Pursuit of the Truth

?Chapter 141: Guest

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The middle-aged man wore a virescent robe. He had a smile on his face, and he was built tall and strong. As he stood there, he looked like a small hill. His arms were long. Even if his Qi was not emitted, there was still a looming might coming from him.

As he looked at Su Ming, Su Ming too, observed him.

"It’s fine. I like Fang Mu," Su Ming said calmly and moved forward. There were about dozens of steps between him and Fang Mu’s father. As he walked forward, the distance gradually shortened.

Yet the closer he came, the more clearly he could feel the pressure from the man gradually becoming stronger. When they were just five steps away from each other, that pressure arrived at its strongest.

This was a test, a clear test with no intention of being hidden. The man stood there and looked at Su Ming moving towards him with a smile.

This tower was the domain of the tribe leader of Tranquil East Tribe. Only powerful Berserkers could step foot in there. The same applied for those in the tribe. Those who were not outstanding could only remain outside.

When he was nine steps away from the tribe leader of Tranquil East Tribe, Su Ming suddenly took a big step forward with his right foot. That step alone breached a distance of ten feet, and he arrived within the five steps of the tribe leader. The tribe leader’s robes suddenly expanded, causing Su Ming’s footstep to falter, as if he could not place his foot down.

He looked as if he was about to withdraw.

Yet at that moment, a strange light appeared in Su Ming’s eyes. He met the tribe leader’s gaze and the man’s body swayed. A sharp pain suddenly appeared in his head, and he had no choice but to lessen the pressure coming from his body.

The moment he lessened the pressure, Su Ming’s foot landed.

"I, Mo Su, greet the tribe leader of Tranquil East."

Su Ming wrapped his fist around his palm and bowed towards the man before him.

The expression of the man in virescent robes remained the same, and he took one step back, making a way to the tower. He too wrapped his fist around his palm towards Su Ming.

"Brother Mo, this might be our first meeting, but the moment I saw you, it is as if I met an old friend. If you don’t mind, you can call me Fang Shen. Come, brother Mo, this way!"

Fang Shen let out a boisterous laugh and a friendly look appeared on his face.

"Brother Fang, if you please!"

Su Ming nodded and walked into the tower with Fang Shen.

Fang Mu let out a sigh of relief in his heart when he saw that scene from a distance. It was rare for him to see his father treat others this way, so it was clear that senior Mo had once again obtained his father’s approval. He pondered over it for a moment and chose not to leave, but instead waited outside the door.

The inside of the tower was decorated in a simple manner. There were not a lot of luxurious items around, giving it a natural feeling. Everything inside was made of stone. Once Fang Shen invited Su Ming to sit at a stone table, he personally brought out some herbs. After boiling them in hot water, he poured the liquid into a cup and placed it before Su Ming.

"Brother Mo, thank you for treating my son’s injuries over the years. I have nothing to repay you with. This Grass Wood Leaf may be precious, but it’s still not enough to be served to you. I hope you don’t mind."

Fang Shen looked at Su Ming with gratitude.

Su Ming looked at the leaves floating in the hot water in the cup on the table. It looked very normal, but this was not the first time Su Ming saw something like this. He had seen the elder drinking a similar liquid with Jing Nan when he was by the elder’s side in Wind Stream Tribe, and he also took note of some of the actions the elder did when he drank this liquid.

"Fang Mu’s injuries have been lying in his body for many years. I’ve only slightly lessened their effects."

Su Ming might be looking now like how he usually acted, but in truth, he was rather nervous. He could already tell the tribe leader’s power from that instant before. This person might not have Awakened, but there were 900 something blood veins within his body.

By right, it should not be a problem if this man wanted to Awaken, but he had yet to, which meant that he was aiming higher. He wanted to wait till he obtained the full number for his blood veins before he Awakened. If that was the case, then even if he was just at the initial stage of the Awakening Realm, he could still fight against those at the middle stage of the Awakening Realm.

The blood veins were like a foundation. The more blood veins a Berserker had, the stronger the foundation was. The moment he let it all out, the effects would be shocking.

However, this was not the reason why Su Ming was nervous. He was nervous because since young, and even after he came to the Land of South Morning, he spent most of his time alone. He did not have too much experience conversing with people. It was even rarer for him to be in situations where he had to sit down and enter into talks akin to negotiations.

Besides, even Jing Nan would have to be polite towards this man due to his status.

Fang Shen smiled and grabbed the cup. He took a sip, but he did not like the leaves floating on the surface of the water. When some of the leaves went into his mouth along with the water, he swallowed it.

'This person’s power is as hard to ascertain as usual… Let’s say he hasn’t Awakened, but he has fine control, and his aura is hard to grasp. He also made me feel a strong sense of danger just now.

But if I assume that he has Awakened, he had a lot of trouble with those last five steps. Still, that one gaze just now was terrifying. It alone made me feel as if I was seen through, and it made my Qi unstable…

'This person is mysterious! But why does he seem to be slightly nervous?'

Fang Shen put down the cup and looked at Su Ming.

"We are now nearing the Day of Eternal Creation. The entire Land of South Morning is shrouded in fog, it is also an important moment for the three tribes in Han Mountain. All entry to the tribes has been sealed off, I hope you understand. Why is it that you have come to my tribe?"

Fang Shen spoke with a smile. There was a leaf in his mouth that he did not manage to swallow. As he spoke, he brought up the cup to his lips once again and swallowed the leaf when he took another sip.

"This thing is really troublesome when I’m trying to drink it. Fang Mu’s aunt brought it back, if you’re not used to it… Er…"

Fang Shen swallowed his words. He saw Su Ming taking up the cup, and with one light swing of the cup, the tea leaves were scattered skillfully, causing some of them to sink to the bottom, and the others to get stuck to the side of the cup. Naturally, after playing around with it for a while, Su Ming did not drink the liquid, but chose to put down the cup.

Fang Shen immediately noticed that Su Ming had two fingers around the cup and swung it with his palm acting as the center. There was a graceful air in his action, and it made Fang Shen blink.

He saw this same action on his little sister before. In fact, his little sister had even taught him how to drink that liquid and how to hold the cup, but Fang Shen had thought it was troublesome and did not want to learn it. Yet when he saw Su Ming’s actions and remembered how he held the cup, even drinking down the tea leaves, he felt a little awkward.

"I came here because I wanted to become Tranquil East Tribe’s guest."

Gradually, Su Ming’s heart calmed down. He was imitating the elder’s movements from that time and had a feeling that he had become the elder at that moment.

"Oh?"

Fang Shen lifted his head and looked at Su Ming with a polite smile. He was the tribe leader of Tranquil East Tribe and was not as rough and simple as he seemed to be.

Su Ming knew that his ploys were child’s play before this person’s eyes. He knew that he was lacking, so he decided to keep some secrets to himself while being honest.

"I want to go to the hidden grounds in the canyons of Han Mountain, which is where the Sky Flute Branch grows," Su Ming said calmly.

An almost unnoticeable glint appeared in Fang Shen’s eyes. He did not realize that Su Ming would be so straightforward. In truth, Fang Shen had already guessed why Su Ming had come here a long while ago.

He did not reject Su Ming’s request immediately. After all, this person was the one who had healed Fang Mu’s injuries. Second, this was not the first time he communicated with Su Ming. The two of them had known about each other for the past couple years. They even came into contact during the return and the gifting of the blade.

If it were not because of these reasons, if any other stranger would have come to him and made that request, Fang Shen would have definitely rejected them.

"Give me a reason!"

Fang Shen looked at Su Ming, and a serious expression came upon his face. He had researched Su Ming’s identity in detail over the past few years. After all, this person was in close contact with Fang Mu. This fact alone was enough to garner Fang Shen’s attention.

The results of the investigation came out a long time ago, and by Fang Mu’s descriptions and Fang Shen’s own judgments, he had a nine out of ten certainty that this mysterious Mo Su was not from around Han Mountain. He came from someplace else and was not familiar with this place. The possibilities of him knowing about the secrets of Han Mountain City were also low.

More importantly, this person did not seem to have any ill intentions.

This was not a decision made based on observations done in one or two days, but the feeling Fang Mu and Fang Shen obtained from Su Ming’s inconspicuous attitude and behavior during the past four years.

His mysterious power, amiable attitude, status, and background that had nothing to do with Han Mountain were all things that made Fang Shen think highly of him. That was why he gave Su Ming a chance to persuade him.

"I told Fang Mu that I was a seventh of a chance certain that I could cure his injuries with the medicinal concoction I'm making. This medicinal concoction is very important to me. One of its effects will allow me to cure Fang Mu’s injuries completely.

"Right now, I am lacking Sky Flute Branch to create this medicinal concoction. In truth, I asked Fang Mu to search for this herb for me to reduce the need for me to look for this herb in the future when I need to create this concoction again.

"If the hidden grounds of Han Mountain City has Sky Flute Branch, then there is a high possibility that other herbs exist in the place as well. If I can find more, then it’ll be a great help for me when I create the medicinal concoction," Su Ming said languidly.

He did not place emphasis on the effects of the medicinal concoction towards healing Fang Mu’s injuries. If that was the case, then it would make the other party feel as if he was being pressured and would end up disliking Su Ming. It would not do him any good either.

Instead, it would be better to emphasize the benefits of the concoction towards himself and subtly reveal some of his own thoughts that would make the other party wonder.

Fang Shen fell into momentary silence before he spoke suddenly. "There is danger within the hidden grounds of Han Mountain. What Berserker Art do you practice?"

"The Berserker Art of killing," Su Ming narrowed his eyes and answered calmly.

"What sort of injury does my son have?"

"An injury that is caused by an illusionary spirit materialized from a Berserker Mark of a powerful Berserker that is at least at the middle stage of the Awakening Realm!"

When Su Ming observed Fang Mu’s injury in the past, he discovered this using fine control. That was why he was certain that Spirit Plunder could cure that injury. He was not certain about it in the past, but as his power increased and he thought more about it, he obtained a clearer answer.

As for how Tranquil East Tribe provoked a powerful Berserker at the middle stage of the Awakening Realm and why it happened, Su Ming was not too curious about it.

"If you enter the hidden grounds and find other herbs, then how certain are you of curing Mu Er’s injuries? If you can’t, then what of your chances?" Fang Shen asked once again.

Su Ming fell into contemplative silence for a moment before he answered. "For the former, I will judge according to the situation, but it should be more than an eighth. As for the latter… it is still a seventh of a chance."

"Brother Mo, since you’re already here in Tranquil East Tribe, then stay here for the time being. I will need to think about this!"

Fang Shen fell silent for a while before he got up and wrapped his fist around his palm towards Su Ming.

Su Ming stood up and once he returned the greeting to Fang Shen, he walked out of the tower.

A moment after he left, a woman walked down from the first floor of the tower.

"Cang Lan, what do you think of this person?"

Fang Shen turned around and looked at the woman who sat down where Su Ming was sitting just a moment ago.