Chapter 104: News about Shadow Sentinel and Wei Rong & Mei Xueyin

  Back inside the teahouse.

  "I will accept your apology, and let me clarify—it has only been a few months, not even a full year has passed, and… forget it. I suggest you test whatever tip you receive on someone else before taking action."

  "Thank you for your advice. Now that I’m advancing to the inner sect, I plan to focus solely on cultivation. With the secret realm opening soon, I really don’t have time for extra distractions," Mei Xueyin said with a serious expression—something that surprised him, as he was used to seeing her with a teasing smirk.

  "Miss Mei Xueyin, if you don’t mind… may I ask you something?" Wei Rong spoke from across the table.

  She nodded. After sitting down and talking for the first time, her impression of Wei Rong had shifted—from outright disgust to something slightly more tolerable. She no longer frowned every time he addressed her.

  "You and I are both heading into the secret realm. I was thinking… why don’t we cooperate once inside and form a team?" Wei Rong suggested, giving Mei Xueyin a quick glance. Noticing she wasn’t frowning, he continued, "And don’t worry about loot division. If you come across a treasure, it’s yours. If I find something, I’ll keep it." He muttered under his breath, "If you want, you can even take my share too."

  Xu Mo raised his hand. Mei Xueyin and Wei Rong turned their attention toward him, curious about what he had to say.

  "I’m also coming with you guys."

  Their initial reaction was one of disbelief—like he had just told a joke. But after a few seconds of staring at each other and blinking in silence, they realized he wasn’t kidding.

  "Xu Mo, are you being serious right now? But how?" Wei Rong asked cautiously, trying not to hurt him by questioning what might be a fragile dream.

  Xu Mo nodded. "I have some… circumstances that allowed me to get a spot in the secret realm without participating in the tournament."

  Mei Xueyin recalled that Long Bai had claimed Xu Mo as his son. So it wasn’t surprising he could enter the secret realm without competing for a place among the top fifty participants.

  "Mysterious," Wei Rong muttered, rubbing his chin.

  "Impressed, right?" Xu Mo said, standing up and placing a hand on Wei Rong’s shoulder, who was still seated. Their eyes met.

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  "I’m what they call a low-key bigshot. If you ever run into trouble—outer sect or inner—just tell me. I’ll take care of it."

  With a smug look, Xu Mo clasped his hands behind his waist and walked out of the teahouse confidently, like some invincible expert strolling through the mundane world.

  Just before the private room’s door shut behind him, he winked at Wei Rong.

  Wei Rong’s eyes widened slightly, as if he had suddenly understood something.

  Click—

  The door shut with a soft sound.

  ‘Come outside the teahouse.’

  Bai Xu’s voice echoed inside Xu Mo’s mind. The sudden command nearly disrupted his steps, causing him to almost trip in front of a group of disciples.

  With a quick twist of his waist and an eccentric foot movement, he managed to steady himself.

  "Here, Xu Mo!"

  He turned to the side and saw a mature-looking young disciple waving at him. His guard immediately went up—why was someone suddenly acting so friendly?

  They—yes, they—began walking toward him.

  "Mo’er! It’s us," Bai Xu said in his usual deep tone, making Xu Mo recognize them.

  "Sect Master! If you're the Sect Master, then… this must be Elder Long Bai, right?"

  Pfft—

  Bai Xu burst into laughter and then coughed, saying, "Mo’er, this is not Elder Long Bai. This is the Ancestor."

  "Oh! I apologize for my rudeness, Ancestor," Xu Mo said sincerely.

  It was dark enough now that no one paid special attention to the three of them gathered outside. It wasn’t uncommon for disciples to hang out in groups.

  "No, no, Little Xu. It is I who should be apologizing to you. Please forgive me," the proud Ancestor bowed his head in a nod.

  Xu Mo didn’t like someone so senior apologizing to him—even if they’d pulled some strings to become close.

  "Please don’t be like this, Ancestor. And what did you do that requires an apology? Whatever it was, I forgive you—if that makes you feel at ease."

  The Ancestor just smiled. Still smiling, he turned to glance at Bai Xu, who looked like he was about to say something. With a subtle hand gesture—drawing his finger across his neck—he silently threatened to kill him if he dared reveal the truth.

  That he, the respected Ancestor in Xu Mo’s eyes, had once doubted the sect’s true successor and even sent Shadow Sentinel—not to protect Xu Mo, but to spy on him.

  "Ancestor, I wanted to ask—where has Shadow Sentinel gone? I haven’t seen him in over a week."

  Xu Mo wasn’t worried. He assumed the Ancestor had simply sent Shadow Sentinel on another mission, and that it was just taking a little longer this time.

  "Uh—!"

  Both Bai Xu and the Ancestor froze. They exchanged glances, silently trying to push the responsibility of answering onto the other.

  "Your Sect Master will tell you," the Ancestor said with a forced, charming smile on his youthful, disguised face.

  "Ancestor, I believe you should answer. Xu Mo asked you, not me. And Shadow Sentinel belongs to you, not the sect," Bai Xu said smoothly. Years of dealing with vassal sect leaders and scheming juniors had trained him well in redirecting awkward situations.

  "Little Xu… how should I tell you this?"

  The Ancestor’s face turned melancholic, and the atmosphere grew emotional. Bai Xu’s palms began to sweat—he wanted to slap himself. He had forgotten what might happen if the Ancestor actually admitted that he had killed Shadow Sentinel.

  Because, in truth, he had been the last person Shadow Sentinel ever met.

  "Shadow Sentinel… my brave soldier…"

  The Ancestor pursed his lips like he was struggling to say something difficult.

  "He died during a mission."

  Bai Xu let out a subtle sigh of relief. His heart had nearly jumped into his throat.

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