Ye Qingyu was at the A-rank Heavenly Realm, and her perception was far keener than everyone else’s, so she was the first to notice something was wrong.
Fortunately, Qin Xun had only briefly lost consciousness. He soon came to, and his complexion returned to a healthy, rosy state.
“Phew—I’m fine. The medicine just hit a bit hard, so I rested for a moment.” Qin Xun let out a long breath.
Yang Jie said worriedly, “Master, your condition just now was very dangerous. I’m concerned that—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
Qin Xun chuckled: “You’re afraid I might kick the bucket, aren’t you.”
Yang Jie hadn’t expected his master to put it so bluntly, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.
“Master, is there something wrong with the six-headed serpent spirit herb?” Su Mo sensed something off. “I have all kinds of other herbs here—feel free to take a look if any of them might help.”
Qin Xun shook his head. “At my age, I was already not far from death. You practically dragged me back from the gates of hell and bought me a few more years. Isn’t that already a huge win?”
He continued, “As for you and Su Mo—no, I should say you and Qingyi—as long as the two of you are fine with it, you don’t need to worry about what anyone else thinks. Of course, since you’re willing to share this secret with others, that means you’ve already found a concrete way to fix it, right?”
Su Mo nodded. “We’ve found it, but it’s going to take multiple attempts.”
With that, he told Qin Xun about the Heavenly Demon Eye, though he fabricated a certain degree of detail regarding the Heavenly Demon Clan—layering truth with fiction, so that the false was hidden within the real.
In other words, he used the truth to tell a different story—far more sophisticated than simply making things up.
The older people get, the more they become like children. Qin Xun was completely drawn in by the tales, so Su Mo went ahead and told him the entirety of his experiences in the island nation.
When Su Mo mentioned that Taoyao was on him, Qin Xun shot up from his seat, barely containing his excitement: “Quick—take it out and let me see!”
Su Mo was baffled. To him, it was just an ordinary weapon—what was there to get so worked up about?
But then he thought about the blade’s oddities, and realized there had to be more to it. His master was a formation grandmaster—if anyone could find clues, it would be him.
The moment Taoyao fell into Qin Xun’s hands, his breathing quickened: “It really is Taoyao. It’s really her.”
Su Mo asked in confusion, “What’s so special about Taoyao? I’ve always felt it was a bit strange, but I could never figure out its secrets.”
Qin Xun ran his fingers along the blade and laughed heartily. “Those fools in the Warrior’s Order had no idea of Taoyao’s true value—they thought it was just an ordinary weapon. But how could they know that the formations embedded in it are treasures of Xia Nation’s formation arts, passed down over thousands of years?”
Su Mo still didn’t get it. This time, Yang Jie explained for him: “This blade is engraved with many long-lost formations, including an incredibly sophisticated sealing formation. Do you know what that means?”
It suddenly clicked for him: “It means Taoyao is an extraordinarily powerful magical artifact, but its edge was deliberately concealed with formations. At the same time, it’s also a manual—one that could bring a breakthrough in formation studies!”
“Exactly. You’ve brought back a national treasure for Xia Nation.” Yang Jie had been smiling more than usual today, which made Su Mo a bit uncomfortable.
Ye Qingyi stood beside Su Mo. Qin Xun turned his gaze to her, then back to Su Mo: “What should I call you two now?”
Yang Jie’s lips pressed together, as if holding back a laugh.
Su Mo: “Uh… how about you just call us whatever feels natural?”
Qin Xun shook his head. “On the surface, we’ll stick to the original names. And that actually brings me to something important I need to say.”
He slowly caressed Taoyao and asked seriously, “If someone were to place a very heavy burden on your shoulders, would you be willing to accept it?”
As he asked this, Ye Qingyu frowned slightly from the side.
Su Mo hesitated for a moment: “It depends. The capable should benefit the world, but I don’t think I’d take that on before I actually have the ability to do so. However…”
He couldn’t help but think of Yu Fuzi, who had sacrificed himself to protect humanity, and of the millions of ordinary people who had fallen into eternal slumber on the Four Nations Island because of him…
“If the time really comes when I’m needed—I won’t hesitate!” His tone was resolute.
Qin Xun looked deeply gratified: “Do you remember what you once told me? ‘Half passion, half fervor.’ I suppose this is what that looks like.”
To his surprise, Su Mo shook his head. “No, that was before. Now… it’s six parts passion, four parts fervor.”
Ye Qingyu finally couldn’t hold back and said, “Elder Qin, Su Mo is far more outstanding than most people his age, but he’s still not suited for that position.”
Qin Xun sighed. “As his master, I don’t want it either. But I’m also an elder of the Big Dipper—the Tianshu (Alpha Ursae Majoris) elder—and I have to think about the bigger picture.”
Su Mo caught the implication in their exchange and ventured a guess: “Master, why not just tell me plainly what you want me to do?”
“The Tianshu Elder wants to take you as his disciple.”
Su Mo’s heart jolted: “I will always be your disciple.”
“Yes, you’ll always be my disciple—that’s on the inside. But to outsiders, I’m Ye Qingyi’s master.”
Qin Xun’s words made Su Mo instantly realize what that “heavy burden” really meant.
“The Commander…?”
“He’s fine. But the world will eventually belong to you young people. He’s already in his fifties—that counts as middle-aged to elderly. According to Big Dipper regulations, he can retire in a few years.”
The matter was now out in the open. Yin Tianxi’s intention was to take Su Mo as his disciple and groom him to become the next Commander of the Big Dipper.
Qin Xun was right—at least on the surface, Ye Qingyi was the disciple of Elder Qin Xun of Tianshu, while Su Mo, who was equally outstanding, still had no master.
“You’re not going to expel me from the sect, are you?” Su Mo suddenly started to look pitiful.
Qin Xun blinked. “When did I ever say that? I’m just finding you a second master. When he teaches you, study hard. The rest of the time, just treat him like a mascot.”
How much of that was Qin Xun teasing Yin Tianxi, Su Mo didn’t really care.
He didn’t feel any less burdened by Qin Xun’s humorous response—because the weight was genuinely heavy.
Right now, all he needed to do was ensure the safety of his family and friends. But if he took on the burden Qin Xun spoke of, millions—no, billions—would rest on his shoulders.
He even felt a little dazed. Just a moment ago, he was merely a “high-ranking” Big Dipper member with no real power. And now, he was supposed to become the successor to the Commander?
Was this a joke?
If these words hadn’t come from his master’s mouth, if Yin Tianxi hadn’t already hinted at it earlier, if Ye Qingyu’s reaction hadn’t been so genuine—Su Mo might have just laughed it off as a joke…
“But Master, even if I don’t become the Commander’s successor, I can still protect the Big Dipper and Xia Nation with my own strength.”
Seeing his firm stance, Qin Xun didn’t push further: “I’m just asking for your opinion for now. This plan won’t go into effect until after you’ve resolved your own issues anyway, so there’s no rush to give me an answer.”
As Ye Qingyi listened, she suddenly felt a bit sour inside: Wait until we switch back? Hmph—so you’re saying I’m the weak one, huh…
But she didn’t overthink it. The statement was blunt, but the logic was sound—and it had been worded quite tactfully.
Ye Qingyu walked up and placed a hand on Su Mo’s shoulder, saying slowly and deliberately: “This is your decision to make. You’re a man—having some ambition is a good thing. It’s okay to work hard. Just don’t work yourself to death.”
Su Mo opened his mouth, then thought to himself: The way she says that—it’s like she’s my real big sister or something.
