Meng Qiuzhen had explored the first three dream scenes without a hitch. The fourth scene, however, had given him a fair amount of trouble.
Fifth dream scene.
"Well then, this time I've become 'Green Beast.'" Meng Qiuzhen sighed.
He became the bald young man.
The atmosphere in the Tu Family Stronghold had also changed.
After making a few inquiries, Meng Qiuzhen pieced it together: when Huang Xiaomi was rescued, two Fourth Transformation Elders had pursued them outside the stronghold and fought Huang Wan in the wilderness.
After a brief but brutal life-and-death clash, one Elder was killed and the other gravely wounded. Though Huang Wan had also suffered serious injuries, she managed to escape with Huang Xiaomi.
The Tu Family Stronghold was the dominant power in the region. Having two of its Elders brought to such a miserable state immediately ignited fury.
The Clan Leader issued orders at once to raise an army and crush the Mushroom tribe.
How could one tolerate rivals encroaching on one's own territory?
The strength the Mushroom Gu Masters had displayed, coupled with their ability to infiltrate and lie in hiding, kept the Tu Family Stronghold's leadership on edge.
Those not of their kind could never be trusted — the safest course of action was to eradicate the Mushroom tribe entirely!
With the enemy's strength still unclear, the Tu Family Stronghold began marshaling all of its forces in preparation for war.
They launched the largest recruitment drive ever seen.
The Tu Family used "Tu" as their surname. Their own clan was vast, and they had no shortage of vassal families bearing other surnames.
Under the Tu Family Stronghold's leadership, five surrounding factions had been successively brought under their control. To declare their allegiance, members of these outside families would add "Tu" as a suffix to their names.
The ordinary girl who had previously rescued Huang Xiaomi, for instance, was called Fang Tu.
"If anyone distinguished themselves in this war, the Tu Family might even grant them the Tu surname as a reward — making them a true member of the Tu clan!"
Many people, upon reading the posted announcements, were fired up and rushed to enlist.
Meng Qiuzhen joined as well.
Because given the bald young man's thoughts and temperament, the chances of him signing up were extremely high.
The Tu Family Gu Master who received him was delighted: "You've come! The Third Elder is still recovering, but he left instructions with us. You've accumulated many merits and remain loyal to the Tu Family Stronghold — that's admirable. You'll serve as a squad leader."
Meng Qiuzhen had found the right thread to pull, and the dream continued to unfold along this path.
When he returned home, Meng Qiuzhen met with Huang Wan and told her about his decision to join the war.
Huang Wan was furious and forbade him from going.
"My son, fame and fortune are nothing but passing clouds. All your mother wants is for you to live happily and peacefully."
"But I'm a young man in the prime of his life — how can I be happy without any achievements? This is the best opportunity I'll ever have! I must seize it."
Meng Qiuzhen imitated the bald young man and got into a fierce argument with Huang Wan, ending with both parting on bitter terms.
Everyone in the Tu Family Stronghold believed Huang Wan and Huang Xiaomi had fled. They never suspected that Huang Wan had only feigned her escape — after planting false clues outside the city, she had brought Huang Xiaomi right back into the stronghold to continue hiding in plain sight.
Huang Wan was seriously injured and struggling to maintain her disguise. On top of that, she had to secretly care for Huang Xiaomi. All she could do was watch helplessly as Meng Qiuzhen became part of the Tu Family Stronghold's outer forces.
"How old are you, exactly? You think you're fit to be my squad leader?"
"That's right — beat us first, then we'll accept you!"
"You're an outsider, a vassal of our Tu Family. How dare you try to command a native clansman like me?"
Meng Qiuzhen met his squad's members and, unsurprisingly, found himself isolated — but he had the bald young man's abilities at his disposal.
Meng Qiuzhen mimicked the bald young man, rubbing his bare scalp: "Oh ho, look at that — you've riled me up. All of you, come at me at once!"
"What?" The four Gu Masters stared in disbelief.
Meng Qiuzhen let out a savage grin and struck without warning.
BOOM!
With a thunderous impact, his fist — encased in a layer of hard stone skin — sent one person flying.
The Gu Masters snapped back to their senses and scrambled to retreat.
Meng Qiuzhen stomped hard on the ground with a crack, and the earth suddenly caved in.
One Gu Master, caught completely off guard, tumbled into the trap.
"You think these little tricks can control me?" Just as he was about to fly out of the deep pit, he was horrified to see Meng Qiuzhen hoisting a massive boulder the size of a cart overhead and hurling it downward.
"Stop—"
CRASH!
The boulder crashed down, smashing the Gu Master hard into the bottom of the pit. He fell silent at once. Fresh, bright blood soon seeped out from beneath the stone.
"What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!"
"You actually killed a native clansman of the Tu Family?!"
The two remaining Gu Masters witnessed everything, their hearts pounding with terror.
"Weren't you just saying you wouldn't accept me?" Meng Qiuzhen grinned savagely, advancing once more.
Though the bald young man's Gu Insects were limited in number, under Meng Qiuzhen's martial prowess, these ordinary Gu Masters were no match for him.
In a matter of moments, he had every last one of them flat on the ground.
"Stop, stop — I yield!" The Gu Masters quickly begged for mercy.
Sixth dream scene.
Meng Qiuzhen once again became the Mushroom person Huang Xiaomi.
His injuries had fully healed, and the Mushroom plague had been successfully cured under Huang Wan's secret treatment.
Huang Xiaomi had obtained several more Poison Gu Insects from Huang Wan. By combining them into a lethal technique, he could finally put an end to the racial plague afflicting the Mushroom tribe.
Huang Xiaomi slipped away in secret.
Around the Tu Family Stronghold, regular patrol squads of Gu Masters kept watch.
One squad of Second Transformation Gu Masters — five in total — was making its way through the mountain forest.
"Halt — let's rest here." The squad leader suddenly raised his palm in a stopping gesture.