Evening.
Outside Xiao Liuzi Town.
On a secluded dirt road.
Chen Guan looked at his aged body with confusion.
'I just slacked off at work, how did I Transmigrate? It can't be, boss?'
Chen Guan hadn't fully processed it yet.
All at once, fatigue, aching legs, and chest tightness—various sensations of old age and illness—surged, leaving Chen Guan with little strength.
Before he could recover from this 'Transmigration'.
Whoosh—
Four Mountain Bandits burst out from the forest ahead.
They held blood-dripping broadswords, as if they had just cut something.
Seeing their fierce and menacing appearance, Chen Guan instinctively stumbled back two steps, trembling.
The Mountain Bandit Leader, seeing Chen Guan about to flee, chuckled and said:
"Don't panic, old man up ahead. Our brothers just need to ask for directions!"
With that, the Mountain Bandit Leader winked at the three Mountain Bandits beside him.
Immediately, one fat and one thin Mountain Bandit walked towards Chen Guan.
"My Big Brother is right, old man, don't run!"
"Exactly, exactly. We won't do anything to you, hehehe..."
As the fat and thin Mountain Bandits spoke, the broadswords in their hands slowly lifted.
Chen Guan saw their stance and certainly didn't believe they were just asking for directions.
Unfortunately, he had no weapon in his hand.
He didn't dare to run, lest they try a 'flying knife to stab the old man'.
'Am I going to be killed as soon as I arrive in this world?'
As they drew closer, Chen Guan felt his entire body tense up, and goosebumps rose all over.
On this wild dirt road, there was no village ahead, no inn behind, only brightly gleaming, blood-dripping broadswords.
And four Mountain Bandits, strategically positioned, smiling like flowers.
"Come with us, old man!"
At the same time, the fat and thin Mountain Bandits approached, grabbing Chen Guan's left and right arms, and were about to pull him into the nearby thicket.
Chen Guan's frail, old age strength couldn't resist the two Mountain Bandits beside him, so he could only comply.
But as soon as they approached the woods, a wave of bloody smell emerged.
Chen Guan's gaze followed the source of the smell.
It was a farmer who had been disemboweled, a very disgusting and chilling sight.
"Don't panic, old man, and don't be afraid of him."
Seeing Chen Guan's fear, the Mountain Bandit Leader even thoughtfully comforted him: "Because you will be just like him later.
But it's alright, my blade is very fast."
'It's over...' Chen Guan knew it was the end when he heard this.
The fat and thin Mountain Bandits then searched Chen Guan from head to toe.
"Only a few dozen coins?"
The fat Mountain Bandit weighed Chen Guan's money pouch in his hand.
It was sewn from two tattered pieces of sackcloth, with a mismatched patch on it.
"Damn unlucky!" The thin Mountain Bandit cursed, then pushed Chen Guan with a slap towards the corpse.
"A pair of paupers!"
"Some money is better than nothing." The Big Brother's smile remained, "In the past, I was locked in a dungeon for three years, and then dug tunnels for another three years!
I only managed to escape a few days ago.
I thought all my brothers in the mountains had scattered, but I didn't expect my three good younger brothers to still be waiting for me.
Such brotherhood is worth a thousand pieces of gold today!"
"Exactly, exactly!" The fat Mountain Bandit threw the purse to the Big Brother, then looked at the farmer's corpse.
"Although this poor wretch had no money, we still encountered good fortune at the start, which is a cheer and a joy for Big Brother!
Now, your little brother will add another old man for Big Brother, to show double happiness!"
As he spoke, he raised his broadsword, preparing to cleave Chen Guan to death with one strike.
Facing the imminent life-or-death crisis, a memory belonging to the 'original body' surfaced in Chen Guan's mind.
In an instant.
Chen Guan learned that this old man was from a village three hundred miles away.
He had traveled so far to find his Grandson.
Because five years ago, his eight-year-old Grandson was taken away by a Daoist priest who knew magic.
This was a Xianxia-like world!
The old man's Grandson.
Of course, that was his Grandson.
He was now a 'Qi Cultivator of the Guanglin Sect!'
Chen Guan received these memories and, knowing his Grandson was so well-connected, a sudden inspiration struck him. Looking at the fat Mountain Bandit with the raised broadsword, he quickly waved his hand and shouted:
"Good sir, hold on! I have something to say!"
"Hm?" The fat Mountain Bandit paused and asked: "If you're saying you'll pay for your life, there's no need for that.
Because if we kill you, the money will still be ours, brothers."
With that, the fat Mountain Bandit was about to raise his hand again.
"Second Brother is right." The Big Brother beside him nodded upon hearing this, and said to Chen Guan: "Don't even say you can lead us to your home for money, or have your family send a ransom.
We brothers only do short-term business.
Less trouble, quick money."
"I..." Chen Guan ignored what they were saying, seeing the broadsword about to be raised again, and directly said:
"Good sirs! My Grandson is a Cultivator! He is a Cultivator of the Guanglin Sect!"
"Guanglin Sect?" The fat Mountain Bandit was confused, "Is it a School in the Jianghu?"
"A Cultivator!" The thin Mountain Bandit exclaimed in surprise, "This old man is actually connected to the legendary Cultivators?"
"He... he..." The last Mountain Bandit was a bit panicked, "He said his Grandson is an immortal?"
They paused for a long time after hearing Chen Guan's words.
Tales of immortals and stories of reclusive masters have existed since ancient times.
Everyone in the world yearned for them.
So.
The Big Brother's expression was incredibly excited, then he immediately chopped Chen Guan down with one strike.
"Damn it! I've treated you like this, if your Grandson really is an immortal, if I let you go now, will you let me go in the future?"
...Time passed.
After the Big Brother killed Chen Guan, the three brothers meticulously delivered more blows, searched his body, and prepared to find some branches to burn Chen Guan completely.
To prevent the old man's Grandson from truly being a Cultivator and finding them through some method.
Approximately five minutes later.
After seeing that Chen Guan had no value, they went deeper into the forest to find firewood.
Then the firewood was found, and Chen Guan was set ablaze.
They continued to stake out outside the forest.
Another ten minutes passed.
In another part of the forest, two hundred meters away.
An adult Black Bear, standing over two meters tall, was now approaching the location of Chen Guan's corpse after smelling blood and the scent of burning.
But at this moment, a thunderclap boomed in the sky.
The Black Bear reacted, twitched a few times, and fell to the ground.
It was dead.
However, in the next second, it opened its eyes again, but its gaze and expression revealed a hint of human-like confusion.
'Am I a bear again now, damn it?'
Chen Guan was very confused and saw an ancient picture album appear in his field of vision.
It was presented in the style of ink wash painting.
The first page was the old man from before.
The scene depicted in the ink wash painting was him being killed by four Mountain Bandits.
There were also a few lines of text.
【Postscript: Ten years later, your Grandson 'Chen Changhong' left the mountains to travel, returned home to visit relatives, and by the time he learned the news, you were already separated by life and death】
【Your Grandson's heart meridian was damaged, and his Comprehension Ability weakened】
【The four Mountain Bandits remained at large】
The first page recorded a painting and what would normally happen.
Both the Grandson and the Mountain Bandits were related to him.
The second page was blank.
But at this moment.
Many mysterious characters emerged from the album, gradually forming words that Chen Guan could understand.
It was the Transmigration process during 'his death'.
【Your first life was killed by Mountain Bandits】
【Transmigration interval: 20 minutes】
【Searching for nearby 'bodies' to Transmigrate into, or 'random infant rebirth'】
【The strength of the new body is related to your various evaluations】
【Transmigration body found: Bear】
【Bear: Required Soul Strength (0.6), Required Realm (1), Required Physique (1.4)】
【Average: 1】
【Your previous life: Soul (1.2), Realm (1), Physique (0.8)】
【Judgment... Compliant】
【Second Life: Adult Bear】
【Next Transmigration interval: 20 hours】
...After reading the characters.
Besides knowing he had a cheat, Chen Guan also felt an indescribable sensation within himself.
This was the Strength of the Bear!
At the same time, there were a few choices.
【Please choose to inherit the talents of your previous life】
【1: Presbyopia】
【2: Arthritis】
【3: Low-Grade Fire Spiritual Root】
【Cumulative talent inheritance: None】
【Note: The talents of each life can be accumulated and stacked, with full bonuses enjoyed in later lives】
...There's no need to say much about presbyopia and arthritis.
Directly choose 3.
【Low-Grade Fire Spiritual Root: Common, Talent type, applicable to most living and non-living things】
【Number of inherited talents (1): Low-Grade Fire Spiritual Root】
Below this line of text, there was also personal information.
【Name: Chen Guan】
【Second Life: Bear】
Second Life, the talent that can be inherited as 'Legacy': Low-Grade Bear-like Strength.
Note 1: Legacy Talents are guaranteed to appear as one of the choices upon Transmigration.
Note 2: Can be upgraded through Cultivation to create a better legacy for future generations.
Low-Grade Bear-like Strength: 120 / 1000.
'Can it be upgraded?'
Chen Guan noticed the key point.
This was about laying the foundation for 'future lives'.
The more the better, naturally.
At the same time.
After seeing the cheat, Chen Guan felt much more relaxed.
To be honest, when he first arrived in this world, Chen Guan thought he was going to die.
But now, he had confidence.
'My Grandson, wait for your Grandfather to find you...'
Chen Guan was now not only thinking about killing the four Mountain Bandits who had killed him, but also about his true Grandson.
Because he was Cultivating Xianxia.
And this was a world with Cultivators.
Then, if someone from the Immortal School was there, Cultivation would naturally be easier.
He couldn't possibly turn into a Black Bear, and his Grandson would then turn against him and not recognize him, could he?
Of course, some things might happen, like, 'How does a demon know my Grandfather's name?'
'Demon, die! Return my Grandfather's life!'
And 'Dare to call yourself my Grandfather? This Daoist Priest wants to see how much this Grandson Bear weighs!' Such things might occur.
Not to mention divination and Soul searching.
This would require careful planning.
While pondering.
Chen Guan remembered that in his previous life's corpse's clothes, there was a small toy belonging to his Grandson, a grasshopper carved from a small wooden stick.
And there was also a letter, which miraculously survived after his Grandson's parents died in the war.
These two items were very important.
They could serve as partial proof of his identity.
Chen Guan thought as he strode quickly towards the location of his corpse.
Hoo-roo—
However, Chen Guan had not taken many steps when his pace suddenly faltered, and he stumbled headfirst.
'Humans walk differently from how bears walk...'
Chen Guan moved his thick Black Bear legs and realized he was subconsciously still walking with human-like thought patterns.
Now, walking with a bear's body was certainly a bit uncoordinated.
Fortunately, he had the muscle memory of a Black Bear.
Chen Guan familiarized himself with it, then lay down on the ground and switched to galloping on all fours.
This speed was faster and more stable.
Whoosh-la-la—
With the sensitive sense of smell of a wild beast, he caught the scent of blood and char.
He quickly ran nearly two hundred meters.
Before him was his previous life's corpse, which was burning.
Less than thirty minutes had passed since his Transmigration.
His bones were truly not yet cold.
Because it was burning.
What kind of keepsake?
It had long been burned to nothing.
Chen Guan was furious. This was truly cutting off his Immortal fate, and also cutting off the touching process of reuniting with his Grandson in the future.
"Roar..."
Chen Guan could not speak now; only beastly roars came from his throat.
He couldn't effectively visit the manufacturer of the other party.
But that didn't stop Chen Guan from running on all fours. In just a few breaths, he reached the edge of the forest, thirty meters away.
Under a large tree ahead were the four Mountain Bandits waiting for their next victim.
They were ambushing people behind the tree.
And at this moment.
"What's that sound?"
They heard Chen Guan running and the creaking sound of branches being snapped by a wild beast, and they all turned their heads.
But in the next instant.
Chen Guan, who was gradually getting used to the Black Bear's body, relied on the beast's muscle memory, using the momentum and thrust of his run to strike the back of the fattest Mountain Bandit in front with a single paw!
Crunch—
The two-meter-tall Black Bear, weighing over seven hundred catties, with its immense paw strength, caused a muffled thud of bones from within the body to echo through the forest.
The fat Mountain Bandit had not yet had time to retaliate when his back caved in, a small amount of bloody foam welled up in his mouth, and his two-hundred-catty body was instantly sent flying by Chen Guan, like willow catkins, crashing into a tree half a meter away.
Boom—
The big tree shook, and many leaves fell.
The fat Mountain Bandit's face was a bloody mess, completely disfigured by the hard bark during the impact.
Chen Guan paused for a moment, seeing the terrifying scene he had created.
"Don't panic!"
The Mountain Bandit Leader saw such a large Black Bear running towards him, but he was so scared that his heart was pounding.
But a leader is a leader; what kind of situation had he not seen?
Even in such a life-and-death moment, he could still calm people down and shouted, "Brothers! Surround it from three sides! There is only one of this beast, and we still have three brothers!
We swear to avenge our second brother!"
"Yes!"
"Avenge Second Brother!"
The remaining two Mountain Bandits felt a little calmer after hearing their leader's shouts.
After all, they had waited for their leader for several years, devotedly wanting to follow him and admiring him.
"Leader! I'll attack from the north!"
At this moment, the thin Mountain Bandit even volunteered and slightly tilted his head, wanting to tell his leader.
But as soon as he turned his head.
Five meters away, the leader had already jogged out of the forest.
All that was left for him was a determined back.
"Leader..." The thin Mountain Bandit was stunned.
Thump—
The next second, he only felt a vibrating blow to the back of his head, and then he knew nothing.
"Roar, roar..."
Chen Guan killed the second person, and his mindset had already changed. He no longer had the initial hesitation about killing, but instead looked at the third Mountain Bandit who was trying to escape.
At the same time.
The leader ran out of the forest, initially in a panic, not knowing where to go.
Anyway, in his mind, where to go was not the main problem; the main problem was that he had to run faster than his good brothers.
Rustle, rustle—
Just as the leader was praying that his brothers would hold on for a while, preferably long enough to fill the Black Bear's belly.
On the roadside ahead, eight people dressed as Constables arrived.
The leader saw them and felt as if he had seen saviors.
Even if they were officials and he was a bandit.
But with a bear possibly chasing him from behind, everyone was human.
At the very least, eating prison food was better than eating bear paws.
"Sir! Sir! Save me!"
The Mountain Bandit Leader shouted a few times, and as he ran, he bent his legs early.
A swift slide.
He slid nearly five meters, directly kneeling in front of the Constable Captain.
"Sir! I've been looking for you for so long! Please quickly take me back to prison!"
"You dare to come back?"
The Constable Captain's eyes turned red the moment he saw the Mountain Bandit Leader, remembering how the County Magistrate had been furious a few days ago because of the bandit's escape from prison, and had worked him like a donkey.
These past few days, he had been working non-stop, mostly taking people to patrol around the town.
"Sir... Sir!"
The Mountain Bandit Leader saw the Constable Captain's man-eating gaze, but felt unusually close.
Because the bear behind him was truly going to eat people.
'The Constable Captain is an Acquired Grandmaster... dealing with a mere large beast is nothing. My life is saved...'
The Mountain Bandit Leader was relieved.
"Wait! What's that sound?"
At the same time, the Constable Captain also noticed something was wrong and looked towards the forest ahead.
Crack—
Inside the forest.
Chen Guan's fan-sized bear paw caught up with the last Mountain Bandit's head and crushed it with one blow.
After finishing off the last one.
Chen Guan was in a great mood. He shook off the bloody mess from his hand, then leaped on all fours, preparing to jump out of the forest onto the roadside to chase the Mountain Bandit Leader.
But as soon as he jumped out, while still low in the air.
He looked forward.
On the roadside ahead was the kneeling Mountain Bandit Leader.
Behind him were several Constables, already holding powerful bows with strings fully drawn.
Chen Guan saw this scene, and his bear fur bristled like a fluffy dandelion. His clumsy body, the moment it landed, twisted its hindquarters, pushed off with its four limbs, and jumped back.
Swish, swish, swish—
Eight arrows flew not far from Chen Guan. Seven disappeared into the forest, and one struck a nearby Locust Tree, embedding itself deep within the wood.
"What?"
The Constable Captain saw that this Black Bear was quite intelligent, as if it knew the power of the arrows, and avoided them so quickly. He immediately knew that if such a wild beast were allowed to escape, it would surely bring disaster to the region, far more serious than the bandit's harm.
"This beast can avoid disaster; it has already gained some human understanding and a bit of Spiritual Root!"
The Constable Captain drew the long saber from his waist and glanced at the kneeling Mountain Bandit Leader in front of him.
His eyes darted around, clearly scheming.
"Leave two men to watch this scoundrel."
The Constable Captain glanced at him, then rushed into the forest with his saber.
"Don't let this Vicious Beast escape. The rest of you, follow me!"