Chapter 79: Xu Mo Is Under Suspicion
"Who?" I tried to act calm and first confirm whether the ancestor and I were on the same page or not.
"The Teahouse one," the ancestor replied while he picked up the technique book I was reading. From within it, another book fell out—the one I was actually reading—while the skill book on the front was only for cover. The ancestor skimmed through it.
The book I had been reading was titled [Top Ten Ways to Survive During Deadly Situations].
"Oh, you mean that one?" I said, and almost—almost—a whistle escaped my lips when I saw the ancestor reading the book I had just been engrossed in. The ancestor nodded and closed the book. It looked like he had already perused the top ten ways to survive...
I looked down at the shiny marble floor, which reflected both mine and the ancestor's faces. I thought about how to phrase my words; otherwise, my status as the true successor would not be the only thing in danger—even my life could be at risk. "Ancestor... I did not want to alert the enemy by immediately reporting her to the head elder or the chief of the disciplinary hall, Wei Han. I was not sure if she was alone in what happened at the teahouse or if there were others with her."
I paused and looked up at the ancestor, who nodded, and I continued, "I also thought that she might just be trying to confirm my real identity and wanted to see who would come to save me. But after waiting for a while, no one arrived. If even after that I had reported her and the head elder had taken action directly without trying to find evidence, most of her suspicions would have been confirmed. Sorry, Ancestor, for disappointing you."
"No, I understand where you are coming from." The ancestor raised his hand. "It was my negligence to think our enemies would be stupid enough to not get suspicious when the head elder, who is usually elusive and whom most disciples do not see for decades, has, within the mere span of one year, visited the outer sect so many times that it cannot be counted on the ten fingers of our hands."
The ancestor stood up, and a moment later, a figure in black appeared behind him. Even his hands, face, and hair were completely covered in black. His face was hidden behind a thick black mask. The clothes the black figure wore were neutral, making it hard to distinguish whether it was a male or a female.
"From now on, your duty is to protect Xu Mo, with your life on the line. Understand?"
The black-clothed figure bent on one knee, showing that the order was accepted.
Probably a male, right? I folded my arms, curiously eyeing the figure kneeling before me.
"Xu Mo, do not doubt their loyalty. These guys are my personally trained army to protect the sect when Bai Xu, Long Bai, and his council of elders are unable to do so," the ancestor introduced the black-clothed figure to me.
"Name?" I tried to frame my question to gauge the gender of this person.
"Shadow Sentinel." The ancestor spoke for the protector assigned to me. "You can address him as Shadow Sentinel. Meanwhile, Shadow Sentinel, you will address Xu Mo as Master from now on."
The ancestor gave me one last pat on the shoulder and walked off. "I saw what had transpired that day, and I know you must have felt betrayed, being left alone with no one coming to save you. But believe me, I would have at least protected you from any serious injury. However, it would have taken me two seconds to arrive, one second to dismantle the formation erected by the artifact she used, and for her to reach you, it would have taken only two seconds at maximum."
When I turned around to speak to Shadow Sentinel, he moved without a sound, blending seamlessly into the surroundings. The black-clad figure never revealed a single emotion, making it impossible to discern anything about their identity.
I swallowed back what I was about to say and walked towards the wooden table where I had placed the stone that I used to stop my tongue from moving. Though I had pocketed it earlier in my robe, I thought it would dirty it, and I did not have an unlimited amount of spiritual stones to keep wasting on buying new clothes. So, I had taken it out and left it on the table. Just when my hand was about to reach for it, I stopped myself. Then, once again, I approached the stone, but this time, the intent behind my action was different.
I held it in my hand and, with my free hand, picked up the books I had chosen from the survival section of the technique hall and placed them back.
...
The ancestor, who had seemingly vanished as Xu Mo thought, was actually hidden in the void, watching what Xu Mo would do once he was alone—whether he would show any signs of nervousness.
Although he did not like doing this, his nature was straightforward. If doubts appeared in his mind about someone or something, he could not help but test them and let those doubts disappear naturally once they passed the test.
And unfortunately, Xu Mo had gotten himself on his list of suspicious people. To be more precise, he was ranked No. 1 on that list—because he was the future of this sect. From the day Xu Mo had become a disciple and true successor, he had acted differently than others would have. Even if the true successor position had been held by a young master from a noble family, at most, he would have acted arrogantly.
Considering Xu Mo's background as a commoner, it was strange for him to request to be sent to the outer sect when he could have enjoyed the privileges of his new status as the true successor. Before, the ancestor had brushed off his doubts, thinking it was the usual eccentric behavior that most geniuses exhibited.
But now, replaying all those moments and connecting them with what had happened in the teahouse, there was a possibility that Xu Mo was also a spy planted in the sect by enemy forces. Mei Xueyin and Xu Mo might have had some dispute, leading Mei Xueyin—who was also likely a spy—to use a truth poison needle on Xu Mo. There must have been some information that Xu Mo had withheld from Mei Xueyin, and she had been desperate enough to attack him in public by setting up an artifact that acted as a domain creator—something quite rare for ordinary people to possess. Mei Xueyin had been enrolled in the sect before Xu Mo, and the ancestor had already checked what she had been doing in the two years since her arrival—who she had met, laughed with, and talked to...