No one expected Su Mo to make an entrance in such a spectacular way. It was incredibly impressive, and Xia Qingqing and the others were green with envy.
Sun Yuchen looked at him, feeling the distance between them grow wider and wider.
Naturally, Su Mo greeted all his old friends, not putting on any airs despite his stunning beauty.
“Qingyi, you’ve gotten even more beautiful. So jealous,” Xia Qingqing said, her eyes shining like a little “pervert.”
“You’re not so bad yourself. It’s only been a few days, but you’ve grown so much taller.”
Huo Jingshu, standing nearby, bit her lip, a muscle in her face twitching.
Xia Qingqing: (o｀ε´o)
When he saw Luo Xiu, Su Mo’s eyes flickered, and he teased, “When are you going to bring your wife along to hang out? Qingqing and Jingshu haven’t met her yet.” Ye Qingyi was a bit younger than both Su Mo and Luo Xiu, so calling her ‘wife’ (嫂子 – sǎozi, elder brother’s wife) fit.
Xia Qingqing joined in the teasing.
Huo Jingshu wasn’t as close to him and just watched the fun from the sidelines.
Luo Xiu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood. “Right! Sister Xiaomou said she saw you and Su Mo in Xingcheng. So it’s true.”
“Yeah, she said she was there on a business trip. What a coincidence, running into her like that,” Su Mo said, not revealing Li Xiaomou’s identity as a superhuman. He didn’t know if Luo Xiu was aware, and perhaps the couple had already confessed their secrets to each other.
Luo Xiu fell silent for a while. Just as he was about to say something more, Nan Gongxuan’s impatient voice rang out: “Are you going or not?”
“Going, going, going…” Su Mo spun around and hurried after him. Even though his energy wasn’t fully recovered and he was even slightly injured, with Nan Gongxuan here, it would be hard to get into danger unless he deliberately asked for it.
This was an opportunity his master had personally fought for him. He couldn’t waste it.
“I want to go too!” Huo Jingshu never let slip any chance to get stronger. She volunteered herself to Nan Gongxuan.
Nan Gongxuan looked at the girl with determined eyes and didn’t refuse. He simply walked straight towards the tombstone.
Seeing this, Huo Jingshu quickly followed.
Everyone else was envious, but none of them dared to speak up. Only Huo Jingshu had seized this opportunity.
A palm pressed against the tombstone, and a powerful suction force pulled all three of them into the world within the stone.
When heaven and earth solidified again, Su Mo slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the somewhat dim stone walls.
Looking around, Su Mo found himself in a stone cave. Next to him was a stone tablet identical to the one outside. Presumably, this was how they would get out.
Unlike other relics, the ancient tomb had only this one entrance. Everyone had to use the same path in and out.
Just as Su Mo and Huo Jingshu were familiarizing themselves with the surroundings, Nan Gongxuan took out several spirit stones and began arranging them near the tablet. It looked like a formation.
“Elder Nan Gong, what is this?” Su Mo asked, puzzled.
Nan Gongxuan smiled. “Welcoming an old friend. Daxia is a land of ceremonies; we can’t be impolite.”
Su Mo and Huo Jingshu exchanged a glance, both wearing skeptical expressions.
Ceremony?
More like a ceremony that’s probably going to hurt.
After setting up the formation… oh no, the ceremonial welcome… Nan Gongxuan led the two through the stone cave until they arrived before a great bronze hall.
The hall was immensely grand and colossal, unlike something from the Spring and Autumn or Warring States periods.
“This is the core of the ancient tomb. It holds many magical instruments, including not a few five-star artifacts. For example, the separate Yin and Yang bells taken from a set of bianzhong chimes. Each is a rare treasure in its own right.”
In front of the hall was a vast plaza, as big as a soccer field, paved with blue brick. Time had left few marks on it; over two thousand years seemed very short.
As they got closer to the hall, a faint, almost imperceptible pressure began to appear. Unlike the pressure from the hall in the Jingshan relic, this one didn’t affect them much, just felt a bit uncomfortable.
“Has my sister been working in an environment like this all along?” Su Mo frowned.
“Not just her. Many Beidou warriors are with her,” Nan Gongxuan said, pointing at the bronze hall’s doors, his expression turning serious. “This is one of Daxia’s highest secrets. One reason is to protect the relic, another is for their safety. But those old fools on the Elder Council actually leaked information about this place for their own benefit.”
Nan Gongxuan’s face darkened, clearly angry. “Actually, it’s not just here. They’ve done too many insane things for profit. That’s the core reason I’m determined to abolish the Elder Council.”
Su Mo and Huo Jingshu stayed silent, just listening quietly.
“But at the time, my strength was only B-grade, and the Elder Council’s influence was deeply entrenched. I didn’t dare confront them head-on. So I went into seclusion to break through and devised a plan to make them commit an enormous mistake themselves. That way, I could justifiably eliminate them.”
Su Mo was shocked. So nearly everything that had happened recently was within Nan Gongxuan’s predictions. It was all just part of his scheme to remove the Elder Council.
To achieve this, he hadn’t hesitated to let countless people lose their lives.
A sliver of awe rose in Su Mo’s heart.
Respect for his vision, fear of his methods.
“So… you want to be a dictator?”
As soon as Su Mo said this, Huo Jingshu’s face changed dramatically, and she tugged hard on his sleeve.
“Don’t be nervous. He’s not wrong,” Nan Gongxuan said, not angry but admitting it openly. “Although the Elder Council was founded with good intentions, it has become corrupt and caused Beidou to decline. Right now, it needs one person to shoulder the responsibility, to lead Beidou back on track. Not just watch them bicker and scheme all day over petty gains.”
Su Mo agreed with his idea. Even the best systems need reform. Stagnation only leads to internal decay.
“I think your idea is correct. Weren’t there any Elders who supported you?”
“There were, at first. Later, there weren’t.”
Those seven short words described a bloody and stormy struggle.
Perhaps deeply affected, Su Mo was silent for a long time.
Huo Jingshu stood to the side, unable to stop herself from wiping sweat from her brow.
She knew she didn’t have Su Mo’s background or strength, and she was afraid of hearing some things.
Nan Gongxuan saw her concern and said lightly, “These things aren’t exactly secrets. No need to be nervous.”
Huo Jingshu nodded without speaking.
Su Mo seemed to think of something and suddenly said, “Elder Nan Gong, what do you think of her?”
Nan Gongxuan raised an eyebrow. “Oh, not bad. What are you getting at?”
Su Mo glanced at Huo Jingshu and said to Nan Gongxuan seriously, “Her name is Huo Jingshu. Her talent and ability are top among her peers. I boldly ask you to grant her an opportunity to enter the Scripture Repository.”
Nan Gongxuan stared into Huo Jingshu’s eyes. “Did you put him up to this?”
“No, it was my own idea,” Su Mo said before Huo Jingshu could answer. “The removal of the Elder Council has wide-reaching effects. Beidou’s talent is depleted, yet everything awaits renewal. As a member of Beidou, recommending talent for the organization is my duty.”
“You certainly know how to talk,” Nan Gongxuan said, the corner of his mouth lifting. “But I always follow the principle of ‘rather go without than make do with mediocrity’ when employing people. Unless she has significant contributions… you understand what I mean, right?”
Su Mo’s eyes darted. He pulled Huo Jingshu along and quickly thanked him. “Thank you, Elder Nan Gong, for giving her this opportunity! I believe with her abilities, she will soon achieve merits. Then it won’t be too late for you to grant her access to the Scripture Repository.”
As he spoke, he signaled Huo Jingshu with his eyes. Though her mind was reeling, Huo Jingshu still followed his lead and expressed her thanks.
Nan Gongxuan glanced at Su Mo, suddenly feeling a twinge of regret.
He couldn’t help but think: Such an interesting girl. Why didn’t I take her as my disciple back then?
Sigh. That old fogey Qin Xun got the bargain.