, carefully looked at the unconscious captain, and calmly said: "No way, we haven't escaped the ambush range yet. On my back, let's go."

  "High fever won't subside, wound inflammation, can't be left untreated. You take the captain and Bin Ge with you, I'll divert them." The tall and powerful soldier said resolutely.

  At this time, the person who had been interrupted also followed up and saw the situation. He naturally understood the reason and calmly said, "Don't argue anymore, blasting is my strong point, I'm the most suitable to go."

  "It's still me who will go. I'm a sniper, in the jungle, none of you are better than me." The soldier who was leading the way said, and picked up his gun to leave.

  "Wait a minute, no one is a fool. This good thing, no one should think of monopolizing it alone. Old rules, draw lots." The soldier behind him said.

  "Alright, I'll do the drawing," said the person who had broken off, casually breaking a thin branch and starting to say: "Old rules, longest goes, shortest stays." Soon, holding three branches that looked about the same length in his hands, he indicated for the two of them to draw first.

  At this time, the person lying on the ground suddenly made a faint sound, "Water, give me water."

  Three people listened, no one thought of drawing lots, they excitedly looked at the person on the ground, surprised to look at the captain, one person cut off a grapevine from the side, and some white liquid flowed out from the vine, dripping into the captain's mouth, the military knife was a few more times, all the water in the tree vine flowed out.

  Just as they were calling out to Bin Ge, he drew the military knife tied to his leg and prepared to get some water when the team leader on the ground woke up and said: "Gang Zi, Feng Zi, Bin Zi, I'm done for, you guys go."

  "No way," the three of them said in unison, leaving no room for rebuttal.

  The one leading the way in front, Gangzi, said: "Damn it, when have we ever abandoned our brothers? I'm not going to abandon this guy, if we keep dragging this on, our brotherhood will be ruined."

  "Aren't they just a bunch of psoriasis? I'll go wipe them out." Brin's brother shouted and was about to leave, but was caught by the captain. The four of them knew in their hearts that this group of people wasn't just simple psoriasis, otherwise, the four of them wouldn't be so miserable.

  The captain let out a sigh of relief, smiling and saying: "Good brothers, I'm sorry to you guys. I didn't think the first team of Guo Blade would be chased like a stray dog. I'd rather die than lose face like this. Let's be brothers again in the next life."

  "Alright, I won't run away. The green hills are filled with the souls of heroes. I'll go and make some arrangements. Even if I die, I must take a few more down with me." Binzi said, turning around to set up traps and other things.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Several gunshots rang out.

  The four of them looked back cautiously, and Binzi said, "Judging from the sound of the gunfire, it should be around three kilometers away."

  "Unprovoked gunfire isn't their style?" Jianzi muttered to himself.

  "Really?"

  The four of them looked at each other in confusion, hoping to confirm their suspicions from each other's eyes.

  The captain reacted quickly, and with a strained tone, he ordered: "Gangzi, go up the tree to scout, Binzi, Fengzi, you two get ready. It seems that the enemy will arrive soon. With our sharp swords, we are invincible, only death in battle, no surrender."

  Three people quickly dispersed, leaving only the captain inspecting his gun. He soon let out a bitter smile as he realized there was not a single bullet left in the gun. The only weapon on him was the "Guo Ren" military dagger that had accompanied him for many years, made of high-carbon steel alloy and emitting a cold glow, like an ancient cruel instrument.

  Looking back at the busy comrades, the captain's eyes were filled with guilt and anger, as well as a strong sense of combat spirit, full of combat spirit for the upcoming battle. For soldiers, dying on the battlefield is an honorable thing.

  At this time, Gangzi jumped down from the big tree, put down the special binoculars, and exclaimed: "Boss, I found someone running towards me, it seems to be a hunter."

  "Ah?" The captain was also surprised. In this vast mountain range, how could there be a hunter? Could it be the opponent's trick?

  "It shouldn't be, the other party is dressed as a hunter, holding a large bow in his hand, with no other weapons," Gangzi saw through the captain's thoughts and added.

  "It seems that the gunshot earlier is related to him, you go tell Fengzi and the others not to hurt each other, bring him over, with a familiar face leading the way, we might be able to get out of this damned primeval forest." The captain said calmly.

  Gangzi is about to leave, has been notified.

  Feng Zi and Bin Zi were also shocked by Gang Zi's words, but they soon became delighted. Since entering the primitive forest, it was impossible to find direction due to the dense foliage that blocked out the sky. Adding to this was their unfamiliarity with the surroundings, and the pursuing soldiers behind them. Even if everyone was a special forces elite, they had suffered greatly. Having someone familiar with the situation might possibly improve things.

  Three people formed an arrowhead formation, cautiously moving forward, all drawing out the only weapon they had with them - military "Guo Blade" daggers, sneaking and crawling silently, preparing to receive.

  Judging from the movements of the three, they are absolutely the elite among the jungle warfare elites. The choice of hidden points, the speed and movement of the attack, and the camouflage on their bodies are all exquisite and unparalleled.