In the old residence of the Ying family, the once-grand courtyard was now a scene of broken walls and crumbling remnants, except for the ancestral hall, which still managed to resemble its former self.
However, the hall had a large hole in its roof, allowing a beam of heavenly light to accompany the wind and snow as it drifted in, sprinkling down on the ancestral statue.
In front of the statue, the incense burner remained, but now two memorial tablets had been added to the shelf.
“Son, come and light some incense for your Ying family uncles and aunts.”
“Coming!”
Li Mo lit the incense, bowed to the tablets, and suddenly felt something stir within him. He lifted his gaze to the Ying family ancestral statue.
Just a moment ago, he had felt a flash of the power of sentient beings, but now it seemed to have returned to its ordinary state.
The Southern Border’s shaman spirit statue?
A big question mark popped up in Li Mo’s mind.
Common folks, and even big families, couldn’t get statues of their ancestors like the ones in his dream, capable of scaring off beasts with divine power…
Li Mo stared at the statue earnestly; its face felt familiar… he scoured his memories but found no trace.
At that moment, footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.
“Master?” Li Dalong’s voice rang out.
“Hmm?”
Li Mo turned around and saw Xue Jing, dressed like your average pharmacist, standing in the snow at the door of the hall, smiling.
Of course, Xue Jing didn’t come alone.
Old Li’s master was here, which naturally meant Little Li’s master was here too.
Shang Wu crossed her arms, chin raised slightly.
“Master, what brings you here personally?” ×2
“Crown Prince visited Yunzhu yesterday; before long, he’ll be at Ziyang Mansion to personally commend Xiao Mo and Xiao Bing.” Elder Xue smiled.
“!”
Li Dalong froze, his back straightening instantly.
Gu Xueqin pinched her husband’s waist, feeling like she hadn’t quite woken up yet.
The Crown Prince of Da Yu, the next emperor of Da Yu, came to commend them in person.
Clearly, this news hit the couple differently.
The Crown Prince of Da Yu, Number One on the Qianlong List, the one who snatched the Sword Bone from Chu Long… his elder brother?
Li Mo squinted and moved closer to his master.
Shang Wu shifted her body:
“I came out for a stroll with Elder Xue. You’re the prodigy of the Qianlong List; we can’t be associated with such high people.”
“Master, all the soldiers in the South Border know that the reason I defeated the enemy was entirely thanks to your secret of victory, even though you didn’t come with me. The reputation of the ‘Fighting King’s Rules’ must have spread throughout the South Border by now.”
“Heh heh…”
“By the way, Master, I have a constructive suggestion.”
Li Mo took out a bottle of golden wine from the system space, along with a thick red envelope, and seriously said, “Let’s team up and take down that Crown Prince.”
“My dear disciple, if we take him down, I’ll become the Master of the Number One on the Qianlong List!”
Shang Wu took a sip of wine and felt her disciple was finally getting into the spirit, her previously flower-like face no longer pouting in anger.
The master and disciple huddled together, whispering their plot.
Occasionally, they broke out into a raucous laugh.
Xue Jing: “…..”
Li Dalong gave his son a warning glance, his fingers hurting from the pinch; this kid really had a thick head.
“You little brat, that’s the Crown Prince, the eldest son of His Majesty! What you just said is enough to get you sentenced, you know?”
“What’s up with the eldest son of His Majesty?”
Li Mo mumbled, “Who can cut off Qingmu City’s military supplies? Who can summon the King of South Border back to the Imperial Capital?”
Li Dalong’s face stiffened.
After a small thought, Old Li seemed to deflate, opening his mouth to say something but holding back.
He could only look at Ying Bing: “Bing’er, do you think he’s making any sense?”
“The Crown Prince…”
Ice Chunk pondered for a moment, her face cold as ice:
“Just him? Here to commend me?”
Li Dalong: “??? ”
No, we wanted you to talk about the disrespectful Xiao Mo.
Not to give him a textbook example of behavior!
Bing’er wasn’t supposed to be like this; she was cold by nature, but she wouldn’t spout nonsense… how could she…
Li Dalong and Gu Xueqin exchanged glances.
Could it be that their scoundrel son was leading her astray?!
Elder Xue, already aware of the dynamic between Shang Wu and Li Mo, lightly cleared his throat:
“Let’s keep the brat talk between us. Our Qingyuan Sect, although not officially subordinated to the court, still owes fealty to our ancestors. We can’t act like we’re clueless about this.”
“The Crown Prince is coming; basic etiquette must be observed.”
“At the very least, we should save face so that we don’t embarrass ourselves. We’ll go to Ziyang Mansion today.”
After all, the New Year’s Eve celebrated, birthdays passed, and the upcoming days were just more family bragging about the New Year.
Plus, with the chaos at Lan Ke Mountain happening daily, it’s not an excuse to stay back.
So that very day, after finishing lunch, everyone prepared to return to Ziyang Mansion.
“We’re in a hurry; I borrowed Elder Qian’s warship.”
Xue Jing tossed out Elder Qian’s prized warship in the Li family’s backyard.
“Not necessary.”
Li Mo smiled slightly and summoned the Nimbus Cloud.
These days, as long as the Nimbus Cloud didn’t perform its long-distance shifting, it could easily carry over ten people.
“What kind of martial art is this??”
Xue Jing’s eyes widened slightly, amazed, but he nodded calmly.
The Nimbus Cloud soared into the sky, headed for Ziyang Mansion.
As he waved goodbye, his parents turned fuzzy, and soon even Qinghe County appeared small before gradually vanishing.
The Nimbus Cloud rose above the clouds, and even the caressing snowflakes disappeared.
Three suns hung high in the sky, scorching the sea of clouds below, evoking a sense of being unable to hide anywhere.
“If only I had a pair of sunglasses.”
Li Mo pondered.
Oh right, Little Jiang’s eyes—their brightness prevented her from directly looking at the sun, somewhat similar to a condition from his past life.
Wearing a cloth all the time was rather inconvenient; if only he could switch to sunglasses…
I wonder how big Chu Long’s head is; I should measure it later.
“Xiao Mo, Xiao Bing, the anomalies at Lan Ke Mountain are quite astonishing; you ought to have heard a bit about it.”
Suddenly, Xue Jing spoke through sound transmission.
Flying high, the sound of conversation wouldn’t carry at all.
“…..”
Li Mo paused for a moment, nodding: “I know a little; what’s up, Elder Xue?”
Ice Chunk pursed her lips, glancing at Li Mo, silently sitting beside him.
Xue Jing spoke earnestly:
“The anomalies at Lan Ke Mountain are nothing short of astonishing; whatever is inside is likely no ordinary affair. It has attracted many major sects, including several hidden sects and capable wanderers of the martial world, all rushing there…”
“You mean to say, as a small sect in Qingyuan, getting involved could easily drag us into disaster?”
“…..”
Old Xue was taken aback, but you little brat just spouted some harsh truths.
“Our ancestors have quite the history…”
“Back to the point, the sect discussed it, and we should still go to Lan Ke Mountain. Would you and Ying Bing be willing to check it out?”
“Of course, for the sake of the sect, I have an obligation to go.”
Li Mo nodded seriously, leaning back slightly, his hand casually brushing against Ice Chunk’s little hand.
Xue Jing was quite pleased with his response, laughing:
“Lan Ke Mountain is filled with fish and dragons; just you two going would make the sect leaders uneasy. After some talks, we found a fitting way to ensure your safety.”
“Since the Crown Prince is personally here, let’s ask him to take you both along.”
