Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Immortal Elder

For a moment, silence fell. Mo Lan was uncertain how much it would take to persuade the four of them to stay. Hearing Qian Yin speak on her behalf, she realized these four were remaining in the Mo family for Qian Yin’s sake, and once again, she owed Qian Yin a favor.

“Two hundred million, two hundred million per person. We’ll protect you, but you can’t treat us like ordinary servants. After a year, we’ll leave. No hitting, no cursing, no ordering us around.” The four exchanged glances, finally agreeing to stay.

After three years of wandering, it was time to spend some proper time with Qian Yin. Though their freedom might be restricted, they were willing.

Mo Fan and An Feng clicked their tongues at the price—what kind of people could demand such a sum with such confidence?

Cold Blood, however, felt the price was low, and Qian Yin’s face was given full respect. His own tasks often exceeded a hundred million, and that was for just one mission. How many could he take in a year? Even with only twenty missions at ten million each, that was still two hundred million. So this amount was truly not much.

Grandfather Mo’s gaze wavered at the price, beginning to suspect something about Qian Yin’s identity. Ordinary bodyguards wouldn’t command such fees. Yet these four had an extraordinary air about them, so young, yet able to utter such sums. Clearly, they were used to drifting in the big cities.

“No problem at all. I’ll pay the money,” Mo Lan replied without hesitation.

Mo Fan and Grandfather Mo wanted to say something but found themselves at a loss for words.

“Here!” Cold Blood, seeing the matter settled, handed the box he’d brought to Qian Yin.

Qian Yin felt awkward—so many people, and this man was giving her something?

She carefully opened it, discovering three beautiful ginseng roots, plump and glossy, with delicate filaments.

“Wow!” Everyone exclaimed in awe; surely each ginseng was worth over a hundred million.

“Mo Lan, now we have precious medicinal ingredients. Let’s go look for that person soon,” Qian Yin said, delighted, handing the ginseng to Mo Lan and clinging to her arm for a moment.

Grandfather Mo, witnessing this scene, understood that Qian Yin and Mo Lan would always be the best of sisters, regardless of their identities.

Mo Lan and the four—East, South, West, North—remained in the living room to handle the contracts. Since they were to be bodyguards, a contract was necessary. It wasn’t a matter of trust; the process simply had to be followed.

Qian Yin pulled Cold Blood aside, whispered, “Thank you!” then found a seat.

Cold Blood suddenly felt embarrassed. Whenever this woman approached him, her hand always reached for his collar—didn’t she realize how awkward that was? Couldn’t she just hold his hand? And couldn’t she speak directly?

“Brother, you should be grateful!” An Feng patted Cold Blood’s shoulder, grinning mischievously.

Cold Blood let out a deep, hopeless sigh.

Once everything was settled, the four embarked on their journey into the deep mountains. The person they sought lived atop the highest peak at the northern and southern extremes. The path was all uphill, so they had to carry food and supplies, walking the whole way.

Fortunately, the four were seasoned travelers, undaunted by the climb.

Their laughter and chatter made it seem more like a spring outing.

Halfway up the mountain, a sudden scream rang out—a woman tumbled down from above, startling them all. Their first instinct was to step aside and let her fall, but her familiar face prompted one of them to reach out and grab her.

When her features became clear, their expressions froze.

“Why is Xiao Qi here?” Mo Lan asked, puzzled, glancing at An Feng.

An Feng quickly let go, waving his hands defensively. “I didn’t do anything. I never told anyone that the Sage lives here.”

As he let go, Xiao Qi’s hand nearly slipped again. Mo Lan glared fiercely at An Feng.

Mo Lan and An Feng helped Xiao Qi to a flat patch, seeing that she’d been knocked unconscious by a rock. The way back was long, so they decided to bring her along to the Sage.

The four exchanged glances. Qian Yin immediately waved her hand, saying, “This woman is my enemy—I’d sooner kill her than help her up the mountain.”

“Not my concern; I have an aversion to women,” Cold Blood said seriously, striding ahead.

“Then you carry her,” Mo Lan said, seeing their reluctance and adopting a petulant tone.

“Why should I?” An Feng protested. He wasn’t a fool—this woman always caused him trouble. He didn’t want her by his side, let alone carrying her. Too dirty!

“Because you’re the captain. He’s your subordinate—if something happens, it’s your responsibility.”

“Don’t forget you’re vice-captain. You’re responsible too.” The two bickered fiercely.

“Enough, you both share responsibility,” Qian Yin and Cold Blood said in unison.

With that, the two continued walking, leaving the others to help Xiao Qi.

The two at the back felt aggrieved, tempted to abandon the woman and catch up.

After more than an hour’s climb, they finally reached the summit. From afar, they could see the wooden cabin at the center, beautifully decorated. Hundreds of meters above, and now, with dusk approaching, the cabin glowed in the sunset—truly picturesque.

An old man was busy watering plants, oblivious to the newcomers.

“Sage!” An Feng called out from afar. The elderly man seemed very healthy; at his age, most would be hard of hearing, but the Sage recognized the voice instantly.

He looked over, surprised to see five young people arriving; usually, he had no visitors.

“Hmm!” the Sage replied, continuing to water his rare herbs and lingzhi mushrooms.

This was a wonderful place, Mo Lan thought—the misty surroundings would suit her grandfather, though she worried he might not adapt.

Upon arrival, the Sage caught the scent of blood, frowned, and glanced at Xiao Qi.

“Bring her in quickly, I’ll treat her wounds.”

The two hurriedly carried her inside, finding the cabin spotlessly clean. They laid her on a straw mat bed.

The Sage combined numerous fresh herbs, grinding them into a medicinal paste, then carefully applied it to her injuries.

It was unclear whether Xiao Qi was waking naturally or if the medicine was miraculous, but she suddenly opened her eyes, startling everyone.

“Who are you?” Xiao Qi asked, seeing the Sage closest to her upon awakening.

“Xiao Qi, why are you here?” Mo Lan felt compelled to ask.