Su Mo let out a long sigh. It had been over two years since he’d last seen his good brother, and now that they finally had a rare chance to meet, it turned out to last only a few minutes.
In fact, they hadn’t even truly seen each other—just shaken hands.
“Are you alright?” Kashu asked beside him, genuinely concerned.
He really was worried. After all, this guy had escorted him all the way here with utmost dedication, and he’d be relying on him for the days ahead. If Su Mo kicked the bucket halfway, that would be a real problem.
“I’m fine—” Su Mo had barely gotten to his feet when he sensed something off. He touched his arm and found a small red needle mark there. Scanning his surroundings, he spotted a used syringe tossed nearby. His expression instantly darkened. “What did you do to me?”
Kashu looked innocent. “I didn’t do anything! I just gave you a shot of life-saving medicine.”
“Life-saving medicine? What is it?” Su Mo knew Kashu was simple-hearted and probably wouldn’t try to harm him, so he held back his impatience and tried to get the full story first.
“I don’t really know, either. When I left home, my dad gave it to me and said—never use it unless it’s the most critical moment, because it can save your life.”
Su Mo immediately realized that this so-called life-saving medicine must be extremely precious—a protective gift from Kashu’s loaded father.
His tone softened. “Sorry, I was impulsive just now. Thank you for the medicine.”
“Hehehe, no problem. You’re way better than them.”
“Them?”
“Oh, my stepmoms and half-siblings. Since I’m set to inherit Dad’s estate, they’re always picking on me. If Dad didn’t always take my side, I’d probably have died a dozen times over by now.”
Su Mo sighed inwardly. Being a rich second-generation heir wasn’t all that easy, especially for someone as naive as Kashu—and an only-child successor, at that.
“Sorry for bringing up painful memories.”
“It’s okay. Honestly, I don’t even want the inheritance, but my dad insists on giving it to me. Of course, that makes the others jealous.”
Kashu flashed a cheerful smile, then suddenly asked, “Oh, by the way—do you have a boyfriend?”
Su Mo grew wary and eyed him suspiciously. “Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”
Kashu answered honestly: “My dad said he wants to find me a wife—someone who’s good to me and strong. I think Sister Chiba fits the bill perfectly.”
Su Mo instinctively took a step back and cleared his throat. “Uh… I do have a boyfriend.”
“Oh, that’s fine too. We can still be friends.” Kashu looked a little disappointed.
Seizing the chance to change the subject, Su Mo asked, “Did you see a walnut-shaped thing fly into my brow just now?”
“Yeah, I did. It was glowing gold.”
Su Mo breathed a sigh of relief. That meant it had been absorbed—because he couldn’t feel it anywhere inside his body, nor in his jade hairpin or white jade ring.
He pulled out the serpent head, about to activate the serpent pillar teleport, when he suddenly remembered the scene he’d witnessed earlier: Qingyi should still be unconscious. He had to get over there and rejoin her fast—otherwise, those two women might do something utterly outrageous.
Especially Sakurai Mei, who’d been holding a grudge against Ye Qingyi ever since the whole “being played” incident.
“Kashu, this serpent head can probably only teleport one person. My friend is in danger right now, so I have to leave immediately. Take this—if you run into trouble, crush it.” Su Mo handed Kashu a spirit stone with a carved array on it. Crushing it would make the enemy experience a blast of netherfire.
Kashu didn’t hesitate. “Go ahead, hurry! If you’re late, he’ll be in real danger. I still have plenty of defensive artifacts on me—ordinary threats can’t touch me.”
Su Mo said goodbye and used the serpent head to teleport. This time, there were no hiccups, and he successfully arrived at the same square as before—except now there was one more person than earlier.
He’d barely arrived, vision still blurry, when he heard a fierce argument break out.
“Give Su Mo to me now! If anything happens to him, I won’t let you off!”
“Why should I give him to you? He’s my best friend’s boyfriend. When she’s not around, I have every right to keep him safe on her behalf.”
“Nonsense! His girlfriend is clearly Ye Qingyi. Lin… Chiba Makoto isn’t even Xia—she’s a spy for your Samurai Order. Su Mo would never like her.”
“Impossible! They were even making out underwater—biting each other’s lips raw! That’s something only couples do.”
“You—”
The moment Su Mo opened his eyes, he saw Sakurai Mei and Vail locked in a tense standoff—all over fighting for custody of a corpse… pfft, no, a body.
Both of their faces were flushed red, clearly from Sakurai Mei’s earlier remarks.
“Hand him over to me, Mei-nee.”
The moment Su Mo appeared, Sakurai Mei’s face lit up with joy. She immediately handed Ye Qingyi over to Su Mo, then stuck her tongue out at Vail in triumph.
Vail, however, didn’t keep arguing. Instead, she looked relieved.
“Chiba, even though you two aren’t on the same side anymore, and I don’t know what exactly your relationship is right now—please protect him. I feel better knowing he’s in your hands.”
Sakurai Mei raised an eyebrow. “So you were worried I’d hurt him!”
“Obviously! When I got here, I saw you slapping his face—and filming it while you did!” Vail, usually so gentle and meek, was now giving no ground at all.
“I—that was just a little lesson for him! Who told him to mess with our Chiba’s feelings?” Sakurai Mei looked a bit guilty and blinked at Su Mo. “I only patted him lightly—didn’t use any real force. I’ll show you the video later.”
Su Mo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Just then, a cold voice came from the side: “Childish.”
It was Sato Mami. She shot a glance at Su Mo and started walking toward him.
“I was going to tie him up, but Mei spoke up for him, so I didn’t. But don’t forget—you’re not Xia anymore. That girl over there was right. This kid is never going to like a ‘traitor’ like you.”
Tie him up?
Man, you guys really know how to have fun…
Su Mo was inwardly dumbfounded.
Vail overheard Sato Mami’s words and immediately took offense: “Hey, who are you calling a ‘chick’?”
Sato Mami repeated herself flatly: “I’m talking about you.”
And the two of them started bickering again.
Su Mo stood there, stunned. Wait, you’re all B-rank big shots, okay? I wouldn’t be surprised if you started throwing punches—but a slanging match? That’s a bit beneath your pay grade, isn’t it?
Just then, someone else was teleported in. The newcomer had an icy expression. Spotting Vail arguing with someone, he walked straight up to her, faced Sato Mami, and said coldly: “Don’t think I’m scared of you just because you outnumber us.”
It was Black—one of the three prodigies of the Tianjiao Camp, incredibly powerful, and someone who’d crossed swords with Su Mo before.
No sooner had he spoken than a sword aura slashed through the air, carving a deep trench in the ground between the two sides.
“And now?” Kusagami Red arrived sword in hand, standing firmly beside Sato Mami. “I haven’t had a real fight with a Chosen One yet—I’ve been itching for one.”
His gaze then drifted past Black and landed on Vail behind him—and his eyes went wide. “So, my lovely lady, would you give me that chance?”
Black’s eyes sharpened like blades. “You’re asking for death.”
